The 2008 BTCC

As we’ve already mentioned a way to win tickets for the BTCC, I thought it would only be fair to follow this up with an article on the (now under way) BTCC. Whilst it is fair to say that Lewis Hamilton has once again put Formula 1 on the grid (no pun intended) for a lot of people who would otherwise be uninterested, I think it’s fair to say that the BTCC is probably the most exciting four-wheeled motorsport in the UK.

It has started again this weekend over at the amazing Brands Hatch circuit and is sure to be full of the thrills, spills and usual shenanigans that those in the know are thoroughly entertained by every year. In case you’ve never seen it though, I’ve added an FAQ style set of questions for you to get a better understanding of what exactly the whole thing is about.

What is the BTCC?
The BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) is a race series held every year in the UK and Ireland. It is now fifty years old, this being the fiftieth year. Initially, races were governed by a variety of classes, but (almost) all cars are now standardised to a fashion.

This year, you’ll see a variety of teams and manufacturers competing to win the various coveted prizes including team, driver and manufacturer. This year, you’ll see all the coverage you can want on ITV4 – which for a number of races will show direct, live coverage of the full five hours racing.

What sort of cars do they drive?
The cars, much like any motorsport, are what make the BTCC. In this case, the amazing fact is, teams who enter using FIA’s Super 2000 regulations (almost all of them) use a car that you or I could simply purchase in a dealership across Europe. This makes for fascinating viewing as you could well own one of the cars on the grid. Generally speaking, they’ll be of a saloon body type, with a 2.0 litre engine.

What is also interesting about the cars is that you are allowed your own choice of fuel, whether it is petrol, diesel, gas or bio-ethanol. This really allows creativity and difference across the board – something that at times is lacking in Formula 1. You’ll notice that all cars have cameras in them for safety, as well as having funky paint jobs and loads of downforce creating bodywork.

What are the rules?
There are a significant number of rules that make up the BTCC, only one of which is significantly controversial. To put it simply, on the Saturday you have two practice sessions followed by a thirty-minute qualifier, where the fastest lap takes pole position, much like formula one. The races begin on Sunday, of which there is three altogether. Race three is a little different for placings and is complicated to describe, so I’ll take it straight from the mouths of the BTCC Officials:

Sunday’s third round grid is decided by the finishing order of the second race but, uniquely, with the leading positions reversed. The number of positions to be reversed becomes known only after race two when the winner draws a random number between six and ten.

Apart from this rule, you also have what’s known as ‘success ballast‘. What this comes down to is essentially; the top five finishers get weight added to their cars. This is of course designed to make much more competition for the races and add further to the excitement.

What makes it exciting?
To be honest, the BTCC is probably my favourite motorsport event and if you watch it I’m sure it’ll become yours too. There’s nothing quite like seeing cars speeding around the track that you could go out and buy. More to the point, the drivers have no problem at all with going wheel-to-wheel, with many incidents along the way. It’s the closest you’ll see to Forza 2 or Gran Turismo being played out for real.

Who’s going to win this year?
Another thing that makes the BTCC great is that there’s always a high level of competition. Who’s going to win this year could well be anyone’s guess, but I’d put my money on a few racers. Like him or loathe him, Fabrizio Giovanardi is an excellent driver, and he’ll be near the top. Matt Neal is also very good, and he has a strong rivalry with my personal favourite (you might have seen him on Fifth Gear), Jason Plato.

Colin Turkington has apparently set the fastest lap in first practice session, so I expect him to come on to the grid very aggressively. There’s nothing like a good start to get you going. Gordon Shedden mind you is a very good driver, but whether he’ll be able to pull out something special remains to be seen. The young driver Tom Onslow-Cole should never be ruled out, as his youthful exuberance should drive him hard.

What are the race dates and locations?
Below I have included all of the race meetings for this year, barring any cancellations or major incidents (there’s always some, as well as just a little bit of controversy!).

1 Brands Hatch 30/Mar/2008
2 Rockingham 13/Apr/2008
3 Donington Park 04/May/2008
4 Thruxton 18/May/2008
5 Croft 01/Jun/2008
6 Snetterton 13/Jul/2008
7 Oulton Park 27/Jul/2008
8 Knockhill 17/Aug/2008
9 Silverstone 31/Aug/2008
10 Brands Hatch 21/Sep/2008

What’s this about independent teams?
There are extremely strict limits to what you can do to your car – this is for two reasons. The first is to keep the races as fair as possible (unlike in Formula 1 where you sometimes think those with the most cash win) and the other reason is to allow independents to race. These teams purchase a car then are allowed to alter the chassis to create a new car.

The rubber on each car is stock; to make sure no-one has the advantage. In this case, Dunlop supplies the wheels to every team in every BTCC race. Each is allowed a certain number of tyres and changes.

So I’ll be watching then shall I?
I hope so, I know I certainly will. Tune in to ITV 4 tomorrow at 12.30 for the first exciting races. As an aside, I hope to get tickets for the Knockhill event. I’ll let you know how that goes…