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| Category | Touring cars |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Inaugural season | 1958 |
| Classes | Manufacturers & Independents |
| Drivers | 30 (2025) |
| Teams | 8 (2025) |
| Constructors | BMW,Cupra,Ford,Honda,Hyundai,Toyota,Vauxhall Note: The constructors in bold are currently represented in the Manufacturers Championship. |
| Engine suppliers | Turbocharged 2.0 litre I4 |
| Tyre suppliers | Goodyear |
| Drivers' champion |  Tom Ingram |
| Makes' champion | Hyundai |
| Teams' champion | NAPA Racing UK |
| Official website | btcc.net/ |
 Current season | |
TheBritish Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as theKwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is atouring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered byTOCA. It was established in 1958 as theBritish Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the1987 season.[1] It is one of the oldest, most popular and most prestigious touring car series in the world.[2] The championship, currently runningNext Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years includingFIA Group 2,FIA Group 5,FIA Group 1,FIA Group A,FIA Super Touring andFIA Super 2000. A lower-keyGroup N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003.
The championship was initially run with a mix of classes, divided according to engine capacity, racing simultaneously. This often meant that a driver who chose the right class could win the overall championship without any chance of overall race wins, thereby devaluing the title for the spectators – for example, in the 1980sChris Hodgetts won two overall titles in a small Toyota Corolla prepared by Hughes of Beaconsfield, at that time a Mercedes-Benz/Toyota main dealer when most of the race wins were going to much larger cars; and while theFord SierraCosworth RS500s were dominating at the front of the field,Frank Sytner took a title in a Class BBMW M3 andJohn Cleland's first title was won in a small Class CVauxhall Astra.
In 1990, the BTCC introduced a class for cars with an engine displacement up to 2.0 litres which would later be adopted by theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile and become theSuper Touring regulations that were used in various championships in Europe and around the world. In their first year, these cars were run alongside a second class which continued to allow larger engines and was once again dominated by the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, however from 1991 they became the only cars eligible to compete. The new one-class system was popular with manufacturers from the beginning with six manufacturer supported teams fromBMW,Ford,Mitsubishi,Nissan,Toyota andVauxhall entered in the championship. During the first seasons, the cars were not fitted with aerodynamic aids such as a front splitter or a rear wing which were allowed from 1995 afterAlfa Romeo caused controversy a year earlier, when they entered the 155 fitted with a rear wing – an item that was delivered with the road-going version of the 155, however unfitted in its boot.Audi joined the BTCC in 1996 with its four-wheel drive A4 Quattro, and went on to take that year's title.[3] The continuously high number of manufacturer-backed teams meant rapid development on the cars and quickly growing costs to compete which caused several manufacturers to withdraw from the championship until the 2000 season, when only Ford, Honda and Vauxhall remained in the championship. To this day, the 'super touring era' during the 1990s is still looked at as the most successful period of the BTCC. The high number of manufacturer-backed teams provided very close competition, close and hard-fought racing on track and many spectators at the circuits.[4]
In order to reduce the costs to compete in the championship, the organisers introduced new regulations for the 2001 season. TheBTC Touring regulations cut costs dramatically but both manufacturer and spectator interest was low. TheSuper 2000 rules were adopted for the2007 season. The 2000s saw cheaper cars than the later Supertouring era, with fewer factory teams and fewer international drivers.
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In 2009, the BTCC released details of itsNext Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification, to be introduced from 2011. The introduction of these new technical regulations were designed to dramatically reduce the design, build and running costs of the cars and engines as well as reducing the potential for significant performance disparities between cars. The NGTC specification also aimed to cut costs by reducing reliance onWTCC/S2000 equipment, due to increasing costs/complexity and concerns as to its future sustainability and direction.[5]
Currently, the cars used are a mix of 2.0L saloons (sedans) such as the BMW 3-Series and Infiniti Q50, and hatchback cars such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, based on models from a variety of manufacturers, usingNGTC regulations. S2000 cars continued running in the Jack Sears Trophy until the 2014 season.
BTCC teams are a mixture of manufacturer entries (currentlyBMW andToyota) and independent teams such asBTC Racing, andMotorbase Performance.
