Sam Osborne will make his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship debut this season with series newcomer EXCELR8 Motorsport, completing the team’s two-car entry with its newly-acquired MG6 GT machines.

Osborne, 26, will graduate to the BTCC off the back of competitive seasons in both the Renault UK Clio Cup and MINI CHALLENGE championships, during which he learned the ropes of tin-top racing.

The Rotherham-based racer established himself as a regular top-10 challenger within the Clio Cup across the last two seasons with the WDE Motorsport team, and prior to that he formed part of EXCELR8’s line-up within the MINI CHALLENGE JCW Class.

Having been a two-time winner during his maiden car racing season in the 1.6-litre MINI CHALLENGE Cooper Class in 2010, Osborne carried that success into the forced-induction JCW championship, finishing fourth overall in the championship for two consecutive years, the second running with EXCELR8 in 2012. From there he dabbled in Radical racing, before returning to front-wheel-drive competition in the Clios.

Osborne will join fellow MINI graduate Rob Smith at EXCELR8 and is hopeful that rekindling his relationship with the team can help him learn quickly during his first BTCC campaign.

His MG6 GT will bear the colours of primary sponsor, Wera Tools, as well as backing from Tool Maniac and The Green Group logistics.

“This deal to join the BTCC with EXCELR8 is absolutely mega, and something that I’ve dreamt of for a few years now,” said Osborne. “During my racing career I’ve always looked for chances to move up the ladder, and the BTCC is the absolute pinnacle of saloon car racing in the UK. It will be a privilege to be a part of it.

 “I feel my time in both the Clios and MINIs has prepared me well for the BTCC. My first test in the MG6 is coming up soon, and I’ve heard a lot of things about the way NGTC machinery drives compared to the feeder classes. I think my time racing the JCW MINI will be very relevant, as many say it’s close to a touring car experience. There’s obviously a lot more adjustability in the touring car, so we’ll be learning about setup a lot this year.

“I think it will be a learning year all round for us. I know EXCELR8 well from my time in the MINI CHALLENGE, and I’ve raced against Rob Smith for a few years, too. However, the MG6 GTs will be a new challenge to both the team and us drivers. We all work well together, so I expect us to be able to put together a solid debut season. Personally, I want to get myself into the thick of the grid as soon as I can, and then look to start fighting for places in the top 10 and see where we can go from there.”

EXCELR8 team manager Oliver Shepherd added: “We’re delighted to confirm that Sam will join us for our first season in the BTCC, and as a team we’re now raring to get going with both our drivers confirmed.

“Sam is a known quantity to us, and he showed great potential during his first spell with us in the MINI CHALLENGE. Between Sam and Rob we have two drivers we know well already, and we know they will gel with the team incredibly quickly, and I think that’s a vitally important aspect when starting up in the BTCC from scratch. With our pre-season testing programme due to get underway soon, we’re all very excited for the season ahead.”

Adam Morgan is ready for an all-out assault on the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with Ciceley Motorsport, as the outfit reaches the climax of an extensive development programme. 

Morgan will be joined in the Ciceley stable by Dan Rowbottom in the sister Mercedes-Benz A-Class this season. The pair are out at Circuit Calafat in Spain this week trialing some more radical set-up philosophies as the outfit seek its venerable Mercedes’ peak performance.

“We have been through another round of weight saving with the car,” said Morgan. “By doing that, it means we can put ballast in parts of the chassis which will help the handling.

“We’ve developed the chassis, too. I don't think that the age of the car is an issue. Look at the Toyota Avensis that Speedworks ran last year. That's not a fresh car and it was one of the fastest out there in 2018. 

“We have worked through a comprehensive testing schedule and we have done some detailed simulation work to try and understand the set-ups more. We will try some radical things in testing and I’m sure we’ll unlock some more pace from the car.” 

Morgan returns for an eighth season in Britain’s top-flight motorsport series and he’s thrilled to be back, with the full support of title sponsor Mac Tools.

“I am delighted to be able to contest in the BTCC again,” added Morgan. “It’s fantastic to have Mac Tools supporting me for another full season as title sponsor, we have enjoyed an eight-year relationship with the company and it just goes from strength-to-strength. 

“We couldn’t sustain our BTCC campaign without the support of our fantastic sponsors Fuchs Lubricants, Lunar Caravans, Ciceley Commercial Vehicles, Pallex, K&N Filters, Water logic and grafx, either. There are many other supporters of the team who pledge both time and money and it’s this core group of people that helps keep us going.

