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20 Jul 2006, 18:21 (Ref:1660965) | #1 | |
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Next years S2000 switch.
I see in Autosport Steve Neal, of Team Dynamics, and Dick Bennetts of WSR are both appealing for BTCC cars to be allowed to be competitive next year.
Now this concerns me on a couple of points. Both of these teams have known about the move next year for a long time, (and didn't they have to agree to it?), and secondly, I hope the decision for the championship to be run to S2000 must remain in my eyes, because simply allowing them to continue with BTCC cars will slow down the transition process of a full S2000 grid. Vauxhall are totally against the idea as they have made commitments already to running a S2000 spec car next year. Seat's participation is also built on the fact of the switch next year. |
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20 Jul 2006, 18:28 (Ref:1660972) | #2 | |
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The switch to S2000 is known for a long time so IMO there's no reason to allow BTCC cars for an extra season.
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20 Jul 2006, 18:46 (Ref:1660982) | #3 | |
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BTC-T cars could still be 'competitive' and win races, it's just that only S2000 cars will be eligible for the championship.
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20 Jul 2006, 18:47 (Ref:1660983) | #4 | |
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I was chatting with a driver in one of those teams a month or so ago and he was quite confident that the planned change would not happen as planned. If it does there will be no entries to speak of and the series will collapse.
Sad to see how far the series has fallen since it's heyday, but people have to realise it's not far above club racing now and they have to make it as attractive to as many people as possible. That means forgetting the enforced change and allowing people to enter cars complying to Super 2000, Super Production and BTC-T as a minimum. And make it a level playing field as much as possible. Currently it has ideas above its station - this is 2006 guys, not 1996. 10 years is a LONG time. |
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20 Jul 2006, 18:59 (Ref:1660993) | #5 | |
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I didn't realise the situation was so precarious Craig. Does worry me a bit in that Vauxhall and Seat seem to be the only ones with firm-ish commitment at the moment.
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20 Jul 2006, 19:28 (Ref:1661012) | #6 | |
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And why would any of the higher profile independants have plans to stick around when the WTCC has so much more to offer them commercially? The thing is though, good as the WTCC is, it is drawing too many people in too quickly and it is gonna spiral out of control and eventually collapse itself. The BTCC and other national series will have their time again, they just have to cut their cloth accordingly until that time comes again. And keeping a bit of a buzz about it whilst the limelight off it is vital. They can't afford to alienate 75% of the current runners.
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20 Jul 2006, 19:44 (Ref:1661016) | #7 | ||
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But peeing off Vauxhall & Seat - the only two manufacturers supporting the series won't help either. A nice challenge for Mr Gow.
Maybe something like a BTCC & S2000 class, hardly ideal...poor TV...nope, changed my mind, it's awful... Errr. Quick fixes on a postcard? |
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20 Jul 2006, 20:13 (Ref:1661032) | #8 | ||
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It's a tough decision and don't envy Gow's position. People look back to the mid-90s and complain about the lack of works entries now, yet realistically we are never going to see those days again. Argueably the situation we have now with 2 works teams just makes the matter worse. On one hand you don't want to lose the big name manufactorer support but on the other hand are they just pushing up costs and discouraging smaller indie teams from entering. I have to say I find this continous "we'll go off and do WTCC" line from Steve Neal is wearing very thin. They've had plenty of opportunity to move but have always failed to do so. If they do move can you really see them taking their Halfords/Yorkshire Bank sponsorship with them. |
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20 Jul 2006, 20:29 (Ref:1661040) | #9 | ||
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well super 2000 rules would mean a lot of beemers and seat's on the grid i think with maybe a couple of chevy's but if dynamics cant race the integra then i doubt they will be racing in 2007 and i think vauxhall would take a year out to make a new car so i think we see a grid pretty much entirely of
BMW 320is, seat leon's and alfa romeo 156 and maybe a chevy lacetti if we got lucky |
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20 Jul 2006, 20:32 (Ref:1661044) | #10 | |
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It's one of those problems which I'm relieved someone else is employed to resolve. There's no easy fix but I personally believe that TOCA really need to somehow find a way to equalise the various potential classes. If they could embrace three different sets of rules, say, and they all have an equal opportunity of winning...
