But in the motor racing world, where millimetres count, even that has to be double-checked.“We will put the car on a jig, which has the precise measurements we want for the suspension pick-up points and things like that because we need repeatability. To get everything together usually takes up to five months, but we managed to do a complete car in seven weeks in 2012 – because that was a self-imposed deadline. First introduced in 2011 for an initial five year period, these technical regulations are designed to dramatically reduce the design, build and running costs of the cars and engines. The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. We have to submit an application to the series’ technical officials ahead of the build process for them to approve it, and then that is also homologated and set in stone. It is a long way from your average family hatchback…”.The British Touring Car Championship pits mass-market cars against each other, but just how different are the racers from their road-going counterparts?Haymarket Media Group, publishers of Autocar takes your privacy seriously. There is an area that is 200mm below the bumper where we have a free hand in terms of the styling and that extends out to the edge of the front wings, which are wider than on a road car because the BTCC cars have to be built to a mandated width. “The road cars are generally very good in terms of being exact, but when you are dealing with racing cars we go to a different level of precision.”.Once the crew is satisfied that the car is to the exact dimensions it requires, then the first of the race-bred parts can begin to take shape.Practicality, an accomplished ride and a strong, clean diesel engine make a convincing case for this small family estate.The British Touring Car Championship mandates a number of controlled parts, determined by the series organisers, which are common across all race machines. “We will remove the fixtures for the seat belt, for example, and the roof lining. We will pare everything back, and that has the benefit of lightening the vehicle as well.”.Then the precision work starts. The premise of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is that it contains cars that trackside fans can relate to. Within reason, they have to be similar to the road-car pick-up points to comply with the rules. We use ones that are built in Australia. "Alongside the engine installation, there are certain bespoke parts that we can then put on the car, such as the fuel lines, oil lines, alternator and manifold. More of the vehicle’s basic features have to be removed.“You have to de-bracket the car,” says Collins. Everything has to be exactly the same from race car to race car,” says Collins. The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2, FIA Group 5, FIA G But the race machines themselves are the product of thousands of man-hours and detailed reworking which is more usually associated with the very highest levels of the sport.Airwaves Racing is a multiple race-winning team in the BTCC, and it is likely to be a leading player in this season’s competition because it has recruited double champion, Italian.The outfit is based just a few miles from the gates of Brands Hatch in Kent, and its HQ is where the race machine takes shape.Team manager Oly Collins explains: “Some teams might just buy a bodyshell but we prefer to buy a complete road car and go from there, because there are several parts that we can carry over.