Rockingham Ready for British GT Season Resumption.

British GT Race Start at Spa last time out - the series heads to Rockingham this weekend.

September is all set for an adrenalin-fuelled kick start thanks to the resumption of the 2011 Avon Tyres British GT Championship, following the song summer break since the last round, at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

The top Sportscar drivers in the UK go head to head in a pair of one hour races at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire, driving supercars from Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Audi and Ginetta. A field in excess of twenty two cars is expected, with sixteen cars entered in the GT3 Category.

Heading to Rockingham, the Championship battle couldn’t be any closer or exciting. Currently, the points are being led by Mike Guasch and Matt Bell in their Audi R8 GT3, run by United Autosports, but they only have a two point advantage over father and son pairing, Jim/Glynn Geddie in their CRS Racing Ferrari 458 Italia. The Scottish pairing has been a regular visitor to the podium in 2011.

Matt Griffin and Duncan Cameron in their MTech Racing Ferrari 458 are coming up the standings fast and they secured the victory out at Spa last time out. They secured a strong seventh place finish out at the Slovakia Ring recently in the FIA GT3 European Championship. That was despite some technical issues.

“It was a tough weekend in Slovakia,” said Griffin, “and I hope we can put all that behind us for Rockingham. We need a couple of good, solid finishes there to keep the ball rolling having turned our season around a bit. But it won’t be easy because British GT is so competitive and because Rockingham has historically suited the Porsches more than it has the Ferraris.”

Rockingham marks the last double header of the season for the British GT field. Their next outing, at Donington Park is a three hour endurance style race while the season finale at Silverstone is a two hour race. Benjamin Franassovicci believes that it will be a fascinating season finale:  “The three circuits coming up all offer their own unique challenges, as will the format of the races at each. The championship is wide open and will be, I think, all the way to the final round. We are expecting to see 27-plus cars on the grid at Donington, which is even more exciting.”

Also lining up in the GP3 Category will be reining Champion David Ashburn in his Trackspeed Porsche. He has secured two victories this season while the teams’ second 997 will be driven by Gregor Fiskin and Tim Bridgman, who secured victory at Brands Hatch.

CRS Racing will also have their second Ferrari 458 out, with Andrew Tate and Alex Mortimer. Both the Geddie’s car and the Tate/Mortimer car will have a striking new livery for Rockingham.

2009 Champions, David/Godfrey Jones will be out in their Team Preci-Spark Mercedes AMG SLS, fresh from coming seventh overall out at Spa during the Spa 24 Hours, while Oulton Park victors, Michael Lyons and Charles Bateman will be looking to secure yet more success for the young Scuderia Vittoria outfit.

Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam will be driving the Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin while Corvette is also represented by Piers and Ron Johnson, who are piloting the Speedworks Motorsport car. The duo collected a season’s best sixth last time out.

Ginetta will be represented by three G55’s, at the hands of Century Motorsport’s Julien Draper and Freddie Hetherington.

In the GT4 class, the battle for the title is just as fearsome. Currently leading the way is the ABG Motorsport duo of Peter Belshaw and Marcus Clutton, in their KTM X-Bow. They have secured GT4 honours three times already this season.

Spa-Francorchamps saw maiden class wins for Dan Denis and David McDonald in the Scuderia Vittoria run Ginetta G50 and the Lotus Sport UK run Lotus Evora for Ollie Jackson and Phil Glew. Jake Rattenbury and Josh Wakefield have also secured a class victory in the Century Motorsport G50, during the second Oulton Park race. After their maiden GT4 Podium finish at Spa, Peter Erceg and Chris Holmes will be hoping to repeat the feat in their Secure Racing Aston Martin.

In GT3B, the class will be contested by MTech Ferrari drivers John Dhillon and Aaron Scott while the GTC Category will see Jordan Witt and Anthony Reid in their Chevron GR8.

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

British GT Rockingham Schedule:

Saturday, 3 September:

09.00 – 10.00: Free Practice 1
11.45 – 12.45: Free Practice 2
16.20 – 16.55: Qualifying

Sunday, 4 September:

10.00: Warm Up
12.50: Round Seven (60 Minutes)
16.25: Round Eight (60 Minutes)

Picture Credit: British GT Media

Toyota Racer Wrathall Secures Independent Honours

Frank Wrathall heading for fourth overall at Snetterton - his and the NGTC Toyota's first BTCC points.

