Josh Cook has agreed a partnership with PSA Group-owned Euro Repar Car Service for his 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign with Power Maxed Racing.

Euro Repar Car Service is an established and fast-growing all-makes garage maintenance repair network with over 3,000 sites across the world. Whilst Euro Repar Car Service is owned and fully-supported by the PSA Group, the brand attracts all makes of vehicle on the road today.

Colin Start, Head of Marketing for Parts & Service for the PSA Group and Euro Repar Car Service, is looking forward to their first partnership in the BTCC: “We’re really excited to be entering into our first major sponsorship partnership with Cooksport and the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2018. Josh Cook is an outstanding talent and we’re really looking forward to watching him perform this season in the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra. This partnership is a great way to put the Euro Repar Car Service brand in front of a nationwide audience.”
The Euro Repar Car Service proposition is a new all-makes MOT, Service and Repair solution for Retail and Fleet Customers across the UK. Its positioning is of a modern, high-quality national network with consistent standards, transparent pricing and local convenience with a major focus on trust. To find out more visit; www.eurorepar.co.uk

Josh Cook said: “I’m over the moon to be back on the grid with Power Maxed Racing, and extremely excited to showcase the Championship to Euro Repar Car Service. The brand is a perfect fit for the BTCC and we have lots of exciting ideas in the pipeline.”

The PMR Vauxhall Astra will be displayed at the Autosport Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend. The full 2018 livery will be revealed at the BTCC Season Launch on 27 March.

AmDTuning.com with Cobra Exhausts has today announced plans to expand its involvement in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship for the 2018 season after agreeing a deal to run a pair of MG6 GTs.

The deal to run the MGs - which have been among the most successful cars of the NGTC era - will see the team field four cars this year, with Ollie Jackson and rookie Sam Smelt already confirmed in the existing Audi S3 Saloons.

Talks with potential drivers to fill the two vacant MG seats are currently ongoing, with further news to be revealed in the coming weeks.

The two cars and the TBLs required to run them have now been transferred to the West Thurrock-based team, with the approval of TOCA, and work already well underway to prepare for pre-season testing and the opening rounds of the season at Brands Hatch in early April.

The decision to expand the BTCC programme will see AmDTuning.com focus solely on touring cars during the year ahead, having run a parallel sportscar programme in both British GT and the Le Mans Cup for the past three years.

“The BTCC is a fantastic series to be involved in, so when the chance to expand our team and run the MGs this season came up, it was an opportunity we grabbed with both hands,” team boss Shaun Hollamby said.

“This is a big season for the BTCC as it celebrates its 60^th anniversary, and we are delighted that we will be able to play our part with an expanded presence on the grid.

“The MG has been one of the most successful cars of recent seasons, with countless wins and podiums, and we are keen to try and add to that during the year ahead.

“We have already started work on a development programme with the cars to ensure they are ready and raring to go, and are in talks with a number of potential drivers about filling the two seats.

“Everyone involved with the team is hugely excited by this deal, and we are looking forward to getting the cars out on track and fighting for success on four fronts during the year ahead.”

The new livery for the AmDTuning.com MG6 GTs and the team’s full sponsor list will be revealed at the annual Season Launch at Donington Park (27 March).

Power Maxed Racing has today announced that Josh Cook will join the outfit for the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, aboard one of its in-house designed-and-built Vauxhall Astras.
 
Cook completed a memorable and successful rookie season in the BTCC with PMR, as he took home the coveted Jack Sears Trophy. He moved to pastures new in 2016 and 2017 before making his return for the campaign ahead.
 
"I'm so happy to be returning home to PMR," said Cook. "I always wanted to stay there after winning the Jack Sears Trophy with them in both of our first years in the championship, but things just didn't quite line up for all parties to do that.

"They were fantastic in my first season and having watched them closely and visited the premises recently there's no doubt they've managed to improve massively; investment has gone in to all areas and the Astra looks so well built. I'm so excited."
 
PMR re-introduced Vauxhall to the BTCC with the European Car of the Year, the Astra, in 2017. Now, with a year’s worth of data for all circuits under their belts, and plenty of winter development, the team are confident of yet another substantial leap in performance – spurred on by Rob Huff’s performance at Silverstone, earning them a podium place in the penultimate race weekend of the 2017 season, Senna Proctor's JST-winning form and further podium promise in Tom Chilton's hands.
 
