BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[Evantra]

Scott Sumpton moves with Restart from TCR UK to the BTCC.

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/10/scot...estart-racing/

He had a few flashes of speed in TCR near the end of the last year, but BTCC will be a big step up.

[Evantra]

One of the stripped ex-Hard Cupras has also surfaced for sale:

https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/De...-and-roll-cage

[thetool]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Scott Sumpton moves with Restart from TCR UK to the BTCC.

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/10/scot...estart-racing/

He had a few flashes of speed in TCR near the end of the last year, but BTCC will be a big step up.

Very hard to get excited about. Another contender in the Butel/Hamilton/Powell/Edwards (if they all come back) battle to not come last.

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Scott Sumpton moves with Restart from TCR UK to the BTCC.

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/10/scot...estart-racing/

He had a few flashes of speed in TCR near the end of the last year, but BTCC will be a big step up.

Wowzers. Didn't think he warranted the planned move from TCR UK to TCR Europe. I reckon he'll be okay in qualifying, but he's really, really going to have to up his game. He's allowed himself to be bullied a bit in TCR, but the family seem to have the cash....

[mphplastering]

Originally Posted by Evantra

One of the stripped ex-Hard Cupras has also surfaced for sale:

https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/De...-and-roll-cage

Excelr8 were rumoured to have bought 1 for all the standard btcc components of it

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by mphplastering

Excelr8 were rumoured to have bought 1 for all the standard btcc components of it

The 'other bodies available' line, does that mean there are other Cupra leftovers, or other ex BTCC cars?

Googled the name of the account, did throw up a car parts manager from Harrogate on Linkedin (which I dont have an account on.) Interested for the geeks side of what happens there!

[thetool]

Could they really not have moved it to a more professional looking environment, at least for the sale pictures? It's been pictured like some old relic dug up in barn currently.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Evantra

One of the stripped ex-Hard Cupras has also surfaced for sale:

https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/De...-and-roll-cage

That was Butel's car from this year, reliveried for a couple of tests. I believe the ex- Hamilton/Huff car went the same route, and one went to Exceler8 for the NGTC bits. So you can probably assume that none of those cars will be on the grid this year. That just leaves the 2 now owned by Restart, and the 1 owned by Boardley.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

The 'other bodies available' line, does that mean there are other Cupra leftovers, or other ex BTCC cars?

Googled the name of the account, did throw up a car parts manager from Harrogate on Linkedin (which I dont have an account on.) Interested for the geeks side of what happens there!

It may be an agent, but the ultimate seller is the finance company that had a lien on quite a few assets that Hard borrowed against.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Scott Sumpton moves with Restart from TCR UK to the BTCC.

https://www.btcc.net/2024/01/10/scot...estart-racing/

He had a few flashes of speed in TCR near the end of the last year, but BTCC will be a big step up.

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Wowzers. Didn't think he warranted the planned move from TCR UK to TCR Europe. I reckon he'll be okay in qualifying, but he's really, really going to have to up his game. He's allowed himself to be bullied a bit in TCR, but the family seem to have the cash....

Undoubtedly an enormous step up. Agreed, the key for him will be massively improving his racecraft relative to his TCR UK performances - maybe some of that is confidence related given he seemed to get beaten-up a bit in TCR UK. He is only 19 though so if he has the right mindset, and with Smiley mentoring him again, he could improve as time goes on

[Craner Curves]

There's 2 in that location if you enlarge the photos.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Craner Curves

There's 2 in that location if you enlarge the photos.

The other is the Edwards/DeLeon car

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Pickles

That was Butel's car from this year, reliveried for a couple of tests. I believe the ex- Hamilton/Huff car went the same route, and one went to Exceler8 for the NGTC bits.

Looks like 077 is in the livery Connor Mills used in a test late last year

Originally Posted by Pickles

So you can probably assume that none of those cars will be on the grid this year. That just leaves the 2 now owned by Restart, and the 1 owned by Boardley.

