Subaru Will Hit The BTCC In 2016 With This Badass Levorg Wagon

Good news! Subaru will race in the British Touring Car Championship in 2016 and has signed a three-year deal with Team BMR.

Team BMR will run the all-new Levorg Sports Tourer in this year’s championship, with former BTCC champions Jason Plato and Colin Turkington being confirmed as drivers. Team principal Warren Scott will drive a third entry and a fourth could also be added.

The wagon will run with a 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer engine developed by Mountune Race Engines. The road-going Levorg Sports Tourer features Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system but it will be rear-wheel drive when it hits the track in the BTCC.

Paul Tunnicliffe, managing director of Subaru UK & Ireland, said on its BTCC debut:

“We’re very excited to have teamed up with BMR from the 2016 Championship – the first time a Subaru has competed in BTCC. Although the Levorg features the Subaru famed all-wheel drive system, the car can be easily developed to compete with rear-wheel drive in order to comply with the BTCC regulations… so we can’t wait to see how it goes against very established competition.”

Looking at the challenges the team faces ahead of the 2016 season, chief designer Carl Faux explained:

“It’s an honour to be leading not only Team BMR’s first ‘clean-sheet’ car design and build, but to be able to do this with Subaru’s new Levorg model is a real privilege. Engineering challenges is what the project presents – a new car, new engine and all the new generation TOCA components require a methodical approach. Establishing a three-year programme means we can focus on getting the basics right early before developing the package further over the following years.”

Team BMR will run in the manufacturers’ championship for the first time in 2016. With the new season kicking off in just two months, there is plenty of work to be done, but preparations are well underway ahead of the Levorg’s testing programme and official reveal at Donington Park on March 22 for the BTCC season launch.