Team HARD. Racing has announced that Carl Boardley will remain with the team for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, driving the outfit’s recently acquired BMW 1 Series.

Boardley, a multiple National Hot Rod World Champion, returns to the squad he made his BTCC debut with back in 2018. He has also competed in the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup with Team HARD.

The 1 Series has been purchased from West Surrey Racing and Boardley is champing at the bit to get behind the wheel.

“I’m over the moon to be back in the BTCC for 2020,” said Boardley. “I will admit that the 2019 season had its demons, but we used it to find our feet and understand the workings of the BTCC.

“The car has the potential to mix it at the front, so when this opportunity became available, I just had to jump at the chance.

“There were several options available but when WSR mentioned the availability of an established race-winning car, I couldn’t help but take an interest.

“I have a great working relationship with Tony and his Team HARD. Racing squad, so this is a fantastic fit for everyone involved.

“I’m really looking forward to trying the BMW 1 Series out over the coming months as we aim to hit the ground running at the Donington Park season opener.”

Managing Director, Tony Gilham is pleased to welcome Boardley back for a second successive season and is looking to utilise his experience to improve on 2019’s breakthrough showing.

“We have developed a great relationship with Carl over the years he been with us and the 2019 season was a challenging one,” said Gilham. “But there were still moments when Carl was able to demonstrate his natural ability behind the wheel.

“I’m delighted that we have been able to bring the BMW name to our team, I loved the BTCC car I drove back in 2012 and I’m glad that Carl could get a deal with WSR to get them to hand over their hugely successful 1 Series.

“We have relative inexperience with rear-wheel drive machinery in the BTCC but I firmly believe that Carl is the man to help steer us in the right direction with it. His years of experience and race engineering ability are really going to aid development and understanding.

“I’m sure much of the BTCC paddock and racing enthusiasts know, that our time with our beloved Volkswagen CC’s is coming to an end due to the current regulations which means we have a maximum of two years left with these cars.

“It’s a good time to start exploring all avenues as we look for a worthy successor. With the extensive developments we’ve made to the CC’s and the addition of the BMW, this is the perfect start to the process!”

Week four of #WinItWednesday is here already! This week is our Drivers’ Champion, Colin Turkington.

Donington Park saw the Northern Irishman take his first of what would be two double wins in 2019, before achieving a solo victory at Snetterton. Turkington had a stellar season, with the most fastest laps and poles of all drivers, and the best average qualifying position. Obviously these, alongside eight podium finishes, accumulated to result in his record-equalling fourth Championship title.

Click the image below to download…

This week on BTCC looks back, we’re talking about Thruxton and Croft!

Firstly, on to Thruxton: The weekend kicked off with the Hampshire circuit playing host to over 100 schoolgirls as Dare to be Different put on an action-packed day of activities designed to inspire more girls to get into motorsport.

Once the racing got underway, Andrew Jordan scored his first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship double success in more than five years as the BMW Pirtek Racing driver dominated early proceedings at Thruxton, before BTC Racing’s Josh Cook won the final race.

Jordan impressively bounced back from a dismal outing at Donington Park previously, which saw his car heavily damaged in a multi-car accident. The 29-year-old was forced to sit on the sidelines as his BMW stable-mate Colin Turkington took two wins at the Leicestershire circuit, but this was Jordan’s time to shine at the UK’s fastest track.
 
The Midlander eventually got the better of pole-sitter Sam Tordoff in the opener after initially blasting his new BMW 3 Series off the line and into second, getting by Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish.

The front-runners held station for almost the entire race until Tordoff’s AmD-run Civic wiggled slightly through Church on lap 13 of 16. Jordan eyed his chance and comfortably slipped by, although it later transpired that Tordoff’s car was suffering from power steering problems.

Jordan eased away in the closing laps to claim his second win of the season, ahead of Tordoff and Cammish.

Head to btcc.net on Friday for BTCC looks back heads to Yorkshire for event four of 2019, at Croft.

Following the entry approval deadline, Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Series Organiser TOCA has today (2 December) advised that all 30 entries – the maximum number of TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) held by teams – are now confirmed for the 2020 season.

