The excitement ahead of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship opening weekend at Brands Hatch is almost palpable and now there are more ways than ever before to keep up with the action.

The tens of thousands of fans trackside this weekend can compliment their viewing with the LIVE section of the BTCC website, where you can access circuit commentary and live timing, whilst the ITV Hub App will broadcast live coverage throughout Sunday to selected mobile and tablet devices.

Those unable to attend the Brands Hatch event may also choose to use the ITV Hub App (download from App Store, Google Play, Amazon etc) in order to watch the live action while on the move, or you can watch from a desktop computer via www.itv.com. Saturday's qualifying session will be streamed live online at www.itv.com/btcc.

ITV4 will broadcast an incredible eight hours of live coverage on Sunday with each and every BTCC race, plus a magnitude of support contests, being shown from 10:15am.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship enjoys unrivalled and unprecedented television coverage in the UK thanks to its long-standing partnership with the ITV television network, which will continue to screen the BTCC live and free-to-air until at least 2022. The BTCC also enjoys extensive coverage overseas, which includes CBS Sports Network's highlights programme in North America. 

The following programme schedules are provided by ITV (UK only) and CBS Sports Network (North America) for the Brands Hatch weekend, while schedules for future events can be found via the BTCC on TV page. Viewers in other regions should check local listings:

Brands Hatch Indy

Saturday 2 April
itv.com/btcc: 1530-1615

Sunday 3 April
ITV4: 1015-1815 (LIVE)
itv.com: 1015-1815 (LIVE)
ITV Hub App: 1015-1815 (LIVE)
ITV4 +1: 1115-1915

Saturday 9 April
ITV4: 1230-1400
ITV4 +1: 1330-1500

Sunday 10 April
ITV4: 0650-0815
ITV4 +1: 0750-0815

Wednesday 13 April
ITV: 2345-0100

Thursday 14 April
ITV +1: 0045-0200
CBS Sports Network: 2130-2300 (ET)

Motorbase Performance is gearing up for the return of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and eager to maintain its momentum in the 2016 curtain-raiser around Brands Hatch’s Indy Circuit this weekend (April 2/3).

With the iconic Kent track less than a mile from the team's workshop, David Bartrum’s Wrotham-based outfit is going all-out for podiums with one of the championship’s most highly-anticipated driver line-ups as Mat Jackson returns for his seventh year in the squad alongside 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan.

Jackson was the man to beat last time out, with the 35-year-old claiming pole position and a brace of victories in his Ford Focus ST during the 2015 season-closer on the GP loop. Jordan similarly boasts an excellent record at Brands, claiming pole position and two race wins on the short Indy layout back in 2014. With a record 32-car grid set to descend on the Kent circuit for the 2016 opener, competition will be higher than ever.

In addition to the driver line-up changes, Motorbase has been hard at work over the winter months rebuilding and developing the Focus, which joins many of its front-running rivals this year in running the new RML suspension kit upgrade. The team is confident it will be amongst the leading contenders once more when the lights go out on Sunday.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the Focus at Brands Hatch this weekend,” enthused Jackson. “We’ve had a little bit of running with the new RML suspension kit and the boys have done a great job with the car as always, but we’ve really got to see how it all pans out during qualifying and race day.

“We finished on such a high last season with two race wins and a pole. It would be fantastic to pick up where we left off, but we’re under no illusions as to just how competitive the grid will be.”

Jordan is in similarly bullish spirits, following a promising and productive pre-season testing programme behind the wheel of his strikingly-liveried Pirtek-branded car.

"Obviously I am very excited to get back to racing at Brands and to kick off my relationship with Motorbase,” remarked the team’s new recruit. “We have done a lot of testing together and I feel we have clicked really well, but the serious stuff starts this weekend.

“It would be my dream to get pole and a win, but I know how tough that will be. I’ve managed to take pole at Brands Indy a couple of times before, so I have good confidence heading there. I’m also really interested to see how it will pan out with most teams moving to the new RML suspension kit, as it’s a bit like starting from scratch with car set-up.

