Vauxhall back in the BTCC!

Official manufacturer involvement with Power Maxed Racing will see Astras back on next year's grid

Vauxhall is one of those manufacturers with such a long and illustrious history in touring cars that every BTCC fan will have a Vauxhall memory. There's Cleland in the Cavalier (plus his 1989 title in an Astra), the early-2000s dominance in the Astra Coupe and Giovanardi's back-to-back championships. In a Vectra.

So the return of Vauxhall for the 2017 BTCC is a pretty big deal actually. The Astra you see here will be raced with Power Maxed racing, which have been racing Chevrolet Cruzes since 2015. It will be powered by the standard BTCC 2.0-litre engine and we'll guess it will be front-wheel drive too, although that's not yet confirmed.

Vauxhall will join MG, Subaru and Honda in the battle for the BTCC Manufacturers' title, although drivers for the new Astra haven't yet been announced. Power Maxed Team Principal Adam Weaver said "We are incredibly pleased and proud to be working with Vauxhall and to be the team that brings this iconic and highly successful brand back to the BTCC."

The shells have now been supplied, with work and testing due to commence very soon. Expect a driver line up before next year as well. Oh yes, and the BTCC/Haymarket tie up has been extended, so we will continue to bring you race reports and highlights until the end of 2018 at least.

So welcome back Vauxhall, good to have you racing again. See below for classic Vectra carnage with Derek Warwick and John Cleland, just to set the mood. Fancy a return chaps?

BTCC 1998 video here.