What is the MSA britsish touring car championship ?

 

More than 50 years on and going from strength to strength, the British Touring Car Championship is one of the Britain's best-loved racing championships.  Now with the ever increasing TV coverage, millions of people regularly watch the spills and thrills.

Since its inception in 1958 – only Formula 1 and America's NASCAR stock car series have longer histories.

 

From the start, saloon car racing was a huge success, with the public packing into Britain's racing venues to watch the top drivers of the day compete in racing versions of their road cars at simply unbelievable speeds.  Traditional, great British names such as Jaguar, Austin, Ford, Mini, Lotus, Sunbeam and Triumph – often with top international stars, including Formula 1 drivers, were all winners in the first 20 years.

 

By the Eighties, the iconic Ford RS500 and BMW M3 ruled the roost and BTCC attracted international manufacturers, Mazda, Toyota and Alfa Romeo were the first three winners of the decade as the championship continued to be run for several classes of car.

 

In the Nineties,  Track side crowd figures nudged the 40,000 mark as enhanced television coverage promoted the series to millions throughout the UK and around the world.  To further enhance the championship and to encourage ever closer racing the decision was taken to make the BTCC exclusively for 2-litre cars, encouraging even more high profile manufactures, teams and drivers to grab a slice of the action.

 

BTCC is open to everybody. Every BTCC event is free for children, in many cases up to the age of 16, making them hugely popular with families and young, future fans.

 

Unlike many other sporting events, BTCC  is unique in allowing the public to interact with their heroes. The open paddock policy at the majority of events and  organised autograph sessions in the pit lane allows everybody feel totally involved.  

 

Once trackside, the crowds are treated to a feast of top-class motor sport – while the BTCC headlines the bill there's also a selection of superb supporting categories run by manufacturers Ford, Ginetta, Porsche and Renault.

 

At each BTCC race meeting the crowds are further entertained by appearances from five high profile supporting races, the

Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta GT Supercup, Ginetta Juniors

Renault Clio Cup and British Formula Ford.

 

Types of Car

 

The BTCC is open to two types of car – those based on the FIA's Super 2000 technical regulations that have populated the grid in recent years, plus newer machines built to the BTCC's own new set of Next Generation Touring Car regs (which first appeared in 2011). 

 

All cars run with 2.0-litres engines  

 

The BTCC season 

Consists of ten events, each featuring three races. That's 30 races for the entire season, with points in all 30 counting towards each driver's end-of-season score.

 

The Race Weekend 

Saturday=Practice and Qualifying

Sunday=Race day

 

Spectators  are treated to three championship races on the day. A qualifying session on the Saturday decides the starting-grid order for race one. 

 

The race two and three starting grids are determined by the finishing order of races one and two respectively. But there's a fun twist for race three with the leading starting positions reversed to add to the unpredictability. A ballast system is also used from race to race to handicap the most successful cars and further ensure a level playing field. The BTCC is truly geared towards providing maximum value-for money entertainment for its customers, the fans.

 

The three races take place on Sundays (race days). Saturdays are used to stage the practice and qualifying sessions. On Saturday morning there are two 40-minute practice sessions that enable the teams and drivers to hone their cars to suit each circuit's characteristics. In the afternoon, a 30-minute qualifying session is held. The times from this decide the starting grid order for the first of Sunday's three race. If drivers have set equal times, the one who set it first will start ahead of the other.

 

The starting grid for the second of Sunday's three races is decided by the finishing order of the day's first race. Sunday's third race grid is then decided by the finishing order of the second race but, uniquely, with the leading positions reversed. The number of positions to be reversed becomes known only after race two when a number between six and ten is drawn..

 

THM Racing has a BTCC project underway, with the aim of competing again in the championship.   Please keep looking at our "Latest News" for more updates and information as preperations continue.......

 

Watch this space......