Hospitality plays a huge role in the British Touring Car Championship, it's an area of the championship with a range of diverse responsibilities. Due to this, it's obvious why fans are intrigued by the people who undertake these roles. In the latest BTCC Careers article, btcc.net talked to Steph Crouch about her key responsibilities, what her role entails and her route to become Head of Hospitality for Team BMW.

Name: Steph Crouch
Job Title: Head of Hospitality for Team BMW/WSR and Co-Founder of Vital Events
Years in the Role: 12
Favourite Circuit: Silverstone – it was my local circuit, and the first circuit I ever worked at.

How did you get the position?

I had a friend, who’s Dad was a Director of Vauxhall, Ian Coomber. Their family took me along to the BTCC, and as soon as I realised that I could get a job around racing, that was my goal! My mum was a trained chef, so hospitality was always in my blood. I made some enquiries, and secured a job looking after the TOCA team for a few years, before West Surrey Racing (WSR) asked if I’d like to look after all things hospitality for them. In the last few years, I’ve also co-founded Vital Events, and now look after some of the support series too.

What are your main responsibilities, both on event and pre/post-event?

With Vital Events, I liaise with the paddock coordinators to find out our positioning, organise power requirements, co-ordinate our staff and liaise with our head chef on numbers that we will be looking after for the weekend, as well as speaking with the championships and also the teams that we look after by feeding them in their garages as well.

At the track, I oversee the build of the hospitality unit and kitchen, and then do the bit I love most, look after the guests! Post event, I look after all the financials too, and then start work on the next round.

With West Surrey Racing, I’m very lucky that the pre-event work is all looked after before I get there – so at the track is where my role begins. We have a meeting about table plans, usually over dinner on a Saturday evening, or over coffee early on a Sunday morning. I then welcome all the guests, making sure they know all the do’s and don’ts of being at a racetrack. Having three cars, we will get 60 grid walk tickets per round – I allocate these to the guests, and take them out on the grid before the races and, with drivers individual sponsors, it can be a job to get the right people at the right car at the right time, as we have the JEP Photographers meeting me by the cars, so organisation is key! During the races, I manage capacity and ensure the guests are safe in our garage, making sure the mechanics can still work around them. Then I often host the Q&A with our drivers for the guests, which is quite daunting, especially in 2019 between race two and three at Brands Hatch for the finale!

What drew you to this field?

My parents were always huge motorsport fans and, as my dad owned a company that manufactured car paint, I was around garages from a very young age, so knowing I could find a role within motorsport that merged two things I was passionate about – cars and food, it seemed the ideal job!

What have you found to be more valuable in your career, your education or experience?

100% experience for me. I know there are Event Management degrees out there which is certainly a good avenue to go down, but I was fortunate to find jobs without having a degree, and then knowing the industry and working hard is how I have managed to get to where I am today.

What skills have you found vital to do your job?

Treat people how you want to be treated is how I’ve always tried to live my life. Also, staying calm under pressure is important, because in motorsport the unexpected can always happen and the guests look to me to update them when there are delays or changes on a raceday. Having tweet alerts on from the BTCC has helped me tremendously! Organisation and an eye for detail is always important too. Having a boss like Dick Bennetts means I always have to be on top of my game! He wants things to be spot on, and I want to do him proud. I’m very lucky that within WSR, I’m surrounded by incredible people, and I think that always pushes you to be the best version of yourself.

Do you have a favourite moment of your career in the BTCC? Can you tell us it?

Each year I’m asked back by West Surrey Racing and each time I win a new contract with Vital Events. Those moments definitely make all the hard work worth it.

Also to be a small part of the team when we’ve won the championships is a fantastic feeling that I’ll never forget – 2014 when it was absolutely hammering it down and we were soaked to the bone waiting to have our team picture on the podium is a moment I’ll never forget!

What advice do you have for someone new to the industry?

