Inside BTCC - March 2021

THIS MONTH… • DAN CAMMISH BOWS OUT • WHAT HAPPENED NEXT FOR ROBB HOLLAND • LIVERY DESIGN WITH NICK MOSS • REMEMBERING MURRAY WALKER • TEN YEARS OF NGTC • THE LATEST BTCC NEWS

MARCH 2021 EDITION

WELCOME TO INSIDE BTCC I

t’s time for another edition of Inside BTCC as we head into the final month or so before the racing action finally gets underway.

We now know the identity of the drivers that will be doing battle on track this season after the final drives on the grid were taken - and that included a late surprise at Team Dynamics, where Dan Cammish found himself on the outside looking in.

Cammish’s departure has been one of the big stories of the last month so we caught up with the now former Honda driver to look back over his time in the series and to discuss his return to the

Carrera Cup for 2021, where he will be going for a third title.

headlines from the past month.

We’ve started to see liveries revealed for the new campaign, so we caught up with designer Nick Moss to look at his career and what goes into designing the look of a race car, whilst Robb Holland if the first person to feature in a planned series looking at drivers who have moved on from the BTCC to see what they are doing now.

We also couldn’t put this edition out without mention of the late Murray Walker - we pay our tribute to the voice of the Super Touring era.

Ten years after the first NGTC cars appeared on the grid, we take a look at some of the facts and figures from the current era of the BTCC, and we round up the latest news

Should there be anything you want to see in future editions, please drop us a line through our social channels or you can send us an email on contact@insidebtcc.com and let us know.

Until then, enjoy!

NEWS IN BRIEF THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE BTCC PADDOCK… new season is getting T he ever closer and although there is still a month (at the time of publication) until racing gets underway, the grid is now set for the 2021 campaign.

Here’s our quick re-cap of the latest news headlines that have broken since the February edition went on sale…

DAN CAMMISH LEAVES TEAM DYNAMICS Despite having nearly twelve months still to run on a twoyear deal, Dan Cammish won’t be part of the Team Dynamics line-up for 2021.

Cammish will leave the Honda team after three seasons that saw him emerge as the leading front-wheel drive runner in the championship twice finishing third in the standings.

With the split coming at a time when the grid was already pretty much set, Cammish will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup with Redline Racing for the new season - setting up the prospect of a fascinating title battle with defending champion Harry King.

“Whilst it is really disappointing for me, I have to thank Dynamics for their faith in bringing me into the

Championship three years ago," he said.

“If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have got my ‘big break’ in the BTCC and managed to do what I have done. We have parted on exceptional terms and I will be keeping in contact going forward.

“It is great to be returning to Redline Racing ahead of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season. In a way it feels like I never really left, having worked for the team as a driver coach in recent seasons.

“I have a fantastic relationship with Simon Leonard, and the

whole team showed me a lot of support throughout my time in the BTCC.

"I am thankful to Simon for the opportunity to return to Porsche racing in the highly competitive Carrera Cup GB and I look forward to the season ahead."

2022 TOCA ENGINE SET FOR TRACK DEBUT Testing of the latest version of the TOCA engine continues apace, with new supplier MSport having successfully run a series of dyno tests.

The new engine, which will be introduced next year for the start of the hybrid era, will now be fitted to the Hybrid Test Car for on tracking testing to begin.

That initial work will be carried out at M-Sport’s Dovenby

base, with the company having invested heavily in the circuit in recent years alongside a multi-million pound technical facility.

“Things are progressing very well on the design and testing of the new TOCA Engine," MSport’s head of engine development Nigel Arnfield said.

"The engine development phase is now complete with over 50 successful power tests and 40 simulated laps of Oulton Park having been undertaken.

"We have also finished the ECU calibration on the all–new Cosworth Antares platform and in the next couple of weeks will begin initial in-car calibration work in the Hybrid test car.

"Despite all of the additional challenges that all businesses

are facing at the moment, I am happy to say that the development is on time and going to plan.”

GORDON SHEDDEN MAKES RETURN On the back of the news that Dan Cammish wouldn’t be back for 2021, Team Dynamics revealed that threetime champion Gordon Shedden will lead its assault on the championship.

Shedden will make his return to the championship for the first time since 2017, having then moved into the World Touring Car Cup with Audi.

A tough two year spell in the series saw Shedden secure just one win, on the streets of Wuhan, before Audi’s decision to withdraw support from the series saw him lose his seat with the WRT squad.

The Scot spent the 2020 season on the sidelines, although he did rejoin Dynamics for pre-season testing after Matt Neal’s cycling accident.

Shedden will make his 350th start in the series when the new season gets underway.

“I can’t wait to get back in the car!" he said. "I have kept in touch with the team throughout and obviously jumped in the car early in 2020, when Matt was injured, and it felt great.

"That was the first time I had driven the new car and it felt right from the off. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Championship, and it looks mega competitive, but my fight and determination is as high as it’s ever been, so I’ll be giving it my all.”

DAN LLOYD SECURES PMR SEAT Dan Lloyd will make a surprise return to the series for 2021 after agreeing a deal to join Power Maxed Racing.

Although he has started nearly 50 races to date, Lloyd has yet to contest a full season in the BTCC, but will now line up as team-mate to Jason Plato in PMR’s second Vauxhall Astra.

Lloyd last raced in the series with BTC Norlin Racing in 2018 when he was called on to replace James Nash, and secured his only victory to date at Croft.

The 29-year-old returns to the series having won the inaugural TCR UK title, and having also won races in TCR Europe, TCR China and TCR Malaysia.

Lloyd has also worked in recent years as the Balance of Performance test driver for the TCR organisation.

His race programme will run alongside a role as driver coach with the Brutal Fish Racing team that has run him in TCR competition for the last two years.

“I’m mega excited to be racing back in the UK, and this will be the first time I’ll be heading into the championship with some preseason testing under my belt," he said.

"I’ve always been thrown in at the deep end a little bit, so I can’t wait to get stuck into the programme.

"I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and really looking forward to not only working

with the team but also learning from Jason [Plato] and his vast experience.

"I’m looking to build on this opportunity to develop a long term partnership and launch a multi-year attack on the championship heavyweights."

NEW CUPRA LEON BREAKS COVER, NIC HAMILTON COMPLETES LINE-UP Team HARD has taken the covers off the new CUPRA Leon that it will debut in the BTCC in 2021.

The car, designed with an eye on the new-for-2022 hybrid era, will replace the Volkswagen CC that has been raced by Tony Gilham’s outfit in recent years.

Jack Goff, Aron Taylor-Smith, Glynn Geddie and Nicolas Hamilton will share driving

duties in the four new cars, which have been built up alongside experienced NGTC shell builder Willie Poole.

Whilst the SEAT Leon raced in the BTCC during the Super 2000 era, the new season will mark the first time that the CUPRA brand has been represented on the grid.

“This is probably the biggest in our history," Gilham revealed. "Pre-season is always an exhausting but equally exciting time and this year we’ve reached new heights in both.

"It’s been an incredibly tough few months with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic trying it’s best to slow down our build programme, but we are now ready to hit the track and put the new CUPRA Leon through its paces.

“To have the first hybrid ready BTCC car is a huge achievement for me and the team and I’m immensely proud of everyone involved. If the new car goes as well as it looks, we will be fighting at the sharp end this season.”

The team will look to challenge for wins with the new car, with Goff - who took the only Team HARD victory to date - confident that a stronger seasons lies ahead.

“The results over the last two seasons haven’t reflected the hard work that Tony and the team have put in," he said.

"This new project with the CUPRA Leon will provide us the platform to really stamp our authority on the BTCC as we move our way up the field.

"We are under no illusions it will be tough, but we are ready

REVISED 2021 BTCC CALENDAR ROUNDS

DATE

CIRCUIT

1-2-3

8/9 MAY

THRUXTON

4-5-6

12/13 JUNE

SNETTERTON 300

7-8-9

26/27 JUNE

BRANDS HATCH INDY

10-11-12

31 JULY / 1 AUGUST

OULTON PARK ISLAND

13-14-15

14/15 AUGUST

KNOCKHILL

16-17-18

28/29 AUGUST

THRUXTON

19-20-21

18/19 SEPTEMBER

CROFT

22-23-24

25/26 SEPTEMBER

SILVERSTONE NATIONAL

25-26-27

9/10 OCTOBER

DONINGTON PARK NATIONAL

28-29-30

23/24 OCTOBER

BRANDS HATCH GP

and more determined than ever to get the results we deserve out on track.”

refund, or to transfer their tickets to Thruxton's other race date in August.

