The British Touring Car Championship's 'Next Generation Touring Car' has undergone extensive wind tunnel testing as it heads towards its competition debut. The car, built by GPR Motorsport and based on a Toyota Avensis, will make its bow in the 2011 BTCC opener at Brands Hatch in April.
The car headed to MIRA, the UK's leading aerodynamic analysis facility, for the tests, where it was joined by a road-going model. This had a rear wing attached to it, allowing the TOCA technical staff to establish a baseline for the car's aerodynamics.
Technical Director Peter Riches explains: “We needed to fix a position for the rear wing, based on the aerodynamics of the road car, which gave the levels of downforce we were looking for.
“I am pleased to say that this was quickly achieved, and it means that we now have a base line for all cars built to the NGTC regulations and have saved a lot of development time and potential expense for the teams.”
Privateer outfits Dynojet and Speedworks have agreed to race Avensis' in the series next year as they look to take advantage of the reduced costs of development associated with the new car.