2012 British Touring Car Championship season
Encyclopedia
The 2012 Dunlop
MSA
British Touring Car Championship
is a multi-event motor racing championship for sedan based touring car racing cars
held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of small cars which are can be sold to the general public that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It will be the 55th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
This will be the second season that cars conforming to the Next Generation Touring Car
(NGTC) specification will be allowed to compete, in the phased transition from Super 2000
specification. The season will also be the first season without cars built to the BTC Touring
specification. A revised championship points system will also be introduced for the 2012 season, in which the top 15 cars will score championship points instead of the top 10 previously.
Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop Tyres is a British company owned 75% by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which bought the right to sell Dunlop-branded road tyres....
MSA
Motor Sports Association
The Motor Sports Association , is the official governing body of motorsport in the United Kingdom.-Responsibilities:...
British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
is a multi-event motor racing championship for sedan based touring car racing cars
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of small cars which are can be sold to the general public that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It will be the 55th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
This will be the second season that cars conforming to the Next Generation Touring Car
Next Generation Touring Car
Next Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC, is a TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers touring car racing. The goal of the NGTC classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive...
(NGTC) specification will be allowed to compete, in the phased transition from Super 2000
Super 2000
Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an FIA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification is split to cover both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Super 2000 World Rally Championship events...
specification. The season will also be the first season without cars built to the BTC Touring
BTC Touring
In motor racing, BTC Touring was the set of new regulations for the British Touring Car Championship introduced in 2001 BTCC, after the demise of the Supertouring category....
specification. A revised championship points system will also be introduced for the 2012 season, in which the top 15 cars will score championship points instead of the top 10 previously.
Teams and drivers
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Driver changes
Entering/Re-Entering BTCC- Matt HamiltonMatt Hamilton (racing driver)Matthew Hamilton is a British auto racing driver. He is currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship.-Racing career:...
will return to the BTCC driving TH Motorsport'sTH MotorsportTH Motorsport is a British motorsports team based in Watford. It was founded in 1997 by Trevor Humphrey. Initially entering in various one make national series and Rally events, the team is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship and Britcar Championship.-Proton Satria GTI...
NGTC Škoda Octavia vRSŠkoda OctaviaThe Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 1996, its name revived from a model originally produced between 1959 and 1971. The current Octavia is available in five-door liftback and station wagon....
. - Adam Morgan will enter the series after winning a fully paid drive as a result of winning the Ginetta GT Supercup2011 Ginetta GT Supercup seasonThe 2011 Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup season will be the inaugural Ginetta GT Supercup season, having rebranded from the Ginetta G50 Cup, which ran between 2008 and 2010...
.
Team changes
- TH MotorsportTH MotorsportTH Motorsport is a British motorsports team based in Watford. It was founded in 1997 by Trevor Humphrey. Initially entering in various one make national series and Rally events, the team is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship and Britcar Championship.-Proton Satria GTI...
will re-enter the BTCC running a NGTC Škoda Octavia vRSŠkoda OctaviaThe Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 1996, its name revived from a model originally produced between 1959 and 1971. The current Octavia is available in five-door liftback and station wagon....
. - The Honda Racing TeamTeam DynamicsTeam Dynamics is a UK-based motor-racing team based in Pershore, Worcestershire; best known for their successes as an independent squad in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005 and 2006 with Matt Neal...
will swap to the brand new ninth generation Honda CivicHonda Civic (ninth generation)The ninth generation Honda Civic was launched in the North American market in April 2011.-North American market:In May 2010, the ninth-generation Civic was said to be delayed into 2011, because of changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations.The Civic was originally...
built to full NGTC spec. They are the first Manufacturer backed team to run fully to the Next Generation Touring CarNext Generation Touring CarNext Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC, is a TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers touring car racing. The goal of the NGTC classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive...
specification. - On 20 September 2011, Triple 8 Race EngineeringTriple 8 Race EngineeringTriple Eight Race Engineering is an auto racing team formed in 1996 to design, build and race Vauxhalls on behalf of the General Motors brand in the British Touring Car Championship . A close working alliance has developed during a decade of success and Triple Eight is now Vauxhall's technical...
announced that they are going to swap to a new car built to full Next Generation Touring CarNext Generation Touring CarNext Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC, is a TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers touring car racing. The goal of the NGTC classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive...
spececification for 2012. However, they did not say what make or model car they are going to use. - On 21 September 2011, Pirtek RacingEurotech RacingEurotech Racing is a British motor racing team founded by Mike Jordan.-History:Mike originally ran and raced for Team Eurotech in the BTCC.-2010:Under the Pirtek Racing banner, Eurotech will run a Vauxhall Vectra in the 2010 season...
announced that they are going to swap to a new car built to full NGTCNext Generation Touring CarNext Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC, is a TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers touring car racing. The goal of the NGTC classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive...
spec. On 6 October 2011, the team announced they would run Honda CivicsHonda CivicThe Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
as a satellite teamSatellite teamIn motorsport, a satellite team is a team related to a larger, better-funded team. This relation may involve ownership, technical support and staff sharing, including drivers...
of Team DynamicsTeam DynamicsTeam Dynamics is a UK-based motor-racing team based in Pershore, Worcestershire; best known for their successes as an independent squad in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005 and 2006 with Matt Neal...
. - On 18 October 2011, Welch Automotive announced they are expanding their team to 2 cars for the 2012 season.
Race calendar
The provisonal calendar was announced by the championship organisers on 20 September 2011, with no major changes from 2011.| Round | Circuit | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 |  Brands Hatch (Indy)Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
1 April |
| R2 | |||
| R3 | |||
| 2 | R4 | Donington Park (National) Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship... , Leicestershire Leicestershire Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire... |
15 April |
| R5 | |||
| R6 | |||
| 3 | R7 | Thruxton Circuit Thruxton Circuit Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing.... , Hampshire Hampshire Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force... |
29 April |
| R8 | |||
| R9 | |||
| 4 | R10 | Oulton Park (Island) Oulton Park Oulton Park Circuit is a motor racing track in the small village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington with a nearby rail connection along the Mid-Cheshire Line. It occupies much of the area which was... , Cheshire Cheshire Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow... |
10 June |
| R11 | |||
| R12 | |||
| 5 | R13 | Croft Circuit Croft Circuit Croft Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England. The tarmac circuit is just over long and is based on the lands of an airfield, but has long since moved on from being a basic airfield circuit... , North Yorkshire North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest... |
24 June |
| R14 | |||
| R15 | |||
| 6 | R16 | Snetterton (300) Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich... , Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... |
12 August |
| R17 | |||
| R18 | |||
| 7 | R19 |  Knockhill Racing CircuitKnockhill Racing Circuit Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife is Scotland's national Motorsport centre. The circuit is located in the Fife countryside about north of Dunfermline. The track, initially opened in 1974, is long and 10 metres wide and was created by joining service roads to a nearby disused mineral railway,... , Fife Fife Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire... |
26 August |
| R20 | |||
| R21 | |||
| 8 | R22 | Rockingham Motor Speedway Rockingham Motor Speedway Rockingham is the UK's most modern motorsport venue and Europe's fastest racing circuit, hosting corporate driving days, driver training, conferencing & exhibitions, vehicle manufacturing events, track days, testing, driving experiences and motorsport... , Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,... |
23 September |
| R23 | |||
| R24 | |||
| 9 | R25 | Silverstone (National) Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... , Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,... |
7 October |
| R26 | |||
| R27 | |||
| 10 | R28 | Brands Hatch (GP) Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
21 October |
| R29 | |||
| R30 | |||