682 replies to this topic

[JHSingo]

Seeing as there are plenty of topics for next season but not one for BTCC, thought I'd take the plunge. Searched the forum and couldn't find one.

 

The winter is normally pretty quiet as far as BTCC news goes, but there has been plenty going on that you may not have heard:

 

• Perhaps the biggest news, announced just this week, is that ITV will continue its extensive race day coverage of the BTCC and the support races through to 2022. http://www.btcc.net/...n-btcc-history/
• Similarly, the championship's tyre supplier, Dunlop, has also signed an extension to 2021. http://www.btcc.net/...hip-until-2021/
• There has been a slight change to how the grid is formed for race two. This year, lap times from race one decided the order, but now it will return to finishing order from race one setting the grid for race two.

 

As far as drivers and teams go, there has also been a little bit of news.

 

• Honda Yuasa Racing will expand to a three car team for the first time - but a team mate to reigning champion Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal has not yet been announced.
• Eurotech have also acquired a third TBL. With Speedworks obtaining a second, and announcing they will run Matt Simpson, it means there will be a total of seven Hondas on the grid.
• 
• Rob Austin Racing had previously confirmed that they will not be running their two Audi A4s next season. http://www.touringca...e-sponsor-loss/
• After just one season as an MG driver, Andy Jordan makes the switch to Motorbase and today unveiled his 2016 livery.
• 
• Andy Priaulx has been linked to Ford's WEC team for next season. It is not clear whether he will still continue to race in the BTCC as well. http://www.motorspor...c-squad-659464/

Think that just about covers everything up to now, with the calendar once again being unchanged:

 

1,2,3,               Sat 2/Sun 3 April,                    Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
4,5,6,               Sat 16/Sun 17 April,                Donington Park, Leicestershire
7,8,9,               Sat 7/Sun 8 May,                   Thruxton, Hampshire
10,11,12,         Sat 4/Sun 5 June,                   Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire
13,14,15,         Sat 18/Sun 19 June,               Croft, North Yorkshire
16,17,18,         Sat 30/Sun 31 July,                Snetterton, Norfolk
19,20,21,         Sat 13/Sun 14 August,           Knockhill, Fife
22,23,24,         Sat 27/Sun 28 August,           Rockingham, Northamptonshire
25,26,27,         Sat 17/Sun 18 September,     Silverstone, Northamptonshire
28,29,30,         Sat 1/Sun 2 October,             Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

 

Will keep this thread updated. As ever, no doubt there will be plenty more announcements to come, particularly at January's Autosport International.

 

Feel free to contribute anything I've missed, and I'll add it to this first post.

Edited by JHSingo, 03 December 2015 - 02:30.

[BRG]

Thanks for this thread.

 

Hard to see past Jordan for the win if that Focus is as good as they say.

[Dick Dastardly]

Hope Matt Jackson gets the budget to stay with Motorbase and build on his performance in the last few races of 2015....He's worked hard to get that car where it is so it'd be a travesty if he can't use it   If he does race, I'll be rooting for him for the title [he's not won the title before, I like to see new winners rather than the same names continually winning].   

Edited by Dick Dastardly, 02 December 2015 - 22:50.

[chunder27]

Simpson is former Hot Rodder, used to run exactly the same colours on his cars back then, was quick. His Dad Jeff Simpson was quick too, if a little prone to argy bargy.

 

Either way, their styles will be more Collard than anything else!

[king_crud]

Thanks for this thread.

 

Hard to see past Jordan for the win if that Focus is as good as they say.

 

Agree with this, those Fords looked good when they turned up this year. And I'll be at Brands for the opener again

[superden]

Hopefully the Motorbase line-up should widen the fight for the title even further next year. Another season to look really look forward to and the confirmation of the excellent FTA coverage on ITV4 through to at least 2022 is most welcome news.

[yasushi888]

Any news about the possible non championship festival style race? Sounded interesting, would be good to have at a circuit not on the calendar just to make the year a bit different as the calendar seems to stay the same pretty much year on year. Also the idea of aussie v8 style guest drivers for it would add a bit of spice to the series.

[TecnoRacing]

• There has been a slight change to how the grid is formed for race two. This year, lap times from race one decided the order, but now it will return to finishing order from race one setting the grid for race two.

