You don't always need big power to get on the TA podium
Discussion
drakart said:
jeffw said:
Still don't 'get' Time Attack so this is lost on me I'm afraid.
It's simple really. You turn up, you qualify and then you go home. Who wants to race anyway? 
it's not racing, don't try and think of it like that.
it's probably closer to what is known in other countries as super-sprints as in a sprint at a race circuit based on fastest lap.
unlike sprints/hill climb events here, it's not based on standing starts, it's format is more akin to a qualifying session.
What's good about it? - well, it's about the only form of motorpsort left that's still relatively open tech regs wise, most of the pro-class cars in TA have modifications that would put them outside of just about any UK race series, with engine stuff like NO2/E85/water injection/etc fuels, to aero that would be well outside of typical blue book rules..
the argument goes that club racing has become too far detached from the current 'car scene', and TA is much closer to that.
as an illustration of this, TA get's bigger PAYING audiences than just about anything in the UK outside of F1 and BTCC.
Sure, it's not every-bodies cup of tea, and I am not going to pretend I prefer it to endurance racing or the like, but it definitely has it's place and for people that are into serious car tinkering, it's very accessible.
As an example, the car I am driving this year (Lotus Exige) as it is now, would not be eligible for any UK race series because it's developments are too far away from factory spec.
Personally, I think the way Motorsports going with more and more homologation based regs is bad news, as it means unless you are prepared to pay the manufactures, your excluded from competing on a technical level.
onomatopoeia said:
Regulations need to appear in the blue book so other clubs can run them. There's a monopoly at the moment as without anything in the general regulations it's impossible for any other clubs to get permits.
Could it not be argued though that this is a good thing seeing as many other UK club series become diluted as lots of clubs want a slice of the cake?TA - hmm- I saw this once and whilst undoubtedly there were some good drivers and well prepared cars the standard lower down the field was not impressive . Slow cars with more amateur aero appendages than I have ever seen outside the multiplex car park and drivers who frankly did not have even a remote clue about lines etc. That 's not a criticism but an objective observation - everybody is entitled to have a go and good luck to them all. But as a spectacle it's underwhelming and whilst the front runners may claim they are running 1000bhp or whatever a 700 bhp advantage and free aero etc should give them more than 2 secs a lap over a BTCC racer. THe intriguing thing however is the crowd - bigger than for most club meetings and about 20 years younger- some parallels with drag racing (which I enjoy hugely ). But why people prefer watching cars not race to watching them overtake and outbrake is beyond me. Hillclimbs are very different- no lappery, narrow single track etc .
coppice said:
... But why people prefer watching cars not race to watching them overtake and outbrake is beyond me. ...
As Scuffers said above, the TA cars are similar to the cars that younger enthusiasts own and are sponsored by the companies that they can buy bolt-on parts for their own cars. If I was still a 20-something with an Impreza I'm sure I'd be likely to go and see a Roger Clark Motorsport prepped car in TA rather than some rich middle aged bloke in a 911 in BritishGT or Jason Plato in a Chinese-MG (that I've never seen on the road) in BTCC.
I didn't understand TA but after reading this thread it strikes me they are tailoring the event to the audience, not to the car/manufacturer.
Look for a big demographic (young lads that want to bolt on wings/go faster stripes/shopping lists/NO2) let them scream round the track in their concoctions in relative safety and without strict regulations and, importantly, have fun.
Makes for good business. I was at Castle Combe a little while back and they were hosting a hot hatch event, all slammed, stanced, ICE'd and totally NOT my bag but the place was packed !! £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££
Look for a big demographic (young lads that want to bolt on wings/go faster stripes/shopping lists/NO2) let them scream round the track in their concoctions in relative safety and without strict regulations and, importantly, have fun.
Makes for good business. I was at Castle Combe a little while back and they were hosting a hot hatch event, all slammed, stanced, ICE'd and totally NOT my bag but the place was packed !! £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££
Some of the advantages of this format is 1 you don't get your pride and joy that you've built with your won hands smashed up by some numpty who misses his braking point. 2 cars quick on the straights but slow round the turns don't 'hold up' the vice versa cars as they would in traditional racing. 3 it means the cars available to have a good go at it are far more varied, making it a bit more interesting for all involved.
Oilchange said:
I didn't understand TA but after reading this thread it strikes me they are tailoring the event to the audience, not to the car/manufacturer.
Look for a big demographic (young lads that want to bolt on wings/go faster stripes/shopping lists/NO2) let them scream round the track in their concoctions in relative safety and without strict regulations and, importantly, have fun.
exactly!Look for a big demographic (young lads that want to bolt on wings/go faster stripes/shopping lists/NO2) let them scream round the track in their concoctions in relative safety and without strict regulations and, importantly, have fun.
Cosworth/HKS/BC/etc all make their money from aftermarket, this is the showcase for said aftermarket, not BTCC or GT
Yes, it's not going to be every-bodies bag, (I'm not saying it's really mine), but way I see it, touring car these days is so far detached from reality, something needed to fill the gap, and TA is about road cars that have been modified.
Yes, given BTCC budgets/know-how/drivers I am sure the times would tumble, but that's not what it's about, and there's nothing stopping them trying.
The audience for these events is people who know their cars, they want to see EVO's, Skylines, Scoobies, etc that they see on the road as fast cars mixing it up, we all know that an Astra in BTCC is about as far removed from one on the road the only bit it shares these days is the badge.
Dont really like watching TA but having spent time in the Jap scene understand and respect what it's about, I like that it's held amongst other races so that the people watching TA can see some racing as well because for me, anything to get more spectators and competitors into Motorsport is a good thing.
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