Thorney Motorsport delay return until Snetterton

Thorney Motorsport will not return to the British Touring Car Championship until at least the Snetterton round of the Championship in mid-August, after splitting with their engine supplier.

The team have been in a troubled relationship with Swindon Engines since the start of the season, who are the supplier of the TOCA control engine to the majority of the teams in the BTCC, including current drivers’ standings leaders Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Thorney have now confirmed they will no longer be working with Swindon, and will be working on their own ECU to continue to run the engine in their Next Generation Touring Car specification Vauxhall Insignia.

“We are stuck with the engine, NGTC regulations are clear on that and our alternative engine will not be ready for this season,” said Team Principal John Thorne. “So we have the choice either to simply withdraw for the 2012 season completely or develop our own mapping for the TOCA control engine. Sadly that will take more than the couple of weeks we have before Oulton Park so we have no choice but to withdraw.”