During the month that Ash Sutton was crowned the Fans’ Favourite Driver of 2020, BTCC news and announcements were in full flow, as the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues to take shape.
Here’s a recap of all the key news from February...
Mick Sergeant takes the reins as Team Manager with BTC Racing
Kicking off February’s BTCC news, BTC Racing confirmed Mick Sergeant would be taking on the role of Team Manager for 2021 with the Brackley-based squad, overseeing all day-to-day business and utilising his vast experience in team management for the rapidly approaching season.
WSR reveals full Team BMW line-up for 2021
On three consecutive Wednesday mornings, West Surrey Racing brought us pieces of the Team BMW puzzle, announcing four-time Champion Colin Turkington and race-winner Tom Oliphant would once again field two of the squad’s BMW 330i M Sports and, for 2021, would be joined by Stephen Jelley, who scored two of his three career victories in WSR-run machinery.
Jackson joins Hill at MB Motorsport
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square announced the second half of its driver line-up for 2021, with double race-winner Ollie Jackson joining fellow BRDC member Jake Hill, following the 36-year-old's most successful BTCC campaign to date.
Motorbase Performance confirms 2021 duo
Another team to confirm both its drivers in February was Motorbase Performance, simultaneously announcing that Sam Osborne would be joining Andy Neate in the pair of Ford Focus STs.
Constable to pilot PMR development programme
Power Maxed Car Care Racing revealed Jac Constable would be joining the team as its BTCC Development Driver. It was also revealed that the 23-year-old, who drove one of the squad’s Vauxhall Astras at Croft in 2020 before being taken ill ahead of the weekend’s races, is set to become a fully-fledged BTCC racer in 2022.
Championship-winning engineer Dan Millard joins Laser Tools Racing
Laser Tools Racing announced Dan Millard would be spearheading Aiden Moffat’s 2021 campaign, as the championship-winning engineer brings a wealth of rear-wheel-drive experience to the squad.
Rick Parfitt Jr completes the bill for EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars Racing
EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars confirmed its fourth and final driver, with Rick Parfitt Jr rounding off its 2021 BTCC attack. Parfitt Jr joins Tom Ingram, Chris Smiley and Jack Butel in the quartet of Hyundai i30N Fastbacks as the team enters its first campaign in the newly joint venture between EXCELR8 Motorsport and Trade Price Cars Racing.
Silverstone to host Season Launch
Rounding off another month of BTCC news was the announcement that Silverstone would be hosting the 2021 Season Launch event. Comprising media activities alongside six hours of official testing, the day will give teams the opportunity to hit the tarmac ahead of the season-opening weekend at Thruxton on 8/9 May.
Following the Government’s latest COVID-19 directives, spectators will unfortunately not be permitted to attend the Season Launch, but can follow the action via live timings from TSL and updates on the official BTCC website and social media channels.
As we head into a new month, just four seats remain undisclosed and, with livery unveils and sponsorship announcements on the horizon, the 2021 campaign is already looking highly competitive and, as always, incredibly entertaining.
