The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has successfully tested a new vehicle recovery system ahead of its introduction, becoming mandatory for all circuits in 2017.

TOCA, the BTCC’s series organisers, made the decision that it has become necessary to speed up recovery in order to reduce lost track time and time spent under yellow flag conditions as well as behind the safety car.

The full lifting system was introduced by the Porsche Carrera Cup two years ago and it was agreed that the BTCC would be following the same concept.

With the use of both front and rear-wheel drive in the BTCC, implementation is complex due to variations in the centre of gravity between each make and model. RML, the chassis component supplier to the championship, were contracted to carry out a study and provide a solution that would work across all cars and all weight distributions.

At last week’s Snetterton tyre test, Dextra Racing with Team Parker offered to have their Ford Focus modified to demonstrate the principle, which was successfully carried out using an MSVR recovery vehicle.

BTCC Technical Director, Peter Riches, said: “We’re delighted to have demonstrated this proof of concept successfully after a lot of hard work behind the scenes from RML to get it off the ground, so to speak!

“We’ve seen the positive impact the system has had in the Porsche Carrera Cup and we’re sure that with the full lifting system in place for all cars on the grid for next season, we’ll be able to increase green-flag time and give the fans even more on-track action over the course of 2017 and beyond.”