  

 

 

That's very good news...

 

No more 'skipping'' race one - starting from pit lane, trundling around in back in order to set a single fast lap. That was nonsense and poor value for the spectators.

[JHSingo]

 the confirmation of the excellent FTA coverage on ITV4 through to at least 2022 is most welcome news.

 

Absolutely. Fair chance that by then BTCC will be the only form of motorsport still on FTA. I know ITV occasionally gets criticised by fans, particularly for how many ads there are, but they've done a super job over the years. Hopefully this continuity will make it a little easier for teams to attract sponsors, now they can promise TV coverage for the next six years.

 

That's very good news...

 

No more 'skipping'' race one - starting from pit lane, trundling around in back in order to set a single fast lap. That was nonsense and poor value for the spectators.

 

Completely agree. While that was perfectly in the rules and understandable, I too thought it was rather a poor show. Good that they've correct it.

 

Oh, and forgot to include this in the first post - the complete list of who has how many TBLs. http://www.btcc.net/...tbls-confirmed/

[paulrobs]

Looking forward to next season. I think the 2nd race grid change is correct and the 2015 change to decide the grid via 1st race fastest lap was another gimmick better assigned to the **** ideas club. There's no doubt that the rules are a bit restricting and designed to equalise performance and ensure no-one can build a rocketship but there is also no doubt that BTCC is enjoying good crowds, high manufacturer/team participation and it is sustainable. And drivers can still make a difference.

[midgrid]

Agree with this, those Fords looked good when they turned up this year. And I'll be at Brands for the opener again

Don't forget that Jackson was running no ballast in all of the qualifying sessions and first races that he competed in.  I also remember him being very quick in the second half of the 2012 when Motorbase introduced the NGTC Focus, only to struggle, along with Árón Smith, with the same car in 2013.  I hope they will be on the pace in 2016, however, as Jordan vs Jackson (hopefully) will be an exciting internal battle!

[midgrid]

Andy Priaulx has left BMW, perhaps to race for Ford's new entry in the WEC, and will presumably not return to the BTCC next season.

[DS27]

That's a real shame for the BTCC

[Silverstone96]

You can't compete with manufacturers wages, shame none of them will come back to the BTCC

[JHSingo]

Andy Priaulx has left BMW, perhaps to race for Ford's new entry in the WEC, and will presumably not return to the BTCC next season.

 

Yeah, I wondered as much when that was rumoured.

 

It would be a loss to the BTCC. It's funny though, after how he said he'd missed the close racing in touring cars.

 

I guess until he officially confirms he won't be returning, I'll still be hopeful of him running a part campaign. There's three clashing dates, Donington/Silverstone WEC, Thruxton/Spa and Oulton/Le Mans test day.

[BRG]

You can't compete with manufacturers wages, shame none of them will come back to the BTCC

The lack of direct manufacturer participation is the key to the BTCC's success.  Or did you prefer it when Alfa or Audi were dominating everyone?

[DS27]

Well, as an Alfa fan I loved it - but I understand that ultimately all the manufacturers coming in was bad for the sport and ultimately left it on life support for a while.

[Silverstone96]

Manufacturers can be good for the BTCC when they are tightly controlled (not like F1 where they have hijacked the sport and are destroying from within)

The NGTC regs are such though that there is little difference a manufacturer can make from a technical perspective due to the same tech spec nature of the cars.

They could spend £££ on lots of testing but that's probably it unless there is a testing limit now?

In a way it would be nice to see some back, they raise the professionalism of the series, some bring history like Vauxhall and ford, some bring charm like Alfa Romeo.

But those days are probably gone, I think the tv package BTCC has now and the crowds it brings in would still offer a manufacturer great value for money but it seems whilst the current spec of cars are around they will be staying away

Edited by Silverstone96, 07 December 2015 - 18:17.

[Jonnycraig37]

Having lapsed in my attention to the BTCC since its glory years, how does Jordan have the funding to chop and change to competitive teams seemingly every year? And why does he have RB backing?

I saw on Wikipedia that his dad has done some BTCC driving in the past so presumably very wealthy family?

[GhostR]

Having lapsed in my attention to the BTCC since its glory years, how does Jordan have the funding to chop and change to competitive teams seemingly every year? And why does he have RB backing?