Confirmation of Hamilton’s return to the team for a second season came after the new CUPRA had broken cover for the first time.

However, the following two events will both shift in the hope that fans will be able to attend in some form, with Snetterton moving to the date that was scheduled to be round three at Brands Hatch.

FURTHER REVISIONS MADE TO 2021 CALENDAR The calendar for the 2021 season has undergone further revisions to try and ensure that spectators can attend the majority of events.

Under the roadmap put in place by Boris Johnson to ease lockdown restrictions, fans will be unable to attend sporting events until mid-May.

As a result, the decision has been taken to run the opening event at Thruxton behind closed doors, with fans who were due to attend being given the option to gain a

That race meeting moves back two weeks to late June, after the majority of restrictions are due to be have been eased.

The remaining events from round four at Oulton Park onwards are unchanged.

WSR UNVEIL NEW COLOURS West Surrey Racing became the first team to reveal a true 2021 livery, which again showcases BMW corporate colours.

The famous M stripes are featured once again on the 330i M Sport, which will run a matte-black base.

“It’s been an intensive winter for WSR and Team BMW, but despite the 2020 season concluding a month later than we’re used to, we’ve still been able to work through a comprehensive development programme for the BMW 330i M Sport," team boss Dick Bennett said.

"We began our 2021 test programme at Silverstone last week and were pleased to see that most of the upgrades we’ve added to the car have had the desired effect.

"The new livery, created by Nick Moss Designs, looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see all three cars in formation when we continue our preseason testing at Brands Hatch next week.”

A feature on Moss can be found later in this edition of Inside BTCC.

HONDA CALLS TIME ON BTCC INVOLVEMENT Honda’s manufacturer involvement in the BTCC has drawn to a close, with support for Team Dynamics not continuing into the 2021 season.

Dynamics has run Honda machinery since the 2004 season and has gone on to win six titles - with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden both securing three.

The decision, which was made at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, comes as the automotive industry continues to come to terms with the fall out from both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, and amidst a push for

manufacturers to focus on alternative fuels.

“Honda UK would like to thank everyone at Team Dynamics for the last 17 years of racing, fun and success”, commented Olivia Dunn, Head of Communications at Honda UK said.

“As a business, we continually review our marketing activity to ensure that it aligns to our future business strategy.

"Therefore, it was with significant regret that we had to inform Team Dynamics that we were unable to continue our sponsorship at the end of the 2020 season.

"We wish Team Dynamics the very best of luck for the future and look forward to cheering them on next season and for seasons to come.”

DAN ROWBOTTOM JOINS DYNAMICS AS MATT NEAL TAKES SABATTICAL Alongside Honda, GS Yuasa will also leave Team Dynamics after ten years - ending a successful relationship that included a number of years as naming rights partner.

The news has a resulted in Dynamics agreeing a new multi-year deal with Cataclean, which joins up with existing sponsor Halfords for the year ahead.

Having worked hard to bring in new commercial partners for the season ahead, three time champion Matt Neal will stand down from driving duties and take on an alternative role within the team.

“Firstly, it is great to welcome Cataclean to the

team and continue our longstanding relationship with Halfords,” he said.

“Secondly, I am going to be taking a year out of the sport this season, but I will still be representing Halfords as a Brand Ambassador and acting as a mentor, both on and off track, for both drivers.

"We have been working hard over the winter to pull a package together that will still see us contending at the sharp end of the grid and ultimately achieve our goals and aspirations, which is winning titles!

"I’m really excited for the coming season.”

Rowbottom meanwhile said he was delighted to be joining the team having missed 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

The former Clio Cup racer has a single season of BTCC racing under his belt, having joined the grid with Ciceley Motorsport back in 2019.

“For me this an absolute dream come true and I’m really looking forward to the season ahead,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for me with a topflight team and the continued backing of Cataclean.

"I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and see what this car can do. It looks fast on paper and has been proven to be fast on track, so I’m really excited to finally go testing next month.

"I will go into this season relaxed and let it come to me.

I have my own personal targets, but we all know how tough BTCC is."

ROKIT CUPRA REVEALED Nic Hamilton will continue to race with backing from ROCKiT phones and ABK Beer during the 2021 season, with a new-look livery on his CUPRA.

The black and red seen on his Volkswagen CC last year has been replaced by a black and white colour scheme for the year ahead.

“I am enormously proud to be back on the BTCC grid this year,” he said.

“A lot of hard work and physical conditioning ensures I can participate in the sport and I am grateful to ROKiT Phones, ABK Beer and my other partners for their continued support and belief in me.

"Having accomplished some great personal results last year, in what was a difficult car to drive, I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of our new CUPRA Leon and start a new chapter with Team HARD.

“Team HARD has made a huge decision to invest in the new car programme and I’m thankful for the decision to welcome me into their fold again.

"I really believe we can achieve some great results and memorable moments together this season. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

MOTUL BACKING FOR SPEEDWORKS Speedworks has secured backing from Motul for the 2021 season, which will see the lubricant brand adorning

the two Toyota Gazoo UK entered Corollas this year.

The striking new look for the team comes after long-time driver Tom Ingram moved over to EXCELR8 over the winter due to conflicting commercial requirements.

The revised look for the expanded team - now running Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt mirrors the corporate livery that is used by in the World Endurance Championship and in the World Rally Championship by Toyota’s factory teams.

“We’re delighted to show off the Corolla’s ‘new clothes’ for 2021," team boss Christian Dick said.

"Since first gaining official BTCC Manufacturer status two years ago, we’ve worked hard to foster ever-closer

relations with Toyota Gazoo Racing and to now see not just one but two Speedworksbuilt touring cars in the brand’s signature red, black and white colour scheme is a very special moment indeed.

"I must also pay tribute to Motul and [official UK importer and distributor] Witham Motorsport for their ongoing support in stepping up to the role of Primary Partner this season.

"We are quietly confident of taking another step forward with the Corolla this year, and once the action gets underway, we look forward to seeing the Toyota Gazoo Racing colours where they belong – right at the front of the pack.”

"I CAN BOW OUT HAPPY WITH WHAT I’VE ACHIEVED" DAN CAMMISH LOOKED TO BE A SHOE-IN TO REMAIN WITH TEAM DYNAMICS FOR 2021, BUT THEN EVERYTHING SUDDENLY CHANGED….

I

t was back in October 2019, as the clock ticked down to the BTCC title decider at Brands Hatch, that the announcement was made that Dan Cammish had agreed terms on a new two year deal with Team Dynamics.

The Yorkshireman had enjoyed a stellar second season in the series to launch a championship challenge as he took the fight to the West Surrey Racing-run BMWs.

And just a few weeks later, he would go agonisingly close to lifting the title in one of the most dramatic finales the series has ever seen.

Overcoming the disappointment of losing out with just a handful of miles of the 2019 season left to run, Cammish bounced back well last year to pick up a personal best points haul as he secured

a top three championship finish, and the honour of being the best placed driver using a front-wheel drive car, for the second season in a row.

Having firmly established himself as a championship contender, Cammish was widely expected to be a figure in the title fight again in 2021 and was the first name to appear on many entry lists, thanks in no small part to that deal announced some 15 months before.

It therefore came as a surprise to many when the announcement was made that rather than fight for the title, Cammish wouldn’t even be on the grid after his deal with Dynamics was brought to an early end.

The reasons why would become clear in the weeks that followed as news

emerged of the departure of both Honda and long-time team sponsor Yuasa, with Cammish instead making a return to the Porsche Carrera Cup, where he will chase a record-breaking third title during the year ahead.

It’s not however what the 31year-old expected to be doing as he prepared for the new season to come around…

"I knew quite early on that Honda wouldn’t be continuing, but I was working under the impression that I would still be part of the team," he reflected in conversation with Inside BTCC.

"To be honest, I did see that there could potentially be some issues coming along quite early, and I brought that up in conversation with Matt [Neal] and I was told not to worry.