Don’t be afraid of hard work! You have to be happy to muck in and be part of the team to succeed. I have friends outside the industry that think motorsport is all glamour – when I’m picking up flooring at Knockhill in the dark and it's pouring down, it certainly doesn’t feel glamorous!

What advice do you have for someone who aspires to work in a similar position to yourself?

Same as above really – work hard, muck in and try not to upset people, motorsport is a small industry!

Due to the COVID-19 situation it is not yet known when and where hospitality services will recommence in the BTCC, but you can be sure that Steph and all of the hospitality staff will be ready to go as soon as it is safe to do so...

Following the announcement that TOCA has awarded a five-year contract for the supply of a new ‘TOCA BTCC engine’ to global motorsport industry leader M-Sport, btcc.net caught up with Team Principal for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, Richard Millener.

Covering topics such as the tender process and how the company plans to utilise its extensive knowledge and experience within the motorsport industry to create the first championship-winning TOCA BTCC engine, listen to the full exclusive interview with Millener below.

TOCA Technical Director, Peter Riches, has worked within the British Touring Car Championship since 1993 and is a vital part of the team to ensure safety and fairness regarding all things technical in the series.

Having been involved in motorsport since the 1970s, there’s no doubt that Peter’s CV would cover numerous pages, and it’s this high level of experience and expertise in the sport which informs his understanding of both how to undertake his role in the most effective way, whilst also predicting trends and developments in the industry that will require regulating.

Peter has a vast number of duties and responsibilities within the UK's premier motorsport series, with meticulous planning, preparation and off-season work being vital to the series' long-term stability and success.

Some of Peter’s key tasks includes creating, developing and amending regulations ahead of and, in some cases, throughout the season, to guarantee aspects such as new technologies are considered whilst continuing to ensure the series works in a safe and fair way.

Two major developments that Peter has recently overseen for example, includes the introduction of Hybrid technology into the series in 2022 through selected supplier Cosworth, as well as the new BTCC TOCA Engine contract, which has recently been awarded to industry leaders M-Sport... also due to start that same year.

Whilst long-term projects remain paramount, some of the more reactive aspects of his job includes considering the technical topics which are broached during teams’ meetings and the like, which have taken on an even greater significance during these unprecedented times following the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of the decisions taken during these procedures lately was to remove the Goodyear Option tyre for the 2020 season, benefitting teams due to regularity of back-to-back events, added workloads and the potential of reduced staffing in the now condensed campaign.

"The role involves having one eye on the future of course, but then there is also the critical side of policing the here and now. The job is very varied but also rewarding."

Alongside his responsibilities to develop and generate new regulations, Peter must establish the means to ensure they’re being followed; scrutineering equipment must be developed to measure various technical aspects in the most efficient way to enable scrutineers to check things quickly and thoroughly.

During events, Peter and his team are based in the TOCA Technical Centre, a purpose-built truck unit that travels to every race with all the equipment needed to run a BTCC race weekend.

Once the equipment is set up, the truck effectively becomes the technical team’s mobile command unit, where they can analyse data and samples in order to ensure rules and regulations are upheld.

“Nobody watching the series really knows what we do to police the power of the cars, the boost levels, the revs, and all the other dimensions and things that we check. People wouldn't believe the amount of equipment it takes.”

 

With his 300th BTCC event due to take place at Silverstone (26/27 September) later this year, Peter’s experience within the series is in a different league to the majority of the TOCA paddock.

“You remember highlights with drivers and things; Tarquini on two wheels going on the Grand Prix circuit at Donington in the Alfa, Winkelhock in the BMW, laps with Biela in the Audi and Winkelhock around Donington on media day. There’s things like that, that stick in your mind more than when it’s just another race meeting.”

Whilst Peter's position is all encompassing, the role of becoming a scrutineer is arguably the best place to start for anyone looking to follow a similar path. As noted by Motorsport UK, Scrutineers are responsible for checking the mechanical state of competing vehicles in terms of compliance with the regulations – ensuring fair play – and general safety.

