PressClub United Kingdom · Article.
Team BMW aiming to enter BTCC record books in 2021.
05.05.2021 Press Release
• BMW could win all-time record sixth straight Manufacturers’ title • Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley race for Team BMW • BMW 330i M Sport the car of choice for the reigning champions
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BMW Group
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Chris Overall
BMW Group
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Team BMW’s push for a record-breaking sixth consecutive British
Touring Car Championship title begins this weekend at Thruxton, the
UK’s fastest circuit, with the manufacturer’s three-pronged attack
ready to challenge for yet more silverware across the 2021 season.
Fresh from storming to a fifth consecutive BTCC Manufacturers’
crown in 2020 thanks to the efforts of the West Surrey Racing-run
team, BMW could become the first marque in series’ history to win it
six seasons in a row.
Last year’s Teams’ Championship-winning drivers Colin Turkington
and Tom Oliphant will be joined by Stephen Jelley in an expanded
three-driver line-up; they’ll be racing in the BMW 330i M Sport, which
enters its third BTCC season.
The race car, which is based on the current 3 Series production
model, has taken 17 race wins, 38 podium finishes and four
championship titles since its race debut in 2019, making it the most
successful car in the BTCC over the past two seasons.
As the only team in the series to feature three BTCC race
winners in its driver line-up, Team BMW aims to be among the title
contenders as the season progresses.
Northern Irishman Colin Turkington has a record-equalling four
BTCC Drivers’ titles to his name and has never finished lower than
second in the points since rejoining Team BMW in 2017.
Leamington Spa-based Tom Oliphant enjoyed a breakthrough season
in 2020 as he scored his first series win at Brands Hatch and finished
in a career-best sixth place in the standings.
Stephen Jelley, from Leicester, has raced a BMW 125i M Sport for
the past three seasons and now moves into the primary BMW team, having
previously driven for WSR in 2008-09, scoring his first two BTCC
victories in that latter season.
Thruxton, which is the nearest circuit to BMW UK’s Farnborough
headquarters, hosts the first of 10 BTCC events that will be
held at eight venues the length and breadth of Great Britain.
Fans can watch the action unfold live from the comfort of their
living room with every race broadcast on ITV4 in HD and streamed
online (UK only) via the ITV Hub.
Colin Turkington said: “I can’t wait for the season
to start. Although it’s been a challenging winter for everyone, I’ve
used the time away to recharge the batteries and have really felt the
benefit of one of the most complete pre-season programmes we’ve ever
had with WSR and BMW. The target for all of us, and especially me, is
to win the championship and that doesn’t change from year to year.
There have been a couple of minor rule changes, and I think the
success-ballast increase, in particular, means that consistently
scoring points is going to be more critical than ever in terms of
putting together a championship-winning season.”
Tom Oliphant said: “I’m really pleased with how the
winter’s gone; we’ve certainly been able to work well on the car in
testing and we’ve added to our knowledge of the BMW 3 Series quite a
bit, which will definitely increase our options when it comes to
deciding on race and qualifying set-ups. I feel ready to move up to
the next level in the championship, and with the overall package we
have, I’m confident I can challenge for the Drivers’ title and help
BMW try to win a record-breaking sixth straight Manufacturers’ crown.”
Stephen Jelley said: “I’m really pumped up for the
new season. There’s really been no transition phase with the BMW 3
Series; from the first test it was a step forward from the older car.
It’s similar in many ways to the 1 Series I’ve raced for the past
three years, but it’s better in every area; turn-in, braking,
stability, everything. It fits like a glove. It’s a mega package and
it gives me a lot of confidence for the season ahead. Having two
top-drawer team-mates in Colin and Tom is really positive and we’ll
all push each other to work better and better and drive faster and faster.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “When a new
season is just around the corner, you feel that bit of extra
adrenaline running through you, and 2021 is no different, especially
since we’ve finished our pre-season testing. We’ve done quite a bit of
running and maybe found some ways to make the BMWs even better, but we
also know that the competition hasn’t been standing still, so we’ll
have to keep pushing as hard as we can. I think our driver line-up is
one of the strongest, if not the strongest on the grid and
that will be extremely important as we try to help BMW win a record
sixth straight Manufacturers’ title and push Colin, Tom and Stephen
into the Drivers’ Championship fight.”
2021 British Touring Car Championship
calendar
May 8-9: Thruxton
June 12-13:
Snetterton
June 26-27: Brands Hatch Indy
July 31-August 1:
Oulton Park
August 14-15: Knockhill
August 28-29:
Thruxton
September 18-19: Croft
September 25-26:
Silverstone
October 9-10: Donington Park
October 23-24:
Brands Hatch GP
Ends
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles
and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in
the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the
future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and
efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from
the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.
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For further information please contact:
Helen Wilson
Senior Press Officer, BMW & MINI
Communications
Tel: 07815 372 480
Email: Helen.Wilson@bmw.co.uk
Chris Overall
BMW Media Relations Manager
Tel: 07815 370 990
Email: Chris.Overall@bmw.co.uk
Emma Begley
General Manager, Communications
Tel: 07815 371 062
Email: Emma.Begley@bmw.co.uk
Graham Biggs
Corporate Communications Director
Tel: 07815 376 867
Email: Graham.Biggs@bmw.co.uk