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TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the
British Touring Car Championship The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
(BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the TOCA Tour /sup> /sup> or TOCA Package. /sup> /sup> The BTCC is the UK's biggest motor racing championship and the headline act to a host of support races covering the entire weekend.


History

BARC (TOCA) Ltd undertakes the entire management of the championship from regulations to event direction and marketing.
Alan J. Gow Alan James Gow (born 23 June 1955) is the chief executive of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Touring Car Commission. He was born in Melbourne, Australia and lives ...
is the series director and administrator of the BTCC and the managing director of BARC (TOCA) Ltd. Gow formed TOCA Limited in 1990, purchasing the rights to the BTCC in 1991 and proceeding to turn the championship into the largest of its type in the world and one of the most widely watched motorsport series around the globe. In 2000, Gow sold TOCA to American company Octagon Motorsport (part of the US NASDAQ-listed
Interpublic The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) is an American publicly traded advertising company. The company consists of five major networks: FCB, IPG Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group, and Marketing Specialists, as well as a n ...
group) and took a break from managing both TOCA and the BTCC. In 2003, Octagon relinquished its ownership of TOCA and its control of the BTCC. The current company, BARC (TOCA) Ltd was formed to take over and manage the championship. Gow was appointed managing director of the new company and returned to once again take charge and rebuild the championship, after it had floundered under the control of the previous management. TOCA Australia was an offshoot again headed by Gow, which ran the
Australian Super Touring Championship The Australian Super Touring Championship (formerly known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship) was a CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars. History Super Touring was introduced into Australia in 1993 ...
during the 1990s when there was an Australian series that mirrored the Super Touring regulations then run in the BTCC. TOCA Australia ceased operating in the early 2000s.


TOCA Package

The TOCA package consists of the BTCC and five main support series, which accompany the BTCC at almost every event, with some smaller club championships also joining the schedule at one or two events. All of the support series are either Single Make Championships or
Formula racing Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single- ...
. Since 2004, the BTCC calendar has been contested across ten events of three races each, making a 30-round competition that covers the length and breadth of the UK. First introduced in 2011, all cars are now built to the same
Next Generation Touring Car Next Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC and by its Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) designation TCN-1, is an FIA and TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers nationa ...
(NGTC) technical regulations, implemented to dramatically reduce the design, build and running costs of the cars and engines. With an emphasis on some common components, NGTC allows independent teams to compete on a level playing field against manufacturer-backed efforts by keeping costs down, whilst at the same time rewarding precise engineering and strategy. Teams have the option of running either TOCA’s unbranded NGTC-spec engine or – whether privateer or full manufacturer-backed entries – developing their own powerplant to the regulations, as long as it is from the same ‘family’ as their chosen model of car. All are 350+bhp two-litre turbocharged units. Having previously supported the BTCC in the late 1990s and sporadically since, the
British Formula Ford Championship The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry level single seater motor racing category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from around the world were attracted to the United Kingdom to ...
announced its return to the TOCA support package full-time for 2013 at all ten events. /sup> In 2015, the single-seater series was renamed MSA Formula, conforming to the FIA's new
Formula 4 FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
regulations. It was renamed again in 2017, becoming the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford. All cars use chassis produced by
Mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the cha ...
and EcoBoost engines from
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
, as well as a fully adjustable aerodynamic package including front and rear wings. The
Ginetta GT4 SuperCup The Ginetta GT4 Supercup is a one-make racing, Sports car racing series based in the United Kingdom, using identical Ginetta G50 and G55 sports cars. The championship currently supports the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). The cham ...
is a GT-style, dual-class championship that follows a pro-am format, with professional and amateur drivers alike utilising Ginetta's G55 sportscar. The series features at most TOCA events, with either two or three SuperCup races per weekend. Ginetta also runs a series on the support package that caters for up and coming young talent in the form of the Ginetta Junior Championship. These 14- to 17-year-olds race in identical Ginetta G40J cars with strict regulations that help keep costs down. The Ginetta Junior Championship supports every BTCC event, with either two or three races at each. Out of all the current support series, the
Porsche Carrera Cup GB The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is a multi-event one-make motor racing series that takes place in the United Kingdom for the Porsche 911 GT3. Being the fastest and most successful single marque GT championship in the UK, the Carrera Cup ...
is the longest-serving. Drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) cars that produce 450bhp. The three-tier championship splits drivers according to their racing experience. Professional drivers compete in the Pro class, with semi-professional and amateur drivers racing in Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2. The Carrera Cup currently accompanies the vast majority of TOCA events, hosting two races at each. Finally, the
Renault UK Clio Cup The Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom was an entry level One-make, Touring car racing motor sport category and the current name in the long history of Renault one-make cups in the UK. It currently attracts drivers from across the United Kingdom to ...
allows aspiring touring car drivers to showcase their talent in this single-make series, utilising identical Clio Cup 4 UK race cars. The championship awards three different titles for drivers. Along with the overall drivers’ crown, younger rookie drivers can chase points towards the Graduate Cup and older gentlemen drivers can seek points for the Masters Cup. The UK Clio Cup currently holds two races at almost all BTCC weekends.


Previous support races

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Formula Renault UK British Formula Renault Championship referred to one of two Formula Renault championships that were held in the United Kingdom. The main series was Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship which was held from 1989 to 2011 and was g ...
'' - Early in 2012, the long supporting Formula Renault UK championship announced that it had cancelled its 2012 season after only receiving six entries, but hoped to return for the 2013 season. However, it was reported in the media that the series was ended definitively in September 2012. *''
SEAT Cupra Championship The SEAT Cupra Championship was a one-make series that ran for six years between 2003 and 2008, the last five of which ran as a support package to the British Touring Car Championship. Originally the prize for winning the championship was a driv ...
'' - was a one make series that ran for six years between 2003 and 2008, and as a support package to the BTCC between 2004 and 2008. The series folded after SEAT UK ended its racing activities. *''
Formula BMW UK In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
'' *'' Renault Spider Cup'' *''
Formula Vauxhall In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...
'' *''
Formula Vauxhall Junior In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
'' *''
Lotus Elise Championship Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...
'' *''
Vauxhall Vectra Championship Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
'' *'' Ford Fiesta Championship''


References

{{Motorsport in the UK Auto racing series in the United Kingdom Motorsport organisations in the United Kingdom Sports car racing Touring car racing