For the first time in the BTCC, Chevrolet will be entering a works-backed team. It’ll be debuting the Cruze, following the car’s inaugural campaign in last year’s World Touring Car Championship. The team will be run by RML, also responsible for Chevrolet’s WTCC operation.
Having a second factory team in the championship alongside Honda is good news. Chevrolet’s decision to compete also allows Jason Plato to stay in the BTCC. Having just missed out on the championship last year in his independently entered Chevrolet Lacetti, he’ll be a serious challenger for the 2010 title.
From the picture above, it would appear that Plato has participated in a ‘bring your kid to work day’. In fact it’s his new Chevrolet team mate, 19-year-old Alex MacDowall, who was runner-up in 2009’s Renault Clio Cup.
Pirtek Racing and Pinkney Motorsport - both running a Vauxhall Vectra each - will be the first teams to use the BTCC’s own turbocharged engine, in anticipation of the ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ regulations.
The NGTC rules are due to come into force in 2011, and over the next few years they will see a gradual replacement of the Super 2000 cars currently used in the BTCC. The idea behind NGTC is to cut racing budgets by some 50%, thereby encouraging fuller grids.
Much of that reduction is to be achieved by standardising major components such as gearboxes, suspension and brakes. Switching to more durable two-litre turbo engines will also be a significant cost saver, especially as teams that don’t want to develop their own engines will be able to use an unbranded one developed by TOCA.
That’s what Pirtek and Pinkney are doing, and doubtless all the other teams will be watching closely to see how competitive they are.
The full entry list is:
No. / Driver / Team / Car
2 / Jason Plato / Silverline Chevrolet / Chevrolet Cruze
20 / Alex MacDowall / Silverline Chevrolet / Chevrolet Cruze
4 / Matt Neal / Team Honda / Honda Civic
52 / Gordon Shedden / Team Honda / Honda Civic
5 / Mat Jackson / Airwaves BMW / BMW 320si E90
11 / Steven Kane / Airwaves BMW / BMW 320si E90
6 / Robert Collard / WSR / BMW 320si E90
44 / Andy Neate / WSR / BMW 320si E90
21 / Tom Onslow-Cole / Team Aon / Ford Focus ST
23 / Tom Chilton / Team Aon / Ford Focus ST
22 / Tom Boardman / Special Tuning UK / SEAT Leon
27 / Martin Johnson / Boulevard Team Racing / Vauxhall Astra Coupe
28 / John George / Tech-Speed Motorsport / Honda Integra
29 / Paul O'Neill / Tech-Speed Motorsport / Honda Integra
30 / Martin Depper / Forster Motorsport / BMW 320si E90
37 / Arthur Forster / Forster Motorsport / BMW 320si E90
43 / Lea Wood / Central Group Racing / Honda Integra
55 / David Pinkney / Pinkney Motorsport / Vauxhall Vectra
77 / Andrew Jordan / Pirtek Racing / Vauxhall Vectra
88 / TBA / Triple Eight Race Engineering / Vauxhall Vectra
888 / TBA / Triple Eight Race Engineering / Vauxhall Vectra
98 / Matt Hamilton / TH Motorsport / Honda Civic Type R
99 / Shaun Hollamby / AmD Milltek Racing.com / VW Golf MK5
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