Rockingham binned from BTCC schedule

BTCC

The loss of Rockingham from the 2019 British Touring Car Championship calendar will give series boss Alan Gow the chance to rotate the spare date around the country.

Gow said that the possible sale of Rockingham (right, top) in the future meant that it was impossible to set a date. The 2019 calendar includes two trips to Thruxton (right, below) – in May and August – but this may not necessarily be the case in subsequent seasons.

“It’s a shame to lose Rockingham from the calendar, but we simply couldn’t come to an arrangement,” said Gow. “We will double up at Thruxton and see how that goes – although that ‘spare’ date that we now have isn’t set in stone. We will try Thruxton this year, but equally we could double up at other venues in years to come. We’ve had two rounds at places like Oulton Park before, and that has worked well. We will look at it on a year-by-year basis.”

Gow has always traditionally preferred shorter circuits as it gives trackside fans more chance to see the cars, and he also believes that it keeps the pack more tightly bunched. But tracks with two differing layouts could be an option in the future.

He added that it is impossible to add different tracks to the schedule, and the current crop would always form the backbone of the schedule.

“Given the infrastructure of the BTCC and the demands it places on a circuit, the ones on the schedule presently are the only ones that can properly accommodate the championship,” he added. “We are not ignoring the other tracks around the UK – we simply wouldn’t be able to fit into them. We will stick with the circuits we have.”

The 2019 BTCC will kick off at Brands Hatch on the Indy layout (April 7) before going to Donington (April 28), Thruxton (May 19), Croft (June 16) and Oulton Park (June 30) before the traditional five-week mid-season break. Snetterton starts the second part on August 4. The championship run-in will take place at Thruxton (August 18), Knockhill (September 15), Silverstone (September 29) and conclude on Brands Hatch’s GP circuit on October 13.