Cobra Sport AmD Racing has agreed a deal with RCIB Insurance and AutoAid Breakdown to take on the role of title sponsor for its 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship programme.
 
West Thurrock-based AmD Tuning and long-time backers Cobra Sport Exhausts will campaign a pair of Honda Civic Type Rs in the series next year as part of a new and exciting partnership, replacing the two MG6 GTs that were run by AmD in 2018.
 
Those MGs were run with support from sister companies RCIB Insurance and AutoAid, which are headed by successful Essex-based businessman Mike Joseph.
 
Founded ten years ago, RCIB Insurance has become one of the fastest growing insurance companies in Europe whilst AutoAid Breakdown – part of the RCIB group since 2016 – has won numerous awards for providing all-inclusive breakdown cover at value-for0money prices not seen anywhere else.
 
With the relationship between Cobra Sport AmD Racing and RCIB Insurance/AutoAid having proven to be a success both on and off-track this year, talks have now been concluded on a deal to extend the agreement into a second season.
 
Discussions with potential drivers for the two RCIB Insurance/AutoAid-backed Hondas have also now drawn to a close, with a further announcement in due course about who will be at the wheel of the two cars when the new season kicks off at Brands Hatch in April 2019.
 
“Over the past twelve months we have developed a strong working relationship with Mike and his team, so we are delighted to have concluded an agreement to extend our deal with RCIB Insurance and AutoAid into a second season," said Cobra Sport AmD Racing joint Team Principal Shaun Hollamby.
 
“On track this year, we enjoyed some strong results with the MGs and the things we were able to do together off-track also worked extremely well for both parties; such as the competition to win a road-going replica of the car.
 
“As a team, we are excited about taking our BTCC programme to the next level with the Hondas, and are thrilled to have RCIB and AutoAid along for the ride as we look to build on the success we have already enjoyed together.
 
“We didn’t quite manage to get onto the overall podium this year, but with the drivers we have now signed to drive the two Hondas, I have no doubt that we will regularly be pushing for the top step in 2019.”
 
Mike Joseph, RCIB Insurance Managing Director said: “We are delighted to be working with Shaun and the team at AmD again this year and with the new cars - and our chosen drivers - I’m sure that the 2019 season will be a great success.
 
“With this extension of our relationship, we can not only look forward to another strong year on track, but can further promote the RCIB Insurance brand – and our sister company AutoAid and its award-winning breakdown cover – to a huge audience both trackside and on TV.
 
“We’re really looking forward to 2019.”

West Surrey Racing has announced the signing of Tom Oliphant for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The Leamington Spa-based driver will compete for the team in what will be the 62nd running of the UK’s most popular motor racing series.

Oliphant, 28, made his BTCC debut in 2018 with Ciceley Motorsport and qualified inside the top 10 at his second event at Donington Park.

He repeated this achievement five more times across the season, recorded a best finish of seventh at Knockhill in August and scored his maiden fastest lap in the series at the final round on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

His CV also counts a Ginetta GT4 Supercup title and British GT race wins, while he finished runner-up in the Porsche Cup Middle East and has scored a podium finish in both the Carrera Cup GB and the global 24H Series’ showpiece event, the Dubai 24 Hours.

“It’s a dream come true to join WSR for next year’s British Touring Car Championship and I’m incredibly proud that Dick Bennetts and the team have shown the faith in me to provide this opportunity," said Oliphant.

"WSR have been the Teams’ Champions for the past three years and their reputation is of the absolute highest standard, while BMW’s contribution to touring car racing in Britain and across the globe is immense, so I’m incredibly excited and proud to be a part of this programme.

"This gives me a great platform to achieve my targets in the BTCC, which are to take wins and podiums in 2019, finish in the top 10 of the points and compete for the Jack Sears Trophy.”

WSR’s BMW 125i M Sports scored 18 podiums and three wins in 2018 as the Sunbury-on-Thames team steered Colin Turkington to the Drivers’ title and claimed the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ crowns to complete a championship clean sweep with the help of fellow drivers Rob and Ricky Collard and Andrew Jordan. The team has won 10 overall BTCC titles in the past 10 seasons; all with BMW cars, plus nine Independents’ crowns.

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, added: “We’re very pleased to announce Tom as the first member of our 2019 line-up. We have a long history of working with young drivers and turning them into front-runners and champions, and we’re sure Tom has all the right attributes to achieve his potential with us. We were impressed with him in the BTCC support categories and the speed he showed in his rookie season in 2018 has convinced us that he’ll be the ideal driver to help us push on and achieve our aim of even more success in 2019.”

