Inside BTCC - April 2021 - Season Preview

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

THIS MONTH… • YOUR DRIVER-BY-DRIVER GUIDE TO 2021 • DAVID ADDISON ON WHAT TO EXPECT ON TRACK • WHAT CHANGES FOR THE NEW SEASON • THE LATEST BTCC NEWS

APRIL 2021 - SEASON PREVIEW EDITION

WELCOME TO INSIDE BTCC though the 2020 E ven season finished much later than normal, it seems like an age since we saw British Touring Car Championship cars going wheel-to-wheel in battle.

However, the waiting is now almost over as the series prepares for the opening event of the 2021 season at Thruxton, with 30 actionpacked races ahead before the new champion is crowned.

This edition of Inside BTCC has been designated as our season review, as we look ahead to what is to come over the course of 2021.

Alongside the latest news headlines from the past month, our preview features an extensive interview with ITV’s David Addison in which he gives his views on the class of 2021 and reveals who he would put his money on for the title.

We also look at each of the 28 drivers confirmed (at the time of writing) for this season, with those drivers all giving their views on how they feel about the season ahead.

If you’re reading this introduction then you’ll be aware that this issue of the eMagazine has been published

free of charge, rather than at the usual price of £2.49.

That is all thanks to James and his team at SMARTTRAMS who have stepped up the plate to sponsor the season preview We’d love to see you check out future (or past) editions of the eMagazine and if there is something you would like to see us feature, please drop us a line through our social channels or email us on contact@insidebtcc.com and let us know.

Until then, let’s get ready for some racing!

he season preview edition of Inside BTCC is sponsored by SMARTTRAMS; a light rail consultancy business that provides advice, knowledge and expertise from over 30 years experience

T

working with tramways, light rail, engineering, operations, safety and approvals.

The business covers all aspects of the industry, from Heritage Tramways, right

through to modern day Light Rail systems and has been involved with the BTCC for a number of year thanks to a role as a long-time personal sponsor of MB Motorsport driver Jake Hill.

WWW.SMARTTRAMS.ORG

Ebrey Photography J akob is a multi-award winning agency that specialises in work within the automotive and motorsport industries.

Established back in 1999 as an independent business, JEP has grown year-by-year and is now regarded as the leading national motorsport photography agency in the UK, working with an impressive

portfolio of clients that includes many major manufacturers, teams, drivers and championships.

JEP operates from a base at Silverstone in the heart of motorsport valley and employs a dedicated team of professional photographers who attend events across the globe each season; capturing the very best images to tell the

many stories that develop on track..

Part of the paddock since 1997, JEP has provided official photography for the British Touring Car Championship for a number of years.

Unless stated, any images within Inside BTCC are provided by JEP.

WWW.JAKOBEBREY.COM

NEWS IN BRIEF THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE BTCC PADDOCK… new season has finally T hearrived and the talking will soon stop as the field heads to Thruxton for the opening round of the season.

The main headlines since the March edition of the eMagzine have focused on liveries and launches, which we’ll cover off in this season preview, but there have also been some news stories that we need to catch up on…

OWEN DEVELOPMENTS EXTENDS TURBO CONTRACT Owen Developments will continue to supply turbo chargers and waste gates to

the entire BTCC grid until at least the end of 2026 after extending its contract with TOCA. The deal first came into play back in 2011 and will continue into the new hybrid era when it begins next year.

“Myself and everyone here at Owen Developments are extremely proud that we have retained our contract as the supplier of turbochargers and waste gates to a championship as prestigious and as high profile as the BTCC for a further five years," managing director Lee Owen said.

“This new appointment sees us move forward into the new and exciting Hybrid era of the BTCC and is clear recognition of Owen Developments technical expertise and commitment to providing quality products and service to the the series.

"We look forward to this new chapter of our relationship with the BTCC.” BTC RACING LAUNCHES YOUNG DRIVER PROGRAMME BTC Racing has launched a new Young Driver Programme ahead of the 2021 season,

Image: MINI CHALLENGE

Image: Momentum Social

signing up MINI CHALLENGE racer Lydia Walmsley as its first member.

Walmsley will move from the Cooper class into the JCW category as part of a threeyear plan to secure the title.

Her ultimate goal is to one day then graduate from the MINI series onto the BTCC grid.

“This season for me is all about learning as much as possible as I know the step up to the JCW is a big one and that it will take some time to get fully comfortable," she said.

"The chance to work with a front-running touring car team like BTC Racing with their knowledge and experience is going to be hugely beneficial, and I’m sure that it will help me

to develop my skills as a racing driver."

BTCC DOCUMENTARIES GET THE GREEN LIGHT

“We’re so excited to be producing 'On the Limit' – Season 2,” said Kwik Fit’s Marketing Director, Andy Lane.

The BTCC will benefit from being featured in two different documentaries over the course of the 2021 season.

“The series is aimed at giving fans behind the scenes insights into teams, drivers and key moments of this year’s BTCC throughout the season.

We hope you enjoy it.”

First up, series title sponsor Kwik Fit has announced that 'On The Limit' will be back for a second year after proving to be popular with fans during 2020.

Season two of 'On The Limit' will air in the autumn, with the featured teams set to be revealed in due course.

Produced by Momentum Social, the first series followed Motorbase Performance, EXCELR8 and Trade Price Cars Racing, and offered fans the chance to enjoy exclusive behind the scenes access.

Power Maxed Racing is also working on its own behind the scenes film in conjunction with team partner FastR. The currently un-named show will air on Amazon Prime and a number of free-to-air channels later in the year.

Image: Scott Stringfellow

“This has been a project that we have been working on and discussing since the tail end of last season, and it’s been amazing to see it all come together,” said Team Principal Adam Weaver.

“Luke [Clayton] and his team at FastR have been amazing to work with. The experience each of them has is pretty aweinspiring, and I’m hugely confident that this is going to be a ground-breaking piece of television.”

ANTONIO CARROZZA TAKES ENGINEER OF THE YEAR AWARD Antonio Carrozza has been named as the winner of the 2020 Engineer of the Year.

Carrozza was chief engineer on Ash Sutton’s Laser Tools

Racing Infiniti, with the pair having previously worked together at Team BMR. That relationship will continue into 2021, with Laser Tools Racing having also strengthened its technical team with the signing of Dan Millard.

“I have worked with Ash since 2017 on the Subaru project and it has been a great journey ever since,” he said.

“We won the championship in our first year together, which was a dream come true, and it’s amazing to have done it again.

“To start with a blank canvas for the Infiniti Q50 meant we were able to learn every aspect of the car straight out of the box.

"We expected to be there or thereabouts, but to win it in the first year was a huge achievement and a great testament to everyone in the team.”

The award has been handed out annually since 2016.

BTCC PADDOCK MOURNS SAFETY CAR OBSERVER PETER HARRIS Peter Harris, a valued member of the BTCC’s safety team, has died after a 20 month battle against cancer.

Peter had worked as the safety car observer alongside Scott Stringfellow for more than a decade, with the pair teaming up from 2005 through to 2019 when his illness led to Peter

being forced to stand down from his position.

"Pete was a large part of my life as he was also my best friend," Stringfellow wrote in an emotional tribute posted on social media.

"We shared ups and downs and supported each other in tough times too, but we also had so many laughs as we shared the same kind of humour.

"My love and support is with Pete’s lovely wife Suzanne at this time as she did everything she could to make life as easy as possible while he fought his hardest battle.

Image: Hyundai Motorsport

"Best friend and most professional safety car observer, or as I called him, my wingman. Rest in peace Pete."

TOM CHILTON TO RUN ETCR PROGRAMME Tom Chilton will run a dual programme in 2021 after being signed by Hyundai Motorsport for the inaugural season of PURE ETCR. The new all-electric touring car series launches this year and will see entries from Hyundai, Cupra and Alfa Romeo through the privateer Romeo Ferraris team - do battle across five rounds in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Hungary and South Korea.

The series will use a knock-out format with short races similar to those seen in rallycross, with Chilton partnering Jean-Karl Vernay, Augusto Farfus and John Filippi in the four-strong Hyundai line-up.

“Electric-powered racing is a new challenge for me, but as part of the Hyundai Motorsport line-up for PURE ETCR, I think I am in the best place to race for victories," he said. "I know the team will have done a great job in developing the car so far.

"I’m looking forward to driving the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR for the first time in the next few weeks to feel the performance for myself, and even more to racing it when the first weekend of the season comes.”

Round one is scheduled for 18-20 June at Vallelunga.

MICHAEL CREES LEAVES BTC RACING Reigning Jack Sears Trophy champion Michael Crees won’t

be part of the grid for 2021 after a late split with BTC Racing.

Crees was set to return with the Honda team for a second year, but will now drop off the grid - with his future plans unknown.

After the 'amicable split', a replacement driver will be named in due course to partner Josh Cook and Jade Edwards.

“On behalf of everyone at BTC Racing, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Michael for his participation with the team in the British Touring Car Championship," team owner Steve Dudman said.

"It’s a shame the partnership isn’t continuing, but we wish

him well in his future endeavours.”

GORDON SHEDDEN HEADS OFFICIAL TEST The only official test of the winter saw Gordon Shedden top the times for Team Dynamics as he prepares to make his return to the series.

Shedden’s benchmark time came during the afternoon running around the Silverstone National layout, which enabled him to lap nearly two tenths of a second quicker than Jack Goff.

Shedden would actually set three laps that were good enough to top the times.

Goff had paced the morning session in the new Team HARD Cupra but slipped back to

second spot during the afternoon running, with Michael Crees in third spot for BTC Racing, before news emerged of his departure from the team.

Tom Ingram took fourth in the leading EXCELR8 Hyundai, with the top six completed by Jason Plato and Colin Turkington.

Turkington was one of a handful of drivers who wouldn’t improve during the afternoon running.

The top 26 lapped within a second of the outright pace on a day that saw plenty of running despite three stoppages during the morning, which cost teams around half an hour of running time.

SEASON LAUNCH TEST TIMES Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

57.108s

2

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.194

3

Michael Crees

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.199

4

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.274

5

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.377

6

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.423 *

7

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.490 *

8

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.501

9

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.516

10

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.520

11

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.545

12

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.550

13

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.554

14

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.578 *

15

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+0.592

16

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.597

17

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.598

18

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.618 *

19

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.639 *

20

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.649

21

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+0.655

22

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.684

23

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.686

24

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.718

25

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.731 *

26

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.759 *

27

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.097

28

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.174

29

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+1.253 *

* - denotes time set during morning session

THE KEY CHANGES WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP HEADING INTO 2021 a season like no other A fter thanks to the impact of COVID-19, the British Touring Car Championship will hope for something a little bit closer to normality during 2021.

Although fans won’t be present for the opening event at Thruxton, the road map put in place by the government at the time of writing opens up the possibility of spectators being able to attend the majority of meetings during the year.

The return of fans is something that will be welcomed by all

parties after the whole 2020 was run behind closed doors.

However, the planned return of fans to the circuits is only one thing that is set to change compared to twelve months ago…

QUALIFYING One major change in a sporting sense is a revision to the qualifying format on the back of a successful trial at Snetterton.

The 'Top Ten Showdown' will be in place for three meetings -

at Donington Park, Snetterton and Silverstone - to add an extra layer of intrigue into the race weekends as drivers do battle for pole across a split session.

Rather than the usual 30 minutes, the session will see all cars on track for 25 minutes of running that will set positions 11 back on the grid, with the fastest ten drivers going through to Q2.

After a short break of just five minutes, times will then be reset for those drivers before a further ten minutes of running

to determine who starts on pole.

becoming the option at Knockhill.

Colin Turkington secured the first 'Showdown' pole at Snetterton last year.

The option will need to be used at least once in races one, two and three across the four meetings, with drivers only choosing when to run the tyre as they prepare to leave the pits.