"I knew that the team had invested a lot in me and had helped to turn me into a competitive touring car driver, and I think I was at the right age to be seen as someone who could almost be the future of Team Dynamics.

"However, things can change quickly in motorsport and when that happened, the chance for me to stay in the same capacity just wasn’t there any longer.

"You can’t beat about the bush that the decision was a late one and I wish I could have found out earlier, but I know that it was only a late call because of the fact that the team was doing everything it could to keep me involved, and I know that me moving on isn’t the desired outcome.

"As difficult as it is to take, I know that it isn’t down to performance and I’m still friendly with Matt and the team.

"There has been no falling out, but for now, I need to turn my focus back towards the Carrera Cup.

"I have to take what has happened on the chin, put it behind me and put all my effort into doing the best job I can in the Porsche during the season ahead."

Cammish’s three-year stint in the BTCC came on the back of him forging a successful career in both single-seaters and then sportscars, having started out - like many youngsters - in karting.

In 2009, he made his British Formula Ford debut and scored a podium finish on his

first appearance in the series after a race long duel with now two-time Indy Car champion Josef Newgarden.

It was in British Formula Ford (the series that would go on to become what is now British F4) that Cammish really made a name for himself after a dominant run to the title in 2013.

Returning to the series after a few years away and re-signing with leading outfit JTR, the team he had raced for in the series three years earlier, Cammish was in a league of his own as he romped to the title with a stunning unbeaten record.

Taking no fewer than 24 wins on the bounce, the title was won with ease - so much so that he was able to sit out the final two rounds of the year as

he focused on the next stage of his career.

meeting, but he still ended the season third in the standings.

Although 2014 was spent running in the GT4 class of British GT, the season also included a one-off outing in the Carrera Cup, where he made his debut in the season finale at Brands Hatch.

Fourth in the Supercup, and a winner in the Porsche race that supported the Le Mans 24 Hours, Cammish seemed all set to fight for a title on the international stage in 2018 before his career took a sudden change.

Cammish promptly put his car on pole position, and then won at the first time of asking.

Making the switch full-time for 2015 with Redline Racing, two championship winning seasons followed and it was only due to the decision to prioritise a programme in the F1-supporting Porsche Supercup in 2017 that a potential hat-trick went begging.

A calendar clash would force him to miss the Snetterton

Instead for 2019, he elected to make the move into touring cars for the first time.

"Back in 2017, my main programme had been in the Porsche Supercup with Lechner Racing, who are one of the best Porsche teams in the world," he said.

"Walter Lechner, who sadly passed away recently, was an amazing man and the team has huge history so it was a great honour for me to race with them.

"My intention had been to stay for 2018 and to fight for the Supercup title, as it is very difficult to go there in year one and be competitive.

"All the tracks are new and the track time is very limited, so you have to be on it straight away.

"I’d had some very good results, like second at Monaco, and I’m sure we would have done better in year two but then the chance to join Dynamics and Honda came along.

"I could have stayed in the Supercup but what would have come next? Was there a GT drive at the end of it, I don’t know, but I think it was probably doubtful at that time”

The switch to the BTCC saw Cammish step into one of the

top seats on the grid in place of three-time champion Gordon Shedden after his decision to seek a new challenge with Audi in the World Touring Car Cup.

It was a seat that had been at the centre of the rumour mill across the winter, with Cammish the man eventually chosen to partner Neal as the team introduced the new FK8 Civic Type R into the series.

"I think I found out about Gordon leaving at the same time as everyone else, and my first thought was that it was a big drive," he said.

"There has been a few times in previous seasons, when I’d had backing from Nationwide, that the BTCC had been looked at, but it wasn’t something that had been given my full attention.

"I sent Matt a message on Twitter to say that I’d love to be considered and he replied to say that whilst I had been on the original list they had drawn up, a deal was pretty much done and they’d been told I was probably returning to the Supercup anyway.

"I told Matt that I would have been interested and it was left at that, but then things changed and he got back in touch to invite me along for a chat.

"It all went from there and I ended up with the drive”

Despite his previous record, Cammish’s announcement in the seat was viewed as something of a surprise, given his name wasn’t one to have been widely linked with the role.

There was also the fact that he had no prior experience of racing in front-wheel driver, or of dealing with the rough and tumble that comes in tin top racing.

When the field headed for Brands Hatch for the season opener, it was clear to see that Cammish was on the pace as he dipped below the lap record in qualifying to set up a dream debut pole.

A missed red light in the pits however saw him lose the time and meant he instead qualified on the second row of the grid.

A first podium arrived at Donington Park in round two, with a first pole at Knockhill and then the first wins coming on Finals Day back at Brands Hatch, where he took victory in both race one and race two.

It meant a tenth place finish in the championship after a season where his every move was very much under the microscope, given the high profile nature of the seat he had stepped into.

"I’ve always been someone who feels that if you have the talent and the ability, you can be quick in any car," Cammish reflects.

"Although the BTCC was a totally different discipline to what I had done before, I was quick from the outset and think I got a handle on frontwheel drive quite quickly.

"There was a lot for me to learn and I had to do it all in public, plus there was the perception that because I had a good record of success in my career, and Dynamics had been successful in the past, I should be at the front.

"I’d see comments in the media who would question 'When Will Cammish get a win?’ and other similar quips but my view was why did I have to?

"There were drivers out there who should have been doing better but were deemed to be doing a good job. But because I wasn’t on pole or winning a race straightaway, people said that I wasn’t doing well just because I was with Dynamics.

"I picked up a few wins and showed I had the speed, and although I finished tenth in the standings, Matt was only just ahead of me in ninth as the car then wasn’t as good as it is now.

"Frankly, I think my first year in BTCC was exactly what it needed to be.

"We worked a lot to make the car better at circuits where we had been weak, and it showed in 2019 with how we improved."

Although 2019 didn’t start well, with only two top ten finishes from the opening two meetings, it didn’t take long for Cammish to return to the podium - and he was there or thereabouts for the remainder of the campaign.

Whilst a first win of the year wouldn’t come until Round 21, Cammish was steadily banking strong points finishes to keep in touch with BMW pair Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan.

Those consistently strong results meant Cammish found himself second in the standings as the paddock

arrived at Brands Hatch for the season finale.

As Turkington took pole for race one, and Jordan qualified on row two, Cammish struggled to twelfth in wet conditions as his title hopes took a hit.

However, a storming run through the field in race one saw him take a stunning victory whilst third place in race two - and a no score for Turkington - meant it was Cammish who suddenly held the championship lead.

What happened next will go down in series history as one of the most dramatic finales ever seen, with Cammish enroute to the title before brake failure on the penultimate lap pitched his Civic off into the barriers and into retirement.

Turkington instead scored the points he needed to move back ahead in the standings, with Cammish left to wonder what might have been as he ended up just two points behind in third.

"The BMW that season was on another level and it was largely a case of fighting hard to be best of the rest," he said.

"We kept the pressure up and worked hard to make sure they couldn’t get too far ahead.

"If they were first and second, then we were third and picking up the points.

"We pressed them so hard that they nearly dropped the ball, and but for a freak moment at Brands Hatch, we'd have won the title.

"After that final race, I think I was in shock as I couldn’t get my head round what had just happened, and it is still tough now when I sit back and think about it.

"It was a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and for me, that was it - the pinnacle of my career and it was gone in a single moment.

"It was such a random thing as I have now started 87 BTCC races and that was the only time we had a brake failure - and I never got the answer as to why.

"In fact that is the only time in my career I have ever had brake failure, and I sincerely hope it is the last.

"We know the brake seal failed, but we don’t know why it failed and that was a difficult

thing to get my head round as the title was pretty much won.

"All I had to do was drive round for another lap and a half and I’d have been BTCC champion, but it wasn’t my time."

Although the end result was tinged with disappointed, 2019 as a whole was very much a success, with Cammish scoring podiums in nearly half of the 30 races and emerging as the strongest front-wheel drive racer.

"The 2019 season was a great effort and the whole team did a fantastic job," he said.

"We went out and maximised the results week in, week out and to go so close to the title was an amazing achievement.

