AmD's VW Golf at the Autosport International show
The Autosport International show always marks a step up in activity ahead of a new BTCC season and 2010 is no different.
There may not have been any revelations at the show this year, but we’ve had new liveries and the first public outing for the VW Golf that AmD are developing for the series.
Tuning specialists AmD’s plans to bring Volkswagen back to the BTCC for the first time in 20 years emerged the weekend before the Autosport show. This was an example of the power of the internet – the announcement was made in the form of a blog post on AmD’s website and within hours the story was everywhere.
The Golf was on show at the NEC, but the team are awaiting a new aero package before confirming how the car will look when it lines up on the grid. Driver, Shaun Hollamby is an experienced club racer and the AmD team won the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup in 2009 so between them they should be able to put together a decent package.
The show itself began with the unveiling of Andrew Jordan’s stunning Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra. The livery of the car is distinctive to say the least and if it is as quick as it is attractive then it should be a good season for the Jordans.
While Jordan’s Vectra was at the NEC, David Pinkney’s was conspicuous in its absence. Pinkney and Jordan are heading down slightly different routes with their NGTC engines and the result is Pinkney is still waiting to get hold of his new purchase.
Ahead of the show, there had been speculation over the future of Team RAC and sure enough, the breakdown giant is scaling down its sponsorship of WSR this year, remaining as a ‘co-sponsor’. This week has also seen RAC confirm sponsorship of a Caddy van in the VW Racing Cup – a clever bit of PR that will see a ‘racing’ version of one of its patrol vans.
Still with WSR, there was an announcement that confirmed their intention to defend their independent and overall titles, but importantly, there appears to be no confirmation of drivers at this stage. Colin Turkington was interviewed on the Autosport stage and is yet to secure a drive, with the search for a sufficient budget continuing.
Turkington’s teammate from the past couple of seasons, Stephen Jelley, revealed his ‘Scoop of Jelley’ programme that offers fans the chance to sponsor him from just £150. Like Turkington, there is no confirmation that Jelley will drive for WSR this season, but Jelley’s scheme does seem to confirm that he will be out in some shape or form.
WSR’s announcement confirmed partnerships with eBay Motors and Alvara – a brand of Ceravision, which has appeared on the BMWs for the past couple of seasons. It also featured an appeal from Team Principal Dick Bennetts for a title sponsor, so expect the white livery at the NEC to change ahead of the new season. WSR also suggest they could take on the FIA WTCC if the right budget was in place. Wherever they end up racing, they have three BMWs available.
On the subject of BMWs, David Bartrum also made an appearance on stage at the NEC, alongside his 2009 drivers Rob Collard and Jonny Adam. There’s no more Airwaves BMW in 2010 after the Wrigley brand decided to end its involvement with all forms of motorsport and there’s no firm BTCC programme in place at the moment for Motorbase.
The same is true for Matt Neal, Jason Plato and James Thompson. None are in a position to confirm any BTCC plans at the moment, although Thompson will again contest the Danish Touring Car Championship with the Hartman Honda team and this may also see him out in the World Touring Cars.
There were a couple of other interesting stories emerging as the week went on. The first concerns Mike Earle’s Arena Motorsport team. They lacked power in 2009 and changes could be on the cards on the engine front this year. The team is considering a switch to LPG-power for its two Ford Focus. It could be an interesting proposition if this goes ahead and may open the door to other ‘alternative-fuel’ entries.
Finally, a case of what ‘If’… a story on Autosport.com outlines plans from former Nissan BTCC test driver Bryce Wilson’s If Motorsport team to run a pair of Abarth Grande Puntos, built to NGTC rules. However, Wilson says he’s also talking to two other manufacturers, which may turn out to be a smart move as BTCC series boss Alan Gow has been quick to quash the Punto plans on the BTCC.net forum, confirming that they’re not big enough to conform to current or future BTCC regulations.
All in all, it’s been a fairly busy few days, which can only mean one thing – the new season is just around the corner!
Tags: 2010, AmD, arena, Autosport, bartrum, btcc, earle, hollamby, If Motorsport, jelley, Jordan, LPG, neal, Pinkney, Pirtek, plato, scoop, thompson, turkington, VW Golf, WSR
