BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Since it seems BTCC have yet to share it on social media, here is the first episode of On the Limit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LII0zslT4LM

Average start for the new PR agency….

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Was there even a current BTCC car there last year. It’s a Tuning and Tat show now

Can't recall one. Plenty of drivers around though.

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by Adamcas87

Doubt there will be any announcements
Not a patch on what it use to be Autosport show
Last years was empty compared to recent years and BTCC don’t have a stand anymore

They must have. The Motorsport News stand will be a BTCC affair (as was announced last year) which must have some BTCC money going into it. I doubt what's left of that paper could buy a ticket to the show, never mind pay for a stand.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

They must have. The Motorsport News stand will be a BTCC affair (as was announced last year) which must have some BTCC money going into it. I doubt what's left of that paper could buy a ticket to the show, never mind pay for a stand.

Used to be a big Lads day out from Ireland - there and back on Ryanair in a day. Not anymore.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by SV8Predator

I thought we'd decided against this sort of nonsense?

It's not that nonsensical.

Shedden is due to appear (with Neal in a stand-alone segment) and Thompson has said he is confident of being on the grid with Team Dynamics backing.

It's not a stretch to expect any sort of deal involving Thompson and Team Dynamics support to be announced.

[crmalcolm]

Just catching up on everything so far:

2024 TBL	2024 Team	Car	Driver	Status
Excelr8 Motorsport-1	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	Pearson	Confirmed for 2 years in press release (24&25)
Excelr8 Motorsport-2	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	???	Title sponsor confirmed
Excelr8 Motorsport-3	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	???	Title sponsor confirmed
Excelr8 Motorsport-4	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	???	Title sponsor confirmed
Alliance Racing-1	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Sutton	Confirmed in Press Release
Alliance Racing -2	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Cammish	Confirmed in Press Release
Alliance Racing -3	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Rowbottom?
Alliance Racing -4	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Osborne?
West Surrey Racing-1	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	Turkington?
West Surrey Racing-2	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	Morgan?
West Surrey Racing-3	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	???
West Surrey Racing-4	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	BMW 330e M Sport	Hill	Confirmed in Press Release
Speedworks Motorsport-1	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Butcher?	Team stated they are working on a deal
Speedworks Motorsport-2	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Collard?	Team stated they are working on a deal
Speedworks Motorsport-3	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Gamble?	Team stated they are working on a deal
Speedworks Motorsport-4	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Huff?	Team stated they are evaluating
Power Maxed Racing-1	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	Taylor-Smith	Confirmed in Press Release (24&25)
Power Maxed Racing-2	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	Doble	Confirmed in Press Release
Power Maxed Racing-3	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	???
Restart Racing-1	Restart Racing	Cupra León	Smiley	Confirmed in Press Release
Restart Racing-2	Restart Racing	Cupra León	???	Confirmed in Press Release
One Motorsport-1	One Motorsport?	Honda Civic Type R?	???
One Motorsport -2	One Motorsport?	Honda Civic Type R	????
One Motorsport -3	One Motorsport?	Honda Civic Type R?	???
Aiden Moffat Racing-1	???	???	???
Aiden Moffat Racing-2	???	???	???
CMB Racing-1	???	???	???
Other Rumours
???	???	???	Hamilton	Spoke to ITV stating he is working on a deal
???	???	???	Thompson	Stated he is confident of being on the grid, and supported by Team Dynamic

Key:
Green/Bold – Confirmed in a press release since the start of 2023 season
Green – Confirmed in a press release prior to 2023 season
Amber – Indicated as happening by comments from official sources
Blue – Rumoured in multiple sources

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Just catching up on everything so far:



Key:
Green/Bold – Confirmed in a press release since the start of 2023 season
Green – Confirmed in a press release prior to 2023 season
Amber – Indicated as happening by comments from official sources
Blue – Rumoured in multiple sources

Pretty ridiculous that Osborne isn't in Green - his Dad owns the Team!

[Millvi]

"Pretty ridiculous that Osborne isn't in Green - his Dad owns the Team!"


Unless he decides to step into the NAPA Porsche....and Jamie has a BTCC season?

[Mike Harte]

crm, I would have thought that Ingram deserves to be up there at EXCLR-8, in black at least with a question mark, unless you seriously doubt he will be back. Especially as you've pencilled in so many of the other drivers at BMW and Napa.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Pretty ridiculous that Osborne isn't in Green - his Dad owns the Team!

