Over the first fortnight of the decade, Motorsport News Editor Matt James will continue to reveal his top ten memories from the last ten years of the British Touring Car Championship. The last showdown in James' 'Perfect 10' was the dramatic finale of 2019, where the action, exhilaration and heartache on-track made for one of the most unforgettable finales of the decade.

When: October 13, 2019

Where: Brands Hatch

Fourteen corners and just over three miles. The British Touring Car Championship season in 2019 was that close to its conclusion when the entire picture changed.

The sight of Dan Cammish’s Team Dynamics-run Honda Civic Type R pirouetting into the tyre wall is the overriding image of the year. All the Yorkshire man needed to do was to register a handful of points to claim an unlikely crown, one that would have been won by a dint of hard work and never giving up in the face of extremely long odds.

By rights, Cammish shouldn’t even have been in this position. The WSR BMW 330i M Sports of Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan had been the class of the season, sharing 11 wins between them.

But Cammish had hung on grimly to their coattails. A succession of podium finishes had kept him in the picture, and when Turkington was in contact with Matt Neal’s Civic in the penultimate race at Brands, the pendulum took an almighty swing. Turkington felt aggrieved that Cammish’s team-mate had been the cause of his delay in race two, claiming it had been a “professional foul”. Emotions were running high in the heat of the battle.

Gone was the BMW man’s advantage and Cammish assumed command of the points. Sure, it was only by eight marks, but he was in control. Turkington started the third race in 25th spot and had it all to do. Cammish could be the master of his own destiny.

Except he wasn’t, as the brakes on his Honda were running hot from the off. He managed the problem as best he could and that even allowed him to let the flying Turkington ahead on lap 12 so the BMW ran in sixth spot. It still wasn’t enough for Turkington if Cammish could hold on. He could, but his brakes couldn’t and they shattered with just a handful of miles remaining.

Cammish was dignified in his defeat and immediately paid credit to his victorious rival. Turkington, who had gone into a title-winning season behind in the points going into the final race for the first time, knew he had driven the race of his life to win, but admitted that he had been fortunate. 

“That was the hardest title I have won,” said the Northern Irishman. “For sure, I thought it was gone after race two. But, in this championship, you just never know what is going to happen. You have to believe, and your hard work reaps rewards. But that was one hell of a race.”

In the unforgettable finale of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Colin Turkington took his fourth Drivers’ Championship, making him a record-equalling BTCC titleholder.

Turkington’s start to the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was less than ideal; he left the first event of the year at Brands Hatch 11th in the standings, with teammate Tom Oliphant three points in arrears.

Following this, his climb to the top of the table began, clawing his way to third at the series left Donington Park and joint first by the conclusion of the third weekend of racing.

From this point, at the end of each event, it was the Northern-Irishman leading the title fight. Despite his domination of the standings at the end of each race weekend, it wasn’t an easy road keeping hold of the top spot.

This was never truer than during the 2019 Brands Hatch finale; where his 25th place finish in race two saw rival Dan Cammish overtake the BMW driver’s points tally. This brought the title fight down to the wire as it all rode on the final race of the year.

In what Turkington describes as ‘the race of [his] life’ the 37-year-old fired through the pack, making up ten places in the first lap of the race and proving his determination to not go quietly.

During the final lap of the contest, as a second-place overall finish seemed inevitable for Turkington, Cammish’s Honda suffered brake failure. In the blink of an eye, his Championship dreams were over and the #1 BMW driver’s despair turned to ecstasy.

Turkington’s 2019 season saw an impressive 27 points-finishes, five wins, eight podiums and the top average qualifying – fourth on the grid – all of which paved the way to his record-equalling fourth Championship title.

 “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get close to Andy Rouse’s record [of four titles] – that’s amazing and very special. This has been my hardest championship yet by a long shot – to win it two laps from the end of the season is completely different to the other ones. I was in shock when I crossed the finish line and was told I was champion. It was just pure elation – nothing else in life gives you that feeling. I really do feel for both Andrew and Dan – it’s a bitter pill to swallow. You put in a full year’s work to try to win this, and I honestly thought it had got away from me after race two.”

