Overtaking them on a circuit may not be an option but here is your chance to out-drive the BTCC stars on the fairways instead!

Once again, thanks to series title sponsor Kwik Fit, you and a friend could be teeing-off with a duo of BTCC stars – Tom Oliphant and Senna Proctor – in an 18-hole golf challenge ahead of Rounds 16, 17 & 18 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone.

Following the hugely successful ‘Kwik Fit Majors’ at Donington Park and Knockhill the BTCC and Kwik Fit are excited to continue the feature throughout 2020, with further golfing events scheduled at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. BTCC drivers are already fired up to take part with the likes of Adam Morgan, Tom Oliphant, Senna Proctor and Michael Crees signed up throughout the year.

If you love golf and motorsport then this is the perfect money-can’t-buy experience for you, so if you want to tee-off ahead of a weekend bursting with BTCC action then follow the details below…

Date: 24 September
Time: 1pm
Venue: Within 5 miles of Silverstone

To win this exclusive chance to leave the BTCC boys in the bunker AND RECEIVE A KWIK FIT GOODIE BAG all you need to do is like and comment on the BTCC Facebook or Twitter post and to make sure you follow Kwik Fit on Facebook or Instagram.

Terms & Conditions

By agreeing to take part, you are committing to being at the venue stated and time agreed.

1 like/comment on BTCC post plus 1 like/follow of Kwik Fit Instagram or Facebook = one entry. Winners picked at random. The competition will close at 4pm on Tuesday 22 September.

The winner will be announced via BTCC social media channels the following morning and will receive a separate email that will require a response within 24 hours.  If this does not happen, another winner will be selected. The prize is non-transferrable.

Precautions in relation to COVID-19 are in place but please do observe social distancing and wear a mask when appropriate. Any communal equipment (buggies/trollies etc) will be sanitised by the golf course prior to use. You will need to supply your own clubs.  Face coverings/masks are not mandatory on the course, but we would recommend wearing one if you are in close proximity to others.

Overtaking them on a circuit may not be an option but here is your chance to out-drive the BTCC stars on the fairways instead!

Once again, thanks to series title sponsor Kwik Fit, you and a friend could be teeing-off with a duo of BTCC speedsters – due to be revealed next week – in 9-hole golf challenge ahead of rounds 10, 11 & 12 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill.

Following the hugely successful ‘Kwik Fit Majors’ challenge prior to the opening rounds at Donington Park, the BTCC and Kwik Fit are excited to continue the feature throughout 2020, with further golfing events scheduled at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. BTCC drivers are already fired up to take part with the likes of Adam Morgan, Tom Oliphant, Senna Proctor and Michael Crees signed up throughout the year.

If you love golf and motorsport then this is the perfect money-can’t-buy experience for you, so if you want to tee-off ahead of a bank holiday weekend bursting with BTCC action then follow the details below…

Date: 27 August
Time: 1pm
Venue: Within 15 miles of Knockhill

To win this exclusive chance to leave the BTCC boys in the bunker AND RECEIVE A KWIK FIT GOODIE BAG all you need to do is like and comment on the BTCC Facebook or Twitter post and to make sure you follow Kwik Fit on Facebook or Instagram.

Terms & Conditions

By agreeing to take part, you are committing to being at the venue stated and time agreed.

1 like/comment on BTCC post plus 1 like/follow of Kwik Fit Instagram or Facebook = one entry. Winners picked at random. The competition will close at 4pm on Friday 21 August.

The winner will be announced via BTCC social media channels the following morning and will receive a separate email that will require a response within 24 hours.  If this does not happen, another winner will be selected. The prize is non-transferrable.

Precautions in relation to COVID-19 are in place but please do observe social distancing and wear a mask when appropriate. Any communal equipment (buggies/trollies etc) will be sanitised by the golf course prior to use. You will need to supply your own clubs.  Face coverings/masks are not mandatory on the course, but we would recommend wearing one if you are in close proximity to others.

RCIB Insurance Racing scholarship winner Ollie Brown will partner Jack Goff for the Kwik Fit Britsh Touring Car Championship, as Team HARD Racing announces Mike Bushell's withdrawal from the 2020 campaign.

