Predicting the winner of the British Touring Car Championship is never the easiest task but this year it proves even more of a challenge. The various driver and team changes coupled with two fairly inconclusive test sessions leave it wide open. Here is a guide to the runners and riders of 2010.
West Surrey Racing
When approaching a new season the first glance has to be cast upon the defending champion. Unfortunately, Colin Turkington was unable to get a sponsorship package together that enabled him to contest the full season. There is the hope that at a later part in the season he will be able to drive a third WSR BMW, even if it’s only so his fans can gaze upon his car with the number one emblazoned on the door of it and wonder about what could have been but for the credit crunch to so cruelly and disappointingly intervene. His team however remain and with the taste of victory still fresh in their mouths they will be hoping that one of their new pairing of Rob Collard and Andy Neate can replicate Turkington’s success. They may even harbour hope that the pair can go one better by between them delivering the teams’ championship, a trophy that would complete the team’s growing collection.
So what of the drivers? Well Rob Collard has driven a BMW in the series for the last two seasons so getting used to the car shouldn’t be too difficult. Neither should be integrating himself into the team, as Rob drove an MG for WSR in 2005 and 2006. It will just be the initial adjustment after working with the same crew and under the same conditions at Airwaves BMW for the last two years. On the other side of the garage Andy Neate will compete in his first full season of the BTCC. He of course is making a return to motor racing after being involved in a life threatening Britcar crash at Silverstone in 2008. Whether Neate can be a title contender in his first full campaign is doubtful but as he gains the experience, the chances of him scoring regular podiums and even race wins will increase. From the noises coming out of the WSR camp when Neate was announced as a driver, this partnership has been struck with a view to it lasing a number of seasons. Neate’s mandate then for the first season is more likely to be based around having a solid year than claiming the title. In other words he could have more of a supportive role to play, with Collard in a leading role.
The main challenge to WSR will come in the form of the manufacturer teams, Honda and Chevrolet. This is probably the most reassuring sentence that fans of the BTCC can read, given the uncertainty of manufacturer participation during the winter. When Vauxhall announced their withdrawal it represented the disappearance of the last reminder of a time when the grid was flooded with manufacturer entries. Pessimism surrounded the series with the declaration from many that the BTCC would be manufacturer free for the next couple of seasons and no longer had the appeal of other championships such as the WTCC and the DTM. The absurdity of this statement was recognised and the BTCC defied it’s critics and the economic times with the inclusion of two manufacturer teams on the entry list.
Honda Racing Team
Honda are of course no stranger to the championship having competed as a manufacturer before. The company have decided to throw their weight behind Steve Neal’s Team Dynamics squad who have run Hondas for the last five seasons. Matt Neal returns to the squad he won back to back titles with in 2005 and 2006 and his team mate for the second of those seasons, Gordon Shedden also returns after leaving the team following the first round of last season’s championship. This is a strong driver partnership and it’s going to be interesting to see who will come out on top. The automatic answer to this question is Neal, with his experience and consistency but Shedden has driven the Civic for two whole seasons as well as the one off appearance at the start of last season and is a very capable race winner. Matt has contested in the Civic for just the solitary season before switching to Vauxhall for 2008. During the season the pair were closely matched but it was Shedden who edged it, beating Neal to third in the drivers championship by five points. However, Neal didn’t start two of the races at Brands Hatch after a heavy crash in the opening race which saw him taken to hospital. It is going to be fascinating to see who will come out on top and it is fair to assume that whoever does will be a strong contender for the title.
Silverline Chevrolet
Chevrolet will certainly be hoping they can deny Honda the honour of top manufacturer and they seem in a strong position to do this. Jason Plato will spearhead their challenge in the all new Cruze. Here lies the slight chink in the armour, the Cruze has never been entered in the BTCC before, so the team will have next to no data with which to work. The consolation is that the car is in its second season in the WTCC, so it won’t be a completely unknown quantity. It has been a strong contender in that series, scoring regular podiums and race wins. There is no reason why this success can’t be replicated in the BTCC. As every fan of the championship knows, Plato in a competitive car equals success. If the Cruze can be quick and reliable from the word go, there is a good chance that he could add to his one title triumph of 2001 and for me he has to start the season as championship favourite. Alongside Plato is rookie Alex MacDowall who showed impressive pace during media day and has obviously demonstrated the qualities of a top class driver because why else would Chevrolet have taken the gamble in selecting him when there were other well regarded drivers seeking a seat. Whether MacDowall will be able to match Plato’s pace from the off is doubtful but as the youngster gets more races under his belt and gains experience, don’t be too surprised to see him giving the former champion a run for his money.
