2023: BTCC chat & discussion

[Sebring440]

Milkyway said:

I just assumed that his seat was being kept warm for next year.

Struggling with that one I'm afraid. It was Nic that walked away, remember.

[Milkyway]

Sebring440 said:

Milkyway said:

I just assumed that his seat was being kept warm for next year.

Struggling with that one I'm afraid. It was Nic that walked away, remember.

A lot was happening there... I thought that Nic had just lost one of his sponsors.
I didn’t know that it was such an acrimonious parting.

[trackdemon]

stevemcs said:

That’s disappointing about Nic, he seemed to have a good run out last year.

I can't agree; he's hung out in the last 15% of places for several years now whilst stealing a drive because of 'name'. Sorry mate, you're just not fast enough. And yes, I'm as aware as anyone that he has issues that make being a race driver more difficult - but motorsport generally cares about one thing: the stopwatch. He's had opportunities others wouldn't because the name is compelling, but he's just not *that good* sadly...

[Milkyway]

Other series are available...unless he’s walked away from racing entirely.

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 10th December 17:21

[rallycross]

trackdemon said:

I can't agree; he's hung out in the last 15% of places for several years now whilst stealing a drive because of 'name'. Sorry mate, you're just not fast enough. And yes, I'm as aware as anyone that he has issues that make being a race driver more difficult - but motorsport generally cares about one thing: the stopwatch. He's had opportunities others wouldn't because the name is compelling, but he's just not *that good* sadly...

He raises his own budget for the season and does incredibly well for someone with his disability hope to see him back out in a better car next year

[stevemcs]

trackdemon said:

I can't agree; he's hung out in the last 15% of places for several years now whilst stealing a drive because of 'name'. Sorry mate, you're just not fast enough. And yes, I'm as aware as anyone that he has issues that make being a race driver more difficult - but motorsport generally cares about one thing: the stopwatch. He's had opportunities others wouldn't because the name is compelling, but he's just not *that good* sadly...

Does motorsport care about the stopwatch - if you can raise the funds you can get a seat.

[BMR]

Milkyway said:

Sebring440 said:

Milkyway said:

I just assumed that his seat was being kept warm for next year.

Struggling with that one I'm afraid. It was Nic that walked away, remember.

A lot was happening there... I thought that Nic had just lost one of his sponsors.
I didn’t know that it was such an acrimonious parting.

Couple of different stories about at that time he walked away. Either he wasn’t satisfied at the (lack of) car prep or this was when HARD asked their drivers for more money.

[Milkyway]

Agreed, Nic wasn’t a front runner, but he is very popular & has inspired a lot of people... racing & non racing folk.
His press coverage must have helped put ‘bums on seats’, so to speak.

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 10th December 20:44

[Sebring440]

trackdemon said:

I can't agree; he's hung out in the last 15% of places for several years now whilst stealing a drive because of 'name'. Sorry mate, you're just not fast enough. And yes, I'm as aware as anyone that he has issues that make being a race driver more difficult - but motorsport generally cares about one thing: the stopwatch. He's had opportunities others wouldn't because the name is compelling, but he's just not *that good* sadly...

We have to take your opinions as being perhaps "sour grapes": you term yourself a "track demon" but I don't think you've been racing competitively recently (if ever), but of course I'm happy to be corrected if you care to reply.

So, as a "track demon" you obviously understand how all this sponsorship/racing stuff works, but you refer to the stop watch? And you criticise, condemn and denigrate Nic Hamilton, because of his name? As has been explained above, he generates all his own sponsorship, so obviously some people have faith in him.

So come one, tell us all about your own experience and skills, and why you're not racing competitively now, but feel that you can offer "advice" to those who can?

[Sebring440]

BMR said:

Couple of different stories about at that time he walked away. Either he wasn’t satisfied at the (lack of) car prep or this was when HARD asked their drivers for more money.

Not a couple off different stories, but the "same" story.

Nic turned up expecting to race. Was dismayed at the (usual) lack of prep, but then the knife was put in by the "team" asking for additional money, over what had been originally agreed. A familiar story as we saw in the 2023 season.

Nic wisely turned around and walked away.

[Sebring440]

Milkyway said:

Agreed, Nic wasn’t a front runner, but he is very popular & has inspired a lot of people... racing & non racing folk.
His press coverage must have helped put ‘bums on seats’, so to speak.

Agreed.

[GlobalRacer]

trackdemon said:

I can't agree; he's hung out in the last 15% of places for several years now whilst stealing a drive because of 'name'. Sorry mate, you're just not fast enough. And yes, I'm as aware as anyone that he has issues that make being a race driver more difficult - but motorsport generally cares about one thing: the stopwatch. He's had opportunities others wouldn't because the name is compelling, but he's just not *that good* sadly...

This sort of comment really annoys me. How on earth was he "stealing" a drive? He paid for it the same way that the vast majority of the grid does.

There were quite often drivers finishing behind him and certainly others who had far more incidents of their own making but I rarely read about them "stealing" drives or not being "fast" enough.

If his name is so compelling and given him opportunities others haven't had how come he's been on and off the grid for years because he struggled to raise the budget?

[agent006]

GlobalRacer said:

How on earth was he "stealing" a drive?

You're forgetting the huge queue of championship contending drivers that team hard turned down in preference for Hamilton.
Was it them who had an empty seat right up to media day this season?

[Sebring440]

agent006 said:

You're forgetting the huge queue of championship contending drivers that team hard turned down in preference for Hamilton.
Was it them who had an empty seat right up to media day this season?

"huge queue of championship contending drivers....?

What?

[agent006]

I mean they were utterly desperate for anyone with the cash for a drive.

[Drumroll]

agent006 said:

I mean they were utterly desperate for anyone with the cash for a drive.

So why were/are they any different to Hamilton?

[Dan BSCS]

Drumroll said:

So why were/are they any different to Hamilton?

I do love it when people on here get so argumentative that they actually argue with people who are agreeing with them.

[okv3]

Sebring440 said:

Not a couple off different stories, but the "same" story.

Nic turned up expecting to race. Was dismayed at the (usual) lack of prep, but then the knife was put in by the "team" asking for additional money, over what had been originally agreed. A familiar story as we saw in the 2023 season.

Nic wisely turned around and walked away.

This is an accurate representation of what happened. One day when I have the time, I would love to detail the entire story as it is quite astonishing what Team HARD were up to in their desperate grab for cash.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

okv3 said:

This is an accurate representation of what happened. One day when I have the time, I would love to detail the entire story as it is quite astonishing what Team HARD were up to in their desperate grab for cash.

well this is odd.

I got called out on twitter by a certain female btcc driver for suggesting that the lack of reliability she was suffering was because team hard were using end of life parts and all other cheap skate options to get her on the grid. Thus impacting reliability. She told me not to 'create my own narrative' well, I reckon I was right. It didn't help that her sponsor alerted her to the comment tho.

[The Wookie]

I have heard a tall story of the final straw being confusion between old fuel drums filled with water to keep the awning down in high winds and the actual fuel drums that were filled with fuel...

Could easily be bks though