What's the best thing to do during the motorsport off-season? Think about the next season of motorsport, obviously. Today news that next year's BTCC will run at maximum capacity - a 32-car grid - is great news for the series and its fans going into 2018. Ash Sutton will look to defend his championship victory from this year, with the whole grid having to contend with a series of
rule changes
as well. It promises to be another bumper year of tin-top racing.
The season will kick off at Brands Hatch in April, the location of many recent curtain raisers. Once upon a time though Thurxton hosted the first race, as was the case 20 years ago. That's where this video is from, round one of the 1998 BTCC delivering all that we remember so fondly from the Super Touring era.
We won't spoil it with all the details here, but when you have a defending champion coming through from the back of the grid, five different manufacturers in the first four rows and some new bloke called Yvan Muller involved, you're guaranteed exciting racing. The sound quality isn't great but it's a fantastic watch - enjoy the vid!
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