The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is set to have a capacity 32-car line-up next season - despite the long-standing goal of series boss Alan Gow to reduce grid sizes.
The 2022 season will be the first to feature hybrid powertrains, with all cars fitted with a new Cosworth-developed gearbox-mounted electric boost system.
BTCC teams are given TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs), which secure their place on the grid and require them to enter every race. All 29 TBLs have been renewed for 2022 by the teams holding them, and such is the demand for spaces that TOCA has lent out its three spare TBLs, which will increase the grid to 32 cars.
The three extra TBLs have been lent on a single-season basis, with one each going to Toyota UK works team Speedworks Motorsport, and Honda Civic squads Team Dynamics and BTC Racing.
Gow said: "The demand for the BTCC has never been greater. Clearly, this also means I’ve failed to achieve my long-stated aim of reducing the grid size. Whilst that remains the goal going forward, admittedly it’s a nice problem to have…"
Team Dynamics previous ran the works Honda team and this season entered Gordon Shedden and Daniel Rowbottom as privateer entries. Speedworks ran a pair of Toyota Corollas for Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt.
BTC Racing's extra TBL means it will field four cars next year, the same number as Hyundai squad Excelr8 and Ford team Motorbase Performance. Works BMW squad WSR and Team Hard will join Dynamics and Speedworks in running three cars, while Aiden Moffatt Racing, Ciceley Motorsport, Power Maxed and Boardley Motorsport each have two TBLs.
Although the BTCC has confirmed the holders of the 32 TBLs, full details of the respective entries will be left to each team to make in the coming months.
Add your comment