After Nearly a Decade of Racing Vauxhall Astras, Power Maxed Racing Has Decided to Race the Audi S3 in the British Touring Car Championship

[Source: TouringCars.net]

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is one of the longest running motor racing championships in the world. Since its inception in 1958 the sport has grown to attract millions of fans, some of the best drivers in the world, some of the best manufacturers. Power Maxed Racing joined the grid in 2014. They raced a Chevrolet Cruze for the first couple of years before switching to the Vauxhall Astra in 2017. Looking for a competitive edge, the racing team has recently announced the switch to the Audi S3.

Power Maxed Racing will run the Audi S3 in the 2026 season and beyond according to a report by TouringCars.net. It has been several years since the Audi S3 saw action in BTCC. Rotek Racing (later acquired by AmD Tuning) competed in BTCC in an Audi S3 from 2014 to 2020. Of course, Audi has been competing in BTCC long before the S3 came along. The great Stirling Moss drove an Audi 80 in the 1980 and 1981 BTCC seasons.

“We’re incredibly excited to announce the switch to the Audi S3 saloon for 2026. The BTCC is all about pushing boundaries and staying competitive, and we believe the Audi platform gives us a fantastic base to build from,” said Power Maxed Racing Team Principal Adam Weaver.

The Audi S3 was just refreshed for the 2025 model year, so no big changes are expected for the 2026 model year. Still, the 328-horsepower Audi S3 should make for an excellent racing platform.

“Developing a new car is always a challenge, but it’s one the entire PMR squad relishes. We’ve already started work on the design and development of the Audi S3 saloon, and the early data looks extremely promising,” said Martin Broadhurst, Team Manager.

We are excited to see Audi return to the BTCC grid in 2026. Next year should be an exciting one for Audi in the world of motorsports. Not only are they coming back to BTCC, but also to another long running racing series you may have heard of, Formula One.