I saw on Wikipedia that his dad has done some BTCC driving in the past so presumably very wealthy family?

Pirtek sponsorship travels with him, plus he won the title in 13. Both those things will open doors on their own. Together they get him seats.

[Prost1997T]

The lack of direct manufacturer participation is the key to the BTCC's success.  Or did you prefer it when Alfa or Audi were dominating everyone?

 

That doesn't jive with actual history:

 

1991 - BMW

1992 - Vauxhall

1993 - BMW

1994 - Alfa

1995 - Renault

1996 - Audi

1997 - Renault

1998 - Nissan

1999 - Nissan

2000 - Ford

 

Post-supertouring era:

 

2001 - Vauxhall

2002 - Vauxhall

2003 - Vauxhall

 

S2000 class introduced:

 

2004 - Vauxhall

2005 - Vauxhall

2006 - Seat

2007 - Vauxhall

2008 - Vauxhall

 

NGTC introduced:

 

2009 - Vauxhall

2010 - Honda

2011 - Honda

2012 - Honda

2013 - Honda

2014 - MG

2015 - Honda

 

Raising costs and then leaving abruptly, sure, that's one thing. No one make was dominant for long and that wasn't the problem with manufacturer competition.

 

How many drivers in BTCC are being paid now vs the supertouring era?

[king_crud]

I think the issue was that once Alfa came in 94 they set the bar so high, and forced changes to rules (Aero kits) that in order to win you needed to spend more etc etc, which was only going to end in tears eventually. It was great whilst it lasted, but the fallout took 10 years to recover from, and I think the BTCC recognise that

[Risil]

And to think that with what was going on in Germany at the time, Super Touring was the affordable option!

[Jonnycraig37]

Pirtek sponsorship travels with him, plus he won the title in 13. Both those things will open doors on their own. Together they get him seats.

Was more wondering how he got the Pirtek & Red Bull sponsorships. As said, presumably family contacts?

[king_crud]

Was more wondering how he got the Pirtek & Red Bull sponsorships. As said, presumably family contacts?

he's quite good and they like him?

[Jonnycraig37]

he's quite good and they like him?

Possibly, as I say I've only watched btcc sporadically in recent years, and Jordan picked up a lot of lucrative sponsorship after a season where he finished 10th in the championship, 100+ points behind his teammates in 3rd & 4th which had me wondering.

[JHSingo]

Possibly, as I say I've only watched btcc sporadically in recent years, and Jordan picked up a lot of lucrative sponsorship after a season where he finished 10th in the championship, 100+ points behind his teammates in 3rd & 4th which had me wondering.

 

When you have guys like Jason Plato and Matt Neal still knocking around after all these years, it's pretty obvious that experience counts for more in the BTCC than a lot of other forms of motorsport. Besides, it is possible for a driver to improve over the years, and Andy Jordan has been a front runner in the BTCC for several seasons now. He's 2013 champion (I believe, from memory, that he's one of the youngest BTCC champions there's ever been, and certainly the youngest for many a year) and that he didn't win a race last season wasn't for lack of talent behind the wheel.

 

What do you want to hear, he's a relative of Dietrich Mateschitz and secretly worth millions or something? I don't think it really matters 'how' he's secured sponsors, as he's not a hopeless pay driver that's always qualifying at the back.

[BRG]

Mike Jordan (father) was a top driver who won the Porsche Cup twice and the British GT championship as well as running in BTCC.  He formed a family team (Eurotech) which brought on Andy Jordan who started in rallycross where he was pretty successful.  Presumably some of the sponsorship relationships are long term. They, plus Andy being a BTCC champion have got him some good seats which he more than deserves.

[Silverstone96]

I think Jordan has proven enough to warrant his backing

[JHSingo]

Perhaps no surprise - but it is now official. Andy Priaulx will not return to the BTCC next season.

 

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/122203

 

A shame to not to see him return, would perhaps have been a championship contender if he had. Wonder who that will leave in the third WSR car...what's James Thompson up to these days?

Edited by JHSingo, 10 December 2015 - 12:56.

[Silverstone96]

Don't think Thommo has the appetite for the BTCC any longer, is Rob Huff contracted for next year?

[Gilles4Ever]

MG Motor ‏@MGmotor  15m15 minutes ago

MG will be on the #BTCC grid in 2016 after agreeing a new 3 year contract with @888Official. http://mg.co.uk/news/2015/12/11/mg-delighted-to-announce-2016-btcc-entry/ …

[JHSingo]

 

MG Motor ‏@MGmotor  15m15 minutes ago

MG will be on the #BTCC grid in 2016 after agreeing a new 3 year contract with @888Official. http://mg.co.uk/news/2015/12/11/mg-delighted-to-announce-2016-btcc-entry/ …

 

 

Good news. Wonder if we'll see any new faces at the front of the grid next season, with drives at MG, Honda and WSR all up for grabs.

[BullHead]

So, there is / was a Haymarket review publication of the 2015 season. Has anyone seen it? Is it just a magazine?

[Silverstone96]

So Honda have let Tarquini, maybe he could have one last swan song in the BTCC before he retires?

[JHSingo]

So Honda have let Tarquini, maybe he could have one last swan song in the BTCC before he retires?

 

Knew it wouldn't take long before someone started speculating about that.

[Sheepmachine]

So, there is / was a Haymarket review publication of the 2015 season. Has anyone seen it? Is it just a magazine?

I think it's one of those Bookazine things so it should still be available I would have thought, I will see if I can find anything.
Edit This is all I could find, it says you can order it from WhSmith. http://www.autocar.c...review-launched

Edited by Sheepmachine, 20 December 2015 - 18:11.

[mjspeed]

I think it's one of those Bookazine things so it should still be available I would have thought, I will see if I can find anything.
Edit This is all I could find, it says you can order it from WhSmith. http://www.autocar.c...review-launched

Bought a copy off the shelf in WH Smith recently, you shouldn't have to order it. Race reports are I think (correct me if I'm wrong) reprints of the Motorsport News reports of the time, and there's short reviews of each team. A decent review for a magazine.

[BullHead]

Yeah, picked up it this weekend just gone. Not a bad read, quite a good review. More pictures would have nice. Not very 'keepable' though for the bookshelf. Maybe they'll start a hardback one year....

[Silverstone96]

Anyone heard anymore on the non championship festival race planned for Donington in July?

[ezequiel]

So Honda have let Tarquini, maybe he could have one last swan song in the BTCC before he retires?

 

Well, it seems he will remain in WTCC but with Lada.

[pacificquay]

Big news - Team BMR to run works Subarus with Jason Plato and Colin Turkington driving

[midgrid]

I guess it was somewhat inevitable after the new Honda Civics beat the VWs in their first season.  Will be interesting to see if another team (RAR?) takes on the VWs, and where Árón Smith will go if BMR can only run two cars this season.

[maverick69]

Big news - Team BMR to run works Subarus with Jason Plato and Colin Turkington driving

 

With Boxer engines. Should be cool.

[JHSingo]

Big news - Team BMR to run works Subarus with Jason Plato and Colin Turkington driving

 

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/122452

 

That's rather out of the blue, but excellent news to have another manufacturer in the series. I don't know how Warren Scott pulls these things off, last season signing both Plato and Turkington, now getting manufacturer backing.

 

The other interesting thing about this is that it leaves Aron Smith without a drive. Perhaps not a great surprise considering how he disobeyed team orders (much to the ire of Plato) at the final round.

[Jonnycraig37]

I don't know how Warren Scott pulls these things off, last season signing both Plato and Turkington, now getting manufacturer backing.

I presumed that TOCA had subsidised them last year tbh. Certainly a stroke of luck if not that with the reigning champion and best known driver in the series struggling to find drives, a hitherto unheralded team suddenly found the funding to run them both in unsponsored cars....

Even more so, as them sitting in the sidelines would've been an awful look for the series...

[DS27]

The VW was such a pretty car, while the Subaru is FUGLY. Still, not as bad as the Honda I suppose.

 

Turns out Plato's prediction of Smiths job prospects within the team were spot-on..

[Silverstone96]

Meant to be another big announcement tomorrow, a further manufacturer perhaps?

[Pete_f1]

Great news!

[Reynard88D]

I've heard VW's plus Aron Smith @ Handy , makes sense, don't want to lose the Passets and Smith is clearly over with BMR