The BTCC has enduring appeal

Few would argue against the assertion that the British Touring Car Championship is the UK’S pre-eminent motorsport series.

Recognisable cars, live television coverage, close racing and interesting personalities have helped the BTCC stay at the forefront, and its six decades make it one of the longest-running championships in the country.

In this special supplement we celebrate the series’ 60 years by looking back at how it became so popular, highlighting the greatest drivers and getting behind the wheel of some iconic machines.

To put together our top 25 drivers list (see page 8) we enlisted the help of a range of experts, including former champions and experienced journalists. Many of the names are predictable, but the order the poll gave created some debate in the office. Please let us know what you think by emailing autosport@autosport.com.

The track test was less controversial, and our resident racer

Ben Anderson enjoyed climbing aboard five special cars. Turn to p26 to see what he made of the Jaguar Mk1, Ford Lotus Cortina, Chevrolet Camaro, Rover Vitesse and Ford RS500 racers.

Our thanks to Brands Hatch owner Motorsport Vision for its assistance in setting up the track test. Brands was the most appropriate venue for our British Touring Car extravaganza, partly because it held the first rounds back in 1958, and also because it is likely to host yet another tense BTCC title showdown this season, on September 30. It never fails to provide drama.

KEVIN TURNER

Editor