I haven't seen anything released that indicates he will continue driving for the team - unless you have a link to anything?

If he returns, then it will almost certainly be at NAPA - but what if he wants to move to a different series (NAPA run in other series too).

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

crm, I would have thought that Ingram deserves to be up there at EXCLR-8, in black at least with a question mark, unless you seriously doubt he will be back. Especially as you've pencilled in so many of the other drivers at BMW and Napa.

Noted - I just hadn't come across any comments yet relating to his 2024 status. The other pencilled in drivers have all at least had a comment from a team member or in an article discussing them in 2024.

I'll add Ingram as a probable at the next update.

[tocatrucky]

Originally Posted by Millvi

"Pretty ridiculous that Osborne isn't in Green - his Dad owns the Team!"

Not a given in BTCC. Matt Neal drove for 888 against his Father's team.

The tables crmalcolm does aren't based on guesses and assumptions, we're done from a basis of credibility able to backed up by evidence, thats what makes them the best/most reliable on the web because they aren't someone's fantasy lineup like you see on FB/Reddit.

[Millvi]

Originally Posted by tocatrucky

Not a given in BTCC. Matt Neal drove for 888 against his Father's team.

The tables crmalcolm does aren't based on guesses and assumptions, we're done from a basis of credibility able to backed up by evidence, thats what makes them the best/most reliable on the web because they aren't someone's fantasy lineup like you see on FB/Reddit.

Billy Bleach made the comment, not me!

I think it likely Sam will return for NAPA in the Focus but nothing confirmed yet. Perhaps we’ll know more for NAPA and elsewhere after the Autosport show….

[crmalcolm]

For what it's worth, do I think that Osborne will be in a NAPA Ford and Ingram in an Excelr-8 Hyundai - yes to both.

Osborne will always be linked to the team through a family connection. But, as pointed out by others, sometimes people can drive for teams outside of their family construct - or even in another series:
Matt Neal - 2008/9.
Andy Jordan - 2009.
Tony Gilham - 2012 (part season).

If anyone has something more tangible to put Osborne as a definite in the seat - I'm happy to update the table.

Ingram is another. He has stated that he is having fitting for his race suit this month, and always talks about the BTCC as his place he races. But, I have not seen anything official yet that puts him in a BTCC seat, especially at Excelr-8. If there is an interview / release I have missed, again I'll gladly update.

If I was to make a guess - 75% certain of Osborne in a NAPA Focus, 90% certain of Ingram at Excelr-8. But, they are just my assumptions.

As always - if it's not in the public domain I don't put it in my table. There is much that is behind closed doors still that is already confirmed.

[coffinpilot]

I think this tweet from Excelr8 just about confirms Ingram, unless they've nicked his personal sponsor, or - this isn't a rumour, just something I'd love to see - Ingram has been picked up fully salaried and put into a NAPA Focus for a face-off with Sutton!

Back on topic though, it's a fairly big clue isn't it?


https://twitter.com/Excelr8M/status/1743240971498770508

[coffinpilot]

Also, relating to the above, the fact that a tweet like that from the team that took the championship just over a year ago has (at time of me posting this) 0 replies, 1 retweet and 7 likes from 358 views, it kind of shows that the championship as a whole has one hell of a job on to drag itself into the digital world of the 21st century.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Also, relating to the above, the fact that a tweet like that from the team that took the championship just over a year ago has (at time of me posting this) 0 replies, 1 retweet and 7 likes from 358 views, it kind of shows that the championship as a whole has one hell of a job on to drag itself into the digital world of the 21st century.

Particularly when it seems the New PR agency for the Championship was so slow of the mark with the series 4 on the limit show

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Also, relating to the above, the fact that a tweet like that from the team that took the championship just over a year ago has (at time of me posting this) 0 replies, 1 retweet and 7 likes from 358 views, it kind of shows that the championship as a whole has one hell of a job on to drag itself into the digital world of the 21st century.

I get the point you are trying to make but this isn't a great example. It's a shout-out to a secondary sponsor, which is a nothing post. Unless you the sort of manic fanboy who likes or replies to every post, this type of post not getting much response is not that surprising.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Also, relating to the above, the fact that a tweet like that from the team that took the championship just over a year ago has (at time of me posting this) 0 replies, 1 retweet and 7 likes from 358 views, it kind of shows that the championship as a whole has one hell of a job on to drag itself into the digital world of the 21st century.

