[BTCC] Round Two, Brands Hatch Indy 14-15 May, Races 4,5&6

[crmalcolm]

After the first event in the new hybrid era for the BTCC, the paddock moves to Brands Hatch next for the first visit of two this season. We have seen the Indy circuit used for the opening rounds regularly in the past, but (as with 2021) the layout is hosting a later round having hosted the third meeting of 2021.

Brands has been a popular circuit for BTCC/BSCC meetings hosting no less than eight rounds and twelve championship races in the inaugural season. Given the association with series, it seems fitting that one of the class winners in the very first BSCC race was Jack Sears, with John Sprinzel the other class winner. That same day, Tommy Sopwith was also a class winner, and the two were tied at the end of the very first finals day, again at Brands Hatch before the shootout.
The layout back then would be very familiar to those racing this season, although with different corner names to those currently used. The design utilising the natural amphitheatre to create a layout that offers great viewing opportunities and significant elevation changes to challenge all types of racer.


The first time we saw NGTC machines running as constructor entries on the Indy circuit, the race wins were taken by Collard in a BMW, Neal in a Civic and Plato in an MG. The results were shared between RWD and FWD cars, and across a range of manufacturers. There appeared to be no specific advantage to any particular setup.

In 2021, Tom Oliphant, Tom Ingram and Adam Morgan claimed a win apiece around the tight and twisty 1.2-mile Indy layout, whilst consistency proved key for reigning champion Ash Sutton as the Laser Tools Racing star cemented his position at the top of the standings. Team BMW’s Oliphant took a hugely impressive victory in the opening race, having made a stellar getaway from the second row of the grid, before going on to fend off three-time champion Gordon Shedden. It was a richly deserved victory for Oliphant, the second of his BTCC career.
A second win of the season for Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com’s Ingram followed. The Hyundai man produced a last-lap lunge to secure victory in the second bout, as long-time leader Oliphant eventually lost out during a pulsating contest.
Adam Morgan then claimed the ninth victory of his BTCC career and the first for the new Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW 330i M Sport, as the Lancastrian led from start-to-finish in the final race at the famous Kent venue. Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct’s Jack Goff – securing a maiden rostrum for the all-new Cupra – and Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat completed the podium with the pair having swapped positions twice during the contest.
The short circuit should mean that qualifying is tight, and fractions of a second could make a significant difference. This will be interesting when it comes to the first qualifying season with HEMS applied. Ingram will go into the weekend with no hybrid available for qualifying, and 15 laps without hybrid for race one. The nature of the circuit though may mean that a full 15 secs of hybrid a lap is not achievable.

With only 28 cars running at Donington Park, HARD. are due to announce a replacement driver for Goff, and the pressure will be on them to match the performance of Thompson and Taylor-Smith.
Other teams up and down the grid will be hoping to put the early season reliability issues behind them, and start to mount their challenges fully.

Qualifying is expected to be on the ITV Hub at www.itv.com/btcc, with the Sunday coverage on ITV4. The full timetable is as follows:

Time	Activity	Championship	Laps
Saturday, May 14
09.00 – 09.20	Qualifying	F4 British Championship
09.30 – 10.10	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
10.30 – 10.45	Qualifying	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship
10.55 – 11.25	Qualifying	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE
11.35 – 11.55	Qualifying	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship
12.05 – 12.45	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
12.45 – 13.25	Lunch Break
13.25	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
14.00	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	15 mins
14.35 – 15.05	Qualifying	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
15.15	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
15.50 – 16.20	Qualifying	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
16.35	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	15 mins
17.10	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
17.45	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
Sunday, May 15
09.00 – 09.30	Pit Lane Walkabout / Autograph Session
10.00	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	34
10.40	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
11.15	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.30	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24
12.10	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
12.35 – 13.20	Lunch Break
13.20	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
13.55	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
14.30	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
14.45	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24
15.25	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	34
16.05	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
16.40	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
17.15	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
17.30	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24

Early weather forecast shows that Saturday is forecast to be 14deg with a 0% chance of rain and fair.

Sunday 13deg with a 0% chance of rain and fair.

[redshoes]

TV coverage will be split across 2 channels.

Coverage starts on ITV4 as normal at 11am, then switches to ITV at 2pm, and finally back to ITV4 at 5pm

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by redshoes

TV coverage will be split across 2 channels.

