"It shows that a private team can build a car that is the equal of a factory team, even without manufacturer support," he said. "The sporting regulations, with our testing and cost-control restrictions, also enable those teams to compete with the manufacturers on an equal footing and ensure the better funded teams don't necessarily have an unfair advantage.
"The fact that in 2005 we've also had nine different winners – with five of those drivers from three independent teams – also underlines the competitiveness of the BTCC."
The 2005 season started with fans expressing concern over grid sizes – a problem not unique to the BTCC – but over the course of the season the grid has steadily grown, with Fiona Leggate in the bio-ethanol powered Vauxhall Astra (the first alternative powered car in the series), Tom Chilton and Gareth Howell among those who weren't at
Donington Park at the start of the year to be have appeared by the seasons end.
However the forum event held on the eve of the penultimate round of the season at
Silverstone last month saw numerous teams express an interest in competing in the series in 2006 – a level Gow admitted he hadn't seen for many years – meaning fans can look forward to seeing the BTCC hit the ground running for the start of next season, with a number of new teams set to take their place on the grid.
"As people can read nearly every week in the specialist media, there are a lot of people talking about joining and putting together programmes to run in the championship," he said. "That is new. That level of genuine interest hasn't happened for quite a few years.
"A turning point was the forum we held for prospective independent teams. It led to us receiving much more genuine enquiries than I've ever known while I've been in charge, either currently or in the past. People there learnt a lot and some have admitted it was quite an eye-opening experience. As a direct result of the forum alone, we will probably see at least four new cars next season in addition to the many other prospective entries also being discussed.
