btcc 2010 brochure
TRANSCRIPT
01
02 Welcome
04 The Present
08 2010 Calendar
10 The Contenders
16 TV & Media
22 Sponsorship & Marketing
28 Trackside Hospitality
30 Spectator Appeal
34 The Past
36 TV & Spectator Data
38 Support Races
42 TOCA Team
44 Contacts
Credits Editorial / MPA Creative LtdPhotography / Jakob EbreyDesign / Hutton Creative Ltd
03
Welcom
e That’s despite a cruel recession that has
really put the onus on ‘value for money’
as people cut back on the little luxuries in
life. Yet the figures show the public was
prepared to continue to spend its cash in
order to experience the thrill of the BTCC.
That popularity is again something of which I
am immensely proud, particularly given the
increasing number of options on which the
public could choose to spend its leisure time
and disposable income.
We continue to be blessed with a hugely
pro-active title sponsor in HiQ which, in
the middle of its own expansion in the UK,
increasingly interacts with our fans (and
future customers) with some great initiatives.
In 2009 we achieved a world first with our
pioneering regulation of limiting our race
cars’ CO2 emissions. In fact, make that two
world firsts as we were also Dunlop’s chosen
championship to pioneer race tyre technology
with its highly effective radio frequency
identification tagging system.
On the track, the action has rarely been
better. Eight different drivers racing for six
different teams in four different makes of car
shared the victories in the 30 races. In fact, all
seven main makes and models of car on the
grid – BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Lacetti, Ford
Focus, Honda Civic, Honda Integra, SEAT Leon
and Vauxhall Vectra – took top three finishes.
We even celebrated the closest finish in BTCC
history – 0.015s to be precise. In all, 15 drivers
achieved podium results and, thanks to some
breathtaking giant-killing performances, 24
out of the 29 ended the season with points on
the board. It really was that wide open
and competitive!
All this only lends further credibility to the
quite superb success of our new champions:
Colin Turkington and the WSR/Team RAC
squad. For both, 2009 marked their first-ever
BTCC title and they did it by beating one of
the most energetic and determined grids –
including four past champions and a Formula
1 Grand Prix winner – seen in the BTCC since
we introduced the all two-litre format in 1991.
Notably, Colin became the first ‘post-90s era’
driver to win the BTCC and it’s no coincidence
that today’s grid is considerably more youthful
than a decade or so ago. For WSR boss Dick
Bennetts, watching one of his cars roll out in
2010 at last sporting No.1 on the side – after a
decade of trying – will be one of his proudest
moments…
For me, however, every team, driver and
sponsor who raced in the BTCC in 2009 is
a champion. The manner in which they
pulled together, in financially difficult times,
to make sure they were a part of the BTCC’s
success story and to entertain our watching
millions speaks volumes for their enthusiasm,
and for the passion they have for this great
championship.
Big or small, I look forward to welcoming
them all back onto our grid in 2010. Likewise,
new teams and drivers who are already
making serious noises about adding to our
numbers when the BTCC’s future breed of
car (Next Generation Touring Car – see p05)
begins to appear in 2011.
These are heady times for the BTCC with
many other major motor racing series looking
on with great envy. I know I’m not the only
one looking forward to our 2010 season with
high expectations and bated breath.
Alan J GowBTCC Series Director
02Television coverage of the championship’s
ten-round tour of the UK scaled new heights
thanks to the commitment and skill of the
ITV network. Live coverage from our events
on ITV4 equalled a staggering 58 hours-
plus. The total number of hours its channels
– ITV1, ITV4 and Men & Motors – dedicated
to the BTCC came to 116 hours-plus. It was
all watched by close to 13.8 million viewers.
Truly astronomical figures and ones that we
can look forward to again achieving in 2010
thanks to our long-term arrangement
with ITV.
Twelve months ago I labelled the BTCC as
the ‘great escape’ for hundreds of thousands
looking for the ideal way to switch off from
the pressures of everyday life – a claim
substantiated by the fact that in 2009 just as
many people attended our race events as in
2008. Again some 325,000 spectators came
through our gates – an impressive number in
any sporting sphere.
I’m fortunate enough to have been in this
job for nearly two decades now and can
genuinely say that 2009 was one of the most
enjoyable years I have had in the British
Touring Car Championship.
A global recession was going to drastically
cut our grid sizes, people would hold on to
their pennies and not come flooding through
the gates and we’d be left to stumble our way
through the season. Or so said the doom-
mongers…
Instead, the BTCC will go into 2010 off the
back of another tremendous season – one
of the most competitive, exciting and
mesmerising it has ever known in its 50-years
plus history.
“On the track, the action has rarely been better. Eight different drivers racing for six different teams in four different makes of car shared the victories in the 30 races”
05
The cars will be bigger and, using turbo-
charged engines, ultimately produce more
power. For the first few years, however,
that power will be reigned in so as to allow
all teams, whether running newer NGTC
or existing S2000 cars, to fight equally for
outright honours. This helps safeguard those
teams who have recently invested in S2000
equipment and, wisely, provides a sensible
period of transition before the NGTC machines
become the BTCC’s primary formula in 2013.
The turbo-charged engines, all two-litre in
size, are expected to last an entire season
without requiring a rebuild. Teams will be
permitted to choose from a manufacturer’s
‘broad family’ and develop them within set
parameters. Smaller teams will also have the
option of purchasing or leasing an unbranded
TOCA engine. The most any team could
spend purchasing an engine will be
about £25,000.
Those teams opting to go the NGTC route
early will achieve an instant and dramatic
reduction in costs. It is estimated that a ready-
to-race NGTC car will cost around £100,000,
some 50 per cent less than a front-running
S2000 machine. This could prove a catalyst
for teams and sponsors in other categories,
but with grand designs on the BTCC, to finally
make their entrance.
Greater use of common components such as
ECU, brakes, hubs, steering rack, fuel tank,
gearboxes, suspension and subframes will
then further save tens of thousands of pounds
in development costs. On-event technical
support will also remove the need for teams
to carry such large spares inventories, further
lowering costs.
04
No other car racing series in Britain – indeed,
very few around the world – comes remotely
close to enjoying the levels of media profile,
audience numbers, marketability, public
appeal and great racing generated by the
BTCC.
As a sporting spectacle, BTCC race days
are equal to Premiership football, rugby
and county cricket in terms of numbers,
excitement and atmosphere. Much of that is
down to some unique selling points: unlike
other sports, children are admitted for free
and the crowds are invited to rub shoulders
with their heroes thanks to an open-paddock
policy plus specially organised pit lane
autograph sessions.
The BTCC also boasts great heritage dating
back to 1958 and in the 50-plus years since
has stood out as Britain’s most charismatic
and popular form of motor sport. It also sets
an example to other race series around the
world when it comes to helping address
environmental targets (see case study p07).
The 2010 grid will be filled once more
predominantly by cars based on the FIA’s
Super 2000 technical regulations, which are
used in most other senior touring car series.
These types of cars have been in the BTCC
since 2004 and the most successful in recent
years have included the BMW 3-Series,
Chevrolet Lacetti, Ford Focus, Honda Civic,
SEAT Leon and Vauxhall Vectra. Cars that,
in other words, are akin to those in which
the public have driven to the circuit, further
encouraging great brand loyalty among
followers…
However, an exciting major technical change
that, importantly, will slash costs for teams
is on the horizon. A new breed of car (NGTC
or Next Generation Touring Car) will start to
appear in 2011 alongside S2000 machinery.
