Donington Park set for action-packed BTCC opener

The fight for the 2023 British Touring Car Championship title kicks off this weekend as the series heads to Donington Park for the first round of the new season.

A reduced 27-car field has been put together for the new season after the departure of Team Dynamics from the championship, and whilst the former champions will be a huge loss to the grid, a high-quality field remains in place all seeking to dethrone defending champion Tom Ingram.

Ingram will proudly carry the number one into the new season after his fine performance in 2022 saw him finally achieve his dream of winning the championship title.

The EXCELR8 driver has fond memories of Donington Park, which includes a victory last year in the first race of the hybrid era. That set up his title charge, and improvements have been made to the Hyundai over the winter with Ingram now hoping for another strong start to his campaign.

The defending champion topped the times in testing at Brands Hatch last week, and whilst those times will count for little when the real action gets underway, he remains confident about his chances.

“Winning the championship last season was an amazing feeling and whilst there is pressure that comes from being the defending champion, I’m heading into 2023 feeling relaxed as I now know that I can win the title,” he said.

“We showed last season that the Hyundai was a strong package but you can’t afford to stand still in the BTCC and a lot of hard work has gone in over the winter to refine the car to give us the best possible chance of defending the title.

“Donington Park was a happy hunting ground for us last season and the success we enjoyed in the opening round gave us a platform to build on in the events that followed. The aim this weekend is to do the same again and put some good points on the board, and I’m full of confidence – and ready to get down to business.”

One man certainly hoping to dethrone Ingram is the man he replaced as champion, Ash Sutton. Sutton enjoyed an impressive first season with NAPA Racing UK, and once he had to come to terms with his Ford Focus, stormed into championship contention in the second half of 2022.

With a year of experience under his belt with the car, and improvements made by the Motorbase-run team over the winter, Sutton will hope to push for a record-equalling fourth championship title during the year ahead.

Having become a new dad in the days of round one Sutton will now be chasing further cause for celebration in the opening three races.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to kick things off at Donington Park this weekend,” he said. “I’d go on record as saying that this is probably the best I have ever felt – both in and out of the car – ahead of a new season.



“We’ve got a year under our belt with the Focus and the winter has been all about making lots of little improvements to the car; the team have done a mega job. We’ve really focused on trying to ensure we have a car that is consistently closer to that sweet spot that we’re always craving

“Heading into this weekend, if we can leave Donington Park sitting in the top five and with a car that is capable of being the mix at the sharp end of the grid then I’ll be happy.”

The final member of last season’s top three, Jake Hill, is also unchanged for this season – at least in terms of the team running his car Hill continues with WSR for a second year but will be supporting the new look in 2023 thanks to support from Laser Tools Racing.

Having wasted no time in getting up to speed with his BMW last season, Hill grabbed pole position at Donington Park, and then went on to score his first victory of the year in the final race of the weekend.

A similar performance this time around would be a good way to start his championship challenge.

“I can’t wait to get back out there and get the season underway,” he said. “Everything has gone smoothly in pre-season. It’s my second season in the BMW 330e M Sport and that is the first time in my touring car career that I’ve gone into a season with a year’s worth of knowledge and experience in the car underneath me.

“It is a new chapter for the team as we get our Laser Tools Racing journey underway and I hope we can start the season as we mean to go on. Historically, things have gone well for me here at Donington so if everything goes to plan, I’m confident that this weekend will be a successful one.”

Fourth place for team-mate Colin Turkington last year was lower than expected, with the Northern Irishman dropping out of contention for the title in the closing stages of the season.

The BMW driver will hope that this is the season when he goes ahead of Andy Road as the first five-time champion in series history, and he is optimistic of what he can achieve.

“Last year at Donington we were very fast and should have scored more points than we did,” he said, “so this time the target will be the same as always; maximise the opportunity, take the season one event at a time and get to Brands Hatch in October with a chance of winning the title.

Rory Butcher and Josh Cook were the final two drivers to finish in the top six last season, and will also have their eyes on championship challenges as they remain with the same teams as last year.

There are changes for both however, with Butchers Speedworks-run Toyota now being powered by a Toyota engine rather than the M-Sport unit last used last year and Cook at the wheel of one of the ex-Team Dynamics Hondas that are now being run by the renamed BTC Racing team – now operating as One Motorsport.

That means Cook also has a new engine under the bonnet with the Neil Brown Engineering-developed motor that has powered Hondas for recent seasons, as opposed to the spec-unit that caused him headaches in 2022.

“We have had three really strong back-to-back days of testing in the build-up to the season, and that has put us in a really good place,” he said.
 
