Feature
BTCC gets technical Words: Will Beaumont Photos: Chaydon Ford
O
fficials interfering with racing is bad. If the last season of F1 has taught us anything, it’s that. Similar tampering with the natural order of racing, but with weight penalties and lucky dip pole positions, is the biggest criticism most have of the British Touring Car Championship. The BTCC has tons going for it if you like your racing pure. There are various shapes of cars to help you keep track of what’s going on. The short sprint-like races reward committed driving and that results in spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. Even if, sometimes, they’re a bit too aggressive. Arguably, some of the championship’s rules dilute that unadulterated competition. Adding weight to the drivers with the most points and awarding pole position spots after a bingo draw is all a bit too meddlesome for some. Still, you can’t deny that it ekes out the championship results right to the end of the season. Quite often the very last lap of the last race of the last round. And that’s exciting. The most ardent protesters of
38 BMW Car Club Magazine May 2022
Will Beaumont is given a tour of West Surrey Racing’s workshop and the three cars the team will be running in 2022. Ryan Allison (left), Sophie Ball (front left) and Carl Mitchell (right) provide the expert knowledge. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
