BTCC gets set to blast into a new era at Donington Park

A new era for the British Touring Car Championship kicks off this weekend at Donington Park as the East Midlands venue plays host to the first meeting of the new hybrid era.

Although fully-electric cars have already been seen doing battle in ETCR, the BTCC will become the first major touring car series to run with hybrid technology in place, with the Cosworth designed system that has been in development over the last few years now being put into action in earnest.

The hybrid will replace the success ballast system that has been in use in the series for a number of years, with drivers instead being limited as to how long they can benefit from a boost in hybrid power during qualifying, and how many laps they can use it for in the races.

As with success ballast, that will be determined by either championship position or by the result of the previous race on a weekend.

The introduction of the new system hasn’t been without problems, with a number of teams and drivers having faced early teething troubles over the course of winter testing – not helped by the fact that over half of the grid has also had to contend with a change of engine for 2022.

Gone is the previous TOCA engine built by Swindon Powertain to be replaced by an M-Sport unit, although Swindon retains a presence on the grid having worked alongside EXCELR8 on the all-new motor now powering the four Hyundais.

What has been clear from looking at the top of the timesheets is that the hybrid-shod cars will certainly be quick, although this weekend will very much be a step into the unknown when it comes to seeing how the system works when used in competition – adding a new layer of strategy into the equation.

Quickest at the end of the final test of the winter at Thruxton was defending champion Ash Sutton, who has wasted little time in getting up to speed with his new Motorbase Performance team.

Where Sutton would race was one of the early stories of the winter amidst talk of a potential Jaguar programme with Team BMR, but the decision to join up with Motorbase to race one of two new Fords entered under the NAPA Racing banner already looks like being one that gives him a real chance of fighting for a third successive title.

“We’ve stuck to our plan in testing as this is a new car for me so it’s been a case of learning what tools we can use to make it better,” he said. “I’m a believer that if you can drive a car fast, you can drive a car fast regardless of whether it is front or rear-wheel-drive. The only thing for me is how different changes affect it.

“What worked on the Subaru or the Infiniti is different to what works on the Focus so it’s been a case of working with my engineer to see what we need to differently, and it’s gone well so far.

“I’ve said before that I want to go down as one of the greats of the BTCC and clinching a fourth title will be a big part of that. I’ve got a great car and great team around me so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the mix from round one!”

Sutton is sure to face plenty of competition from within his own garage after team boss Pete Osborne managed to bring in Dam Cammish to drive the second NAPA entry, giving Motorbase its best opportunity by far to finally secure the championship title.

Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne will look to support where possible on the other side of the garage.

Major competition, as ever, will come from West Surrey Racing, with the BMW squad also showing strong pace on track during the three official tests.

Colin Turkington led the way at both Donington Park and Croft to leave many in the paddock suggesting that the rear-wheel drive cars could be the ones to beat in the early stages of the season, although the Northern Irishman has been around long enough to know the impact that a change in regulations can have on the action.

“We’ve covered so much ground since the curtain dropped on the 2021 season, and we’ve made considerable strides forward in our understanding of the hybrid system over the past month,” he said..

“It’s been a positive testing programme but still extremely limited as we get to grips with a brand new system. I imagine we’ll continue this steep learning curve in the first few events, which will create many challenges, but also opportunities.

“At this stage it’s impossible to know where we’ll be. I think we’re all keeping tight lipped about when and how is best to deploy the hybrid, but for sure it will be different for qualifying than it will be in racing conditions.”

WSR’s challenge is also buoyed by the addition of Jake Hill to the line-up as he gets set to compete in rear-wheel drive for the first time, with Stephen Jelley looking to build on the experience he gained on his return to the line-up last year.

Don’t discount the two Ciceley Motorsport-run cars from making their mark on proceedings either during the year ahead, with Adam Morgan a proven race winner and new team-mate George Gamble showing encouraging pace as he prepares for his touring car debut.

The new Hyundai engine isn’t the only change at EXCELR8 over the winter, with two of the i30 Fastback Ns having new names behind the wheel in the shape of Tom Chilton and Dan Lloyd.

Jack Butel and Tom Ingram are the two drivers who remain for a second season, and the latter is widely expected to be amongst the main contenders having scored the first wins for both car and team last year.

“The new engine feels strong and the drivability of the car has been good, so I feel we’re in good shape,” he said. “It’s nice to have a fresh set of regulations to work with and I like the idea of the hybrid system as it just gives you that little boost you want rather than being some ‘Fast and the Furious’ style addition that goes over the top.

“We just need to see how it works when we get to the racing; that will be the interesting thing.”

The Hyundais are entered this season as constructor entries, as are the two Team Dynamics Hondas once again after Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom ran as Independents in 2021.

