Artist's Impression of Adam Morgan's 2012 charge (Image Credit: Toyota)

Toyota have revealed the livery of the NGTC-spec Avensis that British Touring Car debutant Adam Morgan will drive during the 2012 season.

Morgan, 23, won a fully-funded place on the BTCC grid after clinching the G55 class of the Ginetta GT Supercup in 2011. The prize, valued at over £200,000 is the biggest ever given in British national motorsport.

“This is a huge chance and I still don’t think it has quite sunk in that I have won the biggest prize in British motorsport,” said Morgan. “I am over the moon to be here; it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that has been handed to me.”

Morgan’s 2012 ride is currently being built by the Stockport based Speedworks Motorsport team he will contest the season with, but he has already had the chance to sample front-wheel drive power after driving the Dynojet Avensis of Frank Wrathall at the end of last year.

“It took a bit of getting used to,” said Morgan about the experience “but I got to grips with it quite well and upped my pace. I have no illusions that it is going to be difficult for me in the BTCC – I am very inexperienced compared with the other drivers out there – but I want to give it everything.”

Morgan will continue testing and training (including completing a triathlon) ahead of his maiden year in BTCC, driving the Avensis of his Speedworks teammate Tony Hughes, who will continue with the team as it expands to a two car entry.

“We are very excited that Adam is joining us for 2012 alongside Tony,” said Speedworks team principal Christian Dick. “As well as being a very likeable young man he has proven himself to be a very quick, competent driver. He has a very bright future.”

Morgan’s BTCC career will begin with first round the 2012 championship on April 1 at Brands Hatch.

Artists impression of the MG KX Momentum Racing BTCC challenger

The Iconic MG name will once again return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship as an official manufacturer for the first time since 2003.

Triple Eight Racing Engineering will run two MG6T NGTC -spec cars with the move reuniting Jason Plato with the team that he won his first BTCC title with back in 2001, support will come from Andy Neate who drove for Team Aon last season.

The move also sees Triple Eight return as a works team for the first time since 2009 when their successful partnership with Vauxhall which started in 1997 came to an end.

Talking of the announcement Plato said: “It’s really exciting to be involved in a brand-new all-British team and it’s just brilliant that the iconic name of MG will be back on the track.”

Series director Alan Gow expressed his delight in securing another manufacturer return to the BTCC series:  “This is fantastic news for all the fans who follow the BTCC, either in their hundreds of thousands trackside or in their vast millions watching on TV in both the UK and many other regions around the globe.”

Gow would go on to highlight the success of the new NGTC regulations enabling teams and manufacturers to compete in a high level series at a more cost effective basis.

Guy Jones, MG Motor’s Sales & Marketing Director added: “We are delighted that the new MG6 will be seen by millions of fans in Britain and beyond and this continues the famous sporting lineage of the brand.”

James Nash took a Vectra to the 2011 Independents' title (Photo Credit: BTCC.net)

Chris James’ Team ES Racing squad will field Vauxhall Vectras in their 2012 British Touring Car campaign.

James himself will return for a second season behind the wheel, with Dave Newsham joining the team for 2012. A third race seat is still available at the team if a driver can bring the necessary budget to the team.

The Vectra has been a race winner in previous seasons, James Nash, Andrew Jordan, Fabrizio Giovanardi, Matt Neal and Tom Onslow-Cole all claiming victories in the car since it was introduced by Vauxhall’s works outfit for the 2007 season.

The Vectras will run in the same spec that James Nash used to win the 2011 Independents’ title in running a NGTC engine in an S2000-spec chassis. Chris James is confident that the tried and tested nature of the package will reap early rewards for his Luton-based squad.

“We will get podiums and maybe even sneak more than that,” said James,  “certainly in the first half of the season. NGTC will get stronger but I truly believe that like football it will be a game of two halves – the first half will be S2000 and the second NGTC.”

“[The Vectras are] race winning cars and they will continue to be highly competitive in 2012. We’re delighted to get the deal concluded to run the Vectra’s and look forward to pushing hard at the start of the season. They come with a great spares package and a massive amount of data so we should be able to hit the ground running.”

The team’s new car will make their first appearance at the BTCC Media Day on March 19 at Silverstone, with the afternoon testing session being open to the public.

Adam Morgan celebrates his 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup title (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

After winning the inaugural Ginetta GT Supercup championship in 2011 Adam Morgan will step up into the British Touring Car Championship with Speedworks Motorsport.

Morgan clinched the title on a nail biting final weekend at Silverstone, defeating Carl Breeze by just five points to take the prize of a fully paid drive in this year’s BTCC. The prize is values at more the £200,000, making it the largest in British Motorsport.

“I am extremely happy to be racing with Speedworks this year,” said Morgan. “They are a very professional and determined team, and I am sure with some pre-season testing we will be able to hit the ground running. Once again I would like to say a massive thank you to Ginetta for this incredible prize, and I am looking forward to working with them in 2012.”

Speedworks entered the BTCC in 2011 as one of the first teams to adopt the new Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specifications with their Toyota Avensis driven by Tony Hughes. Christian Dick’s team have raced Ginettas in G50 Cup and British GT championship with success.

“All of us at Speedworks Motorsport are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Ginetta Cars and we are very excited that Adam will be driving for us in 2012,” said Dick. “As well as being a very likable young man, he’s proven himself to be a very quick, competent driver inside of just two years of car racing. He has a very bright future and we are proud to be part of that.”

Morgan will race the 2012-spec Avensis with the team this season, which starts at Brands Hatch on March 31.

Ollie Jackson and Shaun Hollamby at Autosport Internation (Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography)

After racing in the final two rounds of the 2011 season Ollie Jackson is to return to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 2012 as driver for the Amd Tuning.com team.

The Essex based team will return with their S2000-spec VW Golf for a third season under the stewardship of Shaun Hollamby, using the same Lehmann developed NGTC engine that the squad debuted last season and a car Hollamby describes as “99%” the same as their 2011 car.

27-year-old Jackson stepped into the BTCC at the end of the 2011 season in a second Triple Eight run Vauxhall Vectra, having competed in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship from the start of the year, driving a GT4 Lotus Evora with Phil Glew, the pair taking class victory at Spa-Francorchamps.

Previously Jackson has enjoyed success in Caterham racing and lifted the Pro-Am1 class title in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2010.

“After the two rounds last season in the Vectra, I knew the BTCC was where I wanted to be full-time in 2012 and I’m delighted that I’ve been able to agree a deal with AmD Tuning.com,” said Jackson. “I’m really pleased to have a deal confirmed nice and early, which will give me time to carry out some decent testing before the opening rounds.”

“My initial aim is to see where I stand when we get to Brands Hatch and then make improvements and move forward. However, the Gold is a proven car that showed good pace in 2011 and my target is to bring home top ten finishes as the year goes on.”

“I and probably quite a few people weren’t looking for Ollie to do a particularly great job when he came in,” Hollamby admitted, speaking to The Checkered Flag at Autosport International. “I didn’t know too much about him when he came in raced for Triple Eight at the end of last but I’ve got to say he did a fantastic job. He was unlucky not to score points in the six races he did but actually by the end of his run he was only a tenth or two off of James Nash, so we were very, very impressed.”

“I expect him to takes a few scalps this year.”

The team have as many as five test sessions planned before the championship starts at Brands Hatch on March 31. The chance to test extensively pre-season, both Hollamby and Jackson say will be new to both of them.

“Since I moved into car racing,” Jackson says. “I’ve never had a full testing programme before the season started, so its good that I’ll be able to spend some meaningful time behind the wheel of the Golf, especially as I don’t have much experience of front-wheel drive.”

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Now, having looked back over the previous year the writers of The Checkered Flag look forward at what the 2012 racing season could bring with new driver line-ups and regulations.

Peter Allen

Intra-team battles ad Force India and Toro Rosso
The two midfield F1 squads have gone with potential over experience for their 2012 driver lineups. The stakes are potentially very high for the drivers at both teams, with Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg eyeing any seat that becomes available at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will fight it out to become Mark Webber’s replacement at Red Bull. All four are highly-rated, and it will be fascinating to see what happens at both teams.

Toro Rosso teammates and F1 new boys Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - one battle to watch in 2012

David Bean

Someone to match Vettel?
Sticking to F1, most fans will be looking for the emergence of a challenger to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. Will one of the McLaren pairing, or even Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, be able to stop next season becoming as one-sided as it was in 2011? It will also be interesting to see how Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean do at Renault, and how the exciting young talent – the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic – manage in their first full seasons as F1 drivers.

Josh Bell

Formula One 2012
I have two, so forgive me for being greedy. The battle at Toro Rosso between their new driver line up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be extremely intense, particularly as one of them may land themselves a Red Bull seat if Mark Webber departs at the end of 2012. Secondly, I am optimistic of five teams challenging for the Formula One World Championship next season. Or maybe I am just a romantic? Merry Christmas readers!

James Broomhead

NGTC comes of age
Nationally I think the BTCC is headed for another superb year. The second half of the year was the NGTC-spec cars coming out party, and in 2012 it will be interesting to see some more of the potential of the new cars when Honda roll out the new Civic. How their efforts – with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden compare to the teams with a whole year of NGTC trouble-shooting behind them – is just another facet in a year that could bring even more manufacturers in even bigger grids.  

