Btcc 2012 All Chat Here...

BRITAIN’S TOP MOTOR RACING CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARES TO THRILL MILLIONS ACROSS UK



The waiting is almost over. There are now little more than three weeks to go before Britain’s premier motor racing championship – the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – bursts back into action for a pulsating new season of hard-fought action with the first of its ten events in 2012, at the world-famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on the weekend of 31 March-1 April.

In front of huge trackside crowds and millions more watching ITV4’s live coverage, the BTCC’s popularity among the British public continued to spiral in 2011 when it culminated in an unprecedented, nail-biting five-way shoot-out for the title on the final day of the season.

Five months on, the nation’s favourite four-wheeled motor sport attraction is back with a truly turbocharged grid – indeed all teams to have announced their plans so far have switched to spectacular, flame-spitting turbo engines as the championship’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations really begin to take hold.

Furthermore, team announcements to date indicate that at least nine different makes of car will be represented on the starting grid, thereby giving the BTCC’s ever-expanding fanbase plenty of variety from which to choose a favourite.

The 2012 BTCC title race will be played out in front of vast audiences at nine top race circuits located in eight different counties throughout the country – ensuring that it remains accessible for hundreds of thousands of people right across the UK: Brands Hatch, Kent (1 Apr & 21 Oct); Donington Park, Derbys-Leics border (15 Apr); Thruxton, Hants (29 Apr), Oulton Park, Cheshire (10 June); Croft, North Yorks (24 June); Snetterton, Norfolk (12 Aug); Knockhill, Fife (26 Aug); Rockingham, Northants (23 Sept) and Silverstone, Northants (7 Oct).

Another of the BTCC’s massive appeals, notably among families, is that admission to all ten of its race weekends is FREE for accompanied children* – this includes access to specially organised pit lane autograph sessions with the star drivers plus, at most events, the race teams’ central paddock.

Brands Hatch’s big BTCC weekend (31 March-1 April) will also include the first races of 2012 for the hotly-contested Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Formula Renault and Renault Clio Cup championships that represent the very best in single-seater, sports and saloon car action. Nicolas Hamilton and Josh Hill – respectively the younger brother and son of Formula 1 champions Lewis Hamilton and Damon Hill – will be among those on the Clio Cup and Formula Renault starting grids.

Tickets for the event are still available at discounted prices including £25 per adult for Sunday’s main race day. For all ticketing options for the event visit www.brandshatch.co.uk or call the ticket hotline 0843 453 9000. Admission is FREE for children aged 12 and under all weekend.

For a full list of the BTCC’s 2012 race dates and circuits plus the latest championship news as the clock to Brands Hatch’s opening round counts down visit the championship’s official website www.btcc.net.

* Individual circuit policies may differ, eg. some circuits employ a 16 and under policy, others 12 and under etc.

BTCC FINALISING TURBO FLOW-TEST PROGRAMME



After three months of scientific research and data collation, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is finalising the programme that will be used to automatically level out any significant performance differentials between relevant turbocharged S2000-based cars and their newer ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ rivals throughout 2012.

A highly detailed ‘flow-test programme’, to establish the baseline boost pressure setting of all turbo engines in each type of car from the start of the season, is nearing completion.

The BTCC’s Engine Technical Review Panel – headed by internationally renowned automotive engine/powertrain consultant Clive Dopson and utilising the resources of Lotus Engineering – has carried out the programme, which started in November. It has received unanimous support from all competing teams and their engine builders, all of whom sit on the ETRP.

Dopson commented: “There is very definitely an underlying trust and confidence among all the engine builders that we’ve got this spot on. The feedback and support we’ve received while carrying out this programme has been highly positive and, in fact, some of our tests have been useful for them correlating their own data and testing.

“We’ve got massive amounts of data and our readings have been very consistent and accurate. Once those baseline values are set, then during the course of the season the mathematical methodology will automatically govern any further adjustments when and if needed – it’s a straightforward calculation exercise and not open to conjecture.”

BTCC Technical Director, Peter Riches, said: “It’s a two-stage programme; firstly, we’ve flow-tested all the engine heads used by all teams in order to establish the baseline engine values and their respective boost levels for the start of the year.