Following the entry approval deadline, Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Series Organiser TOCA has today (3 December) advised that all 30 entries – the maximum number of TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) held by teams – are now confirmed for the 2019 season.

Teams must hold a TBL for each car entered and there are 30 TBLs controlled by teams, with two further licences retained by TOCA for its own use.

In keeping with the objective of reducing the size of the BTCC grid, TOCA will not be allocating its two TBLs to additional entrants, despite receiving serious applications from no fewer than three new teams wishing to participate in the forthcoming campaign.

Teams will announce driver line-ups and details of their cars and sponsorship agreements for 2019 over the coming weeks, prior to the release of the finalised entry list, set to be distributed by TOCA in March.

Confirmed entries for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship:

Aiden Moffat Racing, 1
AmD/Cobra Exhausts, 2
AmD/Trade Price Cars, 2
BTC Racing, 2
Ciceley Motorsport, 2
Excelr8 Motorsport, 2
Motorbase Performance, 3* 
Power Maxed Racing, 2
Simpson Racing, 1
Speedworks Motorsport, 1
Team Parker Racing, 1
Team BMR, 2
Team Dynamics, 2
Team HARD, 4
West Surrey Racing, 3 

*including one TBL on loan from HMS Racing

To mark the news that Toyota GB is set to return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in 2019, we've gone back in time to the 1980's to recount Chris Hodgetts' BTCC title triumphs, via the Toyota GB Blog.

In the hands of Chris Hodgetts, the front-engined, rear-wheel drive Toyota AE86 Corolla GT Coupé defeated many more powerful cars to win the BTCC Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ crowns in 1986 and 1987.

The combination of Hodgetts’ aggressive driving style and the raucous sound of the Corolla GT’s 1587cc naturally aspirated engine are still fondly remembered three decades later by those who warmed to the tale of this underdog beating the odds.

The BTCC ran a multi-class system in the mid-80s, with cars divided according to engine capacity. Points were awarded in each class, meaning the overall champion could come from any division. For 1986, Team Toyota GB needed an experienced front-runner to pedal its Corolla GT in the 1301-1600cc category. Hodgetts fitted the bill, not least because he had previously enjoyed two seasons of success in a Celica GT in the BTCC in 1980 and 1981.

Hodgetts, then 34, shared Toyota GB’s desire to run a slick operation: “Although we were competing in the smaller class, we ran professionally,” he recalls. “I am a stickler for having things right. We had to do it properly and I was trying to make a mark for myself.”

The Toyota GB entry topped the class podium in the opening race at Silverstone, and Hodgetts never looked back, winning five more times in succession. That’s not to say that he had things easy; at every race he fought with bigger-engined cars from the classes above.

He had to extract every last ounce of performance from the Corolla GT. With about 180bhp and 190Nm from its 1587cc engine, but weighing just 800kgs, the Corolla GT had a good power-to-weight ratio, but Hodgetts’ rivals in cars with more power could stretch their legs on circuits with long straights.

Hodgetts had to maintain momentum, which meant braking as late as he dared into the corners and launching the Corolla GT over the kerbs on two wheels. “The secret of getting the most speed out of the car was wringing its neck!” he laughs. “It was great fun to drive, very light and the engine was very strong.”

The victory streak lasted until Brands Hatch in August, when Hodgetts finished second in class in an unpredictable, monsoon-hit race, but he returned to class-winning ways at Donington Park and clinched the 1986 BTCC crown. It brought him great satisfaction: “I didn’t really intend to be a giant-killer – I wanted to win the BTCC, plain and simple – but I enjoyed mixing it with more powerful cars and took so much pleasure from beating them.”

Hodgetts relinquished his title-winning Corolla GT to motorcycle racing legend Barry Sheene for the final round and instead drove a second version sponsored by Demon Tweeks. After following Sheene for a few laps, Hodgetts pulled clear for another class victory.

Toyota GB and Hodgetts remained together for 1987. A new, improved Corolla GT was built: more horsepower was extracted from the twin-cam 16-valve inline four-cylinder engine and the suspension and brakes were uprated.

Hodgetts dovetailed his BTCC title defence with outings in the European and World Touring Car Championships. Occasionally he would race in two events during the same weekend, flying from Britain to mainland Europe and back again to compete.

