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Alan Gow brimming with praise for teams on capacity BTCC grid

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BTCC series supremo Alan Gow was brimming with praise for the “overwhelming” support the teams have given the 2013 Championship, after announcing the first capacity grid in his reign.

Gow said the full entry list of 32 cars was a first since the two-litre formula was introduced in 1992, and proved the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations were the right way to go.

He also announced a new three-year TV deal with ITV, taking the current arrangements forward to 2017.

Gow said: “The level of investment and commitment our teams have made in this championship is overwhelming, particularly in the challenging economic environment. Hats off to them.

“With any new rule change you have to build cars to suit, and the NGTC programme has worked out absolutely perfectly. As I have said before, for the teams to make that level of investment, given the longevity of the regulations, is an amazing thing.

“The number of teams we have in the championship now is an incredible validation of those regulations. All these teams wouldn’t be investing all this money if they didn’t think it was the right way to go.”

Regarding the TV deal, Gow said: “That is a major bonus to the BTCC. It is a rock-solid foundation. The amount of time we get on ITV gives us something like 230 hours of mainstream free-to-air TV, and that is an incredible feat.”

Gow also praised the “incredible variety” offered by the new rules, with 13 models from 11 manufacturers competing in the 2013 championship, including a potential 26 NGTC machines.

He also gave an insight into the thinking behind the introduction of a new soft tyre rule, where teams will have to use a soft compound tyre in one of the races.

Gow said: “That is to bring in a degree of strategy into the day’s events. We are all used to the soft tyre option from Formula One.

“Each team must nominate which race they use it in before qualifying. There is a lot of strategy to be played in the best race to use it in. It brings a great new twist to it.

“I sprung the soft tyre on Dunlop out of the blue in November. They have worked their bums off to make it work, and they have come up with it, so hats off to them.”