“Then after two rounds the defined mathematical calculation kicks in and will determine if – and by how much – any adjustments should be made to boost levels of any engines for the next event. It’s an automatic process and is almost exactly the same methodology and system used in the World Touring Car Championship, except they use weight adjustments and we use boost adjustments.

“The strength of the test programme and adoption of the on-going boost calculation is that everything has been done with the full support of all our teams and engine builders.

“The calculation figures are currently being finalised in conjunction with all the teams and once done it’s very much a ‘set it and forget it’ job… the numbers will simply and clearly provide the straightforward answer to any adjustments to be made during the season. It’s an entirely transparent process to ensure the performance levels of the relevant S2000-turbo and NGTC cars are equalised during the season and not open to any subjective opinion or debate – it just happens.”

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow added: “The BTCC prides itself on the great variety it provides in terms of so many different makes and models on the grid. Of course the best car/team/driver combination will always shine through but, with this performance equalisation programme applied to the relevant cars as well as, of course, our normal success ballast system, the BTCC is again shaping up for an even more enthralling season.

“Even though they are still eligible, we don’t foresee any teams competing with a naturally-aspirated car so have not needed to take those into consideration… thus simplifying this process even more.

“My thanks go to the Clive Dopson, Peter Riches and particularly all the teams and engine builders for getting so supportively behind this programme.”

TOBY MOODY BECOMES BTCC COMMENTATOR FOR ITV SPORT



Toby Moody has been confirmed as ITV Sport’s new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race commentator.

Moody will join former BTCC title-winner and expert pundit Tim Harvey in the commentary box for all ten events this season which will be broadcast live by ITV4. He replaces Ben Edwards who has moved to the BBC’s Formula 1 team.

Although he has been the lead commentator for Eurosport’s coverage of MotoGP for the past 15 years, Moody is first and foremost a ‘car nut’ and has followed the BTCC for more than two decades. He is also a keen competitor in hill climbing and until recently held a class record on the daunting, world-famous Shelsley Walsh course.

The 39-year-old from Worcester said: “I’ve got big boots to fill – Ben was a class act – but when the opportunity came up I had to go for it. The chance to commentate on a major sport with the BTCC’s following and for ITV Sport was too good to miss and I’m over the moon to have been offered the job.

“I loved watching the Ford RS500s in the late Eighties and one of my first work experiences was actually with Prodrive when they ran the factory BMW M3s in the BTCC in 1990. I also had an involvement with the Nissan team in 1993. My father, though, was the commentator at Shelsley and I fancied a go – the next thing I’d been handed the microphone and had never been so nervous in my life!

“Then along came the bike work for Eurosport in 1996 – I’ve loved every minute of it and I’ll still fit in every MotoGP round that doesn’t clash with the BTCC this year. It’s going to be a hectic but very enjoyable schedule…

“The BTCC really fascinates me. The action for the public is out of this world, plus the drivers are not wrapped up in cotton wool – they are free to speak their mind and that leads to some really interesting characters, incidents and storylines. It makes the BTCC an addictive soap opera for viewers and it’s going to be a real honour conveying what is happening to the huge numbers of people tuning in.”

Tony Pastor, Head of Production for ITV Sport, commented: “We were really sorry to see Ben Edwards leave our team but in Toby we feel we have a terrific replacement. The BTCC is a fabulous competition and we're delighted to be its broadcast partner. We believe that Toby has the passion and knowledge to take the viewers inside the sport and at the same time give them a real sense of just how exciting these races are. We're delighted to welcome him on board and I expect him to become a great asset to our sports commentating team.”

And added Harvey: “I’m also delighted to be working with Toby. He’s a motor racing fan through and through and will bring enthusiasm, professionalism and humour to the commentary box.”

DENNIS PUBLISHING CONTINUES AS BTCC’S OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER



Dennis Publishing will be the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s official media partner for a ninth consecutive year in 2012.

The esteemed publishing house’s involvement with Britain’s premier motor racing championship will once more be led by its flagship motoring titles Auto Express and evo.