Airwaves BMW
In every championship there is a dark horse and it’ll be worth keeping your eyes on the progress of Airwaves BMW throughout the course of the season. The team took their first outright win in 2009 courtesy of lead driver Rob Collard and but for a mid season slump would have been right at the sharp end of the championship come the end of the season. Unfortunately Collard has departed to WSR but strangely this hasn’t weakened the team who have recruited Mat Jackson from RML, now Chevrolet, and Steven Kane who returns to the team and indeed the championship after a year out. Jackson started his BTCC career in a BMW, finishing runner up in only his second season (2008). The chances of him going one better are quite slim but a top five finish looks a very real possibility. He is a force to be reckoned with due to his brilliant race craft and consistent pace. Team mate Kane had the upper hand on Media day but whether he can show this pace throughout the season is questionable. A lack of consistency may stop him from matching Jackson but a maiden win could well be on the cards.
Triple Eight Engineering
The BTCC has a habit of producing last minute developments and the build up to this season has been no different. Triple Eight, the team that ran with Vauxhall’s backing for the last twelve seasons was on the entry list when it was announced on media day, just ten days ago, but it’s drivers hadn’t been confirmed. The first driver, Phil Glew, was confirmed a few days later which wasn’t much of a surprise as he had tested with the squad a few weeks earlier. However, the second driver, Fabrizio Giovanardi, was confirmed only today and is yet to pen a deal beyond the first meeting. It would seem that the intention is for him to run all season long, though. The Giovanardi-Vectra combination is highly successful, claiming the title in two of the three years in which it has so far competed. Can the Italian bounce back to claim the title he lost last season? Well, stranger things have happened but this seems a stage too far even for the nine times touring car champion. The squad won’t have the budget or resources it has enjoyed in the past and as last season proved the Vectra isn’t always the fastest car out there. Don’t be fooled into thinking it will be a quiet year for the team though, whenever Giovanardi’s around there are bound to be fireworks and he will have his eye on claiming as many victories as possible, even if the main prize seems likely to elude him. Phil Glew is also used to success in motorsport, having claimed the Clio Cup last season. He’ll be hoping that his debut BTCC campaign will be one to remember and gets teams up and down the paddock talking about him.
Pirtek Racing and Pinkney Motorsport
Andy Jordan and Dave Pinkney take the total number of Vectras on the grid to four. They will both have the new New Generation Touring Car turbocharged engines aboard which gives the audience a glimpse of the future as these will be compulsory for all drivers who wish to be eligible for the drivers title, next season. It will be interesting to see where the engines will put them in the pecking order as they are limited this year to provide equality and not give them an advantage over the rest of the field. From testing Jordan’s Pirtek team car seemed to have an edge over the Pinkney Motorsport car but it remains to be seen which one will come out on top. It has to be said Jordan’s year of experience driving the Vectra puts him in a good position to outperform Pinkney who has to adapt to the differences between it and the Honda Civic he drove last year.
Team AON
The most improved team from the start of last year to the end were without doubt Team Aon. They will again run Ford Focuses for Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow Cole. This time the cars will have turbo engines powered by LPG. This provides another fascinating dynamic in terms of comparing it with the rest of the petrol powered field. Both drivers have looked quick in testing and it looks likely that a Ford will win a race of the BTCC for the first time since the year 2000.
Sunshine.co.uk
Also hoping to build on last season’s performance will be the Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport team who through lead driver Paul O’Neill scored an unlikely podium at Snetterton. The squad will continue to use Integras and hope for more of the same. O’Neill looks a strong contender for scoring regular points and his new team mate, John George will be hoping to match this. The team’s best chance of podiums will undoubtedly come from the reverse grid system that remains in place for race three of every meeting.
Boulevard Racing and Special Tuning UK
At the rear of the field the battles are as closely fought as those for the lead. Martin Johnson will be hoping his Vauxhall Astra can power him into the points as it did in Snetterton and Rockingham last season. Tom Boardman returns to the series with a privately run Seat, the same car that powered him to some impressive results in the WTCC last season.
Central Group Racing and TH Motorsport
Lea Wood and Matt Hamilton will hope for impressive debut seasons in their privately run Integra and Civic respectively. Whilst new team Forster Motorsport will be happy to make the Thruxton grid after a winter plagued with reliability issues. They will run a pair of BMW 320sis for Arthur Forster and Martin Depper. The final entry is probably one of the most intriguing.
AmD Millteksport
Shaun Hollamby will run a Volkswagen Golf MK5 with the view to running a second car mid way through the season for Simon Shaw. The progress of the team will be one of the many fascinating subplots in what promises to be one of the most open and entertaining seasons the BTCC has seen. My money is on Plato to win the title, for now anyway, but there is a distinct possibility that I will be proved wrong.
Photo Credit: Pete Mainey
I am currently studying English Language with Journalism at Huddersfield University. I can be found on twitter as @tsurgay or using any of the Btcccrazy accounts. If you have a story or any BTCC information or feedback you wish to share, just email me at tom@btcccrazy.co.uk . 