Teams must hold a TBL for each car entered - there are 30 TBLs controlled by teams, with two further licences retained by TOCA for its own use. In keeping with its previously stated objective of reducing the size of the BTCC grid, TOCA has again chosen not to allocate its two TBLs to additional entrants.

Teams will announce full details regarding their 2020 entries (drivers, cars, sponsors, team names) over the coming weeks, prior to the release of the finalised entry list, which will be distributed by TOCA in March.

Confirmed entries for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship:

• Aiden Moffat Racing: 1
• AmD/Cobra Exhausts: 2
• AmD/Trade Price Cars: 2
• BTC Racing: 3
• Ciceley Motorsport: 2
• Excelr8 Motorsport: 2
• Motorbase Performance: 3 
• Power Maxed Racing: 2
• Simpson Racing: 1
• Speedworks Motorsport: 1
• BMR Racing: 1
• Team Dynamics: 2
• Team HARD: 4
• Team Parker Racing: 1
• West Surrey Racing: 3 

Mike Bushell is set to return to Team HARD. Racing for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign, where he will compete alongside Jack Goff in the Volkswagen CC.

Bushell, who was Team HARD’s top points-scorer the last time he raced for the team in 2018, replaced Sam Tordoff for the final three events of the 2019 championship at Cobra Sport Amd AutoAid/RCIB Insurance, achieving a trio of top 10 results. Out of the driving seat for the majority of the season, the 30-year-old was also able to demonstrate his engineering prowess as he guided Rory Butcher to his maiden Independents’ crown with the team.

With a wealth of experience both in and out of the car, Bushell is hoping to break onto the podium in 2020.

“I am looking forward to returning to Team HARD. Racing for the 2020 BTCC season so I can carry on with the progress that I made during 2018.

“Unfortunate circumstances meant I was unable to take part in the 2019 season and instead I spent my time helping to engineer Rory Butcher to the Independents’ Drivers title. A short spell as a substitute for Sam Tordoff for the last three events in the Honda Civic re-kindled my desire to race.

“With help from Fox Transport, I am able to return to the grid full-time for 2020 and Team HARD. Racing can offer me a chance to be involved in the engineering side as well as driving. A year on the sidelines has helped with my technical understanding and I look forward to extracting the most out of the VW CC once again.”

Tony Gilham, Managing Director of Team HARD. Racing is overjoyed to have Bushell and Goff competing for the team and looks forward to seeing how they develop throughout 2020.

“First and foremost, I am delighted to bring Mike back into the team after a year away. We are good friends away from the track and it was a very difficult decision that we collectively had to make back in March.

“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and to have Jack and Mike as a two-car pairing in 2020 is just fantastic. I’m sure many will join me in thinking that this is one of the strongest pairings that will grace the BTCC grid next season.

“Mike has already been using his engineering prowess and experience from 2019 to push the VW CCs on to the next level. They may have been around since 2013 but there is plenty of speed still to be unlocked and 2020 will see a vastly improved car!”

Goff, Bushell’s team-mate for the 2020 BTCC campaign, is relishing the opportunity to race alongside him in the same machinery. 

“I’m really looking forward to working alongside Mike next season. He is a fast driver and has proven his speed over the years and we had many on-track battles in 2018.

“This motorsport business is a funny one. I replaced Mike in his car at the start of 2019 on the eve of Season Launch which was tricky for everyone concerned for varying reasons. Mike then replaced Sam (Tordoff) at the end of 2019 which was actually my car from 2018 and now we are racing alongside each other. A small and crazy world indeed!

“I believe 2020 is going to be another very competitive year, and I can’t wait to get started with Mike on our winter testing programme and to come out fighting.”

The 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was yet another fiercely contested affair, with the battle once again heading right to the wire in the decisive closing race of the year at Brands Hatch. Read on and check out the infographic below to find out how each of this year's top ten drivers compare with their 2018 performance...

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington topped the tables, seizing the crown and becoming a record-equalling four-time BTCC champion. Turkington showed a great deal of consistency in his performance, with a 16-point increase on his 2018 score, maintaining his position at the head of the Drivers’ Championship for another year.