 - Colin Turkington

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBTCC/videos/516606285796330/?t=138

Tom Chilton will compete as part of the expanded three-car BTC Racing line-up for its 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign after penning a deal to join the Brackley-based outfit over the winter.

The 2010 Indy Champion has enjoyed a hugely successful BTCC career since making his debut back in 2002. At the time, he was the youngest driver to ever make the grid at just 17 years old and he made an instant mark on the series, taking fifth in the Independents’ standings.

Works drives for Honda, Vauxhall, and Ford followed as Chilton established himself as a rising BTCC star before switching to the World Touring Car Championship stage in 2012. Returning to the UK in 2017 after a stellar five-year stint in the WTCC, where he secured the Independents’ Title and placed third overall in his final season, Chilton quickly re-established himself as a serious title challenger.

With an incredible 14 outright BTCC race wins and 57 podiums under his belt, the 34-year-old has been a consistent championship contender during his impressive tin-top career, coming close to clinching the Drivers’ title in 2018, where he finished third overall, and as Independent runner-up.

Chilton brings a wealth of experience to the fledging BTC Racing squad for its 2020 title challenge, piloting one of the Dudman/Taylor-owned team’s race-winning Honda Civic Type R FK8 machines, alongside Josh Cook. BTC Racing ended last year’s maiden season running the FK8s in fourth place overall in the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships, and as runners-up in both Independents’ Standings.

“I’m incredibly excited about joining BTC Racing,” said Chilton. “The team did a sterling job last year. To have ended the season fourth overall and as Independent runners-up in their first season running the FK8 chassis was an outstanding achievement.

“I can’t wait to get testing underway. I have a great history with Honda, and I’m really looking forward to getting back in one again, and behind the wheel of the FK8.

“Josh [Cook] is a great driver, and I like having good team-mates to push me. I’d like to think that with my years of experience I can bring something new to the team and help to push them on at the sharp end of the grid.

“BTC Racing is a relatively young team, but their attitude and performance caught my eye last year. I like their approach and professionalism. I’m optimistic about the future that we can build together, not just for this season, but hopefully for many years moving forward.”

Joint team Principal Bert Taylor added; “Personally I couldn’t be happier to have captured Tom. You only have to look back over his racing career to see what a true talent he is.

“Tom’s signing is another part of our plan to push forward and challenge for the BTCC title in 2020. He brings a wealth of experience and talent to the team, and I have no doubt that his knowledge will help to develop the Civic further this season.

“We have two great drivers confirmed in Tom and Josh [Cook] with a third to be announced soon. We have come a very long way in a short time. I feel that we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid this year for what will be only our fourth season in the BTCC.”

Throughout the next fortnight, Motorsport News Editor Matt James will continue to reveal his top ten memories from the last ten years of the British Touring Car Championship. It's another one of the BTCC's legendary showdowns today: 2015.

When: October 11, 2015

Where: Brands Hatch

Realistically it was all about Jason Plato versus Gordon Shedden for the 2015 championship spoils. Plato had taken his BMR Racing VW CC to five victories going into the finale at Brands Hatch in early October, while Shedden had four wins in his Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R. Despite that, Shedden had the upper hand by 23 points as the teams assembled in Kent for the final showdown.

That buffer had been chipped away slightly after the opening race on the grand prix track as the Scotsman finished sixth in the first encounter, right behind Plato.

But it was race two where the real drama unfolded. Shedden dropped to 16th spot on the first lap and knew that all was not right with his Japanese machine.

A pinched brake pipe had led to the anchors remaining partially on throughout the race, and his Civic lacked the real punch that he needed to make any progress at all. It was a painful 15 laps for the Honda man, who was aiming for his second BTCC title.

He was powerless to prevent slipping down the order further as the brake discs on his hatchback glowed red hot. There was a very real chance that he wouldn’t finish the race, but he made it to the flag in 19th spot.