"Scoring 14 podiums in a season took some doing and

is something I’m very proud of, and heading into Finals Day, I felt it would be a good result if we could end up in the top three.

"The win in race one was one of the highlights of my BTCC career and then after race two, the mentality changed and it was all about winning and we came up short.

"Of course we couldn’t have predicted that things would pan out as they did, but there was a lot of success in 2019 that shouldn’t be overlooked because of what happened right at the end."

Putting what happened that weekend firmly behind him, Cammish would again be a contender throughout the truncated 2020 campaign winning the first race of the year at Donington and then laying some demons to rest

with a win back at Brands Hatch in round two.

Two no scores that same weekend would ultimately prove crucial as the season wore on as, despite scoring more points from fewer races than he had done in 2019, Cammish again found himself third in the end of season reckoning behind Ash Sutton and Turkington.

Although not quite as close in the standings as he had been twelve months earlier, there was still plenty to be proud about.

"You’re really the only guy who actually looks at the stats and looks between the lines," he said.

"So many people just see the big picture and draw a conclusion, like we were

further away from the title than we had been in 2019.

"However, if you drill down into the stats and look at things closely, you see what it is what.

"I think the top four in 2020 all scored more points than Colin did to win in 2019 despite having a round less, and that shows how strong things were at the front of the field and how competitive it was.

"In 2019, Tom Ingram had the new Toyota and he had his moments, but it was pretty much the BMW show, with me hanging on for dear life behind them.

"Last season, Ingram was in year two with the car and became a form man, Rory Butcher was in a new Focus that took a massive step forwards, there was the BMW

and then there was Ash, who suddenly came from nowhere with a package that cornered like a Subaru but had the same engine as everyone else.

"It was a devastating combination and suddenly it went from there being three of us in the mix in 2019 to being five or six last year who were fighting for the championship.

"The level of competition rose a lot and I’m hugely proud to have come away from 2020 in third place, and as best placed front-wheel drive car again."

The news that Cammish wouldn’t get chance to try and improve on that third place finish would only become public in early March, shortly after he himself was informed

by Dynamics that the changing nature of the

programme would rule him out of the equation.

By that point however, the majority of the grid had already been set, leaving Cammish to look elsewhere to secure a race seat for 2021.

"I was in contact with the team and it reached the stage where it was clear that it was getting tough and that there was a difficult decision to make," he said.

"Had the team been able to get a third TBL and run another car then I think that would have changed things, but I have to just take it on the chin and move forwards.

"Because everyone knew I’d signed a two-year deal with Dynamics, I wasn’t considered as an option by other teams, and once it became public knowledge that I wasn’t going

to be there, the seats elsewhere on the BTCC grid all but gone."

By that stage already however, a back-up plan was falling into place…

"It was only about 15 minutes after I’d had the call from Dynamics telling me that things might be about to get tough that Simon Leonard from Redline Racing rang me up for a chat," he said.

"Simon is a good friend and we go back a long way, and I told him things weren’t looking too good and that it looked like I was going to lose the drive.

"His response was that that was great news, as it meant I could go back and rejoin him instead!

"I think he called me every night after that to get an update as he didn’t want to jeopardise me staying in the BTCC, but he was keen to get me into a Porsche again if he could.

"The truth is, once it was clear I wouldn’t be in the BTCC, it was never in doubt that I’d be back with Redline again."

Cammish’s return to the Carrera Cup sets up what promises to be a fascinating battle during the year ahead with defending champion Harry King.

King was a dominant title winner in 2020 and hotly tipped to defend the crown this time around, something Cammish will now try to prevent as he looks to add to own collection of silverware.

"There is no doubt that Harry is very good and that he is a special talent," he said, "and I’m flattered that the media have drawn quite a few similarities between us.

"He will start the season as favourite and he is in good form, whereas I need to unlearn three years of frontwheel drive and rediscover my mojo in a Porsche.

"Being successful in the past is no guarantee that it will be the same as I return but there is plenty of running planned before the season starts so I can get up to speed again.

"I’m looking forward to the challenge."

Whether this season proves to be a touring car sabbatical for Cammish remains to be seen, with plenty of racing to come over the next few months

before focus turns to 2022 and the next stage of his career.

That might result in a bid to try and return to the BTCC grid, or could see him take an alternative route and pursue a switch into sportscars.

"This year now for me is about regrouping," he said.

"I had to make sure I was on a grid racing, and then I can start to build towards the future and what comes next for me in my career.

"I need to play it by ear a little bit and see how things pan out before I make any decisions over where I go beyond this season.

"I’ve really enjoyed my time in touring cars, and there is no doubt that it is a great championship with some

good drivers, and has a really high profile.

"If you are racing in this country, then it is the biggest platform that there is without any shadow of a doubt.

"Is it the best racing? That’s debatable as it might be good to watch, but I don’t think you would always say it is racing in its purest form.

"Porsche racing is where I really made my name and who knows what opportunities might come along from me after going back down this route for 2021.

"I would love to go and do some stuff in Europe if the chance came along, and it would be interesting to explore some opportunities in GT racing too if that is at all possible.

"If the right team got in touch about going back to touring cars then of course I would discuss it, but It is not my sole aim.

"I’m not a well funded driver as I’ve said before, but I’m lucky to have the support of some good sponsors who have stood by me, and any deal in future has to be with the right team who can support me and my sponsors, as much I can support them.

"The door certainly isn’t closed on touring cars in the future, but I think I can bow out for now happy with what I’ve achieved over the last three years."

AN EYE FOR DESIGN THE MAN BEHIND THE TEAM BMW COLOUR SCHEME REVEALS MORE ON DESIGNING A RACE CAR LIVERY ith the grid for the 2021

W campaign having now

been set with all 28 drivers officially confirmed, focus has turned towards the cars they’ll be racing with launch season in full flow.

Alongside a raft of new cars that are being introduced for the year ahead, teams have also started to show off the new liveries that will adorn their machines.

West Surrey Racing was the first to officially show off a 2021 colour scheme complete with sponsors - on the BMW 330i M Sports that will be driven this season by

Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley.

The new livery is something of an evolution of the one seen on track last season, and features the iconic BMW M stripes on a matte-black base.

It’s a livery that has been designed - as has been the case with a number of WSR cars in recent years - by Nick Moss, a man with over 25 years of experience in graphic design who has spent the last decade specialising in the motorsport field.

However, whilst WSR operates from a base in

Sunbury on Thames on the edge of London, the man responsible for the BMW livery resides on the other side of the world in Australia, where he has been heavily involved in the Supercars Championship for a number of seasons.

In his career to date, Moss has had the opportunity to working alongside some of the leading teams in the series, with the likes of Garry Rogers Motorsport, Walkinshaw Racing, Erebus Motorsport and Ford Performance Racing all making use of his services to design their racing colours.

With the latter - now known as Tickford Racing - his liveries enjoyed back-to-back wins in the Bathurst 1000 in 2013 and 2014, and also won the overall Supercars Championship title with Mark Winterbottom in 2015.

It’s a run of success that any budding livery designer would be proud of, but how did he become involved in the first place?

"As a young child growing up in Australia, my favourite driver was Peter Brock," he reflects, referring to the multiple Australian Touring Car champion and nine-time Bathurst winner.

Image: Supercars

"I was forever drawing his cars with pencils and markers and was passionate about motorsport, but I left high school not really knowing how I could fulfil that passion.

"I studied design at the TAFE Design Centre in Sydney and then ended up working in the signage industry for 15 years, which gave me the chance to learn everything there is to know about applying graphics onto vehicles whilst also honing my graphic design skills all the time.

"Like many people, I would work on doing livery designs in my spare time and would regularly post my concepts onto fan forums, such as V8Central.com.

"That led to them starting to come to the attention of race teams and led to me getting my first professional livery design roles.

"My big break came towards the end of 2010 when Ford Performance Racing contacted me asking if I would

pitch some livery design concepts for the 2011 season, and I ended up getting the job.

"They were the client that really launched my career and we worked together for eight years, sharing wins at Bathurst and in the championship.

"In total, I’ve ended up doing work with ten different Supercars teams."

The famous Supercar liveries that Moss had designed across the last decade include the Supercheap Auto Racing, Pepsi Max and Monster Energy-backed Ford Falcons, the Mobil 1 HSV Holden Commodore and the Valvoline Racing GRM Volvo S60.

