A flurry of announcements, unveilings and driver appearances will ensure the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is the talk of the town next week, as the NEC’s Autosport International (12-15 January) kick-starts the 2017 motor sport campaign.

The Dunlop BTCC stand has firmly established itself in recent years as one of the most popular at the show, drawing industry professionals, media and fans alike over the four-day duration. A new, stand for 2017 underscores the championship’s burgeoning success, with cars from West Surrey Racing, Motorbase Performance, Handy Motorsport and AmDTuning.com set to take pride of place.

Thursday morning will witness livery unveilings by Andrew Jordan – who will remove the wraps from his new Pirtek-branded BMW 125i M Sport – and AmD, while Motorbase is set to reveal the identity of the driver who will pilot the second of its three striking Shredded Wheat-backed Ford Focuses.

These will be complemented by interviews with a whole host of BTCC drivers, key team personnel and leading figures from the championship and its partners – including series boss Alan Gow, Dunlop’s James Bailey and ITV stars – as well as regular autograph and selfie sessions, all hosted by our own incomparable compere Alan Hyde.

Defending title-holder Gordon Shedden will be performing various duties around the show across all four days, including interviews on the main stage and Dunlop BTCC stand in company with fellow champions Colin Turkington, Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan.

A full timetable of activities on the Dunlop BTCC stand will be published in due course, while there will be further car unveilings by Halfords Yuasa Racing on the Rimstock stand and Simpson Racing on the Simpson Exhausts stand on Thursday morning.

The Dunlop BTCC stand can be found in Hall 6, so be sure to drop by to say hello if you’re attending the show!

LATEST AUDIO: With the return of the Vauxhall Astra to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship confirmed, another #BTCC returnee, Power Maxed Racing’s Tom Chilton, and Team Principal Adam Weaver look forward to the 2017 campaign and an exciting project ahead.

 

Dunlop, the Official Tyre Partner to the MSA British Touring Car Championship, is predicting a significant increase in grip and traction following the introduction of bigger tyre sizes and new constructions for the 2017 season.

The new Dunlop Sport Maxx BTCC range will be a larger size -  265/660R18, compared to the previous 245/650R18, a width increase of 20mm.

In addition to the increase in size, the performance improvement will come from the use of advanced compounds to provide consistent, enduring performance. Dunlop are also introducing an enhanced construction to improve steering response and braking stability.

A new naming convention will help spectators to follow who is using which tyre. At all races (apart from Thruxton) the Sport Maxx Prime tyre will be used. This was formerly known as the Sport Maxx Medium and, as before, will be used by drivers in two of the three races at each event.

In one race at each event a ‘Sport Maxx Option’ tyre will be used.  This will be either a softer or harder compound than the Prime. Dunlop will announce which Option tyre will be used at each circuit before the start of the season. These will use a dark grey sidewall marking to help spectators differentiate them from the bright yellow sidewalls of the Sport Maxx Prime tyre.

At Thruxton, the Sport Maxx Hard Option tyre will be the compulsory dry tyre for all three races, as this uses a compound and construction that has been successfully proven on the abrasive Hampshire circuit.

In addition, Dunlop have upgraded the ‘BluResponse Wet’ tyre to improve aquaplaning resistance with a revised tread pattern and the same 20mm width increase as the Sport Maxx Prime and Option dry tyres.

The new BTCC tyres have been developed from Dunlop’s long experience in other championships as James Bailey, PR and Communications Director, Dunlop Motorsport EMEA explained: "On the gruelling Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Dunlop 265/660R18 tyre was the choice of the 2016 VLN Endurance Champions. These endurance races on the World’s toughest circuit are the perfect testing ground for tyres. The new Dunlop Sport Maxx and BluResponse BTCC tyres combine these endurance racing learnings with our existing BTCC circuit experience to create a tyre range that will provide greater traction and grip in 2017.  We are confident that the new range will bring greater performance to an already spectacular championship."

Rob Austin is in reflective mood this festive season but the BTCC race winner also has his eyes firmly set on a renewed challenge in 2017.

Austin has huge support among the BTCC fanbase and there was some surprise when he switched squads ahead of the 2016 season, moving from his own family-run team to Simon Belcher’s Handy Motorsport.