The Present
“Very few car racing series around the world come even remotely close to enjoying the levels of media profile, audience numbers, marketability, public appeal and great racing generated by the BTCC”
07Proof that the regulations work is
underlined by the fact that in 2009:
• Eight different drivers representing six different teams shared the 30 race victories
• Another seven drivers celebrated podium results
• Nine different teams fielding seven different models of car achieved top three finishes
• Out of ten qualifying sessions, seven different drivers set pole position
• The 30 fastest race laps were shared between 12 different drivers
• 13 different drivers racing for nine different teams led races
• 24 out of 29 drivers who raced in the BTCC scored championship points
The BTCC not only moves with the times,
but keeps a firm check on its core values:
providing manufacturers, teams and sponsors
with an unrivalled return on their investment
while delivering unparalleled, value-for-
money entertainment for the public.
The BTCC’s green credentials down the years have been well documented, but in 2009 it accomplished a world first by implementing – and enforcing – new regulations that limit its cars’ CO2 emissions to those of their showroom counterparts.
Each car is now tested regularly on a rolling road inside a neutral laboratory at Land Rover’s hi-tech Solihull base to ensure it complies with the regulations.
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow explains: “Instead of simply mandating the use of bio-fuels, which have little relevance in everyday public life, or off-setting our emissions by planting a few trees, the measures we have taken are far more meaningful. They actually challenge engine builders and car manufacturers and help drive technology forward.”
Indeed, the BTCC’s smart thinking has received glowing praise from Energy Efficient Motorsport – the UK Government-sponsored initiative set up to encourage energy efficiency in motor sport.
EEMS’ Marc de Jong says the BTCC’s lead should act as a wake-up call to other race series, commenting: “The BTCC is the first championship to make CO2 emissions directly relevant to the competition. It has created a platform and now motor sport can showcase real and quantifiable solutions to the broader industry.”
CASE STUDY: Green Credentials
06
“An exciting major technical change that will slash costs for teams is on the horizon”
Equally, race three’s starting grid order is
decided by race two’s result, but with the
leading positions reversed. This has led to
several smaller teams starting race three from
the front of the grid and, as a consequence,
enjoying the full attention of the ITV cameras.
Notably, this is not the first time the
BTCC has led a technical revolution: in the
early Nineties it pioneered the all two-litre
formula that changed the face of touring car
competition globally forever.
The BTCC also constantly monitors its sporting
regulations to ensure the racing is kept close
for participants and fans. For example, a
success ballast system – whereby extra weight
is applied to the most successful cars – is used
to prevent any runaway winners.
09
More than just taking the action to the
people right around the UK, the wide mix of
circuits presents the teams and drivers with
different challenges. Whether it be super-fast
Thruxton’s daunting, high-speed corners or
Knockhill’s undulating, off-camber twists,
all the individual venues have their own
characteristics to test the competitors’ nerves
and skills to the limit. It’s worth noting that in
2010 the teams will have a welcome seven-
week mid-season break so as to allow for the
British Formula 1 Grand Prix, football’s World
Cup and cycling’s Tour de France.
Furthermore, the BTCC takes great care in
selecting the best possible track layouts to
ensure maximum spectator appeal. That’s
why races are held on a variety of tracks
from the epic Brands Hatch Grand Prix to the
picturesque Oulton Park Island and hurly-
burly Silverstone National circuits.
April 03-04 / Thruxton, Hampshire
April 24-25 / Rockingham, Northamptonshire
May 01-02 / Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent
June 05-06 / Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire
June 19-20 / Croft, North Yorkshire
August 07-08 / Snetterton, Norfolk
August 21-22 / Silverstone (National), Northamptonshire
September 04-05 / Knockhill, Fife
September 18-19 / Donington Park, Leicestershire
October 09-10 / Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
2010 Dates
After Brands Hatch attracted 35,000 spectators
for its Finals Day event in 2009 – a record
BTCC crowd for the track since it was taken
over by the MotorSport Vision group in
2004 – it is little wonder that Chief Executive
Jonathan Palmer commented: “I’d like to
congratulate BTCC Series Director Alan Gow
and Dennis Carter at the BARC for evolving
the championship into such an outstanding
package of entertainment for the fans. It was
fantastic to see so many spectators at Brands
Hatch – the circuit really was heaving!”
The BTCC really does add up to the best
value-for-money entertainment possible for
both trackside crowds and TV audiences.
08
Living up to its status as the country’s premier
race series, the HiQ BTCC headlines at all of
the UK’s top motor sport venues. The cleverly
constructed ten-weekend calendar ensures
that hundreds of thousands of fans throughout
the nation can catch the premier league tin-
top thrills at their local circuits.
The 2010 calendar includes circuits in
Cheshire, Fife, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire,
Norfolk, Northamptonshire and North
Yorkshire. With each race meeting hosting
three full points-scoring BTCC showdowns,
there’s never a dull moment.
“The BTCC selects the best possible tracks to ensure maximum spectator appeal”
11
For many, the BTCC is at its most exciting and
competitive in over a decade with several
new pretenders having joined the list of
established stars expected to challenge for
outright honours in the coming years…
Each is taking full advantage of the BTCC’s
accessibility and level playing field to make
a name for itself in the UK’s – and one of the
world’s – most celebrated and charismatic
motor racing championships. Furthermore,
each knows success carries tremendous kudos
with every race being broadcast live into
living rooms across the nation on ITV4.
Another beauty of the BTCC is that it doesn’t
limit the number of cars entered by a team.
This enables those with bigger budgets to
put out two or maybe three cars and those
running to smaller budgets, but with just as
much determination, to field single-car entries.
Some teams, perhaps in their nascent years in
the BTCC, operate with considerable success
on very modest budgets compared to the
top-line outfits. But because the rewards in
the BTCC are so high – both on and off the
track – the championship remains a hugely
cost-effective exercise compared to other, less
high-profile series. Big or small, each team
has an opportunity to capture the public’s
imagination.
Today, independent squads rule the roost
but the appeal for sponsors and big name
drivers is as appealing as ever. Indeed, the
levels of professionalism and attention to
detail achieved by the leading independent
squads in particular are equal to those of a
manufacturer-backed outfit. Proof of that is
the fact that in 2009 it was independent team
WSR (Team RAC) that won the outright title
– its first in the BTCC – by beating Vauxhall’s
outgoing manufacturer-backed VX Racing,
the most successful of modern times, plus
Racing Silverline, an off-shoot of the RML
Chevrolet World Touring Car team.
For WSR’s Colin Turkington, 2009 also brought
him his first outright Drivers’ title – a highly
significant achievement for he became the
first of a newer generation of drivers to be
crowned Champion. Indeed, it is noticeable
that the BTCC grid has taken on a younger
feel during the past five years, as drivers
identify the series at an earlier age as a fairer
and much more exciting long-term career
opportunity with the chance to build a huge
profile.
10Although not a factory team, Ford, notably, still used Team Aon’s results to help promote its innovative suspension design fitted to its Focus RS models on the road.
Arena boss Mike Earle says: “Investment, getting the pre-season engineering programme right, not compromising on solutions and being realistic – the rewards are incremental – would be my top four pieces of advice.
“The Focus is something that no-one else has, so I suppose we hope it may attract some manufacturer support. BTCC is the most cost-effective form of motor sport and in the current economic climate one of very few formulae that comes in under the rate card for sponsors.
“We’ve now got a strong package for 2010 thanks to the progress we’ve made in ‘09. That progress is something that Ford is beginning to appreciate.”
After an absence of almost a decade, 2009 saw the return of one of the BTCC’s truly giant names, Ford, as independent squad Arena International Motorsport entered a pair of Focus STs.
Significantly, the Aon-backed project demonstrated that BTCC regulations give privateers the option of choosing their own car and developing it into a front-runner. The Focus was later than hoped for – only turning a wheel for the first time at a blustery, deserted Silverstone just a month before the opening round – and it took until mid-season before points finishes became a reality. By Rockingham’s penultimate round, the hard work really started to be rewarded as Tom Chilton finished on the podium in third.
Then, at Brands Hatch’s final round, there were ecstatic scenes as Chilton qualified on pole position before daring to lead two of Sunday’s three races – missing victory in one by the closest winning margin in BTCC history (0.015s).
