British Touring Car Championship organiser TOCA has opened applications from interested teams to join the BTCC from the 2025 season onwards.
This year’s BTCC grid has been the smallest in almost 20 years, with a full-season entry of 20 cars, being run by seven teams.
75% of those cars are run by four outfits, with Alliance Racing, EXCELR8 Motorsport and Speedworks Motorsport each running a quartet of cars in 2024.
Teams must hold a TOCA BTCC Licence (TBL) in order to compete in the championship, with the list of teams typically being confirmed in December each year.
Having ‘reached its “quality over quantity” targets for the 2024 campaign’, TOCA is now keen to see applications from prospective new teams for 2025.
“For the last six years I’ve said many times that, ideally, I’d like to cap our numbers to around 24 cars for several different reasons – not least of which is to support our teams by utilising the sound commercial principle of maintaining ‘supply’ just below ‘demand’ in order to underpin their entries and investment,” explained BTCC Chief Executive Alan Gow.
“Whilst reviewing these plans I also appreciate that some interested new teams (i.e. non-current TBL holders) have, until now, been unable to join the championship due to the tightly controlled restrictions of the TBL allocation system.
“With that in mind, I’ve opened the door for expressions of interest from up to two, two-car teams who are looking to join the championship from 2025.
“With high and consistent levels of quality and competitiveness throughout the current grid, the final number could then be capped at 24 cars/TBLs.
“Stable technical regulations are, of course, one of the most cost-effective ways of controlling costs and equalising competition.
“So, whilst new technical regulations are due to be introduced from 2027, these will be an evolution of the current hugely successful and stable NGTC regs.
“Therefore, cars purchased or built by current or new teams will also be valid to use during that next phase of the regulations, with only relatively minor updates that are specifically aimed at reducing costs, whilst continuing to provide the proven equality of performance that exists.”
Confidential expressions of interest should be directed to [email protected].