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60-530: From the 2015 season onwards, the championship was replaced by MSA Formula , which conforms to the FIA's new Formula 4 regulations. Many of the teams and drivers which competed in the final season of British Formula Ford moved to the new series. Although the first British Formula Ford Championship was not held until 1976, Formula Ford's roots are firmly situated in the British racing scene. The first Formula Ford race

120-418: A Liquified petroleum gas powered Super 2000 Honda Civic Type-R (which was subsequently replaced by a more competitive BTC-Touring Peugeot 406 Coupé , still LPG powered), and in 2005 Tech-Speed Motorsport converted an ex-works Vauxhall Astra Coupé to run on bio-ethanol fuel. In the middle of 2006, Kartworld's owner-driver Jason Hughes converted his 4-cylinder MG ZS to run on Bio-Ethanol, soon followed by

180-480: A 30-minute qualifying session which determines the starting order for the first race on the Sunday, the fastest driver lining up in pole position . Each race typically consists of between 16 and 25 laps, depending on the length of the circuit. A race may be extended by three laps if three or more laps have been run behind a safety car. The grid for race two is based on the finishing order of race one. For race three,

240-566: A Mercedes-Benz/Toyota main dealer when most of the race wins were going to much larger cars; and while the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s were dominating at the front of the field, Frank Sytner took a title in a Class B BMW M3 and John Cleland's first title was won in a small Class C Vauxhall Astra . In 1990, the BTCC introduced a class for cars with an engine displacement up to 2.0 litres which would later be adopted by

300-501: A Sunday night show called Motorsport UK , featuring many of the supporting races. From 2008, the races were screened live on ITV4, along with the support races. The series is screened in other countries. In Australia, Fox Sports Australia have been covering the BTCC championship since 2000. From 2009 the ITV coverage has screened on ONE HD . Speed TV screened several seasons in the USA over

360-492: A draw takes place to decide at which place the grid is 'reversed'. This means drivers finishing race two in positions 6th through 12th could take pole position for race 3 depending on the outcome of the draw. For example, if ball number 7 is drawn, the driver finishing in 7th position in race two starts on pole, 6th place starts in second place, 5th place starts in third etc. Drivers finishing in 8th place and beyond would start race three in their finishing order for race two. The draw

420-402: A rear wing – an item that was delivered with the road-going version of the 155, however unfitted in its boot. Audi joined the BTCC in 1996 with its four-wheel drive A4 Quattro, and went on to take that year's title. The continuously high number of manufacturer-backed teams meant rapid development on the cars and quickly growing costs to compete which caused several manufacturers to withdraw from

480-701: Is a single-seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom . The series is run to the FIA's Formula 4 regulations, and is administered by Motorsport UK . The championship is designed as a low-cost entrance to car racing, and is aimed at young racing drivers moving up from karting . The championship replaces the British Formula Ford Championship , and used a chassis produced by Mygale and engines from Ford for seven seasons from 2015 to 2021 . With Motorsport UK taking over

540-639: Is a 101/102 RON and 89/90 MON unleaded gasoline with approximately 2% oxygen content that meets the FIA 'Appendix J' gasoline specification. The following regulations have been applied to the championship: Being a national championship, the British Touring Car Championship has visited circuits throughout the United Kingdom over its long history. Currently the series visits eight different tracks in England and Scotland over

600-478: Is a rare chance to compare the skills of drivers who take part in different Ford competitions around the world. The event is administered by the British Racing and Sports Car Club . MSA Formula The F4 British Championship (full name ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA , formerly known as F4 British Championship certified by FIA — powered by Ford (2016–21), MSA Formula (2015))

660-516: Is aired on ITV4 . ITV has a one-hour highlights programme on the Monday night following the race. Live timing for the BTCC and its support races, as well as testing, is provided by Timing Solutions Ltd from their website . This service allows you to follow free practice and qualifying as well as race day action via a timing screen from your computer or mobile phone. Currently, five championships are awarded per season. The overall driver's championship

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720-417: Is capped at £36,000. Starting from the 2022 season, teams have started using the combination of Tatuus F4-T-421 chassis and the engines supplied by Abarth . British Touring Car Championship The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom , currently organised and administered by TOCA . It was established in 1958 as

