2003 British Touring Car Championship

The 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 46th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

Changes for 2003

The Drivers' Championship was won by Yvan Muller.

Teams and drivers

For 2003 all three main manufacturers in the premier Touring class ran three cars. Reigning champions Vauxhall cut down to three Astra Coupes by axing its Egg Sport squad and entering three VX Racing-liveried cars, run once again by Triple 8. 2002 champion James Thompson and runner-up Yvan Muller remained, and Paul O'Neill moved across from Egg Sport to take the third seat. MG expanded to three West Surrey Racing-run ZSs, with Colin Turkington joining 2002 drivers Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes after impressing in his debut season with the Team Atomic Kitten MG squad, which had also been run by WSR.

Arena Motorsport ran three Civic Type Rs for Honda, with only Irishman Alan Morrison remaining from the 2002 line-up. Matt Neal replaced Andy Priaulx (who left to contest the European Touring Car Championship with BMW) after moving from Vauxhall, and teenager Tom Chilton filled the third seat after an impressive debut year in the Barwell Motorsport-run Astra. Proton again returned as a fourth manufacturer, retaining both David Leslie and Phil Bennett in its two Impians.

Vic Lee Racing again served as Peugeot's representative on the grid (although the marque pulled its factory support at the end of 2001), entering two newly built 307s for Dan Eaves, who had contested both 2001 and 2002 for the team, and Carl Breeze, who joined the team mid-way through 2002. Production class champions Synchro Motorsport made the step up to the top class with champion driver James Kaye running an ex-works Honda Civic Type R, as did Rob Collard with his self-run team, entering an ex-works Vauxhall Astra Coupe, and GA Motorsports with Gavin Pyper racing a similar machine. Pyper ran out of funding mid-way through the season, resulting in Breeze switching from VLR to replace him and Paul Wallace being called up from GA's Production class squad to drive a second Astra, previously raced as a one-off by Gareth Howell. Howell himself later appeared in another ex-Triple 8 Astra for Team Dynamics. Renault Clio Cup graduate Daniel Buxton took over Breeze's driving duties at VLR.

Barwell Motorsport headed the Production class field after stepping back down from the Touring class and acquiring Synchro Motorsport's title winning Honda Civic Type Rs, which were driven by young debutante Luke Hines, and Alan Blencowe, moving from GA Motorsports. Edenbridge Racing cut down to a single BMW 320i for single seater convert Michael Bentwood, with Tom Boardman switching to John Batchelor's team (now known as Team Varta) in a new Peugeot 307. Jim Edwards Jnr returned in a Honda Accord as the team's second driver. A Peugeot 306 GTi and a second 307 joined the Varta line-up mid-way through the season together with Jay Wheals and Richard Marsh, and each of the four drivers raced more than one of these chassis across the remainder of the year.

GA Motorsport campaigned Alfa Romeo 156s for a fourth year, with Chris Ryan and Paul Wallace driving. However, Ryan withdrew after an expensive crash in the second round at Brands Hatch, and Wallace was called up to the team's Touring class assault mid-season. Mark Fullalove joined the grid mid-season with his own team, driving the Peugeot 306 he had raced for Tech-Speed Motorsport in 2002, while Jason Hughes was another late entry in a Nissan Primera run by his own Kartworld Racing team.

Other changes

• Dunlop were confirmed as the sole tyre supplier, replacing BF Goodrich
• The series included a race meeting at Rockingham for the first time, replacing Knockhill
• Qualifying sessions at each race meeting lasted 20 minutes (compared to the 43 minutes of 2002) and only determined the starting grid for the first race
• The finishing positions of race 1 determined the grid for race 2
• Mandatory pit-stops were introduced for all Touring class cars in both races
• Alan Gow returned as series administrator midway through the season, replacing Richard West