With Plato taking his chances and, from a handy front-row start in the reversed-grid finale, going on to dominate the very last race, the pressure was on Shedden. He had to climb from 19th to sixth position (at least) to land the big prize.

He began one of the races of his life to tear up the lower order. He was in the top ten after just nine laps and then set about his rivals one by one to cross the line in fourth spot. That was enough for the crown by a slender four points in one of the category’s most memorable finales.

Shedden admitted afterwards that he had put everything on the line in those 18 laps in a car that was shorn of any success ballast after his travails earlier in the afternoon. “I knew that I was either going to do enough to win the title, or end up on my roof in the tyre barrier. I was going to give it everything I had,” said Shedden afterwards. “I did, and it paid off. Why doesn’t this championship get any easier?”

It certainly doesn’t, but Shedden became the first driver for almost ten years to claim back-to-back titles with another successful campaign in 2016.

Trade Price Cars Racing has today (9 January) confirmed that reigning MINI Challenge champion James Gornall will complete its driver line-up for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season.

The 35-year-old from Bedford, who will be making his series debut with the second-year team as part of a new-look driver line-up alongside the recently announced Bobby Thompson, brings a wealth of experience from a hugely successful racing career to date.

A multiple champion in karting, Gornall - known to his fans as Jiggy - carried his success into car racing with a championship victory in BARC Formula Renault, but it was a move into the British GT Championship in 2008 that saw his career hit new heights.

Racing alongside Jon Barnes in a Brookspeed-run Dodge Viper, Gornall secured the championship title thanks to an unrivalled tally of four wins - wrapping up the crown with two races of the season still to run.

The same season also saw Gornall take a class win in the Silverstone 24 Hours with the Beechdean Motorsport team before a hiatus from racing that would run through to 2014 when he elected to return to competition in the BMW Compact Cup.

Racing against Trade Price Cars Racing team owner Dan Kirby, Gornall secured second in the standings in 2015 and then went one better twelve months later to lift the championship title.

After a strong guest appearance in the MINI Challenge in 2018, Gornall then worked to put together a full-season programme in the series in 2019, with five wins - and an impressive 13 podiums - allowing the BRDC member to secure another championship title.

That championship success resulted in Gornall securing the chance to sample a BTCC machine for the first time, with an outing in a Ford Focus RS at Snetterton only strengthening his desire to make the step up to the BTCC for the 2020 campaign.

Gornall has now agreed terms on a deal to move into Britain’s premier motor racing series with Trade Price Cars Racing, which will be looking to add to the silverware it secured on track during an impressive debut campaign.

The award-winning, Essex-based motor dealership took the step into team ownership in 2019 and celebrated a first win in the series at Knockhill, regularly taking the fight to the established order with its ever-improving Audi S3s.

Gornall will make his debut in the Trade Price Cars Racing Audi when the new season kicks off at Donington Park in late March.
 
"When I decided to enter the MINI Challenge last season, it was with the aim of learning the skills required to move into British Touring Cars in the future, as I’d never raced in front-wheel drive before,” said Gornall. “The test I did in the Focus as a reward for winning the title only increased my desire to join the grid, as I felt comfortable straight away and knew that I would be able to do myself justice.

"I’ve known Dan [Kirby] for a few years from our time racing against each other in the Compact Cup, and we had a chat about his plans for the touring cars with the Audis twelve months ago at Autosport International. I’ve kept a keen interest in how things have been going since then, and it’s great that I’m now going to be part of the team for my debut season in the BTCC.

"As a driver, you always want to win races and if you don’t go into a new season feeling you can win, then you won’t do. The team has shown that it can fight for victories and that has to be my target in 2020; to fight for silverware and to challenge for both the Independents’ title and the Jack Sears Trophy.

"I’m looking forward to working alongside Bobby and think we can have a lot of fun during the season ahead. A huge thanks to Dan and the team for making this deal happen, and I can’t wait to get started."

"On the back of our 2019 season, there was a lot of interest in the Audis and a lot of speculation about who would be at the wheel,” said Trade Price Cars’ team owner Dan Kirby. “I’m really pleased to now welcome James into the team. I’ve raced against him in the past, and you only have to look at the success he has enjoyed in his career to date to see what a talented driver he is.