Brown won the scholarship – run by Team HARD Racing – having never entered a competitive car race before.

The team has been working hard to develop the Volkswagen CC, which demonstrated an improvement in pace during the second half of the 2019 season, highlighted when the squad took its first-ever BTCC win at Silverstone.

“To say I’m overwhelmed with joy is an understatement,” said Brown. “I have been watching the BTCC as a fan for the last 20 years, whilst working with some past and current drivers as a driver coach, and I’m buzzing to join them on the track this year.

“This opportunity would never have been possible without my best friend of 25 years entering me into the RCIB Insurance Racing scholarship last year; a shot in the dark has become one of the best moments of my life!

"I cannot wait to get started. Naturally, I’m gutted for Mike (Bushell) and Howard (Fuller) and I wish them all the best.

“I would like to thank Tony and the team for having faith in me for this season and will be going out there to give as good as I get. Bring on Donington!”

Mike Bushell who recently recovered from Myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – was set to miss the opening three rounds of the season pre-lockdown due to the illness. The nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic had looked to buy Bushell some time but with the economic complications of COVID-19, he looks set to miss out again in 2020.

“I’m gutted to have been dealt two blows this year, firstly ill health followed by the economic implications of COVID further delaying the start of my season,” said Bushell. “It really feels that with these two unforeseeable situations that it just wasn’t to be for me in 2020.

“I must say thanks to Tony (Gilham) and the team for getting me out in the car at the recent tyre test and also delaying this decision for as long as realistically possible to see how things unfolded on my side.

“I’d like to wish Ollie good luck for the season ahead, he seems a very talented and capable driver and I’m sure he will be right in the mix throughout the season. For me, it’s time to focus on my family and business as we start to recover from lockdown.”

“This is a bittersweet announcement for me,” said Team HARD Racing Managing Director Tony Gilham. “I’m gutted for Mike and Howard who have been fantastic for the team for a number of years now. 

“On the other hand, Ollie is a fantastic replacement to drive the RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport car this season and I’m proud that my team have been able to source a replacement and not just withdraw the car. Ollie was among a very competitive scholarship programme in January – he stood top of the pile and was magnificent throughout.

“I have full confidence that nobody will be doubting our faith in Ollie by the end of the season. Within the industry, he is well known and has the potential to mix it with the best in the business.

“To get to this point, Ollie has taken multiple wins and podiums over the last month as he has worked to get the required license to race in the BTCC against some very respectable opposition. He is a real dark horse for this season and certainly one to watch”

Brown’s preparation to take part in the championship has seen him in multiple events since racing resumed, as well as test days in the Team HARD Racing VW CC ahead of this weekend’s (1/2 August) Donington Park curtain-raiser.

Overtaking them on a circuit may not be an option but here is your chance to out-drive the BTCC stars on the fairways instead!

We have an exclusive opportunity, thanks to series title sponsor Kwik Fit, for you and a friend to tee-off with BTCC speedsters Stephen Jelley and Tom Oliphant in a 9-hole golf challenge just ahead of the opening rounds of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.

The ‘Kwik Fit Majors’ will be a regular feature during 2020 with further golfing events scheduled at Knockhill, Silverstone and Brands Hatch. BTCC drivers are already fired up to take part with the likes of Adam Morgan, Senna Proctor and Michael Crees signed up for later in the year.

If you love golf and motorsport then this is the perfect money-can’t-buy experience for you, so if you want to tee-off before the BTCC kick off then follow the details below…

Date: 30th July
Time: 2pm
Venue: Within 10 miles of Donington Park

To win this exclusive chance to leave the BTCC boys in the bunker AND RECEIVE A KWIK FIT GOODIE BAG all you need to do is like and comment on the BTCC Facebook or Twitter post and make sure follow Kwik Fit on Facebook or Instagram.

Terms & Conditions

By agreeing to take part, you are committing to being at the venue stated and time agreed.

