BTCC Season Starts: Thruxton May 8-9
Discussion
DanielSan said:
A slightly random question, without giving away anything you can't obviously where is the time found setup wise with these current NGTC cars? In my mind there can't be too much variation setup wise surely with the subframes, engines, gearboxes, brakes etc being spec parts?
Are they all mounted in roughly the same place in all the fwd shells for example or are different teams running different manufacturers for the shock/spring combos? It plays out on track that some teams struggle way more than others with development but it never seems like there's much too develop freely, or is it just a case of the marginal gains making a big difference with the majority of the grid so close together?
To be fair there's a massive amount of variation you can have setup wise; kinematics, geometry, dampers (of which the valving build is free), springs, bars. Are they all mounted in roughly the same place in all the fwd shells for example or are different teams running different manufacturers for the shock/spring combos? It plays out on track that some teams struggle way more than others with development but it never seems like there's much too develop freely, or is it just a case of the marginal gains making a big difference with the majority of the grid so close together?
Even just confining it to springs there's the variety of linear rate vs progressive, with and without bump rubbers.
Ultimately the goal is to get the tyre switched on and use as much of the surface as possible. There are a few ways to skin the cat but the challenge is getting the combination of optimising those aspects while keeping it drivable.
In the past you could have something that was a pig to drive but fast, but that's where the closeness of the grid comes in. Even the best drivers are going to lose a couple of tenths on a car that's a pain in the arse, and those couple of tenths can be 7 or 8 places in quali or the difference between going forwards or backwards through the field on race day.
Friends and some family watch/catch the BTCC either live or highlights show and cant get there heads around the money spent and presentation of the car, well at the start of the meetings , Then watch in disbelief as they are then just drove into or through each other ??
Watching what the outcome of Mr. neates efforts on Sunday even i thought its looking more like a Destruction Derby Banger Race??
Close racing is one thing but .... That old racing quote, You cant win a race at the first corner , But you sure can lose it.
Watching what the outcome of Mr. neates efforts on Sunday even i thought its looking more like a Destruction Derby Banger Race??
Close racing is one thing but .... That old racing quote, You cant win a race at the first corner , But you sure can lose it.
Anyone else find it difficult to follow who was who?
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
colin79666 said:
Anyone else find it difficult to follow who was who?
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
I did. Half the grid seems to have turned up with black cars.Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
colin79666 said:
Anyone else find it difficult to follow who was who?
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
Even the commentators were having trouble.
EDLT said:
colin79666 said:
Anyone else find it difficult to follow who was who?
Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
I did. Half the grid seems to have turned up with black cars.Obviously quite a few drivers changed teams/new faces plays a part at the first meeting but the lack of differences in team colours this year is poor IMO. Far too many cars are a mix of white, black and blue that don’t stand out too well, particularly on ITV4 non HD and on a wet race.
A sea of black, white and silver/grey.....
Dan BSCS said:
I find most of the liveries far too ‘busy’. They don’t look great. Only really the Toyotas look ok.
When you compare it to something like the V8 Supercars that grid looks a bit pants In comparison.
Been saying for years now BTCC liveries and F1 dont seem to be what they once were! When you compare it to something like the V8 Supercars that grid looks a bit pants In comparison.
Edited by Dan BSCS on Tuesday 11th May 22:09
WTCC/WTCR etc has had a few "clean" liveries but very few and far between these days.
AJB88 said:
Dan BSCS said:
I find most of the liveries far too ‘busy’. They don’t look great. Only really the Toyotas look ok.
When you compare it to something like the V8 Supercars that grid looks a bit pants In comparison.
Been saying for years now BTCC liveries and F1 dont seem to be what they once were! When you compare it to something like the V8 Supercars that grid looks a bit pants In comparison.
Edited by Dan BSCS on Tuesday 11th May 22:09
WTCC/WTCR etc has had a few "clean" liveries but very few and far between these days.
Making it look like every other car on the grid is counterproductive I would have thought.....?
aeropilot said:
I always thought (especially if the races are televised) that the whole point of a livery design was to make it stand out from all the others so as to draw attention to the sponsorship?
Making it look like every other car on the grid is counterproductive I would have thought.....?
ExactlyMaking it look like every other car on the grid is counterproductive I would have thought.....?
Coronel in WTCR for example... the livery is a little busy but still stands out, well apart from blending in with the track sponsorship!
Edited by AJB88 on Thursday 13th May 13:23
aeropilot said:
I always thought (especially if the races are televised) that the whole point of a livery design was to make it stand out from all the others so as to draw attention to the sponsorship?
Making it look like every other car on the grid is counterproductive I would have thought.....?
All I'm saying is my yearly Ginsters expenditure has increased significantly, and I'm aware the Laser sell tools. Of which I now own at least one. These things could be coincidence, but they happened after the BTCC sponsorship.Making it look like every other car on the grid is counterproductive I would have thought.....?
A tweet from a guy called Chris Pickering, leads to an article about the data logging in the BTCC cars.
https://twitter.com/Chris_Pickering/status/1391816...
https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/product...
https://twitter.com/Chris_Pickering/status/1391816...
https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/product...
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