British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)

New look for cars
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will become the first race series in the UK to shed drivers’ numbers from car doors – thereby creating more space for teams to be ever-more creative with sponsor liveries.

Instead high-visibility fleuro-yellow race numbers will be placed on the rear side windows, above the driver’s surname, as well as to the front and rear windscreens.

An example of the new look – approved by UK motor sport’s governing body, the Motor Sports Association, on a trial basis for this year – was seen at last week’s Autosport International Show when Shaun Hollamby took the wraps off his 2011-spec AmD Milltek Racing VW Golf (see photo).

Also moved from the front doors are the logos of championship title sponsor Dunlop (to the front and rear registration plate panels) and media partners Auto Express and evo (to the foot of each rear door or adjacent sill).

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow explained: “This is something our teams requested unanimously so as to add even greater value for those companies investing in their BTCC programmes and it made perfect sense to us.

"As well, it provides marshals, spectators and TV audiences alike with clearer and better identification of the cars… quite obviously the numbers stand out more distinctly than before and are now also on the front and rear screens.

"The BTCC would like to thank the MSA for its forward-thinking and, if the trial is successful, it’s something that could really benefit more of the sport in the future.”

Returns for sponsors on the BTCC grid are astronomical – it is the UK’s premier motor racing championship with trackside crowds averaging 32,500 (2010’s biggest was 42,000) plus more than six hours of live free-to-air television coverage across Britain on ITV4 from every one of its ten events. In addition, the ITV network carries highlights of the action (ITV1 & ITV4) while live coverage of events also extends to the itv.com website which catalogues each race for later viewing.