Paul O'Neill predicts six way title scrap

I'd have to go back to being a fan to remember the BTCC being as popular and as exciting it's as it will be in 2014.

There will hopefully be at least five title winners on the grid when racing resumes at the iconic Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent with the possibility of Colin Turkington making it six if he inks a deal to resume with Ebay Motors in the BMW.

Also if rumours are true, another team in the paddock could spring a surprise with the announcement of their own former BTCC champion taking us to seven! Let's wait and see.

The recent announcement of a popular double BTCC champion returning to the fray brought down the official BTCC website! Alain Menu is returning to the championship after 14 years away, proving again the strength of the championship.

With Alain contesting in the WTCC for the best part of seven years it will be interesting to see how quickly he adapts to the more robust nature of the British championship, on tighter circuits he will not have visited since his championship winning year of 2000. Wins and podiums will be on the cards for Menu and Team BMR but not a championship tilt.. Yet!

Can Andrew Jordan win back to back titles? One word.. Definitely! It won't be as easy as his maiden crown, as we've seen the likes of MG and Plato beat their achilles heel of wet race pace at the end of 2013 and the strength of WSR / eBay Motors' BMW 1 Series in its first year! Saying all of that, I can only see Andrew get stronger this year as he now has the knowledge, the mental strength and an undeniable hunger to win.

Who would I put my money on to win the BTCC title this year? If I was a betting man I'd be swayed towards Jordan again, with five other drivers snapping at his heels. For me the Honda is the complete package and only ever seems to struggle at Silverstone against competitors who sometimes have a touch more power towards the latter end of the season.

Watch: Andrew Jordan in tears after 2013 BTCC title win

The factory Hondas have a new concept to deal with in the form of the “tourer” body shape which for a team as successful as Team Dynamics it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m no engineer, but I would say tweaks to the chassis will have to be made for the extra weight over the rear axel, to enable the car to be as nimble as it was last year. Aerodynamics may also be affected by the different body shape, so this could be negative.

My other title tip, Colin Turkington, needs two things to change from 2013. Firstly, the team need to be stronger at the BMW bogey circuit of Thruxton. The bumpy, high-speed nature of Thruxton plays havoc with the rear wheel drive BMW platform. They will go there praying for rain to get into that top ten.

WSR are a crack outfit who have illustrious drivers including Ayrton Senna in their history plus a BTCC title in their pocket from 2009, so if anybody can challenge it's them. The might of 888 race engineering, the MG6 and their star driver Jason Plato are always there at the end of the season but don’t be surprised if Jason is joined by Tordoff and their new addition Marc Hynes.

Hynes could be the shining star of 2014 depending on how quickly he adapts to the art of touring car racing, and don’t forget he beat a certain Jenson Button to the 1999 British Formula 3 title.

Ultimately I think we are looking at six way title scrap with some big surprises from the privateer teams such as Ciscley Racing's Adam Morgan in the new Mercedes A class. I’m thinking this car and driver pairing could really spring a surprise with its great team personnel, dynamic car and consistent driver in Adam.