But how did someone based in Australia end up transferring

his skills to the the domestic series here in the UK?

"I first got involved with WSR in early 2013 when eBay’s global marketing agency DDB Tribal contacted me whilst doing a worldwide search for designers," he reflects.

"They asked me to pitch some initial concepts for the livery design, and I won the gig.

"I went on to produce the eBay liveries that were on the BMW 1 Series for the 2013 and 2014 seasons but when eBay then departed at the end of 2014, the team decided to go its own way with the designs for a few years.

"We always stayed in touch and started working together again back in 2017, and we have continued to be partners to this day."

The run-up to the start of the 2021 season has proven to be a busy one for Moss, with work on the latest incarnation of the WSR livery being carried out alongside his Supercars commitments.

To the layman, designing a livery might appear to be a pretty straight forward affair, but the processes involved go far beyond simply choosing the base colours and then deciding where any logos need to appear.

That’s never more true that in modern day racing, where all manner of external factors ranging from Brexit here in the UK to the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale have have a major impact on how teams go about funding race programmes.

"There are a lot of processes and things that you need to

consider when you are trying to design a livery," Moss explains.

"You need to think about things like the colours and the hierarchy of the sponsors involved, but at the same time, you also need to consider the preferred placement for each sponsor and then if there are any particular stipulations that are being made by a team sponsor or partner.

"Over my time working on liveries for big teams, there has definitely been an increase in the number of brands and sponsors that need to be included in the design process, which is a reflection of the economic realities of motorsport at the moment.

"That does create more of a challenge because you have to try and work out how to

Image: Volvo Cars

incorporate all of these sponsors into the livery whilst also meeting their individual requirements as much as possible.

"I have learnt to be able to go back to teams with my professional advice on what will work and what won’t, and usually the clients will take my advice onboard so we can get the best result for everyone who is involved.

'I will often ask clients to look at my back catalogue of designs to see if there is a direction that they like to try and narrow down the brief before starting work, as things can be a lot more drawn out when the processes are left open.

"However, when you do encounter challenges during the design process, it often

makes the project more rewarding in the end."

Alongside the ability of the driver behind the wheel, the livery of a race car can be one of the most talked about elements of a race programme amongst fans.

The unveil of a new livery will often garner as much reaction online - and sometimes more than a driver announcement, with fans all having a say on which is their favourite - or otherwise - on the grid each season.

For those watching trackside, the decision over which liveries are the 'good' ones will be largely down to personal taste as much as anything else.

From a design perspective however, Moss insists there are plenty of things to

consider in order to ensure that a livery gains a positive reaction.

"To start, I think a 'good' livery design is one that delivers on the main objective of selling the brands that are on the car," he said.

"Once that objective has been met, the design needs to be cohesive and consistent in both style and execution, and bold in the choice of colours.

"There is often a choice that needs to be made between working with the car or using it as an abstract canvas, but whichever one is chosen, it must speak to the brands that are featured.

"At the same time there are a number of things that you want to try and avoid when you are working on a design.

"An obvious one is that you don’t want to feature colours that clash, but you also don’t want things to be too crowded.

"You might have a lot of different brands to include on a livery, but you need to make sure they all have enough space on the car and aren’t clustered together; each logo must have space to 'breathe'.

"Inconsistent design styles or a style that bares no relationship to the sponsors on the car is also a no, whilst you have to be careful that you don’t create a design that is too detailed.

"That might sound like a funny thing to say, but you have to remember when designing a livery that it isn’t being designed to sit on a static model.

"What might look good on screen when you are putting it together might not translate into a good design when a car is in motion on track and being filmed.

"It’s important to ensure that you strike a balance between the two."

In much the same way that race fans could argue all day long about which has been their favourite of the liveries he has worked on during his career, Moss himself admits that it is difficult to select one he prefers himself.

However, amongst those he has worked on during his time involved with WSR, there are two that stand out as memorable for different reasons.

"It’s a very difficult question to answer, and I have enjoyed

working on all of the liveries that I’ve worked on for different reasons," he concludes.

"Thinking about the BTCC, sentimentally it would be the 2013 eBay livery as it represented the first one that I worked on in the series, and was the first design where I was working with WSR.

"But ultimately, working on the first factory-backed BMW in 2017 was a real honour for me.

"As a lifelong motorsport fan, being given the chance to work with the famous BMW M branding and all the history that comes with it - and taking the design in a new direction was something very special."

For more, visit https:// nickmossdesign.com/.

BORN IN THE USA IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE ROBB HOLLAND LAST FEATURED ON THE GRID - BUT DON’T GO CALLING THE AMERICAN AN EX-BTCC RACER JUST YET….

I

t was back in 2012 when Tony Gilham’s Team HARD announced the somewhat left-field decision to draft in Robb Holland for two rounds of the season.

washout, Holland was able to pick up three points finishes to kick off a four-year spell competing in the series albeit without contesting a full season.

Running an ex-Team Dynamics Honda Civic, the team had scored its maiden podium finish earlier in the year at Donington Park thanks to Gilham himself, but the team boss would switch into an NGTC Vauxhall Insignia for the second half of the campaign.

"I’d always wanted to do the BTCC, and it was one of the reasons why I got into racing in the first place," he recalls in conversation with Inside BTCC.

Holland would be the first of three drivers to step into the Honda for the second half of the season, agreeing a deal to compete at both Snetterton and Knockhill.

Despite his lack of experience of the UK circuits, and the fact that his only real test at Snetterton proved to be a

"I remember watching the Super Touring era on TV here in the USA and that to me was real racing. I loved F1 like a lot of other people do, but watching the guys go out on track in cars that looked like those you could drive on the street and seeing what they were doing with them just blew my mind.

"From that point on, it was always in the back of my mind that I’d love to have at go at

the BTCC if the chance came along."

The chance would arrive on the back of what had been a successful season in the Pirelli World Challenge, where Holland was part of the K-PAX Racing team running a factory Volvo programme with the C30 in the Touring Car class.

A win at Mid-Ohio would be the highpoint of the year, with further podium finishes at the same venue and then at Laguna Seca helping him to finish third in the standings behind Lawson Aschenbach and his Volvo team-mate Aaron Povoledo.

However, at the end of 2011, the PWC programme came to an end and left Holland to evaluate his options for the new campaign.

It was whilst talking with contacts in the US about what possibilities there may be to get back on track that a potential move to the BTCC was first mooted.

It wasn’t long before the deal with Gilham was done, and Holland headed for British soil to sample the series for the first time.

"When the C30 was cancelled, the Pirelli World Challenge programme was disbanded as there wasn’t a replacement car," he said.

"That left me looking around for something to do in 2012 and I reached out to some guys I knew at Honda who mentioned there was a team running a car in BTCC who might be looking for some drivers.

"I reached out to Tony and we managed to put a deal in place, and that was the start.

"We had the test at Snetterton but it was pretty much rainedoff that year, and then were back a few weeks later for the race weekend.

"Racing the Honda was a totally different experience to the Volvo; they didn’t really compare. The Civic was a front-line car, but the team was still coming to terms with it and learning about it.

"You were really on a knife edge when you are driving it, and the fact that I didn’t know the car, the series or the circuit meant it was a huge challenge.

"It was like being thrown in at the deep end when you are learning how to swim!"

After a DNF in race one, Holland managed to fight his way to 14th place in race two to score points for the first time, with the weekend then ending with 17th in race three.

Three weeks later, the trip to Scotland saw Holland pick up a further pair of 14th place finishes, once again bouncing back from failing to finish the opening race of the weekend.

"Snetterton as a circuit is quite similar to some of the tracks back home," he said. "It’s pretty flat and not too complicated, but Knockhill was a whole other story!

"You look at it and it’s almost a blend of lots of different circuits in the US; a little bit of Lime Rock Park and a touch of Mosport all thrown into one.

"Being such a short circuit, you are always on it and there

is no time to relax at all. It made it hard to get up to speed, but it was so enjoyable.

"I’d have to say that Knockhill is one of my favourite circuits in the UK, if not the world."

Holland would return to the grid the following year at Snetterton with Team HARD, this time at the wheel of a Vauxhall Insignia, but behind the scenes, work was ongoing to put together a full season programme for 2014.

