BTCC and BMWs Percieved advantage
Discussion
I hoping this comes out as balanced so bear with me
at present the BTCC Paddock is unhappy about the percieved advantage the RWD cars especially the BMWs hold over the rest of the field. this could be due to the balance benefits of a front-mid engine and RWD and the fact that RWDs are just a better base for a proper Racecar.
Does anyone know what the current compensations Mr gow is employing to try and level this out and would raising the baseweight aswell as the longer fist gear make enough difference to balance it out. Im aware that a swift smack up the arse is enough to send them into the boonies but now bump n run passing is being penalised that area has been leveled.
I guess what im asking is what can the organisers do before the teams loose their tempers and it becomes a BMW AUDI only championship
at present the BTCC Paddock is unhappy about the percieved advantage the RWD cars especially the BMWs hold over the rest of the field. this could be due to the balance benefits of a front-mid engine and RWD and the fact that RWDs are just a better base for a proper Racecar.
Does anyone know what the current compensations Mr gow is employing to try and level this out and would raising the baseweight aswell as the longer fist gear make enough difference to balance it out. Im aware that a swift smack up the arse is enough to send them into the boonies but now bump n run passing is being penalised that area has been leveled.
I guess what im asking is what can the organisers do before the teams loose their tempers and it becomes a BMW AUDI only championship
To be honest I do not see it as what do the powers that be or the RWD people need to do so much as that the FWD lot need to stop sounding like whiney little b
hes and improve their cars.
For years nothing has been done to stop them punting the RWD cars off as they do their little bumper car games. Now that the BTCC is finally starting to wake up to the fact it isn't a RallyX championship or being held at Yarmouth Stadium and is pinging the punters they aren't happy. Diddums.
Of course this was not an issue when the RWD cars were not competitive, only now that they are starting to get close to and beating the others.
In summary I think that it should be left as it is for the next 12 months. If the RWD cars clean up the way that the FWD cars have over those 12 months then perhaps there should be some consideration to equalisation. Until they have had their fair crack at the whip all it is going to do is make BTCC a FWD only championship if every time a RWD car looks capable of winning they throw their toys out of the pram.
hes and improve their cars.For years nothing has been done to stop them punting the RWD cars off as they do their little bumper car games. Now that the BTCC is finally starting to wake up to the fact it isn't a RallyX championship or being held at Yarmouth Stadium and is pinging the punters they aren't happy. Diddums.
Of course this was not an issue when the RWD cars were not competitive, only now that they are starting to get close to and beating the others.
In summary I think that it should be left as it is for the next 12 months. If the RWD cars clean up the way that the FWD cars have over those 12 months then perhaps there should be some consideration to equalisation. Until they have had their fair crack at the whip all it is going to do is make BTCC a FWD only championship if every time a RWD car looks capable of winning they throw their toys out of the pram.
Sea Demon said:
Wasn't there a rule change fairly recently? I'm sure I saw something pop up on Rob Austin's FB page which said the latest enforcement to RWD cars has cost them big but just tried to find it again and couldn't.
RWD cars now have an enforced longer first gear to make them slower off the line.Its not a new thing teams or drivers complaining to gow/btcc about advantages of other cars that's been going on for the past 20-30 years ago if it benefits the team they are going to try and get there own way.
The start line advantage seems to have been neutralized going from the start at snetterton so the longer first gear has done its job.
Gow knows what he is doing he doesn't jump to quick on decision and certainly doesn't do it to suit a certain driver ie plato as a lot of people think. He does it to make a more interesting final come the last round the more people in with a chance of the title coming into the last 3 races.
Lets see what happens into the tail end of the series knockhill will be a bmw/Honda track mg have always struggled there, rockingham favouring mg unless it rains which it often does while Silverstone is possible the strongest track for the mg team.
Leading up to brands hatch which has been varied between success for different teams. It looks like it will be between 3 drivers plato/shedden and turks, plato needs to get some strong results with turks further back to claim back the points deffecit.
Things are shaping up to be a great final few rounds.
The start line advantage seems to have been neutralized going from the start at snetterton so the longer first gear has done its job.
Gow knows what he is doing he doesn't jump to quick on decision and certainly doesn't do it to suit a certain driver ie plato as a lot of people think. He does it to make a more interesting final come the last round the more people in with a chance of the title coming into the last 3 races.
Lets see what happens into the tail end of the series knockhill will be a bmw/Honda track mg have always struggled there, rockingham favouring mg unless it rains which it often does while Silverstone is possible the strongest track for the mg team.
Leading up to brands hatch which has been varied between success for different teams. It looks like it will be between 3 drivers plato/shedden and turks, plato needs to get some strong results with turks further back to claim back the points deffecit.
Things are shaping up to be a great final few rounds.
I really can't see what the problem is, Honda have pretty much dominated the last few years and we've only really heard Plato complain, now BMW have won a couple of races all of a sudden they're too fast. I could understand it if they were doing what Mercedes are doing in F1 but they're not they're just providing us another winner other than the boring Honda MG dominance. As said before if it's all down to cars where's Foster, the Audis and to a lesser extent Collard? Like others have said this needs time not just a knee jerk reaction after a few races.
As a long time follower I reckon that it is about as balanced as the series can get and am very much with anyone who says that what we need is simply for drivers to stop whining about how hard done by they are. If they want a series with total equipment parity, the Carrera Cup is faster, a spec series, on the same bill at the same circuits and as I understand it at a budget that is not a million miles away either.
I reckon that Gow et al are actually doing a pretty good job of keeping a very wide variety of cars comparatively close together and frankly I think that the healthiness of the grid backs that up.
I reckon that Gow et al are actually doing a pretty good job of keeping a very wide variety of cars comparatively close together and frankly I think that the healthiness of the grid backs that up.
telecat said:
Sorry but I would say that Turkington is the difference not the Drive pattern. Collard, Foster and Austin win an odd race but it's the fact that a really good driver is in the series with a decent car that makes the difference.
+1And like last year there will be some maniplulation to ensure there are several drivers fighting for the championship come the last round
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