2025: BTCC chat & discussion

[Wonderman]

techtra said:

Moos3h said:

My son has got into the BTCC (via YouTube vids) - which is the best track for spectators and is there much to do when there’s no racing?

Oulton Park or Donington would be my choice

Impressive lurking!!

[SpudLink]

Wonderman said:

techtra said:

Moos3h said:

My son has got into the BTCC (via YouTube vids) - which is the best track for spectators and is there much to do when there’s no racing?

Oulton Park or Donington would be my choice

Impressive lurking!!

Waiting 21 years to make your first post has to be a record.

[hammo19]

SpudLink said:

Wonderman said:

techtra said:

Moos3h said:

My son has got into the BTCC (via YouTube vids) - which is the best track for spectators and is there much to do when there’s no racing?

Oulton Park or Donington would be my choice

Impressive lurking!!

Waiting 21 years to make your first post has to be a record.

Brands Hatch as you can see nearly all the circuit from a seat when they use the short circuit.

[Sebring440]

Rockatansky said:

I knew that was coming for Turkington, heard from a very reliable source in the paddock a few weeks back that BMW pulled support so that was that.

It was common knowledge from about August/Sept last year that BMW had pulled their support.

[MG CHRIS]

So dwindling models on the grid, team lost its main sponsor month before media day that team having a out of date car no longer being made. Turks now gone with bmw pulling support, dropping of the hybrid stuff not looking great for btcc atm.
Just think i30n no longer being made, ford focus no longer being made, astra no longer being made in that spec cupra is out of date.

That new junior series looks stupidly expensive compared to the old ginetta juniors at what point does btcc need a bit of new ideas coming into it seems gow is resting on past success.

[A500leroy]

How about the bsuv championship, featuring, the VX Grand land, Ford Kuga and MG ZS?

[Truckosaurus]

A500leroy said:

How about the bsuv championship, featuring, the VX Grand land, Ford Kuga and MG ZS?

Joking aside, most of the small SUV/crossovers are just hatchbacks with a bit of suspension travel, so if you lowered them they'd look similar to the current cars.

I suspect the only future for 'touring cars' is someone to do what SRO did with GTs, have one set of regulations across multiple national championships so manufacturers can develop one car and sell it in multiple places.

TCR is sort of getting there.

[MG CHRIS]

Tcr is looking weak though ATM. Something needs to change because manufactures don't seem to be interested in putting money in and the costs are getting silly hence dwindling entries.

[Speed Badger]

SUV Touring Cars might be cool if done right - https://www.carscoops.com/2024/10/toyota-corolla-c...

[clubracing]

Presumably for Turkington to leave his announcement until now, rather than doing at the end of last season, he must have made some attempt to find the budget to race this year without BMWs financial support.

Things are definitely looking uncertain for the future of the BTCC at the moment.

[Sebring440]

MG CHRIS said:

team lost its main sponsor month before media day

A month before media day is March 15. So which team (oh Mystic MeG) is going to lost it's main sponsor next month then?

[Sebring440]

clubracing said:

Things are definitely looking uncertain for the future of the BTCC at the moment.

Surprised at that comment. A driver leaves? A team leaves? What about all the ones that are staying? I'm quite excited about the future of BTCC.

[clubracing]

Sebring440 said:

clubracing said:

Things are definitely looking uncertain for the future of the BTCC at the moment.

Surprised at that comment. A driver leaves? A team leaves? What about all the ones that are staying? I'm quite excited about the future of BTCC.

I mean that in the medium term to long term, the viability of the BTCC in it's current form is looking uncertain.

Turkington not racing this season is another sign of the difficulty drivers/teams face in making the finances add up, along with Power Maxed losing their sponsor. BMW reducing their support is part of a continuing downward trend in involvement from the manufacturers.

How the teams can bring in new cars to replace those that are going or have gone out of production, and try and stay in sync with the BEV direction that the manufacturers are moving in is also very uncertain.

[Sebring440]

clubracing said:

and try and stay in sync with the BEV direction that the manufacturers are moving in is also very uncertain.

Interesting discussion. As you are no doubt aware, the BEV "direction" is not clear cut. Many manufacturers are now starting to develop new internal combustion engines using alternative fuels.

You again use the term "uncertain", but "uncertain to who? You obviously, but probably not to the organisers of motorsport (and BTCC is only one of them).

So (again), I don't think the future of BTCC is "uncertain", it will adapt, evolve and still be the BTCC.

[MG CHRIS]

Sebring440 said:

clubracing said:

and try and stay in sync with the BEV direction that the manufacturers are moving in is also very uncertain.

Interesting discussion. As you are no doubt aware, the BEV "direction" is not clear cut. Many manufacturers are now starting to develop new internal combustion engines using alternative fuels.

You again use the term "uncertain", but "uncertain to who? You obviously, but probably not to the organisers of motorsport (and BTCC is only one of them).

So (again), I don't think the future of BTCC is "uncertain", it will adapt, evolve and still be the BTCC.

Manufactures aint interested in touring cars so what good is that. The Car models in btcc are out of date i30n no longer in production, focus is all but finished, astra is well out of date and the team had its main sponsor pull out of its deal, cupra is pretty old now. So we have bmw 3 series and corolla that are still being sold on the road. Can see the decline in numbers and teams over last few years. Hybrid was a huge expensive failure and now binned off the car market is at odds with btcc currently. Costs are creeping up and up and up.

[MG CHRIS]

Sebring440 said:

MG CHRIS said:

team lost its main sponsor month before media day

A month before media day is March 15. So which team (oh Mystic MeG) is going to lost it's main sponsor next month then?

Stop being pedantic you know im on about power max racing.

[D_G]

How many cars are there going to be on the grid this year? It's not looking promising for a full grid is it.

[GlobalRacer]

Depends what you class as full grid. Some people think a full grid is 30+ cars. As far as TOCA are concerned they want 24 cars and that is how many have TBL's.

At the moment there are 13 confirmed drivers but some of the unconfirmed ones are people like Rowbottom and Osborne at NAPA which are unlikely to be an issue.

I would expect 18 at the minimum and likely more than that. PMR and One are the two teams that worry me.

[GlobalRacer]

Dan Lloyd confirmed - https://btcc.net/dan-lloyd-returns-to-btcc-with-re...

[Willhire89]

Sebring440 said:

clubracing said:

Things are definitely looking uncertain for the future of the BTCC at the moment.

Surprised at that comment. A driver leaves? A team leaves? What about all the ones that are staying? I'm quite excited about the future of BTCC.

The problem is the stability and longevity of the ones left behind - you stated that Dynamics would be back and it was just a short hiatus but there's no sign that is the case.