BTCC look back
The British Touring Car Championship, a look back at the Thruxton round 2019 and forward to the 2020 season
Report by Chris Pearson
15 February 2020
After maybe a decade or so of not keeping up with the BTCC due to far too many commitments, I had an awesome opportunity to go to Thruxton Race Circuit as a VIP guest of Olympus UK and Power Maxed Racing.
The day began with a stunning breakfast compliments of the Power Maxed Racing Hospitality team!
Once the sausages, tomatoes and eggs were consumed it was time to be introduced to our shooting companion for the day, the Olympus OM-D E-M1X!
Partnered with the utterly superb 40-150mm f2.8 PRO lens it was time to get trackside to put the camera through its paces and capture some awesome images of Britain’s premier racing collective.
Throughout the day I had ample opportunity to capture images of the cars on track as well as a visit to the garage to see the team busily setting up the cars for qualifying.
This single day, without a doubt, reignited my spark for the BTCC and although I’ve not managed to attend every event, each and every race had me on the edge of my seat through ITV4’s coverage which, thankfully, is set to continue for years to come!
The season was, as always, loaded with action with quite a few memorable moments.
Some unlucky front end damage for Adam Morgan while being caught up in incidents ahead of him on a couple of occasions during the first chunk of the season.
Some pretty ominous battling occurred between Jason Plato and Ash Sutton at Snetterton which made for good viewing!
A few ‘racing incidents’ that were, in many opinions, unjustly punished. To name but one, the touch between Matt Neal and Jake Hill at Oulton Park. We can all agree though, opinions vary!
There was a clear dominance from the BMWs on the approach to the summer break and following a few mid season adjustments the incredibly close racing continued. Some great wins by Jake Hill, Tom Ingram and Dan Cammish showed it wasn’t all about the seasoned veterans.
Possibly the most theatrical end to a season saw the final race being won by the legend that is Jason Plato which completed his 99th victory during his career. However, this was not the craziest part of the race! Dan Cammish, one lap from championship victory suffered a brake failure leading to Colin Turkington winning his 4th BTCC title by just 1 point!
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, we have new teams, new cars and new driver partnerships to look forward to!
Mark Blundell’s 2019 campaign behind the wheel seems to have inspired him to go all in and MB Racing will be making it’s BTCC debut with Jake Hill and Sam Osbourne.
Excelr8Motorsport take on the Hyundai i30N with Senna Proctor and Chris Smiley at the wheel.
Power Maxed Racing retains Number 11 with Jason Plato who will be partnered by the returning winning driver Mat Jackson.
With Many more changes expected on the grid it’s going to lead what will be a highly entertaining season!
Keep your eyes peeled for the Pre Season Report from Silverstone showcasing all the new cars with their 2020 livery.
CPe FOTO
He has worked with drivers and teams to promote their campaign and secure sponsorship deals along with regularly capturing the action at various race meetings.
Follow us on Social Media: