BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch
The BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch is a BTC-Touring class racing car that was built for the 2005 British Touring Car Championship season by Triple 8 Race Engineering, who ran Vauxhall's official works program.
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| Category | BTCC | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Triple 8 Race Engineering | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Vauxhall Astra Mk V | ||||||||
| Engine | 2,000 cc (122.0 cu in) In-line 4 NA front-mounted, FWD | ||||||||
| Transmission | 6-speed Sequential | ||||||||
| Tyres | Dunlop | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | VXRacing Arkas Racing | ||||||||
| Debut | 2005 BTCC at Donington Park | ||||||||
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| Teams' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2005) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Works history
After campaigning the BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Coupe for 4 years, VX Racing took the decision to replace the car with the brand-new Astra SportHatch for the 2005 BTCC season.[1][2] An experimental BTC-T spec Vectra had been built in 2003, but the experiment was not continued due to the weight of the car.[3] Replacing such a successful car proved difficult, however; and the car only won ten out of the sixty races it contested as a works entry, in the hands of Yvan Muller, Colin Turkington and Fabrizio Giovanardi. The emergence of the BTC-T Honda Integra Type R proved to be a challenge too far for Vauxhall, despite a successful debut victory,[4] and Vauxhall's 100th BTCC win at Knockhill in 2006.[5] Despite the dominance of Matt Neal's Integra, however, the car did deliver the 2005 Manufacturer's championship to Vauxhall, as Team Dynamics were not competing in this championship.[6]
Later career
After the car's replacement with the Super 2000-spec Vectra,[7] the Turkish driver Erkut Kizilirmak bought three of the four chassis, and used them for his Arkas Racing team in the BTCC for 2007,[8] with some occasional races in the Turkish Touring Car Championship. In 2008, Erkut expanded the BTCC effort to a two-car team, being joined by Martyn Bell.[9]
Chassis history
Chassis CH12
- 2005 – Yvan Muller (Rounds 1-3)/Two Seater
- 2006 – Two Seater/Erkut Kizilirmak (Rounds 13-15/18-21)
- 2007 onwards – Two Seater
Chassis CH14
- 2005 – Colin Turkington (Rounds 1-12)
- 2006 onwards – Unused
Chassis CH15
- 2005/06 – Gavin Smith
- 2007 – Erkut Kizilirmak (Turkish Touring Car Championship)
- 2008 – Erkut Kizilirmak (Rounds 10-30)
Chassis CH16
- 2005 – Yvan Muller (Rounds 4–30)
- 2006 – Fabrizio Giovanardi
- 2007/08 – Erkut Kizilirmak (Rounds 1–9, written off at Donington Park)
Chassis CH17
- 2005 – Colin Turkington (Rounds 13–30)
- 2006/07 – Tom Chilton
- 2008 – Martyn Bell
References
- "Vauxhall To Defend BTCC Titles With New Astra". Carpages.co.uk. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- BTCCPages.com. "PICS : New VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch in full livery - BTCC News". BTCCPages.com. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- Autosport magazine feature 25 January 2007 'Tin-Tops That Never Raced'
- "Victorious Race Debut For VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch". Carpages.co.uk. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- Jonathan Gill (7 September 2006). "BTCC: Gio brings Vauxhall 100 up". Auto Express. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- BTCCPages.com (5 April 2009). "2005 BTCC Points". BTCCPages.com. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- "Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". BTCC. 18 December 2006. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- "BTCC: Turkish team enters BTCC". TouringCarTimes. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- "Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". BTCC. 4 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.