“Driving was my job,” says the man once known as ‘the flying milkman’, in deference to his former career. “I wasn’t doing it for the fun of it – it was what paid the mortgage and put food on the table.”

Hodgetts won at Silverstone, Oulton Park and Thruxton. There was a rare blip during a second visit to Thruxton, where he suffered excessive tyre wear and was beaten by another Corolla GT driven by Geoff Kimber-Smith, but thereafter he went unbeaten.

He faced stern opposition from an unlikely source in the support race to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. TOM’S GB, the European division of Toyota’s Japanese racing team, entered former F1 driver Tiff Needell in a new front-wheel-drive Corolla FX-GT (AE82) hatchback. The TOM’S car was quick and Needell pushed Hodgetts hard before the reigning champ pulled clear.

Needell featured again in Hodgetts’ other memorable BTCC race in 1987. A novel two-driver endurance event was held at Oulton Park, with cars coming into the pits midway through the race to make a driver change.

Hodgetts and Needell each drove a Corolla GT, with the twist that they were partnering each other. They circulated nose-to-tail on the circuit, and then came into the pits on the same lap to swap machines. Changeable conditions almost wrecked the plan – the team’s mechanics only had one set of air guns with which to change the cars on to dry-weather tyres, so Needell had to remain on wet-weather rubber – but the results for that bizarre race show Hodgetts/Needell in third and Needell/Hodgetts in fifth…

Hodgetts has fond memories of the seasons with Toyota GB, and the run of two titles and 18 class wins from 20 starts cemented his position as one of Britain’s top touring car racers. “It was a wonderful time,” he says with a smile. “I was flat-out everywhere – and I still am today.”

To mark the news that Toyota GB are set to return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in 2019, we thought we'd take a look back at the marque's BTCC title-winning AE86 Corolla GT Coupe with Toyota GB.

The AE86 Corolla GT Coupe won back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987, the feisty little rear-wheel drive machine beating larger, more powerful competition on its way to success.

Toyota celebrated the 30th anniversary of its title win last year, taking the covers off its replica Chris Hodgetts Motor Sport (CHMS) Corolla GT Coupe for an outing at Anglesey alongside the outgoing Avensis.

It would have been fantastic to have the actual championship-winning car present but the whereabouts of that original car is unknown; reports suggest that it ended up going overseas, but then the trail runs cold. So to coincide with the launch of the AE86’s spiritual successor – the front-engined, rear-wheel drive GT86 – Toyota GB commissioned this replica.

Alongside the modern-day BTCC contender, the simplicity of the ’80s Corolla GT Coupe is striking. Whereas contemporary BTCC regulations proscribe an extensive aerodynamic package that includes a frontal aero device with a flat floor and a specific rear wing profile, the Corolla is a far more humble machine. Beneath the Toyota GB livery run by the CHMS team, the body is stock Toyota fare. As specified by the FIA’s Group A regulations in force at the time, the front bumper, side skirts and boot spoiler were all fitted to the production AE86.

A key part of the success enjoyed by Chris Hodgetts was the powerful yet reliable Toyota 4A-GE twin-cam engine. Displacing 1587cc, it came in below the 1600cc limit for BTCC’s class D, and yet this compact four-cylinder engine reportedly developed around 195bhp for the 1987 season. The engine in our replica Corolla GT isn’t quite so highly strung as the original race engines, yet it still generates in the region of 170bhp.

A comparison with current BTCC regulations shows how the series has moved on. While engine capacity is now capped at 2.0 litres, the addition of turbo power and modern advances like direct-injection mean that the current crop of cars produce over 350bhp, double the power of the Corolla.

Equally important to the Corolla GT Coupe’s on-track performance was its superb handling. Stripped of unnecessary extras, it tipped the scales at only 800kgs, and its production-derived front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout improved matters further by evenly distributing that weight across the axles.

Thirty years on, the BTCC still mandates that cars use the same drivetrain layout as the base production model, so in contrast to the Corolla, the current BTCC Avensis – set to be replaced at Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport in 2019 by the all-new Corolla hatchback – employs a front-engined, front-wheel drive layout.

With a fantastic car beneath him throughout 1986 and 1987, Chris Hodgetts capitalised on his wealth of experience to dominate the class throughout both seasons.

