BTCC to host special 60-mile race at Snetterton in 2018

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) will mark its 60th anniversary with a special double-length race at Snetterton next summer.

The third race at the Norfolk circuit on Sunday 29 July will be an extended 60-mile contest, with all cars competing without any success ballast and with double championship points on offer.

There will be a separate qualifying session on Saturday 28 July for this showpiece race, with all cars qualifying at their base weights. Qualifying for the other two races will take place separately, with success ballast applied to frontrunning competitors as normal.

The BTCC traditionally uses Snetterton’s 2.9689-mile ‘300’ circuit layout, so a 60-mile event would comprise approximately 20 laps, in contrast to the 12-lap contests that were scheduled at this year’s visit to the track.

The 2018 season will still comprise 30 races across ten weekends, with all other races following the regular format, as per recent seasons.

Snetterton – also well known for the BTCC night race in the 1990s and 2000s – has long been a staple of the summer calendar for race fans.

Alan Gow, BTCC series director, said: “We are delighted to confirm this special extended race as part of the BTCC’s diamond jubilee celebrations. There will also be a number of additional activitiesthroughout 2018 to celebrate our 60th anniversary, to be revealed over the next few months.

“We believe this 60-mile race, roughly double the distance of a normal BTCC encounter, will add a further sporting twist to what will be a fantastic and memorable season. I am sure our loyal teams, drivers, venues, officials, sponsors, partners, marshals and of course fans will share in this excitement, making the Snetterton race weekend an unmissable event in 2018.”

The BTCC - originally known as the British Saloon Car Championship – began in 1958. The inaugural title was won by Jack Sears in an Austin A105.

Snetterton, a former RAF airfield, was visited by BSCC competitors in the first season, albeit for a non-championship event held on a different circuit layout.