[BTCC] Brands Hatch - round 1

[Spanner monkey]

After seeing Sheddens car on saturday i was amazed to see it being stickered/re scrutineered on sunday morning all credit to the mechanic's. Team of the wkend Honda Racing

Also for the same inspiration my driver of the day would be shedden after the harsh crash & the come back from the back of the grid in R1 - who knows where he would have been if he'd done qualifying Plato also gets a vote as he done a stirling job even in R2/3 with 45kg

After speaking to some other people in the paddock it seems GPRM dont have the staff or infastructure to manufacture the amounts of cars ordered (but the Audi does look damn good!) aparently the RAR mechanics had to go to the local auto store for cable ties & nuts/bolts/tank tape etc to build the Audi....
Wonder how long it'll be before the second one's finished any bets? lol

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Spanner monkey

Also for the same inspiration my driver of the day would be shedden after the harsh crash & the come back from the back of the grid in R1 - who knows where he would have been if he'd done qualifying Plato also gets a vote as he done a stirling job even in R2/3 with 45kg

Errrr.... driver of the day Shedden? **** of the day more like - his drive in race 1 was appalling, he should have been slung out of the results and had his licence endorsed. The amount of contact he was making with people was ridiculous (even by the BTCC's own very low standards).

Does anyone know if Matt Neal get slapped wrists for his little tantrum after getting punted out of race 1?

[Craner Curves]

Shedden received a verbal warning for his conduct, nothing more.

[BertMk2]

But MacDowell got fined and endorsed? Random!

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Spanner monkey

After speaking to some other people in the paddock it seems GPRM dont have the staff or infastructure to manufacture the amounts of cars ordered (but the Audi does look damn good!) aparently the RAR mechanics had to go to the local auto store for cable ties & nuts/bolts/tank tape etc to build the Audi....
Wonder how long it'll be before the second one's finished any bets? lol

That's pretty appalling. I wonder why Alan Gow chose them over somebody like Williams [who produced the F2 car to a budget] or Lola or somebody. Given that you've got to feel for people like Frank Wrathall and Rob Austin... they've every right to be incandescent over this.

[BMW Bandit]

On the pit walk I overheard quite an interesting conversation, it would appear that the Avensis and the Audi are spot on the new regs, but are some 160kg's heavier than the heaviest S2000 car, the BMW, and that AG had gone back on weighting the S2000 etc cars to equalise performance.

I thought that the test car was slow last season and that the 2 avensis were handling badly this weekend, accepting the many failures and stuck on pit limiters etc, well mystery solved, they are the weight of a supertanker, so the other cars will be quicker / more nimble.

If true, and AG is not equalising performance, then whats the point of building new full NGTCs, you will always be at the back with the other new full NGTC's.

[ckBrenneke]

Can't believe the people that are hating on Shedden for a bit of contact. Yeah, he was physical, but so was Jordan, so where are the all his haters? All the experienced drivers do it, and it is accepted, so to single him out over it is absolute nonsense. Boardman was weaving in the laps before the contact, and at one point put his car so far into Shedden's line that Flash had to back out or put Boardman off. It's BTCC, it's always been physical. I remember Tim Harvey saying Turkington wouldn't be champion until he introduced a bit of aggression to his driving. He did that in 2009 and became a popular champion. Shedden is widely tipped as a major player in this season, so personally, I am glad he's showing a bit of muscle and determination.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by BMW Bandit

On the pit walk I overheard quite an interesting conversation, it would appear that the Avensis and the Audi are spot on the new regs, but are some 160kg's heavier than the heaviest S2000 car, the BMW, and that AG had gone back on weighting the S2000 etc cars to equalise performance.

I thought that the test car was slow last season and that the 2 avensis were handling badly this weekend, accepting the many failures and stuck on pit limiters etc, well mystery solved, they are the weight of a supertanker, so the other cars will be quicker / more nimble.

If true, and AG is not equalising performance, then whats the point of building new full NGTCs, you will always be at the back with the other new full NGTC's.

