TOCA appoint RML as BTCC technical partner

The RML Group has been selected to provide the British Touring Car Championship with the standard chassis, suspension and associated components after being awarded with a six-year technical deal from series organisers TOCA.

Following a lengthy tender process, the Wellingborough-based company was chosen by the BTCC Design Group to take over from the outgoing contract holders GPRM as the championship's Technical Partner.

The decision comes during a scheduled 'mid-term evaluation' of the New Generation Touring Car regulations, which GPRM has overseen, since it's birth, for the past five seasons.

RML will supply the teams with the specified components as well as providing them with technical support during the race weekends and official test days.

The multiple touring car championship outfit will design and distribute an updated technical package for next season. RML plan to test a car with the revised 2016-spec package during the forthcoming months.

"We welcome RML back into the BTCC family. In fact we actually go back a long way together, as the 1993 BTCC was their first touring car project," said BTCC series director Alan Gow.

"Our NGTC regulations have been incredibly successful for the BTCC - no doubt they are one of the most important milestones in its proud 58 year history - but success is never achieved by merely standing still, which is why this 'mid-term' review was always scheduled into our ten year NGTC programme.

"Actually, it's great testament to the concept of the regulations that they remain largely the same after 5 years, without requiring any more than some fine-tuning to take them through the next five. Very, very few top-level championships have technical regulations that are as fundamentally sound and enduring as ours have proven to be.

"So as we enter the next phase of the NGTC regulations and indeed the BTCC itself, I would like to thank current supplier GPRM for their tireless work and commitment - but at the same time look forward to this new partnership with RML as the BTCC continues to go from strength to strength."

RML are no strangers to the BTCC having previously run Vauxhall, Nissan, SEAT and Chevrolet in the series. Their last success came in 2010 after steering Jason Plato to his second title.