780-601: Is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent , in Southern England . The events are held over the course of a weekend and although various classes of past and present Formula Fords are present, the high point for many is the championship in which young but skilled drivers from Ford competitions in Europe and beyond race against one another. Often it

840-560: Is normally conducted by a celebrity or VIP, live on TV. For 2014, this was changed so that the driver who finished Race 2 in 10th position made the draw. Fabrizio Giovanardi has twice managed to put himself on pole position by drawing out number 10. Before 2006, the driver finishing in 10th place in race two took pole position for race three. This initiated deliberate race 'fixing', whereby some drivers attempted to finished in 10th place during race two to gain pole position in race three. This "reverse grid" rule polarised opinion: some fans enjoy

900-506: Is the driver gaining the most points overall throughout the season. Since 1992, the Independents driver championship has also been awarded to the leading non-manufacturer-backed driver. There are also awards for the best overall team, leading manufacturer and, since 2005, the top independent team. Previous championship titles were awarded to the leading "Production" (or "Class B") driver and team between 2000 and 2003. The Jack Sears Trophy

960-565: The British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the 1987 season . The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2 , FIA Group 5 , FIA Group 1 , FIA Group A , FIA Super Touring and FIA Super 2000 . A lower-key Group N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003. The championship

1020-546: The Ford Duratec engine was introduced in 2006, providing better handling and power due to its lighter weight even though the specification had returned to 1600cc engines. The biggest changes to the championship came in 2012 when the latest Ford EcoBoost engine and specification was adopted as the main championship. The EcoBoost car marks a substantial change in the direction of Formula Ford racing as it introduces both smaller capacity Turbocharged petrol engines and for

1080-642: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and become the Super Touring regulations that were used in various championships in Europe and around the world. In their first year, these cars were run alongside a second class which continued to allow larger engines and was once again dominated by the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, however from 1991 they became the only cars eligible to compete. The new one-class system

1140-464: The MSA Formula . A 20-minute qualifying session is used to decide the grid for all the weekend's races. The drivers fastest lap decides the grid for race one, their second fastest time decides the grid for race two and their third fastest time, the grid for race three. All three races will be run over 15 miles. Points are awarded to all finishing drivers in each race as well as the driver setting

1200-596: The West Surrey Racing cars of championship contender Colin Turkington and Rob Collard , and for the final event at Silverstone, Richard Marsh converted his Peugeot 307 to run on bio-ethanol fuel. Only Hughes continued on this fuel in 2007 and 2008. The regulations also permitted cars to run on diesel; attempted first in the 2007 season by Rick Kerry in a BMW 120d E87 run by Team AFM Racing. In 2008 SEAT Sport UK entered two Turbo Diesel Power SEAT Leons –

1260-469: The 60th anniversary year in 2018, any driver who had yet to take an overall podium was eligible to contest the Jack Sears Trophy. The BTCC has had several championship sponsors over the years. The BTCC features entries with the backing, funding and technical support of a motor manufacturer. This may be a motor racing team running cars on behalf of the manufacturer or cars being run directly by

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1320-511: The BBC's F1 coverage in 2012 and David Addison replaced Toby Moody for the 2013 season. In 2006 the ITV coverage included highlights from the first and second race of the day and live coverage of the third and final race. This returned in the second half of 2007, after the first five meetings had been on ITV3 (a digital channel with fewer viewers), with a half-hour late-night highlights show. ITV also has

1380-581: The BMW 3-Series and Infiniti Q50, and hatchback cars such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, based on models from a variety of manufacturers, using NGTC regulations. S2000 cars continued running in the Jack Sears Trophy until the 2014 season. BTCC teams are a mixture of manufacturer entries (currently BMW and Toyota ) and independent teams such as BTC Racing , and Motorbase Performance . In 2010, following Vauxhall's decision to pull out of

1440-628: The Carrera Cup has held two races at each BTCC meeting. Finally, the Renault Clio Cup UK allows aspiring touring car drivers to showcase their talent in this single make series, utilising Clio Renaultsport 200 cars. The championship awards three different titles for drivers. Along with the overall drivers' championship, younger rookie drivers can chase points for the Graduate Cup and older gentlemen drivers can seek points for

1500-555: The UK for the 2015 season . Known as F4 British Championship from 2016 , the championship uses Mygale carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and a Ford 1.6L EcoBoost engine as used in the more modern Formula Ford cars. The Ginetta GT Supercup is a GT style, multi class championship. The main class is the G55 class, utilising Ginetta's G55 car. The second class, known as the G50 class, utilises

