MG's new BTCC entry

The field of cars entered in the British Touring Car Championship has grown incredibly in the last year or two. But as quintessentially British as the series is, few of those automakers represented on the grid are actually, you know... British. But that's all about to change with the latest entry from MG.

Now you might look at MG's current line-up of ho-hum Chinese econo-boxes and lament at how far the brand has fallen since its heyday of building quirky yet iconic roadsters, but MG is pulling all the stops with its touring car effort. The cars - based on the MG6 GT five-door - are being prepared by Triple 8 Race Engineering, the outfit responsible for turning Vauxhall into a powerhouse that dominated the BTCC for years.

If that's not enough to get the job done, the Sino-English automaker has also retained one of the very best drivers in the series. You may know the name and face of Jason Plato from Fifth Gear, the British motoring show he co-presents. But he's also a two-time BTCC champion, winner of 68 races and holds the records for the most fastest laps, pole positions and podiums in the history of the series. Poached from Chevrolet, Plato will be driving alongside up-and-coming talent Andy Neate.

All in all, MG KX Momentum Racing is shaping up as a force to be reckoned with, so the other 22 drivers on the grid had better take notice as the series gears up for its 55th running. Details in the press release after the jump.

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