[BTCC] Thruxton Rounds 10-12

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I don’t know why this seems to happen so frequently in motorsport. You never hear about a football team (or another sport?) having to pull a sponsor due to them not paying…?

Guess bigger money and bigger exposure = bigger commitment.
Apart from BTCC, which is semi-amateur championship, it also doesn't happen so frequently in more professional championships like NASCAR, DTM, let alone F1.

[TyH]

Apparently Rory Butcher is down at Thruxton. Not sure whether that has anything to do with this mysterious familiar face everyone’s talking about or whether he’s just there helping a team. Seems a hell of a long way to travel down for no reason though ?

[MarcusH26]

Originally Posted by TyH

Apparently Rory Butcher is down at Thruxton. Not sure whether that has anything to do with this mysterious familiar face everyone’s talking about or whether he’s just there helping a team. Seems a hell of a long way to travel down for no reason though ?

Seems very odd for Butcher to be at Thruxton just to show his face around the paddock.

[Thundersports]

Originally Posted by MarcusH26

Seems very odd for Butcher to be at Thruxton just to show his face around the paddock.

He's racing an Elan at Silverstone this weekend.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by MarcusH26

Seems very odd for Butcher to be at Thruxton just to show his face around the paddock.

hes a driver coach for some drivers in the support races

[TinTopGrumpy]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I don’t know why this seems to happen so frequently in motorsport. You never hear about a football team (or another sport?) having to pull a sponsor due to them not paying…?

Could it be that you're more focused on motorsport than other sports so you don't notice them? Certainly the case for me.

A few google searches show quite a few cases of the same thing happening in other sports but I don't recall ever reading about them at the time.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by MarcusH26

Seems very odd for Butcher to be at Thruxton just to show his face around the paddock.

It's how business is done, unfortunately. Gotta be at the circuit.

I'm no businessman, but I was struggling to get sales for my motorsport based app. As soon as I got into the British GT paddock through a lucky break I've had a lot more success and useful business contacts.

Being in the paddock gets you a lot more opportunities than email and phone calls.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

hes a driver coach for some drivers in the support races

Yes, Butcher's been a pro-driver for William Paul in historic racing so presumably is coaching him now in PCCGB.

[Protonman]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Thompson out…

“Unfortunately, due to financial complexities outside of WSR’s and Bobby Thompson’s control, it will not be possible this weekend to run the #19 BMW that was driven to a superb podium finish at Snetterton.

WSR continue to work hard with the team’s commercial partners to put Bobby back in the BMW as soon as possible.”

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2024...-btcc-weekend/

This is truly horrible unwanted news. He would have had full hybrid and his press on style would have thrown a few spanner’s into the work. The fact the car had what appeared a high profile but solo sponsor was always a bit concerning and now appears to have been too fanciful . Cannot see others emerging so guess it will only amount to guest appearances for rest of season but other teams may object if it takes points from them and favours Hill and Turkington .

[Protonman]

Early practice promises much . As some predicted front wheel drive marginally quicker with Ingram and Sutton to the fore but Hill and Morgan are close behind. The new qualifying format gives them slight edge due to being able to go for it from off with no tyre swaps . Turkington is midway but Toyotas seem a bit low . Sandbagging maybe of perhaps slightly less slippery shape hinders them . The Vauxhalls are the red herrings and ATS may provide a shock .

[Sodemo]

I don’t understand how the qualifying works, anyone care to knowledge me?

[SV8Predator]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I don’t understand how the qualifying works, anyone care to knowledge me?

https://www.barc.net/btcc-to-introdu...r-2024-season/

[porsche962fan]

the stupid qualifying format has got to go , it's so tedious

and with much less car on the grid anyway normal qualifying traffic not that much of an issue anymore

[TinTopGrumpy]

I like it. Much better than seeing a load of cars going round and round for 20 to 30 minutes when the only lap that really matters is the last one.

[Evantra]

Slap on the wrist for ATS for dragging the car back to the pits.

https://www.barc.net/wp-content/uplo...ylor-Smith.pdf

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by TinTopGrumpy

I like it. Much better than seeing a load of cars going round and round for 20 to 30 minutes when the only lap that really matters is the last one.

I'm afraid that I still do not like the new format, and I don't think that it adds anything to what I believe is supposed to be entertainment. As mentioned on more than one occasion in the commentary, most of the drivers had just one lap to get their best time and for the FWD cars that was the first flying lap after they had swapped around their tyres. And they can't come back in for new tyres because a) they need to preserve their limited supply of new tyres, and b) with only 10 minutes their really isn't time to come back in, put new ones on, run them for one lap to warm them up before coming back into the pits to swap them around.

And I think that I am correct in saying that only one driver, I think, managed to get their best time at the end of a session. The rest of the time they were all, relatively speaking, just cruising around with no attempt to better their times. Apart from which, having 4 ten minute sessions with a shortish break between each made it all very fragmented.

I am not a great supporter of F1's relatively new qualifying format, which I don't bother to watch, but even that is somewhat better than the BTCC format.

[mick bennett]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Slap on the wrist for ATS for dragging the car back to the pits.

https://www.barc.net/wp-content/uplo...ylor-Smith.pdf

Very lucky not to chucked out from the whole event. Daft driving at best.

[JDMROB]

I blame the (stupid) “cause a red & you’re at the back” rule for ATS situation. You can’t blame him for what he did. Had he parked it anywhere other than the a303 then you know the red flag loving TOCA lot would have brought them out straight away and he’d have been put to the back and his Sunday ruined. He took the gamble and it paid off, fair play.

[S griffin]

Good to see Cammish on pole, expect him to win. Great work by PMR to get ATS out again after his off. Huffy once again down in quali.

Really hope Bobby T is out again, be a shame if Snetterton was his only chance

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Good to see Cammish on pole, expect him to win.

Ingram is on pole?

[AJD]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

the stupid qualifying format has got to go , it's so tedious

and with much less car on the grid anyway normal qualifying traffic not that much of an issue anymore

Oh the irony of things being tedious.

[TyH]

Originally Posted by mick bennett

Very lucky not to chucked out from the whole event. Daft driving at best.

I don't think it's that daft considering he would've lost his best laptime and not made it through if he caused a red flag, plus factor in the sooner he gets it back to the pits, the more time the crew have to work on it before the next quali session.

Granted, it was a hazard to other drivers which is a huge no no, especially how fast Thruxton is, but you Can't blame the driver for being a racing driver. just an outcome of the current quali rules and format

[Robin Marriott]

Hill romping off into the distance again. Yawn.

[InYourMirrors45]

Hill seemed to have the pace but questionable whether he would’ve won that without the RWD Start advantage. All very status quo in the first 4 positions.

[Matt K]

Hill's emerging as a favourite to the title this year, I'd say. He had a difficult start to the year but now it seems he's back to his top form and I presume he might be difficult to beat.
Turkington's season seems like going south on the other hand. All this 'old Colin is back' is now over or at least very much hindered, I'm afraid.