1 like/comment on BTCC post plus 1 like/follow of Kwik Fit Instagram or Facebook = one entry. Winners picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Sunday 26 July.

The winner will be announced via BTCC social media channels the following morning, and will receive a separate email that will require a response within 24 hours.  If this does not happen, another winner will be selected. The prize is non-transferrable.

Precautions in relation to COVID-19 are in place but please do observe social distancing and wear a mask when appropriate. Any communal equipment (buggies/trollies etc) will be sanitised by the golf course prior to use. You will need to supply your own clubs.  Face coverings/masks are not mandatory on the course, but we would recommend wearing one if you are in close proximity to others.

 

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will see Motorbase Performance driver Rory Butcher enter his third full season in the championship, having joined in mid-2017 at Knockhill.

Butcher has notched up 71 BTCC race starts so far and the Scot has an impressive motorsport CV, having competed in numerous championships both prior to and during his BTCC career, including the British GT Championship and European Le Mans Series.

Having been exposed to motorsport through his family from a young age, it seemed inevitable that Butcher would try his hand at it, although his journey to Britain's premier motorsport series wasn’t without its challenges.

“I finally got the opportunity to race karts when I was eight, but the frustrating thing was, I wasn’t particularly good and by the end of my first year I’d crashed so much and bent so many chassis’ that my dad canned the whole project,” he said.

During his break from four-wheeled racing, Butcher dabbled with bike racing, before buying his first race car aged 17 and returning to competitive racing.

“That’s where my hobby stepped up into a motorsport career.”

While he continued to move through the ranks, Butcher recalls how he idolised the British Touring Car Championship, particularly when his brother-in-law, Gordon Shedden, moved into the series.

“When I first started car racing, I really looked up to the BTCC," he continued. "But as my career moved and I moved through the ranks, even though I was in the TOCA paddock, my mindset had changed towards sports cars and rear wheel drive, and that’s where my path went for four or five years. If I’m honest the opportunity to compete in the BTCC in 2017 came as a big surprise. But when I actually took part in my first ever race with the series, I was completely hooked – my head was turned!”

Joining the championship at Knockhill in August 2017, Butcher consistently achieved points-scoring finishes, before his first win at Brands Hatch would kick off his most successful campaign, in 2019, where he not only achieved three race wins and podium finishes, but also took the Independent Drivers' title, Jack Sears Trophy and, alongside teammates Sam Tordoff and Mike Bushell, steered Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance to the top of the Independent Teams' Championship.

The 33-year-old hopes to build on the success of his 2019 season, as he moves to Kent-based squad Motorbase performance, with new team-mates and a new car for 2020.

“We have this really exciting project with the brand-new Ford Focus ST. It is definitely an unknown quantity at the moment, but from the very little running we’ve had, it’s showing really positive signs and I’m really excited to learn more about the car.

“I think if we can just get the first few rounds out of the way I don’t see any reason why we can’t be competing for trophies come the second half of the year, and be in with a shout of the drivers’ title at the final round – my long-term goal is to fully establish myself in the championship for the long term.”

His process during lockdown to ensure he’s physically and mentally prepared for the first event at Donington Park (1/2 August) has included an increased fitness routine, alongside the use of home simulator training. As well as this, the Scot has been spending time with his family and undertaking some home improvements, which has resulted in the discovery of a new skill, having fitted new flooring in his kitchen!

Following the reopening of circuits for testing, the team has been working to ensure the period in the run-up to the series’ return is used most effectively, with Butcher explaining; “we’re almost doing a second pre-season testing programme, which will take us up to mid-July.

“I think having just built a brand new car, we need every bit of track time we can get and hopefully we'll be out almost every week between now and the start of the year, so I can’t wait to get my hands back on that Ford Focus.”

UK’s premier motorsport series continues agreement with leading automotive magazine publisher

British Touring Car Championship Series Organiser, TOCA, has today (15 April) confirmed a three-year extension to its media partnership with Autocar.

Having already enjoyed a hugely successful relationship since 2014, this latest extension takes the partnership into at least a ninth consecutive year.