“The aim this year is to win the title, so I need to make sure I have three strong results to kick the year off well and hopefully gain some momentum. It’s always a fine balancing act of being consistent and staying out of trouble whilst going on maximum attack for podiums and wins.”

Huge grid to challenge for honours in Britain’s best motor racing series

The 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship kicks off at Brands Hatch next weekend (2/3 April) with a record 32-car full-season entry preparing to do battle.

An exciting line-up of five former champions, proven race winners and an ever-growing number of young chargers will take to the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit in front of what is expected to be a huge crowd at the famous Kent venue.

Honda driver Gordon Shedden clinched Britain’s most coveted motor sport crown in last year’s pulsating tussle that went down to the wire, but the Scotsman faces a monumental challenge if he’s to retain his title this time around.

Eleven marques are represented on this year’s grid with the legendary Japanese manufacturer Subaru joining the BTCC for the first time in its history.

The ten event, 30 race format will be played out in front of hundreds of thousands of fans trackside throughout the season and there will be millions more watching each and every race live on the ITV network.

While the likes of Formula One moves its attention towards subscription-based television channels over the coming years, the BTCC will continue to provide free-to-air coverage across the UK. ITV will broadcast each and every race live and exclusively on ITV4 until at least 2022, plus extensive highlights programmes over the same period.

Talking point: It’s anyone’s guess
Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Gordon Shedden will likely start the season as favourite, having clinched a second BTCC title in 2015, but he’ll face a growing threat from a dozen or so challengers.

The championship-winning Honda Civic Type R has been developed and tested extensively during the off-season, so both Shedden and his triple champion team-mate Matt Neal are well placed to contend.

Subaru’s entry means Jason Plato and Colin Turkington will be driving the newly-prepared Levorg, which turned heads during its unveil at Donington Park earlier this week. While the credentials of the Team BMR-run squad are not in question, the car itself is still yet to turn a wheel in anger – so it remains to be seen if the squad can hit the ground running next weekend.

One team that will be looking to pick up where it left off is local favourite Motorbase Performance. The Wrotham-based outfit won twice during the season finale at Brands Hatch in October and many are predicting that driver Mat Jackson is best placed to win a maiden title. Jackson will face a huge challenge, however, from within his own camp with 2013 champion Andrew Jordan joining Motorbase over the off-season.

MG Racing RCIB Insurance hit the track in some style during the only official BTCC test session at Donington, as its young duo wowed onlookers.

The MG6 is a proven race-winner and the squad has this year handed driving roles to two talents of the future rather than established stars. The pair immediately defied their rookie status at Donington Park when reigning UK Clio Cup champion Ashley Sutton set the second quickest time on his maiden outing in the car. Stablemate Josh Cook also featured, ending the session inside the top five.

West Surrey Racing boasts a trio of contenders in Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard and Jack Goff, whilst the best of the rest list includes the likes of Rob Austin, Adam Morgan, Aron Smith and Tom Ingram.

Local Heroes: Home advantage for Motorbase and Co…
A quartet of local teams, Motorbase Performance, Team HARD and AmD Tuning and West Surrey Racing will be hoping to impress at the season opener.

Absent from the grid over the first half of 2015, Motorbase returned with a bang last summer and was the team to beat over the final few meetings with its Ford Focus. Team HARD and AmD Tuning, meanwhile, both showed flashes of form last year and will be eager to shine on home turf.

RCIB Insurance Racing’s Jake Hill is Kent born-and-bred, and invariably produces his best performances in front of Brands Hatch’s capacity crowds. Ollie Jackson returns to Britain’s premier motor sport series in 2016 and in AmD’s Audi S3, the Surrey-based racer is behind the wheel of arguably one of the best-looking cars on the grid. West Drayton’s Matt Simpson bolsters Speedworks Motorsport’s ranks as the former European Hot Rod champion prepares to make his BTCC bow in a Honda Civic Type R.