Team Principal Adam Weaver said: “We knew that we had designed and built a great car. Rob’s feedback confirmed what we thought and helped prove that to everyone else. Alongside Tom, Senna did a fantastic job in his rookie season and won the Jack Sears Trophy with us and through no fault of his own, didn't get the results his pace deserved."

“I am delighted to welcome Josh back to PMR. We are a very different organisation to those early days and Josh has also developed as a driver. I am looking toward a very strong season.”

Martin Broadhurst, Race Director at PMR said: "Josh is the first person confirmed to do their second season with us, albeit with a two-year break. I am confident that this continuation with existing relationships and knowledge between team and Driver will only lead to greater things with the results we know we are capable of.”
 
The car's full 2018 livery will be revealed at the Donington Park Season Launch, 27 March.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher is targeting glory this season, after re-signing 31-time race-winner Mat Jackson to run alongside new team-mate Tom Chilton for its 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign.

Buoyed by a switch to the new Ford Focus RS machinery for the season ahead, the Kent-based outfit is targeting championship title success with a rejuvenated two-car effort and formidable new driver line-up.

Jackson returns to the Motorbase fold for his ninth consecutive year as part of David Bartrum’s squad, and after a challenging 2017 season, the 36-year-old is hungrier than ever to add a maiden BTCC title to his impressive tally of 31 race wins and 79 podiums from his 333 BTCC race appearances.

Team Principal David Bartrum said: “I’m really happy to continue with Mat alongside Tom this season, it’s a very strong line-up. Mat has helped us get the car to where it is now and has been with us from the start of our NGTC journey so it seems fitting for him to join Tom in what should be our strongest campaign to date with the new Focus RS.

“Both Mat and Tom have fantastic proven track records which speak for themselves and they are both hungry to become the 2018 BTCC Champion,” added the Team Principal. “They have great respect for each other professionally and already get on well, which is great for the dynamic of the team.”

Jackson added: “It’s great to be back with Motorbase and Team Shredded Wheat with Gallagher for another crack at the Championship. I’m looking forward to it immensely.

“I know that the guys have been hard at work over the winter to improve the pace of the car and there’s been a huge amount of hard work that’s gone in from their side.

“We’ve got a whole new set up this year with the RS and a new team-mate in Tom on-board for the season. It’s going to be an exciting season, and we’re hopeful that the changes will put us in good stead to battle for the BTCC title this year.”

Jackson will revert back to his lucky #7 racing number for the 2018 BTCC campaign with Chilton picking up the team’s previous #3 on his maiden Motorbase season. Both drivers will sample the new Focus RS machinery for the first time early next month when the squad heads to warmer climes in Spain to commence its preseason testing programme.

Race-winning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship team Duo Motorsport with HMS revealed its newly-constructed and eagerly awaited Alfa Romeo Giulietta to the motorsport world at the Autosport International Show today (11 January).

Little over four months since officially confirming its intention to bring the legendary Italian marque back to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, through a key tie-up with the Alfa Romeo Dealer Council, the Swindon squad’s new-for-2018 charger took pride of place on the Motorsport News BTCC stand.

Revealed to huge crowds and throngs of gathered broadcast and print media by race-winning HMS driver Rob Austin and Team Principal Simon Belcher, the exquisite white and green Alfa most certainly turned heads, with the Giulietta to see its first action at BTCC Season Launch on 27th March at Donington Park in Leicestershire.

As well as the official launch of the brand new Giulietta, Austin and HMS also announced an enhanced commercial partnership with long-standing backer Duo, resulting in the team being entered in the 2018 British Touring Car Championship as Duo Motorsport with HMS.

Notably too, Northgate remains onboard with Austin and HMS as a key partner for a second season in the UK’s premier motor racing championship while a new multi-season deal has also been agreed with existing partners Close Brothers Asset Finance.

“We are so proud to finally be unveiling the new Alfa," said Evesham racer Austin. "Everyone in our team has put in an incredible amount of work to keep the project on schedule while maintaining an impressive attention to detail.

“We also have to give a huge amount of credit to our fantastic technical partners, this is a very unique BTCC car and both Willie Poole Motorsport Services and ABS Motorsport have really gone above and beyond, on the shell and bodywork respectively, to overcome the challenges involved in such a unique design and still meet their deadlines.”