TYRES Because of the compact nature of the 2020 season - and the additional financial pressure that teams faced as a result of the pandemic - the option tyre rule was scrapped, with a single compound being used at all nine events.

That will change for 2021 as the option tyre is reintroduced, but only at four of the events that are scheduled to take place.

At Oulton Park, Croft and Snetterton, the Goodyear soft tyre will be used as the option with the medium compound

The medium tyre will be used at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone, with the hard compound in place for Thruxton - where it has been the only tyre used for a number of years.

SUCCESS BALLAST Success ballast will be revised for the new season, with the weight carried by drivers increasing across the board.

Ballast had been reduced prior to the start of the 2019 season, with the series citing the

'incredibly closely matched performance of the current cars' as the reason for the decision.

That season saw maximum ballast being reduced from 75kg down to 54kg and then dropping in 6kg increments.

Last year, the ballast figure was increased up to 60kg for first place, with a 6kg drop for each position, with teams agreeing to another increase ahead of 2021.

That increase will see ballast for first place go back up to 75kg, with the increments in place taking the series back to the system it ran from 2015-18.

This season marks the final year that success ballast is due to be used in the championship, with the system being dropped when the hybrid era begins in 2022.

SUCCESS BALLAST Position

2019

2020

2021

1

54kg

60kg

75kgs

2

48kg

54kg

66kg

3

42kg

48kg

57kg

4

36kg

42kg

48kg

5

30kg

36kg

39kg

6

24kg

30kg

33kg

7

18kg

24kg

27kg

8

12kg

18kg

21kg

9

6kg

12kg

15kg

10

6kg

6kg

9kg

THE 2021 CALENDAR IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE THE DATES IN YOUR DIARY, THEN HERE IS THE FULL LIST OF WHERE THE BTCC WILL BE RACING AND WHEN - DURING THE YEAR AHEAD Date:

Rounds:

Circuit:

8/9 May

1, 2, 3

Thruxton, Hampshire

12/13 June

4, 5, 6

Snetterton 300, Norfolk

26/27 June

7, 8, 9

Brands Hatch Indy, Kent

31 July/1 August

10, 11, 12

Oulton Park, Cheshire

14/15 August

13, 14, 15

Knockhill, Fife

28/29 August

16, 17, 18

Thruxton, Hampshire

18/19 September

19, 20, 21

Croft, North Yorkshire

25/26 September

22, 23, 24

Silverstone National, Northamptonshire

9/10 October

25, 26, 27

Donington Park National, Derbyshire

23/24 October

28, 29, 30

Brands Hatch GP, Kent Rounds 1, 2, 3 at Thruxton will run behind closed doors

the COVID-19 A fter pandemic resulted in a smaller than usual calendar in 2020, it’s a case of business as usual - to an extent - this year as the series goes back to a ten round, 30 race schedule.

The calendar has been revised from the dates that were originally set to take into account the government road map to bring the UK out of the latest period of lockdown.

As a result, the season begins around a month later than usual, with Thruxton taking up the position of season opener.

Currently, the first meeting of the year is the only one scheduled to take place behind closed door, with rounds two and three having been moved back to follow the date when it is expected that

fans will once again be allowed to attend.

way stage in the middle of August.

Snetterton hosts round two of the season in mid-June, with the event having twice been moved from its traditional position after the summer break.

The second event at Thruxton kicks off the second half of the season, with the only back-toback meetings taking place in September as the series heads for Croft and then for Silverstone.

A new date early in the year would have been before fans were allowed to return, resulting in the meeting being pushed back - with round three at Brands Hatch Indy also shifted back to ensure fans can attend.

After a break of nearly a month, Oulton Park will play host to the fourth round of the season before the trip to Scotland for the fifth round of the year at Knockhill - meaning the season will reach the half-

Donington Park now runs towards the end of the season as the penultimate meeting of the year before the big finale back on the Brands Hatch GP layout in late October.

As has been the norm, all ten meetings will benefit from extensive live coverage on ITV4 and ITV4 HD, with qualifying continuing to be streamed on the ITV website each race weekend.

A WINTER OF CHANGE THE BTCC GRID WILL TAKE ON A DIFFERENT LOOK THIS SEASON, AND INSIDE BTCC WAS JOINED BY DAVID ADDISON TO PREVIEW IT

mongst the championship celebrations as Ash Sutton was crowned winner of the British Touring Car Championship for the second time at Brands Hatch back in 2020, there was an air of uncertainty around the paddock.

A

Although there had already been news that a new car would be joining the grid for 2021, and plenty of rumours about potential driver moves, there were also question marks about the continued involvement of some key players on the grid.

And of course, there was the small fact that the UK was hurtling head-long towards another lockdown in an attempt to try and overcome the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that played havoc

with life over the course of 2020.

media working in the paddock, and you guys with ITV.

As it was, any concerns about whether teams and drivers would be able to put programmes in place for 2021 would prove to be unfounded, with the grid filling up far quicker than anyone would have expected.

How do you reflect on what we saw over the course of the 2020 season?

Ahead of the start of racing, Inside BTCC sat down with ITV commentator David Addison to look forward to the season ahead but first, we took time to reflect on what we saw twelve months ago…

Before we focus on the 2021 season, a look back at last year. It was obviously a season that provided a range of challenges for everyone - be that the drivers on track, the

It’s a very long answer in a sense, because the moment we saw the cars on track, the racing felt the same as it has always felt.

You looked at the pictures and you thought that it didn’t really look any different in terms of what was on track, but then you looked around the pictures and you realised that something was missing with the crowds.

The quality of the actual racing didn’t suffer at all, although the situation we were all in made life difficult for people working in the paddock with the

reduced numbers, and it made it a different experience for us at ITV given that we were confined to the TV compound.

I have always had a thought in the back of my mind from years ago that people rose to the occasion because there was a big crowd. I’m not saying that they play to the gallery, but you’ve heard Nigel Mansell for example comment on how a big crowd at Silverstone would give him a few tenths of a second.

If you go back 20 years, Group N - or the National Saloon Cup as it was then - was okay racing but it wasn’t fantastic by any means. However, when you then put the same people in the same cars into the BTCC as Class B, the racing came alive.

You wondered if that was the drivers being spurred on by the crowd, but last year showed that the crowd doesn’t actually make a difference as the racing was as fantastic as ever.

Saying that, I had to feel sorry in a way for Ash Sutton, as he got out of the car at Brands Hatch to nobody apart from the team, and it was a bit of a flat response compared to the big cheer you would normally have from the crowd watching on for the final round.

History will say that Ash Sutton was the 2020 champion but it’s a shame in some respects that he couldn’t get the most from that day, and didn’t get the full experience of celebrating that title win with the fans for a second time.

But to even get to the point where a champion was crowned was impressive when you consider all the challenges that there were…

Exactly. I think we did very well to get through a season when you consider what certain sports have faced, and what has happened in some regions of the world.

In Asia for example, there was hardly any racing last year and there has a delayed start to this year, but we got through it and managed a 27 race season - albeit with back-toback weekends and a lot of effort from a lot of people.

It was an outstanding effort, and ITV and TOCA deserve a pat on the back for making it happen. But so do the teams,

because they worked very hard to do it.

From an ITV perspective, it must have been quite challenging to be stuck away in the compound and unable to roam the paddock as you would normally do, particularly on a Saturday?

On a personal level, it did make it less enjoyable.

One of the things that I usually enjoy in FP1 is that I can head trackside to see what the cars are up to on track, and then in FP2, I can be in the pit lane and can go in and out of the garages talking to people and finding things out.

Although Sunday can be quite relentless with the Porsche races to commentate on as well, we do get time to go and

speak to people and I might go to see X whilst Tim goes to see Y so we can gather information and find out what has been going on.

Last year, we lost that relationship with the teams and the drivers, and almost lost the family feeling that you get from being around the teams so often.

On the flip side, we did become more modern with Whatsapp groups and phone calls to keep in touch, and the teams all responded - but it certainly wasn’t the same.

There was frustration that we couldn’t go and pick up those little bits of information that we could do normally, and that’s how this season will start as well.

However, the positive thing is that we were there as ITV got us on site, which I’d much prefer compered to being stuck in a studio doing it remotely.

At some circuits like Oulton Park and Thruxton, the compound was almost trackside, and that meant we could at least see some of what was going on.

We can’t wait to be back in the paddock like normal though.

At the end of last season we knew there was a new car coming with the Cupra and we had rumours about the fact that second Toyota might be joining the grid, but there were concerns about Honda and Dynamics, and also concern from various drivers and teams about budgets and if they

would be able to get the funds in place to return again this season.

Were you surprised as the winter went on at how quickly things fell into place so we suddenly had 29 drivers confirmed in seats with a month to go to the season launch?

Absolutely, and I think it is beyond people’s wildest dreams how well things did come together - although it seems to be a motorsport thing all round as the first SRO GT weekend for example had mega numbers.

The surprise with the BTCC is because the series is one that relies on sponsors; it isn’t one of those categories that will weather the storm because of the fact it has a lot of rich

drivers who will always have money to spend.

the series remains a great platform even in difficult times.

The BTCC needs sponsors and a lot of those sponsors have had a very lean year for obvious reasons. But equally, they haven’t had a big advertising spend and now want to promote their brands, and it's exceptional that even in the current climate, there are new sponsors joining the grid alongside new cars and new faces.

Commercial partners need to get their product out there and what better way to do it than with a series that is so well supported, and has free-to-air coverage on ITV.

At a bit of low ebb last year, I spoke to a team manager and we said that if the grid could be over 20 for this season it would be good, so the fact that the grid is full really shows the strength of the championship.

People will comment that I would say that but it’s true, as

There have been some casualties however, most notably with Honda leaving the the series.

It might not be a huge surprise that they decided to bow out, but the driver line-up at Dynamics is more of a shock.

We half expected Matt Neal to call it a day, but few would have thought Dan Cammish would go as well…

No that’s true, and the Dan Cammish news was a surprise

to many people, and I’m sure in the fullness of time - when Dynamics are able to tell the full story - that we’ll hear more about everything that happened as there is often more to things than meets the eye.

With Honda pulling out of F1, I think they were always going to leave touring cars as well, and there were obviously concerns about Yuasa as well.

Dan Rowbottom is a driver who was being looked at by a lot of teams with the Cataclean support that he has, and with the links they have with Halfords, he was a perfect fit for Dynamics.

From Matt Neal’s point of view, Dynamics is a business and to keep it going, they needed to

bring in a sponsor. Cataclean fit the bill perfectly as I said.

But that left Shedden and Cammish for one seat, and whilst it isn’t for us to speculate on what happened, you can see why Shedden - with his wins and his titles - is now coming back to the series.

He is a very appealing option both on track, and for sponsors…

Exactly but don’t get me wrong, Dan Cammish not being on the grid is a real shame as he has been a big asset to the BTCC on track in recent years.

He is a very serious driver and behind the wheel, he has been outstanding. He was close to pole in his first race and almost won the championship, and it

would be wrong if he were not back on the grid at some stage in the future as he has certainly has a championship title in him.

You cannot argue with what he does on track, and while it is great to have Gordon back, I hope that we get Dan Cammish back in the future.

It will be interesting to see how it works at Dynamics for 2021 because Shedden has been out of a car for twelve months, and has been out of the series for a few years.

He was quick at media day, but do you think he’ll pick up where he left off once the racing begins?

If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I’d probably have sided with those saying he might be a bit rusty, and might need

some time to get back up to speed.

if he had been coming back to the grid with someone else.

he has been out of the saddle a little bit.

But then he was quick at media day and having spent some time with him there for an interview for ITV, I see nothing to suggest he won’t be quick from the outset.

He remains a very competitive, and very capable driver.

If that car doesn’t get a win at Thruxton then there is something wrong, and whilst you would expect Gordon to get the win, both drivers will go to round one with high hopes.

Gordon is certainly up for the challenge and has lost loads of weight to get in shape, and he isn’t coming back to make up the numbers.