1560-414: The approach to the finish line, with cars behind forced to take evasive action to avoid collecting slower cars ahead. These factors contributed the rule change for the 2006 season . Points are awarded to the top fifteen drivers in each race as follows: Points are awarded to the top ten drivers in each race as follows: The BBC screened highlights of every race from 1988 to 2001. The F1 commentator at

1620-540: The cars in the series were required to use the 1600cc Naturally aspirated Ford Duratec engine which replaced the Ford Kent engine that had been used since the championships inception. Beginning in 2012 , the EcoBoost class was introduced to run as the premier class alongside a secondary class for the aging Duratec cars. The EcoBoost class utilises Ford's latest EcoBoost engine which provides greater power thanks to

1680-426: The championship at almost every round, along with several smaller championships supporting one or two events. All the support championships are either Single Make Championships or Formula racing . After previously supported the BTCC in the late 1990s and then in 2013 and 2014 , the British Formula Ford Championship announced that it was folding to become the MSA Formula , the FIA 's Formula 4 championship in

1740-420: The championship until the 2000 season, when only Ford, Honda and Vauxhall remained in the championship. To this day, the 'super touring era' during the 1990s is still looked at as the most successful period of the BTCC. The high number of manufacturer-backed teams provided very close competition, close and hard-fought racing on track and many spectators at the circuits. In order to reduce the costs to compete in

1800-609: The championship with run two races at all BTCC weekends. Out of all the current support series, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is the longest serving support championship. Drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) cars which produce 450 bhp. The three tier championship splits drivers according to their racing experience. Professional drivers compete in the Pro class, with semi-professional and amateur drivers racing in either Pro-Am1 or Pro-Am2. From 2013,

1860-577: The championship, the organisers introduced new regulations for the 2001 season. The BTC Touring regulations cut costs dramatically but both manufacturer and spectator interest was low. The Super 2000 rules were adopted for the 2007 season . The 2000s saw cheaper cars than the later Supertouring era, with fewer factory teams and fewer international drivers. In 2009, the BTCC released details of its Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification, to be introduced from 2011. The introduction of these new technical regulations were designed to dramatically reduce

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1920-416: The cost of entry more affordable. To further keep costs in check, the BTCC uses a single tyre supplier, with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company the current supplier of rubber to all the teams. The following compounds are used: Hard, Medium, Soft and Wet. The rules previously allowed for a variety of different fuels in a bid to encourage more efficient cars. In 2004 Mardi Gras Motorsport independently entered

1980-405: The course of ten meetings. These tracks are: Brands Hatch (Indy Layout), Donington Park , Thruxton (the fastest track ever visited by the BTCC, with an average speed of 111.31 mph, set by Andrew Jordan during qualifying in 2014), Oulton Park , Croft , Snetterton , Knockhill , and Silverstone (National and International layouts), with a return to Brands Hatch (GP Layout) at the end of

2040-416: The design, build and running costs of the cars and engines as well as reducing the potential for significant performance disparities between cars. The NGTC specification also aimed to cut costs by reducing reliance on WTCC / S2000 equipment, due to increasing costs/complexity and concerns as to its future sustainability and direction. Currently, the cars used are a mix of 2.0 L saloons (sedans) such as

2100-432: The drivers and teams championships between 2001 and 2004. Neal and Dynamics were also victorious in 2006, before Vauxhall won the 2007 title with Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi . Team Dynamics also achieved the first overall independents race win in the 'Supertouring' era when Neal won a round of the 1999 BTCC at Donington Park, earning the team prize-money of £250,000. As a result of Matt Neal 's championship victories, and

2160-493: The fact that Team Dynamics were designing and building their own S2000 Honda Civic Type R (with unofficial support from Honda ), they were no longer entered into the Independents category, and were classed as neither an "independent" or "works" team until the 2009 season, when the Manufacturers championship was renamed Manufacturers/Constructors Championship to allow both Team Aon and Team Dynamics to compete with at

2220-497: The factory. Below is a timeline of manufacturer/constructor entries from the beginning of the 2-litre era. Each BTCC race meeting, the crowds are kept further entertained by the appearance of high-profile supporting championships, known as the TOCA Support Package , from the manufacturers Ford , Ginetta , Porsche and Renault . The TOCA Support Package consists of five main support championships, which support

