The first of the eagerly anticipated new power plants for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has been delivered to the new for 2010 Pirtek Racing, who will run an ex works Vauxhall Vectra for Andrew Jordan.
Jordan, who raced for the VXR Outfit in 2009 in the Vectra will start testing the TOCA engine next week, while Pinkney Motorsport have confirmed that David Pinkney will also use the new engine in a Vectra as well.
The new power plant, built by Swindon Engines, who won the tender for the deal to build the 'Next Generation' 2.0l turbocharged engines for the new regulations that come in for the 2011 season. These engines will have equal performance against the teams who are using the current S2000, naturally aspired engines.
The NGTC Spec engine is expected to more than halve the BTCC team's engines budgets, as the NGTC Spec engines can be bought or leased from TOCA.
The front running potential has helped both Jordan and Pinkney choose the turbocharged engine ahead of the full introduction of the regulations in 2011, and 2011 to 2013 will see teams given the option of using their current S2000 equipment with the S2000 engine, their S2000 car with the NGTC engine or go for a complete new build NGTC car, with engine. Teams will have the option to develop their own 2.0l turbo engine as well as taking up the option of the TOCA engine.
The NGTC engines race debut is at Thruxton, in Hampshire on the 3rd and 4th April, and tickets are on sale now, and the season finishes at the Brands Hatch Indy track in Kent, on the 9th and 10th October.
Photo credit: Matt Auger
