When does the British Touring Car Championship start? There are several different dates that the championship runs throughout the year. The championship will feature the three-time reigning champion Ashley Sutton, along with Colin Turkington, Tom Ingram, and Jason Plato. There will be special guests at this event as well, such as Gordon Shedden and Michael Schumacher. Check out these BTCC dates below to get a sense of what the championship is all about.
2021 drivers
The BTCC 2021 drivers list has been confirmed with the confirmation of Colin Turkington and Ash Sutton. The former is returning to the series following his narrow loss to Ash Sutton in the 2020 championship. West Surrey Racing was once the home of title-winning Formula 3 drivers and will look to secure his fifth BTCC title. The team will also field two drivers with previous JST titles. As for the rest of the drivers, they will be confirmed soon.
Jeremy Clarkson, Daniel Abt and Gordon Shedden are all set to make their BTCC debuts in the 2021 season. The new teams will be introducing some familiar faces, including Dan Cammish, who is taking a break from the series. Both drivers have previously starred in the WTCR and have made 347 BTCC starts. In 2018, they were in the WTCR championship where Sutton finished seventh in the series.
BTCC 2022 calendar
The new BTCC calendar for the season starting in May will feature ten meetings and thirty races. The season will start at Donington Park and conclude at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The BTCC is returning to the MSV circuits for five of its meetings in 2022. The season is also set to include a visit to Croft, Snetterton, and Oulton Park. Several other circuits will make appearances in the 2022 BTCC calendar, including Silverstone.
The BTCC will return to the picturesque Cheshire circuit for the first time since 2013. Afterwards, the series will switch to the Indy Circuit for the final two rounds, before finishing at the Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch. The 2022 calendar will also feature three meetings at MSV venues, including the championship meeting, the final round, and the new season championship round. The BTCC is set to debut hybrid technology after a series-wide testing programme.
BTCC 2021 race weekend
In the wake of a disappointing season for Honda, the company has announced that the team will not return for BTCC race weekend in 2021. It is understood that Honda will also bow out of the Championship with considerable regret. In addition, the team has switched from a Mercedes to a BMW for that season. Despite this change in personnel, the team has announced that Chris Smiley will continue to campaign for EXCELR8 for the remainder of the season. In addition, Tom Ingram and Andy Wilmot will be joining the team as the challengers for the 2021 season. Lastly, it has been reported that Jack Butel will make the move to EXCELR8 in the season.
As previously mentioned, the starting positions for the four rounds of the BTCC will be different in 2021. The grid for race one will depend on qualifying on Saturday. However, certain rounds will introduce a top-ten shootout for pole position and a new 25-minute qualifying session. In addition, starting positions for race two will be based on race one’s finishing order with the positions being reversed for the following round. The starting positions are designed to encourage overtaking. In addition to the new grid layout, the series will also feature four rounds of competition using various option compounds.