TOCA
TOCA (formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd) is one of the major organisers of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company holds the responsibility of organising and administrating the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the supporting series of the BTCC, sometimes known as the TOCA Tour[1][2] or TOCA Support Package.[3][4] The BTCC is the UK's biggest motor racing championship and one of the world's most highly respected motor racing series. The BTCC acts as a centrepiece, headline act to a host of support races covering the entire weekend.
History
The company, BARC (TOCA) Ltd, undertake the entire management of the championship from regulations, event direction and marketing. Alan J. Gow 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 proceeded 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 group) and took a "sabbatical" from managing both TOCA and the BTCC. In 2003 Octagon relinquished their ownership of TOCA and their 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.
There was also TOCA Australia, an offshoot again run by Gow, which ran the Australian Super Touring Championship during the 1990s when there was an Australian series which mirrored the Super Touring regulations then run in the BTCC. TOCA Australia ceased operating as the Australia series collapsed in the early 2000s.
2013 TOCA Tour
The 2013 TOCA Tour will consist of the BTCC and five main support championships, which will support the championship at almost every round, along with several smaller championships supporting one or two events. All the support championships are either Single Make Championships or Formula racing.
The 56th British Touring Car Championship will once again consist of 10 rounds with three races at each round, making it a thirty round competition in total using the same racetracks as used for the 2012 season in identical order. Cars conforming to the Next Generation Touring Car specification will gain a significant performance boost over Super 2000 cars, after the end of a three-year transition to NGTC regulations. Teams with S2000 cars will be eligible for the newly introduced S2000 trophy named after the winner of the inaugural British Saloon Car Championship in 1958, Jack Sears, known as the Jack Sears Trophy, of which Sears himself will award to the top S2000 finisher of the year at the final round based on the amount of S2000 wins (known as 'cups') over the season.[5]
After having previously supported the BTCC in the late 1990s and sporadically since, the British Formula Ford Championship announced its return to the TOCA support package full-time for 2013, supporting all ten rounds of the championship.[6] For 2013, the championship will undergo several major changes. The biggest change will be the adoption of the new Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 regulations, which will include an increase in the EcoBoost engine power from the previous season, along with the new addition of a fully adjustable aerodynamic package which includes front and rear wings previously never seen before in the British Formula Ford Championship.[7]
The Ginetta GT Supercup is a GT style, multi class championship. The main class is the G55 class, utilising Ginetta's G55 car. The second class, known as the G50 class, utilises the older and less powerful Ginetta G50. Most weekends in 2013 see three Supercup races with a few rounds hosting only two races. Ginetta also run a championship 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 which help keep costs down. In 2013, the championship with run two races at all BTCC weekends.
Out of all the current support series, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is the longest serving support championship. Drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) cars which produce 450 bhp. 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 either Pro-Am1 or Pro-Am2. In 2013, the Carrera Cup will hold two races at each BTCC meeting.
Finally, the Renault Clio Cup UK allows aspiring touring car drivers to showcase their talent in this single make series, utilising Clio Renaultsport 200 cars. The championship awards three different titles for drivers. Along with the overall drivers’ championship, younger rookie drivers can chase points for the Graduate Cup and older gentlemen drivers can seek points for the Masters Cup. During 2013, the Clio Cup will hold two races at all BTCC weekends except the rounds at Croft and Knockhill.