Surrey squad WSR has three new-look BMW 125i M Sport machines in its arsenal for the 2016 campaign, as the outfit look for 'home' comforts at Brands Hatch to kick off their season in style.

Timetable and tickets
The opening race weekend of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship takes place on Sunday 3 April, with the entire race day broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 from 10:15am. Those in attendance at the circuit can stay in touch with the commentary and live timing from every session, available on the btcc.net Live Zone throughout the weekend.

In addition to the BTCC, the support series on the TOCA package are set to bring even more action to the fans at Brands Hatch. Sportscar racing fans will get their fix with races from the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship. The Renault UK Clio Cup – often seen as a stepping-stone to reaching the BTCC – will also feature on the huge bill of British racing, as will the MSA Formula.

Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season-opener at Brands Hatch on 2/3 April are available from £27, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk. All admission includes access to Sunday’s autograph session with the BTCC drivers in the pit lane as well as free parking.

Click here for a full event timetable.

Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin enjoyed a stellar pre-season test at Donington Park yesterday (22 March) as he set the third fastest lap time in the four-hour session.

The event represented Austin’s first public outing for his new team and his maiden official run in front-wheel BTCC machinery.

He led the order for much of the running, before the MG of Ashley Sutton moved to the top of the order. Austin completed 56 laps over the course of the afternoon, and eventually had to settle for third when Matt Neal’s Honda stormed to the top of the timesheets in the closing moments.

“It really couldn’t have gone better,” confirmed Austin. “We’re very happy with that. We didn’t try anything special or push too hard to be up at the front; we just went about our pre-planned programme, and to end up second-quickest was a really nice feeling.”

While the pace shown by Austin will buoy fans of the multiple BTCC race-winner, the man himself is still keen to keep expectations in check.

“I’m over the moon with today but we have got to be realistic with our expectations for Brands, going fast is only one part of it in the BTCC,” he continued. “I’ve still got a lot to learn with the front-wheel drive. In my 20-year racing career I’ve only done three races in front-wheel drive, and that was 12 years ago, so Brands will be a big learning curve for me.

“We’re keeping it realistic but this is a fantastic start, especially considering we didn’t throw a load of new tyres at the car to just go for times.

“The car is mega – the team has done a great job with it. The target for Brands Hatch will be to bring home what points we can. I’ll be happy with top ten finishes on the first weekend – although as we’ve proved today, there’s definitely potential for more...”

Team Principal Simon Belcher was also delighted with the progress shown by Austin and his Handy Motorsport squad.

“Today has been really good – I’m happy, Rob is happy, and he actually left a couple of tenths on the table from his ideal time so there was the potential to be quickest overall,” said Belcher. “I really am elated the team has been this competitive, we thought we could be from winter testing and the car has been trouble-free all day.

“We managed to get some qualifying and race simulations done and ticked all the boxes, to be third on the times and just a tenth off fastest, well, we would have been happy to take that at the start. We need to see where we are at Brands before we get a true picture, but Rob is driving fantastically and after racing rear-wheel drive so long, he has adapted to front-wheel drive unbelievably well.”

Attention now turns to the opening BTCC race meeting of 2016, which will take place at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent on 2nd/3rd April.

Provisionally, following the usual pair of free practice sessions on Saturday, 2nd April, the first qualifying session of the year will get underway at 15.40. Rounds one, two and three will then follow on Sunday, 3rd April, at 11.30, 14.10 and 17.10 – live coverage of all three contests will be screened on ITV4 and online at www.itv.com/btcc.

Halfords Yuasa Racing star pips rookie in closing moments of pre-season BTCC test

Tin-top legend Matt Neal topped the timesheets in the only official 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pre-season test, as the Halfords Yuasa Racing driver pipped young rookie Ashley Sutton in the closing moments at Donington Park.

