[BTCC] BTCC News & Rumours 2025

[porsche962fan]

^ I remember some here were very enthusiastic about it when announced

[aland]

btcc drivers to race f1 stock cars at skegvegas this saturday...https://briscaf1.com/2024/11/12/2024...7sYhxZSFKodPpA

[thetool]

Ryan Bensley's been rather elevated in status!

[AJD]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

^ I remember some here were very enthusiastic about it when announced

How dare they!!!!!!

Since the super tourer era ended we all MUST complain and moan over every single new thing that's brought into the championship.

Motoring and Motorsport is changing, the entire world is changing. Doesn't hurt sometimes to try and get on board with it all and go along for the ride.

Sometimes it's for the better some times it isn't but the series can't just stand still they've got to try things to keep it relevant and fresh.

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by AJD

Motoring and Motorsport is changing, the entire world is changing. Doesn't hurt sometimes to try and get on board with it all and go along for the ride

hype come and go , smart people don't blindly follow them

remember the self driving cars hype a few years ago, now hardly anyone talks about it

[AJD]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

hypes come and go , smart people don't blindly follow them

remember the self driving cars hype a few years ago, now hardly anyone talks about it

What on earth has self driving cars got to do with this?

[porsche962fan]

an example of hype coming and going

[AJD]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

an example of hype coming and going

It never came to Motorsport. So I'm lost off.

Turbo charging engines was hype that came and hasnt left.

Like I said in the original post some of it's for the better and some isn't. We never know until we try.

Evolution, innovation, something new. Try it sometime you might suprise yourself.

[auroan]

Originally Posted by AJD

It never came to Motorsport. So I'm lost off.

Turbo charging engines was hype that came and hasnt left.

Like I said in the original post some of it's for the better and some isn't. We never know until we try.

Evolution, innovation, something new. Try it sometime you might suprise yourself.

Turbo charging is a weird analogy to use. It was never hype, as it actually had a use and an impact. Smaller capacity engines with greater power.

Where as hybrid and EVs in racing is hype as they have to artificially change things to suit, which has only ever brought in more costs.... with very little impact.

Take Discovery sports attempt with eTCR or the exact fact that hybrid is being dropped in btcc and wrc.

[AJD]

Originally Posted by auroan

Turbo charging is a weird analogy to use. It was never hype, as it actually had a use and an impact. Smaller capacity engines with greater power.

Where as hybrid and EVs in racing is hype as they have to artificially change things to suit, which has only ever brought in more costs.... with very little impact.

Take Discovery sports attempt with eTCR or the exact fact that hybrid is being dropped in btcc and wrc.

Hell of a lot less weird than using driverless cars as an analogy for hype.

Hybrid was brought in as it was on the agenda for the vast majority of manufacturers and their road vehicles. Like I keep saying again and again. Like it or not the series needs to try different things to try and entice these manufacturers back to the table.

Sometimes it's successful, sometimes it isn't. But to ridicule people for being enthusiastic about a change that's trying to evolve and push the series in a direction that the hierarchy think is for the better is frankly short sighted and a bit pathetic.

Much like when we came out of the super tourers the costs are getting out of control and they need to reign it in. There's a fine line between using technology or "hype" to stay relevant with the direction manufacturers are heading and the cost to the teams.

We've got to realise when they're making these changes to the regulations they're trying to balance the teams opinions, the cost and the fans opinions. Very rarely are they going to strike lucky and please all parties.

[AJD]

Anyway I'm typing way too much about something that isn't even going to be part of next season in a thread that's about rumours for next season so I'll leave it there.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

^ I remember some here were very enthusiastic about it when announced

And what is wrong with that?

There is no reason someone shouldn't be enthusiastic about a change the series is introducing in the hope that it might form part of an entertaining rule set, or keep the series in a healthy position for entrants to participate.

Sometimes these things work out, sometimes they don't.

Every good thing that BTCC has done, and every less successful thing, will have had people who thought it was a good idea at the time, and some who think it was a bad idea.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

And what is wrong with that?

There is no reason someone shouldn't be enthusiastic about a change the series is introducing in the hope that it might form part of an entertaining rule set, or keep the series in a healthy position for entrants to participate.

Sometimes these things work out, sometimes they don't.

Every good thing that BTCC has done, and every less successful thing, will have had people who thought it was a good idea at the time, and some who think it was a bad idea.

^^^ This.

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by auroan

Where as hybrid and EVs in racing is hype as they have to artificially change things to suit, which has only ever brought in more costs....

On a BTCC page. Plenty of things artificially changed in BTCC to keep the playing field 'level' with more to come in future years that we haven't even considered yet.

I get the dislike of hybrid and EV racing, I really do, it does nothing for me, but when it comes to my favourite types of racing, like various touring car championships and even F1 (shhh!!), I feel like it's living in glass houses with that view!

[FIRE]

Hybrid cars a hype.

LOL

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

And what is wrong with that?