“I have a car which is brand new to me this year and it feels so strong. I am quietly confident, but we are yet to really see where everyone else is at.
 


“It is hard to know if you can turn up to the opening round and blow the doors off everyone, but we have done everything we possibly can as a team. There has been no stone unturned back at base. I know it will be about being consistent and keeping that points tally ticking over during the early rounds. We need decent points everywhere and we will be grabbing any chances that come our way.”

Of the other drivers to finish in the top ten last season, only Gordon Shedden departs after Dynamics’ withdrawal from the series, with Dan Cammish hoping for improved fortune alongside Sutton in the NAPA Ford line-up, and Adam Morgan keen to impress in his BMW – now being run by WSR rather than his own Ciceley Motorsport squad.

There is change for Dan Lloyd however, who switches into a Team HARD Cupra, with his expectations reduced going into round one after limited pre-season testing in a new build car.

Others to watch as the new season gets underway include Tom Chilton, now at the wheel of a brand-new EXCELR8 Hyundai built over the winter as well as George Gamble.

Gamble scored a podium at Donington Park last season and swaps to Speedworks after the departure of Ciceley Motorsport, whilst Dan Rowbottom will be looking to return to the top step of the podium having moved over to NAPA Racing during the winter.

Aron Taylor-Smith has a point to prove after a tricky stint with Team HARD came to an end, and his move to Power Maxed Racing sees him lead an expanded three-car team alongside two of the rookies on the grid.

Andrew Watson brings pedigree from GT competition in recent years and although Mikey Doble might not be a household name, winning two titles on the same day last season showed he is more than capable on-track.

“I’m under no illusions as to how competitive the BTCC is but I’m clear about my goals,” he admitted. “I want to be consistently challenging for points and also be in contention for the Jack Sears Trophy. Both are very realistic and I’m going after both of them – starting this weekend.”


The other two rookies will line up alongside Ingram and Chilton at EXCELR8, with MINI CHALLENGE graduate Ronan Pearson and British GT race winner Nick Halstead completing the line-up.

Having called time on his Infiniti programme, Aiden Moffat will now race a Honda alongside Cook and Will Powell at One Motorsport, and will hope to challenge for race wins after a difficult year where the title-winning Q50 was no longer the competitive package it had been in previous seasons.

Stephen Jelley, Ricky Collard and Sam Osborne all return with experience under their belts in their respective cars, with the biggest changes coming at Team HARD. Whilst Bobby Thompson and Nic Hamilton return, Dexter Patterson, Jack Butel and Jade Edwards are all new and – like Lloyd – will be somewhat on the back foot given truncated pre-season programmes.

This weekend will be the first of five this season where a split qualifying session takes place, with the top ten from the initial 30-minute session going through to a shootout to determine who takes pole position.

The option tyre rules return after a year away whilst revised hybrid regulations should help to spice up the action and force drivers to take a more strategic approach to how they approach the races.

2023 BTCC Entry List:

1 – Tom Ingram, EXCELR8, Hyundai i30 Fastback N
3 – Tom Chilton, EXCELR8, Hyundai i30 Fastback N
4 – Colin Turkington, West Surrey Racing, BMW 330e M Sport
6 – Rory Butcher, Speedworks Motorsport, Toyota Corolla GR Sport
11 – Andrew Watson, Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra
12 – Stephen Jelley, West Surrey Racing, BMW 330e M Sport
14 – Ronan Pearson, EXCELR8, Hyundai i30 Fastback N
16 – Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R
17 – Dexter Patterson, Team HARD, Cupra Leon
19 – Bobby Thompson, Team HARD, Cupra Leon
22 – Nick Halstead, EXCELR8, Hyundai i30 Fastback N
24 – Jake Hill, West Surrey Racing, BMW 330e M Sport
27 – Dan Cammish, Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST
28 – Nicolas Hamilton, Team HARD, Cupra Leon
32 – Dan Rowbottom, Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST
33 – Adam Morgan, West Surrey Racing, BMW 330e M Sport
37 – Ricky Collard, Speedworks Motorsport, Toyota Corolla GR Sport
40 – Aron Taylor-Smith, Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra
42 – George Gamble, Speedworks Motorsport, Toyota Corolla GR Sport
66 – Josh Cook, One Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R
70 – Will Powell, One Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R
77 – Sam Osborne, Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST
88 – Mikey Doble, Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra
96 – Jack Butel, Team HARD, Cupra Leon
99 – Jade Edwards, Team HARD, Cupra Leon
116 – Ash Sutton, Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST
123 – Dan Lloyd, Team HARD, Cupra Leon