Neal was languishing down the order until his late flurry of laps, which initially saw the triple champion fall short of Sutton’s benchmark by just 0.003s. The run continued and minutes later the Civic Type R racer had eclipsed the MG6 driver’s best effort by nearly a tenth of a second.

Sutton’s effort still represented a very productive outing for the manufacturer-backed MG squad as his team-mate Josh Cook took fifth, which was all the more impressive considering it was the first time that both young talents had driven the car.

The Handy Motorsport Toyota of Rob Austin led the way for much of the early running, before Sutton took over in the final hour. Austin eventually had to settle for third while Tom Ingram also proved the pace of the Avensis by setting the fourth fastest time for Speedworks Motorsport.

Eurotech Racing enjoyed an extremely competitive afternoon with Martin Depper and Jeff Smith finishing in sixth and seventh respectively. WIX Racing’s Adam Morgan was eighth, whilst both Motorbase Performance and West Surrey Racing could only manage ninth and tenth in the order with Mat Jackson and Sam Tordoff.

Notable absentees from the top ten included reigning champion Gordon Shedden in the other works Honda and Andrew Jordan's Pirtek Racing Ford Focus. The lap times throughout the field were hugely competitive, however, with the top 17 cars finishing within one second of the pace-setting time.

The session was punctuated by a number of red flag incidents, but overall the reliability shown and mileage clocked up the competitors was impressive. Almost half the runners completed more than 50 laps of the 1.98-mile circuit, with AmD’s Ollie Jackson clocking-up the most mileage on his return to the series.

The four Subaru Team BMR cars were unable to run during the session, although the striking white Levorg proved a hit when it was unveiled to the media earlier in the day. The machines of Michael Epps, Kelvin Fletcher and Stewart Lines were the others not to turn a wheel from the capacity 32-car grid.

The BTCC now moves on to Brands Hatch for the opening rounds of the season on the 2/3 April.

Matt Neal said: “It’s a nice start isn’t it, but it’s going to be very, very close out there. The strength of the TOCA engine looks strong and there are also a lot of new faces coming in, so that’s a bit of an unknown for us. Most of the day we’ve been working on the TOCA components with the RML guys. It’s been a productive day, so that’s all good. I’ve just been doing back-to-back stuff for them and at the end of the day we just wanted to see what it was good for so we opened her up. We’re back at Brands tomorrow where we had a tough test last week. We weren’t fastest by a long margin so we’ll see what we can wind ourselves up for there.”

Ashley Sutton said: “We’d only had 39 laps in the car when we went quickest – to achieve that sort of pace in such a short running time was clearly more than we’d expected. I was surprised that only Matt Neal pipped us in the end. I’m very happy, and we know there’s more time in the car. You’re never sure what the other guys are doing in these situations, but we know what we were doing and the MG is just spot-on – a dream to drive. It will be nice to get a solid qualifying session under my belt at Brands Hatch. It’s not going to be easy, of course – I’m the new kid on the block, so I’m going to get pushed and shoved around a bit initially – but I’m aiming for podium finishes throughout the year, that’s where I want to be.”

Rob Austin said: “It’s been a good, solid day – we’re very happy with that. We didn’t try anything special or push too hard to be up at the front; we just went about our pre-planned programme, and to end up second quickest was a really nice feeling. I’m still very aware that I have a lot to learn with regards to front-wheel drive and race runs in the Avensis, so we are keeping our expectations in check but the car is mega – the team has done a great job with it. The target for Brands Hatch will be to bring home what points we can. I’ll be happy with top ten finishes on the first weekend – although as we’ve proved today, there’s definitely potential for more...”

P1 Nutrition steps up its involvement in the BTCC by backing Aron Smith, as they look to bring awareness to the extensive competitive advantage to be gained in motor sport through proper nutritional and fitness programmes.