Andy Champness

Challengers to Team Vodafone
The V8 Supercars has again shown it’s the best touring car series in the world, so more of the same please! Team Vodafone dominated the 2011 season, but I think teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing will up their game and close the gap in 2012. Look out for the likes of Tim Slade, David Reynolds and in particular Shane van Gisbergen who this year won his first race at his home event in New Zealand and backed it up in Darwin to finish fourth in this year’s championship. These are the sport’s new generation, young drivers who showed in 2011 that they have the talent and ability to pose a genuine threat to the more established stars.

Mark Foley

The Young(er) Blood
Formula Renault 2.0 champion Alex Lynn and the imaginatively named Carlos Sainz Jr. join the ranks of British Formula 3 for 2012, and both could be potential headaches for the more experienced British F3 runners cracking their knuckles as they eye the 2012 title. Lynn has BRDC and FIA Excellence Academy support behind him, whilst Sainz Jr. comes ominously armed with Red Bull backing, adding pressure, removing excuses and drawing plenty of keen eyes onto the youngsters tipped for future stardom.

Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn - one of the drivers set to make the 2012 British Formula Three Championship a year to remember

Chris Gurton

What To Look For Next Year – National racing and beyond
For me there are a number of things to look for next year. After the teething troubles of the new NGTC cars in the BTCC, a more level playing field next season and a big field should lead to an exciting championship. On the subject of touring cars, it will be interesting to see how Arena Motorsport and Special Tuning Racing cope with the step up to WTCC.

After an extremely close fought title battle in British GT, next seasons Championship will no doubt be an equally exciting and close fight. Look out for the new look Ginetta G55 GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage adding to the array of stunning cars throughout the field. For fans of endurance racing, the new World Endurance Championships should be something to look out for too.

Also, with driver moves and deals still being confirmed within Formula One, an exciting new driver to keep an eye out for is Jean Eric-Vergne. The Frenchman showed true class in the 2010 British F3 Championships on his way to the title and runner up at the end of a season in formula Renault 3.5 has shown his ability. With the backing and support of Red Bull, could he be the new Sebastian Vettel? 

Leigh O’Gorman

What To Look For In 2012 – The World Endurance Championship
The emergence of the World Endurance Championship may not just be “the thing to look for in 2012”, but rather the biggest motorsport news of the decade. Since the WEC was announced at Le Mans, manufacturers have either thrown their hat into the ring or are weighing up future participation in a series that may – realistically – have far more relevance to the automotive industry than Formula 1 could ever dream of. Also, a nod to Tony Fernandes, who continues to raise the profile of motor racing in Asia, by organising national and club championships in emerging territories.

Simon Paice

What to look for in 2012 -Ginetta Juniors
In 2012, I’m really excited for the Ginetta Junior Championship. 2011 saw the teenage racers once again produce superb racing and while Seb Morris dominated, the likes of Niall Murray, Charlie Robertson, George Gamble and Sennan Fielding emerged as top talent. With some of them returning to join the usual influx of exciting new rookies, it is sure to be a fascinating, must watch 2012 season in the G40′s.

Also something I’m really looking forward to seeing is Petter Solberg in a Ford in the WRC, taking it to the Citroens and hopefully picking up a second world title.

Vince Pettit

British Superbikes
The 2012 season in British Superbikes looks set to be another great championship battle, defending champion joined by Isle of Man record breaker Ian Hutchinson, the Swan Yamaha team will be hard to beat. Although with that said that the PBM squad have assembled a strong team with the likes of Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton. TAS Suzuki will also feature with Alastair Seeley looking to continue his momentum in the main class after securing the National Superstock 1000 and British Supersport titles in 2009 and this season respectively.

Louis Suddaby

A New Era Begins
2012 sees the introduction of CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) in MotoGP and a glimpse into the future of the premier class of motorcycle racing. Don’t expect too much too soon but this new philosophy had to happen, if anything to give us more bikes to look at. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class and unpredictability is the only certainty while EVO rules will now effectively be standard in the British Superbike Championship, surely producing another open season. 2012 will also be a huge year for Valentino Rossi. Surely Ducati will get it right this time?

Scott Wilkes

New regulations in BTCC and MotoGP
In the BTCC, the NGTC cars that started to make a surge to the front of the pack at the end of this season should be a preview of what’s to come this season, and it should be an even better season for close racing than we have just seen.

In MotoGP, the withdrawal of Suzuki and the arrival of the CRT machines should herald the start of an interesting shakeup in the sport. With the addition of the new standardised Moto3 series replacing the 125cc Championship, I am expecting the same level of competition as we saw in the spectacular Moto2 championship this year.

As for a rider/driver to look out for, it has to be Marc Marquez. After a poor start to last season, I wasn’t expecting much more from the young Spaniard. However, as happens most times with myself, I was proved wrong, and Marquez started a brilliant resurgence which left him a position to possibly win the championship at the final race, only to be ruled out by injury.

Dave Newsham (Photo Credit: BTCC.net)

Dave Newsham  will join BTCC squad Team ES Racing in a team that principal Chris James says could bring as many as four cars to the 2012 grid. James himself will return to the cockpit in 2012 as lead driver for the team.

Newsham begun the 2011 season with Geoff Steel Racing before switching to Special Tuning Racing before the fourth round of the championship at Oulton Park in early June. He led briefly at Snetterton after starting on pole for the reverse grid race and recorded a best finish of fourth – coming in the second race at the season ending Silverstone meeting.

Chris James meanwhile endured a torrid season in an aging Chevrolet Lacetti but announced in November a move to a NGTC spec car for the 2012 campaign.

James said; “2011 was a tough year for us with one of the oldest cars on the grid, but moving forward we are pleased to confirm Dave Newsham for the team along with two turbo race winning pedigree cars.”

“Dave and I are very much alike, we both call a spade a spade. I am delighted to bring Dave in to our team as he is a very skilful driver with a proven track record. This can only mean good things for us in 2012 and beyond.”

“We’ve been in talks with Dave for some time now and we’re glad we can finally announce that he will be driving for us in 2012. It makes sense for us to double our chances of podiums and points by bringing him in to the team.”

“Chris is a passionate guy,” added Inverness-based Newsham who entered the BTCC after cominating the 2010 Renault Clio Cup. “I saw that from last year, racing with him and talking to him in the paddock. He’s very ambitious and wants to see his cars at the front. I think with having a year’s BTCC experience under my belt I’ve learnt a lot last year and I feel that I can put that to good use this year. Having a quick car is going to help, and if all things go well we should get some podiums and maybe sneak a win or two.”

An announcement on the choice of car for Team ES Racing is expected in the coming weeks.

Matt Neal (Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography)

As Matt Neal walked down the Silverstone pitlane, clutching the BTCC championship trophy for the third time there was a definite sense of relief in his words as he admitted he was “looking forward to getting his life back”.

The finale at the Northamptonshire track was the climax of six months of breathless, controversial and occasionally bad tempered British Touring Car racing that left five drivers in contention for the title on the final weekend, and the title not decided until the final race of 2011’s 30 skirmishes.

Neal’s relief spoke of a season that was far tougher than he expected, or indeed it should have been for he and Honda Racing Team stablemate Gordon Shedden.

The pair – who championship honours where decided between – were the fastest all season, scoring five poles and thirteen wins between them over the course of the season, rightfully giving the Team Dynamics/Honda squad the teams’ and manufacturers’ title double.

Their dominance, however, could have been greater if not for the performance balancing employed to produce as close to a level playing field across a grid that pushed at record levels by the end of the season.

In a year where the new Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) cars faced up against turbocharged S2000 cars and normally aspirated S2000 cars how series organisers balanced the different specifications was always likely to play a massive role in deciding the title. And it did – almost.

Before the season started Jason Plato said he believed the first three weekends of the year – Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Thruxton – would be crucial for his title defence.

Though Plato left Kent after the opening weekend with two wins and the points lead the warning signs of what was to come had already been seen. The scene changed from the short Brands Hatch Indy layout to the quick Donington Park circuit and Plato ended qualifying a more than a second off the pace set by Matt Neal.

Donington Park was almost certainly the low point of Plato’s season, falling foul of puncture in race one – he blamed the over-aggressive set-up and driving necessary to maintain the pace of the turbocharged cars around him – before rolling down the Craner Curves on the opening lap to race two after contact with Liam Griffin and Gordon Shedden. Only a miraculous rebuild by the RML crew – replacing every possible panel on the Chevrolet Cruze – put Plato back on the grid to salvage the most unlikely points of the season.

Down but never out. The weekend was a taster of the season that lay ahead of Plato.

Plato punctured, passed by Neal - sadly the story of the 2010 champion's 2011 season

Meanwhile Neal, Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson took wins in turbocharged machinery, James Nash taking over the championship lead after finishing all three Donington races on the overall podium.

The fortnight between events at Donington and the next rounds at Thruxton saw the first round of restrictions placed on the turbocharged cars, further limiting their maximum boost pressure – later alterations would also increase the base weight for the cars.

The Thruxton weekend started dominated by the Honda pairing once more – Neal and Shedden winning, before Plato returned to the top of the podium in the third race of a day where he crashed out of race one – again, he turned his ire on the speed of the turbo cars, understandably given that time and time again the straight line speed differential left Plato, Alex MacDowall, Paul O’Neill and the rest of the normally aspirated drivers little more than obstacles for their rivals. This remained  fact throughout the season, dramatically and controversially apparent at Knockhill when Tom Boardman knocked Plato out of the lead after surging onto his rear bumper down the main straight.

