BTCC - Series Offered A Banner Season In 2011

It has been another year packed full of thrills, spills, intrigue, drama and unpredictability – all in a manner which only the BTCC seems capable of serving up.

Furthermore there was the advent of the BTCC’s exciting new Next Generation Touring Car regulations. Grid sizes reached record levels (30 cars) with ten different makes – Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Proton, SEAT, Toyota, Vauxhall & VW – all represented. Eight drivers won races and 15 in all sprayed the podium champagne. In fact no fewer than 11 drivers led races, 13 set fastest laps and, of the 34 to contest the season, 15 made their debuts as did five of the 17 teams to enter cars.

In addition the championship lead changed hands a staggering 13 times and an unprecedented five drivers went into the final day of the season still in with a chance of becoming Champion. Ultimately Matt Neal prevailed to become part of an exclusive club of only six drivers to have won the BTCC three times since the championship began in 1958 – and the only driver to have achieved a hat-trick of titles in the BTCC’s two-litre era that started in 1991.

In UK motor sport the BTCC remains in a league of its own when it comes to TV coverage, media exposure and following among the public. Indeed, it continues to pride itself on the access it provides for fans who contribute so much towards it terrific success. Just to reiterate, 2011’s ten race events attracted 366,000 people trackside and ITV Sport’s live and highlights coverage (on its ITV4, ITV1 and HD channels) recorded a phenomenal 19.4 million viewer hours.