2002 British Touring Car Championship

The second season of BTC-T rules in the top class saw two new manufacturer backed teams enter, with Honda returning[1] and Proton entering for the first time.

Reigning champions Vauxhall again entered four Triple 8-run Vauxhall Astra Coupes. With reigning champion Jason Plato not returning,[2] 2001 runner-up Yvan Muller was partnered by James Thompson in the Vauxhall Motorsport entries while Thompson's place in the Egg Sport entry was taken by Matt Neal, fresh from a season in the European Touring Car Championship, alongside Production class graduate Paul O'Neill.

MG, who had trialled their West Surrey Racing-prepared ZS in the closing stages of 2001 retained experienced touring car hand Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes at the wheel.

After a year absence Honda returned with a pair Honda Civic Type-R's prepared by Arena Motorsport, who had previously entered as an independent in 1999. Guernseyman Andy Priaulx, who crossed over from Formula 3 after impressing on a one off BTCC outing for Vauxhall in 2001, was signed alongside Northern Irishman Alan Morrison, the 2000 Production (then Class B) champion.

In late 2001 it was announced that Proton would enter a pair of manufacturer backed cars[3] backed by Petronas and run under the Petronas Syntium Proton - Team [PSP] banner. Jason Plato was initially linked with the drive before Scottish veteran David Leslie and Phil Bennett, who had been dropped by Vauxhall, were officially announced.

With Peugeot withdrawing their factory backing, Vic Lee Racing now headed the independents class, which was reinstated after a 1-year hiatus, with their pair of 406 Coupes, Dan Eaves remained and was joined by 1992 champion Tim Harvey, moving across from JSM. The pair were joined later in the year by Formula Renault championship winner Carl Breeze in a third car.

The works MG squad was supported from second meeting onwards by a WSR-run satellite team carrying the name of the girl band Atomic Kitten as part of a sponsorship deal. This team ran the young pairing of Fiesta racer Colin Turkington and Production graduate Gareth Howell.

Barwell Motorsport stepped up from the Production class to complete the Touring grid with a pair of ex-works Vauxhall Astra Coupes driven by New Zealand superbike racer Aaron Slight, who switched to car racing after a successful guest appearance for Peugeot in 2001, and 17-year-old rookie Tom Chilton.

Total Motorsport planned to continue running the Lexus IS200 they had run the previous year with a two-car entry for Steve Sutcliffe and Richard Dean (https://www.crash.net/btcc/news/7090/1/two-lexus-for-2002-btcc) and GR Motorsport planned to graduate from the Production Class with Gordon Shedden driving an ex-JS Motorsport Alfa Romeo 147 (http://www.touringcarregister.com/register/492/) but neither of these entries came to fruition.

In the Production class Synchro Motorsport gained the upper hand by stepping up from the Honda Accord to the brand new Civic Type R, recruiting former Honda factory driver James Kaye from Barwell alongside the returning Dave Allan.

The Accords were still campaigned by new squad Beacon Motorsport with Lotus Elise championship graduates Mark Thomas and Spencer Marsh, and John Batchelor's team swapped from Integras to a pair of Accords for Jim Edwards Jnr and Batchelor (again under the name of John B-and-Q), who was injured in a crash during the second meeting at Oulton Park and replaced by Peter Cate and later Hyla Breese.

Tech-Speed Motorsport continued their Peugeot 306 campaign, with Lotus Elise champion Mark Fullalove replacing Vauxhall-bound Paul O'Neill alongside Annie Templeton, and GA Motorsport also returned with their Alfa Romeo 156s, this time campaigned by series newcomers Graham Saunders and Alan Blencowe, accompanied by 2001 driver Gavin Pyper at circuits with enough grid space to accommodate a third car. Pyper received a race ban following an incident at Thruxton and his car was driven by former Ford and Volvo driver Kelvin Burt.

Rob Collard also returned in his self-entered Renault Clio but did not contest a full programme.

The big new arrival to the class was Edenbridge Racing's pair of BMW 320is, driven by teenager Tom Boardman in his second year in the class, and experienced German production saloon racer Norman Simon who had raced in the European Super Production championship in 2001.

TH Motorsport also appeared at selected rounds with a Mitsubishi Carisma for Steve Wood.

• Number of race weekends reduced from 13 to 10
• ITV took over terrestrial broadcasting rights from the BBC[4]
• Greenflag took over as title sponsor from AA.[5]

• Hyla Breese became the first driver since Dave Brodie in 1989 to end the season with a negative points score after collecting 20 penalty points for engine changes taking his final tally to -16.