Still, between restrictions and others’ mistakes Plato was never truly out of contention for the title.

Matt Neal’s ill-advised move up the inside of Gordon Shedden at Lodge on the final lap at Oulton Park not only left himself stranded in the gravel, but handed an unlikely win to Plato, and when the series returned from its traditional summer break at Snetterton and Plato ended the day with a win and two thirds, while Matt Neal only banked points for a fourth in the final race, the title defence was back on with a vengeance.

Plato was not the only driver to suffer dramatic swings in fortune. As well as the Chevrolet Cruze’s of the works team, and the GoMobileUK backed Tech-Speed squad, WSR were able to take advantage of the breaks handed to older spec cars.

With weight taken off, and the restriction on their gear ratios removed Rob Collard and Nick Foster made the most of their rear-wheel drive BMWs. Their advantage, unsurprising came to a head in the early summer races at Oulton Park and Croft, both of which were affected by rain.

The pair recorded their best finish of the season in the final race at Croft, BTCC rookie Foster leading home Collard in second and third behind the customary Mat Jackson race three win.

Jackson led the championship after Snetterton but disasterous weekends at Knockhill and Rockingham ended any realistic title ambitions

All four of Jackson’s 2011 wins came in the final race of meetings – Donington, Thruxton, Croft and Snetterton – the final race before he and his Airwaves Racing team endured two torrid meetings from which Jackson took only a single point. After leading the championship away from Norfolk Jackson dropped out of contention for the overall title and lost the independents’ crown to James Nash, who took a richly deserved first BTCC win at Rockingham, holding off Rob Austin’s NGTC-spec Audi A4.

If Plato was one side of the swing in fortune, then Austin and Frank Wrathall were the other. Both men embarked on full season campaigns with little preparation time. Wrathall’s squad only received their Toyota Avensis the week before the season opener, while the Audi that would become Austin’s was only given an unconvincing half-lap demo run by original driver David Pinkney on the first weekend.

Both men improved steadily through the first half of the season, but it was Snetterton – after the summer break – when the NGTC cars took the headlines. Wrathall qualified seventh – a performance Austin believed he could have matched if not for problems – before finishing fourth and taking the independents’ from the first race.

Wrathall’s break-out weekend was ended by a damaged radiator in race two, but Austin’s was improving. He took his first points for fastest lap in the second race, before retiring, then drove through the field to add a second point for tenth from the final race.

Frank Wrathall showed the potential of the new NGTC cars with overall podiums and Knockhill and Rockingham

Wrathall strode past another milestone for the new specification at Knockhill, ending each of the three races on the podium, adding another top three at Rockingham, but it was Austin who nearly took the first NGTC race win, chasing Nash for much of the final Rockingham race before finishing a close second.

The two – along with Nick Foster – were arguably the best of a bulging rookie class in 2011 who, with the possible exception of Chris James shackled by an aging Chevrolet Lacetti, acquitted themselves admirably in a very competitive year in the BTCC, many becoming regular points scorers by the end of season, while others showed vast improvement after shaky starts.

With Jackson fading from the fight the title became a three way battle. Plato added a further win on the ill-tempered Rockingham weekend and a double win at the penultimate round, on the full Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, to put himself right in the title hunt heading into the final round.

Alas for Plato and the RML team, a tenacious, fighting season was to end in a familiar way.

A poor qualifying left him trailing the Hondas he needed to beat, and a race one puncture knocked him out of contention altogether, allowing the Honda duo to battle into the final race.

Neal scored victory from pole in the first race, Shedden replying in the second race to keep himself in contention, but starting behind Neal in the reverse grid, with maximum success ballast the challenge of overhauling Neal proved too much.

While Tom Chilton claimed a second win of the year in the still developing ‘Global’ Ford Focus, Neal completed his title winning year in eighth place, Shedden in tenth after Wrathall inserted his Toyota between the teammates on the final corner. The final margin was just eight points – “one good qualifying session” as Shedden described it to The Checkered Flag after the final podium. Still the Scot told of not a title lost on his behalf, but a title won by Neal.

Matt Neal - 2011 BTCC champion

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

Peter Allen

Huff beats Muller in Porto
Rob Huff chases down and catches Chevy teammate Yvan Muller, pulling alongside and past the Frenchman into one of the tight Portuguese street track’s chicanes. Huff attempts to turn in ahead, but there is contact. Huff goes across the inside of the chicane and keeps the lead to score his sixth win of the year. The momentum certainly seemed to be with Huff at the halfway point, but Muller would come back from this incident bigger and better to overhaul the Brit and win a third world title.

Rob Huff beat Yvan Muller in Porto (among other places) but still lost the title.

David Bean

Sky’s F1 deal
From a personal view there was the excitement of Nick Heidfeld’s car catching fire and exploding in front of us in the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the mix of exhaustion and contentment that I felt as the top three Britcar 24 Hours runners came to a stop beside me under the Silverstone podium, signalling the end of a busy 24 hours of reporting for this site. From a wider perspective, however, the moment someone from Sky Sports put their signature on a contract to show Formula 1 is one of the most significant of the year. This deal marks a radical change in how the sport is transmitted to some of its most dedicated fans, and it could have huge implications for the future of F1.

Josh Bell

Alonso’s start at Monza
There have been many in 2012, some sadly more disconcerting. The standout moment that provided me with the most emotion was Fernando Alonso‘s extraordinary start at his home Grand Prix, storming to the front of the field from fourth on the grid in the Ferrari. I was stunned in disbelief, a moment perhaps written in the storms. It was a brief, yet brilliant, high point in the race for Fernando but it was incredible nonetheless.

Jason Plato's Chevrolet Cruze before, and after, the RML run team's miraculous resurrection

James Broomhead

Moment Of The Year – RML’s Donington Rebuild
Jason Plato has just barrel rolled out of the second BTCC race at Donington Park, he physically and mentally battered by the accident at the thought of ending his weekend a race early and facing not scoring on an unhappy weekend. Cue a miraculous rebuild from the Silverline Chevrolet team in time for a superlative recovery drive almost forgotten during the rest of the season. Every possible panel on the car was replaced, a new aerial taped to the door, the entire team involved, including Plato’s father polishing the buckled roof. Enough cannot be said for the team, you wonder how many teams would even contemplate attempting the task.

Andy Champness

Moment Of The Year – Tom Boardman’s “Great” Silverstone
Moving away from Australian V8 Supercars to British Touring Cars, my moment of the year was provided by Special Tuning Racing’s Tom Boardman (and not just because I help out with their PR!) Most of you will be thinking I’m going to say the win at Knockhill, but it was actually the final two races at Silverstone. After his move on Plato at Knockhill, Tom got a bit of needless grief, so to watch him storm through to finish race two in sixth after starting from 23rd and then finishing the final race in third on his own merit was special. Tom was ecstatic afterwards, telling me: “That has to be one of the best races I’ve had all season! I know my win at Knockhill was good, but that felt great!” It was a poignant moment, knowing how hard the team had worked to get the cars fighting at the front and for Tom to show he can genuinely cut it with the best of them.

Tom Boardman took a maiden BTCC win at Knockhill, but it's his performance at the season finale that is Andy Champness' moment of the year

Mark Foley

British Formula 3 Paul Ricard, Final Corner, Final Lap
An edgy, race-long tussle between key championships contenders, Felipe Nasr and Kevin Magnussen, apparently wasn’t interesting enough for feisty Portuguese series-hopper Antonio Felix Da Costa, who made his presence felt throughout his guest appearance at the Paul Ricard weekend from the first corner to the last…Magnussen, Da Costa and Nasr ran nose-to-tail throughout, with a resilient Magnussen looking set to hold off strong opposition and claim a much needed win for his stuttering championship campaign. But, with the chequered flag in sight, an all-too-late lunge at the last corner from Da Costa saw the young Dane flicked off the circuit, allowing Nasr through to take yet another win. It not only sent pulses racing, but also managed to define each protagonist’s season in some respects – Da Costa’s wild racecraft, Nasr’s consistency and Magnussen’s awful luck.

Chris Gurton

Mark Webber’s pass at Eau Rouge
I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and be part of a number of great moments over the past year within motorsport and will have many stories to tell my grandchildren. But one moment that I couldn’t let pass without mentioning was a real breathtaking moment which sums up just what it takes to be a great racing driver. I am of course talking about Mark Webber’s stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso during the Belgian Grand Prix. Having got a better exit from La Source, Webber was gaining on the Spaniard down the hill towards Eau Rouge tucked into the slip stream. Assuming he would wait for the run up to Les Combes and the DRS Zone to make his move, remarkably we witnessed Webber pull out and pass the Ferrari round the outside and through Eau Rouge in a move which would normally end in tears. It was a remarkable manoeuvre and one that many would never even consider but was executed with skill and precision by the Aussie.

