British Touring Car Championship "Going Skywards"

30 November 2003

At the British Touring Car Championship annual awards ceremony at Coventry's Hilton Hotel, championship organiser Alan Gow told a hooked audience that BTCC is on the verge of enjoying its biggest boom in popularity since the early Nineties. He also announced a three-year extension to his contract as the Series Director, reiterating his long-term commitment to the championship.
 
“This championship is going skywards. There is a great energy about it again,” said Gow, the man who ran the series during its most popular Supertourer era and returned to his post for 2003. “Those of us in this room who were around when I took over the BTCC back then can surely see the comparisons of where we were in the early Nineties and where we are now."

Already, the resurgence of Britains premier domestic championship are evident. A new TV package for 2004 means that half of next season's rounds will be shown live on ITV1, one of Britains largest terrestrial channels, as well as continued coverage on Motors TV.

In addition, the championship will be open to cars built to both British and European Touring Car specification cars. This has opened the door for many manufacturers who left the series when the Supertourer format was dropped to make a return. Spanish manufacturer Seat last week announced they will enter two ETC-spec Toledos in next year’s BTCC. Privateer teams GA Motorsports, Edenbridge Racing and Carly Motors have also committed to running ETC-spec cars, GA with an Alfa Romeo and Edenbridge and Carly with BMWs.
 
The awards ceremony saw all the BTCC’s champions and runners-up receive their trophies.

See 2004 series calendar for British Touring Car Championship

Related Story 21.11.2003 - SEAT to Enter the 2004 British Touring Car Championship