Britain’s biggest four-wheel motorsport series is back for what is set to be another thrilling season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and you can follow all the action on ITV4.
Seven former champions will line up on the grid along with a strong pack of young contenders and the prospect of fantastic season of racing ahead as they all vie for the most prestigious trophy in UK domestic motorsport.
This year’s British Touring Car Championship will again comprise of 30 races across ten events at nine venues around the country, with the season commencing at Brands Hatch on March 29-30, concluding on the legendary Grand Prix circuit at the same venue on October 11-12.
The class of 2014 will include an unprecedented seven champions in its ranks, headed by reigning supremo Andrew Jordan who took his maiden title during an unforgettable 2013 season.
Jordan fended off four former champions last season and the 24-year-old will defend his title in the Pirtek Racing Honda Civic, while Gordon Shedden, champion in 2012, fell short of retaining the crown by just seven points.
Shedden and his three-time champion team-mate Matt Neal both remain with Honda Yuasa Racing for 2014, but the duo will be piloting the all-new Civic Tourer model.
Jason Plato has won more British Touring Car Championship races than any other driver in history and despite the MG driver coming close in 2013, he has just one goal for the year ahead – to win a hat-trick of championships after his successes in 2001 and 2010.
Colin Turkington returned to the championship in 2013 after a three-year hiatus and produced a stunning effort with the eBay Motors team.
The Ulsterman remained in title contention until the final day of the campaign, despite his BMW only breaking cover on the eve of the season.
His eBay Motors squad has a year with the car under its belt and a strong pre-season behind them, so Turkington is confident of contending again.
The two biggest announcements in the off-season proved to be the return of two double BTCC champions and fans favourites in Alain Menu and Fabrizio Giovanardi.
Menu, a legend of the much loved Super Touring-era, will be driving a VW Passat for Team BMR this time around, whilst Giovanardi will be spearheading the challenge from Airwaves Racing.
The appeal of Britain’s premier motor sport series is not just about driver talent as 14 different models of car – based on popular road going family models – represented by 11 of the world’s largest car manufacturers will take to the track throughout the 2014 season.
The BTCC has one of the most varied grids of any major motorsport championship in the world, with official manufacturer entries from Honda and MG being joined this year by a host of other independent teams entering cars from Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Mercedes, Proton, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.
The battle will be played out all season long in front of hundreds of thousands of fans inside each circuit over the course of the campaign and millions more who will watch every race live via ITV’s free-to-air coverage.
Speaking at the recent Media Day at Donington Park, BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “Our huge entry list is a clear demonstration of the success of the championship.
“31 cars on the grid is a modern-day BTCC record and the quality of the field, including seven champions, is also at a real high.
“That calibre of driver wouldn’t be here if they didn’t see that the championship is in rude health, but we also have to remember that many of those have the BTCC to thank for making them household names in the first place.
“Our major partnerships have either been renewed or consolidated over the off-season too. ITV has re-signed its BTCC commentary and presenter team until at least 2017.
“The TV audiences and trackside audiences continue to grow, which is yet more evidence why the BTCC is Britain’s biggest and most successful series.
“I have no doubt that 2014 will prove to be one of the most exciting and competitive season’s in the illustrious history of the BTCC.”
The 2014 season marks 10 years since ITV began screening live coverage of the BTCC and the broadcaster’s output has grown from a handful of hours a decade ago to more than 230 hours per season.
Full details of when and where to watch the 2014 BTCC season on ITV4 below:
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ITV will continue to screen around seven hours of live free-to-air coverage from each British Touring Car Championship meeting in 2014.
There will be comprehensive live coverage of all ten race days on ITV4 and in high definition on ITV4 HD, plus live BTCC qualifying on the ITV Sport website on Saturdays.
Adding to the coverage are 90-minute edited race highlights which will be shown at least a week after after each event on ITV and ITV4, plus live streaming via ITV.com.
In total, more than 230 hours of the BTCC will be broadcast on ITV each season until at least the end of the 2016, giving the series unprecedented terrestrial coverage.
The on-air line-up remains the same for 2014 with veteran anchor Steve Rider returning to present ITV4’s coverage of the series alongside reporter Louise Goodman, who will provide regular live updates and interviews from the pit lane, as well as grid walks before each BTCC race.
Race commentary comes from leading motorsport broadcaster David Addison and 1992 British Touring Car champion Tim Harvey, who both signed new deals to remain in their roles with ITV until at least 2016.
Additional reporting and insights from the BTCC paddock will again come from multiple race winner Paul O’Neill, who will provide regular Twitter updates during ITV4’s live broadcast.
BTCC vans can tweet O’Neill direct at each event with their comments or questions using @ITVSport #btcc in their messages.
ITV4’s live coverage of each meeting will feature all three BTCC races with the channel’s broadcast going on-air at 10.30am and concluding at 6.00pm, allowing time for more reaction and interviews following the final BTCC race of the day.
ITV Sport will also cover all the BTCC support championships with Richard John Neil returning to the commentary box with new signing Phil Glew.
The Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain – the series that launched the careers of a host of top drivers including Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button – represents single-seater racing.
Sportscar racing fans will get their fix with races from the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Ginetta Junior Championship, whilst the Renault UK Clio Cup, often seen as a stepping-stone to reaching the BTCC, will also feature on the huge bill of British racing.
All the support race action will feature throughout the year on ‘Motorsport UK’, which returns to ITV4 in April.
Online, a simulcast of all ITV4’s live coverage will be available to watch via ITV Sport’s dedicated BTCC website, where fans can also find live timing data for every race weekend, as well as extra interviews and features.
Live BTCC Qualifying on Saturdays can also be found on ITV.com, available via computers, selected phones and tablets and internet-connected TVs.
ITV Player will allow fans can catch up on ITV4’s BTCC highlights and Motorsport UK series throughout the year, available across various devices.
Visit the new-look BTCC website for further information about the series.
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.ROUNDS 1-3: BRANDS HATCH INDY
. Saturday 29th March BTCC: Brands Hatch Indy – Qualifying LIVE: 3.35pm-4.15pm ITV.com/sport
Sunday 30th March BTCC: Brands Hatch Indy – Race Day LIVE: 10.30am-6.00pm ITV4 Live Race Schedule 11:45 British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 13:30 Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain – Race 3 14:15 British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 15:00 Ginetta Junior Championship – Race 2 15:30 Renault UK Clio Cup – Race 2 16:10 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain – Race 2 17:00 British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 Full event timetable Saturday 5th April BTCC: Brands Hatch Indy – Highlights 3.30pm-5.00pm ITV4 Wednesday 9th April BTCC: Brands Hatch Indy – Highlights (rpt) 3.00am-4.30am ITV
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| 2014 BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON |
| MARCH 29-30 |
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BRANDS HATCH INDY Rounds 1-3 |
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| APRIL 19-20 |
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DONINGTON PARK Rounds 4-6 |
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| MAY 3-4 |
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THRUXTON Rounds 7-9 |
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| JUNE 7-8 |
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OULTON PARK Rounds 10-12 |
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| JUNE 28-29 |
|
CROFT Rounds 13-15 |
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| AUGUST 2-3 |
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SNETTERTON Rounds 16-18 |
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| AUGUST 23-24 |
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KNOCKHILL Rounds 19-21 |
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| SEPTEMBER 6-7 |
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ROCKINGHAM Rounds 22-24 |
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| SEPTEMBER 27-28 |
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SILVERSTONE Rounds 1-3 |
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| OCTOBER 11-12 |
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BRANDS HATCH GP Rounds 4-6 |
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Just like to say I’m a big fan of buff watch it all the time. Come on Plato son