The first of its kind company have scientifically formulated products to help drivers and riders alike deal with the specific challenges unique to the sport. These include sustained strain on the upper body, heart rates exceeding 185bpm, restricted oxygen consumption and cockpit temperatures of over 70 degrees.

Also crucial was the collaboration with a driver equally as passionate about performance, fitness and nutrition.

"I am thrilled to welcome back P1 Nutrition for this season in the BTCC,” said Smith. "They have been an integral part in ensuring I am at the very peak of my fitness both last year and now going into the first round at Brands Hatch for the 2016 season. I truly believe this could be an incredible year for Team BKR/Team BMR and I am delighted that P1 Nutrition will be such a large part of my season and hopefully for many to come."

"Our focus on the TOCA package has been a strategic one as we set our sights on top established talent,” commented Ronan McHale, Acquisition and Athlete Lead , P1 Nutrition. "We are delighted to welcome Aron Smith and now Team BKR to the P1 Nutrition family."

Five former champions, proven race winners and a growing number of young contenders to challenge for 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship

A capacity 32-car entry has been announced for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship during today’s (22 March) annual Season Launch event at Donington Park.

The line-up represents the largest ever full-season entry in the history of the BTCC. With all 32 TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) – which are required to gain entry – now in operation, series organisers also had to turn away two further proposed entries from the now capacity grid.

Eleven marques are represented on the 2016 entry list with Japanese motor sport icon Subaru entering the fray as a fully-fledged manufacturer squad. Subaru joins Honda, MG and BMW in the contest for manufacturers/constructors’ honours, whilst a host of independent outfits will also fight for teams’ glory.

An enthralling BTCC campaign went down to the wire last year as five former titleholders battled it out on the final day of the season. It was Honda’s Gordon Shedden who emerged victorious to win Britain’s most coveted motor sport prize, but this year the Scotsman and his fellow proven champions face a challenge from an ever-growing number of young contenders.

While the competitiveness and staggering diversity of cars remains unparalleled in comparable series around the world, the successes the BTCC enjoys on-track have been more than matched off-track, with a number of hugely significant partnerships confirmed in recent months.

New long-term contracts have been secured with loyal and valued partners in Dunlop and ITV, whilst two vital technical partnerships have also been awarded to the RML Group and Swindon Engines.

Dunlop continues as title sponsor and official tyre supplier until 2022, while ITV will continue to broadcast each and every race live, free-to-air and in high definition on ITV4, plus extensive highlights programmes, for the same period.

This year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will again comprise of 30 races across ten events at nine venues around the UK, with the season commencing at Brands Hatch on 2/3 April and concluding on the legendary Grand Prix circuit at the same venue on 1/2 October.

Champions ready, challengers ready…

Gordon Shedden joined an elite group of multiple champions when he took the crown in the closing moments of the 2015 BTCC season at Brands Hatch.

The brand new Honda Civic Type R was immediately quick when it hit the track on the eve of the 2015 season. In fact, the world-renowned Type R raced in the BTCC before it was even available to buy as a road car, which added to the challenge for the Team Dynamics-run squad.

Development of the machine continued throughout its championship-winning campaign and the team has been hard at work testing during this pre-season too, so expect Shedden and team-mate Matt Neal to again be among the contenders this time around.

Arguably the biggest story over the winter was the announcement that Subaru would be joining the BTCC for the first time in its history. Team BMR is running the four-car operation and also boasts both Jason Plato and Colin Turkington in its armoury. Faced with the ‘new car’ challenge experienced by Honda last year, the team will be buoyed by its rival’s exploits in 2015 and will look to hit the ground running.

The remaining champion on the grid is Andrew Jordan, who has swapped MG for Ford machinery in 2016. Pirtek-backed Jordan will be driving the form car too, as Motorbase Performance produced some sensational results in the second half of last season, largely thanks to star driver Mat Jackson. The former BTCC runner-up is back onboard with the Kent-based squad for 2016, with many of the experts suggesting Jackson has the best chance in his career of finally winning the title.

