2016 BTCC silly season

2016 BTCC silly season

Author
Discussion

jamiebae

6,245 posts

210 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
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DanielSan said:
If I remember rightly wasn't the rear spoiler on the Arena Focus actually discovered to create lift about half way through the first season? hehe
It wouldn't surprise me, I was at almost every race that year and it was very clear that the chassis was absolutely terrible. I was running a sponsorship and hospitality programme at the time and working with a particularly vocal driver who doesn't mince his words. When describing the Focus the most commonly used words were unprintable, inter spaced with 'gas powered dragster engine' and 'portaloo'. RML thought it had circa 150bhp more than their engine when running full boost, which was clear by the way it would just clear off after the hairpin at Knockhill.

Speed Badger

2,667 posts

116 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
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Don't get me wrong, I would love to see it click for Andy and it will be genuinely interesting to see how he compares to Shedden and Neal in the same car. I do wonder how much his awful accident has contributed to his performance and I remember he won at least 1 Fiesta race!

Anyhow, he's the one with the big house, flash car and is sitting in a BTCC Honda Civic this year due to hard work and perseverance, while I am sat in an office looking forward to the release of the BTCC scalextric cars smile

VX Foxy

3,962 posts

242 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
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Speed Badger said:
Anyhow, he's the one with the big house, flash car and is sitting in a BTCC Honda Civic this year due to hard work and perseverance
All is not what it seems on the surface...

Hamish Finn

476 posts

107 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
quotequote all
jamiebae said:
I'm told by people who know what they're talking about that a modern touring car is not difficult to drive within a couple of seconds a lap of a top driver...
Were you "told" this in a pub?


Speed Badger

2,667 posts

116 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
quotequote all
VX Foxy said:
All is not what it seems on the surface...
Or he has maxed out his credit card! Well, however it's come about I'm still going to be playing BTCC on scalextric wink

jamiebae

6,245 posts

210 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
Hamish Finn said:
jamiebae said:
I'm told by people who know what they're talking about that a modern touring car is not difficult to drive within a couple of seconds a lap of a top driver...
Were you "told" this in a pub?
No, at a track, by someone intimately involved in the running of a top team.

DanielSan

18,748 posts

166 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed Badger said:
Or he has maxed out his credit card! Well, however it's come about I'm still going to be playing BTCC on scalextric wink
Same here. I've got the first 2 cars on pre-order already 😁

lickatysplit

470 posts

129 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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so it looks like WSR have retained tordoff and Collard this year.

vinnie01

863 posts

118 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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lickatysplit said:
so it looks like WSR have retained tordoff and Collard this year.
A nice livery too!

BMR

944 posts

177 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
Speed Badger said:
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see it click for Andy and it will be genuinely interesting to see how he compares to Shedden and Neal in the same car. I do wonder how much his awful accident has contributed to his performance and I remember he won at least 1 Fiesta race!

Anyhow, he's the one with the big house, flash car and is sitting in a BTCC Honda Civic this year due to hard work and perseverance, while I am sat in an office looking forward to the release of the BTCC scalextric cars smile
He won the Fiesta championship in 2006. Now winning a top level club series isn't a guarantee to success but I reckon his accident has knocked his confidence.

btcc123

1,243 posts

146 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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Andy Neate was the last person I was expecting to be the driver of the third Dynamics Honda but I wish him well and that he has a good season.

Its common knowledge that Neate paid more than 650k for one season with 888 and would think it would be more than that to get the deal with Dynamics and as their main focus will be with Shedden and Neal so is a good financial deal for the team.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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I thought that was part of a two year deal with the second year being considerably cheaper but he didn't do the second year.

Janesy B

2,625 posts

185 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Glad Mat is back this year, I can't think of anyone more deserving of a top drive.

http://www.btcc.net/2016/02/11/mat-jackson-complet...

Speed Badger

2,667 posts

116 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Janesy B said:
Glad Mat is back this year, I can't think of anyone more deserving of a top drive.

http://www.btcc.net/2016/02/11/mat-jackson-complet...
I feel winnning a first BTCC Championship coming on...

GbGaz

88 posts

120 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Janesy B said:
Glad Mat is back this year, I can't think of anyone more deserving of a top drive.

http://www.btcc.net/2016/02/11/mat-jackson-complet...
Yes that was the news I'd been waiting for! Lets be honest, it was gonna happen, Motorbase would be crazy not to have him in the car given his recent results and the fact he knows the focus better than anyone,,,but a welcome announcement nonetheless :-) short of a third car with Turkington in, thats my motorbase dreamteam!!

