BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[ACF_]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Is the i30 that Lloyd raced in 2022 retired now? They did patch it up and finish the year with it, or is it too far gone to be used for a fifth entry?

Good call

[mick bennett]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Is the i30 that Lloyd raced in 2022 retired now? They did patch it up and finish the year with it, or is it too far gone to be used for a fifth entry?

Is that the one Dan Lloyd had a £100,000.00 repair bill to fund ??

[Steel Wheels]

Originally Posted by ACF_

Good call

There are 5 Hyundai’s already built, just check Touring car register car 080 (ex-Lloyd 2022) wasn’t raced in 2023.

[ACF_]

Originally Posted by Jiiiiiiim

I think the deal between Excelr8 & Dynamic’s ended Bobby’s chance of making the grid with the support from TD with Excelr8 being ‘full’!

Any chance he could make the 3rd seat at PMR?

[tocatrucky]

Originally Posted by mick bennett

Is that the one Dan Lloyd had a £100,000.00 repair bill to fund ??

Originally Posted by Steel Wheels

There are 5 Hyundai’s already built, just check Touring car register car 080 (ex-Lloyd 2022) wasn’t raced in 2023.

It was repaired ''enough'', but at the end of the season it was retired and kept as a spare/backup shell to be used in an emergency i.e. not enough to be considered used in an event unless absolutely necessary to avoid the situation WSR found themselves in pulling one of Colin's ex-race cars out of mothballs.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Some interesting stuff here. Only read the Rowbottom, One Motorsport and Powell articles. I usually read the mag when it comes through my letterbox, but it's cool that they've put it up online to read for free.
Best thing since Inside BTCC was out.


https://motorracinguk.com/2024/02/10...-for-free-now/

Yes, it’s good to have more in depth analysis of the series

[touringlegend]

Moffat completes the satellite Speedworks team.. BTCC.net and Speedworks socials

[Steel Wheels]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

Moffat completes the satellite Speedworks team.. BTCC.net and Speedworks socials

No surprise there! Good that Moffat has loyal sponsors. I can see him returning to the top step of the podium this year.

[MarcusH26]

Not surprised to see Aiden at Speedworks, will be interesting to see how he goes. Could see him grab a couple of reverse grids potentially.

The bigger question with him now announced - what's going on with his 2 TBLs

[Sodemo]

I guess the question is, if the grid is shrinking down to 21 cars, the series has to ask itself why and what can it do to stop the rot.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I guess the question is, if the grid is shrinking down to 21 cars, the series has to ask itself why and what can it do to stop the rot.

Is the smaller grid a bad thing? Effectively we've lost the back end of the grid in terms of performance. So you've trimmed out the cars/drivers that are never going to win and are most likely to break down or crash. Hopefully the smaller grid will result in less saftey cars this year. A case of quality over quantity?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I guess the question is, if the grid is shrinking down to 21 cars, the series has to ask itself why and what can it do to stop the rot.

Don't you read the papers or watch the news? Motorsport is not immune to market forces

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Is the smaller grid a bad thing? Effectively we've lost the back end of the grid in terms of performance. So you've trimmed out the cars/drivers that are never going to win and are most likely to break down or crash. Hopefully the smaller grid will result in less saftey cars this year. A case of quality over quantity?

I've got two opposing thoughts on that, and it's simply TV vs trackside.
At the track it makes a huge difference for the average paying spectator in my opinion. I think many of us have been to national or club championships where a small grid (like the Porsche Sprint series in season one) is a terrible bore as you're waiting for a minute for the cars to come round. The bonus of a big BTCC grid is that field spread with battles down below 18th place (like say 2019, you'd get some good battles at the back) which does fill the gaps, especially at Snetterton or Oulton,

On the other hand, apart from the start, the TV coverage only broadcasts back of the grid if someone is out of position, or there is nothing going on in the top 10/15, so it's not too much of a loss there.

Personally I'd prefer a smaller higher quality grid, but I just know if the field is indeed 21 cars - as predicted by some - that the day trippers will moan like crazy, and imagine that it could affect attendances later in the year (I am talking about the type of fan who'll probably be on Facebook on April 19th asking where Team HARD are and what channel/times the races are on.)

But the truth is there will still be one or two drivers of a lower talent level there. One driver ended up in the gravel a few times too many last season trying to catch the slower opposition. How are they going to look if they're iles behind a higher quality pack and still keep binning it?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Is the smaller grid a bad thing? Effectively we've lost the back end of the grid in terms of performance. So you've trimmed out the cars/drivers that are never going to win and are most likely to break down or crash. Hopefully the smaller grid will result in less saftey cars this year. A case of quality over quantity?

Suppose it depends on what happens at the front - if NAPA and Sutton run away with it again and there’s not much action, perhaps you’ll miss the occasional safety car / crash at the back. If overtaking improves, it’s a close total fight and a rejuvenated Speedworks for example are getting regular wins, then yeah it won’t really matter what’s going on beyond the top 15.

