[BTCC] BTCC News & Rumours 2025

[mick bennett]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Too expensive to buy and to replace the batteries when they are expired, nowhere to store/ or destroy the expired batteries without pollution, which is ironic when they were sold as non polluting vehicles..

[porsche962fan]

^ also increased tires usage due to higher weight which makes again for more costs

[cameronpoe]

Seen a lot of Nick over many years .. whatever way you cut , carve and shape it . The lad is an inspirational character..

[cameronpoe]

Wrong thread .. useless

[hen henths]

I am also surprised they are dropping the hybrid so soon, right after they seemed to have it working well in terms of the racing. Must admit I am somewhat sceptical about these sustainable fuels as well.

[JDMROB]

Great news dropping the hybrid. Zero need for it in British touring cars. Sustainable fuel is all that’s needed to keep the lefties happy.

[coffinpilot]

If any of you like hybrid, don't worry, it's coming to TCR in 2026 (personally I doubt that it will, and if it does it won't come to the UK I reckon.)
TCR announced synthetic fuel for next year a couple of days back (again probably just for WTCR) so they beat BTCC at something by a couple of days!!

[AJD]

Can't wait to see what the complaint is for this coming season now hybrid has gone.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

If any of you like hybrid, don't worry, it's coming to TCR in 2026 (personally I doubt that it will, and if it does it won't come to the UK I reckon.)
TCR announced synthetic fuel for next year a couple of days back (again probably just for WTCR) so they beat BTCC at something by a couple of days!!

you forgot that btcc has already been using it in some races this year

[TinTopGrumpy]

Originally Posted by mick bennett

Too expensive to buy and to replace the batteries when they are expired, nowhere to store/ or destroy the expired batteries without pollution, which is ironic when they were sold as non polluting vehicles..

People are so out of touch. EV batteries are in big demand for off grid storage when they fall to the 70% level which is when people generally replace them for vehicle use. It's been possible to recycle them for quite a few years now as well.

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

If any of you like hybrid, don't worry, it's coming to TCR in 2026 (personally I doubt that it will, and if it does it won't come to the UK I reckon.)
TCR announced synthetic fuel for next year a couple of days back (again probably just for WTCR) so they beat BTCC at something by a couple of days!!

DeLeon ran the whole Silverstone and Brands GP meeting using the fuel.

[BrakeDiegoBrake]

I had an interesting chat on the phone with an ex-team boss last night while dodging Trick-or-Treaters at the door, according to this knowledgeable fellow...

The hybrid system was originally introduced specifically because a French manufacturer was expressing strong interest since 2018 enter (through its dealer network) on the basis that hybrid was allowed in the championship, the pandemic shelved that and now said Manufacturer has completely abandoned the idea to enter entirely. So no need for hybrid as no other manufacturer has showed interest.

[Protonman]

If as many suggest teams were struggling to reach budgets due to the cost of hybrid then it makes sense to drop it. If the current teams all remain and we add the potential for extra cars from PMR WSR and unlimited then we are already close to the limit entry wise with possibly room for one new team or two single car entries should some choose that route . My only concern is that the racing stays as good as this year. Every team as capable of front running pace and the gap between front and bottom of the grid has seldom been smaller . If Hybrid contributed towards this in any way or we see the sort of processions seen in other formulas then it will be the series loss.

[BobJones]

Ditching hybrid feels like a retrograde step to appease existing parties but to the detriment of new manufacturer support.

Mind you, works teams are but a rose-tinted pipe dream.

[antnee]

Getting rid of the hybrid seems a backward step to me. They should have been looking at following a similar route to F1 where the electrical system is getting more power and capacity over the years and reducing the power needed from the combustion engine.

I get a feeling, that the decision is more related to the system not really delivering the intended design (pit lane on electric, etc) rather than it 'not being needed' - however that sort of knowledge will never become public

[auroan]

I'm glad the hybrid is gone. It was a green washing gimmick that only offered extra weight, complexity and cost.

This is racing. It's never going to be green. The fuel approach is much better IMHO, BTCC might be the pinnacle motorsports championship in the UK but it's not a manufacturer championship now and was getting silly budgets wise.

[mick bennett]

Anything that reduces costs are vital to the BTCC, otherwise it will be gone as we know it.

[porsche962fan]

now I remember that a driver (Sutton ? ) said in interview something like that cars have to be reengineered next year, guess this what he meant

Hybrid essentially a failed and over-expensive experiment to say the least if you can get same results via temporary extra boost much cheaper and simpler

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

you forgot that btcc has already been using it in some races this year

The point I was making was that a public announcement trumped the BTCC in confirming all cars next year will run on the fuel. TCR can say they were first in that sense - but I bet most of the regional championships will still run on normal race fuel. Including UK.

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by mick bennett

Anything that reduces costs are vital to the BTCC, otherwise it will be gone as we know it.

Agreed - but what are the top teams doing this winter? Working on a redistribution of weight... and that's £££..

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by auroan

I'm glad the hybrid is gone. It was a green washing gimmick that only offered extra weight, complexity and cost.

This is racing. It's never going to be green. The fuel approach is much better IMHO, BTCC might be the pinnacle motorsports championship in the UK but it's not a manufacturer championship now and was getting silly budgets wise.

They still will be...

[TinTopGrumpy]

The hybrid was a cost but far from the highest cost for each car. It's not as the budgets will fall from 500k to 300k. I'd be surprised if it dropped the amount a team is asking for by more than 25k.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by TinTopGrumpy

The hybrid was a cost but far from the highest cost for each car. It's not as the budgets will fall from 500k to 300k. I'd be surprised if it dropped the amount a team is asking for by more than 25k.

It certainly didn’t cost £25k to run the hybrid. Probably twice that

[Andrew Abbott]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

EV is a big scam, also people don't realize that in few years batteries are gone and replacement are too expensive or outright impossible on newer models which makes 2nd hand market pretty much nonexistent making EV cars just something for the rich , maybe that's the real agenda sugar coted as green alternative

FWIW we have an EV and its fantastic. Very quiet, too, which means not annoying the neighbours when returning late at night, or when I put my foot down to get up to speed when pulling away from junctions. Plus, I know it's doing a tiny little bit to improve air quality in the villages and towns around where I live.

[porsche962fan]

^ good for you

but nobody should try to shove it down the throat to others who aren't convinced by them

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by Andrew Abbott

FWIW we have an EV and its fantastic. Very quiet, too, which means not annoying the neighbours when returning late at night, or when I put my foot down to get up to speed when pulling away from junctions. Plus, I know it's doing a tiny little bit to improve air quality in the villages and towns around where I live.

That reminds me, time to get my hands on a Scooby with a bottle rocket exhaust - with the way my neighbours are, I'd love to wake them at 4am on a Sunday morning!

I'm a PHEV guy. Best of all worlds - apart from the car having a Toyota badge - I wonder if those Lexus grilles can be mounted on the front, same car after all!!