Teams and drivers

Team	Car	No.	Drivers	Rounds
Works Entries
VX Racing	Vauxhall Astra Coupé	1	James Thompson	All
		2	Yvan Muller	All
		8	Paul O'Neill	All
Honda Racing	Honda Civic Type-R	3	Matt Neal	All
		7	Tom Chilton	All
		9	Alan Morrison	All
MG Sport & Racing	MG ZS	4	Anthony Reid	All
		5	Colin Turkington	All
		6	Warren Hughes	All
Petronas Syntium Proton	Proton Impian	15	David Leslie	All
		20	Phil Bennett	All
Independent Entries
Team Halfords	Peugeot 307	0	Dan Eaves	All
		10	Carl Breeze	1–5
		30	Danny Buxton	6–10
GA Motorsports	Vauxhall Astra Coupé	10	Carl Breeze	6–10
		44	Gavin Pyper	1–5
		45	Gareth Howell	4
		46	Paul Wallace	6–10
Synchro Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R	11	James Kaye	All
Collard Racing	Vauxhall Astra Coupé	21	Rob Collard	All
Team Dynamics	Vauxhall Astra Coupé	45	Gareth Howell	7–10
Production Entries
Barwell Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R	52	Luke Hines	All
		53	Alan Blencowe	All
GA Motorsports	Alfa Romeo 156	54	Paul Wallace	1–5
		55	Chris Ryan	1–2
Mark Fullalove Racing	Peugeot 306 GTi	60	Mark Fullalove	7–10
Team Varta	Honda Accord	69	Jim Edwards Jr.	1–6
		71	Richard Marsh	7–10
	Peugeot 307	69	Jim Edwards Jr.	7–10
		70	Tom Boardman	All
	Peugeot 306 GTI	71	Richard Marsh	6
		72	Jay Wheals	7–10
Edenbridge Racing	BMW 320i	77	Michael Bentwood	All
Kartworld Racing	Nissan Primera	99	Jason Hughes	6–10

Race calendar and winners

Round		Circuit	Date	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Winning Team	Production Class winner
1	R1	Mondello Park	21 April	Yvan Muller	James Thompson	James Thompson	VX Racing	Chris Ryan
	R2				Warren Hughes	James Thompson	VX Racing	Michael Bentwood
2	R3	Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent	5 May	James Thompson	Matt Neal	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Michael Bentwood
	R4				James Thompson	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Michael Bentwood
3	R5	Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire	26 May	Matt Neal	Matt Neal	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Tom Boardman
	R6				Warren Hughes	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Tom Boardman
4	R7	Silverstone Circuit (International), Northamptonshire	8 June	James Thompson	James Thompson	James Thompson	VX Racing	Luke Hines
	R8				Matt Neal	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Luke Hines
5	R9	Rockingham Motor Speedway (International Super Sports Car Long), Northamptonshire	22 June	Alan Morrison	Alan Morrison	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Tom Boardman
	R10				Warren Hughes	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Luke Hines
6	R11	Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire	13 July	James Thompson	Matt Neal	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Tom Boardman
	R12				Yvan Muller	Anthony Reid	MG Sport & Racing	Luke Hines
7	R13	Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk	9 August	James Thompson	Alan Morrison	Paul O'Neill	VX Racing	Luke Hines
	R14				Matt Neal	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Tom Boardman
8	R15	Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent	25 August	Yvan Muller	Warren Hughes	Warren Hughes	MG Sport & Racing	Michael Bentwood
	R16				Colin Turkington	Colin Turkington	MG Sport & Racing	Tom Boardman
9	R17	Donington Park (National), Leicestershire	7 September	James Thompson	Matt Neal	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Luke Hines
	R18				Colin Turkington	Yvan Muller	VX Racing	Luke Hines
10	R19	Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire	21 September	James Thompson	Anthony Reid	James Thompson	VX Racing	Alan Blencowe
	R20				Anthony Reid	Matt Neal	Honda Racing	Tom Boardman

Championship results

Drivers' Championships

• No driver may collect more than one "Lead a Lap" point per race no matter how many laps they lead.
• Race 1 polesitter receives 1 point.