Scrutineers can begin training from the age of 16 and are eligible to qualify as fully licensed Scrutineers once they turn 18. While experience in engineering or a similar technical field is usually an advantage, it is not essential.

The process for obtaining a Trainee Scrutineer licence is free and simple – for further information about becoming a scrutineer, see here. 

In closing for this edition of 'BTCC Careers' it's fair to say that Peter and his Technical Team oversee every aspect of the BTCC's rules and regulations... he remains one of the most recognisable and familiar characters in the BTCC and long may that continue!

 

 

Motorbase Performance will tackle the British Touring Car Championship with three examples of its brand new fourth-generation Ford Focus ST when the series resumes at Donington Park on August 1-2.
 
The Wrotham-based team worked flat out to prepare two examples of the two-litre turbocharged cars ahead of the championship’s official media day at Silverstone in March, which were handled by 2019 Independents Trophy winner Rory Butcher and Ollie Jackson.
 
But now, with the delayed start to the 27-round contest, the team has been able to create a third example of the front-wheel-drive machine for Andy Neate, and he will sample the car for the first time during a test session at Donington Park on Thursday (11 June).
 
Team boss David Bartrum said the car build, and the extra months that the squad has had ahead of the new campaign, means the crew will be ready to hit the ground running when the field tackles the opening rounds.
 
“This has been a very challenging period for everyone involved in the British Touring Car Championship, but we have remained dedicated and focused on being fully ready when we are allowed to resume competition,” says Bartrum.
 
“Immediately after the media day the whole team got to work building the new car before lockdown started, since the the restrictions have been eased a little a small crew have been working hard to ready the final car for Andy Neate. Initially, because of the timescales involved, it looked like we would only have two new machines while Andy would have had to wait until later on in the season to finish the build of his car."
 
The teams will assemble at Snetterton in Norfolk in July for the two-day Goodyear tyre test, which will give Motorbase Performance a further chance to refine the new machines. 
 
“Because the cars haven’t been in the throes of a season, we have also had a chance to build up our stock of spare parts, which would have been a push on the original schedule,” adds Bartrum. “We have trebled the amount of spares we have, because we have to be a rolling workshop on some of the back-to-back weekends that the new calendar has presented. We have refined the cars we had already built and been through them with a fine-toothed comb, and we have applied all the lessons we have learned. 
 
“This will put us on a very strong footing when the championship does kick off at Donington Park. We are chomping at the bit to get going.”

When Team HARD announced that Mike Bushell would be replaced by Howard Fuller for at least the first three events of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as the former continued his recovery from Myocarditis, the Kent-based squad couldn’t have predicted the events which were to come.

While the delay to the start to the 2020 season has given some drivers the opportunity to refine their sim racing skills and others the time for some home-improvements, 27-year-old Fuller has been filling his time during the extended off season by working as a delivery driver.

“My day-to-day routine, working, going to the gym, focusing on the upcoming race season, it all sort of fizzled out, in light of the pandemic. I suppose the job just came about through a simple internet search. I needed to of course keep up with my living expenses and felt that I’m healthy and able-bodied enough that I should go out and contribute in any way that I can.

“Funnily enough, I've actually got some experience as your ‘friendly neighbourhood delivery boy’, as I used to deliver for another popular courier. Throughout my racing career, my dad's always been at my side through the race weekends. So, during the week, Mum and I would deliver some parcels, cruise along with some tunes playing, and get to catch up a bit. Delivering parcels just seemed like the obvious choice to me, I get to get out for a bit and meet all the friendly neighbourhood cats.”

In a bizarre coincidence, Fuller has even recently even delivered to series Chief Executive, Alan Gow.

“My first thought when I read the name on the parcel was ‘no, surely not’ but sure enough, it was! It was a shock to us both, just another day, another delivery. But it was great to finally meet him one-on-one.”