The Lancashire driver welcomes a friend into the fold this year in the Cataclean side of the garage in Dan Rowbottom.

“It’s great to have Rowbo in the team,” he said. “We get on really well and I can’t wait to start working with him.

“We enjoyed some real scraps together in karting and although he says he always beat me, I don’t remember it like that!

“Dan has been up to the workshop a lot over the winter and is already getting on really well with his engineering team, he has fitted in straight away.” 

Norman Burgess, Ciceley Motorsport Commercial Director added: “It’s a dream job for me at Ciceley Motorsport all our sponsors have remained yet again, the most important ingredient for any team is support from sponsors we simply couldn’t go racing without them.  

“The team has been absolutely flat out on full gas as usual throughout the winter improving the entire package and I think the car is now at its peak, we have a realistic chance of securing our best ever season. 

“Dan is great to work with both at and away both at and away from the track. Adam and I have tried to lure him into the team for the last couple of seasons and working together we have managed to get him on board this year with his sponsor Cataclean.

“There is a good feeling throughout our entire squad.”   

Aiden Moffat completed the initial shakedown of his Laser Tools Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class last week at Snetterton ahead of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, before running through a testing programme encompassing the Norfolk circuit and a trip to Donington Park.

Laser Tools Racing has taken on the build and running of the A-Class over the course of the off-season, and last week's track-time saw the car's first laps under the outfit's own steam, following a winter's worth of work back at A1 Automotive – Laser Tools' headquarters. The young Scot was pleased to rack up a bundle of problem-free miles.

"We did two days down at Snetterton and then two days at Donington Park," said Moffat. "We're running the car ourselves for the first time this year.

"It's new to us, basing everything from A1 Automotive, Laser Tools' headquarters, but we've completed a full bare-metal rebuild of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class over the course of the winter. We stripped everything back and started afresh, from a clean slate.

"Shakedown and our initial testing last week went down very well. We didn't really have a single problem to complain about all week. Everything went to plan and the car felt very good right out of the box. We've put a lot of hard work in over the off-season to make it the best it can be out of the box, and I've brought over my engineer who's given us a strong base to work from in terms of set-up."

Moffat notched a couple of podiums amid early-season promise at Donington Park in 2018, as well as victory at Silverstone following a stellar defensive drive. This year, the aim is to mould the Mercedes-Benz A-Class into a car that will suit the Scot over the whole campaign, ironing out niggles at the circuits Moffat believes traditionally tend not to favour the German hatchback – now a mainstay of the BTCC field.

"This year, we know what we've got to do in terms of developing the car, and that's improving our pace at the more technical circuits like Knockhill, Croft and Oulton Park," added Moffat. "We'll be looking to explore some new avenues and make a few major changes and see where they settle in testing.

"There's so much you can go and do to a BTCC car in terms of set-up and this is the perfect time to be fully gauging where we can go in an effort to maximise what we've got over the full season. Even at places like Silverstone, where I have gone well in the past and where I took a victory in 2018, it's been from a reverse grid and I've had to produce some defensive driving to get the result.

"That's part of it in this championship, of course, but we want to be sure we're improving the A-Class across the board so we can be stronger at those types of circuits."

On his targets for the season, Moffat explained that setting goals in the BTCC can be a foolhardy exercise. Instead, he's keen to take things weekend by weekend, and make the most of the circuits early in the season where the Mercedes has performed strongly in the past, before taking stock and seeing where Laser Tools Racing stands. 

"We never go out and set any overarching expectations of ourselves," continued Moffat. "You never know what others have done over the winter and what makes the BTCC so great is the fact that everything can change in that time, as well as from weekend to weekend – that's part of what makes it so special. I will be getting my head down and giving it a proper go this year, that's for sure. Race wins and podiums are what we're here for, as is everybody else, so we'll be striving to take our chances when they come.

"The car will be liveried up next week and we'll be out on track a couple more times before Season Launch. There's more mileage planned as we look to learn how to exploit some of the finer details of the A-Class between now and Brands Hatch. It's always great to get to Brands.

"We've a lot of family friends down there and it feels like a bit of a home from home for me. It's a circuit I like and along with the GP circuit, Donington Park and Thruxton, it's one we know suits the car. I'm keen to get off to a strong start and make the most of those opening few weekends and see where we shake out from there."

