Brands Hatch braced for start of BTCC season

With a maximum 32 cars entered, 13 models from 11 marques represented and four former champions on the grid, the British Touring Car Championship could hardly be in better shape ahead of the opening round at Brands Hatch this weekend.

The series makes its now-traditional visit to Kent to kick off the season on the shorter Indy circuit, with up to 27 cars expected to take to the track.

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden will now have company from returning 2009 title holder Colin Turkington, alongside regular foes Matt Neal and Jason Plato.

And an ever-growing list of teams and cars will be looking to break the status quo at the front.

The packed grid will be made up with cars from Honda, MG, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Proton, Seat, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen, with 21 entries running to the newer Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations.

The remaining six will compete for the Jack Sears Trophy for older S2000 machinery, with the whole grid running 2.0L turbocharged NGTC engines.

With the parity for S2000 cars previously offered by series organiser TOCA now gone, the grid is now dominated by cars running to the NGTC regulations.

And with a full year’s development on the NGTC Civic under their belt, Honda Racing will again be the team to beat.

The team ensured another clean sweep of the standings in 2012, taking the manufacturer’s title and a one-two in the drivers’ standings, with Shedden taking his maiden championship ahead of three-time winner Neal.

With Honda there to be shot at, the most obvious candidates to do so will be the second manufacturer team, Triple Eight, with their MG6 GT.

Also in their second year of development, the team will again rely on double champion Jason Plato to lead the title assault.

And with talented youngster Sam Tordoff taking over the second seat from Andy Neate, the team will undoubtedly be aiming to run at the front with both cars every weekend.

West Surrey Racing’s switch to NGTC machinery with the BMW 125i caught the eye over the winter, as did the return of Turkington to a race seat alongside Rob Collard and Nick Foster.

As one of the most experienced teams in the paddock, a title assault will be expected once the team gets to grips with its new car.

Hot on the heels of the big three, Eurotech Racing’s Andrew Jordan has made no secret of his desire to compete for overall title honours in 2013. The 2012 independents’ champion will again be partnered by Jeff Smith in a pair of Honda Civics.

And Motorbase are another team with silverware ambitions, with lead driver Mat Jackson determined to add a title to his long list of wins and podiums. Jackson’s team-mate Aron Smith improved massively towards the end of last season, and both will be keen to extract the maximum from their Ford Focus STs.

Alongside Jackson and Jordan, Dave Newsham is also a hot tip for indy glory. Moving to Speedworks to drive their Toyota Avensis already looks to be paying dividends in testing, and a quick team-mate in Ollie Jackson will also be a boon.

Fellow Toyota drivers Frank Wrathall and Adam Morgan also return, driving for Dynojet and Ciceley Racing respectively. Wrathall will be looking to build on his maiden win at the end of of 2012, while Morgan is looking for consistent points finishes.

The popular Rob Austin returns for a third season with his pair of Audi A4s, the second again driven by former single seater racer Will Bratt.

And Dan Welch also returns in his Proton Persona for Welch Motorsport – another driver, like Austin, who will be aiming for podiums and possibly wins in 2013.

The NGTC contingent is completed by the ambitious Tony Gilham Racing, who field two Volkswagen CCs for Tom Onslow-Cole and Howard Fuller, and two Vauxhall Insignias for James Cole and Jack Goff.

The team didn’t bring any cars to media day, but have pledged to be at Brands with both of the Insignias and a CC for Onslow-Cole.

Completing the grid are six S2000 cars competing in the Jack Sears Trophy. Lea Wood (JWT Performance) will be the favourite for honours here in his Vauxhall Vectra, along with the experienced James Kaye, in the AmD Tuning Volkswagen Golf.

Motorbase’s Liam Griffin and Welch Motorsport’s David Nye both run Ford Focus STs, with Joe Girling driving the Finesse Motorsport Chevrolet Cruze and Warren Scott in the BMR Restart Racing Seat Leon.

Of the cars on the entry list, four will definitely not be on the grid this weekend. Motorbase Performance are adding a Focus ST later in the year, currently earmarked for Michael Caine, and Andy Neate in will join from Donington Park in the IP Tech Chevrolet Cruze.

Chris Stockton plans to join from Snetterton in his BTC Racing Cruze, while Neate has secured an entry for a second Cruze which is set to be built once his first car is completed.