The contract renewal guarantees extensive and in-depth media coverage of the BTCC in Autocar magazine – both in print and online – as well as regular features, news, competitions, videos and blogs.

Multi-platform advertising will also continue in Autocar and Autocar's Haymarket Automotive sister brand, What Car?, via both print magazines and their associated websites.

The Autocar logo will feature on every BTCC car as well as the podium and interview backdrops across the 2020, 2021 and 2022 British Touring Car Championship seasons.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “The expanded coverage of the Championship in Autocar over recent years has proved to be hugely popular for both new and current fans and we’re delighted to continue this agreement for a further three years.

“The longevity of this successful partnership only goes to show the great appeal of the BTCC and ensures that, alongside our major television broadcasting and sponsorship agreements, we have great stability in place until at least 2022.”

Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor, said: “The BTCC has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and we are delighted to be continuing our association with such a prominent and popular race series.
 
“Through our recently introduced dedicated motorsport section of Autocar, and expanded online coverage, we’re looking forward to producing more exciting BTCC features, news and videos for our audience of car enthusiasts and buyers alike to enjoy, as this partnership edges ever nearer a decade of success.”

Two-time BTCC Independents’ title-holder Speedworks Motorsport will run under the ‘Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters’ banner for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, as Tom Ingram sets his sights on the most prestigious prize in national motor racing behind the wheel of the team’s Toyota Corolla.

Having established a well-deserved reputation as the BTCC’s most prolific giant-killer for its performances and results against bigger-budgeted, Manufacturer-backed rivals, Speedworks stepped up a gear in 2019 by trading in its Toyota Avensis – a trusty companion since 2011 – for the all-new Corolla, as the Northwich, Cheshire-based outfit joined the Manufacturer ranks itself with the support of Team Toyota GB.

In Ingram’s hands, the car was a winner as early as its sixth race – in front of some 4,500 members and families from Toyota Manufacturing UK at Donington Park – in a championship commonly regarded as the world’s toughest tin-top series. The talented young Bucks-born ace added three more victories to his tally before season’s end – a dominant lights-to-flag triumph at Snetterton and a hugely popular and hard-earned double-top in treacherous conditions at Silverstone – to place sixth in the final Drivers’ standings amongst the 32 high-calibre protagonists.

In 2020, Speedworks and Ingram will take their challenge to the next level again after aligning with Toyota Gazoo Racing, the umbrella organisation for the Japanese brand’s international race and rallying activities.

Toyota Gazoo Racing is unquestionably one of the sport’s biggest success stories in recent years and has been the guiding force behind multiple titles and a number of eminent accolades. Drivers and teams running under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner have twice been crowned champions in the FIA World Endurance Championship (2014 and 2018/19) and achieved race-winning glory in the Le Mans 24 Hours (2018 and 2019). In off-road competition, the Toyota Gazoo World Rally Team claimed the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship Manufacturers’ trophy and 2019 Drivers’ laurels.

Both series are currently led by Toyota crews, too, with British drivers Mike Conway and Elfyn Evans respectively topping the WEC and WRC standings, while the Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux was the overall winner of the 2019 Dakar Rally – one of the world’s most gruelling motorsport contests – and finished runner-up in the legendary endurance event earlier this year.

Now, Ingram and Speedworks are primed to bring the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK name to the grid in Britain’s premier motorsport series. Following the only official pre-season group test at Silverstone on Tuesday next week (17 March), the forthcoming BTCC campaign will rev into life at Donington Park on 28/29 March. All of the high-octane, doorhandle-to-doorhandle action will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4.

“To see the Corolla running under the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK banner this season will be a great incentive for everyone in the team and for all of our fans, as it connects us directly with one of the world’s most successful motorsport operations,” said Team Principal, Christian Dick. “It is an absolute honour and clear validation of the outstanding effort put in by each and every member of the Speedworks crew, of whom I am immensely proud. We are all very much looking forward to building upon what we achieved in the Corolla’s maiden campaign last year and mounting an even stronger championship challenge in 2020.”