Auto Express is the UK’s best-selling weekly automotive ‘news stand’ magazine with the 56,000 copies it sells every seven days read by close to 250,000 people. Similarly evo is arguably the most polished high performance car monthly on news stands – its circulation now exceeds even that of Auto Express with 58,000 sales and 200,000-plus readers per issue.

Both publications will include plenty of BTCC news, features, race event advertising and ticket competitions – coverage will also extend to their on-line titles www.autoexpress.co.uk and www.evo.co.uk which attract a further 20 million visitors each year, as well as Dennis’s celebrated retro automotive magazine Octane and its thriving car review website www.Carbuyer.co.uk. Sister non-automotive titles Men’s Fitness and PC Pro – both top-selling reads in their respective markets – are also part of the exciting mix.

Meanwhile the distinctive Auto Express and evo logos will enjoy massive exposure – they will appear on every BTCC car as well as the championship’s podium and ITV Sport interview backdrops which are seen by millions of fans. For two of the calendar’s ten events, however, the Auto Express logo is set to be replaced by Carbuyer.co.uk.

“It is only right that Dennis’s magazines and websites which represent in particular the very best in automotive news and reviews are associated with the biggest and best motor sport attraction in the UK, the BTCC,” commented Geoff Love, Publishing Director, evo. “Both the Dennis group and the BTCC benefit enormously from this great association, plus the access that the BTCC grants our journalists and readers is unrivalled – it is a must-see event for anyone with even the slightest interest in motoring and we’re delighted to be extending this partnership into 2012.”

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow added: “Dennis Publishing’s titles are famed for their dynamic designs and energetic editorial content and that is reflected by their number of readers which run into many millions – in turn that puts the BTCC in pole position to continually attract newer, wider audiences.

“Both the top-selling Auto Express and evo brands have become part of the BTCC fabric over the past decade and their long-running support is an integral part of the championship’s on-going and increasing success. The combination of live ITV coverage and positive editorial support from Dennis Publishing’s print and on-line titles provides our partners, sponsors and teams with unrivalled UK exposure – that’s why we are so delighted to be renewing this strong and established media relationship which is to the huge benefit of all involved.”

RIDER & GOODMAN TO FRONT ITV’S COVERAGE OF 2012 BTCC SEASON



ITV Sport has confirmed that Steve Rider and Louise Goodman will continue to present its extensive coverage of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2012.

Rider has been one of television’s most respected sports ‘anchormen’ since the Eighties while Goodman has, during the past 15 years, also become a hugely popular face among millions of viewers watching motor sport on TV in the UK.

Both will front the ITV4 channel’s mammoth live Sunday broadcasts from all ten of the BTCC’s race events in 2012 – these run from around 11.00am-6.00pm. Rider’s ITV BTCC work does not clash with his deal to provide features for Sky’s Formula 1 TV coverage. Meanwhile Goodman’s ITV role at BTCC events will extend to paddock, pit lane and grid interviews.

As announced recently ‘new signing’ Toby Moody will join former champion and expert pundit Tim Harvey in the commentary box, thereby completing ITV Sport’s BTCC presenting line-up.

Rider, a long-time fan of the BTCC and who helped the championship first secure regular mainstream TV coverage via the BBC’s flagship sports show Grandstand in the Eighties, is as excited as ever about the forthcoming season which begins at the world-famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on the weekend of 31 March- 1 April.

He commented: “The viewers not only have a wide variety of car to look forward to but also, in 2012, the increased spectacle that the latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations will bring with turbocharged engines and flaming exhausts. In some ways it’s taking an element of the iconic RS500 days with their turbos and performance in the early Nineties – an era which people still recall with great affection – and adding it to the modern-day BTCC with its many great different makes and models of car. I’m delighted that we have Toby on board and, given ITV’s incredibly strong commitment to the championship, this year’s BTCC is going to make for compelling viewing on television sets up and down the country.

“It’s also terrific that ITV remains a genuine alternative for people looking beyond Formula 1 for another form of highly professional and exciting motor sport in Britain. The network’s coverage of the BTCC is something of a perfect marriage between high street motoring and the high octane end of motor sport. The championship always comes with a great noise and fury and this will likely be even more so the case under the new regulations.”