Photo - Colin Gray

The 3 Series will return to Britain’s premier motor racing series this year, with BMW confirming it is to bring its best-selling model worldwide back to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
 
A prolific winner virtually from the outset, the story of the BMW 3 Series in the BTCC is a long and distinguished one, yielding five Drivers’ titles and two Manufacturers’ crowns between 1988 and 2009, from Frank Sytner’s success with the M3 to Colin Turkington’s triumph with the 320Si E90. In-between, there were back-to-back championships for Will Hoy (1991), Tim Harvey (1992) and Joachim Winkelhock (1993).
 
The 3 Series was superseded by the 125i M Sport in 2013; since then, BMW has clinched two further Drivers’ trophies (both with Turkington – in 2014 and 2018), three more Manufacturers’ laurels and Teams’ honours in each of the last three seasons. Now, the class-leading 3 Series is back, with a refreshed driver line-up for Team BMW and designs on future glory.
 
Complementing the launch of the seventh-generation road-going model in March, the race-tuned 330i M Sport will join the fray in the 2019 BTCC curtain-raiser around Brands Hatch’s Indy Circuit on 6/7 April. It will be piloted by three-time title-winner Turkington – the most successful driver in the brand’s illustrious BTCC history – and new signing Tom Oliphant, who impressed over the course of his rookie campaign in the series last year.
 
Turkington is one of the most decorated touring car drivers in the world, with 31 of his 46 BTCC race wins coming in Bavarian machinery – including BMW’s milestone 100^th victory at Thruxton in 2017. With race-winning pedigree in the British GT Championship and Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, Oliphant is widely considered to be one of the sport’s rising stars and tallied 12 points-scoring finishes in the BTCC in 2018.
 
The cars will be fielded by long-time BMW partner West Surrey Racing, with a third 330i M Sport for 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan, who will run out of the same WSR stable but under the BMW Pirtek Racing banner in deference to his title sponsor.
 
Helmed by the legendary Dick Bennetts, WSR was founded almost four decades ago and played an instrumental role in the formative careers of such motorsport luminaries as Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello and three-time Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna.
 
The Surrey-based outfit has masterminded BMW’s BTCC challenge since 2007, and is hard at work behind-the-scenes prepping the new 3 Series ahead of its anticipated track debut at the Season Launch test at Brands Hatch on 27 March.

Graeme Grieve, CEO, BMW UK, said:“The BMW 3 Series has a rich and successful history competing in the BTCC and we are extremely proud to see that tradition continue. This all-new BMW 3 Series is the road-going dynamic benchmark and we have a great track record working with our partners at West Surrey Racing, so 2019 looks set to be a very exciting year for us inthe BTCC.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, West Surrey Racing, said:“We are delighted to be bringing the BMW 3 Series back to the BTCC. We achieved a great deal of success with the fifth-generation model between 2007 and 2012, so we are hugely excited to see what the latest version is capable of. A lot of hard work and countless hours lie ahead, but we are all confident of turning this car into a winner and reinstating it in its rightful place – at the front of the field in Britain’s premier motorsport series.”

Colin Turkington, 2009, 2014 and 2018 BTCC champion, said: “As far as pre-seasons go, it doesn’t get much better than this! Back in 2009, I clinched my first Drivers’ title in a BMW 3 Series, and to commence a new chapter with the new model for Team BMW is a dream come true. This exciting project has delivered a potent dose of motivation into an already dedicated team and we are inspired to get going. It’s a very busy time for the engineering team back at base as they build and develop the cars for the new season, but the expertise is there to get the job done. The new-look road car is stunning and the race car will be something else! It’s an amazing time to be involved and I’m honoured to have this role.”

Rob Collard will drive for Power Maxed Racing in the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, completing the outfit's line-up.

With a record of 15 race wins, 61 podiums and 16 fastest laps over a BTCC career spanning some 18 years, Collard joins Jason Plato in the PMR designed-and-built Vauxhall Astra, and the Hampshireman is as hungry as he's ever been.

"My desire to win is as strong as ever," said the 50-year-old. "I’m delighted to form a new partnership with PMR to return to BTCC in 2019. I’ve watched their growth and development from day one and seen Adam (Weaver, Team Principal) and the team build a race-winning package that has gone from strength to strength.

"I’m very pleased to help build on that success, alongside an experienced team-mate in Jason. Returning to front wheel drive is a challenge I relish, particularly having won the Independents' title in a Vauxhall Astra in the past. As always I’d like to thank all of my sponsors, particularly Duo and Hitachi Construction Machinery, for their continued support for my 2019 campaign.”

“After our breakthrough year in 2018, we have been looking for a driver line up that not only matches our ambitions, but that also has the speed and experience to help us realise those ambitions," added Team Principal Adam Weaver. "I am delighted that Rob has decided to join PMR to complete what I believe to be an incredibly strong driver line up. 

