BTCC BTCC 2018 Rumours & Silly Season - Page 43

luckn002 · 6 Jan 2018, 14:45 (Ref:3791002)

Goff on Twitter - "Still pushing hard to be back out on the @DunlopBTCC grid for this year 👀 #JG31 #BTCC"

Whorton-Eales in reply - "You and me both 😞"

So if AMD are going to announce their drivers next week - assuming that means all their drivers - it doesn't look like AWE will be there.

Jiiiiiiim · 6 Jan 2018, 20:10 (Ref:3791045)

I’d expect to see the likes of Tordoff, Plato & Huff in the ‘manufacture’ supported seats, but then it depends how badly they want to race in the series this year?

Alfisti · 6 Jan 2018, 20:44 (Ref:3791052)

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckn002

Whorton-Eales in reply - "You and me both 😞"

So if AMD are going to announce their drivers next week - assuming that means all their drivers - it doesn't look like AWE will be there.

Maybe not announcing all four; but then again I suspect the budgets required for HARD and AmD rides will be lower than others... so likely to get bums on seats earlier than later.

Mike Epps could be one, his deal is done and dusted...

Tracsmart · 6 Jan 2018, 22:45 (Ref:3791081)

MGs. Surprised if they do run under MG Motor as the latest info which hasn't been released yet is that Matthew Cheyne and his Sales & marketing team have left the MG Motor with no replacements in place.
Where does this leave the budget and parts support?

medius · 6 Jan 2018, 22:47 (Ref:3791084)

More fuel to a non-existant fire? The most recent Triple Eight Race Engineering team principal no longers lists that job rolejob on his Facebook account, I’m fairly sure it had said that position just before Christmas when I looked as the first 888 rumbles began.

Probably something over nothing but vaguely noteworthy?

Related to a possibleAMD/888 tieup: http://i.cubeupload.com/ct0xuT.jpeg

AdrianM · 7 Jan 2018, 10:29 (Ref:3791158)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracsmart

Where does this leave the budget and parts support?

What parts? The only thing MG about those cars is the body panels.

Jiiiiiiim · 7 Jan 2018, 11:36 (Ref:3791166)

Quote:

Originally Posted by medius

More fuel to a non-existant fire? The most recent Triple Eight Race Engineering team principal no longers lists that job rolejob on his Facebook account, I’m fairly sure it had said that position just before Christmas when I looked as the first 888 rumbles began.

Probably something over nothing but vaguely noteworthy?

Related to a possibleAMD/888 tieup: http://i.cubeupload.com/ct0xuT.jpeg

Sometimes it’s the small details that give the biggest clues!

When ‘H’ left 888 (he initially stayed on as team manager) it was due to ‘differences of opinion’, probably over lack of money & input being spent on the cars looking back on it.

S griffin · 7 Jan 2018, 11:47 (Ref:3791168)

Really 888 became a 2nd BMR team in 2017 just to keep the works MGs going. So it's gonna be interesting to see what happens to the team now, especially if there is a tie up with AMD

sceptic · 7 Jan 2018, 21:50 (Ref:3791260)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Maybe not announcing all four; but then again I suspect the budgets required for HARD and AmD rides will be lower than others... so likely to get bums on seats earlier than later.

Mike Epps could be one, his deal is done and dusted...

I don't think the AmD announcement will be for anything greater than the two Audis, and Epps definitely isn't going to be driving one of them.

850Estate · 8 Jan 2018, 09:47 (Ref:3791336)

Quote:

Good morning! We expect to have some @DunlopBTCC news in a couple of hours, with a driver announcement due from @AmDessex #BTCC

ITV Motorsport on Twitter

Ry44 · 8 Jan 2018, 10:02 (Ref:3791337)

Quote:

Originally Posted by 850Estate

ITV Motorsport on Twitter

http://www.btcc.net/2018/01/08/amdtu...melt-for-2018/

Also note the official article states "Further details on AmDTuning’s 2018 racing programme will be revealed in the coming weeks."

now surely if it was not BTCC related they would have no need to slip that line in there. Also article seems to be written in a way that makes it look like they will not only be using the Audis

rdjones · 8 Jan 2018, 10:06 (Ref:3791338)

Ollie Jackson and Sam Smelt are in the Audi's - http://www.btcc.net/2018/01/08/amdtu...melt-for-2018/

porsche962fan · 8 Jan 2018, 10:21 (Ref:3791341)

AMD should put on their Audi

"M Jackson please don't hit us"

luckn002 · 8 Jan 2018, 10:21 (Ref:3791342)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdjones

Ollie Jackson and Sam Smelt are in the Audi's - http://www.btcc.net/2018/01/08/amdtu...melt-for-2018/

Hmm... quite underwhelming. Hopefully AWE gets a seat elsewhere - big shame if he didn't return, would've much rather seen him in the Audi than Jackson again.
Smelt seems too inexperienced for the BTCC, but then we said the same thing about Proctor last year..! But good luck to them

luckn002 · 8 Jan 2018, 10:51 (Ref:3791346)

For anyone who cares - my predictions (or maybe just hopes) for driver line-ups this year. If it's anything like my previous guesses please assume this to all be horribly wrong!