Plans to run three cars ultimately came to nothing but the unchanged line-up should both expect to be feature towards the sharp end having tasted victory last year.

“I think the pressure is off me a bit now as I’ve proved what I can do,” Rowbottom said. “We’re all going to say the same thing and that we want to win the championship and we’ll have to see who is there when we get to Brands Hatch.

“Ultimately, this is a series where points win prizes so we need to look to be consistently picking them up as the season goes along.”

BTC Racing’s revised line-up – which is once again capped at three cars rather than the planned four – will also be eager to impress, with Josh Cook and Jade Edwards both returning and Jason Plato signing up for what is set to be his final year in the series.

That might change depending on results, but Cook is ready for a solid campaign from the revised line-up.

“We know the chassis will work well with the extra weight of the hybrid as we had ballast a lot last year, and Jason brings lot of experience to the team that is going to help us,” he reflected. “Bringing in Danny Buxton as team manager is another big positive that has helped us to strengthen, so I feel we’re in a good position.

“You never know what will happen in this game and we’re going to have to push hard to be at the front throughout the year, but the whole team is determined to give it our all.”

Speedworks was the final team looking to expand but it too elected to hand back a TBL when no deal was forthcoming with a driver to fill a third car, leaving the two Corolla GR Sports on the grid for a second season.

The car was quick last season in the hands of Rory Butcher and the Scot returns for another season keen to maintain the progress made with the car to challenge for top honours, supported by series returnee Ricky Collard – back for a full season after previously subbing for his father during the 2018 campaign.

A big plus for Butcher will be that – engine and hybrid aside – he has an unchanged package for the first time in his BTCC career; something he will now seek to take full advantage of.

“Having the same people around me and the same car will make a big difference,” he admits. “The continuity that I haven’t had before can only help and I think people underestimate how import it can be. I don’t need to try and get to know people in the team or learn a new car and you don’t always click right away. We were able to build momentum last year and it’s nice to know I have that same package to take into this year.

“Ricky is going to be super quick as a team-mate and is someone who is really going to push me, and he will bring a lot to the table as we look to make this year as success.”

Defending champions Laser Tools Racing downscales to two cars for this season after Carl Boardley stepped away from the series, with plenty of changes behind the scenes after Sutton’s departure for pastures new.

Aiden Moffat continues with the family team alongside fellow Scot Dexter Patterson, but it’s been a tricky pre-season as the team works to integrate both the new M-Sport engine and the hybrid system into the car. Despite that, confidence is high about the potential for the year ahead.

“Dexter is a quick driver with a good history in karting and I feel he can do well as the season goes on,” Moffat said. “Personally, something clicked for me last year and I was consistently quick, and I’m hopeful that we can build on that going into the new season.”

The third Infiniti is now in the hands of Rick Parfitt at Team HARD, although he faces a massive challenge to get out on track at Donington Park as the team works to try and ready his car – which hasn’t turned a wheel in pre-season testing.

Team HARD also continues with the Cupra Leon that it debuted in the series last year but only three will make the trip to round one after the departure of Jack Goff from the programme.

Aron Taylor-Smith and Nic Hamilton provide continuity on the driver front despite Goff’s departure, with Bobby Thompson back on the grid for the first time since he rolled out of contention for the Jack Sears Trophy at Croft during the latter stages of the 2020 campaign.

“This will be the newest touring car I’ve driven and we have a new engine and the big old battery next to me, so it’s totally different to when I last raced in the Audi,” he said. “Had I not had the shunt, then I think I could have won the Jack Sears Trophy and that is my main goal this year, but I also want to try and get the team some good points on the board and hopefully push for a podium.”

The field is rounded out by the only team to feature an all-new line-up in the shape of Power Maxed Racing, which continues to run the Vauxhall Astra.

Ash Hand was a left-field announcement in one car as he returns to tin-top racing from the world of GTs, whilst former Jack Sears Trophy winner Michael Crees is sure to be a popular figure with fans in the second car after his brief foray into the Porsche Supercup last year.

“Last year was a great, but short-lived, experience for me but I’m delighted to be back in the BTCC,” he said. “I spoke to a lot of teams about a return but Adam has tried to get me in a car for a few years and the deal worked commercially for us both to make it happen.

“The car is different to the Honda I raced previously and you need to be more precise in how you drive it, but I’m working with the engineers to get it all dialled in and – even though pre-season hasn’t been as smooth as we hoped – things are coming together nicely.”

After qualifying on Saturday at 15:35, where all cars will run with the maximum of 15 seconds of hybrid deployment for the only time this year, Sunday’s three races take place at 11:50, 14:40 and 17:25.