After what feels like a long six month winter break, the 2024 British Touring Car Championship season is nearly upon us with the opening rounds of the year taking place at Donington Park this weekend. With plenty of talk of how the championship is faring into the new campaign, it is vital to focus on the racing and the drivers.
2024 sees twenty drivers competing for seven teams across six manufacturers in what could prove to be one of the most competitive BTCC seasons for some time.
This feature will look at each time and their drivers, starting with the reigning champions.
NAPA RACING
Car: Ford Focus
Drivers: Ashley Sutton, Dan Cammish, Daniel Rowbottom, Sam Osborne
Napa Racing, now part of the Alliance Motorsport banner, return unchanged for 2024 with reigning champion Ashley Sutton aiming for a record breaking fifth title. Sutton recently signed a contract extension with the team keeping him with Ford until at least the end of the 2025 season and will be hoping to cement his BTCC legend status even further this year.
He is once again joined by triple Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Dan Cammish, alongside Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborn who both return following successful 2023 campaigns.
TEAM BRISTOL STREET MOTORS
Car: Hyundai i30 Fastback
Drivers: Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton, Ronan Pearson, Nick Halstead
Hyundai outfit Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8 are another team which remain unchanged for 2024 with 2022 champion Tom Ingram returning with the sole intention of regaining his crown. Ingram finished runner up to Sutton in 2023, ensuring the duo have locked out the top two positions in the championship for the past two seasons.
Tom Chilton also returns following a successful campaign which saw him take his first victory in the series since 2019 as well as Ronan Pearson who enters his sophomore season with Nick Halstead completing the quartet.
TEAM BMW / MB MOTORSPORT
Car: BMW 330e M Sport
Drivers: Colin Turkington, Adam Morgan, Jake Hill
Another team which effectively remains unchanged for the moment is Team BMW who see Colin Turkington and Adam Morgan return as factory drivers with Jake Hill in a third BMW 330e competing under the MB Motorsport banner.
The trio may be joined by a fourth entry, with Bobby Thompson testing for the team, however this is yet to be confirmed.
Hill and Turkington will be hoping for a title push in 2024, with the duo coming agonisingly close in 2023, Hill being best of the rest behind Sutton and Ingram last season.
Adam Morgan once again returns although Stephen Jelley leaves the BTCC for 2024, moving to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING UK / LKQ EURO CAR PARTS with SYNETIQ
Car: Toyota Corolla
Drivers: Rob Huff, Andrew Watson, Josh Cook, Aiden Moffat
It is all change at Toyota for 2024, with the team returning to a two car entry this season. 2012 World Champion Rob Huff joins the team, returning to the BTCC on a full time basis for the first time since 2004.
Huff will be joined by former Power Maxed Racing driver Andrew Watson, who won the Jack Sears Trophy in his debut campaign in the BTCC following his switch from endurance racing.
Toyota also has a satellite team this season with Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat moving from One Motorsport following the team’s decision to take a sabbatical and focus on returning for 2025. The duo will be hoping to continue the success they had in the Honda Civic FK-8 with Cook finishing an impressive fifth in the championship last season.
POWER MAXED RACING
Car: Vauxhall Astra
Drivers: Aron Taylor-Smith, Mikey Doble
Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble return for 2024 as Power Maxed Racing bring in new title sponsor Evans Halshaw for the upcoming season with the duo looking fast in practice following updates over the winter.
Taylor-Smith will be hoping to take his first win in the series since 2016 after two second place finishes in 2023, while Mikey Doble will aim to continue the fine form he showed towards the end of his debut campaign, the highlight being pole position at Silverstone.
RESTART RACING
Car: Cupra Leon
Drivers: Chris Smiley, Scott Sumpton
The BTCC welcomes its first new team since 2019 this year as Restart Racing make the switch from TCR keeping drivers Chris Smiley and Scott Sumpton who remain with the team for their debut campaign in a pair of former Team HARD Cupra Leon’s.
Smiley returns to the series for the first time since 2021, where he last competed for Excelr8 Racing, whereas Sumpton makes his debut in the BTCC having finished 2023 twelfth in the TCR UK standings.
UNLIMITED MOTORSPORT
Car: Cupra Leon
Driver: Daryl DeLeon
Unlimited Motorsport is a phoenix team rising from the Team HARD ashes, following the laters sad closure.
Daryl DeLeon returns to the Cupra Leon team following a promising debut in the championship halfway through the 2023 season with Team HARD.
There is talk that the team plans to enter a second car, however this is to be confirmed at this stage.
That concludes our look at the 2024 BTCC season, let us know on socials what you are most looking forward to this year!
Photos: www.btcc.net
Bình luận