DTC 2009 thread News, rumours, stories..

[awrb]

I think its a bit harsh to say the BTCC's lost the plot. Britain has been one of the worst affected countries in recent the financial crisis, and the BTCC has suffered because of that. Less money means less cars out, but thats the way it's going to go. there's still a lot of quality entries, and while I'm not an expert on DTC, the British series is very professionally run, and I feel, light years ahead of DTC.

[werner]

Jimmy Magnusson: The way yellow flags are used bugs me too. Like when Jens Møller ended up in the gravel last race at Jyllandsringen - they hung out the yellow flag for a few laps, and then withdrew it. Without doing anything about the car. Either the car is in a dangerous place or not! I know the logic is to inform the drivers of the danger, but that's completely the wrong way to go about it. From thereon overtaking moves were again allowed in that corner, and just because there wasn't a disaster doesn't mean it's OK. I've seen this happen in the STCC too - off the top of my head Stippler's Audi was left in the gravel a season or so back because they failed to extract it! And the whole saftey car mess at Falkenberg last year, and not just during the STCC race. I was there, and it was embarrasingly bad.

Have you not seen the BTCC-weekend at Donnnington Park 2007?

@ awrb: England may be hit harder in the crisis, but ist is still a country 12 times larger than Denmark, with a large heritage, and lot's of fantastic tracks.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Yes, there is a lot of contact in the BTCC. But the racing there is so close, and so competitive...

What you call close racing is obviously what I call demolition derby and underhand tactics of deliberately pushing people off track that you can't beat in a fair way. I guess there will always be a category of viewers that likes the "strongest" driver to win. Personally I prefer the most skilled driver to win instead of them constantly ending up in the gravel because of lesser drivers knowing that is their only option to finished ahead.

I don't know what your beef with the randomized reversed grid is, though. For me it's the greatest application of the reversed grid system so far, as it kills the tactical driving that the system sometimes generates.

I don't really mind the tombola part myself. But it's not really giving a professional glow to things IMO, and your main point is how superiorly professional BTCC is. The Argeninean system of dropping top 6 12-2 places back would IMO be a better way to handle not only 2nd races, but the entire successbalast issue and grid after qualifying. IMO that would be a much more professional way to handle it and something all previously mentioned TCC could learn from.

...but how Björk can escape penalty for that and Rosenblad not for his incident is very strange.

I agree that Rosenblads penalty was very strange. No beef with me there. It had dire consequences, but I saw now foul play there what so ever. But I have seen an enormous amount of foul play simply being turned a blind eye to in BTCC.

Eg the on track penalism like we saw last year when, after Turkington had shoved 5(!!!) cars off track in 1 single race, 3 of the guys being pushed off deliberately slammed into Turkington as they later repassed him. When drivers have to resort to on track penalism, because the official just doesnt give a **** about how drivers behave, it is IMO a disgrace.

To call THAT professional... that's at best a really good joke. In fact I would say it's the complete and utter lack of professionalism by the officials.

And as for weird penalties... I would say BTCC has a fair share of those too. Deliberatly slamming into others and pushing them off track doesnt get penalized... but god forbid if your team gets off the grid 30s too late. Then you get sent to the back of the grid even if you stood on the first row.

and do note how often people involved in contact there are not put out of the race, as is often the case over here

You are joking, no? On average there are far far more cars not finishing races in BTCC due to contact than eg STCC. And when they dont finish in eg STCC most times it's because the car getting stuck in a gravel pit. And hands down, BTCC do IMO have better tracks than STCC & DTC, one of the reasons being them not having needless gravelpits all over the place (so cars pushed off have a higher chance of rejoining instead of getting stuck in sand not needed in the first place). But that is neither driver nor marshal professionalism related.

Either the car is in a dangerous place or not!

Yupp, but the skills and professionalism of marshalls vary a fair bit from track to track, and even from individual to individual. And you will never ever convince me that not 100% perfect flag waving is less professional than marshals headlessly rushing out right in front of a whole incoming field of cars in horrible weather conditions. It almost got some BTCC marshals killed last year as the next car (un)surprisingly came crashing into the 1 already standing there. How is that more professional than your "horrible" STCC and DTC examples? That was literally inches from a fatal accident. Professional? Not in my book...