This isn’t a guy who is bored on a weekend with nothing to, it is someone who wants to win a championship - no question about it.

The fact he has slotted into a car he hasn’t raced before so quickly is impressive, but he already knows the team and it will be an easy fit compared to

Dynamics might look at Gordon for the drivers championship, but there are other titles to be won and on that score, they need Rowbottom to deliver.

His pace so far has been encouraging when you consider that he has also been out for a year, and that he doesn’t have the level of experience that Shedden has…

And he doesn’t know the team or car, so is walking in blind.

His only race last year was in EuroNASCAR and that nearly ended with him being put into the wall by an errant Italian, so

Rowbottom needs to be all guns blazing for the points but before long, he should be a top six runner as he has the tools underneath him and will be racing at a different end of the grid.

That means he will need to think about things like his racecraft, but he is going to have all the tools from Dynamics, and there will be pressure to deliver.

Being higher up the grid could mean he finds himself out of

the danger zone a bit compared to where he was in the Mercedes….

If he can qualify well he’s out of the danger zone and that mad battle for 15th, but the trouble he faces then is that there are 15 people going for the top six on the grid…

However, he should be able to get closer to the front as we go on through the season, and he’ll be an interesting element this year.

Dan’s in the right place at the right time and has a chance to show what he can do, as in his year in the Mercedes, they were struggling to make it work - and in the Clio days, he was running the car alongside his dad.

To now have a team like Dynamics to work with and to help guide him will be a big thing for Dan this season.

Laser Tools Racing and WSR are the same package in the main, but with the addition of the third cars for Carl Boardley and Stephen Jelley to provide more support.

How do you see that battle playing out this season as WSR won’t have stood still and Dick Bennetts won’t be happy to have missed the title?

However, at the same time, Laser have now been able to go away and put more development and testing into the Infiniti, which is basically a car that rolled out last year and was then just tweaked as the season went on.

And didn’t it do a good job with that tweaking…

To start with BMW, it’ll be another step forward there as within a few weeks of the flag dropping at Brands Hatch, they were back out on track.

I think that not winning last season, and the way they didn't win in that final round, will have hurt Dick Bennetts and it won’t sit well with WSR which I think is now the benchmark touring car team on the grid.

They will want to make a step forward and you can expect a strong car to be strong again this time around.

It might not have excelled in the winter weather conditions we had at Brands Hath back in November, but in a more

normal season, I would have no concerns.

- rather terrifyingly - he hasn't peaked yet.

Laser Tools is slightly different as there is now the relationship with Team HARD this season, and we don’t really know exactly how it will all work out between the different parties involved.

I’m not for one moment suggesting that Colin has, but Ash is a driver who gets better every year and remains alongside Tom Ingram - one of the most exciting drivers on the grid.

Last year you had people from BMR like Antonio Carrozza looking after Ash's car, whereas Aiden Moffat had more of his people on his car, but it now looks like there will be greater input from BMR on the Moffat car as well.

He is in a car that works and he matures and develops every year, and he will be stronger this year.

We need to see how it all knits together, but if we work off the basis that Ash is pretty much the same as he was last year, then he is a great position as he had a car that worked well in both the wet and the dry and

It makes the whole idea of Sutton v Turkington v Shedden and the rest even more appetising.

And it’s an interesting dynamic between them as they have such different approaches.

Colin is a driver who you know will keep scoring points all

year and will be there at the front with no mistakes, whereas Ash is a driver you watch and you sometimes feel he is so close to the ragged edge that he could throw it off.

He’s a driver who will see a chance to go for a move and he will try to take it, even though maybe he shouldn't do - as we saw at Croft last year with the clash with Jake Hill.

I’ve spoken to Ash on this, and him and Carrozza have a safe word now to avoid a repeat of that incident, but you’ve hit the nail on the head when it comes to Ash. You always look at him.

Colin is a driver who you can sometimes ignore as raceafter-race, he is driving round picking up the points because

as he has proved in the past, you can win the title with a single win during the season.

He knows exactly what he is doing and he will get the elbows out when he needs to, but he is always thinking about the fact that there are 30 races in the season and he needs to bank the points. Then 'kerching' - he’s right there at the end.

Ash on the other hand is one of the most spectacular people on the grid and they are very different people. As on the edge as he may sometimes look, Ash doesn’t just throw it off the track, far from it - it’s just a different way of driving.

It shows how you can have two similar cars but there can be very different driving styles.

You’ve mentioned Ingram already. Him and Speedworks looked to be the closest thing to a family team without being a family team, so how surprised were you to see that split happen?

I’d guess there will be more than once that you will have to stop yourself saying Tom and Toyota together this season…

We have a swear box and there's a pound going in each time me or Tim say Ingram and Toyota, or Ingram and Speedworks!

At the end of the day, Tom wanted things for his sponsor, and Christian Dick needed certain things for Toyota and they just didn’t align… …which must have been a weird situation to be in as you

would assume both parties would have loved to stay together.

Exactly. It isn’t a big falling out, it’s just different commercial requirements which comes back to what I said earlier about sponsors. In this case, Ginsters wanted X and Toyota wanted Y and the two didn’t marry up.

It’s a real shame to see that partnership come to an end, especially when they came so close to taking the championship a few years back.

Speedworks really helped Tom to develop but at the same time, Tom also helped Speedworks to develop. They motivated each other, and I think it’s fair to say that they

have a debt to each other to an extent.

Rory Butcher will do well in the Toyota this season, and Ingram can’t really lose with his new deal. If he delivers the first win for Hyundai and EXCELR8 then he will be a hero, but if he doesn’t then so what, as the car hasn’t won before.

He has taken Spencer Aldridge, his engineer, with him and they get on well. They are good mates who work well together and I think Spenny will already have had a good look at the car to see what changes they can make.

It would also be wrong for people to think that the Hyundai is the same car as last year as it will take a step forward this season with the work the team has been

putting into it. You know that if you put Ingram in a quick car, he will deliver…

And the fact that driver and engineer are making the move together can only help…

Indeed, as they have a certain amount of data on what makes a front-wheel NGTC car quick, and they also have a fleet of cars this year with four on the grid - which means more data, and more chance to try things out compared to when they were in a single car team.

We should see big steps forward because there is a good package there in terms of the people involved on the engineering side, in terms of the car, and the drivers.

And when it comes to development on the car, it

appears that Ingram and Chris Smiley share a similar view in terms of what they want, which is something else to help during the year ahead.

Agreed - and that was one drama as I understand it last year, as Chris liked one thing but Senna Proctor liked another, so it was hard to get a baseline.

EXCELR8 might be a team that has only been on the grid for a few years, but they are a team that delivers a professional looking programme with a smart show and they have got some good people involved.

They should be able to get wins this season and how many remains to be seen, but the ingredients are certainly there for them going into this season. Running four cars will

be a big challenge, but they can shake the establishment up a bit.

And at least you’ll see them on track…

Well you can see Rick Parfitt’s car from the moon! We do have a lot of black cars this season but I’m sure we’ll manage and who knows, there might be some tweaks as the year goes on.

Another driver you touched on there was Rory Butcher, who has developed into a really good touring car driver in recent years.

While it might take some time for him to get used to working with Speedworks, and vice versa after they’ve spent so long working with Tom, you would expect to see him as a

contender again towards the sharp end this season.

That car is in its third year and it wins races. Rory as a driver wins races and they have been busy testing, and Rory has been to HQ and spent time with Christian and Amy so he is being blooded into the Speedworks family if you like.

We saw how good Rory is last year and I don’t think it will take much time to get him up to speed and that car works, so they should be quick from the start.

Rory will want to make his mark on the team but perhaps more so on Toyota Gazoo Racing as well. He’ll want to beat Tom when he is driving his old car, and he’ll also want to try and beat his brother-in-law in Gordon Shedden as well.

He should be winning races from the start and there is no reason why they can’t be involved in the title fight.

Butcher will also want to beat Motorbase…

And they are the big unknown for me going into this season.

Every year they are on the verge of making the 'A Grade' but then they don’t quite manage it. They’ve had some very good drivers involved and they win races - and should have won more last year - but the title just doesn’t come.

The bones are there of something with potential, but over the winter we had news of new owners and investors and then we arrived at Silverstone for the season launch to

discover that the calming influence of Shaun Hollamby who I think is one of the good guys in the paddock and someone who has come in and worked his way up from the back of the grid to win races has gone.

What we have now is a new team owner in Pete Osborne, the old owner in David Bartrum coming back to advise on some weekends and a mix of people from Motorbase and what was AmD working together. It’s a case of will it all work out as they hope?

In Jake Hill they have a driver who is too much of a talent to waste. On paper, that Focus is a quick car and Jake has the continued backing of Mark Blundell to help him, and he needs the new-look team to

work as well as they hope it will do.

Ollie Jackson was perhaps the most improved driver and the biggest surprise last year and he will want to build on what he achieved, so it’s important for the team to discover its new identity so they can have a strong season.

Are you surprised at the decision to lodge an entry as a Manufacturer/Constructor team, as even considering the strength of the Independents’ category, you would expect them to be in the mix?

Instead, they have put all their eggs in one basket in terms of only fighting for the main prize.

A bit yes, but I suspect it is all part of a longer term plan to try and forge closer ties with Ford

and build a relationship. That is something that Bartrum worked hard on, but it didn’t get to factory backing.

Only results will tell if it is the right decision.

Ciceley is one that I’m curious about because the decision to go with the BMW is certainly not going to be a cheap one, and that is a big investment for the team to make.

It will also be interesting to see how Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton work as a partnership given neither has raced a rearwheel drive touring car in the series before.

I think they’ll be a slow burner but it’s good for Adam to have a team-mate he can gauge himself against and who can help bring him on. If you think

about it, he has always has to learn and teach at the same time, be that with Aiden Moffat, Tom Oliphant, Dan Rowbottom or Jack Butel.

Chilton has raced a rear-wheeldrive BMW before when he was 17 in Macau, but I think they’ll be a good pairing and I actually think Chilton will fit in there better than people expect.

He has the right attitude and he isn’t a prima donna, but you can’t be a prima donna and go there. Ciceley is a no frills team, but it is one of the best commercial operations on the grid and Norman Burgess deserves a big pat on the back for that as he has worked wonders with that team.

Chilton is a good driver who hasn’t shown what he can

really do in the last few years for whatever reason at Motorbase and BTC Racing, but now he has the chance to be in a championship-winning car with a team that wants to make that step forward.

Steve Farrell leading the engineering side of thing knows what he is doing and Tom is hungry for success.

Adam now has someone to learn from and be dragged forward by, and he is a driver who has come a long way from that first season with Speedworks where he got in a lot of scrapes.

That has long been forgotten about and he has made big strides forward as a driver through the years. Now he will be able to concentrate on his own driving without trying to

help a less experienced customer in the other car, and that can only pay dividends.

I think if you give both drivers time then the results will come, and they certainly aren’t going to be left wanting for the tools to do the job.

The fact they went out and bought the 1 Series to test whilst they waited for their new cars shows how serious they are.

At the season launch, we saw the BTC Racing Honda going quickly now it’s been fitted with the Swindon engine, but we haven’t even got to round one and already we’ve seen that they have lost one of the three drivers.

So close to the opening weekend of the season, that

isn’t the ideal position to be in, and you worry if it is a sign that all isn't well…

Well first things first, it’s a shame for Michael Crees that he is leaving the grid, and that he won’t get the chance to fulfil his potential this season.

The biggest asset that team has is Josh Cook, and if they can’t provide him with a competitive car to launch a championship assault then it would be a shame, as he is another driver who has improved a huge amount.

At first, he seemed to be a bit ragged and desperate, but once he got that first win under his belt, he calmed down a lot and he is unquestionably one of the fastest drivers that is on the grid. If he didn’t get the

tools to do the job, it would be a massive shame.

