The 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 50th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It was won by Fabrizio Giovanardi with 10 race wins and 17 podiums. Going into the final race, Fabrizio Giovanardi was one point behind Jason Plato but a second place for Giovanardi and a fourth place for Plato resulted in Giovanardi taking the championship by 3 points. The Teams' championship was won by SEAT Sport UK, the Manufacturers' championship was won by Vauxhall, the Independents' Trophy was won by Colin Turkington and the Independent Teams' championship was won by Team RAC.
After two unhappy seasons with the Astra Sport Hatch, the Triple 8-run works Vauxhall team switched to an all-new chassis based on the Vectra C built to the now-prevalent Super 2000 rules, retaining Italian veteran Fabrizio Giovanardi and young Englishman Tom Chilton as they sought to reassert their supremacy from the first half of the decade.
Reigning Manufacturers champions SEAT were again their only works opposition. Jason Plato remained on board as team leader and GT racer Darren Turner, who had shared the second Leon with James Thompson during 2006, stepped into the second seat full-time. With their Manufacturers title fight going down to the final rounds at Thruxton, both Vauxhall and SEAT added third cars to their line-ups for the closing meeting. Double champion Alain Menu, who had been racing for Vauxhall's sister marque Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship, returned to the British series for the first time since 2000 to drive the Vectra, while Dutchman Tom Coronel, fresh from claiming the WTCC Independents title at the wheel of a Leon, bolstered the SEAT charge.
After winning the Teams, Drivers and Independents titles for two straight years with their Integra, Team Dynamics (again under the Team Halfords banner) switched to another self-developed Honda chassis, this time built to Super 2000 specifications and based on the Civic. Reigning double champion Matt Neal stayed with his family team, with Gordon Shedden partnering him for a second year. The Dynamics cars were no longer eligible for Independents points due to their dominance of that championship in the previous two years.
Also changing machinery were West Surrey Racing (once again entered as Team RAC), who traded their venerable MGs for a pair of Super 2000-spec BMW 320si's acquired from BMW's works WTCC squads. Long-time collaborator Colin Turkington again headed the line-up, joined by reigning Renault Clio Cup champion Tom Onslow-Cole. Also running a 320si was former Production class race winner and reigning SEAT Cupra Cup champion Mat Jackson, making his debut in the top class of the BTCC with his family Jacksons M.Sport team.
Team Eurotech continued to run their ex-Dynamics Integra for team boss Mike Jordan for a second season, while Motorbase Performance abandoned their Integra and expanded to two ex-works Super 2000 SEAT Toledos, having run one in the closing rounds of 2006. Gareth Howell, who had raced a third Dynamics Integra in the latter stages of both 2005 and 2006, joined the team alongside former Clio Cup and British GT race-winner Matt Allison. Howell ran out of budget mid-season and was replaced first by Tom Ferrier, who had driven the car in 2006, and for the final round by ex-Vauxhall works driver Paul O'Neill.
WTCC Independent squad GR Asia also ran a Toledo for their expansion into the British championship, missing two rounds when their WTCC commitments left them unable to attend. The car was piloted by Adam Jones who had an impressive debut season in the BTCC aboard Xero Competition's Lexus the previous year. The team then added a Leon to their stable for the final three meetings. Former works Vauxhall driver Gavin Smith was behind the wheel for the first two, being replaced in the final round by the returning Rob Collard, who had abandoned his planned switch to the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain earlier in the season after a handful of races.
Quest Racing returned to the championship for a full campaign having joined the field in the second half of 2006, again fielding Irish youngster Eoin Murray in an ex-WTCC Alfa Romeo 156. The 156 was also the vehicle of choice for the brand-new A-Tech squad, with veteran David Pinkney joining the team from Motorbase alongside Richard Marsh, who had appeared in a Peugeot 307 for Team Griffin Racing the previous year.
Other returning independents included Kartworld Racing, who expanded a second ex-WSR MG ZS, with Fiona Leggate joining the team to partner team boss Jason Hughes after two years in a bio-ethanol powered Vauxhall Astra Coupe with Tech-Speed Motorsport, and BTC Racing, who took in a full season with their Lexus IS200s after debuting in the final two rounds of 2006. Chris Stockton remained from the previous year, and was joined by Nick Leason, who initially planned to run an Astra Coupe for Daniels Motorsport as he had done in the latter stages of 2006. Leason left the team after the first three meetings with the team cutting down to one car for Stockton.
Tech-Speed swapped the Astra Coupe for a newer Sport Hatch driven by former Turkish touring car champion Erkut Kizilirmak, who had trialed the car through two appearances for the works Vauxhall squad the previous year, while the list of returnees was completed by Geoff Steel Racing, who again ran Martyn Bell in their older-spec BMW 320i. A 320i was also purchased by former Dutch Supercar Challenge racer Jim Pocklington to race with his own J Team Motorsport squad in the first half of the year.
