Word on the street...

**Snapper Baz** · 23 Oct 2002, 17:22 (Ref:411411)

Rumour doing the rounds at the moment...due to the "New" SEAT saloon series possibly joining the BTCC package next season the Clio's may have to look elsewhere to run. That will probably mean the Formula Renault's going with them. It has also been heard that this "Renault package" will join a National series possibly Radical's for a different style of meeting which will see an untimed warm-up, a short qualifying session before possibly two longer races. havn't seen any of the mags so if it's in them sorry!

brickkicker · 23 Oct 2002, 17:32 (Ref:411420)

Baz would you have been at the motorshow and heard this??? Were they were showing of the seat in race trim but with 2 seats (though the woman said it would be taken out when they race, glad she pointed that out or I migh have gone away thinking they were racing 2 seaters)

Les · 23 Oct 2002, 18:33 (Ref:411484)

now that's something I would not like to see.
Mind you Clios only have one more year I believe.
Westie on the toca site did not mention Renault at all when talking about the support series.

What does this Seat look like?

rick vaux · 23 Oct 2002, 19:22 (Ref:411537)

Never happen, well not this year anyway,
No Collin, no pink feather duster, what ever next...

brickkicker · 23 Oct 2002, 20:26 (Ref:411609)

I looks the same as the road car (leon) unless they start to bolt on loads of plastic.

**Snapper Baz** · 23 Oct 2002, 20:30 (Ref:411615)

It wasn't the motor show! must admit it would be a great shame to loose them but time will tell. Strange thing the Clio's...after the old shape series packed up only a couple found their way into the Super Coupe's...perhaps the rest were shipped out via the Bermuda Triangle???

Ian Sowman · 23 Oct 2002, 21:53 (Ref:411687)

The Radicals thing you mention may be the BRSCC's latest attempt to package their best club championships (MN today). The proposed format is a two day meeting: testing Saturday morning, qualifying and an endurance race Saturday afternoon, full day of racing on Sunday. Sounds good but this may mean that tracks like Mallory, which only run one-day meetings, could lose out on some decent clubbie action.

But then the Renault championships get their permits through BARC I think, so I can't see them aligning with the BRSCC. More likely to join F3/GT if they get chucked off TOCA I would have thought.

alfaman · 24 Oct 2002, 01:58 (Ref:411810)

I think it would great if the Clios and the Formula Renaults joined the F3/GT package. They did at Brands in June this year and that was a good day's racing.

Why would they waste their time going in with the Radicals what would that achieve??

What if the BARC has got something else up its sleeve? Building their own package around the Renaults with the likes of the BMWs, Formula Saloons, Sports 1600 in support making up a 9 or 10 race programme....I would definitely go...

Although that would mean 3 competing packages, TOCA; F3/GT and the Renaults and that would lead to definite fixture clashes.....

Piglet · 24 Oct 2002, 12:12 (Ref:412063)

Quote:

Originally posted by alfaman

Although that would mean 3 competing packages, TOCA; F3/GT and the Renaults and that would lead to definite fixture clashes.....

...and the cost of running three packages for a finite number of spectators.

**Stephen Green** · 24 Oct 2002, 12:19 (Ref:412068)

It would be nice to see a few less two day meetings next year, not more!

Dave Brand · 24 Oct 2002, 14:59 (Ref:412240)

Quote:

Originally posted by alfaman
I think it would great if the Clios and the Formula Renaults joined the F3/GT package.

Even better if the Clios joined the GTs & the resulting package dumped the F3s & Formula Renaults!

Muppet · 24 Oct 2002, 18:09 (Ref:412455)

The MSA wanted to streamline the UK racing scene.

The BRSCC thingy seems to be more clubbie based - which is a good thing to do. Package it well so the competitors know what's going on.

Renaults will stay with TOCA next year... although they all seemed to enjoy the Brands F3 weekend, the Clios even staged a BBQ at Graham Hill Bend.

AndyF · 25 Oct 2002, 21:13 (Ref:413656)

Seems like even more championships we don't need, with the Seats being added to the Focus and BMW Mini championships which I think are running in 2003.

vaughan jones · 25 Oct 2002, 21:34 (Ref:413673)

Havent heard much about the Focus championship, is this a runner?? The Seat one does have manufacturer backing, this normally works.

Ian Sowman · 25 Oct 2002, 22:25 (Ref:413695)

My own view is that the Foci won't get off the ground. It's being pitched at a very strange level and I can't see it getting the entries. The John Cooper Trophy will be a slight evolution of the John Cooper Challenge and I think is due to be run by 750MC. The Challenge race at Mallory last weekend was excellent and I have a good feeling about the Trophy, pitched at a different market to the Clios and SEATs. Don't forget we've got Production Saloons coming back next year (supposedly) as well.

People often go on about their being too many championships, and saloon racing is often singled out. This year, apart from Clios, there has been no National-level championship. For the first time in years, there was just that one. There is a place for one more national saloon championship right now, we just need to rationalise some of the championships that tend to cater for old, more dated machinery.

sceptic · 26 Oct 2002, 19:49 (Ref:414155)

I expect Renault and Clios to be on the Tocatour next year.
Adding the Seats isn't going to create a huge problem for race day - except on the weekends where there are also F3 and GTs, and that might just mean things like Legends or World Sports Cars not being around on those weekends.

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