Steve Dudman has taken full control of that team over the winter having initially come in as an investor. He is a successful businessman who has also done some racing himself, and he is looking at the team as a business.

In one way, that is a good thing as he wants the team to be successful and win races from a business perspective, but on the other hand, his approach is very hands on and I think that has surprised a few people.

How it all works out will be interesting as there is no doubt that the car is quick and I think the switch to the Swindon engine will be a good thing.

They are another team that has all of the elements in terms of

the car, the driver and the people behind the scenes and if the commercial side of things slots into place as I’ve been led to believe it will, then they just need everything to gel and for everyone to play to their strengths.

It will be interesting to see how Power Maxed Racing get on as they want to build on 2019, but you wonder how much they were able to develop the car last year compared to the others - meaning it might not be as easy as they expect.

On the one hand, you look at NGTC with the stock parts and you wonder what can go wrong, but teams are always learning about things like setup, and you wonder how much they were able to learn last year from having so many different drivers in the car -

particularly when you consider that some of them had no real touring car experience.

I did an interview with Jason at Silverstone and said 'Will the 100th win be on the cards?' and there was a pause before he said 'I hope so'. Normally you would expect to ask him if he could get a win and you would get him dancing about ready for it. I think there is a view from Jason that it certainly won’t be easy..

We talked about Shedden having a year out from racing and it will be interesting to see how Jason does after a year away himself.

He is very pleased to be back and this is the right championship for him to be part of as he isn’t someone who will go off and race an old

Mini just for run like Andrew Jordan has done - he wants to be in the BTCC. Where he slots back in and where the car is is a bit of an unknown at the moment, but again this is a team that is committed to the series with some very good people behind the scenes, and two damn good drivers behind the wheel.

On paper, everything is there.

Dan Lloyd is someone who was maybe a surprise choice for the second seat as he wasn’t widely linked to it…

He does have links to Jason’s KX Academy though, and he is a winner with BTC Racing.

But it’s also a decade since he made his debut in the series

and he hasn’t yet been able to complete a full season…

No that is true, and he is hard to pigeonhole as he does drop in and out not just of touring cars, but also other things like the Carrera Cup and GT racing.

However, there is no doubt that the talent is there and if the team can harness that talent, then things should all come together for him and he wouldn’t be coming back now unless he felt he could win.

Dan is a driver who I think needs to get results to keep his head up, but it is credit to the strength of the championship that he is yet another driver who we are talking about as having the potential to win races; there hasn’t been a team that we’ve

said can’t fight for wins this season.

start afresh and make a big investment all over again.

potential for damage, which is a real shame.

So is the team that can’t win going to be Team HARD, because taking on the build of a new car and then developing it is a big job - without trying to do it with four cars.

Inevitably, you can split the team in half as you have Jack Goff and Aron Taylor-Smith as race winners, and then Glynn Geddie and Nicolas Hamilton who aren’t.

Yes, the car was up there at media day but was that because the car is quick or because they went for a glory run to grab headlines?

If you are looking at trying to win races this season, you are going to be looking at the first two.

If the team can keep developing the cars over the course of the year then they have the drivers who can be a thorn in the side of the frontrunners, but if we reach the middle of the season and they are as they are now, they’ll have gone backwards.

There are a lot of unknowns around that programme…

You have to say hats off to Tony Gilham and the team for building four cars that look really good as that has been a massive job, and it is also a massive investment to make just before the series goes hybrid and you almost have to

Goff is another driver who we’ve not seen the best of, and he is someone you would arguably say should be in the second Toyota - for example.

The fact that they have managed to build four new cars and get them out for the season launch is just the start of the story not the end, so they can’t afford to relax for one moment.

He is a better driver than his results have shown, but he has never had the chance to be in a really top team and car without worrying about the

If anything, the hard work is just starting as they try to find those tenths of a second and those hundredths of a second to make the Cupra faster and

more competitive as the season goes on.

see when we get to Brands Hatch…

There are circuits where I think the car will go well, but then there are other circuits where it might struggle a bit more as the more boxy shape won’t be as well suited - as we saw with the 1 Series and the Corolla for example.

Which is a very good bet as they are three star drivers, with the likes of Butcher, Ingram and Cook as the outsiders.

You would look at Goff and Taylor-Smith as being the most likely to deliver the results, but it will be down to the team to give them the right tools.

So given that we’ve decided that about 20 drivers can win a race, who would you put your money on?

I’d suggest that a final three of Sutton, Turkington and Shedden could be what we

The fact they all have different cars and packages shows why the BTCC is so good, but if I was betting man and was putting money on it, I would think there was a good chance I’d get my winnings back in Scottish pound notes.

I think Shedden is going to be full of motivation this season, and also that Dynamics will be full of motivation because they want to show there is life after Matt Neal, and that there is life after Honda.

They have a new sponsor to impress, and they’ll also want

to help Rowbottom as well so they can challenge on all fronts.

Shedden’s race craft is without question, and I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times that he has made a mistake.

The Honda is a car that gets quicker each year and Shedden is a class act, in the same way Sutton is a class act and Turkington is a class act.

The thing with Gordon though is that I don’t see a driver there with a spring in his step. He has a bounce that Tigger would be proud of.

I would be astonished if he wasn’t in the mix come Finals Day, and wouldn’t be surprised to see #1 on a Honda in 2022.

THE ENTRY LIST OUR IN-DEPTH, DRIVER-BY-DRIVER LOOK AT THE ENTRY LIST FOR THE 2021 BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP taken a look over H aving what to expect with David Addison, it’s now time for us to take an in-depth look at the drivers who will do battle on track this season.

In total, 28 of the 29 seats have been filled as this season preview hits the virtual shelves following the departure of Michael Crees from BTC Racing, with the return of both Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato meaning four championship winners are featured on the entry list.

Although Jade Edwards is all but a rookie given that she has only a single race weekend under her belt, the only official newcomer to the series will be Rick Parfitt at EXCELR8 as he embarks on a first season of front-wheel drive racing after

previously competing in sportscars.

The decision from Motorbase to join West Surrey Racing and Speedworks in the Manufacturer / Constructor ranks for 2021 comes after Honda dropped out and Team Dynamics reverted to fullblown Independent status for the first time since 2006.

Power Maxed Racing is also running as an Independent outfit as it reverts back to a two-car programme, having been entered as a Manufacturer team for the first three seasons if the current Vauxhall programme.

Of the drivers on the entry list, 19 of those currently on the grid will be competing for the Independents’ championship

title - including defending champion Ash Sutton - with one more to follow when BTC Racing signs its final driver.

There are currently ten drivers who are eligible for the Jack Sears Trophy, which will once again be open to drivers who haven’t scored an overall podium finish in the series.

In our driver-by-driver rundown of the entry list, we’ve pulled together some key stats for each driver to reflect on how they performed last season, and the key figures from their BTCC career to date.

We also hear how they all feel ahead of the 2021 season, and kick things off at the top with defending champion Ash Sutton…

ASH SUTTON LASER TOOLS RACING INFINITI Q50 Independent

1

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

15 January 1994

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2016

Teams:

Triple Eight, Team BMR, Laser Tools Racing

BTCC Titles:

Overall (2017, 2020), Independent (2020), Jack Sears Trophy (2016) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

5

10

1

10

86

350

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

147

19

41

6

20

310

1373

Correct as of season start

the departure of Team A fter BMR and Subaru at the conclusion of 2019, there were plenty of raised eyebrows when Ash Sutton rocked up at Laser Tools Racing for 2020.

Although Aiden Moffat had managed to wrestle the car to a podium finish in the wet at Silverstone, the Infiniti Q50 was very much an unknown quantity - although the team could see that the base car had potential.

More importantly, Sutton had tested the car at Snetterton to help provide feedback given his rear-wheel drive experience and took a similar view…

The revised version of the Infiniti that was rolled out for the 2020 season launch was a world away from the car it

replaced, although the initial running wasn’t without problems as the team was faced with a range of teething issues.

Come the delayed season opener at Donington Park however, it was clear to see that the combination of Sutton and the Infiniti would be a potent force.

A stunning campaign saw Sutton emerge as the biggest rival to Colin Turkington and WSR, and although there were errors along the way - such as an ill-judged move on Jake Hill at Croft - the 2017 title winner managed to pick up his second title on Finals Day. Given he now has a year of experience with the car under his belt - and Laser Tools Racing has a year of data -

Sutton will go into the new campaign tipped to defend the crown, although he knows that it certainly won’t be easy…

"We’ve had a big shake-up over the winter, which is going to spice up the action," he said.

"Having won the title last year, you don’t come back with any plan other than to defend the title and that has to be the aim for 2021. I’m certainly not going to make it easy for anyone.

"Last year we didn’t really make big changes to the car once the season started and testing has given us the chance to try out a few different things.

"It has all been moving in the right direction with the things we have tried, and I’m feeling confident about our chances."

COLIN TURKINGTON TEAM BMW BMW 330i M SPORT Manufacturer

2

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

21 March 1982

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Oulton Park, 2002

Teams:

West Surrey Racing, Triple Eight, Team BMR

BTCC Titles:

Overall (2009, 2014, 2018-19), Independent (2007-09, 2014-15 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

5

13

2

4

71

336

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

449

56

154

22

61

965

4075

Correct as of season start

ad the British weather not conspired against him in the 2020 season finale, there’s a good chance that Colin Turkington would stand alone as the BTCC’s first five-time champion.

H

That he lost out to Ash Sutton however is only likely to provide the West Surrey Racing man with further motivation - if it were needed to put that right in 2021.

Much has been made of the perceived advantage that the BMW 330i M Sport had during its debut season in 2019, but that certainly wasn’t the case last year.

As the level of competition increased, Turkington was forced to raise his game in his bid to take a third title in a row, and would actually score more

points than he did in either 2018 or 2019.

Although he just missed out on making it three championship titles in a row, Turkington’s class was once again evident on track, most notably at Snetterton where he stormed to pole and then enjoyed a race day that was close to perfect.

WSR has been hard at work on making further improvements to the BMW over the winter, and will hope for improved performance in wet conditions in particular given the way 2020 came to a close.

Turkington is known to be master in staying out of trouble and picking up points, and expect to see a similar story develop during the year ahead.

If he isn’t one of the main contenders for the title, it would be a massive surprise…

"Pre-season testing has allowed us to try out different things, and I’m as hungry as ever to try and win the title again this season," he said.

"I’m always motivated to deliver my best on track and it would be great to convert the number two back to number one, but I know that the grid is arguably even stronger and that there are additional challenges from things like the increased success ballast.

"Scoring points and being consistent will be vital and we might need a strategy similar to 2018, when I only won one race. This series is one of the toughest to win, but I’ll be giving it my best shot."

TOM CHILTON CAR GODS WITH CICELEY MOTORSPORT BMW 330i M SPORT Independent

3

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

15 March 1985

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2002

Teams:

Barwell Motorsport, Arena Motorsport, Triple Eight, Team Dynamics, Power Maxed Racing, Motorbase Performance, BTC Racing, Ciceley Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

Independent (2010) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

3

0

0

8

184

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

384

14

59

10

15

410

1882

Correct as of season start

season is set to T hebe 2021 a big one for Tom Chilton after he elected to make the switch to Ciceley Motorsport and its new look BMW programme.

When he returned to the series from the World Touring Car Championship back in 2017, the former Independents’ champion was looking to try and challenge for the overall crown but the following four seasons have yielded just two race wins.

A consistent season in 2018 with Motorbase saw Chilton secure his best overall championship finish of third, although the switch to BTC Racing and the Honda Civic FK8 last year perhaps didn’t provide the kind of results that he was hoping for.

Rather than challenging for regular race wins, the season yielded just three podium finishes and a tenth place championship finish - although that final placing wasn’t helped by a tough end to the year where he failed to score in four of the final six races.

Chilton’s decision to move to Ciceley comes at an exciting time for the team as it retires the Mercedes A Class in favour of the BMW 330i M Sport, and expectations are that it will provide the best chance yet of fighting for championship success.