Reigning two-time Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Independent champions Speedworks Motorsport will join the series’ Manufacturer ranks in 2019 after gaining factory backing from Toyota GB and rebranding as Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport – and an all-out title assault is the target.
 
Tallying nine race wins with Tom Ingram, consecutive Independent Teams' and Drivers' trophies in 2017 and 2018 and coming within just 12 points of clinching the outright Drivers’ laurels this year – Speedworks has now upped the ante in Britain’s premier motorsport series by officially joining forces with the UK arm of Toyota.
 
Ever since debuting in the BTCC in 2011, the Cheshire-based outfit has campaigned Toyota’s Avensis, but next year will herald a new dawn as the all-new, UK-built Corolla – due to take to Britain’s roads in 2019 – enters the fray.
 
Ingram – widely tipped as a future BTCC champion and one of the series’ undisputed rising stars – has competed for Speedworks since making his bow in 2014, and the 25-year-old will spearhead the Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport challenge as he bids to add the most coveted crown in national motorsport to his burgeoning career CV.
 
Both the Corolla – the best-selling car in history, achieving more than 45 million worldwide sales to-date – and Team Toyota GB have a proud heritage in the BTCC. Chris Hodgetts memorably claimed back-to-back championship titles in a Corolla GT Coupé in 1986/87, and Team Toyota GB remained a front-running force in the series through to the popular 1990s Super Touring era.
 
The 2019 BTCC season will begin at Brands Hatch (Indy) on 6/7 April, meaning Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport’s new contender will take to the track at the same time as the latest-generation road-going model arrives in British showrooms. The campaign will conclude on the legendary Kent circuit’s Grand Prix layout six months later.
 
Christian Dick, Team Principal, Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport, said: “We have been speaking to Toyota GB on-and-off for the past couple of years, establishing an ever-closer relationship and nurturing that bond through our common passion for motorsport, engineering excellence and, ultimately, success. To now have them officially on-board is fantastic news, and will enable us to take that final step to really push for the overall BTCC title. The intention is to develop the new Corolla in 2019 before building up to a two-car assault in 2020. We feel we have proved what we are capable of on the Independent scene and we are well aware that the BTCC Manufacturers’ battle is another level higher again, but as a team, we are ready to pitch ourselves against the very best in Britain and – with Toyota GB’s backing – we are confident of doing just that.”
 
Tom Ingram, Driver, Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport, said: “Having dreamt about racing in the BTCC since I was a little boy, the past five years have been something of a whirlwind for me, if I’m totally honest. What we have accomplished as a small Independent outfit – particularly over the last two seasons – has been nothing short of mind-blowing, and demonstrates just what this little team is made of. To attract the support of a major manufacturer is a phenomenal achievement and huge credit must go to Christian and Amy [Dick – Team Manager], who have worked their absolute socks off to pull this deal together. For Team Toyota GB with Speedworks Motorsport, 2019 starts now – and I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds!”
 
Andrew Cullis, Marketing Director, Toyota GB, said: “Bringing the Corolla name and Team Toyota GB back to the British Touring Car Championship in 2019 is a great way of helping us launch this important, all-new British-built car. Speedworks Motorsport and Tom Ingram have a winning track record and we look forward to working with them throughout the coming season.”

The 60th anniversary, 2018 British Touring Car Championship was rounded out in fine style at the annual TOCA Night of Champions this past Saturday (24 November) – with Kwik Fit unveiled as new title sponsors on an evening of celebrations.

ITV Sport anchorman Steve Rider hosted proceedings with Louise Goodman on hand to interview the stars of the TOCA package as they collected their silverware.

Paul Rivett (Renault UK Clio Cup), Tio Elinas (Porsche Carrera Cup GB), Kiern Jewiss (British F4 Championship), Charlie Ladell (Ginetta GT4 Supercup), Adam Smalley (Ginetta Juniors) were those crowned champions from the TOCA support series’ and were first to make their way up on stage at IHG’s Crowne Plaza Marlow.

The BTCC proceedings were kicked off with the presentation of the largest trophy of the night – the coveted Jack Sears Trophy – as well as a Stilo ST5 carbon fibre crash helmet courtesy of nickygrist.com to Halfords Yuasa Racing rookie Dan Cammish.

"It's great to win," said Cammish. "It's not the only trophy I hope to win in the BTCC but it's fantastic. It's been a great season. It was my first in a front-wheel drive car and the engine's in the other end of the car compared to what I'd been used to. That was a lot to adjust to but I think we were quick from the outset."