Frank Wrathall and the Dynojet team are celebrating a small piece of Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship history – they became the first team to secure the Independent honours with a full NGTC car as well as the first outright Championship points.

Wrathall had qualified seventh in his Toyota Avensis ahead of the first race at Snetterton and after putting in a stunning drive, he brought the car home fourth overall and top Independent driver. This opened the second half of the season up with a bang.

Twenty Four year old Wrathall found everything hard to take in as he graced the podium at Snetterton: “I can’t believe it… it’s absolutely incredible. It’s been such an epic journey from the first round in April. Now here I am standing on the podium. I’m speechless.

“The aim for the year was to get into the points. To get fourth overall and top independent at the sixth meeting of the year is way beyond our expectations. From day one we’ve known that the Avensis had the potential. To put everything together and to get a podium is the best reward for all the hard work that’s gone in.”

Wrathall put in a copybook performance during the first race of the weekend at the new 2.99 mile Norfolk circuit. Having secured the best qualifying result for a ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ with seventh. He survived a fraught opening lap, which included Matt Neal being spun out and gained a place as a result.

“I was a little worried about the start,” said Frank, “but I pulled away well from the line and put myself in the best possible position. I was tucked right up in the pack; then there was a lot of dust and a Honda spinning in the middle of the track. I used my head and picked my way through it.”

Down at Agostini on lap five, Wrathall made his move for fifth on James Nash and he soon latched onto the tail of Tom Chilton, who was running fourth. “I put him under a lot of pressure; he wasn’t holding me up but I was comfortable behind him. Then he made a mistake.” The pressure from Wrathall paid off as Chilton made a mistake at Riches on lap six, handing the Toyota driver fourth.

By this point, the leading trio of Jason Plato, Alex MacDowall and Gordon Shedden were four seconds up the road and despite his best efforts; Wrathall was unable to catch them.

“The Avensis was good all the way to the flag; there were a lot of unknowns about how the car would perform towards the end of a race but in relation to everyone else it was brilliant,” said Wrathall afterwards.

Fourth Position in the race gave Wrathall the maximum points in the Independent Category, but also the first points for a NGTC runner.

Race two also gave the Lancastrian driver a chance to shine and for eight laps out of the twelve, he did as he held a solid third position. He made progress on the opening lap, having started fourth on the grid. He outwitted Plato at Williams to snatch third.

Once he was ahead of the reigning Champion, he proceeded to challenge James Nash for second for a number of laps before a damaged radiator caused his car to overheat.

“I got hit from behind into the first corner,” said Frank, “and as a result I hit someone in front. From then on the car started to overheat, and it worsened as I came up behind Nash. I dropped back from him in the hope that some fresher air would help it, but it didn’t.”

Despite the damage to the radiator, Wrathall put up a spirited defence against Plato and team-mate MacDowall but on the ninth lap, both Chevrolet drivers got ahead of the Toyota driver. Lap ten saw Wrathall’s race end prematurely as he pulled over as not to damage the engine. “I had a good go at keeping them behind me, but in the end it was impossible,” added a still-smiling Frank.

The radiator damage meant that Wrathall had to sit out the final race of the day – there wasn’t enough time between the end of the second race and the third race for a complete replacement of the radiator. Wrathall is confident that the performances shown in the opening two races have proved a point and that he will be up there constantly.

Tony Hughes in the other NGTC Toyota Avensis also had a good showing. The Speedworks Motorsport driver improved with every session. Having qualified twenty fourth, he raced to twenty first in the opening race while in race two, he was holding eighteenth when on the final lap, a throttle problem forced the car into ‘limp mode’ and Hughes stopped to prevent any possible engine damage. He also failed to take the start of the fional Snetterton race.

With his seat time restricted since the car was re-engineered to improve its handling performance, the results secured by Hughes were respectable: “The chief problem I have is a lack of time in the car,” he said. “I need more testing time to get the best from it.”

Next up for the Toyota BTCC runners is a trip across the border and into Scotland, for rounds nineteen, twenty and twenty one at Knockhill, Fife on the 4 September.

Picture Credit: Matt Auger/Back Of The Grid.co.uk

Hughes has Productive Weekend at Snetterton.

Tony Hughes in his Toyota Avensis heading to the grid for race two at Snetterton.