Although his full touring car career has been spent in frontwheel drive, Chilton has been putting in plenty of miles in pre-season testing and will seek to hit the ground running

when the season kicks off at Thruxton.

"I’m having to adapt my driving style a bit to be more smooth with the BMW, but I love driving the car," he said. "It’s almost a case of going slower in order to go quicker compared to being in a front-wheel drive car, which is a bit weird.

"We go into the new season with some work to do over a single lap but we have a car that is consistent in terms of race pace.

"Every driver wants to win, and there will be times we get it right and times we get it wrong this season.

"It might take us a few rounds to get a handle on the BMW, but I’m looking forward to the challenge."

SAM OSBORNE RACING WITH WERA & PHOTON GROUP FORD FOCUS ST Manufacturer / Constructor - Jack Sears Trophy

4

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

1 January 1993

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2019

Teams:

EXCELR8 Motorsport, MB Motorsport, Motorbase Performance

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

29

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

57

0

0

0

0

0

31

Correct as of season start

rom the moment it was confirmed that his father Pete was behind a takeover of Motorbase Performance, it was clear that the Ford team was where Sam Osborne would be racing in 2021.

F

It means for the third time in as many years, the former Clio Cup racer will be at the wheel of a different car since making the move up into the BTCC, but arguably this is the season that provides him with the chance to show he is worthy of his place on the grid.

The first season with EXCELR8 was always going to be a learning year given the fact that the team was new to the series and the MG6 GT was a car coming to the end of its time in the series, whilst the switch to the AmD Tuning-run MB Motorsport outfit last year

provided glimpses of Osborne’s potential to run with the midfield pack.

That was particularly true at Donington Park in the opening rounds, where Osborne scored his best qualifying result and then followed it up with a career best seventh in the first race of the year.

Whilst there were glimpses of pace from that point onwards, Osborne was unable to replicate those opening round results as the year wore on breaking into the points on only seven further occasions.

It can’t be overlooked however that the FK2 Honda - for all the success it has enjoyed through the years - was also a car coming towards the end of its time in the series but that is something that certainly won’t

be true when Osborne kicks off the 2021 season at the wheel of a car that was one of the quickest on track last year.

"I wanted to be competitive last year and I think I did okay, so the aim for me has to be to build on that," he said. "I have some great team-mates alongside me and I hope that they can drag me along a little bit.

"There were a few technical faults and a few mistakes on my part that meant we couldn’t push for the Jack Sears Trophy in 2020 and I think that that has to be the goal for this year.

"Fingers crossed that this year with the new car, we can be in contention and push for some silverware from the first race."

RORY BUTCHER TOYOTA GAZOO RACING UK TOYOTA COROLLA GR SPORT Manufacturer

6

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

16 March 1987

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Knockhill, 2017

Teams:

Motorbase Performance, AmD Tuning, Speedworks Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

Independent (2019), Jack Sears Trophy (2019) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

3

8

2

2

72

286

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

99

6

14

3

5

108

671

Correct as of season start

little doubt that T here’s Rory Butcher was one of the stars of the 2019 BTCC season.

Having dragged some impressive results from the ageing MG6 the previous year, Butcher raised his game to join the long list of BTCC winners and ended the year snaring both the Independents’ title and the Jack Sears Trophy in his AmD Tuning-run Honda Civic.

It marked Butcher out as one to watch going into 2020, although there were questions about whether his decision to return to Motorbase - the team that had drafted him in for his debut mid-way through 2017 would be the correct one.

Those questions were mainly because of the performance of

the Ford Focus RS during the 2019 season, but the new fourth generation Focus was a totally different beast.

From the start of the season, Butcher was right on the pace with a double podium at Donington Park - and he overcame the loss of a certain win at Brands Hatch to put himself firmly in the title mix through the early part of the season.

Butcher’s bid for the championship would tail off after his huge accident at Silverstone but victory in the final race of the year ensured fifth in the standings for a second straight season and a new career best points score.

The change in ownership at Motorbase over the winter resulted in Butcher moving on

to replace Tom Ingram at Speedworks, but don’t bet against him being a contender for overall honours during the year ahead.

"I think this could be the strongest field since I joined the grid, and I’m excited by the challenge of competing with a new team," he said.

"My goal going into the year is the same as it has been for the past few years and I want to be in a position where I am still in the mix for the title going into the final round.

"You learn something from every single race in this series, and I feel I have matured in each season, so I want to put my additional experience to good practice and fight for wins with the Toyota."

JASON PLATO POWER MAXED CAR CARE RACING VAUXHALL ASTRA Independent

11

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

14 October 1967

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Donington Park, 1997

Teams:

Williams, Triple Eight, RML, Northern South, Team BMR, Power Maxed Racing

BTCC Titles:

Overall (2001, 2010) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

599

97

233

50

88

1844

5074

Correct as of season start

hether you love him or

W hate him, there is no

doubting that the BTCC paddock was a different place without Jason Plato in 2020.

high, and left the Vauxhall team to feel confident about launching a title challenge in 2020.

And then the pandemic hit.

For his final two seasons in the Subaru Levorg, the two-time champion had been a shadow of his former self, struggling for results in an uncompetitive car and at times finding it difficult to even break into the top 20, never mind get into the points.

Plato’s decision to sit out the season - and PMR’s move to adapt its programe - was an understandable one in the circumstances but it was always made clear that things would be back on track for 2021.

The decision to move to Power Maxed Racing for 2019 saw Plato start to regain his mojo, regularly fighting inside the top ten, returning to the podium and picking up his 50th career pole at Silverstone.

Plato will go into the new season looking to try and move closer to the magical tally of 100 BTCC wins whilst also seeking to challenge for a third championship title.

Victory in the season finale at Brands Hatch - a first win in over two years - meant Plato headed into the winter on a

A first Independents’ crown could also be possible after PMR reverted to Indy status for the upcoming campaign, and

whilst a season out of the car isn’t ideal, don’t bet against Plato being a regular contender towards the sharp end again as he returns to action.

"In a way, last year was a good personal exercise to spend some time away, and it reinforced what I already knew - that I need to be in a racing car," he said "It only took a few laps to get back up to speed in the car and we’ve been able to carry on the work we started back in 2019 during testing, which has been productive for us.

"There are quite a few guys who have changed into new cars for this season and Thruxton will be an interesting place to start, but I’m sure we’ll be in the mix."

STEPHEN JELLEY TEAM BMW BMW 330i M SPORT Manufacturer

12

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

12 May 1982

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2008

Teams:

West Surrey Racing, Team Parker

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

1

0

0

0

71

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

174

3

8

1

2

30

334

Correct as of season start

Jelley’s BTCC S tephen career will come full circle in 2021 when he makes his return to West Surrey Racing; the team that gave him his debut in the series way back in 2008.

Then, Jelley was taking his first strides into racing with a roof, having spent the early phase of his career in single-seaters.

In fact, during his debut season there was one weekend where he raced in GP2 in Bahrain on Friday before flying into the UK ready to get behind the wheel of his BTCC car the following day at Rockingham….

A two-year stint with WSR ultimately ended early as a result of the departure of title sponsor RAC, with Jelley going on to forge a career in sportscars before rejoining the

grid back in 2017 with Team Parker Racing.

A year with a Ford Focus was pretty much one to forget, as was the 2018 campaign despite the switch to a BMW 125i M Sport, with results being few and far between.

However, a revised car for 2019 provided the chance for Jelley to show what he could do, with a podium finish at Brands Hatch being followed by a third career win at Oulton Park - albeit after a penalty was handed out to Jake Hill.

Although there was another podium last year, Jelley struggled to regularly push for the top ten as the season wore on and it became increasingly clear to see that the BMW despite being one of the most successful cars to have raced

during the NGTC era - was coming to the end of its time in the series.

Now back at WSR, Jelley is more than ready for the challenge ahead.

"I’m excited to get into the 3 Series and see where I stack up as it’s a big step up with the team and the car," he said.

"I have a four-time champion as a team-mate, so things will be looking good if I’m ahead of him this season!

"The grid this season is very strong and there are a lot of good drivers on track who can be there or thereabouts during the year.

"I have to just focus on myself, and make sure that I do the best job I possibly can."

TOM OLIPHANT TEAM BMW BMW 330i M SPORT Manufacturer

15

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

21 August 1990

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2019

Teams:

Ciceley Motorsport, West Surrey Racing

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

1

4

0

0

16

228

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

87

1

6

0

4

24

469

Correct as of season start

he 2020 season was the most successful yet for Tom Oliphant in the British Touring Car Championship by some margin, although the West Surrey Racing driver will readily admit that it could have been even better.

T

After a year to bed himself into the team in 2019, Oliphant had no option but to step up to the plate last year when Andrew Jordan’s decision to stand down from his driver left Team BMW with two cars rather than three - giving the former Ginetta racer a more important role than ever as the team chased title success.

A strong start to the season yielded a podium finish at Donington Park before one of the more impressive drives of the year at Brands Hatch GP resulted in Oliphant securing a

place on the top step of the podium for the first time after he managed to fend off Ash Sutton for most of the race.

Regularly fighting inside the top ten meant Oliphant was able to keep in touch towards the sharp end of the grid, whilst his regular points scoring finishes would be crucial in BMW securing the manufacturers title, and in helping WSR to lift the teams’ title.

Unfortunately, his own title challenge would be derailed in the final stages of the year as he managed to bring home just one top ten finish from the final six races.

Despite that, and the shorter season, Oliphant secured 50 more points than he had done before and managed to bag a

top six finish in the drivers championship standings.

Now, his eyes are very much on the biggest prize of all heading into the new season.

"I feel like the last two years have been leading up to this," he admits, "and I’m excited to now go racing again after the winter.

"My aim this season is to win the championship, which is what we all say, but I feel I made lots of progress last year.

"I showed I have the pace to win and to be right there with the top six, so I want to hit the ground running and start the season on the right foot.

"If I can be in the mix when we go to the final round, then we know anything can happen."

AIDEN MOFFAT LASER TOOLS RACING INFINITI Q50 Independent

16

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

28 September 1996

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Knockhill, 2013

Teams:

Finesse Motorsport, Team HARD, Laser Tools Racing

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

105

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

210

3

8

0

2

71

656

Correct as of season start

is little doubt that T here the 2021 season is a big one for Aiden Moffat as he seeks to end a win drought running back to Silverstone 2018.

Moffat headed into last season with a new car underneath him in the shape of the revised Infiniti Q50, having made the switch to the older version of the car for the second half of 2019.

Effectively writing off the season, Moffat was able to spend time getting used to rear-wheel drive BTCC car whilst the team also evaluated what he needed to do to improve the car, with a podium finish in the wet at Silverstone being the highlight.

The lessons learned from that half a season where then used

on the revised Infiniti introduced for 2020, and although the season started in difficult fashion at Donington Park, Moffat came close to a podium in round two at Brands Hatch.

Further top six finishes would follow later in the year at Knockhill and Silverstone, although a top three finish would prove to be elusive, making it the first season in which the Scot hadn’t scored a podium since 2014, and his first full year in the series.

Having seen new team-mate Ash Sutton romp the title last year, one big target for Moffat will be to close the gap that existed between the pair, and the addition of title-winning engineer Dan Millard to the Laser Tools Racing line-up is something that can only be

beneficial in working towards that goal.

With a full season with the Q50 under his belt, stronger results are certainly a target for 2021.

"We had no pre-season testing last year so it’s nice to now have a bit of experience under my belt with the car," he said.

"I feel more comfortable every time I go out in the car and I want to fighting back towards the front again.

"I want to challenge for podium finishes and my aim is to get back onto the top step as it’s been a while since we’ve managed to get up there.

"It’ll be a year where things will change from track-to-track, but I’d like to think we’ll be up there with the likes of BMW."

