BTCC: Peugeot targets BTCC success in 2001
7 October 2000
Peugeot Motor Company Plc is delighted to announce today (Friday) that it will contest next year’s British Touring Car Championship, the UK’s premier race series. The company is making plans to re-enter the high-profile series in 2001 with a pair of factory-run cars and Peugeot Sport Director, Mick Linford, is optimistic that these two official entries will be supported by two further cars. “Peugeot Sport has been planning its re-entry into the BTCC ever since series organiser BMP announced new technical regulations for 2001 and beyond. And now we are in a position to confirm a two year commitment to the championship,” says Linford. “We are confident that this controlled format will provide not only a level playing field for competing manufacturers but also spectacular entertainment for both racetrack and television audiences. Peugeot has a long tradition of sporting success and we fully intend to play a major race-winning role within the restructured BTCC.” BMP Director, Rob Bain, welcomes Peugeot’s return: “It’s great to see a company with Peugeot’s heritage back in the BTCC and I believe its decision reflects the huge amount of effort and thought that BMP has put into the future of the championship. We are fully committed to recreating a sustainable series that provides the kind of enthralling action that made the BTCC such a success story during its heyday in the mid-nineties and I fully expect Peugeot to become a front-line force in the years to come.” Peugeot Sport is currently in the final phase of evaluating the exact model that will herald its return in 2001 as well as its driver line-up. Further information on both will be announced at a future date. In the meantime, the Coventry-based team is preparing for the final round of this year’s National Saloon Championship at Silverstone on Sunday. Peugeot has already taken the Manufacturers’ honours in the series and star driver Toni Ruokonen is close to securing the Drivers’ title. “If Peugeot Sport could clinch both NSC crowns this weekend that would be the perfect springboard for our exciting BTCC re-entry,” admits Linford. Peugeot Sport’s return to the championship that it first contested between 1992 and 1998 is an integral part of the company’s comprehensive UK motor sport programme.