Jason Plato showed the greatest improvement on both points and positions gained between the two seasons. He accrued a massive 211-point boost over his 2018 score – lifting him by 20 places in the standings to seventh overall by the end of the 2019 campaign.

Scot Rory Butcher was another driver who had a notable improvement, with a points increase of 167 and 12 positions gained on the previous year. As well as achieving fifth overall, Butcher took the Independent Drivers’ title and Jack Sears Trophy in 2019, which, considering his improvement from last year places him in good stead to be a prominent contender in the future.

Matt Neal takes the title for most consistent, with an increase of nine points and having sustained ninth position in the Drivers’ Standings, the Honda man will be looking for ways to improve in the future.

Comparing the scores overall, it is evident that the level of competition at the top of the tables was considerably higher this year. The top three drivers of 2019 all scored over 300 points, whereas in 2018 Turkington was the only driver to break the 300-point barrier.

Next on the BTCC looks back series, we're on to Donington Park!

The Leicestershire venue hosted a feast of action in 2019, where Team BMW's Colin Turkington took pole position, followed by the first double lights-to-flag victory of the year. 
 
Turkington converted his first BTCC pole position in over two years into a relatively comfortable race one victory as the drama commenced behind him. 
 
A multi-car accident on lap one led to several retirements and heavy damage to a number of cars as Andrew Jordan’s BMW slid sideways following contact on the exit of the Old Hairpin. The Mercedes of Adam Morgan had nowhere to go – making contact with Jordan’s BMW – while Ollie Jackson’s Ford, Matt Simpson’s Honda and Jake Hill’s Audi also crashed out of the action. 
 
Jordan was taken to hospital as a precaution but the incident caused so much damage to his BMW 3 Series that the 2013 champion was unable to take part for the remainder of the day.
 
When the dust eventually settled it was Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Ash Sutton who followed Turkington home, whilst Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant grabbed a first-ever BTCC podium. Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher’s Tom Chilton was fourth and the top Independent finisher.
 
Turkington had to contend with a further two safety car periods in the next race as the action-packed weekend continued. The then triple BTCC champion took to the challenge with consummate ease as he scampered off into the distance on each occasion.
 
Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal – quietly going about his business on an otherwise dramatic day – made a great move by Sutton on lap 17 of 19 to take second place away from the Subaru star.
 
Ingram then scored an emotional first win in the all-new Team Toyota GB with Ginsters Corolla in the final race, as more than 4,500 Toyota members and their families watched on. 
 
Ingram’s manufacturer-backed Speedworks Motorsport squad began the reversed grid encounter from pole position and last year’s runner-up went untroubled throughout the 19 laps of running.
 
Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing’s Rob Collard claimed second after a mid-race pass by the Trade Price Cars Audi of Hill. 
 
Josh Cook took third in the BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R with his own smart move by Hill. Rory Butcher’s Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda and the manufacturer Subaru of Sutton eventually finished fourth and fifth respectively, whilst Hill had to settle for a solid top-six finish on the harder Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre compound.
 
Sutton’s two podiums saw him move to the head of the overall Drivers’ standings at this point in the season, although just six points covered the top five drivers with Cook, Turkington, Chilton and Butcher following closely behind.
 
Honda topped the Manufacturers’ order whilst Team BMW led the Teams’ table. Chilton was the man to beat in the Independent Drivers’ field whilst BTC Racing left the Leicestershire venue leading the Independent Teams’ and Butcher extended his advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
On Tuesday BTCC looks back will focus on the third event of the 2019 season: Thruxton.

It's #WinItWednesday week three! This week we're celebrating Rory Butcher's first win of 2019 in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, incidentally his first ever in the BTCC.

Following his win in race three at Brands Hatch Indy, Butcher went on to have an incredible season, taking not only the Jack Sears Trophy but also the Independent Drivers' Championship. Additionally, the Scot only failed to finish in the points on four occasions during the campaign – bettered only by Colin Turkington and Dan Cammish.

Click the image below to download...

The second annual Fans’ Driver of the Year was awarded at the TOCA Night of Champions this past weekend, with Colin Turkington taking the honours.

