Team BMR car change removes Vauxhall brand from BTCC grid

Team BMR will switch to running a contingent of four Volkswagen CCs from this weekend, with two additional cars now ready for drivers Jack Goff and Warren Scott, and with the change, the iconic Vauxhall brand will be absent from the grid for the first time since the 1988 season.

The team have run a pair of Volkswagen CCs for Alain Menu and Aron Smith so far, but will represent just a single marque for the first time from this weekend at Snetterton.

“It’s fantastic to be able to bring the four VWs to Snetterton and is the result of a lot of hard work by everyone at the team,” said team principal and driver Warren Scott.

“It was always part of the plan but we weren’t absolutely sure we’d be ready by mid-season. Thankfully all the effort has paid off and we’re delighted to be able to start the second half of the season at full strength.

“It’s an exciting time for us. This is all part of the overall development and progression of Team BMR and we hope to have further announcements in the coming weeks.”

With the Insignias now no longer being used, the Vauxhall brand will not be present on the grid for the first time since 1988, the year prior to Vauxhall fielding a factory team in 1989, and then remaining in the Championship until the end of 2009. Vauxhall’s last touring car, the Super 2000 specification Vauxhall Vectra, continued winning races for another two years, as well as winning last year’s Jack Sears Trophy for S2000 spec cars with JWT Performance’s Lea Wood, before the class was eliminated from this season.

The Vauxhall marque’s life in the Championship had been given an extension after Thorney Motorsport developed the Insignia independently to Next Generation Touring Car regulations in 2011. Thorney built two cars, which were then used by Tony Gilham Racing in 2013, which were then bought by Team BMR this year while the team developed another pair of Volksagen CCs.