Opinion: were these the five best BTCC title battles of all time?
Controversial clash helps Harvey (1992)
Colin Turkington's 2019 comeback makes the list, there are plenty of other races marked out for celebration
The British Touring Car Championship is loved by fans for producing great racing – which inevitably creates plenty of drama and the occasional dash of controversy. Autocar will again back the series when the 2020 season finally resumes, so to whet your appetite for whenever that might be, here are five of the most dramatic title showdowns in the BTCC’s history.
*5 - Rydell collects for Volvo (1998)*
The BTCC’s 1990s Super Touring era is fondly remembered, but it produced very few title showdowns. The battle did go down to the wire in the classic, ultra-competitive 1998 season, though. Eight manufacturers took part, with nine different drivers winning races. Having clashed on track earlier in the season, Rickard Rydell (Volvo S40) and Anthony Reid (Nissan Primera) battled for the crown at Silverstone. The Swede claimed the title despite Reid winning the finale.
*4 - Fastest lap nets crown (2004)*
In the early 2000s, the BTCC was low on cars, but a series of intra-team battles between the dominant Vauxhall squad’s drivers created plenty of drama. Yvan Muller and James Thompson’s 2004 title battle went right to the end of the Donington finale. Thompson fell behind Muller in the points after race two, and his hopes seemed over with the Frenchman dominating the finale. But Thompson battled hard to third, securing the title by a solitary point – which he picked up by setting the race’s fastest lap.
*3 - Turkington’s unlikely comeback (2019)*
Last year’s three-way showdown involving BMW drivers Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan and Honda’s Dan Cammish was packed with drama. Points leader Turkington looked to be out of contention after a race two clash with Cammish’s team-mate Matt Neal. A mighty charge from 25th on the grid in the finale seemed in vain – until Cammish developed late technical issues and dropped out, securing the Northern Irishman his record-equalling fourth BTCC title.
*2 - Controversial clash helps Harvey (1992)*
Entering the Silverstone finale, John Cleland (Vauxhall) held a narrow points lead over Tim Harvey (BMW) and Will Hoy (Toyota). Their battle through the pack led to a controversial clash between Cleland and Harvey’s team-mate Steve Soper. With Cleland out, Harvey took fourth and the title.
*1 - Sears vs Sopwith (1958)*
The first British Saloon Car Championship featured multiple classes. Jack Sears (Austin A105) and Tommy Sopwith (Jaguar Mk2) dominated their divisions and finished the year tied on points, so series bosses held a tie-break at Brands Hatch, the pair staging two five-lap sprints in a pair of Lotus Riley 1.5s. Sears dominated and took the title.
*READ MORE*
*Colin Turkington's unorthodox path to BTCC glory*
*Racing lines: How lockdown disrupted a British racer's strong run *
*Sir Stirling Moss: Tributes to the British motorsport legend *
*Bentley interested in electric endurance racing*