Leigh O’Gorman

Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash
Sadly, this has to go to the death of Dan Wheldon – the ramifications of which may be felt in motor racing for years to come. Since the crash, noises for better cockpit protection for single-seater’s have grown louder, while IndyCar’s days at high-banked ovals may be numbered. With IndyCar struggling for ovals, Wheldon’s death – amongst all the pointless greed and bickering of the owners and organisers – may finally be what defines the future of IndyCar. That Wheldon was about to move to a new chapter as the driver of Andretti-Autosport’s Go Daddy car makes it all the more tragic. A true superstar was lost.

Whether be the future of open-wheel oval racing, or the closed cockpit concept the death of Dan Wheldon will be felt by the Indycar fraternity and beyond for years to come

Simon Paice

Teammates get it wrong
There are two moments that stand out for me, both being incidents that stunned me into silence when team-mates got it wrong on track. First was the Honda Racing mix-up at Oulton Park in the BTCC, when Matt Neal made a last lap, final corner lunge at Gordon Shedden and resulted in putting them both through the gravel, cueing shocked faces from everyone watching.

The other was in the Formula Renault BARC opener at Croft, when the Fortec Motorsport team had a disaster. Braking for the first corner on the opening lap, contact between three of the Fortec cars resulted in its two title contenders, Josh Webster and Archie Hamilton, ending their races in the gravel, to the disbelief of those in attendance. This proved decisive in Webster narrowly missing out on the title.

Vince Pettit

Seeing Liam Doran take X Games Gold was a definite highlight of my year. I’ve been a fan of the X Games for some years and the recent addition of Rallycross has been excellent. Seeing Liam Doran work his way through the heats to face a head to head with rally legend Marcus Gronholm was amazing. Who would have thought a British driver in Downtown Los Angeles could cause such an upset on his X Games debut.

Liam Doran flew to X-Games glory, defeating Marcus Gronholm in the LA final

Louis Suddaby

Faubel and Zarco’s Dead Heat in Germany
Even now, I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing! The 125cc class is no stranger to close finishes but this was incredible. Never in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing had we seen a dead heat and the winner decided by a tiebreak. The fastest lap of the race swung it Faubel’s way. On four wheels, the Honda implosion at the final corner at Oulton Park stands out as a jaw dropping moment from the BTCC while Jenson Button’s last lap win in Canada also had me shouting at the telly!

TCF's two-wheel regular Louis Suddaby on the end of the 125cc race in Germany "I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing!"

Scott Wilkes

0.006s.
It’s difficult to describe just how epic the final two laps of the British Superbike Championship were. As Shane Byrne ran away with the victory in the final race at Brands Hatch, the title contenders were locked in a titanic duel for second. As the laps counted down to the penultimate tour, John Hopkins and Tommy Hill. After swapping positions at practically every corner, it came down to a sprint for the line out of the final corner. In the end, Tommy Hill walked away from Brands with the British title, and the honour of being part of two of the greatest laps of racing ever witnessed.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

 The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. As the writers of The Checkered Flag continue to look back on the year they pick their ’Race of the Year’, inlcuding a GT race decided on the final lap,  an endurance race to convert the unconvinced and a Grand Prix that became an endurance race – at least for spectators. 

Peter Allen

GP3 Nurburgring Race 1
Lewis Williamson had been set to become GP3’s first two-time winner of 2011 with his second consecutive victory after his Arden teammate Mitch Evans had received a drive-through penalty. But then the rain came down with just a few laps to go. Rio Haryanto quickly reeled Williamson in, taking the lead when the Scot ran wide at Turn 1. The lead then changed hands between the pair twice more over the following corners, before Valtteri Bottas caught and passed Williamson and chased after Haryanto. The Indonesian would hold on for a fine win, while Williamson would regain second from Bottas before the finish.

the changing weather brought Rio Haryanto to the front of the GP3 race at the Nurburgring

David Bean

Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix was an epic race. It was the longest in F1 history – mainly thanks to a rain delay of over two hours in the middle of the race – but when the cars were on track there was not a dull moment. There were collisions between frontrunners, mistakes from champions, fantastic overtaking manoeuvres, an excellent drive from Regenmeister Michael Schumacher and, of course, the victory that Jenson Button described as the best of his career. Other F1 races came close to matching this one – China, Monaco and Hungary spring to mind – but nothing was quite as gripping as that June afternoon in Montreal.

Josh Bell

Formula Renault 3.5 at the Nurburgring
Given that the Canadian Grand Prix is probably going to be the most popular choice, I have gone for something less ingrained in the minds of the public. For me, and perhaps I am little biased given I cover the category, Race One in the Formula Renault 3.5 event at the Nurburgring was scintillating, as Robert Wickens and Daniel Ricciardo battled for victory in intermittent conditions from the very first lap. The Canadian won it by a nose and courtesy of Eurosport, here is the link to the highlights of that wonderful race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABa8ZC6HqU

James Broomhead

British GT, Snetterton
You cannot talk about races without mentioning the 24 Hours of Le Mans – that was pure fairy tale. However, the two hour Avon Tyres British GT race at Snetterton was the most impossibly twisting event of the year. Matt Bell and Michael Guasch won United Autosports’ first ever race by leading just the final lap and after serving two penalties. Glynn Geddie almost wins the race in the pits, Matt Griffin hit a spinning backmarker while battling for the lead, the two Porsches hit each other early on in the rain and the GT4 winner came back from the longest stop-go penalty I can ever remember – 1:11.

Matt Bell and Michael Guasch came back from two penalties to take a last gasp win at Snetterton

Andy Champness

Bathurst 1000
For me it has to be Bathurst. Call me predictable, but this race is anything but! It had everything – drama, heartache, crashes, breakdowns and even a terrifying fuel fire. But after 161 laps around this perilous mountain and almost six and a half hours of driving, it was an epic, down to the wire battle between Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander racing for everything they had. Over the final 20 laps, Lowndes stormed through from fourth carving chunks of out of Tander’s lead to just half a second going into the last lap. Tander did brilliantly to survive the onslaught and the difference between winning and losing the 2011 Bathurst 1000 came down to just 0.292 seconds!

Mark Foley

Macau GP
When open-wheel champions from all corners of the globe were set to go wheel-to-wheel for the 58^th Macau GP, it promised much, and didn’t disappoint. After a furiously paced 4-way scrap for the lead fought with slipstreaming and heavy braking – jubilant opportunist Daniel Juncadella took the win with Marco Wittmann in 3^rd (the early leader and certainly the moral victor having dropped down the order after a late safety car). With British F3 champ Felipe Nasr in 2^nd, a podium rich with young talent served as a great book-end to the Formula 3 year.

Daniel Juncadella beat pole-sitter Marco Wittmann and British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr in a terrific close to the F3 year

Chris Gurton

24 Hours of Le Mans
For me the race of the year has to be the Le Mans 24 hour. Set to be another ding dong battle between the Peugeots and Audi with their new R18 car, it didn’t disappoint. After two huge accidents involving the Audi no.3 of Allan McNish and the no.1 of Mike Rockenfeller the German marque was left with what some would say was their weaker driver line up of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer to bring home the sole remaining Audi. Up against the 3 factory backed Peugeot 908’s and the privateer Oreca 908 they certainly showed their true ability and maturity in the face of some quite remarkable and dangerous tactics from the French team to pressure the Audi into a mistake. With seconds splitting the front running Audi and the Bourdais, Lamy and Pegenaud Peugeot in second place the finishing margin after 24 hours of racing was just 13.8s. Those who think endurance racing is boring should think again.

The Audi R18 of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, winners of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, photographer Chris Gurton's race of the year

Leigh O’Gorman

Race Of The Year – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
This is easy easy. From the moment the flag dropped, eventual champion Tony Stewart was absolutely on it and taking the challenge to Carl Edwards, with Stewart winning by a second. Thankfully, there was no nonsense, no ridiculous wrecking, no competition cautions and no TV-driven interruptions – just some of the hardest racing of the year. It was everything NASCAR could be if they just stopped screwing around with the package. The rain delays only ramped up the tension throughout. Brilliant stuff.

Simon Paice

BTCC’s first Croft Race
My race of the year has to be the opening BTCC race at Croft. Mat Jackson produced one of his trademark drives through the field in changing conditions and after passing twelve cars, narrowly missed out on the win by 0.055 seconds to Matt Neal, a race that epitomised the entertainment of the BTCC.

Neal and Jackson race towards the checkered flag - Neal would win. Just.

Another race that will also last long in my memory is the Canadian Grand Prix. The longest race in Formula One history, it had it all, safety cars, a rain delay, Michael Schumacher nearly getting his first comeback podium, a rare Sebastian Vettel mistake and a superb Jenson Button drive through the field for the most unlikely of victories.

Vince Pettit

British Superbike Finale, Brands Hatch
My race of the year has to be the final race of the British Superbike 2011 season on the GP circuit at Brands Hatch. After a season of hard racing the championship comes down to the last race and was decided by just 0.006 seconds. The race itself was amazing to watch, especially the last lap where it so easily could have been either Hill or Hopkins; neither rider wanting to roll over and accept defeat. Eventually the Brit defeated the American in a fight that will go down in BSB folklore.

The BSB finale - John Hopkins and Tommy Hill battling on track over the title - was a two-wheeled race of the year

Louis Suddaby

BSB Final Weekend: Race Three
Often, title deciders end in tears but the very last race of the British Superbike season saw Tommy Hill and John Hopkins race fair and square with everything on the line, producing the best lap of racing I’ve ever seen, bar none. The two swapped places six times on the last lap and Hill made it over the finish line six thousandths of a second ahead of Hopkins to win the championship. For sheer excitement and given what was at stake, nothing on two wheels came close this year.

