Open season for British touring cars
Our preview to the big five who will rock the BTCC season in 2021
It is not unusual for the British Touring Car Championship to be an open book at the start of each season, but it is also not unfair to say that this year’s competition, which kicks off at Thruxton this weekend, is more open than ever. That is because, in the more recent seasons, the competition has been between two main protagonists, certainly in terms of teams. Laser Tools Racing’s Infiniti Q50 and Ash Sutton led home last term in what was effectively a two-car battle over the latter rounds between him and the WSR BMW of Colin Turkington. Before that, it was WSR vs Team Dynamics when Turkington stole in to snatch a remarkable title in the very last round ahead of Dan Cammish in 2019, while WSR’s Andrew Jordan was in the mix too. The year before that in 2018, it was Speedworks Motorsport, Toyota and Tom Ingram battling with Turkington for the glory.
So while the BTCC has been all about the head-tohead showdowns in its most recent history, the
2021 contest has the hallmarks of a classic before a wheel has turned in anger.
The reasons are many. Sutton will be back to defend his crown, Turkington is desperate to regain the title momentum he carried through 2018 and 2019 but perhaps the most intriguing news is the return of
Gordon Shedden to the Team Dynamics fold. The Scotsman, a three-time title winner, will be at the controls of the Honda Civic Type R and he is raring to go.
But, as every with the BTCC, scratch below the surface just slightly and there are a phalanx of talents knocking hard on the door. Here. We’ve picked out who we think are likely to be the major contenders, but don’t be shocked if there is at least one other surprise contender when the field convenes at Brands Hatch in late October to crown its champion.