In an ironic twist to the ongoing search for a TV home for next year's British Touring Car Championship coverage, the final two rounds of the series televised by the BBC ac♊hieved the highest viewing figures of the year. The Brands Hatch season finale - which saw an exciting f🌜irst win for the MG marque - drew a peak of 2.1 million viewers when it was shown on Saturday October 20 - 24% of the of all viewers at that time.

Series organisers BMP have elected not go with the package offered by the BBC for 2002 - essentially the same level of coverage as this year - preferring instead to inves💧tigate an agreement with one o🐓f the other terrestrial channels which would offer a greater regularity of time slot.

Prestigious though the BBC coverage has been - the series being the only four-wheeled circuit racing the corporation has shown this yꩲear - transmission times ꦑhave varied widely, and on occasion races have been shown at the same time as the next round has been taking place, hurting crowd and viewer figures.