Steve Neal is a chump. He runs a good solid team but, I agree, his attempts at publicity are tedious. The number of times they have threatened to leave along with the invoice allegedly sent to Collard are very dull. However I do believe the chance of them moving on are currently quite high. After all they have a lot of scrap metal sitting in their trailer after the last race of the season - there will be no market for those cars whatsoever so how can they raise the money to build new S2000 cars for next year? |
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20 Jul 2006, 20:33 (Ref:1661045) | #11 | |
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Nice idea, DJ, but who is gonna buy this huge grid and run the cars? Something needs to change if new entrants are going to be attracted.
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20 Jul 2006, 21:35 (Ref:1661066) | #12 | |
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Regards the BMW's I'd really like to see a well funded / works effort as surely what we have seen of them isn't a true representation of what it can do. They seem to be allergic to British tracks at the moment.
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20 Jul 2006, 22:48 (Ref:1661106) | #13 | |||
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21 Jul 2006, 03:33 (Ref:1661172) | #15 | ||
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Team Halfords built new cars for this season, for Just year of racing. Why don't they just build S2000 spec Integra's and go racing? Team RAC may just want to Team up Halfords and spilt up the cost making new cars.
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21 Jul 2006, 05:57 (Ref:1661214) | #16 | |||
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Aren't there a few old Volvo S60s lying around too? |
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21 Jul 2006, 15:44 (Ref:1661622) | #17 | |||
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gut feelings go here is who i would think would be racing in super 2000 cars next year in the BTCC schnitzer motorsport-BMW 320is, maybe they fancy a change from WTCC and would atleast do a few raced in the BTCC VXR-possibly either the vectra or a 5 door astra dynamics-possibly 2 leon's or 2 BMW 320is WSR-i feel 1 or 2 lacetti's for this team kartworld-unsure but if they could scrape the money a lacetti most likely john guest motorsport-certainly a BMW 320is or a seat leon could not imagine a lacetti being run by this team techspeed-considering their bio-ethanol astra i would feel something cheaper so maybe along the lines of a bio fuelled chevy lacetti again oreca-if we get lucky they may enter 1 or 2 of their seat's imagine that i think we may with the transition to super 2000 rules perhaps see a few guest appearences for the BTCC from the WTCC maybe say andy priaulx or yvan muller or some other drivers making a few guest appearences |
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21 Jul 2006, 16:22 (Ref:1661642) | #18 | ||
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There aren't that many Lacetti's available for your scenario...unless they pick up the 2005 Lacetti's from Maurer...better off running a shopping trolley
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21 Jul 2006, 16:23 (Ref:1661644) | #19 | |
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Where can they get all those Lacetti's from.... only 3 in WTCC
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21 Jul 2006, 16:25 (Ref:1661647) | #20 | ||
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21 Jul 2006, 16:58 (Ref:1661658) | #21 | |||
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Your list makes great reading but has little basis in fact. Much as I'd love to see BMW UK bring Andy Priaulx back to the series and SEAT/Oreca bring Yvan Muller, something tells me it's not going to happen. Quote:
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21 Jul 2006, 17:26 (Ref:1661665) | #22 | |
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Precisely redshoes.
We may be left with those guys, plus Seat and Vauxhall next year, there has to be a year of pain before there's any gain to speak off IMO, lower grids in the early teens perhaps. |
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21 Jul 2006, 20:40 (Ref:1661734) | #23 | |||
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But overall, I agree that switching to S2000 is the better way to go. |
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21 Jul 2006, 20:56 (Ref:1661744) | #24 | ||
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22 Jul 2006, 14:30 (Ref:1662169) | #25 | ||
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WSR's best option might also be to run their existing cars next year, pick up solid results and beat all other BTCC-spec teams, and then plan something bigger for 2008. They don't seem as well-funded as Dynamics, who probably can afford to buy an off-the-shelf SEAT or BMW and be competitive with that. Is it in any way practical to convert the Integra or MG to WTCC-spec?
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