Tony Hughes and the Speedworks team had a productive race weekend during the sixth meeting of the year for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, held at the Snetterton 300 circuit in Norfolk.

The new configuration has received mixed reviews from the BTCC paddock. Hughes treated the weekend as a test session of sorts, as he hasn’t sat in the Toyota Avensis since his home round at Oulton Park back in June.

“The car’s steering is much better following the upgrades, it makes the car feel completely different” remarked Tony, “I’m feeling a little rusty with the lack of time behind the wheel and unfortunately when it got to qualifying I think I only got two clear laps due to the clutch failing, but it’s not the end of the world”.

With the steering gremlins sorted out, the team will now have plenty of work to do on the suspension set up – and maybe in other areas as there was some surprising news with regards to the design of the anti-roll bar.

It was also discovered that during the summer break, Hughes has gained 3kgs – this was picked up during the driver weigh in Saturday morning.

“Well that’s compromised any weight savings we’ve made in the car hasn’t it?” joked Tony, “I suppose that’s what a weekend at the British Grand Prix with Lawrence Tomlinson and a holiday in Turkey does to you!”

Race one at Snetterton was an uneventful race for Hughes, apart from a brief touching of wheels with fellowNGTCrunner Rob Austin and his Audi A4. Hughes was able to put in consistent lap times as he got used to the car once again plus the new configuration of the Snetterton circuit.

The second race of the weekend saw Hughes post his best lap time of the weekend, a 2:03.706s, which was just 4s off the best time set by racer winner Gordon Shedden. The race didn’t finish in the planned way for Hughes however: “I had all sorts of red lights flashing at me in the cockpit during the second half of the race” explains Hughes, “and then on the last lap the car wouldn’t rev over 2000rpm, so I had to retire.”

It was soon discovered that a wiring fault had put the engine into “get me home” mode. With the problem fixed in time for the third race, Hughes was ready to hit the track but just as he was about to pull away and head to the grid, the engine stalled and the team discovered a problem with the clutch – this meant Hughes wasn’t able to start race three and watched it from the banking overlooking Palmer!

“The problems have been frustrating, and it just seems to be little niggly things that we can work out” summed up Tony, “I’m chuffed about my pace towards the end and with some work on suspension and more time behind the wheel for me I’m sure we’ll be more on the pace next time out”.

Picture Credit: Matt Auger/Back Of The Grid.co.uk

BTCC Grid, confirmed plus planned – 23/02/11

BTCC Grid, confirmed plus planned – 23/02/11

With todays announcement that Geoff Steel Racing are set to return to the BTCC paddock after four years away (they last were on the grid in 07), the grid is rapidly heading towards the maximum 32 car limit.

How does the grid look now and who else can we expect to see?

Confirmed:

Honda Racing – Honda Civic – NGTC Engine.

Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden remain at the team for a second season with the Works Honda Civics. They will be looking to build on a strong 2010 campaign which saw the team take a third of all the race wins – both Neal and Shedden took five wins apiece as they finished second and third overall.

The team will aim to go one better and claim the drivers title this year as well as defending the Teams and Manufacturers titles.

Airwaves Racing – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine.

A Change of car for the Motorbas erun Airwaves Racing outfit as they switch from Rear Wheel Drive BMW 320si’s to the ex Team AON Ford Focuses. The team suffered a tough campaign in 2010, claiming two victories, one each for Steven Kane and Mat Jackson.

Mat Jackson has signed to remain with the team for 2011 and will be partnered by Porsche Carrera Cup Graduate Liam Griffin. If the budget can be found, it is likely that Tom Onslow-Cole will jump ship from Team AON to Airwaves Racing.

Airwaves Racing believe that they can win the outright drivers Cown and with Mat Jackson, they can. IF Onslow-Cole joins then the teams title could well be theirs.

Team AON – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine.

Reigning Independents Champions Team AON head into 2011 with a brand new Ford Focus at their disposal but with no drivers signed as yet.

Having caused problems with their LPG powered Turbo engine last year, the team have reverted back to a petrol version of the engine they used in 2010.

It is expected that Tom Chilton will remain with the team and that former WSR driver Andy Neate will join the team for his second full season in the BTCC.

The team will hope to challenge for the title on all fronts in 2011.

