Alliance waits on decision to replace Focus for BTCC 2026

Top British Touring Car Championship team Alliance Racing has been forced into a holding pattern while it waits on a decision over building a new car for 2026.

Team boss Pete Osborne told Autosport last October of the NAPA Racing-titled squad’s plans to replace its long-serving Ford Focus ST for next season – but delays due to uncertainties in the car industry mean the lights are stuck on amber.

“We’re still talking with a manufacturer and agreeing what we can and can’t do together,” said Osborne when asked about progress.

“Everything in the EV market at the moment is up in the air and there’s so many different things happening, that you can understand why all these manufacturers are struggling.

“They’ve got really not a lot of direction and I think that affects us here, from a point of view of what model they’re going to bring out next.

“The dilemma and reason why we haven’t agreed terms already is because they’re looking at what models they can bring into the UK. The tariffs in the States have created a lot of nervousness and a lot of uncertainty. For me the longer it goes on the worse it gets, because I want to get stuck in and get something designed and built and ready.”

This is against a backdrop of a new BTCC ruleset for 2027 to replace the existing NGTC era, although series boss Alan Gow has stated that this will be a cost-saving evolution of the current regulations that will not make any existing car obsolete.

“The other thing that’s causing a bit of an issue at the moment is understanding what the rules are going to be in 2027, so you’re a bit nervous that you jump before you should really,” added Osborne.

“So there’s so many things we’re having constant conversations about, and I just wish something would stop still so we can jump in and get going! That’s the frustrating thing.

“I said to the lads it would be good if we could just say, ‘Sod it, let’s get on with it, let’s just do it,’ but when you’re spending that type of money you don’t want to do it and get it wrong.”

Alliance has no firm deadline on when the decision can be taken for a new project to replace the Focus, on which homologation runs to the end of 2030.

Osborne said that technical chief Antonio Carrozza “gave me a deadline of November as the latest, latest, latest date to start building. For me that’s too late. I’d like to think before the end of the season we’ve got a deal done and we’re in a place where we can start building the car and do a little bit of testing sooner rather than later.

“The world’s in a funny place at the moment, and where we’re at is just frustrating for us. Twelve months ago we were sat with a manufacturer and they were all ready to go and they were positive and really excited, and then their model ranges changed.”

Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The manufacturer with which Alliance is in dialogue is still the same one. Previously, Osborne described it as one new to the BTCC; when asked whether it has never competed in the series before or been a multi-year absentee, he said: “I can’t be telling you – that would be letting the cat out of the bag, but I’m super-excited. But I’ve got to be patient, and I’ve got to let the guys make their commercial decision.

“As much as we want to get sorted and push them to make a decision, we’ve got to understand that this is a commercial decision as well because it’s not just about racing touring cars, it’s about selling vehicles.

“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 understand that the next one needs to be there for three or four years so we can utilise that and the best commerciality for everybody. These are businesses. Although it’s my hobby and my enjoyment, it’s not the manufacturer’s hobby. It’s about revenue generation.”

Alliance could continue in 2026 with the fourth-generation Focus, which was introduced to the BTCC in 2020 by the team when it was known as Motorbase Performance, before Osborne bought the squad in the winter of 2020-21.

“I’m hoping not, but there’s only so much you can do, isn’t there?” said Osborne. “Tony [Carrozza], James [Mundy], Paul [Ridgway] and Rich [Townsend]… all the engineers are so dedicated in trying to make it better than it is.

“We bought our car in the sale of Motorbase and that’s the tool that we’ve got to work with at the moment. We’ll make the best of it, and we’re certainly not giving in.”