“The last few years have been an absolute whirlwind,” said Ingram. “From our back-to-back Independent title wins to the arrival of official Manufacturer support in 2019 and now the close affiliation with Toyota Gazoo Racing, whose pedigree in the sport speaks for itself. I was privileged enough to be granted a go on Toyota Gazoo Racing’s state-of-the-art simulator last autumn, which was quite an eye-opener, alongside a guided tour of the TS050 Hybrid sports prototype that competes in WEC. The technical prowess and attention-to-detail behind both was extremely impressive, and the kind of ‘money-can’t-buy’ expertise we will be looking to channel in our pursuit of BTCC silverware this season. I can’t wait to get started!”

“We’re pleased to be able to bring our involvement in the BTCC within our worldwide Gazoo Racing activities,” said Andrew Cullis, Toyota GB’s Product and Communications Director. “Just as much about great performance and winning races, it’s a way we can help more people experience and enjoy the excitement of motorsport. We’re confident the proven race-winning combination of Tom, the Toyota Corolla and Speedworks will be doing just that through the season ahead.”

For the final memory in Motorsport News Editor Matt James' top ten moments of the decade, James reminisces about an achievement that clearly had a profound impact on him, resulting in a title which reflects the level of respect the MN editor has for this particular driver and his endeavours: Austin the Maestro.

When: September 15, 2013

Where: Rockingham

OK, so this is a very personal memory, but the roar of approval that went up from the packed Rockingham grandstand as Rob Austin took his Audi A4 across the finish line to claim his first British Touring Car Championship victory in 2013 is something that will stay with me for a long time.

There was as much emotion among the massed ranks of fans as there was from inside the team itself. It was, in part, down to his persona, and in part down to the team’s inclusive attitude when it came to the fans, which quickly earned him a sizeable following.

Austin had made his BTCC debut in 2011 but, far from doing things the easy way, he decided to embrace the new NGTC regulations and run his own team. The crew designed and built the Audi, and took on the job of fielding two cars. It was an almost vertical challenge for the small operation.

There were plenty of stumbles, particularly in the early days when Austin was engineering the car as well as driving it. It was all hands to the pump.

Austin and I had history: I had reported on him in the formative years of his single-seater career in Formula Renault in 1998 and 1999. When rating my top six drivers of 1999, I failed to put Austin in the top six despite the fact he had finished second in the standings – a fact he constantly reminds me of this.

A huge crash at the opening meeting of the 2013 season at Brands Hatch had put a sizeable dent in Austin’s budget for his third campaign at BTCC level, but he launched a T-shirt selling scheme which his fans embraced and that gave him the funds to continue. Later, supporters also the chance to buy a slot on the roof of the German car and have their own message or mugshot (most chose the latter) emblazoned on the machine.

That is why the redemption at Rockingham was so well received and the tears among the team members were genuine.

Austin, who had taken a fifth career podium in the opening race at Rockingham that weekend before blasting into a lead he wasn’t to lose at the start of the second encounter, dedicated the victory to his supporters. He said at the time: “There have been times where we nearly jacked it all in, not through choice. We have been on the verge of bankruptcy and they, the fans, have saved us.”

It was humbling for me too, because I had the real inside story of how hard Austin and his crew had worked to achieve just one win. Nothing comes easy in the BTCC, and being this close to the effort and the dedication involved in success was a real eye-opener.

Less than 48 hours to enter!! 👇👇👇👇

Get the chance to win the ‘The Grand Finale’ prize: x2 weekend paddock entry tickets to Brands Hatch Final, wave the chequered flag at the end of one race, grid walk ahead of all three showdown races, garage tour with one the leading BTCC teams and commemorative photo with you and your favourite driver! A real money can’t buy experience!

All you need to do is register with the official BTCC App. Search for the BTCC App in the App Store and Google Play.

Terms & Conditions

1 registration of the official BTCC App = one entry. Winners picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Wednesday 2nd of October. The winner will be announced via the App the following morning, and will receive a separate email that will require a response within 24 hours.  If this does not happen, another winner will be selected. The winner must be available over the Brands Hatch race weekend (12th/13th October), transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable. Children under 16 will not be able to take part in the grid walk.