BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by ScottS

A few nuggets of information got released from Croft.

• PMR got a slight boost increase which translates into anyone with a TOCA engine has got a slight boost increase. TOCA look back on the first half of the season and work out if any equalisation needs to take place and in this case the TOCA engine benefit from this.
• Excelr8 are running a new boot lid to redistribute some of the weight to different places on the car.
• I think it was also mentioned that the Toyota team are running a new exhaust on their cars.

In addition (apologies if mentioned elsewhere) - the NAPA cars now have bolt-on wheel arch extensions.

[antnee]

Has the Toyota has some other changes too? I heard the mention about the exhaust but thought something else was said before that (which I missed)

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by tee.1s

We've seen it with hamilton at Mercedes (obviously a bigger case) but these contracts can always have stipulations which we the viewers are completely unaware of!

We've seen it with Cammish himself before......

[tocatrucky]

Originally Posted by antnee

Has the Toyota has some other changes too? I heard the mention about the exhaust but thought something else was said before that (which I missed)

Speedworks took about 25kg out of the car in general.

[Mondeo Man33]

EXCELR8 have just announced that they’ve parted ways with Ronan Pearson and will announce a replacement for Donington onwards.

A late return for Bobby T perhaps, sponsorship permitting?

[MarcusH26]

I know he's had a bad season bar Brands but I'm genuinely shocked by this. I thought he was seen as the future of the team along with Tingram but I guess it's got to work for his personal sponsors too.

Hoping for Bobby T but I guess that's unlikely if he's got to bring a budget. Senna Proctor maybe another candidate?

[Evantra]

Strange after semi-recently extending his deal another couple years. Even after the fairly disastrous season he’s had, you’d think you want to keep your seat in one of the top teams, but must be a lot going on behind the scenes.

Didn’t Thompson have something to do with their Repsol / Miller Oils sponsorship? Not that he’d be bringing in the funding now but could be some poetic justice.

Don’t know how much Macklin is independent or if it comes from Bristol Street’s pot, but maybe they’d want another Scottish driver.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Mondeo Man33

EXCELR8 have just announced that they’ve parted ways with Ronan Pearson and will announce a replacement for Donington onwards.

A late return for Bobby T perhaps, sponsorship permitting?

Has he settled the outstanding with WSR?

[touringlegend]

There was a press release before Knockhill that Macklin motors had upped their backing to allow Ronan to continue.. I thought it was pretty weirdly worded.

I think they took on his sunstrip which had been Excelr8 branded before.

The team isn’t the cheapest by all accounts but I wonder where the likes of Ronan would go next year.

[Mike Harte]

In hindsight, that announcement leading up to Knockhill may have been to ensure that Pearson was on the grid for Macklin's home round. The wording did seem to give the impression that funding was needed, even though it has been asserted on these pages that Pearson had sufficient funding. That doesn't seem to be the case any more.

[cameronpoe]

I think early August would be a payment milestone to fund final 3 weekends.. makes sense from what I saw on FR contracts back in day..

Tough sport really is .. hope he can keep up some momentum in his career.

[cameronpoe]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

In hindsight, that announcement leading up to Knockhill may have been to ensure that Pearson was on the grid for Macklin's home round. The wording did seem to give the impression that funding was needed, even though it has been asserted on these pages that Pearson had sufficient funding. That doesn't seem to be the case any more.

Potentially a Payment Milestone problem , shame, hope he can keep some momentum in his career.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Mondeo Man33

EXCELR8 have just announced that they’ve parted ways with Ronan Pearson and will announce a replacement for Donington onwards.

A late return for Bobby T perhaps, sponsorship permitting?

Shame to lose him as I thought he was (along with DeLeon) a potential star of the future in BTCC. Since his reverse grid win though, the results just haven't been great for whatever reason. It also all-but-confirms Mikey Doble as this year's Jack Sears Trophy champion (he's 90 points clear of 3rd-placed Osborne with 180 up for grabs, which is catchable, but it would rely on quite a bit of misfortune for Doble).

It will be very interesting to see tomorrow who replaces Pearson. I would like to see Zelos, especially now he's won the MINI JCW title again, but for whomever gets that seat I can't imagine it being cheap.

[Pickles]

I've read else that it definitely wasn't a budget issue for Pearson, which makes me think it's possibly more to do with the value for money they're getting from Excelr8 compared with the other drivers maybe? Had many a chat with one of their previous drivers who was also unhappy with how much they received, in fact he referred to them as Excelrape...

[Adamcas87]

Maybe feels he has fallen down pecking order as Chilton has stepped up abit more this year…..who knows

My bet would be Dan Zelos to replace him this weekend

[ScottS]

If I was a betting man, I'd be placing my bets on someone with a connection to Team Dynamics. But I normally loose when I bet so...

[MarcusH26]

Originally Posted by Pickles

I've read else that it definitely wasn't a budget issue for Pearson, which makes me think it's possibly more to do with the value for money they're getting from Excelr8 compared with the other drivers maybe? Had many a chat with one of their previous drivers who was also unhappy with how much they received, in fact he referred to them as Excelrape...

I think it's probably a situation where his personal sponsors got bored of the constant car issues he's seemingly had every week and they'd rather put the money towards a 2025 campaign somewhere else rather than another 3 weekends running down the back because he's had some issue in Qualy. I hope he's on the grid next season somewhere because I think the talent is there with him as a driver but for someone who signed a Multi-Year deal with the team I do wonder how it's all fallen apart.

[porsche962fan]

chance for Bobby T ?

[MarcusH26]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

chance for Bobby T ?

I'd love that but I don't know the ins and outs of what's going on with him and WSR and any owed monies or what exactly happened with that deal. If he's available and clear to race then I would expect him in with the links with Team Dynamics and Matt Neal too.

[Evantra]

https://btcc.net/dan-zelos-to-make-b...street-motors/

Dan Zelos in for Donington only. Well deserved!

[Robin Marriott]

About time tbh.

One advantage of a smaller grid is that when this happens, the debutant is in a car with good pace.

It’ll be interesting to see how he does.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Evantra

https://btcc.net/dan-zelos-to-make-b...street-motors/

Dan Zelos in for Donington only. Well deserved!

Excellent! It's great to finally see him on the BTCC grid. Realistic target for him is probably to out qualify Halstead and Sumpton and then have three race finishes, although he can probably achieve more than that!

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Evantra

https://btcc.net/dan-zelos-to-make-b...street-motors/

Dan Zelos in for Donington only. Well deserved!

That's an excellent choice, both for Dan and the team. Looking forward to seeing him out there

[S griffin]

While it’s a shame for Ronan, it’s nice that Dan Z’s finally been given the chance to race in the series

[Racing_Dad]

Originally Posted by MarcusH26

I hope he's on the grid next season somewhere because I think the talent is there with him as a driver but for someone who signed a Multi-Year deal with the team I do wonder how it's all fallen apart.

Indeed, I know he'd agreed an extension to his current deal until the end of 2026 only in June.