"As a newcomer to the series, James is a driver who fans might not be too familiar with. However, I’m confident that they will soon see what James can do when the season gets underway as you don’t become a six-time British champion in a range of disciplines without being a quick driver. James has a winning mentality, and I’m looking forward to seeing him make his mark on the BTCC during his maiden season.

"With James alongside Bobby, I think we’ve put together an exciting driver pairing that will allow us to build on the success we enjoyed in our first year, and I’m confident that we’ll make a real impression again in 2020."

It has today (9 January) been confirmed that Sam Osborne will be joining the AmD Tuning team for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The 26-year-old will be embarking on his second season in Britain’s premier motor racing series with the West Thurrock-based outfit, and will be at the wheel of one of the team’s two race-winning Honda Civic Type Rs.

Having previously raced in the MINI Challenge and the Renault Clio Cup UK, Osborne made his touring car debut in 2019 after securing a late deal to join Excelr8 Motorsport at the wheel of an MG6 GT.

Osborne secured a best finish of 14th during the season after an impressive drive at Snetterton, where he picked up his maiden points finish in the series.

The Worksop-based driver concluded his first campaign in the series just outside the top 20 in the Independents’ championship, whilst he was also well placed in the Forever Forward standings having made up more than 90 spots from his starting positions over the course of the 30 race campaign.

Having worked hard to gain as much knowledge as possible from his debut season, Osborne now heads into 2020 looking to make the most of the expertise of the AmD Tuning team - and the undoubted potential of the Honda - to make strides forwards up the grid.

Running alongside race-winner Jake Hill, Osborne will hope to regularly challenge for points finishes, with his overall goal being to challenge for honours in the Jack Sears Trophy - which is open to drivers who hadn’t achieved a podium finish prior to the campaign’s commencement.

Osborne will make his debut in the Honda when the 2020 season gets underway at his home circuit of Donington Park in late March.

AmD Tuning’s new-look livery and sponsor line-up for the new campaign will be revealed in due course.

"I’m ecstatic about this deal and can’t wait for the new season to get underway,” said Osborne. “To be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet, but this is a fantastic opportunity for me and one that I want to try and grab with both hands.

"From the moment I first spoke to Shaun, I knew that this was the right deal for me and I’m hoping that this can be the start of something long term with the team. There is little doubt that my rookie season had its challenges, but I’m hopeful that the Honda is a car that will be better suited to my driving style and that I can work with the team and with Jake to learn as much as possible and make progress up the order.

"To regularly challenge for points finishes is the first objective and if I could then make a bid for the Jack Sears Trophy it would be fantastic."

"Sam is a driver who did a solid job during the 2019 season when you consider that he went into his first year in the series with very little testing and with a team that was new to the BTCC,” said Team Principal Shaun Hollamby. “It’s a big step up from the Clio Cup, and he showed himself to be more than capable of racing at this level.

"With a year of experience behind him, Sam’s goal now has to be to make the step forward to challenge for points on a regular basis and we certainly feel that that is something that he can do during the year ahead. The Jack Sears Trophy is a realistic goal, and it would be great if he could help us challenge for the title for a third time.

"Sam and Jake have known each other for a number of years and our hope is that they can work together to challenge for some strong results in 2020."

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship team Laser Tools Racing has today (9 January) revealed Right Choice Insurance Brokers (RCIB) will be sponsoring the team in its 2020 campaign at Autosport International.

Autosport International has established itself as a 'must-attend' fixture for any Autosport enthusiast or Autosport team every January. Held in the vast halls at Birmingham's massive NEC, teams from all genres of Motorsport use the event to shake off the January blues and publicise their plans for the year ahead, introduce new driver signings, and allow the public to have a 'first look' at the vehicles and their new liveries.

The newly expanded Laser Tools Racing team which is again entered to compete in the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – this year with a 2 car/driver line up – has today used this traditional opportunity to unveil the new livery for their highly attractive, and much revered Infiniti Q50 NGTC cars.