With his Rotek Racing team having established a base at the Nürburgring running Audi cars, the decision was taken to build an S3 model to the NGTC regulations and launch a BTCC programme.

The introduction of the TOCA BTCC Licence however meant a wait before the programme

could be given the green light, with the team then facing a race against time to get a car onto the grid for the season opener.

"We’d been talking for a while about the BTCC, and having established a base at the Nürburgring, we wanted something that was more high-profile than what we were doing there," he said.

"The best way to do that was a BTCC programme, although we were well aware that it was a big ask as we were new to the series, and new to racing in the UK.

"We reached out to Bamboo Engineering, who I’d done a round of WTCC with, to help as we knew they would be well placed to get the car sorted but it was a real battle as by the time the TBLs were announced, we only had

something like four months to get the car sorted and ready to hit the track."

With backing from Oakley, the Audi made its series debut at Brands Hatch but a heavy accident in round two at Donington Park then resulted in Rotek being forced to miss the Thruxton meeting.

The opening half of the year would prove to be a struggle as Holland managed just two top 20 finishes and the team struggled to extract the performance it knew was in the Audi package.

"In hindsight, it would have been easier to go to someone like Team Dynamics and buy a Honda, but at the time we had the relationship with Audi through what we were doing at the 'Ring," Holland reflected.

"We’d had a chat with them and they were interested in supplying some chassis and technical support, and it is difficult to turn down manufacturer support - at any level - when it is offered.

"It was a challenge because I didn’t know the circuits, the S3 was a new car and we only had one - so only had one set of data to work from.

"In the middle of the season, we got Alex MacDowall to jump in the car to give us feedback and when we went to Pembrey and did a test, he was saying the same things that I had said to Steve Farrell the engineer, and our lap times were within half a tenth of each other.

"That showed that the issue wasn’t with the driver, and our biggest problem was trying to get a handle on the GPRM

suspension set-up, which was a real challenge.

"Other teams got to grips with that quicker than we did, but in the second half of the season we were starting to unlock more of the potential in the car and were getting closer to the pace."

There were points finishes at both Snetterton and Rockingham but then another heavy shunt at Silverstone would prove to be the final time the car appeared on track that season; the team unable to get it repaired in time for Finals Day, where Holland was set to hand control to Gilham due to a clashing commitment.

"Silverstone was really unfortunate, and one of those things that can happen when you are in the midfield," Holland said.

"I’d already had a clash with James Cole at Donington and then we ended up having another public coming together that left the car with a lot of damage.

"In any form of racing you get a bit of argy bargy and tempers can flare a bit, but James and I have since made up and we’re on good terms now.

"It was tough that that proved to be the final outing for the programme as we’d hoped to be higher up than we were.

We wanted to continue with the car and develop it further into 2015, but it wasn’t to be."

Heading into the off-season, Holland had made no secret of a desire to not only return for a second year with the Audi but also to expand to a

multi-car programme, subject to acquiring an additional TBL.

turned into a three year battle before they were returned.

that we had to jump through and that caused the problem.

However, rather than expanding, the Rotek BTCC programme would come to abrupt halt, with the car being sold to AmD Tuning and the team dropping off the entry list.

"The issue was, at that point we couldn’t continue to run a programme with 20 per cent more budget than everyone else - and run more cars - if we were unsure about getting the funds back.

"I understood what was being said about it all, but it didn’t make it any easier to stomach."

So what led to the sudden change of heart?

"We had been talking to several high profile drivers who have gone on to win races and I think we’d have made a success of the programme. Had things continued, I think we would probably still be there now.

"It’s all thanks to British VAT," Holland explains. "We ended up getting into a pretty big fight to get our VAT returned as we were an American company that owned a German company that owned a British company - and that suddenly got complicated.

"We had run the programme with a budget in mind and then all of a sudden we were told we wouldn’t be getting the VAT back, and it eventually

"It all came down to how a business in the UK is run being different to back in the US. All of our accountants had checked everything over to make sure it was being done in the correct manner, but there were these extra hoops

The Audi would ultimately go on to secure podium finishes and a race win whilst being run by Shaun Hollamby and AmD, and was eventually retired at the end of 2020 having spent the last two seasons running under the Trade Price Cars Racing banner.

"I’d have been disappointed if the car hadn’t gone on to score podiums and win a race," Holland added.

"I knew we had the basis of a good car and a good team, so it would have been tough to take if the car had ended up

being nothing more than a midfield runner.

"Shaun was the person to take it to a win with AmD and I’m hugely proud of that they were able to achieve with the Audi."

Holland would return to the grid himself in 2015 with a three-round stint with Simon Belcher’s Handy Motorsport team.

A 14th place finish at Snetterton would prove to be the highlight and was, at the time, the best result for the team.

That would prove to be the last time he appeared on the grid, with his focus then turning to the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb in the USA.

In 2016, driving a fearsome Audi TTRS, Holland broke the

front-wheel drive record as he made it up the climb in 10:56.878 - knocking nearly a minute off the previous best.

"Pikes Peak was something that I had been working towards for a while," Holland recalls.

"My planned debut had been cancelled as the event was delayed by wildfires and clashed with my BTCC debut, and that had to come first.

"When we came back, I went out and broke the front-wheel drive record which was an amazing feeling, as Pikes Peak is an event like no other.

"It really gets into your blood and is an event that we’ve gone back to every year. We just missed out on reclaiming the record last year, and I’m aiming to get it this time around."

For those unfamiliar, the event is run on public highways that run to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado - with drivers facing a challenging course running for more than twelve miles and featuring in excess of 150 turns.

That in itself would be difficult enough without the fact that the course starts at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, and climbs to more than 14,000 by the finish.

It’s for that reason that the event is often dubbed as the 'Race to the Clouds'.

"Everything about Pikes Peak is a challenge," Holland says.

"I always tell people who come to the event as a rookie, and that includes some very experienced drivers, that they need to take all of the

knowledge they have and throw it out of the window as it is so unique.

"The elevation is a big thing, particularly when you are hustling a car that can have 600hp plus up a road where there are blind corners and cliffs where if you leave the road, you’re facing a drop of 1,000 feet. There really is no margin for error.

"During the week when you are practicing, you have to be on the road between 5am and 8am when temperatures can be below freezing because of the fact that the road is open to the public from 9am.

"That means the road conditions are particularly challenging and you have to be on it all the time.

Image: Bluewater Performance

"Without doubt, it is one of the most beautiful races you can

do anywhere in the world.

There is something special about getting to the summit and then turning round to head back down the mountain when you are surrounded by clear blue skies and have the clouds and weather below you.

"It’s truly spectacular and will always be one of my favourite races."

The weather in particular is something that can affect the event each year, something Holland knows only too well from 2019 when he was trying to win back the FWD record he had lost to Nick Robinson a year earlier.

"That was the first attempt we had to retake the record, but it was a difficult year as the whole event was overshadowed as Carlin Dunne had his big accident in

the motorbike event and sadly lost his life.

"The whole programme was understandably delayed and it meant that our run came later in the day as the weather started to close in.

"We started the run on slick tyres but by the time I got to Glen Cove, which is about half way up, there was so much hail coming down that I had no option but to park the car.

"There was just no grip at all, and clearly no record was going to be broken."

As well as plotting a return to Pikes Peak later this year, Holland is also spending the 2021 season competing in the GT America series in a GT4spec Ford Mustang - the car being one that was used by the RACE Performance team in British GT back in 2019.

"GT America is basically what used to be the Pirelli World Challenge and they’ve been keen to get me back for a while," he said.

"Series organisers SRO are putting a lot of work into promoting diversity in the sport, and as one of the few black drivers competing at the right level, they wanted me to be involved this season.

"For me, it’s all about trying to do something that will create a lasting impact, so we have worked on putting together a programme that will help to bring more minority people and more female figures into the paddock.

"What we want to do is find the best people - be that mechanics, engineers or PR people - who have been

struggling to get into the sport.

"We recruited Brian Ma, who was Alex Tagliani’s ChampCar engineer, and have a plan later in the year to do things around STEM learning (science, technology, engineering and maths) to get school kids more involved in the sport.