West Surrey Racing – BMW 320si – S2000 engine

2009 Champions WSR had a torrid season in 2010, having failed to secure a race victory and failed to retain their Independents crown. The loss of the RAC sponsorship hit the team hard and thus the loss of Colin Turkington.

Recruiting Rob Collard from WSR helped ease the pain somewhat and Andy Neate completed the line up but with seven podiums all season, WSR will want to bounce back in 2011.

Sticking with the BMW’s they’ve signed Rob Collard and CSL Cup graduate Nick Foster and Colin Turkington could  fill the third seat if budget allows – he has two clashes with his STCC campaign with Flash Engineering.

Triple Eight Race Engineering – TBC – TBC

One of the biggest disappointments from 2010 was Triple Eight. Having secured Fabrizio Giovanardi and Phil Glew before Thruxton, it looked like Gio was in for the season. Two wins and the Championship lead later, he and Glew were out and in came James Nash plus other youngsters as the season went on.

Nash secured one other podium for the team – third at Oulton Park. A season to forget for the team.

For 2011, the cars and engines are yet to be announced; James Nash and Porsche Carrera Cup graduate Tony Gilham have been signed by the team.

Pirtek Racing – Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

2010 was a breakthrough year for the Pirtek Racing team with their Vauxhall Vectra as it signalled the start of a new era for the BTCC. The team were one of only two teams to run the new NGTC engine and they took two wins with it – those wins also being the first wins for Andrew Jordan.

2011 sees them expand to a two car outfit after the team acquired the Vectra of David Pinkney for Jeff Smith while Jordan remains with the team.

Special Tuning Racing – Seat Leon – NGTC Engine

Special Tuning Racing return for a second season after a successful first season in the BTCC. Running former WTCC racer Tom Boardman, the team showed grit and determination with an underpowered car and were perhaps a tad unlucky not to have secured a podium finish, having led races at Brands Hatch and Oulton Park.

The team announced that they can expand to as many as four SEAT Leons, having recently secured the former Adam Jones Leon. They also have a new title sponsor in the way of Houseman Dry Lining but as yet, no drivers have been announced.

Geoff Steel Racing – BMW 320si – TBC

The latest announcement sees Geoff Steel Racing announce their plans to return to the series after three seasons away – they were last in the paddock in 2007 when Martyn Bell was in the 320i.

Both Bell and Steel have considerable knowledge of the German machines and plan to run two of them in this years BTCC.

Driver discussions are underway as the team want two experienced racers in the cars.

Bamboo Engineering – Chevrolet Lacetti – S2000 Engine

Bamboo have announced their plans to return to the BTCC with the Chevrolet Lacetti, which they ran in the WTCC last year for Harry Vaulkhard and Darryl O’Young.

Harry Vaulkhard is close to signing with the team again, having raced for them since 2009 while the second seat is still up for grabs.

The team are set to have a very busy 2011 season with WTCC, BTCC and a possible GT1 campaign with Chevrolet Corvettes.

AmD Milltek Racing – VW Golf – NGTC Engine

One of the most popular cars and teams on the grid last year was Shaun Hollamby and the AmD Milltek Team, running their VW Golf Mk5.

The team brought the VW name back into the series for the first time since the late eighties and even though Hollamy failed to score a point, he was a hugely popular part of the grid and is hopeful for a move up the grid with the new NGTC power plant.

He also has secured the YRC sponsorship and will be well supported there.

Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

One of the new teams in the 2011 BTCC is Speedworks Motorsport and Tony Hughes, who graduate up from the supporting Ginetta G50 Cup.

Having never driven a Front Wheel Drive race car before, Hughes has been out testing in a Clio and knows that the BTCC is a whole new level to him.

The team have ordered two Toyotas and are looking for a second driver to join the team.

Dynojet – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

Another G50 team making the move into the BTCC is Dynojet and their driver, the 2010 G50 Champion Frank Wrathall.

The BTCC has always been an aim of Wrathalls and he is determined to be a success – Toyota UK is also providing an NGTC engine for the team, even though it isn’t a works outfit.

Wrathall is in the same situation as Hughes, having never raced FWD before so has also been testing a Clio.

Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Full NGTC.

The Audi name will also return to the BTCC in 2011 with Rob Austin Racing, who have announced plans to enter a pair of NGTC spec A4’s.

