The Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is one of the premier events in the British racing season. They may look like ordinary household saloons from the outside but don't be fooled, under the bonnet there is more grunt than your local pig farm.
The regulation are based on the FIA Class 2 Touring Car Technical Regulations. Cars must have four doors and be longer than 4.2m. 25,000 road cars must be produced within 12 months for the car to be homologated. The minimum weight is 975kg for front wheel-drive cars, 1,025kg for rear wheel-drive cars and 1,040kg for four-wheel-drive cars.
Engines are 2 litres with a maximum of six cylinders. They can either come from the homologated car or another model in the manufacturer's range. If the engine is taken from another model, at least 25,000 engines have to been built in a 12 month period. An electronic limiter restricts engine revs to 8500 rpm. The gearbox is free but cannot have more than six ratios and reverse must be retained. The original layout of the engine must be retained from the car (ie longitudinal or transverse).
Tyre width is limited to nine inches. At BTCC meetings only six dry, six wet and six intermediate tyres can be used for the whole of the meeting. At double header races, where the races are held ten minutes apart, tyres are free for the second race.
*Not TOCA package.
TOCA meetings are 'double-header' events with 2 complete BTCC races and should include all the following championship events as part of the programme:
..return to the BMRC : Championships page.
If you have any suggestions for improvement please e-mail Ken Clark at kenc@bmrc.co.uk.