CASE STUDY: Fast forward with a Ford
13
But WSR, VXR and RML were not the only
teams to spray the victory champagne in
2009. Adding to the mix were Team Dynamics
with its Honda Civic and, joining the winner’s
circle for the first time, Motorbase (running as
Airwaves BMW after a strong run of results
in 2008 attracted title sponsorship from the
Wrigley’s high-street brand).
Team Principal David Bartrum says: “Two
wins in 2009, only our fourth year, has been
a dream come true. It’s one thing that every
team in the BTCC has in common: they are all
run by real enthusiasts who are in the sport for
the right reasons, and although competition is
fierce, it’s a very healthy type of competition.
“For 2010 we feel ready as a team to
challenge for titles. Switching to the BMWs
in 2008 was the making of us – these cars
were already proven winners so we had no
excuses. Furthermore, we’re permitted great
technical support from BMW and that’s hugely
important as we don’t have the budget for our
own development programme.
“We are still a true privateer team with
minimal full-time staff supported by ‘weekend
warriors’ at race events. We probably present
a façade that belies the size of our budget.
Our template is WSR but with a character all
of our own.”
Entering with cars already proven on the
world stage is one obvious way into the series.
However, the BTCC also allows – and very
much encourages – teams to join the grid with
cars of their own choice by taking advantage
of the championship’s local homologation.
For 2009, the BTCC created a Manufacturer/
Constructor trophy to recognise and reward
those using local homologation to introduce
cars of their own design as opposed to those
already developed by other manufacturers
or teams. Dynamics with its Honda Civic and
Arena International Motorsport, with its new,
self-developed Ford Focus STs (see case study
p10), both scored highly and received
podium silverware in this championship.
“It’s one thing that every team in the BTCC has in common: they are all run by real enthusiasts who are in the sport for the right reasons”
The BTCC also permits teams to continue using
older BTC-spec cars. The benchmark in their
heyday (2001-06), these cars offer smaller
independent teams a competitive and highly
cost-effective way into the series – and the
watching public with the very real possibility
of some giant-killing acts to celebrate. In
2009 both Paul O’Neill, with a third place
outright, and Martyn Bell scored points in their
sunshine.co.uk Honda Integras (see case study
p14), as did newcomer Martin Johnson in his
Boulevard Team Racing squad’s Vauxhall
Astra – a car originally used by Vauxhall’s
factory team as long ago as 2001!
The Contenders
JAG
12
The BTCC is famed for its ability to conjure
up some real David vs Goliath moments
and a number of incentives are in place
to encourage and aid the smaller outfits.
Included in entry fees is a handsome
allocation of paddock and pit lane passes
for working team personnel and VIPs. All
teams are given the same opportunities to
participate in the BTCC’s promotional activity,
whether PR stunts in the build-up to a race
weekends or during race day’s Pit Lane
Walkabout public autograph sessions. Also on
race day, there’s the reversing of the leading
positions on race three’s starting grid, thereby
allowing minnows to start from the front live
on ITV4. Dunlop, meanwhile, generously
rewards teams with tyre bonuses that alone
equate to £70,000. That’s on top of the BTCC’s
own £75,000 prize fund, shared out across the
ten rounds to reward each event’s top three
highest-scoring teams.
15
The Contenders
In terms of accessibility, exposure, return on
investment, profile and following there has
been no better time for teams to join – and
thrive in – Britain’s premier motor racing
arena.
14
As the boss of thriving online travel agency, sunshine.co.uk, Chris Brown’s story tells how achievable it is to live the BTCC dream.
Brown had been a personal sponsor to privateer Martyn Bell from 2006 to 2008. For 2009, the BTCC bug having truly bitten, he invested in the two ex-Team Dynamics title-winning Honda Integras.
Now owned by him, Brown contracted experienced squad Tech-Speed to fettle the cars for the popular Bell and Paul O’Neill. Twenty top ten finishes were probably beyond even Brown’s wildest dreams, let alone the awe-inspiring third-place outright achieved by former factory Vauxhall driver O’Neill at Snetterton…
Brown says: “We’ve a modest outlay compared to the bigger teams yet in some respects get more out of it. The sunshine.co.uk name is now very popular with BTCC audiences, which are huge in numbers and, importantly to us as a company, consist of a high percentage of families.
“Yes, my dream of being a part of the BTCC grid has come true – I still pinch myself – but purchasing the Hondas has also proved to be a very shrewd marketing investment. The BTCC’s rules enable the older cars to still have their day of days and the public always loves an underdog. It’s a strength we’re very happy to play to… for now.”
CASE STUDY: Ray of sunshine
17UK TV Audience
Channel Total Broadcast Hours (50 Programmes)
ITV4 93 hours 37 minsITV1 12 hours 30 minsMen & Motors 10 hours 19 mins
Total hours 116 hours 26 mins
Total viewers 13,767,535*
* Cumulative audience number, weighted according to programme duration hours, which reflects sustained viewing of more than three minutes
As Britain’s biggest motor racing
championship, the BTCC commands
enormous media coverage throughout the
UK and globally.
Television has always been the BTCC’s most
powerful medium and since the late Eighties
the championship has received regular
coverage through Britain’s biggest
TV operators.
TV &
Media
It is therefore virtually impossible to miss
a round of the BTCC. Indeed, in 2009 an
accumulative audience of 13.8 million
watched the BTCC across ITV’s channels, with
the same levels of coverage and viewership
scheduled to continue throughout 2010.
ITV’s terrific support of the championship
also extends online with its itv.com website
streaming each live broadcast. In addition,
a dedicated section on the itv.com site – that
also includes expert editorial coverage –
allows visitors to watch re-runs of each race in
full by using the ITV Player facility.
ITV’s hugely popular on-screen Teletext
service carries regular news updates as well
throughout the season.
Global TV
The BTCC is watched around the world on
a variety of networks (both terrestrial and
digital) spanning some 20 countries across
six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe,
North America and South America (see
chart). This means a potential audience
reach of close to 135 million households per
viewing (some 1.35bn when annualised). The
championship also enjoys further significant
global reach through a new programme
called The Grid, distributed worldwide with
race reports and footage from each round.
The total reach for each viewing is over
400m households.
ITV
In 2009, the BTCC enjoyed unprecedented
levels of live television exposure with free-to-
air channel ITV4 broadcasting a minimum of
five hours direct from each round into living
rooms all across the UK.
In total, ITV4’s coverage of the BTCC in 2009
equated to a staggering 93 hours and 37
minutes. It’s a TV broadcasting arrangement
that many other high-profile sports, let alone
motor racing series, around the world would
die for. For those involved in the BTCC –
teams, drivers, sponsors and fans – such
exposure is clearly terrific news as ITV4 now
reaches 94 per cent of the UK population.
Furthermore, 90-minute race highlights
were shown four times after each event on
terrestrial channel ITV1, again on ITV4 and
also Men & Motors – bringing the network’s
total coverage for the season to 116 and a
half hours.
BTCC: Global TV
Country Broadcaster Audience reach USA Speed 80mCanada Speed 8mS America (inc. Mex) Speed Latin America 15mCzech Republic Sport5 800kDenmark Canal Plus 46kFinland Canal Plus 68kGreece Supersports 280kNetherlands Raceworld tbaNorway Canal Plus 225kSweden Canal Plus 425kSlovakia Sport5 630kRussia 7TV 26mAustralia One HD tbaHong Kong I-Cable 2.2m
16
19Media Partnership
The BTCC enjoys an enviable media partnership with major publishing group Dennis’s raved-about Auto Express and evo titles (both magazine and online), with a stream of broad editorial features and news updates, ticket competitions and advertising of race meetings that widens exposure to key new audiences. The group’s new online publication imotormag was also part of the mix in 2009.
