Alfa Romeo Works Team

Alfa Romeo were involved in the British Touring Car Championship as a constructor from 1994 to 1995, racing as Alfa Corse.

Origins
Seeing the growing reputation and success of the Class 2 (or "Super Touring") touring car regulations introduced in the early 1990s, Alfa Romeo made the decision to develop a car to meet them, and by 1993 had developed the 155 TS into a race-ready car. After initial competition in the Championnat de France de Supertourisme, Alfa Romeo decided to enter the British Touring Car Championship in 1994 with 2 cars based on the "Silverstone" edition of the 155 - a homologation special that came with a bolt-on aero kit.

1994
1994 saw the team make bold moves right from the outset - signing double Manufacturer Drivers' Champion Lorenzo Turri and Kris Simton, who had shown significant promise the previous year with Toyota. Pre-season testing showed that the 155 was the car to beat, with the controversial aero kit giving Alfa Romeo more speed in the corners than their rivals. Several manufacturers protested the cars before the first round, but these protests were all rejected and the 155 was allowed to race "as-is" - given that the Super Touring regulations permitted the use of aerodynamic devices provided they were fitted to a limited number of road cars. Many manufacturers had used this rule to their advantage in the past, and whilst a particularly egregious example, Alfa Romeo's interpretation of this rule was deemed legal.

Come the first round of the 1994 season, several manufacturers such as BMW and Renault had responded to the "aero war" by releasing limited edition versions of their cars, and were therefore sporting their own, improved aerodynamic aids from the homologation specials. These late developments were not enough to stop Alfa Romeo, with reigning champion Turri taking 4 wins from the opening 6 races, and Simton recording four consecutive fourth places from races 2 through 5. Alfa Romeo completely dominated the season with Turri taking every single pole position on offer and winning 17 races out of 26 - and did not finish off the podium bar 2 races - one retirement and one 5th place. Simton may not have achieved the same level of success as Turri but he was instrumental in Alfa Romeo's 1994 successes and even took a podium finish during the season.

Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(Key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)