The leading British Touring Car Championship squad, Alliance Racing, finds itself in a waiting game as they await a crucial decision regarding the construction of a new vehicle scheduled for 2026.
Team leader Pete Osborne mentioned last October
Regarding the NAPA Racing team’s intentions to swap out its longstanding Ford Focus ST for the upcoming season—however, holdups caused by instabilities within the automotive sector have resulted in the situation remaining unclear.
When questioned regarding the advancements, Osborne stated, ‘We are still in discussions with a manufacturer, determining which tasks we can undertake jointly and which ones are off-limits.’
Currently, everything in the electric vehicle market is uncertain, with numerous developments taking place. It’s understandable why all these manufacturers are finding it challenging.
They have very little sense of direction, and this impacts us when considering which model they will release next.
The challenge and the cause for our lack of agreement so far lies in determining which models they can introduce to the UK market. Tariffs imposed in the United States have generated significant unease and ambiguity. From my perspective, the delay only exacerbates the situation as I am eager to start designing, developing, and preparing a product.
Pete Osborne
Image courtesy of: JEP / Motorsport Images
This comes as part of an updated BTCC rulebook set to take effect in 2027, replacing the present NGTC era. However, series director Alan Gow has mentioned that these changes will constitute a budget-friendly progression from current regulations without rendering any existing vehicles outdated.
“The other concern at present is figuring out what the regulations will be in 2027; hence, you’re somewhat anxious about jumping too soon,” Osborne noted.
So there are numerous topics we constantly discuss, and I simply wish one of them would pause for a moment so we could dive in and make some progress! That’s what frustrates me.
I told the guys it would be great if we could simply say, ‘To hell with it, let’s proceed, let’s just go for it,’ but since we’re talking about such significant funds, you wouldn’t want to rush into it and make mistakes.
The Alliance has not set a specific timeline for making the decision regarding a new project to replace the Focus, with homologation valid until the end of 2030.
Osborne mentioned that Technical Chief Antonio Carrozza set the final extended deadline for November to begin construction. In my view, this timing is too delayed. Ideally, by the conclusion of the current season, we should have an agreement secured so that we can initiate the development of the vehicle and conduct some preliminary tests at the earliest opportunity.
The world is currently in an odd position, and our situation right now is quite frustrating. A year back, we were sitting down with a manufacturer who was fully prepared to proceed. They were very optimistic and enthusiastic, but then their range of models underwent changes.
Ashley Sutton drives the NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST
Photo credit: JEP / Motorsport Images
The company that Alliance is negotiating with remains unchanged from before. Earlier, Osborne characterized them as a newcomer to the BTCC. When questioned about whether this entity had never participated in the series previously or was merely absent for several years, he stated: “I can’t reveal that information—it would spoil the surprise, but I’m really excited. However, I have to remain patient and allow the team to finalize their business decisions.”
To the extent that we desire to organize things and urge them to reach a conclusion, we must recognize that this also involves a business choice since it isn’t solely about competing with touring cars; it’s equally about promoting automobiles.
“The old synergy of ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ is still in the back of people’s minds, so it’s making sure you don’t get a model that’s out of date.
We recognize that the next person needs to commit for three or four years so we can leverage this period effectively and maximize everyone’s profitability. These are business operations. Even though it’s my passion and personal pleasure, it goes beyond that—it’s all about generating income.
The alliance might extend into 2026 using the fourth-generation Focus, which debuted in the BTCC in 2020 under the team’s former name, Motorbase Performance. This occurred prior to Osborne acquiring the team during the 2020-21 offseason.
I’m hopeful it won’t happen, but you can only try so hard, right?” said Osborne. “Tony [Carrozza], James [Mundy], Paul [Ridgway], and Rich [Township]… all the engineers are incredibly committed to improving it.
We purchased our car during the Motorbase sale, and that’s the vehicle we’re currently working with. We’ll make the most of it, and we definitely won’t give up.
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