Scott Wilkes

Canadian Grand Prix
This was the most difficult accolade for me to chose this year, as this years motor sport season hasn’t really pulled me in as much as previous seasons. Thinking back throughout the year however, one race stood out to me. On my way back from spectating at Silverstone for the British MotoGP, I was witnessing reports on Twitter that the Canadian Grand Prix had been red flagged for around an hour. I almost hadn’t tuned in once I’d arrived home, but how glad I was I had.

Witnessing Jenson Button‘s surge through the field was a sight to behold. Despite various contacts throughout the race with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso, Button held onto the leading pack, and in drying conditions which he loves, he was able to set some blistering laps to catch Sebastian Vettel, and force the leader into making a mistake on the penultimate lap.

James Thompson tests with Speedworks Motorsport (Photo Credit: Chris Enion)

Double series champion James Thompson tested the Speedworks Motorsport NGTC-spec Toyota Avensis driven by Tony Hughes during the season at Donington Park. Photographer Chris Enion captured these pictures of the day.

Speedworks boss Christian, pictured above talking to Thompson, told btcc.net the test was an opportunity to work on the general set-up of the Avensis with Thompson, who also tested the new spec car in its development stages before its introduction at the beginning od the 2011 season.

Thompson was crowned BTCC champion in 2002 at 2004, and has driven for Honda, Vauxhall and SEAT works teams since he entered the series as a privateer in 1994.

He has also competed across Europe, in the WTCC, ETCC and Scandanavian series driving variously for SEAT, Honda and Volvo. He made a guest appearance at Silverstone in October for the final round of BTCC, driving a third Ford Focus ST of Airwaves Racing.

In their first season in the BTCC Speedworks and Tony Hughes struggled for pace with the new car they recieved scarcely two weeks before the start of the season. The team tested several times with different drivers – including Kelvin Burt - trying to refine the handling on the car. Hughes ended the season with a best finish of 14th from 17 starts.

STR's Tom Boardman during 2011 (Photo Credit: BTCC.net)

Special Tuning Racing have announced they will run a two car team in next year’s British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) running an updated version of the S2000 SEAT Leon.

It comes as confirmation that their domestic racing will continue alongside a previously revealed WTCC campaign that will bring the team closer to SEAT Sport, increasing their link with the manufacturer.

The team will be using an updated version of the NGTC-spec 2.0TSFI engine they debuted in 2011 and are hopeful that the package will remain competitive in 2012 with the equivalency regulations that will be put in place.

“Last season was our first working with the NGTC engine,” explained team principal John Boardman. “And we have certainly learnt a lot working closely with our engine builder. It is never easy to hit the ground running when testing time is limited, so the development of the engine over the season has been a learning curve for both parties. Going into our second season, I am confident that the experience we have gained will enable us to deliver a front-running race car able to compete with the newer NGTC cars.”

Special Tuning ran Tom Boardman throughout the 2011 BTCC season, propelling him to his first career win in the series at Knockhill. The team added a second car during the season for 2010 Clip Cup winner Dave Newsham.

No announcement has yet been made over the drivers for 2012, but the team are reportedly in talks with drivers, from Britain and overseas about taking the seats of the season.

“Interest in our BTCC programme has been strong due to the potential the car has to offer,” said Gary Robertshaw, the team’s technical director. “The S2000 chassis will benefit from developments made available through SEAT Sport, which will enhance the already very good chassis. Our WTCC programme enables us to offer subsidised drives in the BTCC for next season. As is the norm the driver negotiations do take time, but we would like to firm up the line up early in the New Year.”

BTCC action from Donington's 2011 weekend (Photo Credit: BTCC.net)

Series organisers have confirmed the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) race date at Donington Park, completing the 2012 calendar.

The provisional calendar was initially published with date at the Leicestershire circuit left to be confirmed. The series will now visit the track – as it did in 2011 – as the second round of the champion on April 14-15. The weekend was the intended date for the UK round of the WTCC.

2012 British Touring Car Championship calendar

March 31-April 1         Brands Hatch, Kent
April 14-15                    Donington Park, Leicestershire
April 28-29                    Thruxton, Hampshire
June 9-10                       Oulton Park, Cheshir
June 23-24                    Croft, North Yorkshire
August 11-12                Snetterton, Norfolk
August 25-26               Knockhill, Fife
September 22-23       Rockingham, Northamptonshire
October 6-7                  Silverstone, Northamptonshire
October 20-21             Brands Hatch, Kent

British Touring Car Championship (Photo Credit: BTCC.net)

Championship points will be awarded to the top 15 finishers in each British Touring Car race next season under a new, extended scoring system.

Previously only the top ten have claimed points towards the overall championship. Instead of being awarded 15 points for victory, 20 will be awarded under the new system, however, series director Alan Gow says little will change despite the additional rewards on offer.

“Fundamentally,” says Gow. “The new system doesn’t really change that much as we’ve maintained the same spread of points between the top-ten placings as before. However, what this does is to give drivers outside of the top ten something extra to go for and is thus an extra reward for their efforts.”

The bonus points available for pole position, fastest lap and leading a lap will remain the same as throughout the 2011 campaign.

In addition to the overall the new system (see below for a full run down) will be employed for all the championships. The Independent Drivers’ championship will be scored in the same way as the overall contest, save for bonus points, while the Independent Teams’ title will be scored based on a team’s best finisher.

Points for the HIQ Teams’ title will be scored by a team’s two best finishers. Manufacturers points will be awarded to the two cars nominated, with constructors having to nominate their chosen pair by 5pm on the day before qualifying for a weekend.

2012 British Touring Car Championship points system:
1st: 20 points 
2nd: 17 points
3rd: 15 points 
4th: 13 points 
5th: 11 points
6th: 10 points
7th: 9 points
8th: 8 points
9th: 7 points
10th: 6 points
11th: 5 points
12th: 4 points
13th: 3 points
14th: 2 points
15th: 1 point

Team Aon's Tom Chilton in BTCC action (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

In preparation for an entry into the championship in 2012 representatives of Team Aon visited the World Touring Car paddock in Shanghai Tianma during last week’s Chinese round of the WTCC.

Mike Earle, team principal of Arena Motorsport, which runs the Team Aon operation in the BTCC, was joined by Grahame Chilton and BTCC race winner Tom Chilton in meetings with WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti and Jost Capito, director of Ford Global Motorsport Business Development.

Earle revealed that the team are pushing forward with expansive plans for the 2012 season. “We are going ahead with our WTCC preparation. We have built a Ford Focus to S2000 specifications and we will start testing with Tom Chilton before the end of this month. As an Independent Constructor, our team preparation for the 2012 WTCC season is enabled through the S2000 development support from Ford.”

Grahame Chilton, who attended the meetings as Earle’ commercial partner added; “our aim is to build a three-car team and besides Tom we are in touch with a number of prospective leading touring car drivers with international experience, with the aim being to launch a team that is competitive from the outset.”

“I am obviously excited by the fact that a new and glamorous brand with worldwide commercial interests may become involved in the championship,” said Lotti. “I’m also pleased that the programme will be run by such a professional team and will involve a young and promising driver like Tom who emerged from a competitive national championship like the BTCC. This addition will provide WTCC with further competition and appeal.”

James Nash - Photo Credit: btcc.net

2011 British Touring Car Championship Independents champion James Nash took his first Formula Ford win since 2007 during an impressive showing in the 2011 Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.

Nash has plenty of Formula Ford experience in his locker, having raced in Formula Ford in 2006 and 2007, finishing second in the Walter Hayes Trophy in 2006. This years running of the event saw Nash competing in a Formula Ford 2000 Van Diemen RF82 engineered and run by Simon Green Motorsport.

Racing on the National Circuit, Nash enjoyed a good start to the weekend in qualifying, leading the session until the last lap when he was just pushed into second. A flying start in the race saw Nash lead into Copse corner, maintaining the lead until Maggotts, where he was re-passed. A lap later, Nash exacted his revenge and regained the lead, holding on until the end for victory, setting the fastest lap of the race.

Nash commented: “I was beating myself up a bit after qualifying as I’m never that happy taking second place but it’s how your perform in the race that counts and winning meant a lot to me. Since September, I have won the BTCC independent Championship, a British Touring Car Race, a GT4 Race and now the Walter Hayes 2000 trophy, I can’t wait to get back in the car, probably in the Dubai 24 Hours.”

Chris James, 2011 (Photo Credit: btcc.net)

Team ES Racing have announced plans for a two car team in next year’s British Touring Car Championship.

The Luton based team entered the series in 2011 with Chris James driving an S2000-spec Chevrolet Lacetti.

However, speaking the MotorSport UK show James – who is also the team principal – revealed their 2012 ambitions. “We are delighted to be able to prove our long term commitment to the BTCC and to have not been a flash in the pan or a one season wonder.”

“Moving forward the team is able to grow on solid foundations built in the first season, this will allow us to finish regularly in the top 10 and we will be looking to continue to better this.”

James added the team will be changing to NGTC-spec machinery for 2012 – aiming, he says, to make Team ES Racing “one of the top flight teams in the BTCC”. No specifics as to the cars the team will be using were released, while James would only admit to being in talks with various drivers to fill the second seat at the team, presumably alongside himself.

