NEW BMW 120D SERIES PLANNED

The Toyo Tyres Racing Saloons Championship will introduce a new class for the German marque’s 120d model this year, which could form the basis of a new single-make series.

Series organisers have opted to introduce the new 1 Series machine as a reaction to increasing costs in the sister Production BMW Championship, which caters for the popular 318 and 320 versions of the E30.

The cost of spares and build for the E30s, which were produced between 1983-1990, has risen steeply, leading to series bosses evaluating a new car for the future.

The 120d runs a two-litre diesel engine producing 220bhp and 450Nm of torque in race trim and a Quaife limited slip differential.

“We looked around for options and models such as the Compacts and M cars are already catered for, yet the 1 Series is hugely popular and modern,” said championship head John Willcocks.

“The E30s are still superb cars, but parts are getting harder to find. A headlight used to cost £5, and now costs about £100. Spares for the 120d are cheap and the cars are simple to maintain.

“The 1 Series cost only £10,000 to build and donor cars are under £2000. Using a diesel engine is also different but they’re good for racing. With that much torque the acceleration is great and they are very entertaining on the track.

“The plan is to get around five cars built this year and run them in TTRS for development and then have standalone races as soon as we have enough cars. We’ll continue with the E30s also as they still appeal to many people. But this gives drivers an extra option.”