In one extraordinary year, we have seen some extraordinary achievements. November 15th 2020 will go down in motorsport history as the day Lewis Hamilton secured his 7th Formula One World Championship in scintillating style under the stormy skies of the Intercity Istanbul Park. Over in Valencia, Joan Mir became the first new rider since Marc Marquez in 2013 to clinch the Moto GP crown. But it wasn’t just the international stage that captured our hearts; the British Touring Car Championship came to a typically dramatic conclusion at Brands Hatch, with Ash Sutton securing his second title. In those changeable conditions of the Kentish countryside, I witnessed a national touring car series deliver nothing short of a masterclass in motorsport.
The British Touring Cars exist within an exclusive club, joined only such illustrious names as DTM and the Australian Supercars championship; a globally recognised national touring car series. Since it’s inaugural season in 1958, the BTCC has undergone multiple iterations, including the world famous Super Touring era of the 1990s. In it’s current format, the series runs Next Generation Touring Car regulations, focusing on low costs and standard parts. Since adopting these regulations in 2011, the championship’s success has grown exponentially, attracting sensational talent in the form of teams, cars, and drivers. The 2020 season, restrictions and all, has proved beyond doubt the BTCC deserves its place on the world stage.
In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, the BTCC provided a welcoming sense of normality. Despite the disappointment of the season taking place behind closed doors, fans in Britain were able to enjoy free full-day television coverage of the BTCC and support series, arguably one of the most comprehensive anywhere in the world. Living through lockdown has been challenging, so sitting down for a day of motorsport has been the perfect distraction. A genuine escapism has been hard to find, but the British Touring Car Championship has come through for us during these difficult times.
The Perfect Recipe
What makes the ultimate race weekend? Fans from across the motorsport spectrum could endlessly debate such a question. There is no definitive answer, but the key is tailoring to each individual series. The BTCC has perfected its three sprint race format over a number of years:
- Qualifying on the Saturday to determine the starting grid for race one
- Results from race one to provide the starting grid for race two
- The finishing positions from race two are reversed (chosen at random between 6th and 12th) to form the final race grid
- Success ballast added for the top ten positions after each race (championship positions used for race one)
There was a time when the reverse grid races would see the top ten reversed. However, this began the trend of the curious crawl to 10th in race two . By introducing random selection, it adds excitement through sheer unpredictability. Even now, new regulations are being considered to enhance the experience for both the fans and the teams. At Snetterton this year, a new qualifying format was trialled in which the top ten from the first session would go into a final shootout. The magic of the NGTC regulations is the promise of close racing, without preventing the championship challengers rising to the top of the pile. This introduces an element of strategy to what would otherwise be nothing more than a sprint race.
These regulations sound great, but do they work? In theory, it wouldn’t be uncommon for over two thirds of the field to be separated by less than a second during qualifying. And if that wasn’t enough, if the series arrived at the final three races with five drivers in contention for the championship, it would certainly suggest a winning formula to me. Well, forget the hypotheticals, because this was the story of the 2020 British Touring Car Championship.
Clash of the Titans
As the 2020 season got underway, all eyes were on reigning double champion Colin Turkington in the mighty BMW 330i M Sport. In taking the title in truly extraordinary style in 2019, Turkington equalled Andy Rouse’s all time record of four championship victories. Fighting him to the last had been the Honda Civic Type R of Dan Cammish, defeated in the final race by catastrophic brake failure. Heading into the new season, one of the great unknowns was the new look Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50, which was to be driven by the 2017 champion Ash Sutton, alongside the feisty talents of Aiden Moffat.
Colin Turkington is undoubtedly one of the greatest touring car drivers ever to get behind the wheel. Commonly known as Mr Consistency, Turkington knows how to win titles without even needing to win many races. En route to his 2018 title, he took a single win in a season of 30 races. On the other hand, Ash Sutton has more of an all-or-nothing approach to racing, securing six victories during his 2017 championship run. These are truly two of the titans of the touring car world; 2020 would represent their ultimate showdown. They would both go on to earn their accolade as the greatest drivers in the modern era of the British Touring Car Championship. It surprised no one that as the grand finale arrived, it was their names at the top of the table.