James Nash - Photo Credit: btcc.net

British Touring Car Independents champion James Nash will make a return to Formula Ford racing when he competes in the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone this weekend.

Nash will race in the Formula Ford 2000 category, driving a Van Diemen RF82 run by Simon Green Motorsport. The car is owned by Lanan Racing and was driven this year in the BARC Classic Formula Ford 2000 Series by Scott Temple.

Nash has form in the Walter Hayes Trophy, having finished second in 2006. He raced in Formula Ford in 2006 and 2007, finishing runner-up in the championship in 2007.

“I can’t wait to get back into a Formula Ford,” said Nash. “I know it’s only been three weeks since the end of the BTCC season, but I’ve missed being in a car. Plus I’ve got unfinished business in the Walter Hayes as I came 2nd in 2006.”

Green said: “We’re delighted to have James on board this weekend, it will be nice to see what our car can really do at the hands of a British Touring Car Independents Champion.”

Tom Chilton (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

The 2011 British Touring Car Championship ended in the best possible way for Team Aon, Tom Chilton taking the squad’s second race win of the year.

The Arena Motorsport run Global Ford Focuses had been on the pace weekend, all three drivers – Chilton, Tom Onslow-Cole and Andy Neate – qualifying in the top eleven after the half hour qualifying session after Chilton had begun the meeting by setting the fastest time in the first free practice session.

Once racing began on Sunday Tom Onslow-Cole led the way for Mike Earle’s team, taking a fourth place in the opening race, before moving to third to claim the final step on the podium in race two behind the two works run Honda Civics. Thus Tom also claimed his first Independents’ race win of the season for the team.

However, the final race presented Chilton with his opportunity. After battling to eighth in the second race after contact early on in the race he was handed a second placed start, alongside Alex MacDowall, after the random reverse grid.

Chilton beat both a slow starting MacDowall and his Chevrolet teammate Jason Plato off the line to take the lead into the first corner, holding Plato – the out-going BTCC champion back into throughout the 22 lap race.

The result – and the weekend in general left the team to reflect on a first season with the new style of Focus.

Mike Earle explained; “given the fact that we started work on the new Focus quite late I’m delighted with the way the whole team and particularly the drivers have never waivered in their endeavours to move development of the car on – and ultimately bring a competitive package to the race track.”

“On a racing car there’s only so many things you can change but we’ve done a couple of tweeks on every single part of the car,” Tom Chilton told The Checkered Flag after stepping off the podium. “In motor racing there’s never that one thing that makes a car quicker, it’s usually lots of little bits. We did lots of little bit in a test at Snetterton which was the week before Knockhill and I went straight out of the box at Knockhill and the car went as quick as it did all weekend. That’s where the car was at.”

“I’m really proud of Team Aon, really proud of what they’ve done. We’ve got five podiums in the new Global Ford Focuses first year and I think Honda in their first year only got one podium so credit to these guys and what they’ve done.”

Chilton explained how the, since the major development work was performed over the winter before the season the handles better in the colder conditions, such as those presented by the Silverstone late afternoon. However, with further testing Chilton hopes the car can become a consistent performer, and Earle is already planning another busy off-season.

“We actually set the car up in freezing cold and because this is one of the latest races we’ve done this year and the circuit’s very cold it actually suited our car,” said Chilton. “If we go away and do winter for a couple of weeks in Spain we’ll have a car which is good for the hot. I’m happy we’ve got a car which will be ready for next year. It’ll be good in hot and cold conditions and it should be a race winner everywhere.”

AmD Milltek Racing.com, Silverstone (Photo Credit: Bob and Steve Knightley)

The AmD Milltek Racing.com team rounded out their 2011 season with a frustrating weekend at Silverstone.

Driver Martin Byford qualified 24th among the 29 to record a time around the 1.64mile Silverstone National Circuit, but was progressing well up the field into the top 20 before a driveshaft problem forced the Essex based driver into retirement.

The result dropped Byford back into the pack for the start of the second race, when an early pitstop locked the VW Golf driver a lap down. The final race of the day – and the season – was doubtless Byford’s best showing of the weekend.

He had raced into 15th by the fall of the checkered flag at the end of the 22 lap race, finishing ahead of newly crowned Independents’ champion James Nash and double champion James Thompson – returning to the championship for the final meeting of the year with Airwaves Racing.

“I really enjoyed the final race and it was good way for us to finish the season,” said Byford. “The driveshaft problem in race one meant we were on the back foot for the rest of the day with such a large field, but to come from 24th on the grid to finish 15th is a good result for the team and the car was the best it’s been all weekend.”

The Silverstone weekend concluded the 2011 British Touring Car Championship, which Byford joined at the half way point, filling a vacant race seat at AmD Milltek. Looking back on his tenure to date with the team Byford was satisfied with his performance, but frustrated at the lack of points scored.

“I have to admit that I’m gutted that I’ve not managed to break into the top ten and score a point in my half season because I feel we’ve deserved it on several occasions,” he said. “However, I’d like to think that I’ve proven myself and shown that I can compete against these guys and I feel that I can now call myself a touring car driver. The focus is now on working hard over the winter to get the budget together for a full season in the BTCC next year.”

Team manager Shaun Hollamby, similarly, painted a picture of satisfaction, tinged with frustration that the season did not continue on the upward trajectory of the early rounds,

“Overall I’d say the season has seen flashes of brilliance clouded with disappointment for us,” he said. “So much work has gone into this year behind the scenes that I think we have deserved more but now we have to regroup, take stock and look at where the Golf stands for next season. We have to see what the finalised rules are for 2012 but we know that the VW has a good chassis and if the grid is all-turbo next year, we could have a more competitive package than we’ve had this year.”

Throughout 2011 AmD Milltek racing.com have been supported by AmD Milltek Racing.com are supported by AmD Essex, Milltek Sport, Tesco Momentum 99, YourRacingCar.com, Mintex, Super Pro, Pipercross, Corbeau, KW, ABS, Cornering Force, Airtec, SFS Hoses, Eurocell and AlignMyCar.

Mat Jackson, Silverstone race one (Photo Credit: PSP Images)

After the return to the highs at the penultimate round at Brands Hatch Airwaves Racing suffered another disappointing meeting in the BTCC season finale at Silverstone.

The Kent based team had drafted in former champion James Thompson for the weekend in an effort to take teams’ titles in both the overall and independents’ categories, as well as supporting lead driver Mat Jackson in his quest for drivers’ titles.

While Thompson struggled to achieve the pace to truly aid Jackson, the Henley-in-Arden based driver got his weekend off to an almost perfect start when he claimed second on the grid in qualifying, putting the Ford Focus ST between the works Hondas.

Jackson’s bid for the independents’ looked on course throughout much of the first race, but a puncture caused by hitting the Copse kerb too hard dropped the Airwaves driver out of contention – though he had already claimed the overall fastest lap of the race. Instead, Vauxhall driver James Nash, who inherited a podium spot after Jackson’s delay was able to clinch the Independents’ drivers title. The puncture dropped Jackson down the starting order for the second race, triggering what Jackson called “a dogfight” for the rest for the day

Jackson’s race two followed a similar pattern to his first. This time early contact damaged the front of the no.7 Focus, dooming Jackson to a succession of pitstops during the race, though he showed his pace again, nabbing the bonus point for fastest lap once more.

The second race of the weekend also saw the Independents teams’ title slip out Airwaves’ range, when Liam Griffin fell behind James Nash’s Triple Eight teammate Ollie Jackson in the closing laps.

Generally, after the improvement yielded by a change in driving style before the previous round, Griffin rounded out his maiden BTCC campaign with a consistent race day, achieving the unlikely accolade – driving alongside Jackson and Thompson –of being the best placed of the Airwaves trio in all three races.

Griffin said; “It was great to finish on what was probably my best weekend of the season; better for the results to come late than never! I’ve finished the last ten races with consistent results, gained in confidence and car control which has built up over the last three weekends and shown in the results.”

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first season in the BTCC. The Motorbase team have been amazing to work with and I’ve learnt a huge amount from them and Mat [Jackson] and ended the season a better driver than when I started! Also, it’s quite nice to be able to say that I beat a twice-crowned BTCC champion in all three races!”

In race three Triple Eight and Airwaves Racing were again in battle, Jackson and Nash tussleing through Brooklands and Luffield, the pair exchanging taps to pass each other. Nash’s contact was much the heavier, pushing Jackson wide, but being given a drive-through penalty. Jackson was initially able to continue but damage to the front of the car forced him to make another pitstop during a race.

“We’re obviously gutted to have come away without a trophy this weekend,” said Jackson. “But the season just hasn’t gone our way since Knockhill. To finish in fourth place overall, narrowly missing out on the Independent title, and to be the top placed Ford after moving to a completely new car this season is still a huge achievement though, and one to be proud of.”

“This weekend was not the way we planned to end the season,” summarised team manager Oly Collins. “We threw our all at it, unfortunately it was in vain and the day ended on a rather low note for what has been a successful season. Great thanks to all involved at Airwaves Racing and Motorbase; from the staff, sponsors, drivers, supporters and everyone involved in the team for all their efforts this year. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result that we deserved.”