The other manufacturer-supported squads at MG Racing RCIB Insurance and West Surrey Racing also have championship challengers in their respective ranks.

WSR’s trio of BMWs conquered all before them in the 2014 season – winning all four championships they contested – but the squad is looking to bounce back from a fast but inconsistent campaign last time around.

In Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard the GardX and JCT600-backed BMWs have two recognised winners. The former is one of a growing number of young contenders looking to turn sporadic race wins into a genuine title tilt while the latter’s racecraft and experience is well known.

The Team IHG Rewards Club BMW – also run by WSR – will be driven by Jack Goff this year. The former UK Clio Cup champion is another talent on the rise as IHG puts its faith in Goff becoming a BTCC champion of the future.

MG has taken a similar route by also investing its opportunities in two rising stars. Josh Cook won the Jack Sears Trophy for rookie drivers and emerged as one of the gems of 2015 in his maiden BTCC campaign. A hugely popular podium with Power Maxed Racing at Rockingham proved his standout moment and Cook now gets his chance with a works team. The meteoric rise of his new team-mate, Ashley Sutton, has been even greater, as the 22-year-old graduates from UK Clio Cup champion to MG driver in the blink of an eye, and will surely be one to watch in his rookie season.

The young gun theme continues with more drivers than ever graduating from BTCC support series. Adam Morgan and Aron Smith are among the BTCC race winners who progressed from the junior ranks a number of years ago while Tom Ingram and Aiden Moffat will be looking to reach the top step of the podium after their rostrum exploits in 2015.

Rookies Michael Epps and Chris Smiley plan to establish themselves in the BTCC having now progressed to Britain’s premier motor sport series. They will join a list of six drivers contesting this year’s Jack Sears Trophy.

Rob Austin is among those who will be looking to string an outright championship challenge together while James Cole and Andy Neate will hope to make the most of their manufacturer-backed drives with Subaru and Honda respectively.

The entry list was completed with today’s announcement that TV star and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge race-winner Kelvin Fletcher will be joining Power Maxed Racing in its second Chevrolet Cruze, and the arrival of BKR with its new two-car team ensures the popular VW CC and Aron Smith return to the grid. Debutant Mark Howard joins BKR as Smith’s team-mate.

In total there will be a full grid of 32 drivers with Audi (AmD Tuning), BMW (Team IHG Rewards Club, Team JCT600 with GardX), Chevrolet (Power Maxed Racing), Ford (Dextra Racing, Maximum Motorsport, Motorbase Performance), Honda (Halfords Yuasa Racing, Eurotech Racing, Speedworks Motorsport), Mercedes (Laser Tools Racing, WIX Racing), MG (MG Racing RCIB Insurance), Proton (Goodestone Racing), Subaru (Subaru Team BMR), Toyota (Handy Motorsport, Speedworks Motorsport, TLC Racing, RCIB Insurance Racing) and Volkswagen (BKR) all represented.

Partner pride

The BTCC prides itself on the strong and close relationships with its long-term partners, which was further enhanced during the off-season with both Dunlop and ITV committing to unprecedented new multi-year deals.

The ITV network will continue to screen the BTCC live and free-to-air until at least 2022 after a new contract was signed between Britain’s biggest motor sport series and the UK broadcasting giant – making it the largest TV contract in the BTCC’s history and also the longest sports broadcasting contract into which ITV4 has ever entered.

The ITV network has broadcast the series since 2002 – with its coverage levels increasing hugely in recent seasons – and this latest contract will take the partnership into an incredible 20th year.

With the existing term concluding at the end of the season, this new contract commences from 2017 and will see the network continue its current broadcast arrangements, which feature at least seven hours of live coverage from each race day.

Highlights programmes will also continue to be aired on ITV4, whilst qualifying will be shown via ITV’s dedicated BTCC website – www.itv.com/btcc.

