THE 2005 BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is Britain's premier saloon-car racing series, contested by over thirty of the world's top drivers and their teams. The races are held at all the major venues across UK and Ireland, including Silverstone, Donington Park and Brands Hatch (see Schedule below). The series is managed by British Motorsport Promotors (BMP), an organisation that represents all the major race circuits in Britain and exists to promote motorsport at the highest level.

Throughout the season (April to October), each of the round of the 2005 championship will be televised across the UK in a prime one-hour Saturday afternoon slot on all major regions of ITV's network and each event will be attended by tens of thousands of fans.

The BTCC is billed to support both the US CART race at Brands Hatch and the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, exposing the cars (and their sponsors) to the huge crowds and media coverage at these flagship events.

See SPONSOR PARTNERS section of this site for more details of media coverage, crowd attendance and the subsequent benefits of a sponsorship investment in this championship.

THE CARS

Modern day BTCC is contested by the some of the world's leading car manufacturers, including Vauxhall, MG, Honda, Peugeot and Proton. In addition, a relaxation of the rules in 2004 means the European Touring Cars are also eligible for the BTCC, opening the door to famous racing marques such as BMW and Alfa Romeo. As well as manufacturer backed "factory" teams, independent teams are able to obtain and develop these cars, and whilst competing directly with the factory cars, they also score points in their own independents' championship.

The BTCC featured two new classes for 2001: BTC Touring and BTC Production, a cost-control approach to the regulations providing enhanced value for teams and sponsors alike. This two-class format continued into the 2002 and 2003 championships, but in 2004 the Touring Class were combined with the modified ETCC cars to create a single class, as even more manufacturers and entrants join this successful series. This format will continue in 2005.

The BTCC rules retain a two-litre engine capacity (developing more than 270bhp) and mass production body-shells, but limit much of the scope for modifications versus previous years. Twenty-seven specified components, including gearboxes, brakes, clutches, ECUs, wheels, fuel systems and data loggers, are now common to all cars. Teams may only purchase them from the one designated supplier to control development costs and keep the racing close.

Aerodynamic packages are intentionally limited to promote overtaking, while the use of smaller wheels (17-inch diameter) and brakes reduce grip, lengthen braking zones and again increase opportunities to pass.

The car's weight limit is 1150 kilos and use of exotic materials is prohibited for all but safety applications. The system of "success ballast", introduced to keep racing close, has proved very successful in maintaining an exciting spectacle throughout the season.

In 2003, Dunlop entered the BTCC as the control tyre supplier. The race cars use a controlled number of championship Dunlop slick or grooved tyres, depending upon the weather. If the track is dry, it's slicks but if it's wet, the grooved tyres are essential.

QUALIFYING & RACE DAY FORMAT

The British Touring Car Championship maintains the same race format for 2005. Each round of the championship will now feature three races, with no mandatory pit stops.

Under the three race format, the grid for the first event will be set by qualifying times. The starting order for race two will be determined by the results of race one – but with the top ten positions reversed. Race three's grid will be set by the finishing order of the second race.

The three sprint races, with a reversed top ten in the second race, will provide plenty of fast and furious action. With pit stops no longer playing a part in their race strategy, the drivers won't have the comfort of their team's assistance during the races. With all thirty races counting towards the championship, no driver is going to have an easy run to the title.

SUPPORTING CHAMPIONSHIPS                      

In additional to the headline BTCC races, the TOCA Tour events consist of several regular support championships, including the Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup, the Formula Renault Championship (from which Kimi Raikkonen graduated to Formula 1), the Seat Cupra Championship and the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. There are also various guest races at different rounds during the season including Formula 3 and the British GT Championship. Details of each race can be found in the timetables for each round.

BTCC CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE 2005

For further information on the British Touring Car Championship or how you can become involved
as a driver sponsor, please contact us at info@petercate.com