“To see the Alfa here today is the result of the hard work and passion of so many people, and also the passion of our fantastic sponsors. We consistently work hard to provide them all with unquestionable value from their support year-on-year and, as such, our partnerships strengthen and grow.

"So, seven years into our partnership together with Duo, we are proud to be entering the 2018 British Touring Car Championship as Duo Motorsport with HMS.

“Duo have been a huge credit, not just to us but to UK motorsport for many years, supporting drivers all the way up the ladder to their own BTCC team. The passion for motorsport and desire to win that the Alfa Romeo brand is so well known for is equally prevalent in Duo as well as every member of the HMS team, so we are excited to see the three brands coming together to create something special like this.

“We are also excited to announce that we retain the support of business vehicle hire market leader Northgate after a very successful 2017 programme, and we have a lot more activities planned for the 2018 season. Additionally, we have entered an exciting new multi-season partnership with Close Brothers Asset Finance who will be featuring much more prominently on the new HMS Alfa Romeo BTCC car.”

With two months to go until Season Launch, Duo Motorsport with HMS now heads into a comprehensive winter testing programme for the Alfa Romeo.

Austin and Team Principal Belcher are justifiably confident the squad will be able to make big strides with the development and set-up of the Giulietta over the coming weeks, and the entire team is relishing the opening weekend of the new season at Brands Hatch (7-8 April) – the venue of Austin’s first win for HMS during the 2017 championship finale.

“It’s very emotional to see the response to the Alfa Romeo we have designed and built ourselves from the ground up," said Belcher. "I did a very hard thing in stepping out of the driving seat myself in the BTCC to spend more time overseeing the team’s progress and then developing such a stunning car.

“Our engineer Matt Taylor and the rest of the team have done an incredible job and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved. However, a beautiful car is only part of the journey – now we need to make it win!”

“All in all, we are in a very good place”, added Austin, “We have a great team of guys here who have built a beautiful BTCC car which, on paper, looks to be a notable step forward from our previous car.

"We have great support from some fantastic partners and we have reintroduced an truly iconic brand back into top level British motorsport – all this and it’s only 11 January!

“So, we have lots of time to develop this car and give ourselves the best possible chance at starting the 2018 season where we finished 2017.

"This is the biggest and most important season of my 27-year career and I cannot describe to you how excited, motivated and determined I am!”

BMR Racing has today confirmed that Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Ashley Sutton will remain with the outfit for 2018 as he bids to retain his Drivers' title. He will carry #1 on his Subaru throughout the forthcoming campaign.

The 23-year-old was crowned 2017 BTCC Champion back in October at Brands Hatch after an outstanding year in the Subaru Levorg GT, tallying an impressive six victories and no fewer than fifteen podiums in what was his second season in Britain's premier motor racing series.

Sutton's relationship with BMR is a longstanding one, following his induction into the BMR Academy – the team's young driver programme that provides mentoring and training to aid career progression of talented hopefuls.

The champion has enjoyed a superb run of success over the course of the last four seasons with the Jack Sears Trophy in 2016, the Renault UK Clio Cup in 2015 as well as Formula Ford scholarship class titles in both 2014 and 2015.

“I'm pleased to be back on the grid for the 2018 season with BMR and back behind the wheel of my championship-winning Subaru Levorg!" said Sutton.

"Last year is going to stick with me, it was a roller coaster of a season but one that’s going to sit well in the memory bank.

"I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am now if it wasn’t for all my sponsors and for the BMR Academy that have supported me from the beginning.

“Everyone has been asking how I will approach this year now I am going in defending my title.

"I won’t be changing my approach too much but I'm just making sure I'm zeroing in on all my defects to make sure I am in the best possible position come the end of the season.  

"We as a team will be taking into account the Teams' Championship along with the Manufacturers' title for Subaru.

"I can’t wait to get going, the boys are working hard in the workshop in preparation for what lies ahead.”

Warren Scott added: “We’re delighted and extremely proud that Ash will be carrying the number one on his Subaru Levorg for 2018 and we are very excited about the 60th Anniversary season ahead. 

"With Ash wrapping up the Drivers' Championship last year, we will be looking to defend that alongside a full assault on the Manufacturers' title for Subaru as well as the overall Teams' Championship.”

“It’s great to have Ash on board again for 2018," said Paul Tunnicliffe, Managing Director of Subaru UK.

"We’re looking forward to another successful year with BMR and we know they’ll work the Levorg Sports Tourers to their max. Ash is a great driver and we’re expecting another year of exciting races from him.” 

