BTCC: BMW driver Andrew Jordan 'buzzing' for new season

Live motorsport is becoming ever more difficult for UK-based supporters to watch as the likes of F1, MotoGP and IndyCar now sit almost exclusively behind subscription packages.

The British Grand Prix will be the only free-to-air F1 race this season, in contrast to Formula E which is making the action available on several different platforms such as the BBC Red Button and YouTube.

The BTCC is also bucking the trend as it continues to provide extensive coverage through a long-standing partnership with ITV, and 2019 could be a season of massive growth for the championship as fans search for their latest fix of free racing.

Speaking ahead of the new campaign, reigning Independents champion Tom Ingram said: “You look at where the rest of motorsport is going, and they can learn a hell of a lot from what the BTCC are able to do.

“It’s the only free-to-air motorsport on TV – it’s absolutely criminal that there is not more people doing that, and it’s a real shame.

“Lewis [Hamilton] picked up on it a couple of months back – it shouldn’t be pay-per-view scheme.

“It’s a great thing now that we are the only free-to-air live motorsport around, and I think the fans want that. It’s what they want and it’s what they deserve as well.”

Under the current contract that runs until 2022, ITV4 broadcasts at least seven hours of coverage each race day during the BTCC season.

This includes all three BTCC races live as well as support series such as the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Formula 4, the Renault UK Clio Cup and the Porsche Carrera Cup shown live or on tape-delay.

Coverage is available to stream online via the ITVHub while ITV and ITV4 also schedule highlights programmes.

The BTCC can be quietly confident of seeing an increase in viewers this year as supporters unwilling to pay a Sky Sports F1 subscription look for a substitute.

Research from motorsportbroadcasting.com via overnights.tv indicates previous F1 races shown free-to-air wiped off around 30 per cent of the BTCC’s programme audience.

While the BTCC does not provide a like-for-like replacement for F1, former Ligier and McLaren ace Mark Blundell believes the tin-top series offers far greater action.

Speaking ahead of his debut touring car season with Trade Price Cars Racing, the 52-year-old said: “Hand-on-heart this is a championship I watch on TV, and I watch it for the entertainment and for the racing.

“It’s very difficult in this day and age to actually watch a motor race where there is overtaking, a little bit of wheel-to-wheel action, and a result that – to a certain degree – can’t be predicted.

“And that’s some of the problem now. From F1 downwards, it’s just too predictable, and I think it is just losing a bit of its entertainment value.”

Motorbase star Tom Chilton believes the familiarity of the championship also aids its popularity, with supporters able to recognise and relate to the cars on track.

“People want to see their car they drive on the road or their character – their favourite driver – and that happens through a really good TV package, which we have,” he said.

“It’s 30 cars within a second. Front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, estates, saloons, hatchbacks, they’re all completely different, and three different engine packages and yet we’re all within a second.”

The 34-year-old will drive a Ford Focus RS this season while Toyota, BMW, Vauxhall, Honda and Subaru are all manufacturers in the 2019 championship and independent teams are also running MG, Mercedes, Audi and VW cars.

Team HARD ace Michael Crees has a unique view of the BTCC, having been a fan standing on the grass banks just three years ago.

“For me it’s amazing that touring cars can be so accessible on TV if you can’t make it or come to the track,” he said.

“We would get a few fans at Brand Hatch that won’t be able to go to Knockhill, but they can tune in every weekend and watch and still be up close to the action.

“Being free is key to the growth of BTCC.”

With an excellent broadcasting team already in place and an established home on ITV4, 2019 represents an excellent opportunity for the BTCC to attract a wealth of new armchair supporters.

However, it remains to be seen just how many single-seater fans will have been lured in by the time the lights go out at Brands Hatch this weekend.

The 2019 BTCC Championship gets underway on April 7. Follow all the action live on ITV and online via the ITVHub and www.BTCC.net.