A very British Championship

Barring last minute entries, the opening races of the BTCC at Thruxton are poised to become the first all-British round of the championship since 1991. With seemingly just the identity of the second of Triple Eight’s drivers to be announced and three days to go, the BTCC is currently an all-British affair on the driving front.

Indeed were it not for the presence of Scotsman Gordon Shedden we could be anticipating an all-English first weekend of the season.

So for the first time since Knockhill 1992 there won’t be a foreign national lining up to take the green flag come Easter Sunday. But that fact in itself is a slight misnomer, for that July in Scotland, Swiss Alain Menu actually took part in qualifying, only to subsequently undergo his infamous quad bike accident that ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

With Kris Nissen not replacing him until the following weekend, and fellow Dane Thorkild Thyrring having already left the series, race day was all-British.

To find the last all-British BTCC meeting, you have to go back a year further, to Round 13. During 1991 several foreign drivers entered the BTCC – Germans Christian Danner and Armin Hahne each took in one round, while Swedes Nettan Lindgren and Per-Gunnar Anderson raced at several meetings.

For the final round of the year at Silverstone though, none were present, allowing Tim Harvey to take victory in the BTCC’s last all-British race weekend, as Will Hoy clinched the title.

As for an entire season fought over by only British drivers, well for that you’re looking at heading back to the 1970s, or possibly earlier. So there’s one to continue to debate on the forums.

While in 2009 there was just the one non-Briton (Fabrizio Giovanardi), the series has a rich history of drivers from abroad competing in and winning the BTCC. Rhodesian John Love became the first overseas driver to lift the title in 1962, while in the Super Touring era, between 1993 and 2000 only John Cleland prevented a clean sweep by European drivers with his 1995 championship win.

For many fans brought up on a diet of exotic surnames like Tarquini, Biela and Rydell, the lack of foreign drivers may prove a disappointment, but it’s unlikely to alter the quality of the on track action.

So should we be worried at the lack of foreign drivers in the BTCC?

Well, no. As BTCC Series Director Alan Gow told the official BTCC website, “Globally, motor sport has really felt the pinch of late following what has been a very cruel recession, yet the BTCC continues to buck that trend and set an example for many other high-profile series around the world.”

As Mr Gow says, the current economic climate isn’t isolated to just Britain, but the entire World, witness lower numbers of entries to motorsport series right across the spectrum. With less manufacturer involvement in domestic touring car series, we can no longer expect the likes of Alfa Romeo or Audi to bankroll a team and pay for Tarquini or Biela to come and win in the UK.

It is also worth remembering that during the mid-to-late 1990s when the number of non-British drivers in the BTCC was at its highest there was no DTM or WTCC to attract the top-line, paid, touring car drivers. Instead they flocked to the most competitive domestic championship – the BTCC.

Now it makes sense for those drivers with multinational appeal, the Mullers and the Menus, to race in series with the broadest appeal, the WTCC.

For Gow though, the BTCC is still undisputedly Britain’s “biggest drawcard for teams, drivers and sponsors”, and so at some stage later this season or next, it seems inevitable that once again we will see one or more challengers from abroad taking on the best of British.

Maybe it will be Volvo who buck the trend, or perhaps Chevrolet will feel the need to draft in a third driver, but inevitably at some point the situation will change.

Soon the beginning of the 2010 season will be reduced to a historical curiosity, much like Silverstone 1991. But for now, sit back and enjoy a large grid of highly competitive home grown drivers aiming to lift the BTCC crown. For that in itself is something to be proud of.