Power Maxed Racing brings Vauxhall back to BTCC

Power Maxed Racing has announced that it will bring the Vauxhall brand back into the BTCC next season with a two-car manufacturer-backed programme.

The manufacturer featured on the grid for more than two decades after debuting in 1989, fielding a full works team through to the end of 2009 when it elected to pull the plug on its programme with Triple Eight.

Even then, Vauxhall models would continue to run on an Independent basis until the mid-way point of the 2014 campaign, when BMR elected to park the two Insignias it had been fielding and swapped to an all-Volkswagen line-up.

The announcement of Vauxhall’s return will see PMR field a pair of latest generation Astras from 2017 onwards as part of a wider commercial partnership with parent company Automotive Brands, which will run a fleet of Vauxhall vehicles as part of the deal.

“We are incredibly pleased and proud to be working with Vauxhall and to be the team that brings this iconic and highly successful brand back to the BTCC,” Power Maxed chief Adam Weaver said. “The all new Astra is a fantastic car and it is no surprise that it was voted 2016 European Car of the Year – it will make a show-stopping BTCC challenger.”

Work on the new cars is well underway with partner ABS Motorsport ahead of pre-season testing, with drivers set to be announced by the team in the near future.

“It is fantastic to be welcoming Vauxhall back to the BTCC as a manufacturer entry,” series director Alan Gow said. “Its history and pedigree is there for all to see and I have no doubt that the highly professional and experienced team at Power Maxed Racing will be great partners.”