All transmissions will be streamed ‘as live’ via itv.com with highlights programmes available to watch via the newly launched ITV Hub. The ITV network screened more than 230 hours of BTCC coverage in 2015.

This incredible news quickly followed the announcement that Dunlop had also committed to a further five years, as title sponsor and official tyre supplier to the BTCC from 2017.

The contract extends both the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title sponsorship, which began in 2005, and the official tyre supplier partnership, which began in 2003, into a third decade – making it one of the most enduring major sponsorships in top-level motor sport.

In addition, HiQ, the nationwide fast fit network (which is also part of the Goodyear Dunlop parent company) will continue its sponsorship of the MSA British Touring Car Teams’ Championship for 2016.

Series organiser TOCA also awarded two vital Technical Partner contracts over the winter as part of its ‘mid-term’ evaluation of the NGTC regulations.

The RML Group will supply specified chassis, suspension and associated components over the next six years, while Swindon Engines will continue to provide engines to the BTCC with a new NGTC-spec ‘TOCA’ unit being produced for the 2017 season onwards.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “This truly is a golden era for the BTCC and our developments in recent months further underline its strength and position as Britain’s most successful motor sport series – and by a very big margin.

“I’m also really pleased with the increasing amount of new talent that’s been coming into the BTCC over the last few years. Make no mistake, many will go on to become the future ‘household names’ of the BTCC and are set for great long-term careers in Britain’s biggest championship.

“With our title sponsor, television, tyre and technical partnerships all secured until 2022 it not only underlines the incredible strength and success of the BTCC – but also importantly provides a rock-solid foundation on which our teams can continue to invest and build their businesses.

“Our fantastic capacity line-up for 2016 looks set to be even more competitive and enthralling than ever – I’m genuinely excited to see how the season unfolds. The anticipation amongst our enormous number of fans is also very plain to see… the off-season has been full of intrigue.

“These really are the ‘good old days’ that, one day in the future, we will look back on with great fondness and delight. But today is all about the ‘here and now’ and we’re all looking forward to witnessing another classic year of the BTCC."

Click here for the full 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship grid.

It has been confirmed during today's (22 March) Season Launch event at Donington Park that BKR will complete the record full-season entry list for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The full 32-car grid was concluded with the announcement that the BKR squad will run two Volkswagen CCs with the race-winning Aron Smith and UK Clio Cup graduate Mark Howard carrying out the driving duties.

Howard has been racing in the BTCC support series for the last two seasons while Smith's talents are well known to tin-top fans. The Irishman has enjoyed competing with Team BMR in recent campaigns and has already tasted victory behind the wheel of the VW machine.

His BTCC future had been under intense speculation during the winter months, but the three-time race-winner is delighted to have agreed a two-year extension with Team BMR – partners with the BKR operation.

"I truly feel that I and everyone at BKR can have a remarkable season in the BTCC," he said.

Created by the same team behind the hugely successful Bubble & Kick Racing, the outfit now boasts nearly a decade of club level motorsport behind them. Having concluded a deal with Team BMR to run the CCs, the squad has a car with a proven pedigree to work with.

While the squad has carried out some testing in recent weeks, this afternoon will represent its first official outing as both Smith and Howard hope to clock up the miles at Donington Park.

Make sure you keep visiting the official BTCC website for more information throughout the day and follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for immediate updates.

Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher will drive the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze for Power Maxed Racing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Fletcher, better known to the public as Emmerdale's Andy Sugden, has been in the popular soap for the past 20 years and has been racing competitively since 2012. 

The 32-year-old actor hails from Oldham and has had a successful racing career to date competing in the Porsche Carerra Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge, the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, a stint in prototypes in the V de V Challenge and he even completed a guest round in the F1 support race the Porsche Supercup. Kelvin has racked up 5 race wins, 3 fastest race laps and 29 podiums, based on the 45 races Kelvin has entered he has a podium percentage of 64.4% which puts him well above the majority of racing drivers. 