"It is quite surreal for me as the two drivers we have signed are ones that I grew up watching and are a big part of the reason I fell so in love with BTCC in the first place. Celebrating our eventual successes together is going to make all the hard work so worthwhile.”

The outfit finished tied for second spot in the Teams' running in 2018, in the Astra's second year in the BTCC, and PMR has ambitions of challenging again in 2019. It's currently concluding an intensive winter development programme ahead of pre-season testing and will be announcing brand partners and its race livery in due course, with testing to begin next week at Brands Hatch with Collard in the hot-seat.

"It’s not very often I complement Adam, certainly not publicly anyway!" started Martin Broadhurst, Team Manager, jovially. "But he has done a sterling job with the drivers he's secured for the forthcoming campaign. The plan is really starting to come together and we are ready to cement ourselves as a top team in the BTCC, if we haven’t done so already."

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Matt Neal and Dan Cammish are all signed up with the outfit and ready to hunt for titles in the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The current generation Honda Civic Type R (FK8) impressed in its maiden campaign in 2018, with the Team Dynamics-backed outfit striding to second in the Manufacturers' and Teams' running.

Three-time champ Neal, 27 years a BTCC driver, took the FK8's first win at Thruxton back in May but the highlight of his season was victory in the extended distance, celebratory 60th anniversary 'Diamond Double' race at Snetterton mid-way through the year.

"Last year we got to understand the car really well and made some changes over the winter to make it even stronger," said Neal. "I'm hungry to get my fourth BTCC title so I'll be going all guns blazing with Dan to secure the Teams' and Manufacturers' Championships first and then hopefully be in a position to take the Drivers' mantle."

Cammish quickly adapted to the car in his debut season, having made the step into the BTCC from the rear-wheel drive 911s he steered to top honours in Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The 29-year-old signed off a solid year with two race wins on the final race weekend at Brands Hatch, having secured the Jack Sears Trophy at Silverstone.

"Getting to know the Honda Civic FK8 BTCC car in 2018 was a steep learning curve, but I think I proved to the team throughout the season that I had the speed in me, it was just experience of this formula that I lacked," said Cammish. "To finish the season on a high with back-to-back victories was amazing and to also win the Jack Sears Trophy was a highlight of my year. With all that experience under my belt I'm hoping to come back stronger this season and challenge for the overall title."

Team Dynamics heads into its ninth consecutive BTCC season in manufacturer partnership with Honda, and its 16th utilising Honda machinery in Britain's top flight. A full season's racing and data, as well as a comprehensive winter development programme sees the team expectant of spearheading multiple title challenges this year.

Dave Hodgetts, Honda UK Managing Director, added: "All of us at Honda are looking forward to the new BTCC season with a great deal of confidence. None of our rivals can boast the three-time champion pedigree and experience of Matt Neal coupled with the talent and raw hunger of Dan Cammish, who delivered a strong performance in his first season. We are confident that both our drivers will be challenging for top honours this season."

Ash Sutton will again get behind the wheel of a BMR Racing Subaru Levorg GT for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, marking his third season as part of the outfit with which he won the 2017 Drivers’ title.

Sutton joins Senna Proctor, with the team having worked tirelessly over the course of the off-season, alongside Subaru (UK) and Adrian Flux Insurance Services, to ensure the right package was put in place to secure his services for the campaign ahead.

Last year, the 2017 champion narrowly missed out on retaining top honours, tallying six race wins and eight podium appearances on the way to fourth in the overall running. The Essex driver is delighted to be back with BMR for another crack at the crown in Britain’s top flight.

“First thing’s first; I am bouncing off the walls to be returning for my fourth BTCC season and my third season with the BMR, Adrian Flux Subaru Racing outfit,” said Sutton. “Secondly, trying to keep this on the lo-down since the end of last year has been very difficult!

“My second season, 2017, was really the start of a journey for me, landing myself a manufacturer seat in Subaru, with a fantastic team behind it. Alongside representing our prestigious sponsor, Adrian Flux Insurance Services, pushing the program, it was simply a dream.

“To be the one to go and secure them their first BTCC title made it very clear that this would now be home for me.

“Having all parties back on-board for the 2019 season means we have all the required assets to step it up a level. With the addition of Senna Proctor as my team-mate, who, like myself, originally progressed through the BMR Academy, we’re looking good for a strong campaign.

“We had a lot of bad luck last year which cost us the chance to go out and defend the title but having been in touch with the hard work going on back at base throughout the winter, it’s certainly shaping up nicely.

