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New two-car team enters BTCC

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A new two-car team, BTC Racing, has confirmed it will join the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on 24 September. BTC will enter a pair of Lexus IS200s (similar to that of Adam Jones pictured on the left) for drivers Chris Stockton, also the team principal, and Darren Dowling.

The cars will be built to Super 2000 specification – S2000, used in the World Touring car Championship, will become the BTCC’s formula in 2007.

Of the two, Stockton’s career has seen him win in Formual Fords, Legends and TVR Tuscans and also race sports cars at an international level, including participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours race. Dowling is also a proven former Tuscan front-runner with Le Mans experience.

Stockton praised the BTCC’s standing as the UK’s most popular motor racing championship and the leadership of its Series Director Alan Gow. He also believes that using Brands Hatch plus Silverstone’s BTCC Finals day on 15 October as toe-in-the-water exercises will stand his team in good stead ahead of a full season next year.

The 37-year-old from Chester said: “We want to race in the BTCC because Alan Gow has made this the most exciting racing in British motor sport. By moving to S2000 regulations, he has also made the BTCC very accessible for aspiring privateer entries – for us, this is a great opportunity to race in what we consider to be the most fiercely fought touring car championship in the world.

”Our aims at Brands and Silverstone will be to qualify mid-grid. This will give us a solid base from which to develop moving into next year.”

BTC’s entry will be managed by the respected Bert Taylor and means a potential 26 cars will contest Brands Hatch’s three rounds.

In addition to BTC Racing, the BTCC today received entries from Team Forward Racing, which will also run a Lexus IS200 for Mark Jones, and Nick Leason in a Vauxhall Astra Coupe prepared by the NJL Racing with Daniels Motorsport team. Like Stockton and Dowling, both Jones and Leason will be making their BTCC debuts at Brands Hatch.