In addition, the magazines’ databases
– running into hundreds of thousands of
subscribers – are targeted with further BTCC
news and promotions. In return, Dennis
chiefly uses the BTCC to promote the Auto
Express and evo brands with prominent
logos on the side of every BTCC car and the
championship’s podium and TV interview
backdrops.
Dennis Publishing Figures
Magazine ABCTitle circulation/readership Annual
Auto Express 69,000 / 291,000 3,519,000 / 14,841,000evo 62,282 / 217,000 747,384 / 2,604,000
UniqueWebsite monthly visitors Annual
autoexpress.co.uk 1,073,720 12,884,640evo.co.uk 285,860 3,430,320
18
TV Extra
The BTCC is big news as it tours around
the UK, no more so than on regional TV news
broadcast. Both ITV and BBC crews often
roll up to preview the forthcoming big race
weekend. Indeed, it is not uncommon for their
entire news sports round-ups to be broadcast
live from the colourful backdrop of the BTCC’s
pit lane or paddock. This of course means
tremendous added media value as the BTCC
is paraded before new audiences of millions
during lunch and teatime broadcasts. In
2009, BTCC generated an extra 90 minutes
of pre-event coverage on regional TV outlets,
namely: Brands Hatch (ITV Meridian &
BBC South East), Thruxton (ITV Meridian),
Donington Park (BBC East Midlands), Croft
(ITV Tyne Tees, BBC Look North Leeds &
BBC Look North Newcastle), Snetterton (ITV
Anglia), Knockhill (BBC Scotland), Silverstone
(ITV Anglia, BBC Oxford, BBC Look East) and
Brands Hatch Finals Day (ITV Meridian, BBC
South East and BBC London Tonight).
Through its contacts and appeal, the BTCC
also generates exposure on some of the
nation’s most-watched lifestyle and consumer
programmes. BBC2’s motoring show Top Gear
regularly features drivers from the BTCC as
part of its mad-cap adventures that attract
seven million-plus viewers per episode.
CBBC’s Sportsround show (BBC2 Friday pm
and repeated BBC2 Saturday am) went
behind the scenes with the BTCC at Brands
Hatch. Similarly, its Help! Teach is Coming
To Stay programme also provided younger
viewers with an insight into the championship.
Daytime cooking and celebrity shows Ready
Steady Cook (BBC) and Loose Women (ITV), as
well as the investigative Tonight (ITV), have
also contained BTCC content recently.
“In 2009, the BTCC enjoyed unprecedented levels of live television exposure”
21
Previews, plus qualifying and race reports,
regularly appear in the national media (both
in-print and online). Noticeably, the UK’s
biggest selling daily newspaper, The Sun,
has significantly increased coverage of the
BTCC on its website – see sidebar. Similarly,
fellow ‘red top’ The Mirror also forged its
own partnership with leading squad Team
RAC, underlining the BTCC’s credentials as a
recognised major sporting spectacle.
As the BTCC travels the land, the big regional
newspapers print plenty of column inches
about the championship, with a heavy focus
on the championship’s star names and local
drivers and teams. Some circuits, working in
conjunction with the BTCC, have arranged tie-
ins with some of their most influential regional
publications that have brought instant
Radio, Magazines, Newspapers & Online
results and longer-term benefits (see Crowds
chapter). Widely read trade and lifestyle
publications covering education, emergency
and utility services, event organisation and
other sports have all featured BTCC content.
The BTCC also provides perfect material
for the UK’s many radio stations. At Croft in
2009, BBC Radio 5 Live broadcast three live
interview-based pieces from the paddock
during its breakfast show. At Brands
Hatch’s final round, Nick Ferrari, presenter
on London’s massive LBC station, was an
enthusiastic visitor.
Britain’s best-selling daily newspaper The Sun has become a fervent supporter of the BTCC in recent years, particularly via its online publication.
A million people a day visit the-sun.co.uk and, after football, the BTCC has helped make motor racing its most popular sports section.
After signing BTCC ace Jason Plato as a columnist, the website has rapidly expanded its coverage of the championship to include videos and regular reports on other characters within the series.
The Sun, as a brand, has also exploited the BTCC’s public appeal elsewhere; at Rockingham it provided Page 3 models as grid girls for Plato’s Racing Silverline team and brought along a pop band to play for the crowds. The Sun’s Chris Hockley says: “The reason we’re behind the BTCC is because it shares many attributes with The Sun: excitement, drama, glamour and endeavour.
“It’s always good to be associated with an outspoken, colourful big-name driver like Jason because that raises our profile.
“But we also have the obvious benefit of good TV coverage that shows our colours on Jason’s car. For us it’s great to be involved with Britain’s premier racing series so we can hopefully share its popularity.”
Meanwhile, appointed radio agency Talking
Point Broadcasting schedules interviews
and reports as well as updating the audio
interview page on the official btcc.net
website. In 2009 the BTCC received 50 hours,
six minutes of total airtime across 154 BBC
and independent radio stations, including
immensely popular ticket promotions and
special features on talkSPORT, BBC 5 Live
with Gabby Logan, and BBC Radio 2 with
Steve Wright and Chris Evans – three of the
nation’s most listened-to radio show hosts.
BTCC broadcasts on radio in the UK in 2009
attracted an estimated 53.95 million listeners.
CASE STUDY: Black & white, red all over
20BTCC Media/btcc.net
The BTCC’s media and many millions
of fans are also kept updated with news
by the championship’s busy Media Office,
which of course also stimulates coverage
across many types of outlets. Central to this
service is the BTCC’s official website www.
btcc.net – the ultimate on-line BTCC fix that
provides information about every aspect of
the championship.
btcc.net attracts up to 94,000 unique visitors
per month. It now has some 22,500 registered
fans with around half of those signing up to
receive official championship newsletters and
details of exclusive competitions – many of
which help teams to market their sponsors’
products.
One of the site’s most popular sections is its
Fans Forum that allows fans to discuss all
manner of BTCC-related topics and also offers
them a chance to put their questions to Series
Director Alan Gow – a feature almost unique
among major sports websites and which
further emphasises the BTCC’s accessibility.
The high profile HiQ MSA BTCC offers sponsors
a range of possibilities that are unique in
contemporary motor racing and clearly make
the BTCC one of the best-value investments in
the sporting market place. For any astute and
imaginative company, participation grants
an instant golden opportunity to bring alive
a brand in front of hundreds of thousands
of trackside spectators and millions more TV
viewers.
There is increased exposure through the
BTCC’s prime time terrestrial, Freeview and
satellite television packages, which reach
millions of households throughout the UK and
around the world.
“Our involvement has also enabled us to achieve plenty of internal engagement with staff at our many RAC centres around the UK with driver visits and so forth. To be seen to be winning in such a competitive sporting arena is obviously motivating for staff, but also increases your standing in the public eye.
“It’s fair to say that compared to previous activities, the BTCC has given us far greater interaction with the public, particularly families. You’re not limiting your audience appeal as the events are popular with both sexes and people of many different ages from all types of backgrounds.”
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow says: “The
beauty of the BTCC is that it appeals to both
consumer and business-to-business products.
A lot of sports and championships are perhaps
orientated more towards business products
whereas that split doesn’t exist in the BTCC.
The broad range of companies involved –
many of them blue chip – whether suppliers to
the BTCC or team sponsors, also demonstrates
the power of a large crowd and prime time TV
audience, particularly when there is a strong
demographic profile.”
2322
“Participation in the BTCC grants a golden opportunity to bring alive a brand”
In 2009, RAC hit the jackpot in terms of winning over the millions of public who either attend BTCC race events or watch them on television across the UK.
In its fourth season as title sponsor to the WSR squad, it found itself at the very heart of the title battle as driver Colin Turkington challenged for – and won – the coveted Champion’s trophy in his heavily-liveried RAC BMW.
