On the day of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship media launch at Rockingham, we caught up with series boss Alan Gow.

Since Alan Gow returned to the helm of the BTCC in 2003, he has worked to increase grid sizes, through encouraging manufacturers and independents alike to join the series. His latest move was to switch to the WTCC’s Super 2000 regulations for the 2007 season. Although cars built to the previous BTCC rules can still take part, they are not eligible for outright championship honours.

The result has been quite astonishing – 27 cars are on the entry list unveiled at Rockingham today. “It’s the biggest grid in the modern era of the BTCC”, said Gow. “We’ve never started the season with 27 cars, so…”

“I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but… Of the 27 cars, 21 are S2000 spec, with just six of the old BTC spec cars. I thought we’d have a bit more of a split than that. It’s more than even I expected.”

Vauxhall and SEAT will once again contest the manufacturers’ championship in 2007, whilst Honda, Alfa Romeo, MG, Lexus and BMW will all be represented on the grid.

Gow added, “We’ve got seven different marques represented in the championship. They’re not all manufacturer entries, but that’s probably the greatest variety I’ve ever seen in any touring car season.”

“It’s a moving feast in terms of entries, but I would expect to see one or two more entries in the coming months, but we’ll see.”

Among the entries confirmed at Rockingham was the diesel-powered BMW 1 Series belonging to Rick Kerry and his AFM Racing team. Kerry will be the first driver to contest the BTCC with diesel in his fuel tank, continuing the BTCC’s world-leading stance on alternative fuels.

“It’s very significant”, said Gow. “I’m a bit surprised no-one has done it before, so it’s a really good decision for Rick. Green and alternative fuels are not new to us. In 1993, we were the first touring car championship in the world, in fact the first championship in the world, to have catalytic converters. We started all this back in 1993 and I think the world is finally catching up with the BTCC.”

Another of Gow’s great achievements has been has been making the BTCC an attractive package for sponsors and advertisers, not least through substantial television deals. 2007 is no exception.

“We’ve got a great package again this year, and a very broad package, too. We’re on ITV1, both live and highlights. We’re on ITV4 with live coverage. We’re on Setanta Sports with full day coverage like Motors TV used to do, and we’re on Men and Motors. So we’ve got a really good spread on both terrestrial and digital TV. You can now choose from four different stations showing the BTCC. You can watch it live, delayed, terrestrial, digital, subscription, freeview…”

So Alan Gow has done his bit in preparing the BTCC for its 2007 season. Now it’s down to the teams and drivers to deliver the spectacle that we have come to expect.