In 2010, following Vauxhall's decision to pull out of the series, there were two new works teamsChevrolet, run byRML; andHonda, run byTeam Dynamics.[6]
In2005,Team Dynamics became the first independent outfit to win the BTCC drivers and team championships;Matt Neal won the overall and independent drivers contests in his Team Dynamics Honda Integra. This included finishing all 30 championship races that year, something no other driver had achieved before and only equalled by Adam Morgan some 10 years later in 2015. This ended Vauxhall's run of 4 victories in the drivers and teams championships between 2001 and 2004. Neal and Dynamics were also victorious in 2006, before Vauxhall won the 2007 title with ItalianFabrizio Giovanardi.Team Dynamics also achieved the first overall independents race win in the 'Supertouring' era when Neal won a round of the 1999 BTCC at Donington Park, earning the team prize-money of £250,000.
As a result ofMatt Neal's championship victories, and the fact thatTeam Dynamics were designing and building their own S2000Honda Civic Type R (with unofficial support fromHonda), they were no longer entered into the Independents category, and were classed as neither an "independent" or "works" team until the 2009 season, when the Manufacturers championship was renamed Manufacturers/Constructors Championship to allow bothTeam Aon andTeam Dynamics to compete with at the time the sole works entry ofVauxhall.
As of the2014 British Touring Car Championship, all cars are built to the same regulations:
There are strict limits to the modifications which can be made to the cars, which are intended to reduce the cost of running a competitive team, which had become prohibitive in the final years of theSuper Touring rules. These cost reductions saw a rise in independent entries – teams or individuals entering cars purchased from the manufacturer teams when they update their chassis.
With the introduction of theNGTC rules, all cars share a number of common components provided through a contract withRML Group. This has allowed many independent teams to enter without the need for manufacturer support, and negating the need to source ex-works cars.Teams can install an engine from their marque's broad 'family' of cars, or opt to lease an engine from TOCA, built by Swindon Engines which also helps to make the cost of entry more affordable.
To further keep costs in check, the BTCC uses a single tyre supplier, withGoodyear Tire and Rubber Company the current supplier of rubber to all the teams. The following compounds are used: Hard, Medium, Soft and Wet.
The rules previously allowed for a variety of different fuels in a bid to encourage more efficient cars. In 2004 Mardi Gras Motorsport independently entered aLiquified petroleum gas poweredSuper 2000 Honda Civic Type-R (which was subsequently replaced by a more competitiveBTC-Touring Peugeot 406 Coupé, still LPG powered), and in 2005Tech-Speed Motorsport converted an ex-worksVauxhall Astra Coupé to run onbio-ethanol fuel. In the middle of 2006, Kartworld's owner-driverJason Hughes converted his 4-cylinder MG ZS to run on Bio-Ethanol, soon followed by theWest Surrey Racing cars of championship contenderColin Turkington andRob Collard, and for the final event at Silverstone,Richard Marsh converted his Peugeot 307 to run on bio-ethanol fuel. Only Hughes continued on this fuel in 2007 and 2008.The regulations also permitted cars to run on diesel; attempted first in the 2007 season byRick Kerry in a BMW 120d E87 run by TeamAFM Racing. In 2008 SEAT Sport UK entered two Turbo Diesel Power SEAT Leons – the first diesel powered manufacturer entered cars.At the start of the 2010 season, it was announced that TeamAon Racing had converted both of their Ford Focus ST cars to run on LPG. In 2024, Daryl DeLeon ran his Cupra Leon on 100% sustainable fuel for the final two meetings. Such fuels were introduced full-time for the 2025 Season.
Under current NGTC regulations, all entrants use Carless HiperFlo 300 which is a 101/102 RON and 89/90 MON unleaded gasoline with approximately 2% oxygen content that meets the FIA 'Appendix J' gasoline specification.
The following regulations have been applied to the championship:
Being a national championship, the British Touring Car Championship has visited circuits throughout the United Kingdom over its long history. Currently the series visits eight different tracks in England and Scotland over the course of ten meetings. These tracks are:Brands Hatch (Indy Layout),Donington Park,Thruxton (the fastest track ever visited by the BTCC, with an average speed of 111.31mph, set byAndrew Jordan during qualifying in 2014),Oulton Park,Croft,Snetterton,Knockhill, andSilverstone (National and International layouts), with a return to Brands Hatch (GP Layout) at the end of the season.
In the past, the BTCC has visitedMondello Park in Ireland andPembrey in Wales. A street race around the city of Birmingham known as theBirmingham Superprix, was held in1989 and1990.
Aintree,Crystal Palace,Goodwood,Ingliston,Mallory Park andRockingham have also hosted rounds in the past.
On the Saturday of a race weekend there are two practice sessions followed by a 30-minute qualifying session which determines the starting order for the first race on the Sunday, the fastest driver lining up inpole position.
Each race typically consists of between 16 and 25 laps, depending on the length of the circuit. A race may be extended by three laps if three or more laps have been run behind a safety car.