Several other championships will also support the BTCC throughout 2013 at one or two meetings. As in 2012, the finale of the Protyre Formula Renault (BARC) Championship will support the BTCC at Silverstone.[8]
2013 TOCA Calendar
The provisional calendar was announced by the championship organisers on 29 August 2012, with no major changes from 2012.[9]
| Circuit | Date | BTCC | F. Ford GB | Ginetta Supercup | Ginetta Junior | PCCGB | Clio Cup UK | Other Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brands Hatch(Indy Circuit, Kent) |
30/31 March | R.1,2,3 | R.1,2,3 | R.1,2,3 | R.1,2 | R.1,2 | R.1,2 | |
| Donington Park (National Circuit, Leicestershire) |
20/21 April | R.4,5,6 | R.4,5,6 | R.4,5,6 | R.3,4 | R.3,4 | R.3,4 | |
| Thruxton (Hampshire) |
4/5 May | R.7,8,9 | R.7,8,9 | R.7,8,9 | R.5,6 | R.5,6 | R.5,6 | |
| Oulton Park (Island Circuit, Cheshire) |
8/9 June | R.10,11,12 | R.10,11,12 | R.10,11 | R.7,8 | R.7,8 | R.7,8 | |
| Croft (North Yorkshire) |
22/23 June | R.13,14,15 | R.13,14,15 | R.12,13,14 | R.9,10 | R.9,10 | R.9,10 | |
| Snetterton (300 Circuit, Norfolk) |
3/4 August | R.16,17,18 | R.16,17,18 | R.15,16,17 | R.11,12 | R.11,12 | R.11,12 | |
 Knockhill(Fife) |
24/25 August | R.19,20,21 | R.19,20,21 | R.18,19,20 | R.13,14 | R.13,14 | Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup (R.19,20) | |
| Rockingham (International Super Sports Car Circuit, Northamptonshire) |
14/15 September | R.22,23,24 | R.22,23,24 | R.15,16 | R.15,16 | R.15,16 | R.13,14 | |
| Silverstone (National Circuit, Northamptonshire) |
28/29 September | R.25,26,27 | R.25,26,27 | R.17,18 | R.17,18 | R.17,18 | Protyre F. Renault (R.15,16) | |
| Brands Hatch (Grand Prix Circuit, Kent) |
12/13 October | R.28,29,30 | R.28,29,30 | R.25,26,27 | R.19,20 | R.19,20 | R.15,16 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | 27 | 20 | 20 | 16 | ||
Previous support races
- Formula Renault UK - Early in 2012, the long supporting Formula Renault UK championship announced that it had cancelled its 2012 season after only receiving six entries and hoped to return for the 2013 season.[10] However, it was reported in the media that the series was ended definitively in September 2012.[11]
- SEAT Cupra Championship - 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
- Renault Spider Cup
- Formula Vauxhall
- Formula Vauxhall Junior
- Lotus Elise Championship
- Vauxhall Vectra Championship
- Ford Fiesta Championship
References
- ↑ http://www.mymichelin.co.uk/motorsport-news/toca-tour/brands-hatch-grand-prix-circuit-toca-tour-driver-of-the-weekend-carl-breeze
- ↑ http://www.crash.net/btcc/news/7344/1/toca_tour_heads_for_knockhill.html
- ↑ http://www.britishformulaford.co.uk/toca-motorsport-package-boosts-2013-formula-ford-series-3/
- ↑ http://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2012/05/thruxton-toca-round-up/
- ↑ "S2000 Jack Sears Trophy Announced". British Touring Car Championship. TOCA. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ↑ "Formula Ford returns in 2013". British Touring Car Championship. TOCA. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ↑ "2013 Formula Ford Championship Brochure" (PDF). RacingLine Limited. British Formula Ford Championship. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ "Protyre Formula Renault expands to 16 rounds for 2013". Renaultsport UK. Renault Sport. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ↑ "BTCC issues 2013 race dates". British Touring Car Championship. TOCA. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ↑ Paice, Simon (19 March 2012). "Formula Renault UK Axed for 2012". The Checkered Flag. Black Eagle Media Network. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ↑ Bradley, Charles, ed. (27 September 2012). "No TOCA return for Renault". Autosport. Vol. 209 no. 13. Teddington, Middlesex: Haymarket Publications. p. 79.
The decision to end Formula Renault UK brings down the final curtain on a series that ran continuously in Britain from 1989 until the end of 2011 – with a number of Formula 1 drivers, including world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, racing in the championship early in their careers.