It wasn’t just a move of teams but it would also see Rob line-up on the grid in front-wheel machinery for the first time, as he swapped his Audi A4 for a Toyota Avensis.

“It was definitely a learning curve and it maybe took a little longer than we’d hoped,” he said. “We were following solid set-up advice initially but it became clear that we may be needed to go down a different route.”

After a series of troubled qualifying sessions at the start of the year, plus a number of occasions where Austin narrowly missed the chance of a reverse grid pole position, the team used the mid-season Dunlop tyre test to experiment with a new direction on set-up.

“Mid-summer testing at Snetterton was key,” he continued. “The first couple of changes didn’t do much, but just as we were about to start tearing our hair out we tried one last thing and it transformed the car – we found half a second instantly. From that change we haven’t looked back and have found more and more pace every time out during the second half of the season. The Toyota was a completely different car in the second half of the season.”

A podium at Snetterton followed, but it wasn’t until the final two events where Austin and Handy really showed their potential. Sixth in qualifying at Silverstone resulted in a podium in the opening contest, but it was his near pole position at Brands Hatch that really turned heads.

“It’s actually a little frustrating," claimed Austin. "If we had gone on new tyres a couple of laps later I’m sure we could have had pole. In truth though it was a great result and we finally knew we had a front-running car underneath us.

“We took second in the first race at Brands and overall it was a positive end to the season. We really didn’t want 2016 to finish – knowing what I know now, how we developed the car and how I improved in a front-wheel drive car throughout the season – I was ready to go again the day after Brands.”

That has remained Austin’s stance ever since and he can’t wait to get back down to business in the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

“We haven’t finalised everything but we’re working hard and we're very positive," he concluded. "Hopefully we’ll be in a position to announce our plans early in the New Year. The team are already fully prepared for the new season and maximising the pre-season testing opportunities will be key. I felt like I had been racing with a hand tied behind my back with the Audi and the pressure that goes with running the whole team. This year was a transitional/learning year, but if I can put the deal together and get back on the grid, in that car with Handy Motorsport, then I feel I’ll finally have a fair shot at this.”

Following the announcement last week that Motorbase Performance has re-signed star driver Mat Jackson, as well as attracting a new title sponsor in Shredded Wheat, we caught up with Team Boss David Bartrum and Jackson himself...

Race-winner Dave Newsham will return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship next season at the wheel of a BTC Norlin Racing Chevrolet Cruze.

The Inverness-based ace will line up alongside Chris Smiley in the team’s two cars, and both will begin a 2017 test programme shortly after Christmas.

Newsham raced the same Chevrolet when it was run by the Power Maxed Racing outfit at two meetings last season, scoring points in five out of the six races he contested.

The 49-year-old, who has featured in the BTCC since 2011, said he was thrilled to have been given the chance to compete with the Bert Taylor-run BTC Norlin Racing squad.

“To have been selected for this drive is unreal for me,” reflected two-time race-winner Newsham. “The team has some very solid foundations and there is a real desire to win from all parties. This will be the first time I will go into a season with a car that I know, so I am full of optimism.

“There are some great people assembled at the team, including my engineer Steve Brady. The elements are there for us to take some real steps forward in terms of performance.

“We will get some pre-season testing done too, and there are areas of the car that we can develop from my time driving it in 2016. I know I have got to go out there and perform – the pressure is on, but I am ready for the challenge.

“I am very grateful to Bert Taylor and the guys at Norlin for the chance to get back on the grid. I am going to do my very best to justify their faith in me.”

Taylor said he was thrilled that Newsham had agreed to drive for the team, and that his input into the initiative could help to push the entire programme towards the front of the field.

“It was important for us to get a driver with race-winning experience, and Dave was at the very top of the list of drivers we wanted,” he revealed. “When we started putting this deal together, we knew he would be the perfect fit.

“Dave showed how good he is when he stepped into the car for a couple of rounds last season and was challenging for the top six straightaway. That is the class that he has. We have a testing programme mapped out and we can’t wait to get to work.”