The grid for race two is based on the finishing order of race one.[9] For race three, a draw takes place to decide at which place the grid is 'reversed'. This means drivers finishing race two in positions 6th through 12th could take pole position for race 3 depending on the outcome of the draw. For example, if ball number 7 is drawn, the driver finishing in 7th position in race two starts on pole, 6th place starts in second place, 5th place starts in third etc. Drivers finishing in 8th place and beyond would start race three in their finishing order for race two. The draw is normally conducted by a celebrity or VIP, live on TV. For 2014, this was changed so that the driver who finished Race 2 in 10th position made the draw. Fabrizio Giovanardi has twice[10][11] managed to put himself on pole position by drawing out number 10.
Before 2006, the driver finishing in10th place in race two took pole position for race three. This initiated deliberate race 'fixing', whereby some drivers attempted to finished in 10th place during race two to gain pole position in race three. This "reverse grid" rule polarised opinion: some fans enjoy the spectacle afforded by having unlikely drivers on pole position while faster ones have to battle through the field; others feel it detracts from the purity of the racing. For example, some drivers might decide to slow down and let others pass them, thereby improving their own starting position for the "reverse grid" race, which is contrary to the spirit of motor racing – which is to try to come first in every race. It also led to some safety concerns as drivers would slow dramatically on the approach to the finish line, with cars behind forced to take evasive action to avoid collecting slower cars ahead. These factors contributed the rule change for the2006 season.
Points are awarded to the top fifteen drivers in each race as follows:
| Current BTCC points system (2012–Present) | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | Pole position | Fastest lap | Lead a lap |
| R1 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| R2 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| R3 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Points are awarded to the top ten drivers in each race as follows:
| BTCC points system | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole position | Fastest lap | Lead a lap |
| R1 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| R2 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| R3 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
In 1987 the championship was screened in the UK and some European countries by Cable channel Screensport and in Australia by the 7 Network produced by Hay Fisher Productions.
TheBBC screened highlights of every race from 1988 to 2001. TheF1 commentator at the time,Murray Walker, commentated. From 1997, some races were screened live withCharlie Cox joining Murray Walker. After 1997 the commentary team was Charlie Cox and John Watson with Murray Walker dedicating his time to Formula 1.
In the UK,ITV covered the series from 2002, with commentary fromBen Edwards and former championTim Harvey, withToby Moody replacing Edwards after he replacedMartin Brundle on the BBC's F1 coverage in 2012 and David Addison replaced Toby Moody[12] for the 2013 season. In 2006 theITV coverage included highlights from the first and second race of the day and live coverage of the third and final race. This returned in the second half of 2007, after the first five meetings had been onITV3 (a digital channel with fewer viewers), with a half-hour late-night highlights show. Experienced motorsport presenterLouise Goodman joined the ITV team from 2007.[13] ITV also has a Sunday night show called Motorsport UK, featuring many of the supporting races. From 2008, the races were screened live on ITV4, along with the support races.
The current coverage consists of Saturday's Qualifying Sessions and support races live onITVX. Sunday coverage starts an hour before Race 1 and finishes after Race 3. All of Sunday's Coverage is aired onITV4. ITV has a one-hour highlights programme on the Monday night following the race.
World-wide broadcasting began in 2025, with coverage being livestreamed on the BTCC YouTube Channel to all countries except the UK and North America.[citation needed]
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 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2014) |
| TV Coverage of 2025 season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | TV Network | Language | Qualifying | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Notes |
| United Kingdom[14] | ITV4 /ITV4 HD | English | No | Live | Live | Live | Up to 7 Hours of coverage per meeting (also shows live and delayed coverage of support races). SimulcastHigh Definition coverage onITV4 HD |
| No | Highlights | 90 minute highlight show of all 3 races and qualifying | |||||
| ITV Sport Website | English | Live | Live | Live | Live | Live video stream.Highlights available to watch anytime after the race via theRace Archive | |
| ITV /ITV HD | English | No | Highlights | 90 minute highlight show of all 3 races and qualifying. SimulcastHigh Definition coverage onITV HD | |||
Live timing for the BTCC and its support races, as well as testing, is provided by Timing Solutions Ltd from theirwebsite. This service allows you to follow free practice and qualifying as well as race day action via a timing screen from your computer or mobile phone.