22

CHRIS SMILEY GINSTERS EXCELR8 WTH TRADEPRICECARS.COM HYUNDAI i30 FASTBACK N Independent DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

6 March 1992

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2016

Teams:

Team HARD, BTC Racing, EXCELR8 Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

1

0

0

3

106

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

132

1

6

0

1

19

435

Correct as of season start

ne of the hardest chargers on the British Touring Car Championship grid, Chris Smiley is the one constant in a radically different looking EXCELR8 driver line-up for the 2021 season.

O

After a three-year spell with BTC Racing that had seen him open his win account in the series, Smiley’s decision to move to EXCELR8 last year provided a fresh challenge as the team introduced the new Hyundai i30 into the series for the first time.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made that challenge even greater for the second year team as the opportunity to go out and test the car was drastically reduced.

Suddenly, the lion’s share of test and development work on

the car had to be carried out on race weekends as the team looked to get fully up to speed but Smiley showed the potential of the package at the first round of the year as he secured a hard-fought podium finish.

Regular top six finishes and trips to the podium will be the least of his expectations.

Through the opening half of the year in particular, Smiley was there or thereabouts in terms of the points although there were a few scrapes in the latter part of the campaign - most notably at Snetterton where a battling drive in race three went unrewarded as a result of contact.

"It was difficult last year because we were limited in the testing we could do, but we still picked up some good results and have now improved the car in some key areas.

The fact that the team was so keen to keep Smiley for a second season shows how important his experience with the Hyundai is, and it could well be key going into 2021.

"We’ve put a lot of work into the car over the winter and it is night and day different to what we had last year," he said.

"This is the first time I’ve had the same car for two seasons, and I think that will help this year. Morale is high, and I think we can go into this year with a serious chance.

"I’ve shown I can be a race winner in the BTCC, and now it’s time to take the next step."

SAM SMELT TOYOTA GAZOO RACING UK TOYOTA COROLLA GR SPORT Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

23

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

16 March 1987

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2018

Teams:

AmD Tuning, Speedworks

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

30

0

0

0

0

0

0

Correct as of season start

hen news first emerged

W that Speedworks was to expand to run two cars in the British Touring Car Championship this season, a raft of names were immediately linked with the second seat.

It’s probably fair to say that Sam Smelt wouldn’t have been a driver that was on most lists, but it is the former AmD Tuning man who will take up a drive in one of the two Corollas now being entered under the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK banner.

That Smelt has taken the seat shouldn’t actually come as much of a surprise however, given that he was already part of the Speedworks team.

Last year, he partnered James Kell as the team made a return to the British GT Championship

with the all-new GT4-spec Toyota GR Supra, with the pair taking a best finish of third in class.

That followed on from a year in a RACE Performance-run Ford Mustang, where Smelt was partnered with now BTCC rival Aron Taylor-Smith.

Smelt returns to the BTCC grid with something of a point to prove after what was a difficult debut season back in 2018.

Then, his racing experience was limited to say the least with only selected races in British F4 and the VW Racing Cup - as he joined the grid in AmD’s Audi S3.

The step up to touring cars was a big one to make, and although he came close to a points finish at Snetterton in

the special 'Diamond Double' race, he would ultimately fail to score.

With more racing experience behind him and Rory Butcher as team-mate, much more is expected in 2021.

"I always wanted to come back to the BTCC and I feel I have a point to prove," he admits.

"I didn’t have much experience back in 2018 but I feel I’m a better driver now than I was then, and the fact I know the team and know Rory already means I feel comfortable straight away.

"I think testing has gone well and I’m improving each time I get in the car, so with Rory to learn from, I’m feeling confident. This is the dream scenario for me."

24

JAKE HILL MB MOTORSPORT ACCELERATED BY BLUE SQUARE FORD FOCUS ST Manufacturer / Constructor DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

22 February 1994

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Croft, 2013

Teams:

Motorbase, Rob Austin Racing, AmD Tuning, Team HARD, Trade Price Cars Racing, MB Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

6

0

0

0

212

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

140

1

9

0

1

42

526

Correct as of season start

aving taken his maiden race win in 2019, Jake Hill headed into the 2020 BTCC season hoping to regularly challenge for more victories after swapping his Audi S3 for an FK2 Honda Civic; the most successful car to have raced in the NGTC era.

total - the highest total of any driver who didn’t manage to get a victory.

However, when his hopes of championship silverware were ended within the opening two rounds thanks to a myriad of technical issues, the MB Motorsport driver must have felt it was going to be one of those years….

His Saturday pace in particular was impressive, with the Civic invariably near the sharp end during practice and his qualifying average being beaten only by Colin Turkington, Dan Cammish and Rory Butcher.

That he fought back from five no-scores in the opening six races to finish seventh in the standings and secure his best points score to date was impressive and although there was no win, Hill managed to visit the podium six times in

In fact Turkington was the only other driver who qualified inside the top ten for each of the nine events that would be run during the year.

H

It was also a solid record when you consider that prior to the season starting, Hill had scored three podium finishes in 113 starts.

With the Honda being retired for 2021, the switch over to the

latest incarnation of the Ford Focus means Hill now has a package underneath him which is more than capable of fighting for honours.

Expect him to be a thorn in the side of the big names.

"The FK2 was great for me last year and we ended the season well, but moving to the Focus is the next step up," he says.

"The newer cars are a lot stiffer than the Honda was, and although the Focus is quite similar to drive, it just feels more alive.

"I feel confident about our chances and I want to be in a position to fight for the title this season. We have to aim to be consistent throughout the year, and hopefully we can then be in the mix."

28

NICOLAS HAMILTON ROKiT RACING WITH iQUOTO ONLINE TRADING CUPRA LEON Independent - Jack Sears Trophy DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

28 March 1992

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Croft, 2015

Teams:

AmD Tuning, Motorbase Performance, Team HARD

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

22

0

0

0

0

0

1

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

58

0

0

0

0

0

1

Correct as of season start

Hamilton has faced N icolas more challenges than most of his rivals on track in the British Touring Car Championship since first making his debut back in 2015.

Even before news broke of that part campaign with AmD Tuning, Hamilton had been forced to contend with constant comments that his racing career had only come about as a result of his brother being a seven-time Formula One champion.

That however does a huge disservice to the work that Hamilton has put in himself to bring together the partners that he needs in order to fund his racing.

And it also overlooks the huge physical challenge that comes from racing at such a high level

whilst suffering from cerebral palsy - a condition that resulted in him being told as a child that he would never be able to walk.

Whilst his first outings in the BTCC arguably came too soon in the Audi S3, the last two seasons since he returned to the grid in 2019 have seen Hamilton show that he is capable of running with the pack.

Breaking into the points for the first time last season is an achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked when you consider that the Volkswagen CC was far from the most competitive package - as seen by the fact that team-mate Jack Goff only scored on four occasions.

The move to a brand new car for 2021 in the shape of the

Cupra Leon will bring with it fresh challenges, but Hamilton heads into the season in confident mood.

"It’s hard to know where you stand during testing, but so far, so good with the new car," he says.

"You can’t really compare it to the old car as the Cupra feels so together and so fresh compared to the Volkswagen; it’s a totally different package.

"Now we have to try and maximise the platform that we have, and my target is to regularly fight for points.

"That will be tough when everyone now has newer machinery but it’s a target that I feel is possible, and my ultimate goal would be a top ten."

JACK GOFF TEAM HARD WITH AUTOBRITE DIRECT CUPRA LEON Independent

31

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

6 March 1991

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2013

Teams:

Team HARD, Triple Eight, West Surrey Racing, Eurotech

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

11

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

232

5

20

6

6

98

1149

Correct as of season start

he 2020 season turned out to be one to forget for Jack Goff as he struggled for results with what proved to be an increasingly uncompetitive car.

T

Goff’s two seasons with Eurotech across 2017 and 2018 had allowed him to really show his potential in the series, with the former Clio Cup champion securing multiple wins at the wheel of his Honda Civic Type R and establishing himself as something of a qualifying master.

Eurotech’s departure resulted in Goff’s career going full circle as he moved back to Team HARD for 2019; the team that had given him his debut back in 2013.

The last two seasons are perhaps best described as

character building, with the Volkswagen CC proving to be increasingly off the pace against a raft of new cars being introduced into the series.

There were highlights - most notably the dramatic win in mixed weather conditions at Silverstone in the latter stages of 2019 - but last year proved to be a season that ultimately failed to deliver.

Unable to make it into the top ten, Goff would score points on just four occasions all season, with eleven points scored being the lowest of his BTCC career to date.

However, everything changes for 2021 with the introduction of the Cupra Leon, and although testing times need to be taken with a pinch of salt, Goff has been left hopeful that

it will be the package that enables him to return to form.

"The team has done a great job to give me a competitive car that should be fighting much closer to the sharp end out of the box," he said.

"I know our competition probably aren’t at their maximum yet, so I’m keeping my feet on the ground but I feel confident going into 2021.

"The last two years haven’t been easy and haven’t reflected the effort of the team, so this is a new start for us. We want to be fighting for top tens from the start, and try to be in the mix as points make prizes "There are no weak links on the grid and it will be tough, but that is what the BTCC is all about."

DANIEL ROWBOTTOM HALFORDS RACING WITH CATACLEAN HONDA CIVIC TYPE R Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

32

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

18 February 1989

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2019

Teams:

Ciceley Motorsport, Team Dynamics

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

30

0

0

0

0

0

5

Correct as of season start

Rowbottom makes his D anreturn to the British Touring Car Championship grid in 2021 for what will be his second season in the series, having found himself at the centre of one of the biggest stories of the off-season.

Rowbottom was no stranger to the series prior to joining the touring car grid, having first been part of the paddock back in the days of the SEAT Cupra Championship.

in four points scoring finishes and a best result of 14th, with plans in place to return for a second year with the team in 2020.

Although he took part in the season launch test at Silverstone, he onset of the COVID-19 pandemic then led to Rowbottom sitting out the campaign, with his focus turning towards a return for 2021.

Having put his racing ambitions to one side, Rowbottom then returned to action in the Renault Clio Cup and it was on the back of a fourth place finish in the standings in 2018 that he made the move up into the BTCC with Ciceley.

Linked to Team Dynamics for much of the winter, Rowbottom’s place on the grid was confirmed as part of a revised line-up alongside Gordon Shedden after the departure of both Honda and Yuasa, with his his backer Cataclean as title sponsor.

A debut season at the wheel of the Mercedes A Class resulted

Now in one of the leading seats on the grid, the pressure

will be on to impress during the year ahead, a fact Rowbottom is well aware of.

"After a season out last year, I’m eager to get going again and this is a massive opportunity for me," he said.

"In 2019, I think I performed better than the points showed, but this time around, there can be no excuses as I’m working with one of the best teams there is and have a fantastic car underneath me.

"Having Gordon alongside me in the garage is a massive help, as is the fact that I have Matt there on my shoulder. Those two have more than enough experience to write a few books, so I have to tap into their knowledge, get my head down and take this chance with both hands."

ADAM MORGAN CAR GODS WITH CICELEY MOTORSPORT BMW 330i M SPORT Independent

33

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

28 October 1998

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2012

Teams:

Speedworks Motorsport, Ciceley Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

1

3

0

0

10

206

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

264

8

31

1

13

146

1756

Correct as of season start

dam Morgan is one of the drivers looking ahead to a radically different British Touring Car Championship season in 2021 after a raft of changes at Ciceley Motorsport over the winter.

A

Gone is the Mercedes A Class he had driven since 2014 after the decision to switch to a West Surrey Racing-built BMW 330i M Sport, whilst a new team-mate in the shape of Tom Chilton provides the team with its strongest driver line-up to date.

make it back onto the top step of the podium during a campaign that provided the Mercedes with something of a last hurrah in the series.

With the car effectively reengineered after a tough start to 2019, Morgan would once again be a regular top ten runner last year - the highlight coming on home soil at Oulton Park.