RAC’s Sponsorship and PR Consultant Kerry Gazzard explains: “The three big boxes we initially set out to tick were very much brand awareness, business-to-business hospitality and media value. All three started being ticked almost immediately in our first season of 2006. We reaped instant rewards and it’s kept growing from there.
CASE STUDY: RAC for the title
25
“The BTCC’s geographical reach has enabled
us to enhance our profile across the United
Kingdom and reach further markets with
its extensive television coverage in front of
BTCC’s extremely receptive audience and
loyal supporters. That reach has also opened
many potential new business partnerships
and enabled us to communicate our re-
brand and new brand positioning to hotel
users across both the business and leisure
sectors. On top of that, the BTCC’s high
profile, mass audience and very exciting
sporting environment provides us with further
opportunities to integrate our wider marketing
strategies to great effect.”
While doing wonders for a company’s brand
or product, the BTCC also offers sponsors and
partners money-can’t-buy experiences at its
race events. The feedback from teams and
sponsors is always the same: no other motor
sport arena in the UK provides such wonderful
marketing and sponsorship possibilities as
the BTCC.
““We work closely with our sponsors to ensure
they all maximise the full potential of their
involvement in the BTCC,” explains Richard
Tait-Harris, Group Marketing Manager,
Team Dynamics. “These sponsors down the
years have been predominantly blue-chip
companies from both the motor industry
plus high street brands. The BTCC provides
them with a broad spectrum of opportunities.
Obviously the media value generated in the
UK and beyond is the main attraction. Our
research reveals that the worth of the TV
coverage alone is at least three times greater
than normal TV advertising.
The Goodyear Dunlop group is entering
its sixth year as major title sponsor with the
BTCC in 2010. From 2004-07, its Dunlop tyre
brand was the championship’s title sponsor
before handing over until the end of the 2010
season to sister UK fast-fit company HiQ. Its
Marketing Manager Geraldine McGovern
reports: “Our title sponsorship of the BTCC has
become a vital component as we challenge
for pole position in the fast-fit industry, and in
our second year (2009) that sponsorship has
helped the network establish itself as a fast-fit
brand the public can be sure of.
“The BTCC is a product that we are excited to be closely associated with as it remains a hugely popular sport with an ever-growing fan base”
HiQ’s title sponsorship of the BTCC, entering its third season in 2010, has added great credibility to its standing in the vehicle fast-fit marketplace. Its association has come as it pushes to make its expanding network of centres across the country the number one choice for vehicle servicing.
On race weekend the benefits of branding-up each BTCC track in its corporate cyan colours are obvious: massive exposure in front of millions of motorists – many of them hugely loyal and passionate fans – watching trackside or on TV.
But HiQ’s allegiance to the BTCC reaps it great rewards away from the track as well. Many of its centres have taken on a fun and racy BTCC theme. In return, this sends out a clear and comforting message to existing and potentially new customers that they are receiving the very highest standards in customer care.
Furthermore, HiQ’s title sponsorship means it can call on some of the BTCC’s biggest names – all influential role models – to endorse its messages. In 2009, reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, team-mate Andrew Jordan and fellow BTCC racer Tom Chilton all added vocal support to HiQ’s 1-2-3 road safety campaign.
HiQ also used its involvement in the BTCC to help raise awareness and funds for its chosen charity, Breast Cancer Care, with a number of high-profile stunts at race events. Other hugely popular fan-friendly activities online – such as voting for favourite drivers, a grid girl competition and product promotions to the official btcc.net website and its database of tens of thousands – have all added to increase HiQ’s public profile considerably compared to two years ago (see main chapter).
“Our franchisees have interacted with the
series and used each race weekend to
generate a new, growing customer base. TV
coverage, newspaper column inches and
online social networking have also helped
elevate HiQ to an increased position of
strength within the industry, courtesy of our
sponsorship of the BTCC.
“The BTCC is a product that we are excited
to be closely associated with as it remains a
hugely popular sport with an ever-growing
fan base. Having our name alongside the
series has certainly created more awareness
and affection for our network of fast-fit
centres.”
Other major high-street names have also
formed strong partnerships with the BTCC.
One such is the Intercontinental Hotel Group
(IHG) through its Holiday Inn brand, whose
Partnership Marketing Director Adrian White
says: “Our involvement in the BTCC has
been a great experience for the IHG group,
particularly for raising awareness of our
brands in the UK.
Sponsorship & M
arketing
CASE STUDY: Perfect fit for fast fit
24
RML’s Sponsorship and Marketing Director
Rupert Manwaring says: “The BTCC is a
magnet for UK domestic sponsors. When we
decided to enter the 2009 championship
the week before the first race, we faced the
daunting task of securing sponsorship for
the programme during the racing season.
Thanks to the BTCC’s audience appeal
and our on-track performance, we met our
funding target, to the point of running three
cars during the second half of the year. Our
1-2-3 finish at Silverstone delivered for all our
sponsors, and so did the BTCC.”
2009 also marked the year in which David
Bartrum’s Motorbase team matured into a
genuine, potential title challenger. Not only
did it achieve its first race wins in the series
but it did so much to the delight of new title
sponsor, Wrigley’s famous chewing gum
brand Airwaves. Another major global
company PPG was also part of the success
story as it added its support for the team
through its Leyland Paints company. Its
Brand Manager Nicola Hickman enthuses:
“The primary objective of our Airwaves BMW
team sponsorship has been to raise brand
awareness with Leyland’s target audience.
The BTCC offers us a sporting platform to align
the brand with a fast paced, prestigious and
popular national event.
“Leyland Paints is predominantly known as
a ‘trade’ brand. However, the sponsorship
has also enabled us to impact on the
mass market, broadening the impact
and awareness of the Leyland brand into
consumer environments. This has helped to
establish a strong brand association through
brand visibility and a positive association and
credibility among existing and potential users,
stockists and media.
“In addition, our association with the
championship has proven to be a highly
effective motivator for trade and consumer
incentives through hospitality packages,
additional track experiences and driver
appearances.”
Sponsorship & M
arketing
2726
“Our association with the championship has proven to be a highly effective motivator for trade and consumer incentives”
For the past four seasons, the RAC has
taken full advantage of its highly visible
involvement in the BTCC to promote its
renowned range of motoring services. This has
been achieved by becoming team sponsor to
the WSR outfit, and in 2009 it hit the jackpot
with a highly successful bid for the title (see
case study p22).
Another team to have really captured the
media’s and public’s imagination of late is
RML. Having run Chevrolets in the World
Touring Car series, it effectively decided to
enter the BTCC as a privateer just a week
before the 2009 season started, yet was
still able to attract sufficient backing for its
programme – at the time with a single-car
entry for former champion Jason Plato. By
the next event a second car had been added
for rising star Mat Jackson as the project
attracted title sponsorship from high-power
tools brand Silverline. Success on track then
also brought additional funding from major
car buying website matchthedeal.com.
“More importantly perhaps, these sponsors
can interact face-to-face with the general
public who are hugely passionate about
drivers, teams, competing marques and
those brands actively involved in the series.
The race events also provide an important
opportunity for data collection. Interestingly,
we ran five individual promotions with Honda
UK with a live show going into dealerships
local to circuits. These proved to be hugely
popular, attracting audiences of over
three hundred people to each event. The
dealerships burgeoned and cars were sold,
exactly on target.”
And continues Tait-Harris: “We also take our
story out to the greater public well beyond
BTCC race weekends by presenting ourselves
at other high-profile events such as the British
Motorshow and Goodwood Festival of Speed,
which together reach more than half a million
people. For example, our fully-liveried Honda
Civic show car was in demand so much with
appearances for Honda (UK) plus at shows
and other exhibitions that it was back at base
for just one weekend during the 2009 season.”