"The issues around diversity aren’t new, but it is something that is really being pushed at the moment and people like Lewis Hamilton and Bubba Wallace have really brought attention to the cause are there are still a lot of people out there who don’t understand the need for greater diversity.

"I’ve never wanted to be 'the black driver' and have never made a point of it, but at the same time, I recognise that there are things that I can do

to help bring people into the sport and help to make the paddock a more diverse and inclusive place.

"What we want to do is show that there is a group of people out there who aren’t represented and who have struggled to find a way in, and give them the opportunity that they need to progress in their career."

The new programme has started well on track, with Holland scoring a podium finish in race one of the season opener at Sonoma before taking victory in race two - results that mean he holds the early championship lead.

Defending that lead will now be the focus for the remainder of the 2021 season but further down the line, Holland still hasn’t given up hope of

Image: GT America

returning to the BTCC for another crack at the series.

"I often get people referring to me as ex-BTCC racer Robb Holland and I have to stop them and say that I’m not an ex just yet," he says.

"I know that I’m getting up there in years but at the same time, I feel I have unfinished business with the BTCC and haven’t had an honest shot with a front-running car, and that is what I’m hoping for.

"I had talks with people last year about returning and there were some opportunities in very good cars, but then with the whole situation with COVID-19 blew up and put everything in doubt.

"I wasn’t sure if I would be able to travel from the US to the UK to compete, and whilst I waited to find out, the seats

started to disappear and eventually, it became clear that I wouldn’t have been able to travel anyway.

"Every year since I left, I think I have spoken to a team about doing something and people have my number, but it is tough as an American driver to try and get the funding together.

"I thought it might be easier as I could appeal to international sponsors but the issue there is that you can find a company that is interested, but then there are issues over where the money comes from.

"The UK arm of a business might want to get involved in the BTCC but doesn’t want to do it with an American driver, whilst the American side might want to back the driver, but not to race in the UK - so you

end up going backwards and forwards to try and do a deal.

"Being based in the US also means there is no access to the little local sponsors that a lot of other drivers have access to, as I don’t have that local presence. It makes it tough, but it certainly isn’t impossible and my goal remains to try and get a programme together for the future.

"I have very few regrets in my career and have had a lot of fantastic opportunities to drive some amazing cars at some fantastic circuits, and to travel all over the world in the process.

"However, if I never got a proper go at the BTCC before my time racing comes to an end, then that is certainly something that I would look back on with regret."

FAST FACTS: A DECADE OF NGTC AS THE CURRENT REGULATIONS PREPARE TO CELEBRATE TEN YEARS ON TRACK, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER SOME QUICK STATS ON THE NGTC ERA

I

t’s hard to believe that the current NGTC regulations in the BTCC are already ten years old, with the first cars having appeared on track during the 2011 season.

FIRST RACE

A recent edition of AUTOSPORT magazine looked back across the past decade by speaking to some of the main figures involved since he rules were introduced.

Only two of those, the Toyotas of Frank Wrathall and Tony Hughes, would actually compete in the opening race of the season, although both drivers would be forced to retire.

That got us thinking, so here, we delve into our extensive archive to bring some facts and figures about the NGTC era…

Although mechanical issues ruled Wrathall out of the remainder of the meeting, Hughes would secure the first finish for an NGTC car with 19th in race two.

The first race for an NGTC spec car came the following season, with five cars named on the initial entry list for 2011.

FIRST APPEARANCE The first outing for an NGTC car came before the 2011 season even arrived, with the GPRM Toyota Avensis test car appearing on track during the 2010 finale on the Brands Hatch Indy layout.

Former champion James Thompson would be at the wheel for the two free practice sessions, posting a fastest lap little more than a second off the pace.

The car wasn’t originally expected to race, particularly given it proved to be much heavier than models that followed, but it was acquired

by Speedworks and rebuilt before entering competition in 2013.

GPRM NGTC 001 would compete until the end of 2016, eventually taking part in 87 races.

The sole Rob Austin Racing Audi to make it to Brands Hatch failed to appear on track as the team worked to resolve a raft of issues.

fourth in race one at Snetterton.

That gave GPRM NGTC 003 the honour of being the first NGTC chassis to trouble the scorers.

Austin would then score his first points later the same day in his Audi, RAR 001.

FIRST PODIUM Race two at Knockhill in 2011 saw Wrathall put his Toyota on the podium.

That result would kick-start a run of four straight top three finishes for the Dynojet Racing driver as he finally hit some form in the Avensis.

Three third place finishes were followed with a second place result in race two at Rockingham.

FIRST POINTS FIRST FASTEST LAP The early adopters of the NGTC rules readily admit it took time to get fully up to speed, and it would be after the summer break before the first NGTC points were scored, with Wrathall taking

Although Wrathall took the lions share of 'firsts' for NGTC cars in 2011, the honour of posting the first fastest lap for a car went to Rob Austin.

He was the fastest man on track in race two at Snetterton in chassis RAR 001.

FIRST LAPS LED Austin also earned the accolade of being the first driver to lead a lap in an NGTC car.

Second on the reverse grid for race three at Rockingham during that 2011 season, Austin jumped ahead of Rob Collard at the start and would lead the first three laps before being overhauled by eventual winner James Nash.

FIRST WIN The first win for an NGTC car would have to wait until the 2012 season, when more established outfits like Team Dynamics and Triple Eight introduced their own NGTC cars onto the grid.

After Rob Collard’s S2000spec BMW won race one of the season, Matt Neal took top honours in race two on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit for the first NGTC victory.

It meant his Honda Civic FK2 NGTC-12-001 - entered the record books as the first winner.

FIRST POLE POSITION

It would be the first pole of many for chassis V2012C-0510-002.

FIRST TITLE Gordon Shedden secured his place in history as the first driver to win the championship in an NGTC car thanks to his maiden title in 2012 with Team Dynamics and Honda.

The first NGTC pole would also come in the early stages of 2012, albeit not at round one after Dave Newsham’s surprise performance in his ES Racing-run Vectra at Brands Hatch.

The title-winning chassis from that season - NGTC-12-002 would also go on to win the title for a second time with Shedden in 2015.

Round two at Donington Park however saw the first time that an NGTC car would qualify in P1, with Jason Plato edging out Gordon Shedden for top spot in his MG6 GT.

None of the drivers who raced in the first season of NGTC are still active in the series, and only two drivers who were on the grid in 2012 raced right through until the end of 2020.

MOST RACES

As a result, Adam Morgan and Matt Neal share the record for most NGTC starts with 264 apiece.

Morgan will however take the record outright in 2021, with Neal not featuring on the grid this season.

In total, 100 drivers have now started at least one race in an NGTC car, with Brad Philpot bringing up the century when he appeared in the Power Maxed Racing Astra during the 2020 season finale at Brands Hatch.

In terms of cars, the record for most starts is held by chassis V2012-C-0510-001 - better known as the MG6 GT that was first raced by Andy Neate back in 2012.

A two-time winner in the hands of Sam Tordoff, it was

last raced in the series back in 2019 with Sam Osborne and EXCELR8 Motorsport.

The sister MG and Honda Civic FK2 NGTC-12-006 are the only other two cars to have surpassed 200 starts.

MOST WINS Colin Turkington is most successful driver in terms of race wins in the NGTC era with 37 to his name.

Turkington is currently the only driver to pass 30 victories and sits eight clear of Jason Plato, having taken victory in nearly 16% of his starts in an NGTC machine.

Gordon Shedden still sits in third despite not being active since the end of the 2017 season on 27.

In total, 30 drivers have shared the 259 NGTC wins so far, with the likes of Dan Lloyd, Frank Wrathall, Matt Simpson and James Cole amongst those drivers to have a single win to their name.

The record for most wins in a season in an NGTC car is eight and is shared between Shedden in NGTC-12-002 during 2012, Plato in V2012C-0510-002 in 2013 and Turkington in F21-2013-02 during 2014.

In terms of the most winning chassis, V2012-C-0510-002 took a total of 22 wins, most of which were scored by Plato across a three-season spell from 2012-2014.

MOST PODIUMS Turkington also has the most NGTC podiums to his name, having finished inside the top

three on 91 occasions from his 234 NGTC starts.

one to have passed the 50 podium mark.