Goodman added: “I always look forward to the start of the new BTCC season when we can start getting stuck into producing the shows – and, looking at the car and driver line-ups for 2012, this season promises to deliver all the drama, excitement and action that we've come to expect from the BTCC. It’ll be a pleasure working alongside Steve once more – he’s the ultimate professional – as it will the drivers, although one can never quite anticipate just what some of them might do on camera as I discovered last year! Having Toby on-board is also excellent news – he is a class act in the commentary booth and he and Tim will make for a great pairing.”

Tony Pastor, Head of Production for ITV Sport, said: “Steve, Louise, Toby and Tim surely make for one of TV’s most popular and professional presenting teams of any sport. That will prove invaluable in our coverage of the BTCC in 2012 bearing in mind that our live race day broadcasts contain close to seven hours of non-stop action for viewers.”

YUASA BATTERY SALES (UK) ANNOUNCES TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF BTCC HONDA RACING TEAM FOR 2012-14 SEASONS





Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd - the UK market leader for Automotive Aftermarket, Industrial and Motorcycle Batteries - announced that the company has agreed to become the title sponsor of Honda Racing’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) team in a new three-year deal.

Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd – the UK market leader for Automotive Aftermarket, Industrial and Motorcycle Batteries – announced that the company has agreed to become the title sponsor of Honda Racing’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) team in a new three-year deal announced at the unveiling of the team’s brand new Civic at Honda’s UK Manufacturing Facility in Swindon on Monday 12 March 2012.

The newly named Honda Yuasa Racing Team was announced as the Civic’s 2012 racing livery was revealed for the first time.

This is the third year that Yuasa has supported the all-conquering Honda Racing team and the long term deal as title sponsor will further enhance the brand recognition among consumers in the company’s target markets.

Andrew Taylor, Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd’s Managing Director, commented: “Our 2011 sponsorship of Honda Racing proved a resounding success and was extremely beneficial in raising the profile of the Yuasa brand. Yuasa’s partnership with Honda is very strong and the new title sponsorship provides us with the perfect springboard for our ambitious UK and European automotive aftermarket plans over the next three years. We are very pleased to add Yuasa’s name to the team title and continuing our commitment to the team over the 2012 to 2014 seasons. With the sensational new Civic built to the BTCC’s turbocharged Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations, we can look forward to another season of very exciting racing as Matt Neal and Gordon “Flash” Shedden take on all-comers to defend their titles.”

Commenting on Yuasa’s announcement, Honda (UK) Managing Director Dave Hodgetts said, “From a business and team perspective we’ve developed a great relationship with Yuasa. Today’s news will allow us to take that relationship from strength to strength over the next three years, looking at innovative marketing and brand initiatives linked to the excitement of racing.”

Follow all the action online at www.honda.co.uk/BTCC or check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hondaracingBTCC or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/hondaracingbtcc

CASTROL JOINS MG RACE DREAM TEAM



Castrol has joined the MG KX Momentum Racing team as a partner sponsor as today the car was unveiled for the first time in full race livery.

The announcement was made at a Media Day held at the Silverstone circuit. The news comes just days after MG Motor UK and Castrol established a new partnership.

Castrol’s involvement complements the ‘dream team’ of drivers, constructors and sponsors set to challenge for the 2012 Dunlop MSA BTCC championship.

Two MG6 GT cars will run in the all-new MG KX Momentum Racing team with double BTCC champion Jason Platoand rising star Andy Neate behind the wheels. The first race in the 10 round series is at Brands Hatch on April 1.

The MG6 GT five-door fastback is the first all-new MG in 16 years. It is designed and engineered at MG Motor UK’s plant in Birmingham where final assembly also takes place.

Plato said he was delighted that Castrol, another great name in the automotive world, had joined the team. He said: “I can’t wait for the first race. The car’s looking great and having Castrol on board adds to our credentials as a team that’s got great backing and means to do the business.

“Castrol’s a brand synonymous with high performance and technology within the automotive and motorsport world.”

