The making of a champion
Click on a car part to find out how it was enhanced for the British Touring Car Championship.
Introduction
Over 90% of the BMW 1 Series has been modified for the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC); the only parts kept from the original are the doors, the boot and the bonnet.
Click on a car part to find out more.
Wheels
The wheel rims are Championship parts, so everyone in the race has the same. The brakes are also Championship brakes, on the front there is a 6 pot caliper and on the rear a 2 pot caliper. The front discs are 340mm in diameter and are ventilated. The rear discs are also ventilated.
Check out Alloy WheelsWheels
The wheel rims are Championship parts, so everyone in the race has the same. The brakes are also Championship brakes, on the front there is a 6 pot caliper and on the rear a 2 pot caliper. The front discs are 340mm in diameter and are ventilated. The rear discs are also ventilated.
Check out Alloy WheelsGearbox
The BTCC car has a six speed sequential gearbox, which is built by XTRAC, and is different from the manual and automatic gearboxes found in road cars. There are common gear ratios between the BTCC and F1.
Check out Car PartsSpoiler
The car has undergone a big improvement in aerodynamics, the engineering team has reduced the drag by 5% and increased the down force by about 35% to 40%. The rear wing (spoiler) is very important with regards to the aerodynamics of the car, the engineering team is restricted to where they can put it, and what angle it is run at.
Check out SpoilersDoor
For safety there is a roll-cage, the car has a carbon honeycomb composite crash panel on the side of the roll-cage and then inside the door there is some high density energy absorbing foam.
Check out BMW 1 SeriesWindow
The glass windscreen is replaced with a bespoke laminate one. For safety there is a window net, so that if the driver rolls the car and the window breaks, their arm won’t fly out and get trapped.
Check out Car window tint filmBonnet
There is an on-board fire extinguisher system with four nozzles under the bonnet in the engine bay, two in the cockpit with one aiming at the fuel tank and one at the driver.
Check out Car bonnet stickers and mascotsBody
The body shell is one of the only parts to survive from the original car. The engineers take a lot of brackets out of it as well as most of the road car insulation between the skins and then it gets de-bracketed. They also cut away at the chassis legs that fit the standard controls.
Check out Body kits