RE: Alain Menu returns to the BTCC
Wednesday 29th January 2014
What with the F1 circus out in force at Jerez, most other motorsport seems to politely take a back seat as testing commences. Fortunately, there has been yet more good news from the BTCC (as if PH's media tie-upand the Civic wagon wasn't enough) with the news of Alain Menu's return.
Menu with Team BMR's Warren ScottThat's right, the 1997 and 2000 champion with be back in British Touring Cars for 2014 with the Team BMR VW Passat CC, 22 years after his BTCC debut. He will be team mate Irishman Aron Smith, with team owner Warren Scott racing a Vauxhall Insignia. The Passat took three podiums in 2013, a result the team will hope to build on this season.
Alain Menu returns to the BTCC
Double champion to race for Team BMR in a Passat CC this season
Menu with Team BMR's Warren Scott
Of his comeback, Menu said: "This is exciting... I'm well aware that it will be different with a new team and new cars, but I've been watching the races, have spoken to a lot of people about it and the championship is really picking up at the moment."
Hopefully a few old rivalries will be reignited as the Swiss returns as well: "I want to have fun too... It will be nice to race against people like Matt Neal again, and Gordon Shedden was trying to break into the BTCC just as I left so I'm looking forward to racing against him. Jason [Plato] has matured since we were team-mates too, so I'm sure we'll get on well." We wouldn't be so sure about the last point Alain...
To mark this significant occasion for touring cars, we needed a video of Menu in action. Here he is 1998 leading at Oulton Park when Paul Radisich has the temerity to hold him up. Not for long!
[Pictures: LAT]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Discussion
Matt Bird said:
That's right, the 1997 and 2000 champion with be back in British Touring Cars for 2014 with the Team BMR VW Passat CC, 22 years after his BTCC debut. He will be team mate Irishman Aron Smith, with team owner Warren Scott racing a Vauxhall Insignia.
Can anyone spot the spelling mistakes?menoy said:
Never knew there was a touring car Renault 19 - any idea if there was a homologation special for it?
Just appears to be based on the Renault 19 16v,http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1993%20Cars.html
What the f
k happened to BTCC, DTM etc
Maybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bullst bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....
Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
k happened to BTCC, DTM etcMaybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bulls
t bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
I was at Thruxton a few years ago for the BTCC final round, when Vauxhall called Menu in for a 3rd car to help support Giovanardi's title bid. (SEAT did the same by calling in Tom Coronel I think, to support Plato).
Menu did a really mucky move at the complex on lap 1 of race 3 to block Plato. The cameras missed it but the crowd were livid. I still can't make my mind up if that move makes him a bad driver or a really good one!
Menu did a really mucky move at the complex on lap 1 of race 3 to block Plato. The cameras missed it but the crowd were livid. I still can't make my mind up if that move makes him a bad driver or a really good one!
MikeGoodwin said:
Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
Hilarious !!Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
I expect Menu will be telling everyone after the first round at Brands 'how much better the super touring days were'
jamespink said:
supertouring said:
"Plato has matured since we were team mates" - OUCH!
It remains to be seen how mature Plato is when racing begins... A poke in the eye with a Menu stick will doubtless calm the situation...
So many memories of nineties BTCC, F1 and WRC. Good racing.MikeGoodwin said:
What the fk happened to BTCC, DTM etc
Maybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bullst bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....
Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
With respect, thats complete bk happened to BTCC, DTM etcMaybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bulls
t bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
ks.Anyone who attended the absolute rain sodden final round at Brands (and there were no shortage of those) would also tell you how that is complete nonsense. Its a very rose tinted view that everything was better 'back in the day' and sure the supertouring era was epic, but the world changes etc and motorsport has to too, supertouring was absolutely silly in terms of cost.
What we have now is pretty competetive driving that is exciting to watch.
PS if motorsport is dead what are you doing loitering in the motorsport section, surely nothing here interests you, so move along now!
MikeGoodwin said:
What the fk happened to BTCC, DTM etc
Maybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bullst bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....
Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
A bit ott I think. Also, I don't think I've seen a season of btcc like last year with so much contact in it for at least 10 years. Also, the clio cup that supported the btcc has had such a low turn out the past two seasons it truly is a shadow of its former self. k happened to BTCC, DTM etcMaybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bulls
t bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
MikeGoodwin said:
What the fk happened to BTCC, DTM etc
Maybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bullst bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....
Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
How does Ballast "glue" the cars to the ground? Guess you haven't grasped basic physics. The cars from the 90's we built by very professional teams. Have you ever heard of williams, Prodrive, RML... The super touring cars has flat floors and bodywork developed in wind tunnel, rear wing and front splitter that generated downforce. I have been reliably informed the modern standardised rear wing produces two tenths of fk happened to BTCC, DTM etcMaybe its the retro 'VHS' style recording that gives it some nostalgia, but what about the commentary - its brilliant, they make half the interest and excitement. These days all we have is people who sound like they suffer from hypothyroidism and are about to die. But the cars bouncing about like that and the constant physical contact makes for really interesting viewing. I know technology moves forward and ballast/aero keeps the cars glued to the ground but the drivers look like they are under strict orders not to cause damage or overtake each other. And where did all this bulls
t bodywork come from? 90's BTCC actually resembled the road going cars in most ways yet modern ones bare little resemblance.....Motorsport is dead. I dont watch F1 anymore and probably wont this year and I certainly dont watch BTCC.
Clio Cups are about the only thing interesting to watch now. They are just about holding onto old school racing.
k all downforce because it's "cos it looks cool init". If you want to see cars smash into each other go and watch a bit of stock car racing.Speed Matters | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff