539 replies to this topic

[TimRTC]

Farfus?

Of course but he was also an adept open wheel racer while Priaulx, like Jordan, has shone in proper tin-tops. By all accounts a DTM car is far closer to an open wheeler than a touring car.

[PayasYouRace]

Behind the scenes with Rob Austin 

 

[midgrid]

There could be another new (or, more accurately, returning) marque on the grid next year or in 2015, as the Yorkshire team Red Phoenix Racing has announced plans to build and run a Volvo S60 in the BTCC.

[Fastcake]

The more the merrier

 

Or the greater the chance of absolute chaos

Edited by Fastcake, 20 October 2013 - 17:01.

[TimRTC]

The problem is the current system of allocating grid places means that once the 32 spaces are full, no other teams can enter even if one of the squads fails to show up all season. This year for example, Neate bagged a spot early on but did not run until after the mid-season.

 

I think they should allow a larger number of cars, say 40, then if all the cars show up, assign the 32 race places based on qualifying times, if not it ensures that as many places as possible would be filled. Of course larger tracks like Donington can handle even bigger grids - the 32 entries was only forced by their use of the Brands Indy circuit - at these events they could allow all-comers to race.

[PayasYouRace]

I didn't realise the grid was limited like that. It would make sense to capitalise on the current popularity of the championship to let everyone have a go at qualifying at least.

Edited by PayasYouRace, 21 October 2013 - 10:34.

[TimRTC]

I didn't realise the grid was limited like that. It would make sense to capitalise on the current popularity of the championship to let everyone have a go at qualifying at least.

 

Might encourage ITV to televise qualifying as well rather than condemning it to intermittent web stream while showing repeats of old movies on ITV4. Surely the popularity of the series has proven that people will watch qualifying sessions.

[midgrid]

Kevin Turner's top ten BTCC drivers of 2013.

 

1. Andrew Jordan

2. Colin Turkington

3. Jason Plato

4. Gordon Shedden

5. Matt Neal

6. Sam Tordoff

7. Adam Morgan

8. Rob Austin

9. Tom Onslow-Cole

10. Mat Jackson

 

Quite similar to mine, which would be:

 

1. Colin Turkington

2. Andrew Jordan

3. Gordon Shedden

4. Jason Plato

5. Matt Neal

6. Sam Tordoff

7. Adam Morgan

8. Rob Austin

9. Árón Smith

10. Mat Jackson

[midgrid]

Aiden Moffat, the youngest BTCC driver every, has bought Andy Neate's NGTC Cruze and plans to race it with his family-run team next year.  Neate plans to use the sale to fund a new build programme for his own entry.

 

In other news, TOCA has introduced a new BTCC licencing scheme to ensure that only those teams with enough funding to compete for a full season, without changing drivers at every event, will be able to enter.

[midgrid]

Experienced Clio Cup campaigner Simon Belcher has become the latest driver to commit to the BTCC in 2014.  He will drive an ex-Speedworks Toyota Avensis under the Handy Motorsport banner.  It will feature another striking livery, courtesy of his long-term sponsor, Kärcher:

 

[stillOrange]

I wouldn't mind the whole grid of these Toyotas. At least they look like proper touring cars. No hatchbacks please

Are we still going to have two classes of cars?
I heard that the budget gap between running NGTC and S2000 car was so big that main S2000 team sponsor wouldn't be able to fund even one race of NGTC car team. Probably exaggeration but still possible

[midgrid]

No, S2000 cars will not feature next year, although perhaps the Jack Sears Trophy will be retained and awarded using different criteria.

[midgrid]

A perceptive individual on the official BTCC forums has noticed that the Top Gear website published a story confirming that the Civic Tourer (i.e. the estate) will indeed replace the Type-R next year earlier today, but that it later disappeared.

 

In other news, GT team United Autosports has tested sometime 2013 HARD driver James Cole in an ex-Dynojet Toyota Avensis as it prepares to enter the championship next year.

[stillOrange]

Yay! One hatchback less!

[midgrid]

Another "scoop" today: it seems that Martin Depper (who raced a BMW for Forster Motorsport in 2010) will replace Jeff Smith as Andy Jordan's team-mate at Pirtek Racing next year.  Jordan tweeted that he would be assisting his new team-mate in a test at Donington Park, and a photographer snapped a Pirtek Civic with Depper's name on the rear window.

[Yhamm]

http://www.touringca...tourer-in-2014/

 

 

The Honda Racing Team will enter an all-new model in the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season, confirming today that they will compete with the Honda Civic Tourer (estate) model built to the Championship’s Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations

 

 

I didn't expect this ^^

[PayasYouRace]

     I don't know what to make of that.

[rob6484]

[billm99uk]

 

Where was that pic taken then?

[rob6484]

I found the pic on google, its on a Gran Turismo 5 fan site forum http://www.gtplanet....d.289374/page-3

[midgrid]

Martin Depper has also confirmed himself at Pirtek.

[billm99uk]

Martin Depper has also confirmed himself at Pirtek.

 

Not driving the estate, I take it? 

[midgrid]

Indeed, Pirtek will be sticking with the existing Civic Type-R model.

[ApexMouse]

Errr.... Wasn't he absolutely hopeless, even by BTCC buisinessman paydriver standards? Or is he just that rich?

Edited by ApexMouse, 30 November 2013 - 13:06.

[billm99uk]

I confess I don't remember him at all!

[Fastcake]

My knowledge of those who hang around in the back is fairly hopeless as well.

[midgrid]

He was generally slightly better than his team-mate, Arthur Forster, but I think both were limited mostly by their team's small budget.  He has a good record in club racing - I would expect him to be roughly on Jeff Smith's level, perhaps less erratic as well.

Edited by midgrid, 30 November 2013 - 17:11.

[DanardiF1]

He was a frontrunner in the VW Cup race I watched after the British GT race at Brands this year... I think he won it, or was definitely on the podium, because the name rang a bell and me and my friend had to look him up to remind ourselves.

[froggy22]

I think I remember him driving an outdated BMW the last time he was in BTCC.

[midgrid]

Yes, and a very patriotic one at that!

[JHSingo]

That Honda estate is hideous. I know the point of NGTC was to go back to "bigger" cars, but that's ridiculous. What next, minivans? People carriers?

 

Why can't we have proper touring cars that actually look decent, like they have in the Aussie V8s?

[PayasYouRace]

There's a proud tradition of ugly estate cars racing in the BTCC.

[billm99uk]

Because no one in the UK drives V8's and manufacturers want to promote something they can sell? Mind you I was watching the V8's round Phillip Island this weekend and they were impressive. Only the back half of Thruxton gives that kind of impression of speed. They could do with a bit more car differentiation though - can barely tell the Fords and the Holden's apart.

[JHSingo]

They could do with a bit more car differentiation though - can barely tell the Fords and the Holden's apart.

 

Agreed, but it is getting better. Mercedes (albeit not as a manufacturer) and Nissan joined this year, Volvo are joining for 2014.

 

I just think that aesthetically the V8s look miles better than NGTCs, and race a lot better too. 

[midgrid]

In other news, GT team United Autosports has tested sometime 2013 HARD driver James Cole in an ex-Dynojet Toyota Avensis as it prepares to enter the championship next year.

The team has now confirmed it plans to run two Toyotas in 2014, for Cole and GT driver Glyn Geddie.

[midgrid]

According to this, all of the grid spots (32) for 2014 have been filled using the new licence system purely by giving them to the 2013 teams.  However, the licences can be leased or gifted to another party, as Dynojet has done for United Autosports.  There are also three additional entries on the reserve list.  The entry list itself will be published at the BTCC Media Day in March.

[Fastcake]

According to this, all of the grid spots (32) for 2014 have been filled using the new licence system purely by giving them to the 2013 teams. However, the licences can be leased or gifted to another party, as Dynojet has done for United Autosports. There are also three additional entries on the reserve list. The entry list itself will be published at the BTCC Media Day in March.

That sounds like a good idea. Allowing the transfer of spots not used on a weekend is a sensible rule when there is such a desire to compete.

[billm99uk]

According to this, all of the grid spots (32) for 2014 have been filled using the new licence system purely by giving them to the 2013 teams.  However, the licences can be leased or gifted to another party, as Dynojet has done for United Autosports.  There are also three additional entries on the reserve list.  The entry list itself will be published at the BTCC Media Day in March.

 

Nice to be popular!

[midgrid]

MG has confirmed a third entry for 2014, but it's not Tom Ingram, Stefan Hodgetts, or any of the KX Akademy drivers, but 1999 British Formula Three champion Marc Hynes, making his return to racing after five years away.  A real surprise!

[billm99uk]

MG has confirmed a third entry for 2014, but it's not Tom Ingram, Stefan Hodgetts, or any of the KX Akademy drivers, but 1999 British Formula Three champion Marc Hynes, making his return to racing after five years away.  A real surprise!

 

Well, I guess that saves us from one of those "where is he now?" articles!