Sport   Other Sports   Touring Cars

BTCC grid to showcase 5 former champions for 2014!

By MJP Media | 28 January 2014

In a sensational return to the British Touring Car Championship, Alain Menu will join former champions Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden, Jason Plato and Matt Neal in a star studded 2014 season.

Alain Menu in his 2011 WTCC Chevrolet Cruze

Two-time BTCC champion Alain Menu will make a sensational return to Britain's premier motor sport series with Team BMR in a Volkswagen Passat alongside young Irish star Aron Smith who joins from Airwaves Racing. Smith scored four podiums last season for Airwaves Racing and will be in his 3rd year in the BTCC. The 24-year-old race winner will drive the second of the team's VW Passat CCs, meaning team owner Warren Scott will be switching to the Vauxhall Insignia.

For Menu, it will be his first full BTCC season since leaving the series as champion at the end of the 2000 campaign, although he has been competing at the front in the World Touring Car Championship with Chevrolet where he was 3rd in the series in 2011 and 2nd in 2012. The 50 year old Swiss driver is a veteran of over 200 BTCC contests and has scored 86 podiums and 36 wins since his debut way back in 1992.

Alain Menu (far right) with his WTCC team-mates

Team BMR joined the BTCC for the first time in 2013 with Warren Scott in charge and over the season expanded from a one-car operation to four cars, acquiring the remaining three Team HARD. machines following the original purchase of the first Volkswagen Passat CC mid-way through last season. The team has made some significant personnel changes in the off-season to bring in experienced engineers and now its sights are set on challenging for the Independent Teams' and Drivers' championships.

In other BTCC news, Rob Holland's new Audi A3 saloon has been developing further with a unique colour scheme being designed around sponsors Oakley Sunglasses in conjunction with a fans vote, but the artist's impressions look impressive.

Aron Smith is no stranger to the BTCC silverware

Adam Morgan and WIX Racing have confirmed that the new Mercedes A class is slowly coming into shape and will be the first Mercedes to compete in the championship in the new era. Blackburn based Morgan has also found time to do some driver coaching for the BTCC support Ginetta series.

On a final note, Aiden Moffat Racing have confirmed their commitment in the 2014 paddock with the purchase of the fantastic Dynojet hospitality unit formally used by Frank Wrathall's team.

Touring Car content supplied by MJP Media