Perhaps the lack of variation might affect things - down to only six teams from circa 15 in 2018? And less spots for new / different drivers coming in.

[coffinpilot]

A question! Supports. Have all been confirmed for all circuits?
Can't seem to find what has replaced F4 at Croft.

Also (I write sarcastically) with one less support championship and a smaller grid, could we not go to Cadwell/Anglesey/Combe now??!! The paddock might fit (although wet weather stops for BTCC at Cadwell might be a laugh in that pitlane!

[S griffin]

Good to see Moffat getting a drive at Speedworks, let’s hope he can find some form. He hasn’t quite been as competitive the last couple of seasons

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Is the smaller grid a bad thing? Effectively we've lost the back end of the grid in terms of performance. So you've trimmed out the cars/drivers that are never going to win and are most likely to break down or crash. Hopefully the smaller grid will result in less saftey cars this year. A case of quality over quantity?

If we had quality drivers in the fourth Hyundai (assuming Ingram, Pearson and Chilton are all there for sure) and the fourth WSR car, we could indeed have an extremely strong grid. Would still be better to have like 24 cars though.

Moffat at Speedworks is not a big surprise, it should be time for him to shine as he'll be in quite a strong car. We'll see how he goes but suppose he'll be very much in Cook's shadow.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Also (I write sarcastically) with one less support championship and a smaller grid, could we not go to Cadwell/Anglesey/Combe now??!!

BTCC run at a noise limit which is too high for all three circuits (115dBa static, where the three circuits have a permissible limit of 108dBa static so far as I can tell). So - nope (not sarcastically!).

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

A question! Supports. Have all been confirmed for all circuits?
Can't seem to find what has replaced F4 at Croft.

I believe the support line-up across the season is this:

DONINGTON PARK
F4
MINI JCW
PCCGB
Legends
Radicals

BRANDS INDY
F4
JCW
PCCGB
Legends

SNETTERTON
F4
JCW
Sprint Challenge
Radicals

THRUXTON
F4
MINI Trophy
PCCGB
Mini Miglia/Se7ens

OULTON PARK
JCW
Sprint Challenge
Radicals
Caterhams

CROFT
JCW
PCCGB
Sprint Challenge
CTCRC Pre-66 Touring Cars

KNOCKHILL
F4
JCW
PCCGB
Legends

DONINGTON
F4
MINI Trophy
PCCGB
Sprint Challenge

SILVERSTONE
F4
MINI Trophy
PCCGB
Sprint Challenge

BRANDS GP
F4
MINI JCW
PCCGB
Sprint Challenge

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Suppose it depends on what happens at the front - if NAPA and Sutton run away with it again and there’s not much action, perhaps you’ll miss the occasional safety car / crash at the back. If overtaking improves, it’s a close total fight and a rejuvenated Speedworks for example are getting regular wins, then yeah it won’t really matter what’s going on beyond the top 15.

Perhaps the lack of variation might affect things - down to only six teams from circa 15 in 2018? And less spots for new / different drivers coming in.

Realistically, has Sutton ever run away with a BTCC championship? Well, certainly not in his last two, which were only decided at the Brands finale. And Ingram, in particular, has run him close even if he didn't achieve as many firsts.

However, NAPA did dominate qualifying at nearly ever round.

[InYourMirrors45]

I think ideally you’d want around 25-28 cars but if the grid shrinks to nearer 20 then so be it. Looking at the drivers announced and the ones that are expected to fill the remaining seats it’s looking like quite a strong grid quality wise. Is anyone really going to be bothered an awful lot about what goes on beyond say 15th place anyway? I don’t think so.

[S griffin]

Personally I’d rather see the current teams with less cars to allow more teams and makes to be part of the championship. Feels a bit too much of a monopoly by the current teams atm

[thetool]

Originally Posted by SSmith

I believe the support line-up across the season is this:

*Snipped*

That line-up is indictive of the stife the whole package/UK motorsport finds itself in. It's the sort of racing you'd have found on Men & Motors 20 years ago rather than the premier UK race package.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Personally I’d rather see the current teams with less cars to allow more teams and makes to be part of the championship. Feels a bit too much of a monopoly by the current teams atm

That's illustrative of the issues being faced across UK motorsport as a whole - the economy tanked, the cost of living rose, sponsors retreated and therefore only those with cost-efficient operations and good sponsor management get to play.

In the main that means those with economies of scale, so fewer, larger operations. It is what it is, and right now it doesn't matter what we'd like to see, because we'll get what what's on offer.

[MarcusH26]

I guess if we're working off no news is bad news at One and no one uses the Boardley and Moffat TBLs it's just the third PMR seat and 4th WSR seat that are complete unknowns as it stands. Does make for a compact grid but there's a lot of quality in it. Ideally I'd like an extra team on the grid but in this economy it's understandable with sponsorship etc.