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The British Touring Car Championship is Britain’s premier saloon car series. With a long and enviable history dating back to 1958, the series has evolved over the years, its popularity a direct result of the strong visual resemblance between the race cars and production road cars.
The 2004 Championship will be contested over 30 rounds at ten separate race meetings and dedicated coverage can be seen on ITV.
Organisers of Britain’s premier motorsport series, the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, have confirmed a host of changes for the 2004 BTCC.
The 2004 calendar includes a welcome return to Scotland’s Knockhill after a one year absence. Key changes to the race format include an all-new three race format on race day and no more mandatory pit stops. Important sporting regulations are also being introduced to ensure that European Touring Cars (ETC) and BTC-spec cars benefit from equal performance, without impacting on their differing technical regulations.
The new race format, with three sprint races on race day compared to this season’s two-race format, will mean the second race of the day will also feature a reversed top-ten grid.
At each event, the grid for race one will be set from qualifying times and the grid for race two will be set from the finishing order from race one, with the top ten positions reversed. The grid for the final race will be set by the finishing positions from race two. Mandatory pit stops have been dropped, as some venues would not be able to safely accommodate the entire field undertaking pit-stops.
With the championship allowing ST2000 specification cars (ie. those competing in the European Touring Car Championship) to race, the overriding principle is that both types of car will have an absolutely equal opportunity of success. Sporting regulations such as weight ballast will be adapted to enable both ST2000 and BTC-spec cars to race on an entirely equal basis, without compromising the differing technical regulations that apply to both types of car.
The exciting support line up for the 2004 TOCA Tour package includes the hugely successful SEAT Cupra Cup, the all new Formula BMW UK Championship and the ever popular Porsche Michelin Carrera Cup GB, Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup and the Formula Renault UK Championship.
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