3 MG'S Confirmed for 2003 BTCC

Peter S · 28 Mar 2003, 16:54 (Ref:551282)

Mg have confirmed in todays press release that they will run three cars in 2003 for Hughes, Reid and Turkington!!

Good news!

Full story on www.crash.net

Sim_Da_BTCC_Man · 28 Mar 2003, 17:01 (Ref:551291)

Exelent news. That should bolster the grid. It will be close this season. MG, Honda and Vauxhall all chalenging and proberbly some suprises from proton.

**touringlegend** · 28 Mar 2003, 17:25 (Ref:551320)

Sim, no need to post a link again when there's already a relevant link to the same story on the same thread.

BootsOntheSide · 28 Mar 2003, 17:42 (Ref:551334)

It's a shame Gareth Howell hasn't got a drive, but Turkington came in with less experience and was doing at least as well by the end of the season, so I guess they chose right.

the king · 28 Mar 2003, 18:18 (Ref:551357)

Quote:

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
It's a shame Gareth Howell hasn't got a drive, but Turkington came in with less experience and was doing at least as well by the end of the season, so I guess they chose right.

They chose right because Colin has a big fat cheque in his hand and Gareth doesn't. Another example of money buying the seat, but good luck to Colin, I hope he does well. At least he has served an apprenticeship in the junior Formulas before he stepped up and has proven that he has talent as well as money.

McKay · 28 Mar 2003, 19:12 (Ref:551412)

i dont agree with buying drives. its like bennet. all these rich kids running around...

MichaelH · 28 Mar 2003, 19:30 (Ref:551424)

wha? Bennett was the revelation of the 2001 season! eh?

rdjones · 28 Mar 2003, 19:33 (Ref:551429)

That's really good news.

Les · 28 Mar 2003, 19:38 (Ref:551436)

Quote:

Originally posted by McKay
its like bennet. all these rich kids running around...

Phil - rich - give over

Craner Curves · 28 Mar 2003, 19:45 (Ref:551442)

Quote:

Originally posted by McKay
i dont agree with buying drives. its like bennet. all these rich kids running around...

Bennett is not rich. Far from it. And he never bought a drive, he helped Egg bring money to 888 in 2001 to get into the BTCC, then when he got the chance of a paid drive for Proton, jumped at it. Put it this way, if he was a rich kid, would he be instructing almost every day of the week and driving a Proton Impian 1.6 on the road?

Reido Rules · 28 Mar 2003, 19:48 (Ref:551447)

Phil, didn't pay for his drive with Vauxhall- he was prefferential to egg, due to him being a call centre man (I think) along with being 3rd in the Renault Spider cup, in a competitive year!

Phil, is being paid by Proton and is on a two year factory contract. Phil atleast is a decent guy, who tries hard, and is yet to embarras himself, yes you compare him to Lesie, I don't think that Thompson compares to him.

Turkington, certainly deserves to be there, Gareth Howell, for me is in the meh category, I think he's as good as he's going to get (many 'experts' in the sport agree), but Turkington was improving throughout last year, and could well get better- I good decision in my opinion.

**bella** · 28 Mar 2003, 20:05 (Ref:551467)

Quote:

Originally posted by McKay
i dont agree with buying drives.... all these rich kids running around...

oh look, someone doesn't know motorsport very well do they?

you buy drives everywhere. that's how a team runs a driver. the driver brings money, either in the form of cash or sponsors and the team can afford to run the car. no sponsors no motor car. sometimes the team have their own sponsors then they can afford to run a car for a good driver with no money, or make more profit from running someone with money.

from what it looks like, the 3rd mg drive will be effectively subsidising the other two. which is fair enough. in fact, colins drive might just pay the other two drivers wages.

Tim Harvey Fan · 28 Mar 2003, 20:54 (Ref:551515)

Who cares about drivers buying their seats? It doesn't make a big difference...money rules the world--get over it!

paulzinho · 28 Mar 2003, 20:55 (Ref:551520)

Shame about Gareth Howell, he helped out with the BUKC, the bugger even black flagged me!

Is there an official entry list anywhere? And will there be any privateer MG's?

kmchow · 28 Mar 2003, 21:00 (Ref:551525)

MG made the announcement. But did they say, they will field three cars FULL TIME? They can field 3 cars, but one on a part time basis????

Speeddemon555 · 28 Mar 2003, 21:21 (Ref:551536)

Looks like Vauxhall, Honda and MG with three works cars will have a big battle this year.

MichaelH · 28 Mar 2003, 21:28 (Ref:551539)

Turkington deserved it over Howell based on his performances last year...

Sim_Da_BTCC_Man · 28 Mar 2003, 21:37 (Ref:551545)

Im slightly worried about the funding of this. Hotwheels have alledgedly gone and MG cant realy afford it? Whos going to fund it all?

**touringlegend** · 28 Mar 2003, 22:28 (Ref:551611)

MG obviously Sim...

They do have a marketing department I believe, which should have x amount of ££ to spend every year. They may yet announce a sponsor, they allegedly were close to signing one but it didn't happen.

Hot Wheels are backing a car in the Seat Leon Championship this year interestingly.

kmchow · 28 Mar 2003, 23:09 (Ref:551649)

Wait, this isn't the Gareth Howell that was building a ST Mondeo for the BTCC was it?? What happened to him?

**touringlegend** · 28 Mar 2003, 23:34 (Ref:551676)

Different guy I'm afraid!

KPC · 29 Mar 2003, 07:58 (Ref:551880)

Three factory cars per team... sounds much like the final season of super Touring to me. Dwindle dwindle dwindle.

**touringlegend** · 29 Mar 2003, 08:31 (Ref:551895)

You have to remember that Chilton @ Honda, O'Neill @ Vauxhall and Turkington @ MG are all paying for or subsidising their drives though, so the manufacturers themselves are basically paying for a two car team.

Don't know why Proton has jumped on the bandwagon, maybe they are waiting and learning more before they take the task of another car on.

the king · 29 Mar 2003, 10:06 (Ref:551944)

Quote:

Originally posted by touringlegend
Hot Wheels are backing a car in the Seat Leon Championship this year interestingly.

And last year they backed James Courtney in F3 so who is to say that they won't be doing Seat Leon and MG this year?

Quote:

originally posted by Reido Rules Turkington, certainly deserves to be there, Gareth Howell, for me is in the meh category, I think he's as good as he's going to get (many 'experts' in the sport agree), but Turkington was improving throughout last year, and could well get better- I good decision in my opinion

Can you name these "experts" or are you just making it up? As far as I'm aware, he is very highly thought of around the paddock, as is Colin. There was absolutely nothing between them last year, Colin sometimes quicker, Gareth sometimes quicker. At the last 2 meetings, the point is that both of them were equally as quick as Reid and Hughes. As I have previously said, Colin was in the fortunate position to have found a sponsor and Gareth hasn't yet. What would be better, a works drive that you have paid £250k for or a free indy drive? Let's wait and see shall we?

speedy king · 29 Mar 2003, 13:47 (Ref:552115)

Why can't people just be happy for Colin? Everyone seems to jump at the chance of getting a good arguement about drivers who pay, and it is nearly always Chilton, Turkington and O'Neill who get the worst of the comments, are you fogetting that NEAL is paying, he paid last year, he was gonna pay to drive for Peugeot and he always has done and he is paying Honda as far as i know.

I'm just happy for all the drivers and i hope they do there best. Motorsport is expensive, we all know that.

I dont think we need another thread on argueing about drivers who pay.

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