[BTCC] Round 4 - Thruxton, 18th May 2008

[Hazard]

Now on to the fastest circuit on the BTCC calendar, Thruxton.

- Howell's back in the BTC SEAT filling in for Oliver
- Allison's out of the Robertshaw Chevrolet - replacement unknown/none

In an all touring weekend (with DTM & WTCC on the same day) - going to be busy.

New spotters guide here

[banger_racer]

Is there any news on Xero or Team 48.
Personaly i dont think we will ever see team 48.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by banger_racer

Is there any news on Xero or Team 48.
Personaly i dont think we will ever see team 48.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67072

Pretty much confirms it. The spin is that they mmiigggghhttt be out in May, but what their really saying is that they're skint and need money desperately to race. If they'd found that money, we'd have heard about it by now.

I've also heard that they haven't even received the cars from A-Tech.

[redshoes]

I think we can forget Team L8.
Not so much haven't received the cars as hasn't even paid for them yet.

[Hazard]

Allison's seat won't be filled this weekend, so Robertshaw are down to the one Lacetti for Vaulkhard, and the Integra for Taylor.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Hazard

Allison's seat won't be filled this weekend, so Robertshaw are down to the one Lacetti for Vaulkhard, and the Integra for Taylor.

Would/could Robertshaw consider running Taylor in the 2nd Lacetti to improve their chances in the team's standings?

[redshoes]

A driver can only make one change of car (make/model) and continue to score points so if Taylor did move to the Lacetti he couldn't go back to the Integra if/when the team found a replacement driver (or Allison came back). Does Taylor even have the budget to drive the Lacetti, I imagine they would want more that he's paying for the Integra.

[BootsOntheSide]

I thought the Integra was owned by Taylor rather than Robertshaw anyway.

I suspect Team 48 always needed money, and only announced the entry in the hope of attracting more attention and playing a certain sympathy card when the money didn't turn up. The problem is, when drivers like Allison and Eoin Murray can't attract sponsorship to run with established teams, a bunch of newcomers has no realistic hope of attracting support.

[crmalcolm]

Shedden has had his time scrubbed for failing ride-height, then re-instated with the comment accident damage. Does anyone know what happened?

[Hazard]

Grid for Race 1

1 - Tom Onslow-Cole - VX Racing - Vauxhall Vectra - 1:17.165


2 - Fabrizio Giovanardi - VX Racing - Vauxhall Vectra - 1:17.425


3 - Gordon Shedden - Team Halfords - Honda Civic Type-S - 1:17.516


4 - Matt Neal - VX Racing - Vauxhall Vectra - 1:17.525


5 - Tom Chilton - Team Halfords - Honda Civic Type-S - 1:17.712


6 - Jason Plato - SEAT Sport UK - SEAT Leon TDI - 1:17.811


7 - Darren Turner - SEAT Sport UK - SEAT Leon TDI - 1:17.847


8 - Colin Turkington - Team RAC - BMW 320si E90 - 1:17.916


9 - Mike Jordan - John Guest Racing - Honda Integra Type-R - 1:18.150


10 - Andrew Jordan - John Guest Racing - Honda Integra Type-R - 1:18.280


11 - Adam Jones - Team Air Cool / GR Asia - SEAT Leon - 1:18.990


12 - Mat Jackson - BMW Dealer Team UK - BMW 320si E90 - 1:18.223


13 - Stephen Jelley - Team RAC - BMW 320si E90 - 1:18.517


14 - Steven Kane - Motorbase Performance - BMW 320si E90 - 1:19.316


15 - Harry Vaulkhard - Robertshaw Racing - Chevrolet Lacetti - 1:19.535


16 - Rob Collard - Motorbase Performance - BMW 320si E90 - 1:19.714


17 - Jason Hughes - Team KWR - MG-ZS / Honda Integra - 1:19.888


18 - John George - TH Motorsport - Honda Integra Type-R - 1:20.466


19 - Alan Taylor - Robertshaw Racing - Honda Integra Type-R - 1:20.495


20 - Erkut Kizilirmak - Arkas Racing - Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch - 1:20.556


21 - Gareth Howell - BTC Racing - SEAT Toledo - 1:20.572


22 - Michael Doyle - In-Tune Racing - Honda Civic Type-R - 1:20.804


23 - Martyn Bell - Arkas Racing - Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch - 1:21.584


24 - Chris Stockton - BTC Racing - SEAT Toledo - 1:21.595


Car graphics courtesy of Andy Blackmore Design

[crmalcolm]

Strong showing from the Vauxhalls and Civics, Leons a little bit off the pace. Not looking good for the BMWs so far.