Pos.	Driver	BRH		OUL		THR		SIL		MON		CRO		SNE		KNO		BRH		DON		Pts
Touring Class (BTC-T)
1	James Thompson	Ret	1*	3	7*	1	2	8	1*	2	2	1	Ret	1	2	3	3	NC	Ret	1	3	183
2	Yvan Muller	5	2*	1	10*	Ret	1*	9	10	Ret	1*	Ret	1*	2	1*	4	2	3	6	5	Ret	163
3	Matt Neal	1	4	4	Ret*	2	3*	6	3*	1	3	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret*	1	4	4	8	3	Ret	145
4	Anthony Reid	4	3	5	Ret	3	Ret*	DSQ	2*	5	4*	Ret	3	4	10	2	6*	1	5*	4	8	136
5	Andy Priaulx	12	5	7	Ret	4	5	4	6	6	Ret	4	2*	3	Ret	7	1*	11	7*	2	4*	116
6	Warren Hughes	Ret	8*	2	2	11	10	1	11	10	7	5	11	7	3	Ret	Ret	2	1*	7	2*	110
7	David Leslie	Ret	Ret	8	3	9	9	3	9	3	11	2	7	5	Ret	9	8*	9	Ret	6	6	79
8	Paul O'Neill	Ret	Ret	Ret	1*	8	7	2	4*	4	5*	Ret	6*	11	16	6	5*	10	4	Ret	5	77
9	Alan Morrison	Ret	Ret	10	5	12	8	5	Ret*	Ret	6	6	Ret*	6	Ret	5	10	8	2	10	1*	68
10	Dan Eaves	2	13	20	Ret	6	6	12	7	Ret	Ret	9	4	13	7	12	Ret	Ret	21	9	Ret	43
11	Tim Harvey	Ret	7*	Ret	6	5	4*	Ret	5	7	DSQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	11	9	6	3	Ret	Ret*	43
12	Gareth Howell			9	4	10	11	Ret	8	Ret	10	Ret	9	10	5	Ret	13*	5	Ret*	Ret	Ret	32
13	Aaron Slight	9	12	6	8	7	DNS	10	Ret	DNS	8	7	10	12	9	Ret	12	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	32
14	Colin Turkington			19	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	DNS	DNS	3	5	9	4	8	Ret	Ret	16	11	Ret	29
15	Tom Chilton	3	Ret	11	9	13	Ret	11	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	8*	10	7	12	10	12	Ret	14
16	Phil Bennett	11	6	Ret	DNS	14	Ret	7	13	8	9	12	8	8	18	Ret	DNS	7	12	8	9	9
17	Carl Breeze							DNS	16	Ret	18	8	12*	14	6	Ret	14	Ret	DNS	13	7	8
Production Class (BTC-P)
1	James Kaye	Ret	NC	12	Ret	15	12	16	15	17	Ret	11	14	17	11	16	17	14	13	16	11	210
2	Norman Simon	6	Ret	15	13	Ret	DNS	13	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	13	16	Ret	14	15	13	11	15	10	180
3	Spencer Marsh	8	Ret	16	11	17	Ret	20	17	Ret	12	Ret	15	22	Ret	15	Ret	17	15	19	13	122
4	Gavin Pyper			Ret	Ret	Ret	20			15	Ret	Ret	DNS	15	12	13	11	15	14	14	12	107
5	Jim Edwards Jr.	10	Ret	17	12	21	14	17	Ret	18	13	17	16	24	Ret	DSQ	20	22	17	20	14	101
6	Tom Boardman	Ret	10	DNS	DNS	16	17	Ret	22	16	15	18	Ret	19	13	20	22	16	Ret	17	15	98
7	Alan Blencowe	Ret	Ret	14	Ret	Ret	13	21	18	19	17	13	Ret	Ret	20	18	21	19	18	Ret	Ret	76
8	Mark Fullalove	Ret	Ret	13	14	18	Ret	18	Ret	Ret	Ret	16	Ret	Ret	19	Ret	16	18	20	18	Ret	69
9	Dave Allan					Ret	18	26	19	20	16	15	Ret	18	15	17	19	Ret	19	Ret	17	61
10	Mark Thomas	Ret	Ret	18	15	19	16	19	Ret	Ret	19	Ret	17	21	17	19	23	21	Ret	21	16	61
11	Graham Saunders	Ret	11	DNS	DNS	22	15	22	21	Ret	Ret	14	Ret	20	14	21	18	20	Ret	Ret	DNS	60
12	Rob Collard	7	9	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	14	Ret			DNS	DNS									34
13	Annie Templeton	13	Ret	Ret	17	24	19	25	Ret	DNS	DNS	19	18	25	Ret	22	24	23	22	22	Ret	26
14	Peter Cate					20	21	24	20	Ret	14											23
15	Steve Wood	DNS	DNS	Ret	16	23	Ret	23	23											23	Ret	12
–	John B&Q	DNS	DNS	Ret	DNS																	0
–	Hyla Breese											DNS	DNS	23	21	DNS	DNS	Ret	DNS	DNS	DNS	-16
guest drivers ineligible for points
–	Kelvin Burt							15	14													0†
Pos.	Driver	BRH		OUL		THR		SIL		MON		CRO		SNE		KNO		BRH		DON		Pts

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

^† Not eligible for points.