John George returned to the series for the first time since 2004 in an ex-Dynamics Integra run by former Production class entrant TH Motorsport, with club saloon driver Simon Blanckley also plumping for an Integra in his debut season in the category, running for his own Sibsport team with support from touring car preparation expert Graham Hathaway. Another Integra was entered for the final two rounds by Robertshaw Racing for Alan Taylor, with both team and driver stepping up from the Clio Cup.
The most ambitious of the year's new entries came from the tiny Team AFM Racing outfit, who fielded a self-built BMW 120d, the championship's first ever diesel-powered car, for team boss and long-time production BMW racer Rick Kerry.
With Encke Sport's entry failing to materialize, Nick Leason leaving Daniels Motorsport and Tech-Speed switching to the Astra Sport Hatch, 2007 was the first season since 2000 in which the Vauxhall Astra Coupe did not grace the grid.
Other changes
In October 2005 Alan Gow announced that the 2007 championship will be contested by cars complying with the FIA's Super 2000 specification regulations.
Cars built and raced to BTC-specification were still permitted to compete, although were ineligible for outright championship honours.
The series had live coverage on ITV's digital channels for the first half of the season, returning to ITV1 for the final five race weekends. Full day's coverage (including support races) moved from MotorsTV to Setanta Sports.[1]
Entry list
The official entry list was published on 13 March 2007 following Media Day at Rockingham[2][3]
Note: bold signifies pole position (1 point given in first race only, and race 2 and 3 poles are based on race results), italics signifies fastest lap (1 point given all races) and * signifies at least one lap in the lead (1 point given all races).
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the 1987 season. The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2, FIA Group 5, FIA Group 1, FIA Group A, FIA Super Touring and FIA Super 2000. A lower-key Group N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003.
Matthew Stephen Phillip Neal is a British motor racing driver. Neal is a triple BTCC Champion having won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Neal is also a record 6 time BTCC Independents Champion having won the title in 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2005 and 2006. He is also a race winner in the European Touring Car Championship. He is 6' 6" (2 m) tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters. He is also the Group Marketing Director at Rimstock, the alloy wheel manufacturer founded by his father Steve.
Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a four-time World Touring Car Champion, winning the title in 2008 with SEAT, in 2010 and 2011 with Chevrolet and in 2013 with RML. He was British Touring Car Champion in 2003 with Vauxhall.
Edward James Thompson is a British auto racing driver. He has twice been champion of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), and was third in the 2007 World Touring Car Championship.
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the Championship 12 times and holds the record for the most overall race wins in the BTCC. He has also served as a presenter on the motoring television series Fifth Gear since 2004.
Fabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won ten touring car titles, including European and British crowns making him the most successful touring car driver worldwide. He has spent the majority of his career racing for Alfa Romeo and Vauxhall.
The 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 48th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. As in 2004, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.
The 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 49th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. As in 2005, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.
The 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 47th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
Team Dynamics Motorsport was a UK-based motor-racing team based in Droitwich, Worcestershire; best known for their successes in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005, 2006 and 2011 with Matt Neal and 2012, 2015 and 2016 with Gordon Shedden. The team was founded by Steve Neal and former driver of Vic Lee Motorsport, Ray Bellm when they acquired its assets in 1993. For the following season, Bellm, having bought a majority stake in the Silverstone-based motorsport equipment retailer, Grand Prix Racewear, also acquired a McLaren F1 GTR and went his own way.
Thomas James Chilton is a British racing driver who currently drives for Team Bristol Street Motors in the British Touring Car Championship. He has spent most of his career competing in touring car racing, and his younger brother, Max, is also a racing driver.
The 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 46th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
Triple Eight Racing was a motorsports team formed in 1996 as Triple Eight Race Engineering, which competed in the British Touring Car Championship and the British GT Championship.
Tech-Speed Motorsport is a British auto racing team who compete in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and various historic race categories which was founded in 1984.
Nick Leason is a British racing driver.
The 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 51st British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It was also the first that the championship was sponsored by HiQ. Fabrizio Giovanardi won his second consecutive title.
The 1998 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship featured 26 races across 13 rounds, it commenced at Thruxton on 13 April and ended at Silverstone on 20 September.
The BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch is a BTC-Touring class racing car that was built for the 2005 British Touring Car Championship season by Triple 8 Race Engineering, who ran Vauxhall's official works program.
The 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 52nd British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It began at Brands Hatch on the Indy layout on 5 April and finished after 30 races over 10 events on the Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch on 4 October. Colin Turkington won the championship for the first time, ahead of Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi.
The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 53rd British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It began at Thruxton Circuit on 4 April and finished after 30 races over ten events at Brands Hatch on 10 October.
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