[Sodemo]

Damn, the BMWs look slow.

[Ellmau]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Shedden has had his time scrubbed for failing ride-height, then re-instated with the comment accident damage. Does anyone know what happened?

failed the ride height test, just like Plato.

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by Ellmau

failed the ride height test, just like Plato.

Thankfully they check you mid qualifying and so they still have a chance to go out and set a second time with a fixed ride height.

Unlike poor Menu in the WTCC.

[Hubble]

Originally Posted by Ellmau

failed the ride height test, just like Plato.

I think perhaps crmalcolm was referring to the accident damage?

[redshoes]

The team successfully argued that the reason Shedden failed the ride height check was because the floor had been damaged when he went off at Church.

Originally Posted by Hazard

Unlike poor Menu in the WTCC.

Menu's wasn't checked until after the session had finished so he had no chance to go back out. BTCC also check some cars at the end of the session so if Plato hadn't been checked earlier he too would have lost all his times and been sent to the back.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Hazard

Thankfully they check you mid qualifying and so they still have a chance to go out and set a second time with a fixed ride height.

Unlike poor Menu in the WTCC.

I must say I much prefer how WTCC is doing this. To be allowed a second chanse to score a time if you have already been found to not comply seems weird to me.

That implies that you can deliberataly set it to low at the start, set a great qualifying lap, and then adjust the height for 2nd half of the session. And if by chanse you are unlucky enought to get caught with you pants down, you are still allowed to go out again and set a qualifying lap in the second half.

Then again, it does fit into the general BTCC way of management.

[gomick]

Thats another great qualifying run by Tom Onslow-Cole

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by gomick

Thats another great qualifying run by Tom Onslow-Cole

Having not watched the BTCC in a few years, I don't even know who 2/3rd's of the field even is and I thought Onslow-Cole was the "slow driver" for Team VXR but now I see he's the "future" of the team and has been very fast the last two meetings.

Yes its true I only knew -

Plato from his Willams-Renualt days

Giovanardi from his N-Tech/Alfa days in ETCC

and Tuner of course with AMR have run in the ALMS before and of course Le Mans with Prodrive since the F550s.

Of course I heard of Neal, Clinton, Turkington and Collard but that really is IT.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by stedevil

That implies that you can deliberataly set it to low at the start, set a great qualifying lap, and then adjust the height for 2nd half of the session. And if by chanse you are unlucky enought to get caught with you pants down, you are still allowed to go out again and set a qualifying lap in the second half.

Then again, it does fit into the general BTCC way of management

Change the record.

Surely the BTCC way means people are less likely to cheat because they are more likely to get found out.

In your example, if checks were only done at the end of the session, the illegal car would never getting picked up. The BTCC way means that if you set a quick time early on you are more likely to have the car checked during the session and therefore more likely to get caught.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Damn, the BMWs look slow.

It might not be all bad news for the BMWs. As Onslow-Cole has said, the FWD cars will have to 'wind back' their set-ups to keep the tyres over a race distance. This may bring them back into RWD-esque times, whereas the RWDs can presumably run closer to optimum trim in a race set-up.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by redshoes

In your example, if checks were only done at the end of the session

Were did you find me saying you should only check at the end?!?
I was talking about not being allowed to participate further and starting from the last place on the grid if at any time found to be in breach of the rules. If you are allowed 2nd chances, were is the deterrent?

The BTCC way means that if you set a quick time early on you are more likely to have the car checked during the session...

LOL? Are you now telling me that there is even a rule in BTCC to check top performers more often then the mid field? Why would a midfield or backmarker be less likely to have improper settings then a frontrunner?

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by stedevil

Were did you find me saying you should only check at the end?!?

here..

Originally Posted by stedevil

I must say I much prefer how WTCC is doing this.

Originally Posted by stedevil

LOL? Are you now telling me that there is even a rule in BTCC to check top performers more often then the mid field? Why would a midfield or backmarker be less likely to have improper settings then a frontrunner?

Where did I say that?
I'm saying that if any car, frontrunner or back-marker, puts in an unusually fast time then it is more likely to get pulled for a check. The race officials have a good idea of the relative performance of each car in the field and can spot when a laptime looks suspect.

[awrb]

I suppose the reason the BTCC does let people have a 'second chance' in qualifying is because there isn't a lot of cheating in the BTCC, so they don't want to come down harsh on a team who made a simple mistake with the car and set it just too low.

And no one wants to see the title race ruined because of a simple mistake by the team. It's like when a car's made to do a drive through because the team wasn't off the grid quick enough, it seems totally unfair to punish the driver.

[btcckid]

quite a dull first race-shame for shedden though-looking forward to the next races!