In short, big things are expected for the season ahead…

There, he managed to hold on at the front of the pack to take victory in race three despite intense pressure from Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Ash Sutton - all of whom had quicker cars.

For Morgan, the switch to the BMW is set to provide his best chance to launch a bid for championship success after a 2020 season that saw him

Further podium finishes would follow at both Silverstone and Snetterton as Morgan ended the season eighth in the championship standings - a

result he’ll now look to improve on with his new car.

"We’ve had a full on preseason programme and it’s been good," he said. "There have been some things that have taken time to get used to with the car, but other bits just felt natural from the first moment we hit the track.

"We knew that WSR would provide us with a fantastic car and I feel confident heading into the new season, but at the same time, I don’t want to set expectations too high.

"We need to remember that we have no experience of racing this car and might need some time to get it fully into the sweet spot. We’ll not get carried away, but the whole team is working hard to make sure we have a strong year."

40

ARON TAYLOR-SMITH TEAM HARD WITH HUB FINANCIAL SERVICES CUPRA LEON Independent DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

9 November 1989

Nationality:

Irish

BTCC Debut:

Knockhill, 2011

Teams:

Triple Eight, Motorbase Performance, Team BMR, Team BKR, Team HARD

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

178

4

18

1

3

67

973

Correct as of season start

hen Aron Taylor-Smith

W walked away from the

BTCC at the end of the 2017 season, it would have been understandable if he had decided not to return.

The Irish racer had overcome a somewhat controversial end to his 2015 season - which saw him embroiled in a public argument with BMR team-mate at Brands Hatch - to lead Team BKR to unexpected success the following year.

A victory at Rockingham and two further podium finishes was an impressive return considering that the BKR programme only came together at the eleventh hour, and it opened the door to join the factory MG team for 2017.

Unfortunately, the move came at the wrong time as the Triple

Eight-run team endured a season to forget on track, with results hard to come by as the MG6 GT slipped further back down the pecking order.

previous success in the BTCC, and whilst there is clear excitement at being back in the paddock, there is also a need to keep expectations in check.

After a run of just two points scores in nine races, the low point would arrive at Croft, where Taylor-Smith was caught up in the huge qualifying accident that resulted in him suffering a broken leg, and also hospitalised Jeff Smith and Luke Davenport.

"I’m excited to be back racing in the BTCC this season as it’s unlike anything else out there, and I’m ready for some doorto-door action!" he said.

Whilst he returned after the summer break, there would be just four more points finishes before Taylor-Smith departed to try his hand at GT racing.

Having decided that endurance racing isn’t for him, Taylor-Smith now returns with Team HARD and the new Cupra looking to add to his

"We’ve made good progress so far as a new car needs a lot of refinement to make it work, but it feels good out of the box.

The team has really overdelivered in every aspect with the car and have done a phenomenal job with it.

"It’s hard to say what I think we can achieve this season given our car is so new and we’re still working to unlock its full potential, but I’d love to deliver my best season yet."

CARL BOARDLEY LASER TOOLS RACING INFINITI Q50 Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

41

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

7 December 1975

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Knockhill, 2018

Teams:

Team HARD, Laser Tools Racing

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

26

0

0

0

0

0

18

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

59

0

0

0

0

0

23

Correct as of season start

welve months ago when he managed to get his hands on an ex-West Surrey Racing BMW, things were looking up for Carl Boardley.

T

However, it is the move to Laser Tools Racing and the Infinti Q50 that arguably now provides the former Ginetta racer with his best chance yet of making an impression in the BTCC. A former hot rod World Champion, Boardley first appeared on the grid at Knockhill back in 2018, although it’s a weekend he’d arguably rather forget after a technical issue saw him excluded from all three races.

Back for a full season in 2019, Boardley was forced to contend with a package that was far from the most

competitive on the grid in the shape of the Volkswagen CC and was also trying to get his head around front-wheel drive.

That resulted in the move to the BMW last season but, as Stephen Jelley also discovered, the 125i M Sport was coming towards the end of its time in the series.

Although there were nine points finishes during the year, Boardley was unable to make the big step forward that he had hoped for - not helped by the fact that he was effectively running as a single-car entry within Team HARD. The purchase of the Infiniti and forging ties with Laser Tools Racing will now provide Boardley with the additional support he is looking for, with confidence high about the

potential for a successful 2021 season.

"I feel I can make a big step forwards this season, and the Infiniti - with the longer wheelbase - seems to be better suited to me," he said.

"The BMW was a very good car, but the engineering behind it dates back to 2012 or 2013 before the current RML kit came in. This car has been designed around the RML parts and you can feel a real difference; it’s a very good car.

"Having team-mates to work with is key as I wouldn’t have been back this year as a single-car team again. I feel I now have the tools at my disposal to show what I can do and I want to push on towards the front, which is where I feel I can be."

44

ANDY NEATE RACING WITH WERA & PHOTON GROUP FORD FOCUS ST Manufacturer / Constructor - Jack Sears Trophy DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

19 August 1974

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2001

Teams:

Cranfield Automotive, Daniels Motorsport, WSR, Arena Motorsport, Triple Eight, IP Tech Race Engineering, Team Dynamics, Motorbase Performance

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

3

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

131

0

0

0

0

10

104

Correct as of season start

t’s no exaggeration to say that there was surprise when Andy Neate was named as the third driver in the Motorbase programme twelve months ago - particularly considering some of the names that had been linked with the seat over the winter.

I

Neate’s return to the grid marked his first full season in the series since his 2012 programme with Triple Eight and MG - his later plan to launch his own team coming to an early end in 2013 and a planned entry with Team Dynamics in 2016 being halted after round one.

Having been away from a car for so long, getting back up to speed was always going to be a huge challenge; a fact that wasn’t helped by the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic

impacted on the amount of pre-season testing that Neate was able to carry out before his return to competitive action.

The delayed start to the season did however mean that Neate was able to complete the full season in the latest incarnation of the Ford Focus rather than starting the year in the older car, and he bagged points early in the campaign at Brands Hatch and Oulton Park.

Incidents at Thruxton and Silverstone would largely overshadow the remainder of the season, and resulted in Neate - and his family - being subjected to undue levels of abuse on social media.

Eager to put that in the past, Neate will now hope to benefit from a proper testing

programme over the winter, with his focus on improved results on track in 2021.

"It’s great to be back with the same team for a second season as that is something I haven’t had before, and we’ve also been able to go out and do lots of testing," he said.

"Coming in last year after so long away was tough, but now everything doesn’t feel quite so new and I feel more comfortable. I’ve probably had more running this winter than ever before, and I think we have been a lot closer on the times as a result.

"For me, the first goal has to be to deliver better results than we achieved last year, but I also want to be more consistent and pushing further up the grid."

48

OLLIE JACKSON MB MOTORSPORT ACCELERATED BY BLUE SQUARE FORD FOCUS ST Manufacturer / Constructor DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

26 April 1984

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2011

Teams:

Triple Eight, AmD Tuning, Speedworks Motorsport, Welch Motorsport, Motorbase Performance, MB Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

2

3

0

0

29

152

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

233

2

4

0

0

31

441

Correct as of season start

he emergence of Ollie Jackson as a British Touring Car Championship race winner proved to be one of the pleasant surprises of the 2020 season, with the Motorbase driver managing to secure victory not once, but twice over the course of the year.

T

Putting a wretched season with Welch Motorsport and the Proton in 2014 behind him, Jackson had developed into a driver who was very much a safe pair of hands during a three-year stint with AmD Tuning and the Audi; someone who was capable of regularly running inside the points and who could then secure the odd top ten result when circumstances fell in his favour.

That was particularly true back in 2018, when Jackson made

the most of the mixed weather conditions at Brands Hatch to secure his first podium finish in the series.

than saw him get ahead of Adam Morgan into P1, and it’s something he is now aiming to repeat during the year ahead.

A move to Motorbase in 2019 provided Jackson with the chance to make steps forward towards the top ten, which he did after a tough start to the year, but it was the introduction of the new Focus for 2020 that provided him with a chance to shine.

"We’ve had a great testing programme and I feel better prepared than ever before," he said.

Strong qualifying and a fine third place at Brands Hatch was a sign of things to come, with his victory in the reverse grid final race at Silverstone coming after an impressive drive to keep Tom Oliphant’s BMW at bay.

A second win at Snetterton was arguably even more impressive thanks to the move

"I think it promises to be a very competitive season and it is going to be interesting to see where we line up compared to everyone else.

"I had a great year in 2020 with the two wins but now I want to be up there more consistently.

"I’d love to try and get a pole position and also take a win in race or two to really show that I have the pace to be at the front, and don’t need to benefit from the reverse grid."

GORDON SHEDDEN HALFORDS RACING WITH CATACLEAN HONDA CIVIC TYPE R Independent

52

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

15 February 1979

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Knockhill, 2001

Teams:

GR Motorsport, Team Dynamics, Clyde Valley Racing

BTCC Titles:

Overall (2012, 2015-16) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

347

48

124

11

50

725

3161

Correct as of season start

news than Dan T heCammish was to leave Team Dynamics ahead of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship came as a huge shock, but the now former works Honda team couldn’t have found a much better replacement after re-signing Gordon Shedden for his series return.

The Scot will be making his first appearance in the series since 2017, when he took the decision to leave the BTCC and embrace a new challenge in the World Touring Car Cup. Although he managed to take his Audi to a race win in the first year of his programme on the streets of Wuhan, Shedden’s spell in WTCR would prove to be a challenge with the RS 3 LMS unable to match the likes of the Hyundai

i30 and the Honda Civic particularly in 2019.

Having sat out 2020 after Audi pulled its factory drivers from the series, Shedden now makes his BTCC return as one of the most successful drivers in series history, having secured three championship titles between 2012 and 2016.

An impressive record of 48 career wins and 124 podium finishes also ranks highly in the record books - and sets up some landmarks for the series returnee to aim for during the year ahead.

The fact that Honda is no longer involved also provides the possibility of fighting for a first Independents’ title although a fourth overall crown is very much the target.

"It’s been a while since I’ve been in a touring car, but I’m ready to go and can’t wait to get back at it," he said.

"Every year they say it will be the most competitive BTCC season and you only have to look up and down the paddock to see the investment that people have put in, and to see how many good drivers there are this season.

"I think there are a dozen people who can easily win a race, and we’ll need to see who is in the mix when it comes to the championship.

We’re going to have to be on the top of our game, and there will be no room for mistakes.

"We have to hit the ground running and do the best we can from round one. The only reason I’m here is to win."

RICK PARFITT JR EXCELR8 WITH TRADEPRICECARS.COM HYUNDAI i30 FASTBACK N Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

62

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

18 October 1974

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Thruxton, 2021

Teams:

EXCELR8 Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Correct as of season start

mazingly, when you consider the raft of changes that have taken place across the winter, just one driver will go into the 2021 season as a total BTCC rookie with no previous series starts.

A

However, that driver is one who looks set to secure plenty of support from fans, as Rick Parfitt brings a touch of 'rock and roll' to the grid in the newlook EXCELR8 programme.

Parfitt, the son of the late Status Quo singer of the same name, was a karter at an early age but it is only during the last ten years that he has embarked on a career in racing alongside his own musical work A winner of the GT4 title in British GT in 2013, Parfitt went on to add the GT3 crown in

2017 - making him the only driver to win both class titles.

Parfitt’s success on track has come despite him being forced to live with Crohn’s - an inflammatory bowel disease that can leave the sufferer facing severe abdominal pain, amongst other things.

Having undergone surgery last year, Parfitt took a season out of racing before turning focus towards securing a place on the BTCC grid, eventually inking a deal to drive one of the four Hyundai i30s on the grid for 2021.

Easy to spot on track thanks to his distinctive livery, Parfitt admits he’ll need time to get used to the change in discipline, but is keen to learn as much as he can during the season ahead.

