[BTCC] BTCC 2022 season discussion, News and Rumours!

[Pdh]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Are all 4 TBLs being used by the Motorbase camp this season owned by MB Motorsport?

Motorbase own everything tbls, cars, equipment the lot

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by Pdh

Motorbase own everything tbls, cars, equipment the lot

Yep, MB just have the naming for their two cars. All staff, kit etc are from Motorbase (apart from the Comms/PR team from MB for their side).

[TR4racer]

Any new teams, drivers, cars under consideration or are you guys going to rehash the existing motley bunch?

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by TR4racer

Any new teams, drivers, cars under consideration or are you guys going to rehash the existing motley bunch?

I'm not currently aware of any new cars coming in, unless you count Suttons fictional new BMR/PMR built RWD machine.

[SR18]

How good is Harry King (especially after this season)? Could he head for BTCC?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by SR18

How good is Harry King (especially after this season)? Could he head for BTCC?

I think he's good enough for a BTCC drive, although his stock will have weakened a bit this year.

[crmalcolm]

In terms of drivers moving from Porsche to BTCC, Cammish had this to say:

"This is a hiatus for me in the BTCC, but it’s not the end.

“I’ll regroup, I’ll look at my options and come back stronger.”

If budget is not a factor (and it always is), I'm sure most teams would go for Cammish ahead of King based on Cammish's previous experience and 2021 performance.

[S griffin]

That does surprise me a little bit. Although he enjoyed himself at Thruxton with BTC racing, I got a little bit of an impression he was more happier to be back in Porsches. However I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder here

I'm not going to get my hopes too high for Dan to come back, there's a lot of factors that have to be in place for that to happen. But I agree, he would be an asset to any BTCC team and he has shown he has still got it. King is a star of the future, but I'm not sure where he sees himself long term

[Matt K]

I'd like to see King in the BTCC, there's kind of feeling BTCC hasn't had a 'new, promising young talent' for quite a while but somehow I doubt he'd be interested in pursuing touring car career.

I'd like to see Cammish back as well, he's been a quality driver in the field.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by TR4racer

Any new teams, drivers, cars under consideration or are you guys going to rehash the existing motley bunch?

Do you have examples of which teams, drivers or cars should be under consideration?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Matt K

I'd like to see King in the BTCC, there's kind of feeling BTCC hasn't had a 'new, promising young talent' for quite a while but somehow I doubt he'd be interested in pursuing touring car career.

I understand your point - and can see why there is that feeling. I think the recent past becomes distant memory too quickly though.

Lloyd was 18 when he made his debut in 2010, and Sutton of course was only 22 when he entered the series in 2016.

Although I do agree that there doesn't seem to be a regular flow of young drivers entering the BTCC - I wonder if that is in part down to the TBL requirements for teams to secure more stability in their drivers?

[antnee]

Originally Posted by Matt K

I'd like to see King in the BTCC, there's kind of feeling BTCC hasn't had a 'new, promising young talent' for quite a while but somehow I doubt he'd be interested in pursuing touring car career.

I'd like to see Cammish back as well, he's been a quality driver in the field.

Thats an interesting point - all of the people we consider the 'young guns', such as Hill, Moffat, Cook, Proctor, Goff, etc have all been in the championship for quite a while. Proctor is in his 5th season now. Bobby T has done 3 seasons now. Rowbottom seems to be doing the best out of the more recent debutantes, but he is now the wrong side of 30

[mprmke]

Originally Posted by antnee

Thats an interesting point - all of the people we consider the 'young guns', such as Hill, Moffat, Cook, Proctor, Goff

Sutton is younger than all of those apart from Moffat & Proctor. He's one of the "young guns", even though he's a double (probably soon to be triple) Champion.....

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I understand your point - and can see why there is that feeling. I think the recent past becomes distant memory too quickly though.

Lloyd was 18 when he made his debut in 2010, and Sutton of course was only 22 when he entered the series in 2016.

Although I do agree that there doesn't seem to be a regular flow of young drivers entering the BTCC - I wonder if that is in part down to the TBL requirements for teams to secure more stability in their drivers?

True but 2010 was over a decade ago and 2016 half a decade. In last 2-3 years there's been no 'young gun' who quickly became a contender. Yes, Rowbottom and Cammish but as Antnee rightly pointed out, they're not that young (in comparison to Sutton, Lloyd, Proctor etc in time when they entered). As you rightly notice, the drivers you've mentioned have been for quite a while.

It's be great to have a new exciting addition to the grid. I'd hoped Jack Mitchell would be more of a thing (not a title contender ofc) but I've been bitterly disappointed.

[AnnoyedMoose]

Youngsters these days are obsessed with F1. Are there any who see BTCC as something to aspire to?

