Grand Tourers
The British Touring Car Championship gets a much needed injection of support this year. BTCC established itself as one of the most exciting race series in the world. 2.0L Supertourers took to the tight and twisty circuits of the UK to bash doors and run each other into the gravel traps. The public, TV, and car companies all loved it. Over the years, about a dozen car manufacturers have supported the series. Eventually, the majority dropped out after they had either achieved their goals or spunked their budgets. The 2000 season saw a criminally small field of factory cars, with most manufacturers waiting for the new rules to be implemented before making a comeback.
The new British Touring Car series (aka BTC) has two classes, Tourers and Production. The Tourers are the premier class. They have 2.0L naturally-aspirated engines, good for 280hp and six-speed sequential gearboxes.
New rules have been implemented to keep costs down and therefore, ensure grids remain full. Tourers aren't allowed to reposition their engines for better weight distribution (previous BTCC cars were). They must use the same OZ alloy wheels, BFGoodrich slicks, ECUs, data acquisition systems, a carbon-fiber rear wing (the wing's angle is set at the beginning of the year to offer the identical downforce on all cars), and AP Lockheed brake and clutch setups.
The teams are allowed to change the body by one percent. This translates as DTM-style wide arches and extended skirts. Track is also increased by 75mm to improve the handling. (The Tourers have sequential gearboxes.)
Already confirmed for the series are Vauxhall (the British GM brand), Peugeot, Lexus, Alfa Romeo, and MG. All the Tourers are based on UK road cars. Some teams are using coupes, others have modified saloons.
The Production class has a lower budget and the teams can carry out even less alterations. The cars will be saloons, coupes, and hatchbacks. It sounds like it could be a demolition derby.
Each class has two races per event. The first is the traditional Sprint race, which is about 20 laps. Then, there is the Feature race. This consists the same number of laps as the Sprint (which is dependent on track length), but each car must come into the pit lane to have two tires changed in an F1-style stop. The cars have air struts that lift all four wheels off the floor in the blink of an eye.
The series is held from April to October, and there are races in England, Scotland, and Ireland.