There is no reason someone shouldn't be enthusiastic about a change the series is introducing in the hope that it might form part of an entertaining rule set, or keep the series in a healthy position for entrants to participate.

Sometimes these things work out, sometimes they don't.

Every good thing that BTCC has done, and every less successful thing, will have had people who thought it was a good idea at the time, and some who think it was a bad idea.

did Hybrid bring more interest in series ???


did hybrid bring costs down ???


did hybrid provide more exiting racing ??? here only marginal if the same results can be achieved with temporary higher boost , so much much cheaper without rebuilding the car


so if you have a big NO too all questions you can see it was a conceptually flawed idea from the get go and everyone who applies some critical thinking could realize this instead of hey look the new thing the powers decided let's get exited about it

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

did Hybrid bring more interest in series ???


did hybrid bring costs down ???


did hybrid provide more exiting racing ??? here only marginal if the same results can be achieved with temporary higher boost , so much much cheaper without rebuilding the car


so if you have a big NO too all questions you can see it was a conceptually flawed idea from the get go and everyone who applies some critical thinking could realize this instead of hey look the new thing the powers decided let's get exited about it

'Hindsight is wonderful - it's easy to tell everyone else you were smarter than them when hindsight is on your side.'

'View things with hindsight - instead of beating up on things because hindsight tells us it was a mistake, breathe and ask the question "what did we learn from that?"'

[PeterY]

Hybrid has been tried - clearly not an overall success or it would have been kept going forward. Someone has spotted an area that is more suitable which needs to be trialled and looked as the next technology breakthrough to keep people racing.
There is no point sticking to one route once something that could be a better more reliable, cost effective solution comes to light and is achievable.

[auroan]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

did Hybrid bring more interest in series ???


did hybrid bring costs down ???


did hybrid provide more exiting racing ??? here only marginal if the same results can be achieved with temporary higher boost , so much much cheaper without rebuilding the car


so if you have a big NO too all questions you can see it was a conceptually flawed idea from the get go and everyone who applies some critical thinking could realize this instead of hey look the new thing the powers decided let's get exited about it

Which is exactly why I see/saw it as hype, after applying critical thinking.

hype

noun
extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion.

^ Exactly what hybrid "offered" to the BTCC

[AJD]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

did Hybrid bring more interest in series ???


did hybrid bring costs down ???


did hybrid provide more exiting racing ??? here only marginal if the same results can be achieved with temporary higher boost , so much much cheaper without rebuilding the car


so if you have a big NO too all questions you can see it was a conceptually flawed idea from the get go and everyone who applies some critical thinking could realize this instead of hey look the new thing the powers decided let's get exited about it

I don't know if it did bring more interest to the series and neither do you.

Nobody for once said that hybrid was meant to make it cheaper.

Again I don't know where you're going with this.

I get it. We all get it. You didn't like hybrid. In fact you go on like you don't like the series full stop.

The point in hybrid was to try and entice some manufacturer backing back in. It didn't work on that front and it's ended up being too expensive for the teams and we were at risk of losing teams therefore they've re-evaluated and gone with the turbo boost increase which I can't believe I'm saying this I agree with you fully. On paper is a much better solution to keeping the boost element but at a lower cost.

[MarcusH26]

It will be interesting to see when the TBLs are released how it all shakes out and if the loss of hybrid has made any kind of difference to interest? I assume any teams that applied to join in July with the expression of interest would have known this was coming.

Loss of hybrid obviously hasn't bothered whoever Alliance are bringing to the championship next season too

[AJD]

Originally Posted by MarcusH26

It will be interesting to see when the TBLs are released how it all shakes out and if the loss of hybrid has made any kind of difference to interest? I assume any teams that applied to join in July with the expression of interest would have known this was coming.

Loss of hybrid obviously hasn't bothered whoever Alliance are bringing to the championship next season too

It'll certainly make it easier for smaller start up teams to get involved having lost the cost of the hybrid unit.

It remains to be seen if the established teams will drop the price theyre asking for drivers to bring.

Whether either of these things happen remains to be seen.

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by AJD

It'll certainly make it easier for smaller start up teams to get involved having lost the cost of the hybrid unit.

It remains to be seen if the established teams will drop the price theyre asking for drivers to bring.

Whether either of these things happen remains to be seen.

Well from the drivers I’ve spoken to, seat prices have gone up not down! Some are finding it harder to find the extra required.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by TinTopGrumpy

Interesting insight from ATS recently. He has over 30 sponsors to get his car on the grid. People talk about "a" sponsor when for the majority of the drivers it's far more complex than that.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CtbjJn7ba/

53 sponsors on a car!

[RacingMaverick]

Originally Posted by Jiiiiiiim

Well from the drivers I’ve spoken to, seat prices have gone up not down! Some are finding it harder to find the extra required.

I imagine Cosworth had to be bought out of the contract so the teams 2025 budget expectations won't reduce.

It's looking already like quite a different landscape to the grid in 2025.