GbGaz

88 posts

120 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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So where are we now then,,,,


Honda Yuasa Racing, Honda Civic Type R - Gordon Shedden
Honda Yuasa Racing, Honda Civic Type R - Matt Neal
Honda Yuasa Racing, Honda Civic Type R - Andy Neate
Team BMR, Subaru Levorg - Jason Plato
Team BMR, Subaru Levorg - Colin Turkington
Team BMR, Subaru Levorg - Warren Scott
Team BMR, Subaru Levorg - TBA
888 Race Engineering, MG6 - TBA .......Josh Cook????
888 Race Engineering, MG6 - TBA .......Aron Smith????
Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST - Andrew Jordan
Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST - Mat Jackson
Motorbase Performance, Ford Focus ST - James Cole TBC
West Surrey Racing, BMW 125i - Sam Tordoff
West Surrey Racing, BMW 125i - Jack Goff
West Surrey Racing, BMW 125i - Rob Collard
Eurotech Racing, Honda Civic Type R - Jeff Smith
Eurotech Racing, Honda Civic Type R - Martin Depper
Eurotech Racing, Honda Civic Type R - TBA
Power Maxed Racing, Chevrolet Cruze - TBA
Power Maxed Racing, Chevrolet Cruze - TBA
Speedworks Motorsport, Toyota Avensis - Tom Ingram
Speedworks Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R - Matt Simpson
AMD Tuning, Audi S3 - TBA
Ciceley Motorsport, Mercedes A Class - Adam Morgan
Laser Tools Racing, Mercedes A Class - Aiden Moffat
Handy Motorsport, Toyota Avensis - Rob Austin
Handy Motorsport, Toyota Avensis - Simon Belcher
JWT Performance/Maximum Motorsport, Ford Focus ST - Stewart Lines
Team Parker Racing, Ford Focus ST - Alex Martin
Team Hard, Toyota Avensis - Chris Smiley
Support our Paras Racing, Infiniti Q50 - TBA
Welch Motorsport, ??? - Dan Welch

Still a few pieces to slot into place, must admit im very intrigued as to who the 888 and Power Maxed drivers will be,,,and will Smith keep his seat at BMR? Press release' today read that Motorbase will just run the two cars, but still hearing the odd rumour or two about their third shell being built up into a full car.

DanielSan

18,748 posts

166 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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From that article it looks like there's only the 2 Motorbase cars this year, could be a possibly of Cole in an MG?

Edited by DanielSan on Thursday 11th February 14:23

Janesy B

2,625 posts

185 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Aron Smith must have a drive this year, surely?

Josh Cook and Smith in the Chevrolets would be a good pairing.

Edited by Janesy B on Thursday 11th February 14:10

iguana

7,025 posts

259 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Hamish Finn said:
jamiebae said:
I'm told by people who know what they're talking about that a modern touring car is not difficult to drive within a couple of seconds a lap of a top driver...
Were you "told" this in a pub?
Sounds about right for a reasonable peddler, its not a 1000bhp scary old can am car or anything, a couple of seconds is a lifetime away anyway, wasn't it an old evo mag that had Matt Neal's civic vs a road civic & then they swapped cars, journo ( maybe Roger green?) Wasn't disgraced


Edited to add, I can't find that evo piece but will keep looking, but here is ph article on novice in btcc car, OK way off pace but novice after all, I don't think a novice in an f1 car would be just 5 secs off back of grid at Donny-

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/btcc-hon...


Edited by iguana on Thursday 11th February 14:44

jamiebae

6,245 posts

210 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
iguana said:
Hamish Finn said:
jamiebae said:
I'm told by people who know what they're talking about that a modern touring car is not difficult to drive within a couple of seconds a lap of a top driver...
Were you "told" this in a pub?
Sounds about right for a reasonable peddler, its not a 1000bhp scary old can am car or anything, a couple of seconds is a lifetime away anyway, wasn't it an old evo mag that had Matt Neal's civic vs a road civic & then they swapped cars, journo ( maybe Roger green?) Wasn't disgraced


Edited to add, I can't find that evo piece but will keep looking, but here is ph article on novice in btcc car, OK way off pace but novice after all, I don't think a novice in an f1 car would be just 5 secs off back of grid at Donny-

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/btcc-hon...


Edited by iguana on Thursday 11th February 14:44
I'm not sure what I've done in the past to warrant that response to be honest hehe

With the amount of telemetry and data logging in the cars you can take the trace from a fast driver and see where you're losing the time easily enough. As long as you have the balls to keep your foot in when you're told and brake late enough that'll get you close enough. The final couple of seconds is what you pay the money for, and is the difference between winning and being at the back of the field scrapping with people running on a fraction of the budget.