This year, piloted by the highly experienced Laser Tools Racing 'old hand', Aiden Moffat, and off-track friend, former Jack Sears Trophy champion, and 2017 BTCC champion Ashley Sutton, the cars promise to be as exciting on track for the season ahead as today's unveiling of the stunning looking Q50s were in their static environment in Birmingham. Whilst glimpses of the latest car have been had, the unveiling at Autosport has confirmed sponsorship involvement from RCIB.

The Essex based Insurance Broker has been a sponsor of the Laser Tools Racing managed single-entry car for a number of seasons, but the expansion to a two-car set-up for the 2020 season has also seen an expansion of RCIB's sponsorship of the team.

“We are proud to be major sponsors for the exciting driver pairing of Aiden Moffat and Ash Sutton,” said RCIB CEO Mike Joseph. “We have worked with both drivers at the beginning of their BTCC careers and they have now gone on to become great drivers.

“Aiden and Ash are both excellent brand ambassadors for RCIB and are amongst the best drivers on the grid; we are confident that they will achieve great things this year in the Laser Tools Infiniti and we are really excited to be a part of it.”

“I have known Bob Moffat a long time and when I was offered the chance to increase our sponsorship with the team and move to two cars it was an easy decision to make.”

“It’s great to be working with RCIB again,” said Sutton. “They were a big part of making my graduation to the BTCC happen back in 2016. So, to be partnered back up with them again is fantastic and hopefully I can repay them for all their support, but this time behind the wheel of the Infiniti Q50.

“There's lots going on behind the scenes with the build of two new cars for this upcoming season and I personally can’t wait to get going, I haven’t been this excited for what’s ahead since 2017. It’s great to see the colours of RCIB tie in so well with the addition of the orange on the car, it looks smart and I can’t wait to see what it looks like on track for the first time!"

“It’s great to continue working with RCIB Insurance and Mike Joseph,” said Moffat. “We have been together since my first ever season in the BTCC and have built a great relationship and friendship so to have RCIB as such a big part of this exciting new Laser Tools Racing project with the new Infiniti Q50’s and Ash joining us is really exciting for me.

“This is the most enthused I’ve been for a season. The Laser Tools Racing car is one of the best-looking cars on the grid in my eyes, but we always like to make little changes to keep things fresh, so tying in the RCIB colours with our striking Laser Tools Racing colour scheme makes for a stunning livery!”

“Right Choice Insurance Brokers are a big name on the BTCC grid and have been for years now so it’s great having them on board.”

“This is great news for us — Mike Joseph and the team at RCIB Insurance are all committed BTCC enthusiasts and this makes it a pleasure to work with them,” said Laser Tools Racing Team Principal Bob Moffat.

“RCIB first supported Aiden in his maiden season and have continued to support him ever since. The commitment they have made this year to the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50 two-car team of Aiden and Ash is instrumental to the development and we are all extremely eager to get going.”

Throughout the next fortnight, Motorsport News Editor Matt James will continue to reveal his top ten memories from the last ten years of the British Touring Car Championship. Today, James recalls the BTCC showdown of 2013.

When: October 13, 2013

Where: Brands Hatch

This was David versus Goliath, but it was also the story of one man staking his claim to be regarded as the best of the new wave of talent. In a category that had been dominated by the established names like Jason Plato, Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington, Andrew Jordan was something of an upstart back in 2013.

He wasn’t with one of the powerhouse teams, he was part of the family-run Eurotech Racing squad. He hadn’t been in the heart of a title showdown before. Indeed, he had only won four races when 2013 kicked off.

But it clicked. He worked hard with his father Mike at the preparation of the machine, and forged a great relationship with his race engineer, his brother-in-law Adam Hardy. Work on how to get the best from the Dunlop rubber involved Jordan changing his driving technique to be kinder to his tyres, and it reaped huge rewards.

