BTCC season set to be a thrilling battle between top contenders
As the new BTCC season kicks off, fans can expect another intense showdown among the top contenders for the championship title. With drivers like Tom Ingram, Ash Sutton, and Colin Turkington once again vying for supremacy, the competition is sure to be fierce.
Speaking about the tough competition in the series, Tom Ingram commented, “Maybe I’m biased, perhaps everyone sees their own era as the toughest, but it certainly feels incredibly tough right now. Take Silverstone qualifying, when there was a tenth of a second covering a multiple of cars… It’s not just the drivers, it’s the engineers, the tyre strategy, the little bit of luck that comes in as well. That’s why we enjoy it so much. As a sportsman and athlete, you always want to compare yourself to the best and fight to constantly improve. Racing in the BTCC is an incredible privilege.”
One of the major changes for this season is the decision to drop the Cosworth-developed spec hybrid system in favor of 100% sustainable fuel. The new formulation, Hiperflo ECO102 R100, is derived from synthetic and biological non-crude sources, making it a fossil-free option for the cars. This move has also resulted in the cars being 55kg lighter, much to the delight of the drivers.
Tom Ingram expressed his satisfaction with the new weight of the cars, stating, “The last time we drove these cars at this weight was in 2021, so it has been a while – and it feels great. That gave us a bit of a head start. We probably had the fastest car in 2024 and we’ve only improved it.”
Despite the removal of the hybrid system, a power boost mechanism to balance performance and aid overtaking remains in place through variation of turbocharger boost pressures.
