Following a successful first year under new management, the British Touring Car Championship returns in 2002 with a larger and more competitive grid of cars. Once again, the action is split in to two classes - Touring and Production - the latter of which are closer to the road going models. The near-dominance of Vauxhall in the Touring class throughout 2001 looks set to be much more difficult to repeat this time around, with full works entries from Proton, Honda and MG set to challenge the Astra Coupes. In addition to these entries, Vic Lee Racing will once again enter two Peugeot Coupes, this time as an independent team under the banner of 'Team Halfords', and Barwell Motorsport are running a pair of independently entered Astras. From the second meeting of the year, at Oulton Park, there will also be an additional two MG ZS entries, forming Team Atomic Kitten, a landmark deal bringing the motorsport and music industries together.

The Proton assault on the championship, under the name Team Petronas Syntium Proton, sees David Leslie return to the series, alongside 2001 Egg Sport driver, Phil Bennett. The team combines a strong Malaysian influence with some very experienced names from the British and international Motorsport industry. However much of the technical know-how will come from the Malaysian side – including chief engineer, Makhzan Selamat and powertrain engineer, Mazlan Dindi. The team have a long-term ambition to win, but are realistic about their early prospects.

Team PSP driver, Phil Bennett, said, “I think Yvan [Muller] and James [Thompson] will be strong - everyone else will be racing for 2nd place, in my opinion.

We have had limited running due to some terrible gearbox problems and so it would be nice just to get some points from the opening meeting, put more miles on the car and as a result be prepared for the 2nd meeting.

I think over the course of the season I think we can be competitive with everyone bar the factory Vauxhalls; and I also think Matt Neal will go well too - which isn't bad for a new team and car.”

Pre-season testing suggests that the Astra Coupes will once again be the car to beat, however none of the other teams have shown their true potential as yet, with the WSR prepared MGs undergoing continued development, including a newly developed engine. The Arena Motorsport team have carried out little running on the same track as their BTC-T counterparts to date, and as such, making any predictions is very difficult. The Honda Civic Type-R does however provide a very good basis on which to develop a racing car. Team Halfords only ran one car at the recent test session at Brands Hatch, and once again development is likely to continue in to the season.

Whilst the Vauxhall Astra Coupe drivers would seem to have the upper hand once again going in to the new season, it would seem safe to assume that things will change over the course of the year. The other Touring class teams will close in as their development programs continue. That said, Warren Hughes was within 1 second of the time set by the lead Astra at the test session on the Brands Hatch GP circuit, in an MG ZS upgraded from the 2001 model. Even within the Astras, the questions remains as to who will emerge on top. Will Yvan Muller and James Thompson put their season of experience in the car to good use? Or will Matt Neal and Paul O’Neill make themselves at home straight away? Youngster Tom Chilton has impressed in the Barwell Motorsport car in testing, but it remains to be seen whether he can reproduce this form over race- distance…

In the Production class, there is a combination of debutants and returnees from last year. Tech-Speed return with their Peugeot 306s, again with Annie Templeton in the driving seat of one. She is partnered this year by 2001 Lotus Elise champion, Mark Fullalove, who has impressed in pre-season testing, topping the times at both official test sessions.

Commenting on his prospects for the season ahead, Fullalove said, "My aim is obviously the championship but I am not under any illusion of the difficulty in achieving this. I see my main opposition coming from the Edenbridge BMW's and the Honda Civic Type R's. The latter has not attended any of the official tests so it's a bit of an unknown quantity, if it's not quick out of the box then it will be on the pace by mid season. James Kaye has a lot of experience and should be able to develop the car quickly. I also know from previous racing experience that Rob Collard and Spencer Marsh are more than capable of challenging at the front if their cars allow them to do so!

I am obviously pretty confident after heading the first two official tests. I think the Peugeot is still a very competitive car and the Tech-Speed team do a very professional job, so it's up to me to get the most out of it! Anyway the talking stops from this weekend and frankly I can't wait!"

Another team back for 2002 is Synchro Motorsport. The team, made up of Honda UK employees, enters two Honda Civic Type-Rs in the Production class this year, with Dave Allan and James Kaye in the driving seats. Both drivers are very enthusiastic and optimistic with respect to the new season, and whilst the car has not run in an official test session, the team hope that waiting just that little bit longer to get the car on the track will pay off in the long run.

Dave Allan said, “We are looking forward to this weekend very much, the last few months we have been very busy with the build of the two Civics. Unfortunately the cars will arrive at the circuit with very little track time behind them, but with the expertise of Andy Scott (Chief Engineer) and James Kaye’s testing program with JAS we are confident of an 'out of the box' competitive car.

The car shows great potential and we are extremely pleased with the results so far, with the taut chassis and strong engine I think this could be the car to beat.

I believe we will see another thrill packed year, of course the Peugeots will be strong again, the BMW's looked good in testing also, the Alfa's always have good potential but I think Rob Collard in the Clio could be one for us to keep an eye on.”

Hampshire based Rob Collard brings the distinctive Renault Clio back to the series again this year, and he and the Collard Racing team will be hoping for more reliability than they encountered throughout 2001. The former Hot-Rod Champion will be going all out to be successful, and is well worth watching.

There will be four Honda Accords on the grid at Brands Hatch, 2 each entered by Beacon Racing and John Batchelor’s York City Racing. The cars are proven to be capable of winning, as demonstrated in 2001, but it remains to be seen how they will fare under new ownership. GA Motorsport also return with two Alfa Romeo 156s, as do TH Motorsport, running a Mitsubishi Carisma for Steven Wood.

Making a welcome comeback to the BTCC this year, albeit in an independent capacity, is BMW. Edenbridge Racing will enter a pair of 320is in the Production category. Tom Boardman drives the first of these, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the change from the Peugeot 306 which he drove in to 2001, to the larger, rear-wheel drive BMW.

The Production class always brings close, action-packed racing, and this year will not be an exception. The range of different cars, ages and driving styles involved means that excitement is guaranteed, and whilst the Touring class may attract more attention, battles in the Production class are not to be missed!