There's all the reason to if you do a proper job of it. A car 160kg's over the minimum weight obviously hasn't had enough development put into it! And if the NGTC rules specify a 1300kg min weight, well, power needs to go up or weight down!

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

There's all the reason to if you do a proper job of it. A car 160kg's over the minimum weight obviously hasn't had enough development put into it! And if the NGTC rules specify a 1300kg min weight, well, power needs to go up or weight down!

NGTC cars are 1230kg base weight but have bigger and better tyres, brakes & suspension so of course they have to run at a heavier weight than than the S2000 based cars.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

NGTC cars are 1230kg base weight but have bigger and better tyres, brakes & suspension so of course they have to run at a heavier weight than than the S2000 based cars.

Which in that case means the cars would be ~70kg's overweight, ergo in need of proper development. Considering Hughes ran togeather with a bunch of other guys at the back, 70 kilos less would make an NGTC car a very attractive prospect.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Which in that case means the cars would be ~70kg's overweight, ergo in need of proper development. Considering Hughes ran togeather with a bunch of other guys at the back, 70 kilos less would make an NGTC car a very attractive prospect.

No I meant their regulated base weight is 1230kg they are always meant to be on that heavier base weight than s2000 because of their better tyres, brakes, suspension.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

No I meant their regulated base weight is 1230kg they are always meant to be on that heavier base weight than s2000 because of their better tyres, brakes, suspension.

Yes, I know that, but if the base weight is 1230 and the cars are 160kg's heavier than the S2000 cars at the moment, that puts them 70 kilos over the NGTC base weight...

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Yes, I know that, but if the base weight is 1230 and the cars are 160kg's heavier than the S2000 cars at the moment, that puts them 70 kilos over the NGTC base weight...

Oh I see this 70kg overweight figure is based on believing a unproven story from a unamed person and with no proof to the truth of the story at all. interesting.....I must sit down oneday and make up something and see how long it takes to become 'fact'

[Sodemo]

I guess its easier and cheaper to make cars that are faster in a straight line, than cars that are fast around corners. You just shove a big turbo in it, then whoomp, it goes. To make them fast around corners, you have to do all sorts of stuff with keeping the weight low, probably aerodynamics, and sophisticated chassis / suspension technology, which all costs money.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

Oh I see this 70kg overweight figure is based on believing a unproven story from a unamed person and with no proof to the truth of the story at all. interesting.....I must sit down oneday and make up something and see how long it takes to become 'fact'

I'm well aware of that, and the whole argument is only valid IF that rumor has some substance to it. It was only a counter argument as to why you would build NGTC cars. But as usual people need to calm down and see what happens over the next few rounds.

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

Oh I see this 70kg overweight figure is based on believing a unproven story from a unamed person and with no proof to the truth of the story at all. interesting.....I must sit down oneday and make up something and see how long it takes to become 'fact'

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I guess its easier and cheaper to make cars that are faster in a straight line, than cars that are fast around corners. You just shove a big turbo in it, then whoomp, it goes. To make them fast around corners, you have to do all sorts of stuff with keeping the weight low, probably aerodynamics, and sophisticated chassis / suspension technology, which all costs money.

Not to mention that fast on the straights, slow through the corners usually makes for pretty good racing.

[gregc]

For what it's worth, I've also heard the 160kg overweight figure from a source that is usually very reliable. Although the way it was given to me implied that it was just the Audi that needed to go on a diet, and that it is currently that much over it's base weight.

Given the lateness of the build, tbh it wouldn't surprise me if they still had stuff to strip out...

[Spanner monkey]

The base weight of an NGTC car is 1230Kg Inc driver

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by gregc

Given the lateness of the build, tbh it wouldn't surprise me if they still had stuff to strip out...

What kind of engineering group are these people ? You'd never start with a car that was above the weight limit... you'd build it well below the weight limit, then strategically add balast to bring it up.

[medius]

From the regs. Looks like people outside the championship aren't privvy to Championship Bulletins.

[Urgentemente]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

LOL, I find that particularly hilarious