None of this is to say there weren’t others jockeying for the top spot. After all, as the final race weekend began, Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher were all in mathematical contention to win the title. Despite losing three races as a result of the pandemic, the 2020 was arguably one of the most competitive and closely fought title battles in recent history.
No one could argue that Colin Turkington, myself or Tom Ingram haven’t given it everything! The top 4 all scored more points than the 2019 winner. Even doing a whole round less! Shows the consistency and speed this season!
Dan Cammish
It was certainly no coincidence seeing these names fighting it out for supremacy. These five drivers could, and in many ways should, be champions in their own right. In a year of 27 races, the top five won 20, working out as a staggering 74%. There is no disservice to anyone else on the grid, but they were simply on another level. With each passing year, the competition finds a sizzling new ferocity, as more drivers take their shot at ultimate glory.
Given the impossibly high standards, winning a championship is much more than winning races, hinging on the smallest of margins. Sport, more often that not, is a tale of ‘What If?’; if it wasn’t for that one bad result, that one incident, or that one bad qualifying, everything could have been different. The Snetterton round became proof of this, becoming a pivotal moment in the championship. After two non-finishes at Croft, Turkington stole the show with two victories and a 3rd, while Sutton could only muster a 5th, 3rd and 4th. Disaster would strike for both Ingram and Butcher, who collided during the final race at the final corner of the final lap, gifting positions, points and precedence to their rivals.
With all these factors at play, for Ash Sutton to win the title is proof of his exceptional talent. To out perform the King of Consistency in such a hard fought year is worthy of serious commendation. As such, without the Laser Tools Racing and the Infiniti Q50, Sutton wouldn’t be the 2020 BTCC champion. This is a potent combination, still in the infancy of a debut year. With further time and development, this rocket ship may truly reach the stars.
The Majesty of Touring Car Racing
With the array of options available in the vast motorsport universe, there will always be an element of tribalism among fans. From the series, the format, or even the number of wheels, it’s a pure impossibility to declare one better than the other. Variety really is the ‘autospice’ of life. Claiming with any form of authority the British Touring Car Championship to be the greatest motorsport, or even top touring car series, would therefore be unhelpfully arrogant. However, in the confines of my own mind, there is no motorsport I enjoy more than the BTCC; it creates an instantaneous frenetic energy that other series simply cannot match.
The Super Touring era of the 1990s has often been referred to as the ‘Golden Age’, suggesting that which followed couldn’t live up to its past. While it’s certainly true the BTCC suffered an identity crisis during the 2000s, the rise of the NGTC era has re-established a whole new stratospheric success. The 2020 season has raised the British Touring Car Championship to a whole new level of energy and dynamism.
If I were to describe the championship in a single word, that word would be unpredictable. Drivers such as Sutton, Turkington, Cammish, Ingram and Butcher have harnessed that power of unpredictability to their advantage; this strategic unpredictability is the key to victory. To be a successful touring car driver is to possess a genuine talent that leaves our jaws well and truly dropped; not only can they win races, but they manage to score so consistently in the frenzied competition of a BTCC season.
The British Touring Car Championship never fails to captivate its audience into a state of anxiety-ridden excitement. The devious format and intense competition means your favourite driver is forever fighting for supremacy and survival. We’ve witnessed Ash Sutton rocket to Infiniti and beyond during one of the most competitive seasons in years, feeding the hunger of his competitors for their 2021 fightback. For such tantalising talents of Ingram, Cammish and Butcher not to be champions already is frankly outrageous, yet this fact alone is testament to the series’ scintillating success.
Reflecting the very same mindset required by any successful racing driver, the BTCC is looking forever forward, refusing to stagnate. There’s always room for improvement, whether a slight tweak to success ballast for 2020 or the introduction of the new hybrid era for 2022. Touring car racing exists for the fans, endlessly striving for faster cars and closer racing. You don’t need to be an expert in motorsport to find yourself drawn into the action. In what is an explosive 20 minute race for the flag, what is there not to like?
There simply are not enough words available in the English language to accurately describe the majesty of touring car racing, so instead I’ll leave you with this: The British Touring Car Championship saw some of the greatest racing anywhere in the world in 2020 – it was nothing short of a masterclass in motorsport.
The Osiris Diaries 