Stephen Symington, co-owner of Norlin added: “We are delighted with this announcement, and Dave is a perfect ambassador for BTC Norlin Racing and co-sponsor Propiteer.

“We have great experience in the technical team and now we have added a second driver who is world-class. Everyone in the sport thinks very highly of Dave, including the fans, and he was therefore our top target once we had bought the team.”

Power Maxed Racing has signed Tom Chilton as its second Vauxhall driver for the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. 

Chilton, 31, brings vast experience and success to the debutant manufacturer team, with his background including success behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Astra during its last manufacturer outing with VX Racing. Scoring 12 BTCC wins, 45 podiums and 10 poles, Tom is an experienced front runner and will join the Power Maced Racing Vauxhall team-mate, BTCC rookie Senna Proctor. 

It has been a busy off-season for Power Maxed Racing who will return to the grid as a manufacturer after signing a partnership deal with Vauxhall followed by the first driver signing, young talent Senna Proctor. 

The team line-up is now complete with tireless work already ongoing to complete the Astra build in time for a testing programme in the new year.

Tom Chilton commented: "I am delighted to be back in the BTCC, I have continued to watch as a fan while racing in World Touring Cars and the itch to get back behind the wheel on British soil has never gone away. So you can imagine how excited I was when Adam got in touch, plus to get to return in a Vauxhall Astra, a car that I know and love is a dream. I am confident that Power Maxed Racing will be front runners and scoring podiums, the team are fantastic, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel."

Adam Weaver, Power Maxed Racing Team Principal, commented: “I have known Tom for a while now and followed his career with interest, which has now paid off. His experience and work ethic is second to none, he knows what’s coming and will be a great role model for Senna as well as a proven race winner. We knew last year that we had the ingredients for success but like a cake you can’t rush it, but maybe, just maybe this year we can have our cake and eat it!"

Alan Gow, BTCC Series Director, said: "It's really great to see Tom back in the BTCC - and securing a driver of his undoubted speed and experience shows just how serious Power Maxed are about their Vauxhall programme."

Power Maxed Racing is well down the road with the build of the pair of Vauxhall Astras and has a packed build and test schedule between now and the first round of the BTCC in April. The reveal of the Vauxhall Astras in their full livery will be at the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Season Launch on 16 March 2017.

Ashley Sutton's maiden season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship would prove to be one to remember for the Essex-born racer, as he rounded off a strong campaign in fine style by winning the Jack Sears Trophy.

The MG RCIB Insurance man didn't take long to assert himself as a someone capable of challenging at the sharp end, despite his rookie status. After going well there in pre-season testing at Season Launch, Sutton scored pole at Donington Park – the season's second race weekend. A host of high points-scoring finishes showed it wasn't just over a lap where Sutton's capabilities shone. 

Come mid-season, at the end of the Croft weekend, he'd garnered a debut appearance on the steps of the rostrum and a thrilling race three from the North Yorkshire circuit, in changeable conditions,   yielded a popular first win for the MG driver – much to the delight of the both the Triple Eight squad and MG's contingent. 

As far as the 2015 Renault UK Clio Cup champion is concerned, 2016 will go down as a job well done in the BTCC.

“Things couldn’t have gone better for me this season,” said Sutton. “Some bad luck struck us mid-season and knocked us down the standings for the overall Drivers’ title but I have achieved everything I came here to do.

“People kept asking me at the start, ‘are all these big names intimidating?’ and my honest answer was always no, they are just stickers on windows. I was not going to treat the BTCC any differently to any other championship I had been in.

“I set myself some goals just before Season Launch – those being to secure my first pole positon, get my first podium, followed by my first outright win and then the last and final one, the Jack Sears Trophy.

“Those goals at the time may have been a little strong but I am pleased that we have achieved every single one of them.”

At the TOCA Night of Champions at the end of November, Sutton collected the Jack Sears Trophy, bearing the legendary name of inaugrual BTCC champion Jack Sears, in the year of the inaugural BTCC champion’s passing gave an extra gravitas to the achievement.

“Collecting silverware does show what you have achieved, but winning the Jack Sears Trophy on the year that ‘Gentleman Jack’ passed, with his son David presenting it to me made it an emotional experience as well as an unforgettable one.”