Currently, five championships are awarded per season. The overall driver's championship is the driver gaining the most points overall throughout the season. Since 1992, the Independents driver championship has also been awarded to the leading non-manufacturer-backed driver. There are also awards for the best overall team, leading manufacturer and, since 2005, the top independent team. Previous championship titles were awarded to the leading "Production" (or "Class B") driver and team between 2000 and 2003. The Jack Sears Trophy was introduced for the 2013 season and was awarded to the highest scoring driver competing in S2000 machinery. For 2014, with S2000 cars no longer eligible to compete, it was awarded to the drive that had made up the most places from their grid position throughout the season. From the 2015 season the Jack Sears Trophy has been awarded to the highest placed rookie driver at the end of the season. For the 60th anniversary year in 2018, any driver who had yet to take an overall podium was eligible to contest the Jack Sears Trophy.
The BTCC has had several championship sponsors over the years.
| Year | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| 1960 | SupaTura |
| 1972 | Wiggins Teape Paperchase |
| 1974 | Castrol Anniversary |
| 1975 | Southern Organs |
| 1976 | Keith Prowse |
| 1977–82 | Tricentrol |
| 1983–85 | Trimoco |
| 1987–88 | Dunlop |
| 1989–92 | Esso |
| 1993–2000 | Auto Trader |
| 2001 | theAA.com |
| 2002–04 | Green Flag |
| 2005–07 | Dunlop |
| 2008–09 | HiQ |
| 2010–18 | Dunlop |
| 2019- | Kwik Fit |
The BTCC features entries with the backing, funding and technical support of a motor manufacturer. This may be a motor racing team running cars on behalf of the manufacturer or cars being run directly by the factory. Below is a timeline of manufacturer/constructor entries from the beginning of the 2-litre era.
| Manufacturer/Constructor Entries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Alfa Romeo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BMW | BMW | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chevrolet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ford | Ford | Ford | Ford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Honda | Honda | Honda | Honda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hyundai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Infiniti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mazda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MG | MG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mitsubishi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nissan | Nissan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peugeot | Peugeot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Proton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Renault | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SEAT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subaru | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toyota | Toyota | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vauxhall | Vauxhall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volvo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Each BTCC race meeting, the crowds are kept further entertained by the appearance of high-profile supporting championships, known as theTOCA Support Package, from the manufacturersFord,Ginetta,Porsche andRenault.[24]
TheTOCA Support Package consists of five main support championships, which support the championship at almost every round, along with several smaller championships supporting one or two events. All the support championships are eitherSingle Make Championships orFormula racing.
After previously supported the BTCC in the late 1990s and then in2013 and2014, theBritish Formula Ford Championship announced that it was folding to become theMSA Formula, theFIA'sFormula 4 championship in the UK for the2015 season. Known asF4 British Championship from2016, the championship usesMygale carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and aFord 1.6LEcoBoost engine as used in the more modernFormula Ford cars.[25]
TheGinetta GT Supercup is a GT style, multi class championship. The main class is theG55 class, utilisingGinetta's G55 car. The second class, known as the G50 class, utilises the older and less powerfulGinetta G50. Most weekends in 2013 see three Supercup races with a few rounds hosting only two races. Ginetta also run a championship on the support package that caters for up and coming young talent in the form of theGinetta Junior Championship. These 14- to 17-year-olds race in identicalGinetta G40J cars with strict regulations which help keep costs down. In 2013, the championship ran two races at all BTCC weekends. The Ginetta Championships left TOCA and are now on the British GT support bill.[citation needed]
Out of all the current support series, thePorsche Carrera Cup GB is the longest serving support championship. Drivers compete in identicalPorsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) cars which produce 450 bhp. The three tier championship splits drivers according to their racing experience. Professional drivers compete in the Pro class, with semi-professional and amateur drivers racing in either Pro-Am1 or Pro-Am2. From 2013, the Carrera Cup has held two races at each BTCC meeting.
Finally, theRenault Clio Cup UK allows aspiring touring car drivers to showcase their talent in this single make series, utilisingClio Renaultsport 200 cars. The championship awards three different titles for drivers. Along with the overall drivers' championship, younger rookie drivers can chase points for the Graduate Cup and older gentlemen drivers can seek points for the Masters Cup. During 2013, the Clio Cup will hold two races at all BTCC weekends except the rounds atCroft andKnockhill.
For 2020, theRenault Clio Cup UK has been replaced by the Mini Challenge, which joins from the British GT package. The Clio Cup has joined the British GT Package instead.
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The decision to end Formula Renault UK brings down the final curtain on a series that ran continuously in Britain from 1989 until the end of 2011 – with a number of Formula 1 drivers, including world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, racing in the championship early in their careers.
