Autoesque

This year's British Touring Car Championship grid is set to consist of 32 drivers representing 11 different manufacturers.

This year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has the potential to be a cracking season.

A record 32 drivers, 18 teams and 13 different models from 11 manufacturers are set to compete in this year’s British Touring Car Championship.

After five rounds, each consisting of three races, the 2012 British Touring Car Championship has already reached its season mid-point. With four wins, Honda Racing’s Matt Neal leads the drivers’ standings with 221 points. And it seems that the NGTC Civic is an extremely competitive package, because Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden is close behind in second spot, having secured six race victories so far. Gordon Shedden: currently second in the BTCC Drivers' Championship. However, the Hondas aren’t dominating the series yet, as third-placed Jason Plato is only 28 points adrift of Shedden. Plato’s all-new NGTC MG6 surprised many by winning at Brands Hatch in April, and that feat was repeated again yesterday at Croft. Were it not for some reliability issues with the MG, the situation at the top of the drivers’ table could have been even closer. Andrew Jordan, also competing in an NGTC Civic, currently leads the Independent Drivers’ championship, ahead of Rob Collard in his S2...

Twenty-five drivers will be taking to the grid for the 2012 British Touring Car Championship, proof that the Next Generation Touring Car formula has succeeded in attracting competitors to the series. Thankfully, the turbo / non-turbo parity issue - and its associated bickering and politics - will be absent this season, as all entrants are going to be running two-litre turbocharged engines. The majority of cars have been built to full NGTC specification (including new contenders from MG and Honda ), with the remainder being based on older S2000 designs. MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 NGTC Commenting on the entry list, BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “Our trackside crowd and TV viewing audience figures continue to reach new heights - Brands Hatch has advised us that ticket sales for its opening round in a fortnight are its biggest ever for a BTCC event this far in advance. “Now, here we are, ready to start another great season and with a larger grid than at the first round las...

The 2011 British Touring Car Championship is now already midway through its season. So far, it has been rather dominated by the contentious issue of performance parity between the turbocharged and normally-aspirated cars, although another boost reduction introduced for the most recent round at Croft seems to have helped a lot. That said, the championship table remains dominated by cars running NGTC engines, with sixth-place Jason Plato in his Chevrolet Cruze seemingly the only non-turbo entrant with any realistic prospect of taking the title. Chevrolet Cruze Super 2000 The series now takes its long summer break, with the next event taking place at Snetterton on 7th August. 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship: Standings After Five Rounds Pos. Driver Team Car Points 1 Matt Neal Honda Racing Team Honda Civic 140 2 Mat Jackson Airwaves Racing Ford Focus 131 3 Gordon Shedden Honda Racing Team Honda Civic 120 4 Andrew Jordan ...

2011 will see the biggest grid ever for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship since it switched to a two-litre formula. Despite the presence of only two full factory teams - Silverline Chevrolet and Honda Racing Team - ten manufacturers will be represented this season, including newcomers Audi, Proton and Toyota. The boosted entry list is mainly down to the introduction of the Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations, which have been brought in to slash car development and running costs. Most of those savings will be achieved through the use of standardised parts including brakes, suspension and gearboxes. Using durable two-litre turbocharged engines in the NGTCs should help make the BTCC more affordable, too. This year starts a period of transition, with the intention being that existing Super 2000-spec cars should have equal performance to the NGTC entries for the next two seasons, after which the latter will become dominant. Team Aon Ford Focus: S2000 cha...

With the increase in the rate of UK Value Added Tax from 17.5% to 20% on 4th January, the media has been trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom for the car industry. But for anyone still looking to buy a brand new car without paying lots of extra tax, these are the ten cheapest model ranges currently available in the UK. Of course, for the same money, there will probably be plenty of better used cars available... 1. Chevrolet Spark £7,215 - £10,485 Modern with distinctive looks, the Spark benefits from the Chevrolet 5 Year Promise which includes warranty, servicing, roadside assistance, annual vehicle checks and MOT warranty for - no prizes for guessing - five years. On the downside, the basic £7,215 Spark does without niceties such as central locking and air conditioning. There’s no radio either, and the windows have to be wound up and down manually. 2. Nissan Pixo £7,350 - £9,450 The Pixo is essentially a re-badged Suzuki Alto, and is built alongside it in India by M...