[Matt K]

That's quite a point - answer would sadly be only few, I guess.

[medius]

Font forget there's a fair few race winning seat blockers clinging on to their drives, Chilton/Plato/Shedden/Neate//Ollie Jackson/Jelley/ATS who have l been around since S2000 days and arguably are beyond their prime. That's a quarter of the grid who basically pay a large chunk who contributed to the team existing as a whole. Newcomers would have to make up the shortfall if they left on top of learning the craft.

If say many younger drivers look to GT racing rather than touring cars to earn a living racing.

Max Coates a notable exception. Add him and Graves Motorsport to the maybe pile for 2022.

[aland]

Originally Posted by medius

Font forget there's a fair few race winning seat blockers clinging on to their drives, Chilton/Plato/Shedden/Neate//Ollie Jackson/Jelley/ATS who have l been around since S2000 days and arguably are beyond their prime. That's a quarter of the grid who basically pay a large chunk who contributed to the team existing as a whole. Newcomers would have to make up the shortfall if they left on top of learning the craft.

If say many younger drivers look to GT racing rather than touring cars to earn a living racing.

Max Coates a notable exception. Add him and Graves Motorsport to the maybe pile for 2022.

classic case beeing jonny adam, paid for a btcc drive after success in support races, didnt work out then got the brit gt drive with andrew howard and has not looked back, multiple brit gt champion, class winner at le mans, races what aston martin tells him, trousers a good salary, doesnt have to worry about finding a budget each year

[porsche962fan]

or Rob Collard who is better off in GT ?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

or Rob Collard who is better off in GT ?

I think the difference in the context of the conversation so far has been that Adam did one year in BTCC around the age of 25, and then moved discipline to GT.
Collard was 51 before moving to GT, having made his debut in BTCC at the age of 31. I don't think Collard has ever been considered a 'new, promising young talent' in either category?

Unless you are referring to Ricky's entry in 2018? AFAIK, both of them have only had one full season in GT against which to judge their success?

[aland]

i remember chatting with jonny back in 2010 at knockhill along with phil dryburgh a gentleman gt racer, i said to jonny "sorry mate you are not a btcc driver, you are too nice, well apart from nerfing plato. You get in front and run away, mind oulton 06 when you won by 5 seconds over jacko and blencowe, your a effin gt racer mate.." phil turned round and held out his hand to me, "your effin right big man, tie i made some calls"...

i am not going to be egotistical and say the rest is history but a seed was sown that day

[auroan]

Originally Posted by medius

Font forget there's a fair few race winning seat blockers clinging on to their drives, Chilton/Plato/Shedden/Neate//Ollie Jackson/Jelley/ATS who have l been around since S2000 days and arguably are beyond their prime. That's a quarter of the grid who basically pay a large chunk who contributed to the team existing as a whole. Newcomers would have to make up the shortfall if they left on top of learning the craft.

If say many younger drivers look to GT racing rather than touring cars to earn a living racing.

Max Coates a notable exception. Add him and Graves Motorsport to the maybe pile for 2022.

It's not happening in 22. They are running in the mini challenge again and waiting for the first year of hybrids to run through. One of their mechanics ran me in PBMW when I competed against Dave Graves.

[AnnoyedMoose]

Originally Posted by auroan

It's not happening in 22. They are running in the mini challenge again and waiting for the first year of hybrids to run through. One of their mechanics ran me in PBMW when I competed against Dave Graves.

That's a mistake in my eyes if that's what they're doing. I don't see the sense in giving everyone else a year of understanding the hybrid. Surely it's better to come in when everyone has got something to learn?

[auroan]

Originally Posted by AnnoyedMoose

That's a mistake in my eyes if that's what they're doing. I don't see the sense in giving everyone else a year of understanding the hybrid. Surely it's better to come in when everyone has got something to learn?

Available cars, available tbls, money and skills all come into play. You've got to realise Graves were running club level racers not that long ago and this is their first year in top level mini challenge. Do you honestly think it's a good idea to go straight into the absolute top of UK touring cars unprepared. They've never run a normal btcc car let alone a hybrid.

[AnnoyedMoose]

Originally Posted by auroan

Available cars, available tbls, money and skills all come into play. You've got to realise Graves were running club level racers not that long ago and this is their first year in top level mini challenge. Do you honestly think it's a good idea to go straight into the absolute top of UK touring cars unprepared. They've never run a normal btcc car let alone a hybrid.

Ok but everything I read and heard said they were coming in next season. If money has dried up, a TBL is no longer available or a car that was available suddenly isn't then fair enough but if they've just decided to wait another year because of the hybrid coming in that's a mistake as far as I'm concerned.