No drivers have been announced and not a lot else is known about the project.

Welsh Motorsport – Proton Gen-2 – Full NGTC

One of the more surprising announcements came from Welsh Motorsport when they announced that they’d be joining the grid from Snetterton onwards with an NGTC Proton Gen-2.

Dan Welsh will be driving the car when it makes its debut at Snetterton in August.

Rumoured:

Silverline Chevrolet are close to announcing their plans for 2011, and they could run as many as three Chevrolet Cruzes if a driver with the right budget can be found.

Forster Motorsport have said they will be back in 2011 but nothing official has been said yet.

Lea Wood and the Central Racing Group plan to return with their Honda Integra after successfully getting them allowed for one final season in 2011.

Confirmed drivers:

Matt Neal
Gordon Shedden
Mat Jackson
Liam Griffin
Rob Collard
Nick Foster
James Nash
Tony Gilham
Andrew Jordan
Jeff Smith
Shaun Hollamby
Tony Hughes
Frank Wrathall
Dan Welsh

Likely Drivers:

Tom Chilton
Tom Onslow-Cole
Jason Plato
Tom Boardman
Andy Neate
Lea Wood

Possible Drivers:

Paul O’Neill
Luke Hines
Alex MacDowall
Colin Turkington
Martin Depper
Arthur Forster

 

BTCC Grid: 09/02/2011

 

The 2011 grid is filling up nicely

With the announcement that James Nash will remain with Triple Eight Race Engineering for the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in a yet unspecified car with a yet to be announced team mate, as well as West Surrey Racing announcing three BMW’s and Tony Gilham graduating from the BTCC supporting Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship, it is time to see the grid updated.

Team Honda Racing: Honda Civic – NGTC Engine.

Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden continue in 2011, looking to go one better than last year and take the drivers title as well as the Manufacturers and Team’s Championships. Between them, they won ten out of the thirty races and finished second and third in the Championship.

Expected Race Numbers: Neal 2, Shedden 52.

Airwaves Racing: Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine.

Airwaves Racing make the switch from BMW’s to Ford Focuses for the 2011 campaign and look to have a more successful campaign than 2010. The team have resigned Mat Jackson and he will lead the team from the front while they will also run Porsche Carrera Cup graduate Liam Griffin. The third seat is still to be filled, with Steven Kane rumoured while it is believed that Tom Onslow-Cole and David Bartrum were hinting towards something at the Autosport Show.

Expected Race Numbers: Jackson 7, Griffin could be 66.

Team AON – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine.

Team AON took the Independents drivers and team’s titles last year with their LPG powered cars. 2011 sees them drop the LPG power for a Petrol turbo power plant and new for 2011 Focuses. They will want to go one better in 2011, having seen Tom Onslow-Cole head to the finale with an outside shot of the title.

No drivers announced yet – Tom Chilton likely to remain with the outfit and they’d like to continue with Onslow-Cole.

Expected race numbers: Chilton 5, Onslow-Cole 4 if he remains with the team.

West Surrey Racing – BMW 320si – S2000 Engine

West Surrey Racing have confirmed their return to the BTCC with the BMW 320si looking to have a better season than they did in 2010, where they failed to record a single victory all season. Rob Collard took seven podiums en route to eighth place overall while rookie team mate Andy Neate finished in eighteenth overall.

No drivers have been signed – Collard tested for the team at Brands Hatch in November alongside CSL Cup Nick Foster.

Expected race numbers: Collard 8.

Triple Eight Race Engineering: car TBA – Engine TBA

Triple Eight have today announced that James Nash will remain with the multiple title winning outfit for a second season, having joined the team before Rockingham last year.

His team mate at 888 is yet to be announced nor the car that they will use, though speculation is linking the team to a pair of NGTC Specification Vauxhall Insignias.

Expected race Numbers: Nash 14.

Special Tuning Racing: Seat Leon – NGTC Engine

Having made a solid if not spectacular debut in 2010 as Special Tuning UK, the renamed Special Tuning Racing team are looking to build on their 2010 exploits and go for race wins in the reliable Seat Leon. The team, who ran Tom Boardman last year can run up to four cars this year and have announced that Houseman Dry Lining as title sponsor.

No drivers have been signed although it is expected that Tom Boardman will remain at the team.

Expected Race Numbers: Boardman 22.