And BTW... today I saw F1 screw up the safety car release in Australia (adding 2-3 laps because they didnt manage to properly get infront of car #1, but only #2 and had to let the whole field past and drive around until everyone had caught up again). If the top pros can get it wrong like that, I think it's acceptable that a local TCC on a club track can make a mistake or two as well...

And the format in DTC isn't very good, either. The races are shorter than 15 minutes! If you blink or look down at your food you're bound to miss half of the race. On a BTCC weekend you get actual racing for 60 minutes plus in total

Ehhh... BTCC races are not 20+minutes... (of course, with the horrendous amature driving, there usually are several SC periods and lots of laps added). But please don't say that you LIKE to see cars going round round behind a SC... thats not really racing, is it... Without SC periods BTCC is quite close to DTC 15min per race.

That half of the season is run at one track (Jyllandsringen) bugs me a bit too - I know there's harldy an abundance of tracks in Denmark but with four to choose from they could at least mix it up a bit.

Indeed. One of the main reasons I think a merging of DTC and STCC would be good would be that it would add more tracks in total with a lot less repeating of tracks for both championships, especially DTC. BTCC is clearly ahead in that area, in some cases even ahead of WTCC (where I passionately hate the street tracks where passing is nigh impossible... why they dont just hand out the points after Saturday qualifying on some of them is beyond me).

[Alfa Fan]

stedevil for some reason you have it in for the BTCC, but can I just point out the races are usually 20-25 minutes each, without safety car.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Alfa Fan

stedevil for some reason you have it in for the BTCC,

That is unfortunately the reaction of far too many people on this forum when anybody sais anything other than that BTCC is the best motorsport series on the planet.

[Aslak Vind]

Michel Nykjær with Chevrolet:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3308

Jan Magnussen confirms 2009 entry:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3309

Things are beginning to look bright

[Robbe]

Magnussen, Lundgaard, Nykjær, Elgaard, Nielsen, Thompson - maybe the quantity is missing but the quality is definately there.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Robbe

Magnussen, Lundgaard, Nykjær, Elgaard, Nielsen, Thompson - maybe the quantity is missing but the quality is definately there.

Thompson, now fully concentrating on DTC, and Nykjaer finally back in a FWD both for sure are going to make Magnussen have to work really hard for keeping his title. And the other 3 just need a little bit luck to be in position to steal it way from the "top 3". Will definitly be a season to follow

Will there be a good way to follow it online this year?

[Aslak Vind]

Yet another launch this morning:

Martin Marrill in Seat Leon

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3310

Last year he drove an ex-Cecotto BMW 320i STW in the Danish SSC Series, after debuting on circuitracing in the ADAC VW Polo Cup. He is a former Danish rally vicechampion.

Last year you could follow the series via a videofeed online, but I am not sure if this will carry on this year.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

Last year you could follow the series via a videofeed online, but I am not sure if this will carry on this year.

Please keep us up to date on that matter here or on TCT

[JMeissner]

Thompson gets a Clio Cup champ as team mate:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3336

[Craig]

Is the Copenhagen event definately on? I seem to be spending an increasing amount of time in Copenhagen of late... and I get back from holiday a few days before the 2nd August...

[Aslak Vind]

Yes, the DTC event in Copenhagen is a stated fact, the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix is on every first weekend in August.

And this year we will guest the event with DTC cars, my teams included. Please feel free to drop by.

[Aslak Vind]

Exclusive pics from the first test weekend at FDM Jyllandsringen, provided by Kim Gripping of Gripping Media.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3414

[Craig]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

Yes, the DTC event in Copenhagen is a stated fact, the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix is on every first weekend in August.

And this year we will guest the event with DTC cars, my teams included. Please feel free to drop by.

Unfortunately we had to change the dates of our holiday by a few days due to issues getting us on our first choice flights. Shame as I could easily have walke to the event from the g/fs apartment. Not sure she would have joined me though: "Oh, god! Yes, I know all about THOSE cars, all they do is go up and down all day going brraaaaaahhhh... I have to keep my windows closed all weekend" Not sure she understands! haha

[Craig]

I hear it's been canned now anyway. Shame really.

[jim1234]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

Hi guys,

considering that we have several international drivers in the DTC, I thought that I would lanch a DTC 2009 thread

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=2890

The DTC 2009 calendar has just been launched, in a draft version.

That's a very great idea !!!