BTC Racing evaluating new BTCC car build, planning GT expansion

The Brackley squad has raced the Honda Civic Type R FK8 model since 2019, initially in a two-year collaboration with then-official Honda squad Team Dynamics that extended to a supply of bespoke Honda engines produced by Neil Brown Engineering.

BTC then went its own way in 2021 and switched to the customer TOCA powerplants.

Josh Cook, who has led the BTC charge since 2019, raced into an early lead of the overall 2022 standings, but faded to sixth in the points.

The team attributed its struggles to lack of straight-line speed since the switch from Swindon Powertrain to M-Sport for 2022 as supplier of the TOCA engines.

BTC chief Danny Buxton, who was drafted in for 2022 by team owner Steve Dudman, told Autosport: “We’re just evaluating all options really, and we’re quite far down the road with a few of them.

“Where we’re sat with the Honda – the chassis is fantastic so we’ve got two options: carry on with the TOCA engine, or going to the Neil Brown engine that Dynamics run.

“Steve is a big fan of being in control of your own destiny – having your own train set.

“The preference would be to build our own cars, with our own engine programme.

“You’ve got to aim high and that’s the current plan, to move quickly with that and see where we get to, because obviously time is pressing.”

Steve Dudman, BTC Racing

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Buxton added that rear and front-wheel-drive models are under consideration.

“There are three or four marques that we’re looking at that aren’t currently in there [the BTCC] at the moment,” he said.

“We’re just looking to see what fits within the parameters of the regulations, the aero qualities, and what’s feasible to have a car and engineering programme running side by side.

“Making a competitive car and getting in the right engine partner is key – it can still be done, but we’ve got to press on.”

BTC’s GT programme could be in international competition in Europe, the British GT Championship and the GT Cup, said Buxton, whose previous role in the sport was as head of customer racing at McLaren.

The team is looking at both the GT3 and GT4 categories, he added.

“We want to expand, and GT is something that we’re looking at, that’s for sure,” said Buxton.

“We’d like to start in 2023, and it’s really customer-led in terms of what people want to do.

“I’ve got a few customers from my McLaren time who want to do something together, and there are a few opportunities for us in British championships for next year – it’s exciting for us.

“It was always the intention when I came across to here for us to utilise [Buxton’s background in GT racing].

“I was thrown in at the deep end to get the season done in BTCC, and now I’ve got time to plan.”