Discussion
Just watchin the Autosport show that I recorded.
So on comes Simon ( I have no idea who this guy is ) showing his livery on his BTCC car.
Im pretty sure most people race in a championship like that to win as it must cost a crazy amount of cash to compete. If your doing something give yourself the best chance of achieving it. I'm no racing snake but if I was in his position I'd do everything I could do loose the timber.
So is this fella any good or just a salad dodger with lots of cash ?
So on comes Simon ( I have no idea who this guy is ) showing his livery on his BTCC car.
Im pretty sure most people race in a championship like that to win as it must cost a crazy amount of cash to compete. If your doing something give yourself the best chance of achieving it. I'm no racing snake but if I was in his position I'd do everything I could do loose the timber.
So is this fella any good or just a salad dodger with lots of cash ?
Never heard of him either.
There's a few chaps with excess baggage in that series though isn't there? I doubt it makes a huge difference if they are strong enough not to get tired in the short races.
A friend of mine is fairly large, but won 2 competitive motor racing championships in 3 years of trying. He's strong as an ox and had no issues with stamina behind the wheel. I doubt he could do well at Le Mans or whatever, but for club racing with short races it was no problem.
There's a few chaps with excess baggage in that series though isn't there? I doubt it makes a huge difference if they are strong enough not to get tired in the short races.
A friend of mine is fairly large, but won 2 competitive motor racing championships in 3 years of trying. He's strong as an ox and had no issues with stamina behind the wheel. I doubt he could do well at Le Mans or whatever, but for club racing with short races it was no problem.
DanielSan said:
Tim Harvey was never held back by being big in the Porsche's....
Until they changed the weight rules. 
Bit of a harsh thread? I don't think every driver in the BTCC is there to win, certainly not the gentlemen drivers we've seen like Tony Hughes, Dave Pinkney, Martyn Bell, Richard Marsh, John George etc. They're just in it because they love racing.
cupofbeans said:
Until they changed the weight rules.
Bit of a harsh thread? I don't think every driver in the BTCC is there to win, certainly not the gentlemen drivers we've seen like Tony Hughes, Dave Pinkney, Martyn Bell, Richard Marsh, John George etc. They're just in it because they love racing.
Rules were changed too pretty much stop him winning weren't they? Bit of a harsh thread? I don't think every driver in the BTCC is there to win, certainly not the gentlemen drivers we've seen like Tony Hughes, Dave Pinkney, Martyn Bell, Richard Marsh, John George etc. They're just in it because they love racing.
The likes of Gerry Marshall (too big) and Hans Stuck (too tall) would have ben top GP Drivers in different circumstances but most became legends in other categories.
We shouldn't belittle anybody who gets the budget together to compete at a higher level. In the past there have been a number of great drivers who also access to significant funding eg Pete Revson and Elio de Angelis, but still won GP's and were top drivers of their day.
We shouldn't belittle anybody who gets the budget together to compete at a higher level. In the past there have been a number of great drivers who also access to significant funding eg Pete Revson and Elio de Angelis, but still won GP's and were top drivers of their day.
Mark13 said:
The likes of Gerry Marshall (too big) and Hans Stuck (too tall) would have ben top GP Drivers in different circumstances but most became legends in other categories.
We shouldn't belittle anybody who gets the budget together to compete at a higher level. In the past there have been a number of great drivers who also access to significant funding eg Pete Revson and Elio de Angelis, but still won GP's and were top drivers of their day.
Tbh I wasnt trying to belittle the fella. If I was spending that kind of cash to be racing I'd just do everything possible I could to be the best I could. Every little bit helps when your running close to someone in my eyes. We shouldn't belittle anybody who gets the budget together to compete at a higher level. In the past there have been a number of great drivers who also access to significant funding eg Pete Revson and Elio de Angelis, but still won GP's and were top drivers of their day.
theshrew said:
Tbh I wasnt trying to belittle the fella. If I was spending that kind of cash to be racing I'd just do everything possible I could to be the best I could. Every little bit helps when your running close to someone in my eyes.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think "Karcher" is the family concern!!He did Legends for a bit, then raced in the Clio Cup but was nowhere. Always bottom half, never better than 13th.
He's the MD of Handy Distribution and garden equipment firm - but I don't think he has any shares or anything in karcher which is a german company. But no doubt sells their equipment - hence the deal.
He's the MD of Handy Distribution and garden equipment firm - but I don't think he has any shares or anything in karcher which is a german company. But no doubt sells their equipment - hence the deal.
MG CHRIS said:
Just waiting for a response from wokkie aka oille Jackson that's all im saying.
I'm a tall bloke and was (probably not anymore) the heaviest driver in BTCC, and in the Toyota I was driving last year I ended up with about a 40-50kg disadvantage for most of the season.It made a big difference, 3-4 tenths at Silverstone for example which was worth 10 places on the grid.
Hence I've dropped 15 kilos so far in preparation for this season, and plan on losing another 5, and I'm in one of the lightest cars in the field.
Realistically, as long as I'm fit enough to drive the car for the full 20 minutes I only need to be light enough for the car to hit the minimum weight. Having said that, being fit does help your concentration and reactions when you're hot and knackered, so it is of benefit.
I think Simon will end up being a little bit over the minimum weight as he's in my old car, but I doubt it'll make too much difference.
Phoenix said:
I guess it depends on the championship regulations regarding minimum weights. iirc some championships include the driver in the minimum weight and some don't. How much difference does 20, 30 or 40kg's make in a BTCC car?
Isn't that about the amount of success ballast they lob on cars that are winning?Makes quite a bit of difference and i'm not sure how sensitive a BTCC car is to weight placement - maybe Wookie can comment - but in other formulas if you can be under the minimum weight then it is an advantage, as you then have ballast which you can place in the best place for handling / weight distribution.
If the driver is carrying an extra 20, 30, even 40kg then you have no choice where that weight sits!
Well I can't comment from experience of being able to move ballast around because it's never been an option for me!!
However Dan did share my problem at Rockingham that the car handled significantly differently left to right, which may or may not have been down to driver weight.
We also shifted the power steering pump and battery into the right hand side of the boot in the Golf as I was complaining about the right rear locking too easily. It did improve things slightly, although it eventually turned out to be a brake bias issue that resulted in me shunting the barrier at cascades back about 5 feet!
Other teams clearly do move weight around, I spotted a big lump of lead attached to the spare wheel well in one of the MG's last year, and rumour has it the Hondas were running double and triple skinned boot floors, so people are trying to shift the weight rearwards to shift as much work to the rear tyres as possible.
However Dan did share my problem at Rockingham that the car handled significantly differently left to right, which may or may not have been down to driver weight.
We also shifted the power steering pump and battery into the right hand side of the boot in the Golf as I was complaining about the right rear locking too easily. It did improve things slightly, although it eventually turned out to be a brake bias issue that resulted in me shunting the barrier at cascades back about 5 feet!
Other teams clearly do move weight around, I spotted a big lump of lead attached to the spare wheel well in one of the MG's last year, and rumour has it the Hondas were running double and triple skinned boot floors, so people are trying to shift the weight rearwards to shift as much work to the rear tyres as possible.
Simon has raced relatively successfully all over the place, but his family own the UK licensing for Karcher equipment and therefore they want the maximum exposure for their products in UK motorsport....the BTCC. He raced in 2013 with team Pyro and from a marketing point of view does a 5* job. He is a great guy away from the track and I think in 2014 will attract some attention in the Paddock and that is where the money is. As for his on track efforts we shall see but I am not seeing him top eight anywhere. Good luck to the chap and if he has the backing why not, I would.
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