Racing lines: the ghost of the BTCC coming soon Car News

Andrew Jordan will be back in the British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone on September 25/26 – but don’t read it too much: it will only be a “ghost” return.

That’s because the 2013 champion will be driving the Toyota Corolla hybrid test car that he drove on UK circuits this year in preparation for the technology’s grand introduction at BTCC in 2022. The aim is to give the public a a taste of new technology. and learn more about it through a full cycle of race meetings. As for Jordan, he will have strict orders not to get involved in the hustle and bustle and interfere with anyone’s championship campaign.

“I can’t get involved, so I’m going to start from the pit lane,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll get a full breakdown of what I’m allowed and not allowed to do. I’ll have to read the fine print… It’s more to put the hybrid in front of the public. They will allow us to qualify, but I think we will qualify near the back.

This comment contradicts series boss Alan Gow, who predicted the Speedworks hybrid should be the fastest, given the extra 40 horsepower for 15 seconds per lap offered by the Cosworth system being developed by M-Sport, which will support the construction of the customers TOCA 2.0-liter turbo engines for the next year.

Hybrid test dummy

Jordan resigned from the BTCC during the first nationwide lockdown last year, when the terms of his deal to race for BMW changed before the start of the delayed 2020 season. It turned out to be a messy and costly tangle, but it’s all behind him now as he focuses on building the historic family run and restaurant business with his father, Mike. However, it was “interesting” to dive back into the BTCC world and test new technologies.

“In reality, the driver is just a test dummy for the smart guys and girls who deal with electronics,” he says. “But it’s a good job, so I can’t complain. Any day you get paid to drive a race car is good! It’s also good to go back and drive these cars, because they are difficult in their own way, to get back to where they brake for the corners. It’s actually quite late compared to what I’m used to now.

The exact details of how the hybrid power boost feature will be used in the BTCC have yet to be worked out, but it is expected that the current ballast system will be scrapped altogether in favor of a balance between boost levels. and the results of the race.

“It will bring some strategy,” Jordan said. “It’s not just a pass button: you can also use it to defend. If they got rid of the success ballast and just balanced performance based on how much boost you have, it would have a bigger impact. A good team, a good car, and a good driver can handle weight better than others, but if the weight is the same and you don’t have a hybrid boost, you can’t get out of a bad situation like you can with ballast. However, the smarter drivers will be able to use it better in a race. “