If (hypothetically) this is the case, then a few new chassis will need to be built up to get 27 cars on the grid. We can assume (given Speedworks now have 4 TBLs) that a 4th Toyota Corolla chassis will be built up for whomever joins that team as only 3 NGTC Toyota Corollas currently exist.

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by SSmith

Looks like 077 is in the livery Connor Mills used in a test late last year



If (hypothetically) this is the case, then a few new chassis will need to be built up to get 27 cars on the grid. We can assume (given Speedworks now have 4 TBLs) that a 4th Toyota Corolla chassis will be built up for whomever joins that team as only 3 NGTC Toyota Corollas currently exist.

Not necessarily, if anyone utilises the ex-Dynamic’s or BTC Civic’s (if One don’t use them and use the Dynamics ones again)! There are 3 ‘spare’ Chassis in the mix.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

The 'other bodies available' line, does that mean there are other Cupra leftovers, or other ex BTCC cars?

Googled the name of the account, did throw up a car parts manager from Harrogate on Linkedin (which I dont have an account on.) Interested for the geeks side of what happens there!

Company selling it is 'Amicus Asset Finance'. If you've looked at Team Hard's entry at Companies House it's name that crops up regularly.

As well as the other Cupra in those pictures, a couple of the older VW Passat/CCs were used as collateral on other loans so I expect Amicus have those as well.

[S griffin]

It seems HARD bit off more than they could chew with regards to running so many cars

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by S griffin

It seems HARD bit off more than they could chew with regards to running so many cars

Would that make it 'HARD to swallow.....'

I'll get my coat......

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Evantra

One of the stripped ex-Hard Cupras has also surfaced for sale:

https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/De...-and-roll-cage

Presumably just the shell because that is all the finance company “owned”

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Presumably just the shell because that is all the finance company “owned”

In a way, yes.

A NGTC 'chassis' is just the ROPS fabricated within the main part of the body. This then has a chassis no applied. The pictured car for sale is WPMS-NGTC-077.

Everything is else then a bolt on, and will be subject to change within the technical regulations. The biggest example of this was when they switched from GPRM to RML. Or with other teams they have switched from their own to the TOCA engine (and vice-versa).

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

In a way, yes.

A NGTC 'chassis' is just the ROPS fabricated within the main part of the body. This then has a chassis no applied. The pictured car for sale is WPMS-NGTC-077.

Everything is else then a bolt on, and will be subject to change within the technical regulations. The biggest example of this was when they switched from GPRM to RML. Or with other teams they have switched from their own to the TOCA engine (and vice-versa).

Were these cars not built from roadcars

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Were these cars not built from roadcars

They may have stripped a road car to use the shell but doesn't matter if you start with that or a bare shell from the factory, the process crmalcolm describes is correct.

Even if the road car started with a VIN that's long gone.

[InYourMirrors45]

Anyone know of anywhere to watch the Autosport live stage interviews? Usually streamed on YouTube but couldn’t see anything.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Were these cars not built from roadcars

This is how much of the road car remains, before it becomes an NGTC car:



Once the ROPS is installed (that the new chassis no is attached to, you have this:


Everything else after that is subject to change within the regulations, and does not form part of the chassis.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by InYourMirrors45

Anyone know of anywhere to watch the Autosport live stage interviews? Usually streamed on YouTube but couldn’t see anything.

Can’t find anything either. I thought there was a BTCC stand, haven’t seen anything on that.

And was the announcement teased only the Sumpton one then?

[redshoes]

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, .... The bulk of the BTCC driver signings will be coming later this month and into February/March

They only promised the next announcement (Sumpton) in the coming days, there was no indication of multiple announcement

Motorsport News will be presenting BTCC cars and stars at this week’s Autosport International..

There is a Motorsports News stand that features some BTCC cars in hall 3/3A. BTCC themselves don't have a stand.