Pos	Driver	MON		BHI		THR		SIL		RCK		CRO		SNE		BHI		DON		OUL		Pts
Touring Class (BTC-T)
1	Yvan Muller	2*	2*	2	1*	1*	1*	2*	1*	3	1*	Ret	3	3	Ret	2*	5*	3	1*	3	2*	233
2	James Thompson	1*	1*	5	2	4	5	1*	2	5	4	2*	2	2*	Ret	5	10	2*	3	1*	Ret*	199
3	Matt Neal	Ret*	Ret	1*	7	2*	11*	Ret*	Ret	1*	Ret	1*	5*	4*	1*	4	Ret	1*	10	12	1*	148
4	Paul O'Neill	Ret	4	3*	3	3	3*	7	5*	10	6*	3	6*	1*	10*	6	2	6	4	Ret	5	138
5	Alan Morrison	3	5	7	8*	5	2	4	Ret	2*	Ret*	Ret*	4	Ret*	2	14	3	5	5*	2*	Ret	125
6	Anthony Reid	Ret	Ret	4	4	Ret	4*	10	4*	6	2*	5	1*	5	3	7	4	Ret	9	5	4	121
7	Warren Hughes	4	Ret	Ret*	5*	Ret	6	Ret	3	8*	3	Ret	10	Ret	8	1*	6*	4	7	4	8	98
8	Colin Turkington	DNS	Ret	6	Ret	8	Ret	3	8	Ret	Ret	4	7	Ret	4	3*	1*	19	2	6	3	97
9	Tom Chilton	Ret	3	DNS	DNS	7	10	5	6	4	7	7	12	6	5	8*	7	7	6	Ret	DNS	70
10	Rob Collard	6	7	13	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	9	7	5	Ret	8	8	6	Ret	Ret	9*	16	8	7	42
11	David Leslie	5	9	9	6	17	8	Ret	10	11	Ret	9	19	Ret	9	9	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	28
12	Gavin Pyper	Ret	6	8	Ret	6	Ret	6	7	9	Ret											24
13	Carl Breeze	Ret	10	Ret	10	10	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	9	8	9	Ret	7	10	15*	8	8	15	11	22
14	James Kaye	Ret	Ret	12	9	11	7	8	Ret	Ret	DNS	13	11	7*	11	11	Ret	10	11	10	12	16
15	Dan Eaves	Ret	8	11*	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	6*	Ret	Ret	12	12	11	11	14	11	9	15
16	Gareth Howell							9*	Ret					13	Ret	13	12	Ret	13	7*	6	14
17	Phil Bennett	Ret	Ret	10	Ret	14	9	Ret	Ret	12	8	10	15	9	Ret	Ret	9	Ret	12	9	10	14
18	Danny Buxton											12	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	14*	13	15	14	Ret	1
19	Paul Wallace											11	Ret	DNS	Ret	17	13	12	Ret	13	Ret	0
Independents' Cup
1	Rob Collard	6	7	13	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	9	7	5	Ret	8	8	6	Ret	Ret	9	16	8	7	160
2	James Kaye	Ret	Ret	12	9	11	7	8	Ret	Ret	DNS	13	11	7	11	11	Ret	10	11	10	12	151
3	Carl Breeze	Ret	10	Ret	10	10	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	9	8	9	Ret	7	10	15	8	8	15	11	141
4	Dan Eaves	Ret	8	11	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	6	Ret	Ret	12	12	11	11	14	11	9	126
5	Gavin Pyper	Ret	6	8	Ret	6	Ret	6	7	9	Ret											80
6	Gareth Howell							9	Ret					13	Ret	13	12	Ret	13	7	6	80
7	Danny Buxton											12	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	14	13	15	14	Ret	38
8	Paul Wallace											11	Ret	DNS	Ret	17	13	12	Ret	13	Ret	37
Production Class (BTC-P)
1	Luke Hines	Ret	DNS	15	12	13	13	11	11	18	11	16	13	10	14	18	18	14	17	17	14	243
2	Alan Blencowe	8	Ret	17	15	15	15	13	12	14	12	15	16	12	15	19	20	16	18	16	17	193
3	Michael Bentwood	10	11	14	11	16	14	12	14	16	Ret	17	14	Ret	DNS	16	17	17	19	18	16	186
4	Jim Edwards, Jr.	9	12	18	14	Ret	16	14	16	15	14	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	Ret	DNS	15	96
5	Tom Boardman	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	12	12	Ret	15	13	DSQ	14	Ret	Ret	13	Ret	16	Ret	DSQ	Ret	13	57
6	Paul Wallace	Ret	Ret	16	13	Ret	Ret	Ret	13	17	13											46
7	Richard Marsh											18	17	Ret	Ret	22	22	20	21	19	19	46
8	Mark Fullalove													11	Ret	20	19	18	Ret	Ret	18	39
9	Jay Wheals													Ret	16	21	21	Ret	20	Ret	Ret	27
10	Chris Ryan	7	Ret	Ret	Ret																	15
11	Jason Hughes											Ret	18	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	DNS	DNS	Ret	DNS	6
Pos	Driver	MON		BHI		THR		SIL		RCK		CRO		SNE		BHI		DON		OUL		Pts

• Note: bold signifies pole position in class (1 point awarded in first race only), italics signifies fastest lap in class (1 point awarded all races) and * signifies at least one lap in the lead (1 point given all races).

Manufacturers Championship

Touring Teams Championship

Production Teams Championship

External links