Vauxhall today announced that 2009 will be its last season in the BTCC, citing the absence of other manufacturer-backed teams and ‘financial prudence in the global downturn’.
Together with Triple Eight Race Engineering, Vauxhall has won seven manufacturer titles in the last eight years, with the Astra Coupe, Astra Sports Hatch VXR and the Vectra VXR. The team celebrated its 100th race win last month.
Vauxhall Motorsport was rebranded to VX Racing in 2003, and the VXR road car brand was introduced off the back of the campaign in 2004.
The company says it will keep its options open for a possible return to the track in future years, but for now its primary focus will be new road car models.