Fuller’s love for motorsport started at the young age of nine when he was allowed to give go-karting a try on a family holiday. While his family weren’t involved in motorsport, the experience had a profound effect on the youngster and set him on a path with the determination to continue to enjoy the thrill of racing.

“I was in love with it straight away and never fell out of love with the sport. There were definitely some challenges, but with the support of my family and those who had faith in my talent, I’ve been able to get where I am now.”

When discussing his aspirations to get a permanent drive in the BTCC, the Surrey-born driver said: “It would mean everything that I’ve worked towards for most of my life. It’s the only Championship I want to be in. And I want to be Champion. Even during gaps in my career, I structure my life around getting back in the seat, making sure I’m fit and prepared to go if I’m lucky enough to have an opportunity.”

Ahead of the first event of the 2020 season, at Donington Park on 1/2 August, all teams will take part in the Snetterton tyre test, which normally takes place mid-season, on 7/8 July. This will be the second time teams will hit the tarmac in an official capacity this year, following the Season Launch official pre-season test on 17 March.

The test will prove invaluable for teams as, for some, it could be the first opportunity to be together and implement new safety protocols. Fuller is looking forward to the test, as it gives him the opportunity to get some much-needed time in the car ahead of the 2020 season’s commencement.

“With the new schedule and news of the tyre test, the plan is to be in the car and work on the great test we had in Spain and keep that momentum going.

“I’ve been communicating with the team loads throughout lockdown to make sure we’re prepared for the upcoming season.

“I can’t wait to ‘deliver’ some great results for them… get it?”

Sunday 14 June will see the BTCC Race Day with a Difference hit Oulton Park, as the five-event campaign draws to a close at the Cheshire circuit.

Following the initial postponement of the first five events of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, the BTCC team endeavoured to ensure fans could have access to some racing action to fill the newly extended ‘off season’ before the now revised calendar kicks off, which resulted in the Race Day with a Difference events, taking place on what would have been the first five race days.

Throughout the events, with the assistance of Motorsport News Editor Matt James, the BTCC team has been able to track points gained by drivers during the classic encounters and produce a standings table for each round.

The RDWAD standings have added a light-hearted competitiveness to the feature for fans and drivers alike, with MN offering a prize for the ‘winner’ following the finale.

Here, we take a look back at the RDWAD season so far...

Donington Park
The weekend of 28/29 March saw the launch of Race Day with a Difference, as the team used Donington Park to set the scene for the new feature.

In a day which featured 2014’s ‘Shedden/Turkington last corner drama’, 2018’s ‘Ingram 14^th to victory’ and finished off with 2012’s ‘contact between Plato and Shedden’, the inaugural event fulfilled the RDWAD promise of supplying an action-packed event for fans at home.

As the event came to an end, the points showed Gordon Shedden to be leading the standings, having had wins in Rounds one and three. Tom Ingram’s Round two victory saw him leaving the Cheshire circuit in fourth, as the highest placed points-scorer to only have featured in one race, sharing the same number of points as Andrew Jordan, but with his race win setting him above the Staffordshire-based driver. Jason Plato and Rob Collard took second and third, respectively.

Here's a recap of BTCC RDWAD Round two:

Brands Hatch Indy
Following the first event, the BTCC team were keen to get the RDWAD action underway again, with the Brands Hatch’s Indy layout playing host to the second event.

The results of the fans poll saw the day kick off with 2015’s ‘Shedden vs Priaulx – closest finish at BH’, followed by 2013’s ‘Plato & Jordan contact – JP’s 75^th victory’, before concluding with the fans’ favourite: 2018’s ‘Proctor wins from 27^th on the grid – unforgettable wet/dry race’.

Once again, Shedden led the standings leaving the Kent circuit, with Plato still hot on his heels in second. Jordan’s points-scoring finishes during the day saw him jump up to third by the end of Round six.