2280-451: The fastest lap using the following system: Such was the popularity of the formula in the UK over its history; there is an abundance of second hand chassis from previous generations of the championship. This has led to the formation of several other national and club level championships within the UK catering for legacy chassis, engines and cars. The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford powered single seat racing cars which

2340-414: The first diesel powered manufacturer entered cars. At the start of the 2010 season, it was announced that Team AON racing had converted both of their Ford Focus ST cars to run on LPG. In 2024, Daryl DeLeon ran his Cupra Leon on 100% sustainable fuel for the final two meetings. Such fuels were introduced full-time for the 2025 Season. Under current NGTC regulations, all entrants use Carless HiperFlo 300 which

2400-485: The first time a sequential gearbox . The championship currently allows two specification of Formula Ford car to race: the current generation EcoBoost car and the previous generation Duratec car. The championship is multi-chassis, featuring manufacturers such as Van Diemen and Mygale . To help keep costs low, cars are made from steel, as opposed to the more exotic carbon fibre commonly found in higher categories of racing. The Duratec cars were introduced in 2006, when all

2460-588: The introduction of a Turbo Charger . The chassis however remains a steel space frame rather than the carbon fibre Monocoque found in other formulae. From 2015 onwards, the MSA Formula will use Formula 4 regulations. Mygale will continue to provide the carbon-fibre monocoque chassis (As opposed to the Tatuus supplied chassis used in BRDC F4 . The engine will be a Ford 1.6L EcoBoost engine as used in

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2520-538: The manufacturer teams when they update their chassis. With the introduction of the NGTC rules, all cars share a number of common components provided through a contract with RML Group . This has allowed many independent teams to enter without the need for manufacturer support, and negating the need to source ex-works cars. Teams can install an engine from their marque's broad 'family' of cars, or opt to lease an engine from TOCA, built by Swindon Engines which also helps to make

2580-552: The more modern Formula Ford cars, tuned to a maximum of 160 PS. All engines will be tuned by the same race engine preparer, in an attempt to reduce costs. Similarly, all tyres will be provided by Hankook . Sadev will provide the sequential paddle shift transmission and data logging system. From 2013, the championship is composed of 30 rounds held at ten events in support of the British Touring Car Championship . Both EcoBoost and Duratec classes compete in

2640-484: The older and less powerful Ginetta G50 . Most weekends in 2013 see three Supercup races with a few rounds hosting only two races. Ginetta also run a championship on the support package that caters for up and coming young talent in the form of the Ginetta Junior Championship . These 14- to 17-year-olds race in identical Ginetta G40J cars with strict regulations which help keep costs down. In 2013,

2700-487: The organization of the championship for years 2022–24, as Ford concluded their involvement, the championship will switch to a Tatuus chassis and Abarth as the engines supplier. The series is part of the TOCA tour, a series of events run alongside the British Touring Car Championship . Each championship event consists of three races. The series is run in support of the BTCC. Fifteen-year-olds are eligible to compete in

2760-415: The other technical regulations, which still called for steel space frames which were much more economical to build and run compared to their carbon fiber counterparts, the increased engine power accelerated chassis development, causing many of the smaller manufacturers to stop producing cars, resulting in fewer constructors represented in the championship. The Zetec regulations lasted only 12 years up until

2820-416: The races live, including some support races, both in the UK and across Europe. In 2007 Setanta Sports showed all the races live, including the support races; this ceased when the entire day's coverage moved to ITV4 . The current coverage consists of Saturday's Qualifying Sessions and support races live on ITVX . Sunday coverage starts an hour before Race 1 and finishes after Race 3. All of Sunday's Coverage

2880-536: The same races as each other. Drivers who have competed in less than 4 junior formula races in the past are eligible to compete for the Rookie Cup, whilst both Teams and Constructors have separate championships for themselves. The Nations Cup is awarded to the highest placed registered driver from each country excluding UK. In 2015, the series will again run 30 rounds at ten events in support of the BTCC , despite becoming

2940-649: The season. In the past, the BTCC has visited Mondello Park in Ireland and Pembrey in Wales. A street race around the city of Birmingham known as the Birmingham Superprix , was held in 1989 and 1990 . Aintree , Crystal Palace , Goodwood , Ingliston , Mallory Park and Rockingham have also hosted rounds in the past. On the Saturday of a race weekend there are two practice sessions followed by