Pirtek Racing: Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

The Pirtek Racing team have expanded to two cars for 2011 after Jeff Smith acquired the Vauxhall Vectra which Dave Pinkney used in 2010. The team will be looking to build on a solid season in 2010 when Andrew Jordan secured a pair of wins with the TOCA NGTC engine.

Smith made his debut at Knockhill for Triple Eight and has signed up for a full campaign.

Expected Race Numbers: Smith 15, Jordan 77.

Dynojet: Toyota Avensis – NGTC Engine

One of the new teams to enter the 2011 British Touring Car Championship is Dynojet with 2010 Ginetta G50 Champion Frank Wrathall at the wheel in a full NGTC car, build by GPR Motorsport.

The family run team will also use a Toyota built NGTC engine and can run a second car, having originally announced a single car team.

Expected Race Numbers: Wrathall could be 66, team mate maybe 67.

Speedworks Motorsport: Toyota Avensis – NGTC Engine.

Another Ginetta G50 team making the step up to the BTCC with a NGTC Toyota Avensis is Speedworks Motorsport with G50 driver Tony Hughes. The team were the first to announce their graduation into the series.

The team are looking for a second driver to partner Hughes.

Expected race Numbers: Hughes 20.

Rob Austin Racing: Audi A4 – NGTC Engine.

The third of the full NGTC Car team’s is British GT Team Rob Austin Racing, who is bringing the Audi name back to the BTCC with their Rear Wheel Drive Audi A4’s.

No drivers have been announced nor sponsors and with the announcement coming late, the team could be on the back foot.

Expected race Numbers: N/A.

AmD Milltek Racing: VW Golf Mk5 – NGTC Engine.

Shaun Hollamby brought the VW name back to the BTCC grid in 2010 with the Mk5 Golf and gained fans during the season with his never give in attitude and the fact that he kept the fans in the know with a BTCC blog – something which helped him become the BTCC.net fans trophy winner for 2010.

He returns with a new engine and new sponsorship from the Your Racing Car set up.

Expected Race Number: Hollamby 99.

Tony Gilham has announced plans to join the grid with a yet to be announced team – all we know he will be in a green and pink car with the race number 34.

BTCC Grid – 12/01/2011

Even at this early stage - 2011 looks like shaping up to be a very competitive year

With the announcement that Airwaves Racing have resigned Mat Jackson and signed Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer Liam Griffin to drive two of their new Ford Focus ST Touring Cars, I figured it was time to sort out how the 2011 British Touring Car Grid is shaping up and who we are still waiting for with regards to announcements.

Honda Racing – Honda Civic/NGTC Engine

Matt Neal
Gordon Shedden

Team AON – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine

Tom Onslow-Cole (Likely)
Tom Chilton (Likely)
TBC
TBC

Airwaves Racing – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine

Mat Jackson
Liam Griffin
Steven Kane/Ben Collins (one out of two is likely)

Special Tuning UK – Seat Leon – NGTC Engine

Tom Boardman (Likely)
TBC
TBC
TBC

AmD Milltek Racing – VW Golf Mk5 – NGTC Engine

Shaun Hollamby

Team Eurotech – Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

Jeff Smith
Andrew Jordan (Likely)

Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

Tony Hughes
TBC

Dynojet – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

Frank Wrathall

Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Full NGTC

TBC
TBC

Still to announce:

RML/Chevrolet are likely to return yet no drivers have been announced yet. Mat Jackson had been linked to a drive as has Fabrizio Giovanardi. Jason Plato should return to the team to lead a two or three car attack. Will use the Chevrolet Cruze again with the S2000 engine.

888 – said they’d only return with a Manufacturer deal. Vauxhall and MG have been linked with a NGTC car so 888 could be a team of choice. No drivers mentioned.

WSR – again, would like to run a works team in 2011 but would return with the BMW’s if a works deal doesn’t come off. No drivers mentioned. A full WTCC campaign is on the cards with Colin Turkington.

Tech-Speed Motorsport/Sunshine.co.uk – no news whatsoever but will most likely to return with a new car. Paul O’Neill would be a likely contender for the drive.

Forster Motorsport – no news but likely to be the only team running BMW’s in 2011 unless WSR run theirs.

With plenty of time before Media Day – still plenty of time for news and announcements ahead of the 2011 season – and what a season it is shaping up to be.