Speedworks Motorsport and Tom Ingram were busy on the night, taking home both the Independent Teams' and Independent Drivers' gongs respectively for the second consecutive year.

"It's really difficult to put into words how much it means – it truly means the world to all of us," said Team Principal Christian Dick. "We were disappointed not to come away with the big one but I must pass on a massive thanks to all of the team. Without them it wouldn't be possible.

"Every season we've been involved we've crept forward but most of it has gone under the radar until we've got to the very sharp end. We've made huge steps this year and have got more planned for next year again. I couldn't be more excited to get into work and get going at the moment."

"We can look back at this season with real pride," added Ingram. "We've got really good memories and it's been such an amazing team spirit. That's what pulled us through. For the work that everybody's put in it's the least we've deserved.

"We learn so much with each year that passes. I've been with the team since 2014 and we get better year-on-year, we move on and we grow. From a driver's point of view you learn that it's so tough in the BTCC you can't afford not to score and not to be on the podium and build that momentum. That's what I've learned most."

Ingram made his way back on stage to collect Dunlop's #ForeverForward honours, having also topped the tally for most positions gained last season.

West Surrey Racing-backed Team BMW walked away with the Teams' crown once again, while the Bavarian marque sealed Manufacturers' honours. Legendary BTCC team boss Dick Bennetts spoke of his delight.

"The BTCC gets tougher every year," said Bennetts. "The competition is getting tougher but it's a team effort and we have an advantage there with running three, or this year four, very good drivers. We can compare the data between drivers to improve. I've a difficult task sometimes keeping them all under control but I must say the team effort, all 27 of us, have been exceptional.

"When we started WSR in Formula 3 back in the day, there were three of us and we've come a long way. It isn't just me. There are a lot of guys and girls doing fantastic work. It makes it easy for me. We love a challenge – 28 cars within 0.8 seconds at Silverstone is certainly that, and it makes the BTCC a fantastic championship to win."

BMW and WSR added another title to their haul this year via Colin Turkington, and BMW Group UK and Ireland Managing Director Graeme Grieve aired his gratitude.

"It means the world to us, to our colleagues in Munich and most importantly our customers. Motorsport is at the heart of our brand and there were a lot of people supporting the team and Colin heading into Silverstone and Brands Hatch hanging on in there with us.

"We've had four drivers in three cars but with Andy (Jordan) and Rob (Collard) both taking wins, and the former fifth in the championship despite the worst of luck throughout the season. We also had Ricky (Collard) taking a maiden podium. It's been a great year."

"They're all difficult but this one meant more to me than the others," added Turkington. "It's really special to win it three times. This is one of the biggest prizes in global touring car racing, so to be on here three times is an immense pleasure and it makes me very proud.

"When the engineer comes on the radio and tells you that you've won, all of those feelings that you've been bottling up throughout the year come out. It's relief that all of the discipline that all the teamwork and the hard work that the team put in has paid off.

"The podium, champagne, fireworks and your phone's on fire – everyone wants a piece of you. You want more of that and we're so lucky to be doing this. For me, driving for BMW and winning this championship and doing it for them was a joy.

"I'm not sure there were many single moments. Never through this year did I think we were far and away quickest, we just kept working hard and kept grafting away and scoring points. I got to the end of the season having won one race but to come out with this prize, you just realise how tough it is.

"I just wanted to say to T0m (Ingram) and Speedworks that they put up a hell of a fight and pushed us all the way and that's what you want as a driver – to push yourself and be the best that you can be.

"With competition like that, you have to go to the next level and we all know Tom will be a champion one day, I'm just glad it wasn't this year! 

Award-winning BTCC Engineer of the Year Kevin Berry, Turkington's engineer, was there all the way and has been for some time alongside the Northern Irishman, who was keen to pay tribute.

"He's very hard to please," said Turkington. "He's been the man in my corner for six years now and he's never happy. As soon as I get out of the car he calls me to the engineer's office and says 'Andy (Jordan) is quicker here, Rob (Collard) is quicker there and Ricky's found a bit', so we're always seeking the tiny margins and that's where Kevin comes in.

"We're probably the last two out of the circuit. I don't think I'm good for his health but he's given me two championships... We clicked from day one and he quickly understood what I needed from the car to go fast.

"We make each other's job easy and we make a good team. I look forward to working with him in the future and hopefully more success."