3000-646: The series, after the MSA lowered the age limit for single-seater championships. The winner of the championship will be named the FIA Formula 4 champion, and will be rewarded a test with a top-level regional Formula Three team. Mygale M14-F4 provided a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. The engine was a Ford 1.6L EcoBoost engine as used in the more modern Formula Ford cars, tuned to a maximum of 160 PS. All engines were prepared and tuned by Neil Brown Engineering, to lower costs and ensure engine equalisation. Hankook

3060-538: The series, there were two new works teams, : Chevrolet , run by RML ; and Honda , run by Team Dynamics . In 2005 , Team Dynamics became the first independent outfit to win the BTCC drivers and team championships; Matt Neal won the overall and independent drivers contests in his Team Dynamics Honda Integra. This included finishing all 30 championship races that year, something no other driver had achieved before and only equalled by Adam Morgan some 10 years later in 2015. This ended Vauxhall's run of 4 victories in

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3120-495: The spectacle afforded by having unlikely drivers on pole position while faster ones have to battle through the field; others feel it detracts from the purity of the racing. For example, some drivers might decide to slow down and let others pass them, thereby improving their own starting position for the "reverse grid" race, which is contrary to the spirit of motor racing – which is to try to come first in every race. It also led to some safety concerns as drivers would slow dramatically on

3180-474: The time the sole works entry of Vauxhall . As of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship , all cars are built to the same regulations: There are strict limits to the modifications which can be made to the cars, which are intended to reduce the cost of running a competitive team, which had become prohibitive in the final years of the Super Touring rules. These cost reductions saw a rise in independent entries – teams or individuals entering cars purchased from

3240-485: The time, Murray Walker , commentated. From 1997, some races were screened live with Charlie Cox joining Murray Walker. After 1997 the commentary team was Charlie Cox and John Watson with Murray Walker dedicating his time to Formula 1. In the UK, ITV covered the series from 2002, with commentary from Ben Edwards and former champion Tim Harvey , with Toby Moody replacing Edwards after he replaced Martin Brundle on

3300-534: The winter, but this ended when the network became Fox Sports 1 in 2013. BTCC returned to the air in the US with the 2015 season, being aired on CBS Sports Network in condensed, one-hour packages like those aired on Speed. Unlike Speed's offering as the series being winter programming filling the void after the American racing season, CBSSN airs events a week or so after their actual running. Motors TV used to show all

3360-583: Was held at Brands Hatch in 1967 and was the precursor to the birth of the domestic championship. The first British Formula Ford Championship, held in 1976, was the original Formula Ford Championship which gave birth to many others over the years, including successful championships in Australia and New Zealand . The championship started out with the 1600cc Ford Kent engine and continued to use it until Ford introduced its newer, more powerful 1800cc Ford Zetec engine . Although this engine change didn't affect

3420-424: Was initially run with a mix of classes, divided according to engine capacity, racing simultaneously. This often meant that a driver who chose the right class could win the overall championship without any chance of overall race wins, thereby devaluing the title for the spectators – for example, in the 1980s Chris Hodgetts won two overall titles in a small Toyota Corolla prepared by Hughes Of Beaconsfield, at that time

3480-454: Was introduced for the 2013 season and was awarded to the highest scoring driver competing in S2000 machinery. For 2014, with S2000 cars no longer eligible to compete, it was awarded to the drive that had made up the most places from their grid position throughout the season. From the 2015 season the Jack Sears Trophy has been awarded to the highest placed rookie driver at the end of the season. For

3540-418: Was popular with manufacturers from the beginning with six manufacturer supported teams from BMW , Ford , Mitsubishi , Nissan , Toyota and Vauxhall entered in the championship. During the first seasons, the cars were not fitted with aerodynamic aids such as a front splitter or a rear wing which were allowed from 1995 after Alfa Romeo caused controversy a year earlier, when they entered the 155 fitted with

3600-466: Was the sole tyre supplier, with the cars running on the same compound and construction rubber as used in Formula Three. Sadev provided the sequential paddle shift transmission. The engine control unit was an F88GDI4 from Life Racing which featured integrated paddle shift control, GPS track mapping and also functions as the complete data acquisition system. The total price of purchasing the car

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