Here's a recap of BTCC RDWAD Round six:

Silverstone
Silverstone’s RDWAD, on 26 April, yet again showcased fan-favourite highlights of BTCC action, this time at the Home of British Motor Racing.

RDWAD Round seven saw 2018’s ‘Ingram at it again – 15^th to first including several double overtakes’ – showing once again how much fans enjoy watching a driver battle to the front of the order against the odds – setting the scene for another action-packed day.

The first race of the day was followed by 2014’s classic ‘BTCC legends – Menu, Giovanardi, Plato, Turkington, Jordan & Shedden fight for the podium’, while 2019’s ‘Goff wins wet/dry classic – Jack does it from 21st on the grid as inter-team skirmish between Turkington & Jordan intensifies’ concluded another gripping RDWAD.

Leaving Silverstone, a three-way tie for the top spot on the standings ensued, with Plato, Jack Goff and Colin Turkington all having tallied 74 points, with Shedden and Adam Morgan also tied just seven points in arrears.

Here's a recap of BTCC RDWAD Round nine:

Thruxton
For the penultimate RDWAD the BTCC team ‘headed over to’ the fastest circuit in the UK, as Thruxton hosted another trio of classic encounters.

This RDWAD started off with a 2019 encounter, with ‘Cammish success as race starts in the dry and ends in heavy rain’ from the second visit of the year, in August. Race two saw viewers just back to 2016’s ‘Morgan’s Mercedes wins as race ends in red flag drama’ before another step back in time, and a lesson in how to defend like your life depends on it from Plato, in 2015’s ‘Plato fends off home hero Collard in classic race-long duel’.

Following Thruxton’s three races, as we head into the final event at Oulton Park on 14 June, Morgan leads the standings, with Plato a mere six points behind, in second. Jordan cinched third in the table, but in a feature in which points depend on the fans’ choices, will we see another change at the top by the conclusion of Round 15?

Getting involved
As with all RDWAD polls so far, a shortlist of six race has been determined, with fans choosing their favourites which they would like to see streamed on 14 June.

In a change of proceedings, fans have been given a whole week to decide which to choose for the grand finale.

The top three races will be streamed on itv.com/btcc in the ‘viewers vote’ article, which will be published approximately 30 minutes before the first race begins.

Timings TBA.

Have your say on which Oulton Park race would make an epic RDWAD finale now, here.

For this week’s audio exclusive, btcc.net caught up with Power Maxed Car Care Racing’s Jason Plato to see how he’s getting on as he approaches his 22nd BTCC season.

Ahead of a campaign that will see the 52-year-old’s 600th race in the championship, and potentially his 100th win, Plato talks about how he’s been spending lockdown and the extended ‘off-season’ that 2020 has brought, as well as his expectations for the second half of the year with the condensed BTCC calendar, his new team-mate and July’s tyre test.

Listen to the exclusive feature-length interview below.

TOCA awards five-year contract to renowned UK motorsport company

TOCA – Series Organiser of the British Touring Car Championship – has today (4 June) awarded a five-year contract for the supply of a new ‘TOCA BTCC engine’ to global motorsport industry leader M-Sport.
Since the introduction of the NGTC regulations back in 2011, an important and highly successful aspect of the regulations is to make available the competitive TOCA engine with proven durability and strict cost-controls, should any team not wish to carry out their own engine programme.

In 2020 some 55% of all cars on the BTCC grid will use the TOCA engine.

Following its successful tender submission and subsequent voting by all BTCC teams, M-Sport will now develop, build and supply the TOCA engine to the UK’s premier motorsport series from 2022-2026.

The engine supply opportunity initially attracted expressions of interest from nine companies, resulting in seven fully submitted tenders, from which a four-strong shortlist was selected to each produce a thorough ten-page presentation for vetting by the teams.

Following a final process of the teams submitting questions relating to each presentation, and subsequent responses from each company via video, the decision was made to appoint M-Sport by the majority of teams.