“The BTCC is a magnet forUK domestic sponsors... Our 1-2-3 finish at Silverstone delivered for all our sponsors, and so did the BTCC”
29
The high-profile, high-drama, big-crowd
backdrop makes the BTCC the perfect
platform and environment for teams and
sponsors to entertain guests. So it’s no surprise
that a wealth of far-reaching corporate
activities are available… catering for all tastes
and budgets.
The BTCC’s pedigree and well-established
TV coverage means it enjoys an enviable
status among the UK’s elite sports. This status
gives each BTCC meeting a real prominence
and true sense of occasion, enabling hosts to
take the ‘wining and dining’ of VIP guests to
new levels. Furthermore, the BTCC is able to
provide its teams and commercial partners
with an opportunity to invite guests from
across the UK, thanks to a careful selection
of venues that sees the series headlining at
circuits the length and breadth of Britain.
While some race meetings are staged at
internationally renowned racing circuits such
as Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington
Park, others take place at smaller, lesser-
known but equally important circuits such
as Croft in the North-East and Knockhill in
Scotland. Wherever the location, however,
there’s always a real buzz and ‘big event’
atmosphere when the BTCC bandwagon rolls
into town.
Inevitably, local amenities vary enormously
at these different venues. Some provide
permanent hospitality suites that can be
rented on a race-by-race basis, providing
businesses with the perfect opportunity to
entertain clients and reward employees in
purpose-built surroundings. Typically, major
manufacturers and big-name sponsors prefer
to welcome guests into their own strongly
branded bespoke structures and dedicated
hospitality units. Furthermore, live television
ensures that no-one misses any of the bumper-
to-bumper thrills on the race track.
These hospitality ‘villages’ – often situated
right at the heart of the action – provide
VIPs with the best possible seats in the
house, adding to their race-day experience.
Moreover, the busy BTCC timetable is
specifically organised to allow drivers and key
team management time to make personal
appearances during the day’s racing,
providing an extra dimension and insight to
these important corporate activities.
“We’ve been involved in other activities before
but, without doubt, we get far greater return
in the BTCC when it comes to hospitality,”
reports Kerry Gazzard, Sponsorship and PR
Consultant, RAC. “We’ve used our BTCC
hospitality programme successfully to
entertain a wide selection of key guests, and
notably to strengthen our business ties with
existing partners as well as those of our parent
group, Aviva.”
Whatever your particular requirements, the
high-flying BTCC offers both large and small
organisations unrivalled opportunities, as well
as the very real promise of an exhilarating
taste of life in the fast lane.
“We’ve been involved in other activities before but, without doubt, we get far greater return in the BTCC when it comes to hospitality”
28
31
“The BTCC was everything I expected it to be: exciting and very competitive, which is what it has always been famous for. There’s great interaction with and support from the public”
Johnny Herbert
Encouraging ‘bums on seats’ is a top priority for the BTCC and it maps out well in advance with each circuit a bespoke plan designed to attract the public through the gates.
BTCC race days guarantee excitement, public interaction and free admission for children, yet rather than rest on its laurels the championship never lets up in driving home those messages.
In 2009, the Thruxton and Croft circuits really benefited from the BTCC’s PR and marketing know-how that led to media partnerships with the highly influential Southern Daily Echo and Northern Echo media groups. The result was massive levels of pre-event exposure, this stimulating strong regional radio and TV interest and thereby increasing the hype.
As a result, ticket sales at the two circuits boomed. Furthermore, both Echo titles are keen to repeat the exercise in 2010, having now successfully used the BTCC’s arrival in their respective regions to generate a feel-good factor among readers.
Knockhill was another to capture a potential new audience of many hundreds of thousands when the BTCC secured it a deal with Scotland’s biggest selling daily newspaper, The Scottish Sun, which carried near non-stop coverage pre-event. Rarely have the Fife track’s car parks been fuller than those on BTCC race day 2009…
CASE STUDY: Working with the circuits30
The BTCC is firmly established not only as
Britain’s most popular form of motor racing
but also as one of the UK’s top sporting
attractions with crowds similar in size to those
at Premiership football and Test Match cricket
matches.
It is estimated that trackside figures in 2009
held steady with around 325,000 people
attending the championship’s ten fixtures –
this is highly significant considering the UK
was sucked into a financial recession.
That popularity is further reinforced by
the fact that the average attendance at
grounds on the opening day of the 2009/10
Premiership football season was 30,235 –
figures that really do put the BTCC firmly in
the ‘big league’ of British sporting events.
The secret to the BTCC’s on-going success is
simple: unrivalled entertainment at affordable
prices. Most of all, the BTCC is a fast-moving
show designed to compete against theme
parks, shopping centres just as much as other
sports for the public’s leisure time.
‘Fast and friendly’ best describes the
atmosphere. As well as the buzz of the BTCC
action, a busy bill of top-class support races
guarantees a non-stop programme of
on-track thrills.
The customer-focused BTCC is unique among
other major sports in encouraging interaction
between the public and the stars of the show.
An ‘open paddock’ policy at most circuits,
plus officially-organised driver autograph
sessions in the pit lane means the fans can
easily rub shoulders and grab a word or photo
with their heroes. One of the biggest draws
in 2009 was former Le Mans 24 Hours and
three-times grand prix winner Johnny Herbert
who followed in the wheel tracks of the likes
of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Damon Hill, David
Coulthard and Nigel Mansell by becoming
the latest big name from Formula 1 to join the
BTCC grid.
BTCC Spectator Demographic
Male FemaleGender 64% 36%Social Class AB 35% AB 21% C1 47% C1 59% C2 13% C2 3% DE 5% DE 17%Under 35 AB 20% C1 54% C2 17% DE 9% 35 or over AB 47% C1 43% C2 4% DE 6%
“The BTCC is unique among major sports events in encouraging interaction between the public and the stars of the show”
No surprise then that spectator loyalty
has always been one of the BTCC’s major
strengths – a fact proven by exit polls
conducted by independent survey specialists.
Remarkably, 95 per cent of those interviewed
said they would attend again and more than
85 per cent indicated they would recommend
BTCC race events to their friends. Survey data
also confirmed far above-average levels of
sponsorship recall, with the majority of people
interviewed expressing loyalty to products
promoted via the championship.
An unwavering commitment by the
championship to a coordinated programme of
pre-event promotion in conjunction with each
circuit means the BTCC’s popularity is sure to
continue spiraling to new heights.
33
Spectator Appeal
Certainly, the BTCC provides almost
unrivalled value-for-money public
entertainment, particularly for families. Race
day admission for children up to 16 is free
whilst adult tickets can be pre-ordered for as
little as £23.
The phrase ‘when the BTCC rolls into town’
really has taken on a whole new meaning
as well. Edinburgh, during the height of its
world-famous Festivals period in August, set
the scene for the championship’s fourth major
city centre show in as many years in 2009. A
road closure enabled the drivers and teams
to demonstrate their race cars at full speed
right by Edinburgh’s iconic castle as the BTCC
made its only visit north of the border for its
annual round at the Knockhill circuit in Fife.
The event, free for the public and a marketing
dream for teams and their sponsors, followed
on from similar demonstration runs in
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Milton Keynes and
Edinburgh several years before. Thanks to the
BTCC’s unrivalled attention to detail, planning
expertise and promotional skills, each of these
highly unique and spectacular events have
“The BTCC provides almost unrivalled value-for-money public entertainment, particularly for families…”
drawn mammoth levels of interest from the
public and media alike – Edinburgh’s city
council estimates that some 18,000 people, all
of them potentially new fans, lined Johnston
Terrace in 2009 to see the BTCC’s stars
in action.
And the BTCC is already a long way down
the path of encouraging its next generation of
fans thanks to a proactive schools programme
which invites a local class or youth group
into the paddock on Friday afternoons for
a VIP tour of the pit lane. The youngsters
are shown around the cars – some are even
selected to sit in the driver’s seat – and also
meet key team members plus the star drivers
for autographs, Q&A sessions and photos.