Jason Plato is the most successful driver in BTCC racing history with 68 career wins. He has more fastest laps, pole and podium positions than any other driver in the history of the series. He is undoubtedly the face of British Touring Cars as well as being a well-known and respected TV presenter and newly appointed Director of the British Racing Drivers Club.

Castrol’s involvement cements an historic link with the MG brand. Sir George Eyston, the famous pre-war driver and director of Castrol sponsored many MG record breaking attempts. He was involved with such celebrated MG experimental cars as EX120, EX127, EX179 and EX181.

Triple Eight Race Engineering, headed by Ian Harrison, has prepared the MG6 GT race cars. The company has more than 100 BTCC race wins to its credit.

Guy Jones, MG Motor’s Sales & Marketing Director, said: “The feedback to MG going racing again has been incredible and there’s a real passion and pride building around the team. It’s going to be a great season.”

BTCC ANNOUNCES A BIG START TO ITS NEW TURBOCHARGED SEASON









24 cars on an all-turbo grid for opening event of year
Nine different makes, ten different models represented

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has unveiled a 25-car entry for its 2012 season, with 24 of those due to take the grid for the first event – an increase on the number that started 12 months ago.

No fewer than ten different models from nine different makes – Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, MG, Proton, Toyota, Vauxhall and VW – will be rolled out by the 14 teams which will contest this year’s BTCC, which begins at the world famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on the weekend of 31 March/1 April.

Notably, for the first time, every car on the BTCC grid will race with a turbocharged 2.0 litre engine. More than half the cars are built to the championship’s full ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ (NGTC) regulations that are leading to a rapid return of bigger, more aggressive-looking machinery. The remainder are all current S2000-based cars equipped with turbo engines built to NGTC specification.

This year’s BTCC, sponsored by automotive and motor sport tyre giant Dunlop, will again comprise ten events featuring 30 ferociously contested races (three on each race day) at nine venues around the UK – meaning the nation’s favourite car racing attraction can be easily accessed by the vast majority of the population. Each of the ten meetings will receive a minimum six hours of live television coverage on ITV4 and ITV4 HD – ‘simulcast’ on the www.itv.com website. Highlights across the network on ITV1, ITV4, ITV4 HD and again on its website will be shown in the following week.

Indeed, Dunlop and ITV Sport remain committed as the championship’s title sponsor and broadcast partner respectively through to the end of 2013 at least. In addition, an increasing number of ‘big name’ brands are also joining the BTCC grid as sponsors of teams and drivers.

“Words such as ‘staggering’ or ‘phenomenal’ are often over-used, but both very genuinely apply to the BTCC’s current health,” commented BTCC Series Director Alan Gow. “Our trackside crowd and TV viewing audience figures continue to reach new heights – Brands Hatch has advised us that ticket sales for its opening round in a fortnight are its biggest ever for a BTCC event this far in advance.

“Now, here we are, ready to start another great season and with a larger grid than at the first round last year – despite the very challenging economic climate. Once again the BTCC boasts terrific depth of competition as well as a huge and exciting variety of different makes and models of car. And I have little doubt that, just as with seasons past, the number of cars will increase as new teams and drivers take on the challenge of competing in the UK’s biggest motor racing championship.

“We all know that things are tough out there, so I sincerely applaud all our teams, drivers and their sponsors for their incredible determination and the loyalty they have shown to the championship. Our own partners, Dunlop, ITV Sport, HiQ, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Dennis Publishing and Fujifilm are also companies that truly live and breathe the BTCC.

“In fact it is a ringing endorsement of the BTCC’s cost-effectiveness and proven ability to ‘deliver’ on a great many levels that such well-known brands are becoming increasingly involved.

“The expanded line-up of NGTC-specification cars is only going to add to the spectacle with their more intimidating presence and flame-belching exhausts. It could well be that one of them wins this year’s championship, but equally a very well-sorted S2000-turbo car could also take the title. But whoever takes away the ultimate prize – and one of the most famous trophies in global motor sport – we are guaranteed a fascinating fight and an extraordinary season ahead of us.”