The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship today confirmed a record entry list ahead of its 2011 season with the highest number of different makes and car models entered for the series in the two decades it has run as an all 2.0-litre formula.

Ten makes of car representing Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Proton, SEAT, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen will all feature on this year’s flourishing grid.

Out of those, 13 different models will be gearing up for action including: Audi A4, BMW 320si, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Lacetti, Ford Focus, ‘Global’ Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Honda Integra, Proton Gen-2, SEAT Leon, Toyota Avensis, Vauxhall Vectra and VW Golf.

This beats the previous record (nine makes and 11 models in 1993) seen in the BTCC’s two-litre era that began in 1991.

In total, 27 entries have been received for the 2011 season, the first event of which is staged at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent in ten days’ time on Sunday, April 3.

From there the title race will head off on a high-speed, action packed, six-month tour of the UK, with ten race events in total at nine different motor sport venues culminating with Finals Day, this year being staged at British Formula 1 Grand Prix venue of Silverstone, Northants – host of today’s Media Day season launch – on Sunday, October 16.

Notably, the Audi, Proton and Toyota entries are all for cars built to the BTCC’s dynamic new Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations which provide dramatically reduced costs and have led directly to four new teams alone joining the BTCC for 2011.

Official ‘factory’ teams from Chevrolet and Honda also star on the entry list, while Toyota GB are funding an engine development programme for customer teams running its Avensis to the new NGTC regulations.

Further underlining the BTCC’s importance to manufacturers as an ideal sporting arena in which to showcase products, the Ford Motor Company has chosen the championship to debut the competition version of its new 2011 Focus model, in the hands of the independent Team Aon squad.

Of the 27 entries, 17 drivers contested 2010’s BTCC. They include the top five in last year’s championship including the implacable rivals, reigning Champion Jason Plato and Matt Neal, the latter’s team-mate Gordon Shedden, Tom Onslow-Cole – who has made a shock move to the tiny AmD-run VW Golf team – and independent Champion Tom Chilton. Of the new faces, two are reigning champions stepping up from the hotly-contested Ginetta GT Supercup and Renault Clio Cup categories that support the BTCC on race weekends; Frank Wrathall and Dave Newsham.