It’s a programme that in 2010 will enter is
seventh year and which, since its inception in
2004, has provided some 1500 primary and
secondary-aged youngsters with arguably
their most inspiring and motivating day out of
their school years.
Elsewhere, the championship’s status also
attracts high-profile celebrities from both motor
sport and other entertainment fields. Celebrity
faces are regularly spotted at BTCC meetings.
Those spotted in the paddock and on the grid
in 2009 included pop star Mel C, Olympic
cycling and rowing gold medalists Ed Clancy
MBE and Ben Ainslie CBE plus Great Britian
rugby league player Jon Wilkin.
32
In addition, race-goers can take
advantage of give-away offers from teams
and sponsors, reinforcing the exhilarating
family atmosphere. During the BTCC’s Pit
Lane Walkabout sessions – when the public,
including children, are invited into the pit
lane to meet the drivers for autographs
and photos – a staggering amount of team
merchandise and sponsor-related products
ranging from caps, pens, posters, stickers and
autographs cards are handed out. Indeed,
some teams have turned the exercise into a
fine art, using the sessions to run successful
product competitions for their commercial
partners. In short, it’s an ‘open goal’ for teams
to ensure it is their sponsor’s colours that paint
the spectator banks and grandstands and go
home with the fans.
No matter the size of the team, whether one
of the established grandee outfits or a smaller
one-car newcomer, all know the BTCC is a
golden opportunity to interact with – and
win over – one of the world’s most excitable,
knowledgeable and enthusiastic motor sport
audiences.
35
Witty one-liners, tears and laughter, dirty
moves, crashes, controversy, drama, heroes
and villains – the BTCC had it all and became
one of sport’s biggest overnight success stories.
Few other sports can have enjoyed such
a rapid growth in popularity. ‘Being there’
suddenly became fashionable – indeed, the
BTCC was more than just a day at the races.
It was a UK tour, no longer confined to just
England but now also heading to Scotland
and Wales. It was a social occasion and, as a
result, live trackside audiences often reached
the 40,000 mark. People who had previously
never taken an interest in motor sport were
suddenly going car-racing mad.
The manufacturers simply could not afford
to miss out and the number taking part in
the series grew rapidly. Alfa Romeo, Audi,
BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot,
Renault, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volvo: all
realised the enormous marketing value of
competing in the BTCC and were quick to
capitalise on the opportunity. Every one
of them has the BTCC to thank for their
continued growth in the UK today. All fielded
full factory teams – often run by crack
Formula 1 outfits such as Williams, TWR and
Prodrive – and hired megastar drivers. There
was, quite simply, no other sporting arena
like the BTCC.
The paddock was extraordinary to behold,
a fantastic mixture of languages, styles,
tastes, smells, colours, facial expressions
and hand gestures. And then there was the
racing – the roars and cheers from the packed
grandstands and spectator banks, the sea of
hats, T-shirts, jackets and flags that people
waved in support of their favourites.
For competitors and spectators alike, the BTCC
became a ‘must see’ event and that remains
the same today as the world’s most famous
and time-honoured touring car championship
enters its second 50 years on yet another
remarkable high. 34
Highlighting the enduring success of the British
Touring Car Championship, the series has
recently celebrated its golden anniversary.
The inaugural BTCC was staged back in 1958
and, since then, the championship has grown
into this country’s biggest motor racing show,
with massive national and international
audience appeal.
From the start, saloon car racing was a huge
success with the public, who would pack
into Britain’s racing venues to watch drivers
compete in racing versions of their road cars
at simply unbelievable speeds. Traditional,
great British names such as Jaguar, Austin,
Ford, Mini, Lotus, Sunbeam, Hillman and
Triumph were all winners in the first 20 years,
each aware of the importance of using the
BTCC to showcase their latest models.
By the Eighties, the BTCC was moving with
the times and beginning to attract a truly
international flavour. Mazda, Toyota and Alfa
Romeo were the first three winners of the decade
as the championship continued to be run for
several classes of car, but the mighty Ford Sierra
RS500 and BMW M3 – dominant as the Nineties
loomed – are probably the two most evocative
models of the period.
It was in the Nineties, however, that the BTCC
truly boomed. The championship was already
beginning to grow in stature with regular
television coverage on the BBC’s flagship sports
show, Grandstand, on Saturday afternoons.
When the decision was taken to make the BTCC
exclusively for two-litre cars, it instantly created
closer racing and attracted a host of high-profile
manufacturers and teams to the series. Combined
with enhanced television coverage and
marketing genius, this made the BTCC essential
viewing for millions throughout the UK – and
many millions more worldwide.
50 Years Young
“From the start, saloon car racing was a huge success with the public, who would pack into Britain’s racing venues to watch drivers compete in racing versions of their road cars at simply unbelievable speeds”
BTCC: Global TVCountry Broadcaster Audience reach USA Speed 80mCanada Speed 8mS America (inc. Mex) Speed Latin America 15mCzech Republic Sport5 800kDenmark Canal Plus 46kFinland Canal Plus 68kGreece Supersports 280kNetherlands Raceworld tbaNorway Canal Plus 225kSweden Canal Plus 425kSlovakia Sport5 630kRussia 7TV 26mAustralia One HD tbaHong Kong I-Cable 2.2m
TV &
Spectator Data
Dennis Publishing Figures Magazine ABCTitle circulation/readership Annual
Auto Express 69,000 / 291,000 3,519,000 / 14,841,000evo 62,282 / 217,000 747,384 / 2,604,000
UniqueWebsite monthly visitors Annual
autoexpress.co.uk 1,073,720 12,884,640evo.co.uk 285,860 3,430,320
UK TV Audience
Channel Total Broadcast Hours (50 Programmes)
ITV4 93 hours 37 minsITV1 12 hours 30 minsMen & Motors 10 hours 19 mins
Total hours 116 hours 26 mins
Total viewers 13,767,535*
* Cumulative audience number, weighted according to programme duration hours, which reflects sustained viewing of more than three minutes
Total UK TV audience in 2009
Estimated listeners
UK Radio coverage in 2009
154 stations
5 3 .95 million
5 0 hrs6mins
Male Female Under 35 35 or over
Average number of events attended in 2009 1.81 1.38 1.65 1.86
Percentage who havebought merchandise 42% 30% 39% 41%
Top five aspects enjoyed Racing 43% Racing 33% Racing 46% Racing 35%most during the day Atmosphere 20% Atmosphere 17% Atmosphere 19% Atmosphere 18% Weather 11% Weather 13% Weather 11% Weather 14% Good day out 9% Good day out 10% Good day out 10% Good day out 11% Food & Drink 8% Food & Drink 7% Food & Drink 5% Food & Drink 10%
Five aspects the Nothing 44% Nothing 40% Nothing 43% Nothing 44%public disliked Crowds/queues 10% Crowds/queues 17% Crowds/queues 12% Crowds/queue 12% Travelling 10% Travelling 13% Travelling 10% Travelling 12% Quality of food 6% Quality of food 7% Quality of food 7% Quality of food 9% Toilet queues 6% Toilet queues 3% Toilet queues 6% Toilet queues 4%
Social class AB 35% AB 21% AB 20% AB 47% C1 47% C1 59% C1 54% C1 43% C2 13% C2 3% C2 17% C2 4% DE 5% DE 17% DE 9% DE 6%
Personal income under £10,000 3% 4% 4% 1%£10,000 - £14,999 5% 7% 9% -%£15,000 - £19,999 6% 15% 9% 5%£20,000 - £24,999 19% 15% 22% 13%£25,000 - £29,999 14% 11% 9% 20%£30,000 - £39,999 18% 22% 19% 18%£40,000 - £49,999 13% 11% 11% 15%£50,000 - £59,999 8% 4% 6% 10%£60,000 or over 14% 11% 11% 18%
Top three other sports Formula 1 74% Tennis 48% Formula 1 71% Formula 1 74% watched on TV Football 67% Formula 1 36% Football 63% Football 74% Athletics 26% Football 32% Athletics 23% Cricket 74%
Top three national The Sun 25% Daily Mail 29% The Sun 29% Daily Mail 28%papers read Daily Mail 19% The Times 13% Daily Mail 15% Telegraph 18% Telegraph 10% Express 10% Express 9% The Sun 8%
Research carried out by Sports Marketing Surveys
TV &
Spectator Data
In 2009 the BTCC attracted a total trackside audience of
36
64%36 %Gender profile
37
Global Audience Reach
1.35 billion+
39
Few companies come close to matching
the illustrious motor sport pedigree of Porsche.