Power Maxed Racing has already signed Hunter Abbott to compete in the sister Chevrolet Cruze and have made a number of changes to the car for this season including the adoption of the upgraded RML components. 

Kelvin also has close ties with the University of Bolton who has supported his racing for a number of years. Part of the deal sees Power Maxed Racing working alongside the University to help them develop their ever growing motorsport qualifications. Power Maxed Racing will offer students the chance to gain practical industry experience and help ready them for a career in motorsport. 

Adam Weaver, Team Principal, Power Maxed Racing commented: "We are delighted to welcome Kelvin to PMR and give him his chance to step up into the BTCC. He has a strong sportscar track record and he is more than ready to make the transition to the UK's finest domestic racing series. We think Kelvin is an excellent choice to race alongside Hunter, we feel they will work together and will both be turning a few heads this year.

"We promised a big name for this year and Kelvin’s celebrity status will certainly draw a crowd. We’re looking forward to working with another celebrity driver following our relationship with Paul Hollywood. We have thousands of ideas buzzing around the office for other projects we could work on with Kelvin, our favourite at the moment is an Emmerdale vs Corrie track day."

Kelvin Fletcher commented: "I’m really looking forward to making the step up to the BTCC, signing with such a solid team as Power Maxed Racing will no doubt make the transition to the BTCC a smooth one.

"I'm a massive motorsport fan and have been watching the BTCC for as long as I can remember, it has been a lifelong dream to race against my childhood heroes and it is about to become a reality thanks to Power Maxed Racing and the University of Bolton."

Dunlop Sport Maxx offers grip, handling and steering precision

In just under two weeks the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship bursts into life over 10 rounds, on some of the UK’s leading tracks; from undulating Knockhill in Scotland, to the ultra-fast Thruxton in Hampshire.

The stresses and strains inflicted on the rubber ensures the tyres need to offer optimum performance throughout each race and in all weather conditions. Tested mid-way through 2015, and with the same construction as last year’s Medium specification tyre, the next generation ‘Dunlop Sport Maxx BTCC Soft’, will make its race debut in the opening round at Brands Hatch on 3^rd April.

The next generation ‘Sport Maxx BTCC Soft’ will offer drivers improved stability under braking and even greater consistency throughout a race distance. The Soft tyre must be used in one race at each round (weather dependant).

Tested on a range of cars at Snetterton last summer, the final validation came at a cold Donington Park in November aboard three very different race winning cars, those of Sam Tordoff (BMW), Colin Turkington (VW) and Matt Neal (Honda). Heading into the opening race of the season, the twisty nature of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit means the BTCC drivers will enjoy stable high-speed handling with enhanced cornering control, something that’s crucial in door handle-to-door handle racing.

Dunlop Motorsport’s UK Events Manager, Michael Butler, outlined the objectives of the new tyre: “Dunlop has had tremendous success in open tyre competition last year – winning the European Le Mans Series with Greaves Motorsport. This next generation BTCC tyre uses materials that have been proven in that championship winning tyre in some of Europe’s toughest endurance races.

“The BTCC season involves a wide variety of circuits, cars and temperatures and our goal is to have two tyres that can perform strongly over a race distance – but depending on the circuit, one tyre will always be the optimum one. At Snetterton, we tested in 30c track temperatures and at Donington in 12c temperatures and we are confident that we have developed a range of BTCC tyres that have the versatility to suit all circuits and climates” continued Butler.

The Soft and Medium tyres will continue to be identified by white Dunlop letters (soft) and yellow and black Dunlop lettering (medium) on the sidewall.

Butler added: “This is the third upgrade to the Sport Maxx BTCC range in two years showing that, even in one-brand championships, we are always pushing forward for greater performance”

You can find out when each driver will be using the Soft tyre on Dunlop’s social feeds at 10am on race morning.