Sutton will be appearing at Autosport International this weekend (13-14 January) at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham where he will be speaking of his success and the season ahead. His championship winning car will be on display on the Adrian Flux Insurance stand in Hall 6.

BMR will be making further announcements ahead of the new season in due course.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and TOCA have been working alongside the organisers of the Silverstone Classic (20-22 July) to mark further celebrations of the BTCC's 60^th anniversary with a special homage to the series' iconic, historic racing saloon cars – adding to the championship's Diamond Jubilee festivities, including the already-announced Diamond Double race set to take place at Snetterton on Sunday, 31 July.
 
Tin Top Sunday – on Sunday, 22 July – will encompass a timetable of no fewer than four magical races for iconic cars from bygone eras. Close to 200 of the BTCC’s most illustrious machines will be reliving their glory years on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, many raced by legends past and present.
 
Ensuring the maximum spectrum of the championship’s 60-year history is showcased, the selected grids will put the spotlight on four very different generations.      
 
Turning the clock right back to the early sixties, the Under 2-litre Touring Cars (U2TC) grid is an ultra-competitive contest featuring Alfa Romeo GTAs, BMW TiSAs, Lotus Cortinas and giant-killing Mini Coopers. Highlighting its status, multiple BTCC champions Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden teamed up to win this rousing race in 2015.
 
While the BTCC’s formative seasons were dominated by sporty versions of locally produced European saloons, by the mid-sixties, mighty American V8 muscle cars had come, seen and conquered. It is a thunderous epoch, perfectly represented by the return of the Trans-Atlantic Touring Car Trophy – fans can look forward to a massive 50+ car grid laden with Mustangs, Galaxies and Falcons.
 
By the mid-seventies, the Yank Tanks had been outlawed and in their place, BTCC grids were filled with Capris, Rover Vitesses and smaller-hearted speedsters such as the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Alfa Romeo GTV and BMW M3. These icons will be among those included in the exciting Historic Touring Car Challenge (HTCC).
 
Adding to the retro drama, the U2TC, Trans-Atlantic and HTCC close encounters will all include a compulsory mid-race pit-stop and optional driver change.
 
Completing the BTCC Diamond Jubilee celebrations will be double-header rounds of the JET Super Touring Car Trophy, putting the spotlight on the high-tech tourers from the nineties.
 
“These four evocative grids on Tin Top Sunday will be a wonderful tribute to 60 memorable years of BTCC action,” enthused Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, organiser of the Silverstone Classic. “The BTCC boasts an incredible history stretching right back to 1958 and in its diamond anniversary year we are excited to be celebrating its unrivalled provenance both on and off the track at this summer’s very special Classic.”
 
A large number of past and present BTCC star drivers will be joining the party. Indeed, many notable touring car aces have become regular competitors at the Silverstone festival and fans can expect a bumper turn-out in 2018. Those revving up in recent years have included past champs Neal, Shedden, John Cleland, Tim Harvey and Colin Turkington as well as tin-top legends such as Jeff Allam, Gianfranco Brancatelli, Rob Huff, Jim Richards and Steve Soper.
 
Full details are available on the silverstoneclassic.com website, and tickets for the BTCC's Diamond Double special at Snetterton can be found here.

Team BMW will defend the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles with an unchanged driver line-up of Colin Turkington and Rob Collard in 2018. Andrew Jordan will also remain with West Surrey Racing, once again competing under the BMW Pirtek Racing banner.

WSR-run Team BMW enjoyed a superb 2017 season as Turkington and Collard claimed 20 podium finishes in their BMW 125i M Sports and finished second and fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Turkington, from Portadown, is one of the most successful BTCC racers of all time. He took the Drivers’ Championship in 2009 and 2014 as well as five Independents’ titles and 45 race wins.

In 2017 he claimed four wins – including a landmark 100^th for BMW in the BTCC at Thruxton in May – and took the fight for the Drivers’ Championship to the season’s final race before cruel luck denied him the chance of a third crown.

This year marks the Northern Irishman’s 12^th season with WSR; his history with the team including both of his BTCC crowns and a race-winning stint in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

Collard, from Eversley, Hampshire, is another driver to have forged a long and successful relationship with WSR, having first driven for the team 13 years ago.