“The guys have been doing a sterling job and I’m very excited about our plans moving forward. Along with our developments for the season, we’re aiming for a huge uplift. To see things unfold and watch the Subaru Levorg GT start to take shape again has left me champing at the bit.”

BMR’s testing programme will commence in the coming weeks ahead of the BTCC Season Launch test day at Brands Hatch on 27 March, and Team Manager Mickey Sergeant is eager to get underway with Ash back in the fold for 2019.

“It’s a given I’m thrilled that Ash is remaining with the team and excited that together with Senna we have a young team that can push us forward this season,” said Sergeant.

“Continuity is a word bandied about quite often in motorsport and it’s key for both the team and Ash in order to build on and replicate our success. Much has gone on behind the scenes to strengthen the team and to maximise the Levorg’s performance in a championship that gets tighter and more competitive every year.

“Having Ash on-board for another season is the final part of the jigsaw for our 2019 BTCC campaign and the news we all longed for. Together with Senna we have a great pairing capable of running at the sharp end. One thing’s for sure, it’ll be entertaining to watch!”           

Gerry Bucke, General Manager of the team’s title sponsor Adrian Flux Insurance Services added: “Adrian Flux is delighted that Ash Sutton returns to the team for the third year in a row to mount his BTCC title challenge.

“The sport's fans already know what an outstanding talent Ash is and the team will be working as hard as ever to keep him at the sharp end where he belongs.”

“With Senna in the second car, BMR Racing has secured an incredible line-up of young, race-winning drivers. It will be interesting to see which of them comes out on top each weekend.”

Paul Tunnicliffe, Subaru (UK) Managing Director said: “This is as good as it gets. Ash is a proven winner, a known entity to the team, if we had a blank sheet of paper he would have been our first choice as driver, as he would be for many teams. He and Senna bring new meaning to the phrase ‘dream team’.”

Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport's preparations for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship are coming to a head, with the outfit welcoming world-class engine lubricant company Motul to the fold as sponsors this season.

Speedworks has enjoyed a hot-streak in Britain's top flight in recent years and, having secured the manufacturer support of Toyota GB, is hoping to up the ante yet further this year with its all-new Corolla almost ready to break cover.

Tom Ingram will make the switch from the venerable Toyota Avensis that saw him take nine race wins and consecutive Independent Teams' and Drivers' trophies in 2017 and 2018.

Team Principal Christian Dick is delighted with how the outfit's new-build machine has come together, and is sure that Motul's expanded backing, via UK distributor Witham Motorsport, will strengthen his squad's chances.

"Motul and Witham Motorsport have supported us since Tom came on board in 2014 and have become a major part of the team," said Dick. "Their support has been infallible and we look forward to embarking on this new chapter with them.

"Good quality oil and fluids always improves performance so we’re delighted to be working with Motul and Witham Motorsport for what I hope will be our best season yet”.

"The Corolla's coming together nicely. It finally looks like a car, after so much hard work. You spend a lot of time working on the build and finish days looking like nothing has changed but to see it there, as almost the finished article, is fantastic.

"The build's pretty much there and we only lost four or five days to things like slippage from suppliers that you'd expect to factor in anyway. The car has been running, albeit only in the workshop. We've completed system checks and made sure everything's as it should be under the skin. We're looking good."

Witham Motorsport has enjoyed an longstanding relationship with Speedworks and the BTCC. Sales Director Richard Scarborough intimated his excitement at bolstering its involvement.

“We’re thrilled to be sponsoring, and supplying Motul lubricants, to Speedworks and Tom Ingram for a fifth consecutive year in the BTCC. This year marks an exciting new chapter after gaining factory backing from Toyota GB, which will no doubt help push for the overall BTCC title."

With the finishing touches being put in place on the new Corolla, Dick confirmed the team are due to head out on-track for the first time next week at a UK venue ahead of a trip to Spain for an extended testing programme.

"Tom (Ingram) has been in and around the process looking like a kid in a sweet shop," added Dick. "His seat fittings been done and he can't wait to get out there and get going.

"We'll be hitting a UK circuit next week, which will be made known shortly, before heading off to Spain for a comprehensive testing schedule at the beginning of March.

"Stress levels and the amount of work involved in bringing this all together since Toyota came on-board have ensured that I haven't had time for it to all properly sink in yet.

"When the car rolls out onto a race-track for the first time next week, I'm sure there'll be a great sense of pride in what everyone here has achieved over this off-season."