As well as producing the new-specification engine over the next 12 months, M-Sport will work closely with Cosworth – the latter having been awarded the contract to design, supply and service the new BTCC Hybrid System, which will also be introduced in 2022.

M-Sport will work through a final development programme of the new TOCA engine, including rigorous testing and manufacture during 2021, before its introduction into the series the following year.

As with the current agreement, engines will be available on a fully-maintained lease basis with M-Sport providing comprehensive engineer and technical support at all BTCC race meetings and TOCA test days.

Growing considerably in size and stature since originally formed in 1997, M-Sport now operates a flourishing global motorsport business on the stages and circuits of some of the world’s most acclaimed motorsport series.

Providing the engineering expertise behind the multiple championship-winning range of Ford rally cars as well as the Bentley Continental GT3, M-Sport delivers winning performances around the globe – whilst a new state-of-the-art Evaluation Centre is currently under construction at its Dovenby Hall headquarters. 

Outgoing supplier – Swindon Engines – has produced the TOCA engine since the introduction of the NGTC regulations in 2011 and will continue to do so up until the conclusion of the 2021 season. 

TOCA and the BTCC teams wish to record their gratitude to Swindon Powertrain and look forward to concluding a successful partnership together.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted to welcome M-Sport into the BTCC family and congratulate them on their successful tender.

“The opportunity to supply the TOCA engine from 2022 understandably attracted great interest from an extremely high calibre of bidders, so it is testament to M-Sport’s professionalism and expertise that they were able to come out on top of such a competitive and comprehensive process.

“I would also like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Swindon Powertrain, who have been such an integral part of the success of the BTCC engine regulations, and we look forward to working closely with them for the remaining two seasons of their contract.”

Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to supply the new TOCA BTCC engine in 2022. The BTCC has long been a popular and prestigious part of the British motorsport scene, and we’re all looking forward to working with TOCA and the relevant teams on this new and exciting project. I firmly believe that M-Sport has some of the best engineering expertise in the country, and with the development of our on-site Evaluation Centre this capability is only going to increase.”

For the fifth and final time, the BTCC Media Team have put together a shortlist of action-packed races from the past decade for Sunday 14 June’s ‘Race Day with a Difference’ as Oulton Park gets set to ‘host' the 2020 RDWAD finale.

The Race Day with a Difference initiative, born from the desire to bring some racing action to fans following the postponement of the first five events of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, has been supported throughout by not only our colleagues at ITV Sport but also the awesome fans who have followed the action and played their vital part.

Using the poll below, you have the power to decide which three races you want to finish the RDWAD season with, so it’s only fitting to give fans some extra time to mull over which classic encounter tops the table.

Fans will have exactly one week to pick their favourite, with the top three streaming on itv.com/btcc in a week and a half’s time.

Don’t forget to tune in to itv.com/btcc on 14 June to see which Oulton Park BTCC races are your top three, as well as checking out BTCC on social media to join in with the RDWAD chat from the drivers and teams involved!

GP track takes summer date with Indy circuit hosting season finale

The two scheduled 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship events at Brands Hatch will now switch layouts, whilst Series Organiser TOCA has also taken the decision to remove the option tyre for the duration of the season. 
 
The famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit will now host Rounds 4, 5 and 6 ‪on 8/9‬ August, with the legendary layout getting a traditional summer date for the first time in the BTCC since 1996.

Whilst the general race weekend schedule remains unchanged, a series of practical and operational changes have been tweaked with the 14/15 November finale to now take place on the Indy layout, in order for the timetable to have more flexibility within the shorter daylight hours on that date. 

During a recent teams’ meeting it has also been agreed to delete the Goodyear option tyre for 2020 – the medium compound now to be used at all events, with the exception of Thruxton where the hard compound will be utilised. 

Given the regularity of back-to-back events, added workloads and the potential of reduced staffing in the now condensed campaign, it was agreed that such a decision would further aid teams during these challenging and busy times.