With a record number of Le Mans 24 Hours
victories behind it the German sportscar
marque nowadays concentrates on its Car-
rera Cup series in key global markets.
In the UK, only the BTCC offers Porsche a big
enough arena to captivate the audience
it desires. The championship is exclusively
for racing versions of Porsche’s 180mph 997
model. Big grids of the mouth-watering Ger-
man dream machines handled by top-line
drivers – many with international touring car,
GT and single-seater experience – make for
a sensational sight and sound. Porsche GB
also supports its Carrera Cup with a tower-
ing state-of-the-art hospitality suite that forms
an integral part of its high-profile marketing
programme.
Renaultsport runs two championships: its
Formula Renault single-seater category and
the thrill-a-minute, single-model Clio Cup.
Combined, the championships’ roots in the UK
stretch back more than 50 years.
Formula Renault has supported the BTCC
since 1993. The cars are identical two-litre,
carbon fibre machines that boast an authentic
F1 look and feel – this will be enhanced
further in 2010 when a new generation of car,
including seven-speed gearbox, is introduced
– and grids are full of aspiring F1 racers. The
series has produced some great names, most
notably the 2008 and 2007 F1 world champi-
ons Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen, who
were Formula Renault title winners in 2000
and 2003 respectively.
38
Each BTCC race event features not only three
headline touring car races, but also the very
best of UK single-seater, saloon and sportscar
action. The weekend’s non-stop programme
includes up to 13 races, guaranteeing fans
a top-class entertainment package which
exceeds that offered by any other major sport
in the country.
In total, there are five specially selected
championships on the regular BTCC support-
ing bill to boost the appeal of each weekend.
World title-winning Formula 1 manufacturer
Renault and legendary supercar maker
Porsche provide three of those championships,
while the other two come from flourishing
British sportscar make Ginetta. All five series
are fully manufacturer-supported, ensuring
that levels of professionalism and excitement
for crowds are unrivalled by any other motor
sport experience in the UK.
41
Ginetta is very much the new kid on the
block – quite literally. Its Junior championship,
for drivers aged 14 to 17, has been a major
hit since it joined the ‘BTCC family’ in 2008,
providing regular thrills and spills as the
youngsters battle it out doorhandle-to-
doorhandle. For 2010, the company’s new
five-speed, 1.8-litre G40 model (see above
image) will replace that used in recent years,
adding to the unpredictability for teams,
drivers and spectators.
The Yorkshire-based manufacturer’s presence
on BTCC race weekends was doubled in 2008
with the addition of the more powerful Ginetta
G50 championship. The racing is fast, furious
and unpredictable as the drivers – many
with reputations to uphold – fight to tame the
spectacular, 3.5-litre, 300bhp V6-powered
G50 coupes.
After a highly dramatic debut season in
2009, the G50s retain their coveted position
alongside Renault and Porsche on the BTCC
bill for 2010.
All five championships not only deliver the
best possible entertainment for trackside BTCC
fans, but also enjoy hitherto unprecedented
levels of television exposure thanks to the
live ITV4 coverage from each event with
highlights also shown on ITV1.
The new generation Formula Renault
40
The Clio Cup is the latest in a successful line
of single-model championships run by Renault
UK that dates back to the early Seventies,
when leaning 5TLs and TSs wowed the crowds
with big grids and crazy antics. The Clio Cup
has carried on that tradition as teams and
drivers – many with BTCC ambitions – eager
to get their hands on cost-effective, identical
racing versions of Renault’s potent 210bhp
Clio 200 model.
In recent years a number of drivers – notably
Mat Jackson, Andrew Jordan and champions
Tom Onslow-Cole and Jonathan Adam – have
learnt their craft in Clios and then gone on to
prove themselves in the BTCC.
“We have a wealth of experience and are
fully committed to maintaining the BTCC’s
position as the most versatile and valuable
motor sport property in Britain,” says Series
Director Gow. “Setting and meeting the
highest standards of professionalism is the
basis of everything we do.”
More than 50 years on from its humble origins
and long established as one of the world’s
most renowned national race series, the HiQ
MSA British Touring Car Championship could
not be in better hands.
43Alan GowSeries Director
Dan MayoCo-Ordinator
Rob KettleboroRace Director
Dennis CarterRace Director
Peter RichesTechnical Director
Carl McKellarMedia Officer
Dr Paul TraffordMedical Director
42The HiQ MSA British Touring Car
Championship is widely recognised as a
world leader. Under Alan Gow’s direction,
TOCA was formed to take over the running of
the BTCC in 1992 and throughout the Nineties
it set new standards for sports marketing,
promotion and administration of motor sport
in Great Britain.
TOCA’s innovative leadership took the BTCC
from strength to strength, attracting top class
teams, world class drivers, unprecedented
numbers of motor manufacturers and Premier
League-sized crowds. Right around the globe,
the thriving BTCC was hailed as the world’s
most influential touring car championship,
providing spectacular action trackside and
huge television audiences, as well as budget-
friendly marketing opportunities for pro-active
car makers and business partners.
With this proven track record, the highly
respected TOCA team has the experience
and ability to deliver on all fronts. The
organisational structure includes experts in a
wide range of different specialist disciplines,
each and every one of them totally dedicated
to the overall success of the BTCC.
Their expertise encompasses a huge array of
skills from legal and technical right through to
promotion and PR. The sum of their individual
talents creates a thriving environment, which
is to the ultimate benefit of competitors,
business partners, race teams and everyone
else involved in the championship’s on-going
achievements.
There have been innovations including the
staging of city centre shows, the introduction
of new cost-conscious technical regulations
and the provision of a top-quality support race
package with the involvement of pro-active
manufacturers including Ginetta, Porsche
and Renault. Not least among the advances
is the development of world-class medical
facilities at each BTCC meeting. These include
the professionally staffed and well-equipped
TOCA Intensive Care Unit and Medivac
helicopter.
The TOC
A Team
44
Administrator & Series DirectorAlan Gow Telephone +44 (0) 7860 927637Email [email protected]
Co-OrdinatorDan Mayo
17 White House RoadElvington, YorkY041 4AL Telephone +44 (0) 1904 607320Mobile +44 (0) 7960 039758Email [email protected]
Cham
pionship Officials
TechnicalDirector
Peter Riches The WillowsLow CommonDeophamNorfolk NR18 9DZTelephone +44 (0) 1953 850657Facsimile +44 (0) 1953 850657Mobile +44 (0) 7916 126448Email [email protected]
MedicalDirector
Dr Paul Trafford
7 Victoria CircusDowanhillGlasgow G12 9LBFacsimile +44 (0) 141 404 2624Mobile +44 (0) 7785 557470Email [email protected]
MediaOfficers
Carl McKellar
Telephone +44 (0) 1372 414120Mobile +44 (0) 7786 138905Email [email protected]
Deborah Tee
Telephone +44 (0) 1372 414120Mobile +44 (0) 7785 924400Email [email protected]
Organising Club Series Management
British Automobile Racing Club (BARC)BARC (TOCA) LTD
Thruxton CircuitAndoverHampshire HP11 8PM
Telephone +44 (0) 1264 882200Facsimile +44 (0) 1264 882233