Coverage starts on ITV4 as normal at 11am, then switches to ITV at 2pm, and finally back to ITV4 at 5pm

Do you have a link confirming this?

I'm not challenging it - just wondering where this has been publicised that I might have missed, so that I can include such details in future?

The TOCA press release has stated that ITV4 will continue to provide all-day coverage, with the ITV coverage as being additional, not instead of.

[redshoes]

My source is Steve Rider. That's what he read out from the on-screen caption at the end of this weekend ITV4 coverage.

[Matt K]

Yes, I've heard it too. It baffled me a bit to be honest. But for publicity it's better to have one race on ITV than a set of highlights at midnight during the week, I suppose.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by redshoes

My source is Steve Rider. That's what he read out from the on-screen caption at the end of this weekend ITV4 coverage.

Ah - didn't catch that.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by redshoes

TV coverage will be split across 2 channels.

Coverage starts on ITV4 as normal at 11am, then switches to ITV at 2pm, and finally back to ITV4 at 5pm

Hopefully not in the middle of a race!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Hopefully not in the middle of a race!

Based on the timetable above, they might cut away from ITV a couple of laps before the end of the Mini Challenge race.

[S griffin]

I'll be in Center Parks for this one, like Silverstone last year. Look forward to it

[crmalcolm]

.

[CroftPilgrim]

Originally Posted by redshoes

My source is Steve Rider. That's what he read out from the on-screen caption at the end of this weekend ITV4 coverage.

The BTCC website states the following:

Whilst ITV4 continues as the ‘home’ of the BTCC with its excellent all-day-live and free-to-air coverage of the UK’s premier motorsport series, both the Brands Hatch Indy (15 May) and Oulton Park (12 June) events will also be broadcast live on ITV for three hours on each race day.

That implies the ITV coverage is additional to the ITV4 coverage, but looks like it's not the case. Annoying

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by CroftPilgrim

That implies the ITV coverage is additional to the ITV4 coverage, but looks like it's not the case. Annoying

I flagged this up when the news was announced. The wording implies that it will be 3 hrs simulcast on both channels, which would be highly unusual for any sport. The more likely outcome would be for ITV to show BTCC whilst ITV4 show something completely different. That's exactly what I expected to happen and exactly what is going to happen.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by CroftPilgrim

That implies the ITV coverage is additional to the ITV4 coverage, but looks like it's not the case. Annoying

What would be the point of simulcasting it?

[crmalcolm]

As mentioned in the season thread - the grid will be back up to the full quota of 29, with Will Powell confirmed at HARD. for the rest of the season.

[crmalcolm]

Paul O'Neill's description of the ITV coverage:

'Remember for the next round of the BTCC @Brands_Hatch, we are on the @ITV
main channel for half of the show… AND as usual on @ITV4 for the full shebang!!'

[thetool]

ITV posted the coverage details on their Twitter account today:

https://twitter.com/itvmotorsport

ITV4 11am
ITV1 2pm
ITV4 5pm

Strongly implies that it will only be on ITV1 from 2-5pm.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by thetool

ITV posted the coverage details on their Twitter account today:

https://twitter.com/itvmotorsport

ITV4 11am
ITV1 2pm
ITV4 5pm

Strongly implies that it will only be on ITV1 from 2-5pm.

True.
And Dave Addison has been getting his weekends mixed up. Seems like it's confused everyone!

[SSmith]

Updated race day [Sunday May 15th] timetable from the BARC

https://www.barc.net/wp-content/uplo...tchIndy_V5.pdf

Sunday, May 15

09.00 – 09.30 Pit Lane Walkabout / Autograph Session
10.00 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship 20 mins
10.35 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 34
11.15 BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.30 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 24
12.10 The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE 20 mins
12.45 Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship 20 mins
13.15 – 13.55 Lunch Break
13.55 BTCC Pit Lane Opens
14.10 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 24
14.50 F4 British Championship 20 mins
15.25 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship 20 mins
16.00 BTCC Pit Lane Opens
16.15 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 24
17.00 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 34
17.40 The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE 20 mins

[crmalcolm]

Well - for those who don't change channel from ITV4 on the 15th May, I can confirm that you will be experiencing:

1:55pm-2:55pm - Twins 'An unlikely pair of brothers, who were born as the result of a one-off genetic experiment and separated at birth, are reunited in adulthood. They set out on a cross-country search for their unknown mother - fending off vicious loan sharks and a professional assassin along the way. Comedy, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb'

2:55pm-3:00pm - FYI Daily 'Latest news from the world of entertainment.'