"I’m looking forward to putting on a good show as this is all new for me," he said. "I have to learn the car, learn new circuits, how to do standing starts, and sprint racing is also different to what I have done before.

"I’m also not used with racing at close quarters like you do in the BTCC so there is an awful lot to learn. It’s like starting again, but I’m just looking forward to being part of this incredible championship.

"My expectations are to start at the back and move forwards and I want to temper my expectations and not get carried away as I can be very hard on myself. If I could steal a few points then it would be amazing, but this is very much a learning year for me."

JOSH COOK BTC RACING HONDA CIVIC TYPE R Independent

66

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

15 June 1991

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2015

Teams:

Power Maxed Racing, Triple Eight, Team Parker, BTC Racing

BTCC Titles:

Jack Sears Trophy (2015) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

3

4

1

4

55

196

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

176

8

20

2

11

173

1065

Correct as of season start

f he didn’t have bad luck, then Josh Cook probably wouldn’t have had any luck during the 2020 season.

I

That might sound like a bizarre thing to say for a driver who won three times, but the simple facts are that Cook could have done so much better with a bit more luck on his side in the BTC Racing Honda Civic.

Having finished fourth in the standings in 2019, his hopes of challenging for the title were effectively over by round four after a disastrous start to the year.

Three no scores at Brands Hatch on a weekend where all of the Hondas struggled was followed by a disqualification at Oulton Park that robbed him of a victory in the opening race.

Next up at Knockhill came a huge accident in race one and another DNF in race two, meaning that after eleven races, he had scored points just four times.

Cook fought back well from that point on to win at Thruxton and then did the double at Croft, marking the first time he had taken two wins in a single weekend.

whilst the decision to switch to the Swindon engine is also expected to help.

"We have the new engine this year for 2021 which will be different, and the team has done a great job on the car over the winter," he said.

"Although we took wins last year, we also had some struggles, which we have addressed with the engine change.

It meant Cook managed to end the season inside the top ten, although it also left him wondering what might have been without the early season woes.

"We’re jumping in at the deep end this year with Thruxton as the season opener, but I’m looking forward to it as I’ve gone well there before.

Cook’s return for a third season is key to BTC’s chances of success this season given his level of experience compared to his team-mate,

"If we do the job that I know we can do this season, then I’m sure we can be in the mix.

We’re here to win the championship this season."

80

TOM INGRAM GINSTERS EXCELR8 WITH TRADEPRICECARS.COM HYUNDAI i30 FASTBACK N Independent DRIVER INFORMATION

Date of Birth:

20 August 1993

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2014

Teams:

Speedworks Motorsport, EXCELR8 Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

Independent (2017-18) 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

3

11

1

4

80

326

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

207

16

41

4

12

344

1687

Correct as of season start

eeing the name 'INGRAM' on something other than a Speedworks-run Toyota is going to take some getting used to in 2021, with Tom Ingram’s split with the team that had run him for his entire BTCC career being one of the main talking points of the winter.

S

Ingram first joined the grid back in 2014 and has played a key role in Speedworks becoming a series frontrunning, winning the Independents’ title on two occasions and also finishing in second place overall in 2017.

The past two seasons have seen the development of the new Corolla, which was introduced in 2019 and took Ingram to seven of his career wins - and a highest points score of 326 last season

despite the fact that the pandemic meant there were three fewer races than usual.

Almost seen to be part of the Speedworks family, Ingram was expected to remain for the new season but differing commercial requirements as the team expanded to run a second car ultimately led to the decision to part ways.

A deal with EXCELR8 would follow as Ingram was signed up to lead the expanded Hyundai outfit - taking with him valuable knowledge that the team hopes will enable it to fight for wins.

The fact that engineer Spencer Aldridge, who has worked with him for a number of years, will also be involved for 2021 is key as Ingram looks to build on an encouraging pre-season and

launch a challenge for championship honours.

"I was comfortable at Speedworks after so long, so this move has given me a bit of a kick up the bum," he said.

"I’ve now got a lot to be excited about this season, with the move to EXCELR8, a new car in the Hyundai and the fact I have some team-mates to work with.

"Testing has gone well, and there have been various things that me and Spenny have been able to try based on what we knew with the Toyota. The car feels really good, and I’m sure we can hit the ground running from round one.

"I want to win this season, and if there is a driver out there who says anything else, then they need to have a word with themselves…"

GLYNN GEDDIE TEAM HARD WITH AUTOBRITE DIRECT CUPRA LEON Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

88

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

17 June 1990

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Brands Hatch, 2014

Teams:

United Autosports, AmD Tuning, Team HARD

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

6

0

0

0

0

0

1

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

36

0

0

0

0

0

17

Correct as of season start

he has appeared A lthough in the British Touring Car Championship across three different seasons, 2021 is set to be the first time that Glynn Geddie will contest a full year in the series.

Having seen his debut campaign with United Autosports cut short in 2014, Geddie - winner of the British GT Championship back in 2011 alongside his father Jim switched focus back onto sportscars before being given a surprise opportunity to return to the BTCC grid with AmD Tuning.

Two rounds in the MG6 GT as one of the drivers replacing the departed Tom Boardman saw Geddie secure a points finish at Rockingham, although there was to be no full-time deal in

place for 2020; in touring car terms at least.

However, Geddie would make a return in the latter stages of the year when the opportunity to join Team HARD came along, and outings at both Snetterton and Brands Hatch would yield a single points finish in the Volkswagen CC, and left the Scot eager for more.

Team HARD’s decision to swap the ageing Volkswagen for the new Cupra Leon made a full season return an appealing option for 2021, with Geddie duly inking a deal to team up with Jack Goff on one side of the garage.

With a busy testing programme behind him in the new car, Geddie will hope to be a regular contender for points

during the season ahead, and will hope to be one of the contenders for the Jack Sears Trophy.

"The new car has been getting a lot of attention and we’ve been working hard to try and the car into the sweet spot." he said.

"Returning to the BTCC for a full season is a steep learning curve, but it’s one that I’m looking forward to.

"Hopefully we can get the car in the window and can have a good start to the season at Thruxton, which is a circuit I really enjoy.

"Everyone wants to win but at the end of the day we also need to be realistic, and I think targeting the Jack Sears Trophy would be a good aim."

JACK BUTEL EXCELR8 WITH TRADEPRICECARS.COM HYUNDAI i30 FASTBACK N Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

96

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

19 March 1996

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Donington Park, 2020

Teams:

Ciceley Motorsport, EXCELR8 Motorsport

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

2

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

27

0

0

0

0

0

2

Correct as of season start

ack Butel was probably as surprised as anyone when he got the call to see if he wanted to be part of the British Touring Car Championship grid for the 2020 season.

J

The grid has already been set and the season launch had taken place when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Dan Rowbottom take the decision to stand down from his drive with Ciceley Motorsport.

That left the team searching for a new partner to line-up alongside Adam Morgan, with Butel - who had previously raced with the team in its Mercedes GT car - getting the call at the eleventh hour.

With his previous race experience coming in rear-

wheel drive and very little in the way of testing before the season kicked off, Butel was always on a steep learning curve - and faced additional challenges as a result of COVID thanks to the fact he was travelling from Jersey in order to race.

A points score at Brands Hatch in the second meeting of the year would prove to the highlight, whilst Butel would only fail to finish once all season; a run of results that allowed him to secure third in the Jack Sears Trophy.

Having viewed his unexpected chance in 2020 as a learning year, Butel now returns for year two in a new car having switched to EXCELR8, with his focus firmly on improved results and a challenge for the Jack Sears Trophy crown.

"Working with the team has been really good so far; they are a great bunch," he said.

"We’ve done a good amount of testing and have been able to put some decent mileage under our belts. The car feels awesome, and certainly seems to be a big step forwards compared to the Mercedes.

"Ciceley helped me to get into the series last year and I’ll always be thankful for that, but I really feel like this car and team will provide me with the chance to get to where i want to be.

"I’d like to think we can win the Jack Sears after finishing third last year, and I feel we have the pace to try and get a top ten this year. If we can do that, it would be brilliant."

JADE EDWARDS PHSC WITH BTC RACING HONDA CIVIC TYPE R Independent - Jack Sears Trophy

99

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

31 March 1991

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Silverstone, 2020

Teams:

Power Maxed Racing, BTC Racing

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

Correct as of season start

hen Jade Edwards inked

W a deal to join Power

Maxed Racing for the Silverstone round of the 2020 season, it quickly became one of the most talked about news stories of the season.

That outing in the Vauxhall Astra made Edwards the first female driver to compete in the series since Fiona Leggate back in 2007, and a solid weekend on track saw her secure two finishes from the three races against a backdrop of extensive media attention.

As well as using the time on track to show that she had the pace to compete in the series, that Silverstone weekend also provided the chance to show her value in a commercial sense to potential sponsors, with Edwards then starting work to try and turn the one-off

appearance into a full season entry.

At one stage, it looked like Edwards could be forced to spend the season watching on from the sidelines, before the opportunity arose to secure a place on the grid with BTC Racing.

The deal to race the Honda Civic Type R not only means that Edwards will now make her full season debut in one of the strongest packages on the grid, it also means she’ll benefit from working alongside multiple race winner - and long-time friend - Josh Cook as she she seeks to improve.

Whilst there has only been limited pre-season running, the pace displayed during the season launch test at Silverstone was encouraging,

with Edwards hoping to now impress amongst the Jack Sears Trophy runners.

"Although we haven’t done a lot of testing, it’s gone well and I think the pace we showed at Silverstone was strong," she said. "Having raced the Astra there, I had something to compare it to, and I think it compared pretty well.

"The whole team is working well and the Honda is a fantastic car, so I’m looking forward to the season now getting underway.

"I have to be realistic because I’m still a rookie at this level and it isn’t easy to jump in and be quick. The Jack Sears Trophy is the goal, and I want to make progress across the season and push towards the top ten as the year goes on."

DAN LLOYD POWER MAXED CAR CARE RACING VAUXHALL ASTRA Independent

123

DRIVER INFORMATION Date of Birth:

4 March 1992

Nationality:

British

BTCC Debut:

Croft, 2010

Teams:

Triple Eight, Eurotech, BTC Norlin, Power Maxed Racing

BTCC Titles:

None 2020 SEASON

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

BTCC CAREER STATS Starts

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest Lap

Laps Led

Points

45

1

1

0

2

15

136

Correct as of season start

onsidering that his debut in the British Touring Car Championship came more than a decade ago, it’s hard to believe that Dan Lloyd has yet to compete in a full season in the series.

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However, Lloyd will seek to put that right in 2021 after securing a deal to join Power Maxed Racing as the team reverts back to being a two-car team after the pandemic resulted in a change of plans last year.

Lloyd’s last appearance in the series came back in 2018 when he was drafted in by BTC Norlin to replace James Nash, taking a maiden series win at Croft whilst running a parallel programme in what was then the new TCR UK series.

Since then, Lloyd’s focus has very much been on TCR

competition around the globe, with the Yorkshireman winning races in TCR Europe, TCR China and TCR Malaysia finishing second in the championship standings in both of the Asian-based championships.

season confident about the year ahead.

For a while, it looked like Lloyd’s 2021 season would be spent working with Brutal Fish Racing’s TCR Europe programme in an off-track capacity but the deal with Power Maxed provides the chance to return to British shores in a package that is expected to be a contender towards the sharp end of a highly competitive grid.

"My goal this season isn’t to turn up with a big ego and try to win straight away. I want to build a long-term relationship here and am looking at the bigger picture, so I’m excited to work with Jason and see what we can achieve.

Working alongside Jason Plato will provide Lloyd with the chance to compare himself to one of the best in the business, and he heads into the new

"I’m feeling comfortable in the car and it seems that Jason and I like similar things, which is a big positive as we prepare for the season," he said.

"This series is mega tough and the grid looks like it will be very competitive, so I want to see where we stand.

"I hope we can be near the sharp end, and see no reason why we shouldn’t be."

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