The rollercoaster ride of West Surrey Racing's 40 years
It’s four decades since one of UK motorsport’s most successful teams made its debut at Silverstone in British Formula 3. Now it’s top dog in the BTCC, time to blow out some candles with boss Dick Bennetts
Forty years ago a little five-man team named West Surrey Engineering, thrown together over the previous month, made its debut in the opening round of the British Formula 3 Championship at Silverstone. And Jonathan Palmer, one of those five men, took victory on 1 March 1981 in his Toyota-powered Ralt RT3. This was the same chassis that, at the end of 1980, had won the last four races of the series in the hands of Stefan Johansson, carrying the Swede to the title with Ron Dennis’s Project 4 Racing.
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The rollercoaster ride of West Surrey Racing's 40 years
It’s four decades since one of UK motorsport’s most successful teams made its debut at Silverstone in British Formula 3. Now it’s top dog in the BTCC, time to blow out some candles with boss Dick Bennetts
Why the BTCC elite should fear Shedden's return
OPINION: The British Touring Car Championship Lord taketh away Dan Cammish, then giveth Gordon Shedden. That means substituting what would have been a future champion with an all-time series great with a point to prove on his return
The tin-top veteran turned policeman hangs up his helmet
Jeff Allam had a long and successful touring car career, and was a highly regarded works driver for Rover and Vauxhall. Then he spent his weekends policing his successors… Time to look back at a BTCC life spanning almost 45 years
The BTCC Brexit that's thrived for a decade
It won't be long until the current BTCC rules become the longest-lasting the series has ever had. The NGTC regulations are due to celebrate their tenth birthday this year and while not totally perfect for everyone, have been a huge success
The top 10 BTCC drivers of 2020
The 2020 British Touring Car Championship will go down as a classic in which new winners graced the top step of the podium and an unloved chassis was resurrected into a champion. But who were the year's top performers?
The Villeneuve-esque 'engineer's dream' who lit up BTCC 2020
The Infiniti Q50 was completely redesigned, redeveloped and revamped by BMR and Laser Tools Racing for 2020. And the flamboyant brilliance of the driver behind the wheel was enough to snatch the title at the last gasp
The BMW game-changer that monopolised the tin-top world
The rival Ford RS500 was more spectacular and almost claimed its place as Autosport's greatest touring car. But the original BMW M3 E30 was too good and too important to be ignored, as its drivers explain
Turkington meets Rouse: The BTCC's greatest in conversation
The two four-time British Touring Car champions discovered they had far more in common than they realised when Autosport brought them together to discuss all things tin-top for its 70th anniversary special earlier this year
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About this article
| Series | BTCC |
| Drivers | Mika Hakkinen , Rubens Barrichello , Colin Turkington , Scott Dixon , Mauricio Gugelmin , Niki Lauda , Ayrton Senna , Jonathan Palmer , Will Hoy , Hans Stuck |
| Teams | West Surrey Racing |
| Author | Marcus Simmons |