The 2003 BTCC Independents’ Champion has claimed 12 of his 14 career wins with the organisation, including his maiden success at Knockhill in 2005.

Last year was his most successful to date as he scored points in the first 21 races and podiums at the opening six events; achievements unmatched by any other driver.

He remained in title contention until he was cruelly forced to miss the final five races due to the effects of a heavy crash at Silverstone in which he was an innocent victim.

Turkington and Collard will, as in 2017, be joined by Andrew Jordan in a third 125i M Sport, which will be run under the BMW Pirtek Racing banner.

Jordan, the 2013 BTCC champion, won three times in his maiden season with WSR and led more distance than any other driver on his way to ninth place in the end-of-season points.

With a year’s experience of a rear-wheel-drive touring car under his belt, the 28-year-old from Lichfield, Staffordshire, is excited about the coming season.

WSR’s trio of BMWs have undergone a number of developments over the winter break, aimed at enhancing the car’s already legendary performance and reliability. The car has won six overall BTCC titles in its five years of competition and is set for more success in 2018.

Colin Turkington, Team BMW, said: “I’m excited for the new season and delighted to be staying with Team BMW and WSR for another year. This place feels like home to me, having raced here for 11 years already, and the environment is exactly what I need to get the best performance out of myself. I was bitterly disappointed to miss out on the Drivers’ Championship at the season finale last year and I’ll continue to put everything into winning the title this time around. The BMW 125i M Sport has won more titles than any other car in the past five years and the developments we’ve already tested for 2018 look like they’re going to make us even stronger, but we know that the competition won’t stand still so we’re expecting a tight battle.”

Rob Collard, Team BMW, said: “The 2017 season was my most competitive to date in the BTCC and had I not missed the final five races, I’m certain I would have been in with a very strong chance of being champion. I’m fully recovered, have been training hard and can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the BMW for the first test of the new year. This will be my ninth straight season with WSR and my 11^th in total. Over that time my performances have improved year-on-year and I’ve played a key role in several title-winning campaigns. The Drivers’ Championship is my goal for 2018, and with the team continuing to evolve the car, I’m confident of fighting at the front.”

Andrew Jordan, BMW Pirtek Racing, said: “This is the most excited I’ve been about a new BTCC season for a long time. Having the continuity of a second year with WSR and the vast engineering resource and experience they have will be a huge benefit to me. I was delighted to win three times with BMW Pirtek Racing in 2017 and lead the most distance, and now, with a year’s experience of a rear-wheel-drive touring car under my belt, I’m very confident of being a consistent challenger throughout the year. If we can achieve this as a team, there’s no reason why we can’t challenge for the championship.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “We’re very pleased to again be given the responsibility of representing BMW in the BTCC. We won the Manufacturers’ title and made Team BMW Teams’ Champions in 2017, but now the target is to add another Drivers’ crown. In Colin, Rob and AJ, we have three extremely strong drivers who all won races last year and know what it takes to be a champion in this series, while in the BMW 125i M Sport, we have a car that’s undergone constant engineering development since 2013 and which has won six overall titles in the past five years. While the level of competitiveness in the BTCC seems to rise year-on-year, we’ve proved ourselves as consistent front-runners and again aim for silverware come the end of the season.”

Eurotech Racing is pleased to announce the retention of Jack Goff for 2018, with the High Wycombe racer set to contest a second consecutive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign with the outfit.

Eurotech and Goff proved a potent, successful and popular combination throughout the 2017 BTCC season achieving the highest number of pole positions with three, along with seven podiums, four Independents' victories and one outright win.

“I am delighted to have signed for my second year with Eurotech in the Honda Civic Type R," said Goff.

"It will be the first time I have been with the same team in the same car for a second year running which will be a massive positive for our championship challenge in 2018.

"I get on very well with everyone at Eurotech and felt at home straight away there last year.

"We have a good testing plan in place to work on some areas where we know we can improve, so I will be heading into the year with high hopes of improving where we finished in 2017.”

"We are very pleased to continue working with Jack," said Jeff Smith, Team Principal at Eurotech Racing.

"We had a really strong season last year, we work well together and that has shown from the results, Jack fits in to our team dynamic perfectly.

"To be able to confirm his seat this early on in the year enables us all to hit the ground running and press on with our 2018 plans and preparation.

"The continuity will be a massive advantage to us and Jack for our assault on the 2018 season where we will be building on our success with the aim being securing both the Independents and outright championships."