eBay BMW, Turkington Launch 2014 British Touring Car Championship title bid

Stunning livery, amazing drivers, close-fought battles… there’s never a dull moment in the British Touring Cars Championship.

West Surrey Racing has a distinguished pedigree in Touring Cars, first becoming involved in 1981. The team moved to BMW in 2007, which proved a successful collaboration, as driver Colin Turkington went on to win the overall Drivers’ title in the final race of 2009.

eBay Motors first backed the team in 2012 and Rob Collard, Tom Onslow-Cole and Nick Foster drove the team to second place. The team built on the success and, in 2013, built three BMW 125i M Sport NGTC cars, with drivers Collard and Foster joined by Colin Turkington.

But it’s not just stunning good looks driving forward the BMW 1 series contender. So what lies underneath the hood of that striking-looking BMW that makes it so competitive? Pimped-up it certainly is, with more than 90 per cent of the car being modified specifically for racing.

To showcase how the car has been made so competitive, eBay has launched an interactive infographic showing what’s really going on under that good-looking skin.

The body shell is one of the only parts remaining as per the original car, with every other system using specific high-performance parts. Reducing the weight of the car while increasing its strength is achieved using high-tech materials and modification techniques.

Making sure the car hugs the track is essential for staying the distance during a race so the downforce needs to be perfectly pitched. The engineering team has worked hard to reduce drag and increase downforce, adding a rear wing or spoiler.

To find out more about the modified BMW 1 series take a look at the interactive infographic to discover exactly what the team has been beavering away at and how this has led to a successful start to the 2014 British Touring Cars Championship for the West Surrey Racing and eBay Motors team.