GOW COMMITS TO BTCC FOR NEXT FOUR YEARS
Alan Gow last night confirmed he will continue to lead the
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship for the next four
years at least, when he spoke before a packed audience at
the series’ annual awards ceremony.
In front of 600 guests at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole
Hotel, Series Director Gow reflected on the BTCC’s 2006
season and also announced he will remain in charge of Britain’s
most popular motor racing championship until the end of 2010.
Gow said: “That was a pretty good season, wasn’t
it? Let’s just put it into perspective; in the world
of four-wheel motor racing the BTCC is, by an enormous margin,
the biggest in the UK. In TV audiences, it’s second
only to Formula 1 and in spectator numbers it’s by far
the largest. We simply dwarf all other motor sport in this
country.
“Something I’m very proud of is our huge increase
in competitor numbers. What a difference a year makes. Ten
new teams joined our championship this year. Remember that
we started 2005 with just 12 cars and we finished 2006 with
26. Over a hundred per cent increase….now that’s
what you call growth. And as for popularity and support, who
can forget the massive crowd we had at our last round?”
Gow then reeled off a list of impressive statistics that
demonstrate the competitiveness and strength of the BTCC.
- Eight different drivers shared 30 race victories
- 14 different drivers stood on the podium
- In ten qualifying sessions, six different drivers took pole
position
- The 30 fastest race laps were shared between ten different
drivers
- 11 different drivers took turns leading a race
- 23 of the 29 drivers all scored championship points
- Some 15 hours of prime-time ITV1 coverage, plus approximately
the same amount again in late-night repeats on ITV1
- Around 20 million people watched it on TV in the UK alone
and many millions more internationally
- Over a quarter of a million fans watched it trackside
He added: “So what’s the secret of our success?
Simple, really; we’re the biggest and best show in town.
We’re not perfect and we’ve got plenty of scope
to develop… but I can tell you that no other championship
in this country delivers a team, driver, sponsor or manufacturer
with anything like the profile, spectacle and sheer audience
numbers that we do.
“We’ve recently seen many teams and drivers stepping
up from other series. Why? Well, let’s face it, for
professional drivers or teams to go and race in any other
series outside the BTCC or supporting package is like wetting
their pants in a dark suit; it may give them a nice warm feeling,
but hardly anyone knows they’re doing it.”
Gow then said: “But with most positives there is usually
a negative attached… and I should inform you that my
contract with the BTCC finishes at the end of this year. Unfortunately
for many of you, we’ve renewed my contract for another
four years – so you are all stuck with me for a while
yet.”
Receiving their trophies were the top three drivers in the
championship, Matt Neal, Jason Plato and Colin Turkington,
SEAT for winning its first Manufacturers’ title and
Team Halfords which successfully defended the Teams’
crown. Neal and Team Halfords collected the Independents Trophy’s
Drivers’ and Teams’ silverware as well.
The winners of the BTCC’s manufacturer-backed support
race categories, Formula BMW, Formula Renault, Clio Cup, Porsche
Carrera Cup and SEAT Cupra also made stage appearances.
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