Throughout October and November, fans were invited to vote for their favourite 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship driver on the BTCC app – available from the App Store and Google Play – and the results were conclusive.

With Turkington taking home the coveted BTCC Drivers’ trophy, he’d be a tough candidate to beat. Similarly, Championship front-runners such as Andrew Jordan and Dan Cammish were also in the running, alongside seasoned drivers such as Jason Plato.

The top three drivers from the vote somewhat reflected the top three in the Drivers’ Standings; Jordan placed third in the voting and Cammish neared the top of the heap in second, but it was Drivers’ Champion Turkington who received the most votes and was consequently victorious.

Turkington provided a plethora of entertainment throughout the season, bringing it down to the wire as he entered the final race of the campaign at Brands Hatch second in the Drivers' Championship, but crossed the line victorious.

🏆 #fansfavourite 🏆

I want to thank all the @BTCC fans who made this season better than ever!

We have ‘the best’ fans & knowing you voted me as the favourite for 2019 is the icing on the cake. 🤩

Thank you for the support through the highs, the lows & the great GB weather 😂 pic.twitter.com/zBul4zW9JP

— Colin Turkington (@ColinTurkington) November 25, 2019

Laser Tools Racing has announced that it is to become a two-car outfit for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, with 2017 champion Ash Sutton joining the fold to partner Aiden Moffat.

Team Principal Bob Moffat has confirmed that the design and build of two new Infiniti Q50 NGTC cars for the 2020 campaign is underway, and that talks with Sutton have been on-going behind-the-scenes for a good while.

“We have been speaking to Ashley for a number of months now,” said Moffat Sr., “We are delighted to welcome him into the Laser Tools Racing squad. He is going to bring a wealth of skill and experience, and I know that Aiden is already looking forward to working with him.”

Moffat Jr. is relishing the team's growth, and the prospect of joining up with his new team-mate.

“I can’t wait to get going! I think it will be a very exciting year for myself and the team," he said. "We're really looking forward to expanding to two cars and I can't wait to start working with Ash.

"For me, he is one of the best drivers on the grid and I’ll have my work cut out trying to keep up! He's also a friend of mine, and someone I can work with to bring the best out of each other.”

Sutton is equally enthusiastic, having sampled the Infiniti during a test this past summer. The former Jack Sears Trophy champ, and 2017 title-winner, is relishing the prospect of driving the car and hunting down glory. 

"It’s a great pleasure to be involved with Laser Tools Racing and to be working alongside Aiden and everyone else involved in the team," said Sutton. "It’s great to see this combination between the two of us grow.

"I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Infiniti. Rear-wheel drive is my comfort zone and having run a rear-wheel drive car for the past three years, I feel that we can roll over of our learnings onto the Infiniti.

"What we’ve actually got going on here is very exciting. I haven’t had this excitement since 2017 — it’s giving me butterflies! We’ve got a lot to look forward, too. The car has a lot of potential and I think between us, we’re going to extract some good performance out of it.

“Aiden and I are going to be the team to be reckoned with. The advantage is that we are great friends away from the track. On-track we’ve had our elbows out a few times, but now it’s time to knuckle-down as team-mates and progress. The Infiniti is a great package and to be able to develop this is an exciting opportunity.”

“For the 2019 season, we made the decision to bring all race preparation and design work in-house to Laser Tools Racing," added Bob Moffat. This paid great dividends and gave us the confidence to change cars mid-season.

"We built Aiden’s Infiniti up from a bare shell in just ten days and had it ready for the Snetterton tyre tests in July, and to race at the same venue just two weeks later. The new car proved very quick at Knockhill and then Aiden achieved a worthy second place at Silverstone.

“This accelerated development showed that the Infiniti has considerable potential, so with Ashley joining the team we decided to build two new cars which will be engineered with considerable improvements in weight distribution and stiffness.

"We will also be concentrating on the car’s aero package and indeed the car is booked into the wind tunnel at MIRA in early December for this development.

“The result should be two very competitive NGTC cars and with our ‘dream-team’ of young guns Moffat and Sutton we are all going into 2020 with a sense of great excitement and determination.”