That leaves him well on course to reach 100 podiums during the season ahead having reached at least eight podiums in eight of his last ten seasons in the series.

it retired from competition with total of 56 to its name.

A total of 39 different drivers have taken to the podium in NGTC machinery.

Of those, Jack Clarke and Brett Smith are some of the more surprising names, with the pair amongst those who have taken just one podium finish.

Turkington also holds the record for most podiums in a season, scoring 19 during the 2014 season.

The most podiums for a chassis is Shedden’s 2012 title winner, which is the only

MOST FASTEST LAPS As with the wins and podiums, it’s Turkington once again who sits on top of the pile when it comes to fastest laps.

In total, the Northern Irishman has scored fastest lap on 40 occasions - a little over 17% of his races - and sits well clear of the man currently in second place.

That is currently Shedden, who has 28 to his name, with Plato back in third on 23.

Ash Sutton is the only other driver who had so far managed to reach 20.

A total of 36 drivers have scored a fastest lap, including unlikely names like Martin Depper, Josh Price and Hunter Abbott.

Turkington holds the record for most fastest laps in a season, with eleven in 2014.

In terms of the different chassis, NGTC-12-002 sits out front with the Honda having posted 22 fastest laps.

MOST POLE POSITIONS Turkington doesn’t hold the record for pole positions, which instead goes the way of Plato - who has 17 to his name.

Turkington instead holds second place, four further back.

The 88 NGTC poles scored so far have been shared between 22 different drivers.

Plato holds the record for most poles in a season, scoring five back in 2012.

Mainly thanks to Plato, the car that has most poles is chassis V2012-C-0510-002 - his original MG6 GT.

The 15 poles scored is nearly double that of the second best car, which is the Honda Civic that Jake Hill drove last year.

with a total of 638 laps led in NGTC machinery.

before his penalty was applied.

Jason Plato however holds the record for most laps led in an individual season, having been out front for 168 in 2013.

Turkington has scored the most points with 2,691 to his name ahead of Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan.

In terms of the different chassis, Turkington’s 2014 title winning BMW - F21-2013-02 holds the record for most laps led on 406.

Turkington doesn’t have the best points per race however, with Shedden scoring at a slightly better rate during his time in the series.

It’s the only chassis to have led more than 400 laps.

The Scot is the final driver to have surpassed the 2,000 point mark.

MOST POINTS SCORED MOST LAPS LED There have been more than 4,600 laps led by NGTC cars in the series, with 38 different drivers following Austin after he led at Rockingham back in 2011.

Turkington is the driver to have been out front the most,

Only 21 drivers have failed to score in NGTC cars through the years, although two further drivers - Derek Palmer Jr and Mark Howard - have negative scores due to penalties.

Palmer Jr did however manage to finish in the points

The highest scoring chassis is F21-2013-02, although it’s a close run thing.

The BMW 125i M Sport has scored a total of 1,675 points; just three more than MG chassis V2012-C-0510-002.

No other chassis has scored more than 1,500 points.

MURRAY WALKER: 1923-2021 REMEMBERING ONE OF MOTORSPORT’S MOST FAMOUS NAMES AFTER HIS DEATH AT THE AGE OF 97

word legend is one T he that is often over-used, particularly in recent years thanks to the explosion in social media.

However, there are still times when the word legend couldn’t be more apt - and that is certainly the case when it comes to Murray Walker.

For millions of people across the globe, Walker - who has died at the age of 97 - was the voice of Formula 1.

But his involvement in the sport went far beyond that, with his voice helping to tell the story of the BTCC’s Super Touring era for a large part of the 1990s.

For a generation of touring car fans, Walker was as much the voice of their sport as he was the voice of F1, with his enthusiastic tones sitting

alongside some of the most iconic moments from a period of time that many still refer to as the golden age of the BTCC.

Back in those days, there was none of the wall-to-wall live race day coverage that fans are now treated to on ITV4, with the BTCC featuring in highlights form on the popular BBC show Grandstand on the Saturday - or Sunday - after a race weekend had taken place.

Walker’s ever excitable commentary was tailor-made for the all action nature of the BTCC, and it was his unique way of telling a story to viewers that helped to make Super Touring so popular with fans watching on at home.

Born in Birmingham in 1923 to Graham and Elsie, Murray Walker grew up around

motorsport with his father being a TT-winning rider for the factory Norton team.

Having served in the Second World War, Walker briefly tried his hand at bike racing himself before taking up a role in advertising.

Here, he was involved in creating a number of marketing slogans that are still recognised to this day and was part of the team to come up with "A Mars a day, helps you work rest and play".

Alongside that however, a second career was developing as Walker again followed in his father’s footsteps by getting involved in commentary.

Father and son would work as a double act for a number of years until Graham Walker’s death in 1962, at which stage

Walker Jr took on a greater role.

It was in 1978 that Walker would take on the role that made him most famous as the BBC introduced live coverage of Formula 1.

Forming a popular double act with James Hunt, and then with Jonathan Palmer, Walker would become universally popular with fans and drivers alike, with his passion and love for the sport being clear for all to see.

Unashamedly proud to be British, he would tell the story of Nigel Mansell winning the 1992 F1 title in dominant fashion and was then left almost speechless four years later when Damon Hill crossed the line to win the title with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

During his time with the BBC, Walker worked across all forms of motorsport, and was the logical choice to step in when the BTCC was given greater prominence by the broadcaster.

Through the 1990s, he would become as much the voice of the British Touring Car Championship as he was the voice of Formula 1.

As the series boomed, with huge manufacturer involvement and big name drivers from across the globe, Walker was right at the heart of the action and his involvement in taking the series to a wider audience shouldn’t be underestimated.

"Motorsport doesn’t just revolve around Formula 1 and there are plenty of other aspects to it as well," Steve Rider - host of Grandstand at

the time - reflected when Walker appeared on the TV show This Is Your Life back in 1997

"Working with Murray has been a pleasure, particularly seeing what he has done in terms of the development of the TV coverage of touring cars in this country.

"I would say without any doubt that it is Murray’s dedication, his involvement and his sheer hard work that has been the biggest factor in turning the British Touring Car Championship into the success that it is today.

"It’s another motorsport competition that is close to his heart."

When the BBC lost the rights to live F1 coverage to ITV, Walker would also make the switch and would remain in

the role until retiring following the 2001 United States Grand Prix.

He would remain a regular visitor to the BTCC paddock in the years after his retirement, always wearing a smile, always happy to talk and always prepared to give his time to those people who wanted to meet him.

Loved by all, Murray Walker became arguably as famous and as popular as any of the drivers who he commentated on during his long and successful career.

Walker’s famous lines of commentary - some of which we’ve collated here - will live on for generations to enjoy as they look back at the tales of years gone by.

He’ll be sadly missed.

MURRAY WALKER’S BTCC BEST BITS "Hell hath no fury like a woman rammed"

Jonathan Palmer collides with Nettan Lindgren at Snetterton in 1991 "They’re off, both of them off INCREDIBLE! Andy Rouse’s body language says rage and fury!"

Andy Rouse and Will Hoy go off together at Brands Hatch in 1992 "I’m going for first says John Cleland"

John Cleland shows Steve Soper what he thinks at Silverstone 1992 "The car upside down, is a Toyota."

Julian Bailey and Will Hoy collide at Silverstone in 1993

"Watch our cameraman here as we head straight towards him. Oh, he’s a runner."

Steve Soper goes off at Cascades at Oulton Park "OH! OH! OFF! IT’S TARQUINI!"

Gabriele Tarquini rolls in dramatic fashion at Knockhill in 1994 "Is it okay to take your picture mate? Jeff Allan is not very happy here I don’t think."

Jeff Allam slides off at Brands Hatch in 1994 "Och aye John the noo, you are off indeed!"

John Cleland slides into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend in 1995 "LOOK OUT! THAT IS A COLOSSAL ACCIDENT!" Paul Radisich collects Patrick Watts at Brands Hatch 1995

THE 2021 ENTRY - AS IT STANDS Driver

Team

Car

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

Michael Crees

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 N Fastback

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 N Fastback

Rick Parfitt Jr

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 N Fastback

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 N Fastback

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport Correct as of 26 March 2021

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