I agree, that’s rather too low but to be fair there’s not much life left in Twitter anymore - I haven’t looked but expect the same thing has been posted to Instagram and Facebook and had a few more likes? I try to ‘like’ these things to feel like I’m doing my bit, or maybe I feel a bit sorry for them!

Incidentally, the ‘prologue’ of On the Limit is on 3.3k views after three-ish days, which doesn’t sound like much at all.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Evantra

I agree, that’s rather too low but to be fair there’s not much life left in Twitter anymore - I haven’t looked but expect the same thing has been posted to Instagram and Facebook and had a few more likes? I try to ‘like’ these things to feel like I’m doing my bit, or maybe I feel a bit sorry for them!

Incidentally, the ‘prologue’ of On the Limit is on 3.3k views after three-ish days, which doesn’t sound like much at all.

Out of interest how many people watch / react to this Forum?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Out of interest how many people watch / react to this Forum?

Some of that is on the home page:

Currently Active Users: 6620 (46 members and 6574 guests)

Most users ever online was 10,306, 28 Nov 2023 at 09:54.

Threads: 146,536, Posts: 4,148,579, Members: 50,769


In the Touring Car section specifically:
420 (15 members & 405 guests)

[thetool]

I'm unsure whether this forum's software distinguishes between genuine guests and bots, because that would make a major difference to the numbers.

[BtccLee]

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/09/comi...n-in-the-btcc/

"The next of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship driver announcements is due in the next 48 hours, so make sure you keep checking the official website and social media channels for the latest news. The bulk of the BTCC driver signings will be coming later this month and into February/March with some truly exciting announcements in the pipeline."

Interesting times...

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by BtccLee

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/09/comi...n-in-the-btcc/

"The next of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship driver announcements is due in the next 48 hours, so make sure you keep checking the official website and social media channels for the latest news. The bulk of the BTCC driver signings will be coming later this month and into February/March with some truly exciting announcements in the pipeline."

Interesting times...

Involvement from Andrew Watson hopefully reassures he’ll be back next year.

Noticed Thompson and Jade Edwards both have their own solo interview on ASI’s main stage on Thursday, so perhaps the imminent announcements concern them (although both usually get confirmed very late, presumably trying to find the budget)

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by redshoes

I get the point you are trying to make but this isn't a great example. It's a shout-out to a secondary sponsor, which is a nothing post. Unless you the sort of manic fanboy who likes or replies to every post, this type of post not getting much response is not that surprising.

The simple point being for a series that pulls what? 30,000 fans to a track and a few hundred thousand viewers to TV? the overall social media interaction throughout all of its major players is very poor because of a historically weak and slow push digitally by the BTCC. That a championship winning team only garners a few hundred views in passing is poor.
A different example is Ingram on his own YouTube page. Two vids about his 2023 season where he talks race-by-race at 700 and 300 views each. It should be more. Much more (even if the production quality of both is utterly horrendous.
I just think the audience size to social numbers is incredibly poor, and a reflection of the brand building that's really, really needed. Just my thoughts.

The announcement today though does I think have a bit of promise. Not ground breaking, but a bit more of a push. I doubt Matt Bishop is going to be day-to-day, but for example the Aston Martin behind the scenes vids that launched in his final season there was a brilliant, engaging programme. We need a bit of that love here.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

The simple point being for a series that pulls what? 30,000 fans to a track and a few hundred thousand viewers to TV? the overall social media interaction throughout all of its major players is very poor because of a historically weak and slow push digitally by the BTCC. That a championship winning team only garners a few hundred views in passing is poor.
A different example is Ingram on his own YouTube page. Two vids about his 2023 season where he talks race-by-race at 700 and 300 views each. It should be more. Much more (even if the production quality of both is utterly horrendous.
I just think the audience size to social numbers is incredibly poor, and a reflection of the brand building that's really, really needed. Just my thoughts.

The announcement today though does I think have a bit of promise. Not ground breaking, but a bit more of a push. I doubt Matt Bishop is going to be day-to-day, but for example the Aston Martin behind the scenes vids that launched in his final season there was a brilliant, engaging programme. We need a bit of that love here.

All a Bit Ecclestone era trapped in the pre internet World….. Luddite’s rule! All being well a change of PR will bring the series into the modern age!