3:00pm-4:05pm - Twins

4:05pm-4:35pm - River Monsters 'Jeremy Wade returns to Africa's Okavango Delta to reinvestigate the tigerfish - a pack-hunting carnivore previously blamed for mauling the victims of a capsized boat. If these fish are as lethal as Jeremy concluded, then why aren't there more reports of fatal, piranha-like attacks? In a bid to flush out the true nature of these sight-hunting predators, Jeremy puts on his dive gear and offers himself as live bait'

4:35pm-4:55pm - Sport Filler Shows 'A look back at memorable stagings of the race from Epsom Downs. Featuring brilliant performances from Shergar to Sea The Stars, plus interviews with personalities from the worlds of sport and entertainment'



Of note -
The ITV4 coverage from 11:00am says 'Steve Rider presents coverage of the fourth race of the campaign'.
The ITV coverage from 2:00pm says 'Steve Rider presents coverage of the fifth and sixth races of the campaign'.
The ITV4 coverage from 4:55pm says 'Support race coverage from Brands Hatch, as the Porsche Carrera Cup and Mini Challenge championships finish off a busy day of racing on the Indy circuit.'

So what? The schedule for the day has changed from the initial timetable, with 2 of the 3 races being shown live on ITV. The updated timetable is:

Time	Activity	Championship	Laps
Saturday, May 14
09.00 – 09.20	Qualifying	F4 British Championship
09.30 – 10.10	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
10.30 – 10.45	Qualifying	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship
10.55 – 11.25	Qualifying	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE
11.35 – 11.55	Qualifying	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship
12.05 – 12.45	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
12.45 – 13.25	Lunch Break
13.25	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
14.00	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	15 mins
14.35 – 15.05	Qualifying	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
15.15	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
15.50 – 16.20	Qualifying	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
16.35	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	15 mins
17.10	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
17.45	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
Sunday, May 15
09.00 – 09.30	Pit Lane Walkabout / Autograph Session
10.00	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
10.35	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	34
11.15	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.30	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24
12.10	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
12.45	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
13.15 – 13.55	Lunch Break
13.55	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
14.10	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24
14.50	Race	F4 British Championship	20 mins
15.25	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
16.00	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
16.15	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	24
17.00	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	34
17.40	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins

Any incidents in R2 don't leave much time for repairs before R3....

[VIVA GT]

Thanks for posting the timetable & TV Times. Hopefully my recorder will pick the correct programmes!

[antnee]

The switch back to ITV4 straight after Race 3 is going to be interesting if there is any delay to the race schedule...

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by antnee

The switch back to ITV4 straight after Race 3 is going to be interesting if there is any delay to the race schedule...

Possibly - but I think there are other factors that will prevent any issues.

Firstly - delays in the schedule on the day are normally absorbed by other series, so that the BTCC sticks to the broadcast times (IIRC, we have even seen support races cancelled or postponed to keep the BTCC on time).
Secondly - they have 45 minutes to complete race 3. In 2021, the time to complete the races on the Indy circuit were:
R1 (24 laps) - 20 minutes.
R2 (27 laps) - 24 minutes (including 7 minutes of SC).
R3 (24 laps) - 19 minutes.

A full race distance at SC pace would be completed in 34 minutes.

[thetool]

The spectators trackside will be delighted with the changes. Having a BTCC race as the last race of the day has been a major pain in the area for years. Means everyone rushes for the exit at the same time rather than spread over an hour or more with some staying for the last supports and some not.

[redshoes]

There used to be a rule about having a minimum 90 mins between BTCC races. I recall once a support race was red-flagged/cancelled and we ended up being sat around for 15 mins with nothing happening on track whilst we waited for the 90 mins to elapse.

Not sure exactly when the clock starts (chequered flag vs cars back in pitlane) and when it finishes (pit lane open vs green flag) but the gap between R2 and R3 is cutting it fine.

[S griffin]

This will be the first time since 2007 that the BTCC will be broadcast live on the main ITV channel