Still, there was work to be done and perhaps his best performance of the year came at Rockingham, with only three meetings remaining. He mastered the damp conditions to power to his first career weekend ‘double’, with race one and race three victory. He walked away from Northamptonshire with a 30-point buffer over Shedden.

At Brands Hatch, the wheels so nearly came off for Jordan. He was the innocent victim of a race-two shunt between Aron Smith’s Ford Focus and Rob Collard’s BMW. As Jordan checked up to avoid the chaos, Neal’s Honda clipped the side of the points leader and broke his suspension. It was Jordan’s first non-finish of the entire season.

With Shedden finishing race two in seventh spot, that cut Jordan’s points advantage to just 20. And then, to cap it all, Shedden was drawn on the reversed-grid pole while the Pirtek-backed Jordan would start on the back row in 24th spot.

Jordan didn’t hang about. By half distance in the 15-lapper, he was in the top 10. With Shedden fighting off a spirited challenge from Jack Goff in the Team Hard Vauxhall Insignia to take the win, Jordan simply had to stay there. He did that and more. He improved to ninth at the flag and it was the eight points he needed to push the title silverware from Shedden’s grasp.

“After the second race, my dad [Mike] and I spoke to each other and we knew that the finale was where I had to prove that I deserved the title,” said an emotional Jordan afterwards. “I needed to produce a champion’s drive, and I think I did that.”

Kicking off the first #WinItWednesday of 2020 is Stephen Jelley’s victory at Oulton Park in June.

In his first win since his return to the series in 2017, following a seven-year hiatus, the Leicester-based driver found himself on the sixth spot of the grid for the final race at the Cheshire circuit. A battling race ensued which saw Jelley in second place at the flag, before on-track winner Jake Hill received a post-race penalty, resulting in the 37-year-old's triumph.

Alongside his win, Jelley achieved another podium and a fastest lap during his 2019 campaign.

Click the image below to download…

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season will kick off at Autosport International from 9-12 January.

A line-up of stars and cars contesting the upcoming season will take pride of place on a dedicated BTCC feature in Hall 2 at Birmingham’s NEC.

The 2020 campaign will feature a 30-car grid, battling over 30 rounds across ten weekends and the BTCC stand will be the first opportunity for fans to see some of the new car and driver line-ups ahead of the Donington season-opener on 29 March. 

Fresh from victory in the final round of 2019, Power Maxed Racing will reveal their updated 2020 Vauxhall Astra. Fans will also be able to see 2017 champion Ash Sutton and teammate Aiden Moffat unveil their Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50s. The Scottish team switched from the Mercedes A-class to the Infiniti in mid-2019 and the signing of Sutton to partner with their regular front-running driver is a sign of their ambitions. 

Other race-winners who will meet their fans on the Kwik Fit BTCC stand are Honda’s Dan Cammish, who came heartbreakingly close to winning his first title in 2019, Andrew Jordan, Josh Cook, Tom Ingram, Matt Neal, Chris Smiley, Stephen Jelley, Jack Goff, Jake Hill and Senna Proctor. Several other new driver announcements will be made at the show.

Four-time champion Colin Turkington, along with Team BMW, were recognised at last month’s prestigious Autosport Awards, with readers voting for the Northern Irishman as ‘National Driver of the Year’ and Team Principal, Dick Bennetts, winning The Gregor Grant Award for lifetime achievement in motorsport. Bennetts led Jonathan Palmer and Ayrton Senna to F3 glory before turning his West Surrey Racing team into a BTCC tour de force winning with MG and BMW. 

In 2019, Turkington was crowned champion at one of the tensest title deciders in motorsport history, where, in changeable weather at Brands Hatch, the pendulum dramatically swung between Turkington, Jordan and Cammish. Turkington will be reflecting on that momentous day both on the Kwik Fit stand and on Autosport International’s main stage.

The series will make the switch to Goodyear tyres in 2020, as part of the comeback of Formula One’s most successful tyre manufacturer to saloon and sports car racing, and Goodyear will provide three different tyre compounds to add further spice to the mix. With success ballast, reverse grids and evenly matched cars and drivers, the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will guarantee thrilling action again.