Alex MacDowall, Silverstone (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

Alex MacDowall scored points in all three races to end his 2011 campaign in the British Touring Car Championship with Silverline Chevrolet in ninth place in the overall points.

On the Silverstone National Circuit, a circuit that rewards acceleration and top speed rather than handling – normally the strong point of MacDowall’s RML-prepared Chevrolet Cruze – the 20-year-old was able to battle with his turbocharged rivals.

In qualifying MacDowall was able to beat his team leader Jason Plato by taking the fifth fastest time, two places better than Plato could achieve in his Cruze, though his example was carrying success ballast by virtue of him start the weekend level second in points.

Alex was able to convert fifth on the grid to a fifth place finish in the first race, dropping as low as eight in a midfield battle that included all three Team Aon Fords and Plato, with MacDowall being shuffled down the order before a puncture (Plato) and a penalty (Tom Chilton) lifted him into position to take sixth from Aon’s Andy Neate. A late race puncture for Mat Jackson dropped him from second place, handing Alex fifth place.

After excelling in the combative pack in the first race MacDowall found himself shuffled out on the opening lap of the second encounter with contact at both Becketts and Brooklands meant he ended the first 1.6 mile tour in 15th place. Alex was able to break back into the top ten – despite carrying damage from the early contact and challenged Tom Chilton for eighth place in the final laps after the temporary lull caused by a crash on the pit straight, ending the race just 0.017 seconds apart as the two drivers crossed the finish line together.

The ninth place, however, handed MacDowall pole position on the reversed grid for the final race of the season, but a sluggish start saw him slip behind race two rival Chilton and Plato who had started in third place. MacDowall slipped to fourth on the second lap behind SEAT driver Tom Boardman, chasing the Lancastrian to the checkered flag, ending the race just two tenth of a second behind him, just short of a podium place.

“It was definitely a better weekend than Brands Hatch”, concluded MacDowall, “At least we had a car that stayed together for the whole weekend without any big problems. I did really struggle with the starts for some reason though, I didn’t practice them on the way to the grid as I was bothered about the strain it’d put on the driveshaft. I don’t think the clutch was great either so that didn’t help but to score in all three races was a good way to end the year.”

Frank Wrathall (Photo Credit: Toyota)

Frank Wrathall left Silverstone at the end of the British Touring Car season with two honours. Firstly the accolade of being the best of the 2011 series rookies and secondly the Fans Forum Trophy.

The latter, of course, is organised and voted for by fans on the official series website and the trophy was awarded to Wrathall by David Hughes – one of the contest’s organisers – during the pit walkabout on Sunday.

“It was a bit of a shock when I first heard that I had won,” said Wrathall. “I am more than pleased to accept the award, which I see as being not just for me but for the whole team. It really shows that people appreciate what we have been through this year and what we have achieved. It’s been an incredible journey from start to finish.”

“It’s great that the fans feel a part of what you are trying to achieve. The support we have had from day one, when we were struggling to finish races, has meant a lot not just to me but to everyone in Dynojet Racing. Even on your worst days the fans’ support seems to give you a little lift.”

Wrathall recieves the Fans Forum trophy from David Hughes at Silverstone

On track Wrathall recorded a solid, if unspectacular, end to the season. He qualified ninth once Tom Onslow-Cole had been demoted for setting his fastest time under yellow flags, and the Toyota driver ended the first race in tenth.

The second race was a set back. Contact with a spinning Tom Chilton caused the passenger door on the orange Avensis to come open, necessitating a pair of pitstops and dropping him to 25th place for the start of the third race.

From there he started a fine drive that should be considered alongside his podium results at Knockhill and Rockingham as his best of the season. With the first lap of the 1.6 mile track he has passed five cars. Fighting further up the field Wrathall got the better of Triple Eight driver Ollie Jackson after a long battle.

Contact between Mat Jackson and James Nash handed Wrathall two more places when both men had to make visits to the pits, Nash for a drive through penalty, Jackson to have damage to his Ford rectified.

Now in tenth Wrathall latched onto the rear of the battle for the championship – Gordon Shedden following teammate and rival Matt Neal. With Shedden unable to make the pass that would give him a chance at the championship Wrathall pounced out of Luffield on the final lap to steal ninth and two points.

“I’m smiling now,” said Frank. “I was so determined to end with a decent performance. It was always going to be hard to get into the top 10 from 25th on the grid, but I made a good start, the car was brilliant, getting stronger and stronger, and towards the end of the race it felt like I was one of the quickest people out there. To pass Shedden at the final corner was pretty sweet.”

We’ve had a tough day but we’ve definitely ended on a high with that performance. The whole team can be proud of that after fixing the car so quickly after the second race. To reflect on the job that they have done all year for me, I can’t fault them; they’ve been absolutely fantastic. The Toyota has been far better than I ever imagined, and that’s all thanks to the team.”

James Nash (Photo Credit: btcc.net)

The third place in the first of three races at Silverstone was enough for James Nash to wrap up the British Touring Car Independents drivers’ championship. The Triple Eight team also secured the Independents teams’ title thanks to Ollie Jackson, making his second BTCC appearance.

In the closing laps of race two Jackson was able to pass Airwaves Racings’ Liam Griffin. With the rest of the Airwaves team enduring a poor weekend at Silverstone it was enough to secure the teams’ title after a hard season.

“Our 22nd title, really?,” said Triple Eight chairman Ian Harrison. “See we’ve won everything! James has driven really well all season. He’s learnt a lot from last year. The team has done a good job. We haven’t had a mechanical failure in two years which must be a record. Ollie drove like a proper touring car driver, I’m really pleased considering today was only his second meeting. He’s starting to get the hang of it!”

Nash’s personal triumph too came at the expense of Airwaves Racing, stealing third place and the title when Mat Jackson had to call off his challenge for the overall win after a right front puncture in the latter laps of the race.
Earlier Nash had had to hold off a pack led by Tom Chilton for fourth place, the Team Aon driver having to serve a drive through penalty for straying off the circuit once too often in pursuit of the black Vectra.

Nash, speaking to The Checkered Flag after the podium celebrations, suggested that Jackson had paid the price for chasing overall glory, rather than concentrating on the more attainable Independents’ honour.

“Yeah, it’s great,” said Nash. ”We’ve worked hard all year and finished every race. That’s good for the team and it shows just how reliable cars they make. We’ve only finished out of the points three or four times l think so we’ve been super consistent and that’s what has delivered the Championship. We got the driver’s title in the first race and we tied up the team’s title in the second. Nice and early. I had one more on the agenda and that was to get fourth in the driver’s overall. All we needed was a point I n the last race so it was close.” It’s been a fantastic season and the team and everyone from Swindon Engines have done a fantastic job. Thank you.”

Nash lost third place early on in the second race after being hit, and finished 15th and 17th in the final two races of the season. The title, fortunately, had already been clinched.

James Nash and the Triple Eight team celebrate their 2011 successes

Jason Plato (Photo Credit: Chevrolet)

Silverline Chevrolet driver Jason Plato was left to rue poor luck after losing a chance at defend his title, largely down to race one puncture at Silverstone.

Plato, who has rode a roller coaster of a season with his RML run team began the final three race meeting just five points behind championship leader Matt Neal after a late surge including two win on the penultimate weekend at Brands Hatch.

However, Plato’s championship hopes took a hit in qualifying when he could only qualify his normally aspirated Chevrolet Cruze seventh fastest, two places behind young teammate Alex MacDowall, whose car was free from the success ballast in Plato’s machine.

The early laps of the had Plato involved in a midfield fight that also involved his teammate, but also James Nash and Tom Chilton, who won two of the races at the track in 2010. Plato’s part in battle came to an end on lap ten, when he pulled the no.1 Cruze off the track as he battled on the pit straight with a left-front puncture.

The premature end to the race – he was credited with 25th place – all but ended Plato’s title ambitions, with the grid for the second race of the weekend set by the finishing order to the first. Still – in the latest of a number of come-from-the-back drives this season – Plato recoverd to an impressive seventh place, fighting through most of the field in the 25 lap race. Neal and Honda teammate Gordon Shedden ended the race first and second, mathematically ending Plato’s chance of retaining the title.

“We had some pretty bad luck,” Plato said. “But that’s racing, and we always knew Silverstone would be difficult as it’s impossible to overtake the turbocharged cars on fast circuits. We know we’ve got a great car and Silverline Chevrolet/RML are the best team in the business, we gave it our best, and we took it to the final meeting – a lot of people weren’t expecting that.”

A favourable reverse grid draw for the team offered a silver lining as it put Plato third on the grid, with MacDowall on pole after he added a ninth place finish to his fifth from the opening race. The 20-year-old got a slow start, allowing Chilton to slip through into the lead, Plato following into second place.

The Oxford based driver remained close to Chilton through much the race but was never amount to mount a challenge to take what would have been his tenth win of the year. Still his nine win tally from 2011 remained the best of any driver during the season.

Tom Chilton (Photo Credit: Jon Hobley)

Tom Chilton took a comfortable win to close the 2011 British Touring Car Championship, while behind the title battle was resolved in favour of Matt Neal after a tense race that had he and rival/teammate nose to tail.

Chilton took full advantage of the reverse grid, taking the lead into Copse after pole-sitter Alex MacDowall made a slow getaway that tempted Jason Plato to try and slide into the lead between the front row pair. Plato’s dive for the lead came up short and he settled into second behind the Aon Focus. MacDowall ended the first lap third but was passed by Tom Boardman on the second lap, the SEAT driver installing himself on the final step of a race podium that remained static throughout the rest of the race.

Plato remained close behind Chilton – roughly half a second the gap for the first 19 of the 22 laps before he fell back, allowing Chilton to take the checkered flag 1.4 seconds to the good.

Perhaps the lack of overtaking at the front was a good thing as the title battle was to be found in the nose-to-tail midfield. Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden had been given starting slots at the bottom of the top ten and in heavily ballasted Honda Civics – and understandingly cautious – neither driver was able to move up the order, only gaining a place in the opening laps due to the retirement of Dave Newsham due to contact and a damaged left rear corner on the yellow SEAT.

The two Hondas were split by less than half a second, but Shedden was unable to bridge the final gap he needed to before he mount any attack on Neal, let alone one that didn’t risk taking out both men.

With the two Civics in lock step Rob Austin was able to catch the pair in his Audi. He slid up the inside of Shedden at Becketts to briefly put a concrete element of separation between the two title rivals. However, a lap later he was able to pass Neal, who no doubt had the cautious approach in mind seeing a faster car looming in his mirrors.

Austin’s charge – showing the pace of the NGTC Audi again after struggling at Brands Hatch – also led him past Tom Onslow-Cole to claim sixth place on the penultimate lap behind Andrew Jordan, who completed a quiet hat-trick of top ten results on the final weekend for the Pirtek Vectra.

Shedden was again presented with the rear of the sister Civic, but was still unable to do anything to pass his teammate, let alone begin to put the places between them necessary for him to win the title. In fact, when the checkered flag fell it did so with Frank Wrathall between the two Hondas, the Dynojet driver having grabbed ninth place from Shedden at Luffield on the final lap.

The end of term feeling, typified by over-exuberant driving was lacking from an encounter that played out more like a tense thriller than action adventure. Only James Nash and Mat Jackson – who both entered the weekend with title aspirations – provided the sort of contact that has made highlight reels of so many BTCC finales.

Jackson bumped Nash wide Brooklands to take tenth on track, only for the newly crowned Independents’ champion to replay with a shove in the rear bumper under braking for Luffield. Nash took the place but was given a drive through penalty that ruled him out of challenging for the points. He ended the race in 17th. Another casualty of the race – aside from Jackson who had to pit for the Airwaves Racing team to attend to the damage from the clash – a flapping bonnet the most concerning, was Daniel Welch.

Having scored the first points for the team in race two he held station in the back of the top ten for the first lap before being pushed off at Becketts and dropping to 22nd. From there the Proton driver mounted the kind of NGTC powered comeback that has become Rob Austin’s domain in the second half of the season, coming back to 14th place.

Gordon Shedden lead Matt Neal (Photo Credit: Jon Hobley)

The second British Touring Car race at Silverstone resulted in a second 1-2 finish for the works Honda team for the day. However, with the order reversed Gordon Shedden was able to take the title fight to final race of the season.

Shedden took the lead on the opening lap, taking advantage of a slow start by pole sitter Matt Neal to lead Tom Onslow-Cole by half a second at the end of the first lap, the Team Aon driver climbed from fourth on the grid past Neal and James Nash.

Onslow-Cole’s stint between the two Hondas lasted only four laps before he slid wide at Brooklands, allowing Neal to move into second place unchallenged. The Honda pair were able to drop the chasing Ford, the gap back to Onslow-Cole approaching two seconds before the safety car was sent out after Nick Foster spun at Woodcote and was collected by James Thompson leaving debris across the pit straight.

Shedden was able to get a good restart, immediately establishing a six-tenths of a second lead over Neal behind. Neal was able to edge towards Shedden in the closing laps – later telling The Checkered Flag he would have considered attempting a pass for the lead – but fell short and had to follow Shedden across the line. Neal’s points lead is just six points with the final race of the day left to decide the champion.

Tom Onslow-Cole completed the podium, taking his first Independents’ race win of the year ahead of Special Tuning Racing’s Dave Newsham, who continued almost certainly his best weekend of the year. James Nash, who had held fourth early in the race was punted down to tenth on lap two before struggling to regain ground in the cut-throat midfield battle and finishing 15th.

Andrew Jordan and Tom Boardman finished fifth and sixth. Boardman started the race from 23rd following his race one rear suspension failure, but needed only three laps to break into the top ten and a further eight to put himself into sixth.

Jason Plato was another to fight up through the field after his race one problems, though he made slower progress from 25th on the starting grid. He took tenth place away from Liam Griffin with a move around the outside at Brooklands before benefitting to the tune of two more places when Rob Collard and Daniel Welch. His final move was to pass Tom Chilton’s battered Ford for seventh at Copse. The Team Aon man was typical of the midfield battle, carrying damage for nearly the entire race after being tapped sideways at Brooklands on lap one. The same incident ruled Frank Wrathall out of points contention, the passenger side door of the Toyota Avensis needing to be taped close as a result of the damage.

Alex MacDowall lost out to Chilton at the line by just 0.017 seconds and Welch completed the top ten, the latter scoring the first points for the Proton Gen-2 based racer.

Mat Jackson endured another tough race, having to pit with right-front damage at the end of the first lap. He finished 25th – the last classified runner – but again claimed a lonely bonus point for fastest lap.

MacDowall will start the final race of the season from pole position after the random reverse grid draw. Title chasers Neal and Shedden therefore start eighth and ninth respectively, a fact that concerns Neal with the possibility of contact in the fraught midfield looming large.

BTCC Silverstone race 1 podium (Photo Credit: Jon Hobley)

Matt Neal led a Honda Racing Team 1-2 in the first British Touring Car race at Silverstone to increase his lead in the championship. Meanwhile his title rivals Jason Plato and Mat Jackson both suffered punctures and ended the race pointless.

The race began with a three car crash on start line. A fast starting Rob Austin tried to pass Liam Griffin but was clipped by the Focus driver. The touch knocked Austin into Ollie Jackson, who span gracefully down the pit straight, luckily escaping contact with either another driver of the pit wall. Tony Gilham was not so lucky, sliding across the grass slapping the metal barrier on the left of track. He joined Austin as instant retirements the safety car scrambled to allow the two cars to be recovered.

The race restarted Jackson ran second for much of the race, pressuring Matt Neal for the lead. Jackson appeared to have the edge around the corners but necessarily defensive and tidy driving from Neal kept him behind. On several occasions Jackson almost pushed the Civic around the right hander at Luffield before, and despite the maximum success ballast sharing the car with Neal, the points leader eased into enough of a lead to prevent Jackson attacking into Copse.

Jackson’s approach was complicated by Gordon Shedden, who remained close to the rear of the Ford Focus as the top three broke away from James Nash who had maintained his fourth place grid slot.

Early on Nash was at the head of a train of cars. Not just Tom Chilton but also both Silverline Chevrolets and the other two Team Aon Focus. Jason Plato had made the most of the start to jump ahead of his teammate Alex MacDowall. However, at the end of lap ten Plato pulled to drivers’ left down the pit straight with a left-front puncture. Dejected, he limped around an almost complete lap of the National Circuit. Rejoining with fresh tyres he tried in vain to salvage the point available for fastest lap. That point went to Mat Jackson.

Jackson’s puncture came just three laps from the end of the race, first showing itself at Becketts when he ran wide, allowing Shedden to snatch a second place he had shadowed all race as the top three circulated split by less a second.

James Nash was the beneficiary, not just as he took the final podium place but also as the points he picked up for the Independents’ class win have confirmed the Triple Eight driver as champion with two races remaining.

James Nash clinched the Independent Drivers' title with third overall

With Chilton removed by a drive-through penalty – presumably for straying onto the tarmac run off once too often – Alex MacDowall scored a fifth place finish ahead of Dave Newsham and Andrew Jordan who had tangled earlier in the race at Brooklands.

Rob Collard, Andy Neate and Frank Wrathall completed the top ten. The BMW driver passed Neate on the final corner of the final lap, a move Wrathall tried to emulate, though he came up 0.020 seconds short at the finish line.

Frank Wrathall has led Toyota's 2011 runners (Photo Credit: btcc.net)

The 2012 iteration of Toyota’s NGTC-spec British Touring Car challenger has been unveiled at the final weekend of the 2011 season at Silverstone.

The current car – introduced at the start of this season to fit the brand new regulations has improved greatly during the season, driver Frank Wrathall and the Dynojet team transforming their entry into a genuine podium contender during the second half of the season.

The 2012 model aims to build upon this foundation, chassis development squad GPR Motorsport promising a number of improvements.

The new car integrates many of the styling and dynamic improvements that will feature on the new Avensis road car, as well as many enhancements designed specifically with racing in mind.

“There is a lot more airflow through the new front end,” says GPRM’s Gary Blackham, “and that will aid engine cooling and performance, with more air flowing to the intercooler. But the new front end and styling changes are not the end of the story, because many lessons were learned during the Toyota’s maiden season of competition and there are significant changes under the skin also.”

The new car – in white – will be on display in the Silverstone paddock throughout the BTCC weekend for fans to cast their eyes over.

The 2012 version Toyota Avensis on display during Saturday at Silverstone