Honda / Dynamics - Civic - Shedden, Neal
BMW / WSR - 1 Series - Turkington, Rob Collard, Jordan
Subaru / BMR - Levorg - Sutton, Plato, Proctor
Vauxhall / PMR - Astra - Newsham, Tordoff
AmD - S3 - Jackson, Smelt
AmD 888 - MG - Cook, Cammish
HMS - Giulietta - Austin
Speedworks - New model - Ingram, Epps
Ciceley / Laser - A Class - Morgan, Moffat
BTC - Civic - Smiley, Butcher
Eurotech - Civic - Goff, Brett Smith, Simpson
Motorbase - Focus - Chilton, Jackson, Davenport
Maximum - Focus - Whorton-Eales
HARD / Brisky - CC - Hill, Bushell, Thompson, Caine

= hopefully 32

BobJones · 8 Jan 2018, 11:18 (Ref:3791350)

The key thing about today's AMD Audi announcement is a pre-season testing programme. Could be a big boon for the team if Smelt brings some sponsorship funding helping towards the costs.

Alfisti · 8 Jan 2018, 11:50 (Ref:3791357)

Yes Bob, pre-season testing at AmD. I think that is a luxury they haven't had previously.

Didn't see Sam Smelt coming (quite a few drivers in F4 probably thought that when he passed them 😀!) Big step for the young man, as Senna Proctor (and Max in F1) have proven age and experience aren't a necessity. Good luck to Sam, Shaun and the team. Nice to see Ollie back for some continuity as well - a slow burner but gets better and better.

Pity about AWE but I think he has found - like Mike Bushell previously - that BTCC budgets are a big ask. Hopefully he'll run Clios if BTCC isn't going to happen for him.

I wonder what other surprises are heading our way?

Alfisti · 8 Jan 2018, 11:55 (Ref:3791358)

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckn002

For anyone who cares - my predictions (or maybe just hopes) for driver line-ups this year. If it's anything like my previous guesses please assume this to all be horribly wrong!

Honda / Dynamics - Civic - Shedden, Neal
BMW / WSR - 1 Series - Turkington, Rob Collard, Jordan
Subaru / BMR - Levorg - Sutton, Plato, Proctor
Vauxhall / PMR - Astra - Newsham, Tordoff
AmD - S3 - Jackson, Smelt
AmD 888 - MG - Cook, Cammish
HMS - Giulietta - Austin
Speedworks - New model - Ingram, Epps
Ciceley / Laser - A Class - Morgan, Moffat
BTC - Civic - Smiley, Butcher
Eurotech - Civic - Goff, Brett Smith, Simpson
Motorbase - Focus - Chilton, Jackson, Davenport
Maximum - Focus - Whorton-Eales
HARD / Brisky - CC - Hill, Bushell, Thompson, Caine

= hopefully 32

Better than mine I should think but Plato at BMR won't happen. Don't see Epps at Speedworks (I doubt he has that much budget - would be pleasantly surprised if this did happen though), Newsham at PMR (budget) or AWE at Maximum (Maximum = more expensive than the MG last year, as we know from Cook.)

Everything else could be right.

swooshiain · 8 Jan 2018, 12:14 (Ref:3791359)

I seem to recall Ollie Jackson posting on another forum last year that he was hopeful for a much stronger pre-season program this year. Glad he's got it, I think he's been doing a good job helping to develop that car.

auroan · 8 Jan 2018, 12:28 (Ref:3791361)

How the heck did Smelt get his licence upgraded so quickly ?

Dudley · 8 Jan 2018, 14:09 (Ref:3791371)

Post Office check and send service?

**BertMk2** · 8 Jan 2018, 14:10 (Ref:3791372)

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckn002

For anyone who cares - my predictions (or maybe just hopes) for driver line-ups this year. If it's anything like my previous guesses please assume this to all be horribly wrong!

Honda / Dynamics - Civic - Shedden, Neal
BMW / WSR - 1 Series - Turkington, Rob Collard, Jordan
Subaru / BMR - Levorg - Sutton, Plato, Proctor
Vauxhall / PMR - Astra - Newsham, Tordoff
AmD - S3 - Jackson, Smelt
AmD 888 - MG - Cook, Cammish
HMS - Giulietta - Austin
Speedworks - New model - Ingram, Epps
Ciceley / Laser - A Class - Morgan, Moffat
BTC - Civic - Smiley, Butcher
Eurotech - Civic - Goff, Brett Smith, Simpson
Motorbase - Focus - Chilton, Jackson, Davenport
Maximum - Focus - Whorton-Eales
HARD / Brisky - CC - Hill, Bushell, Thompson, Caine

= hopefully 32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Better than mine I should think but Plato at BMR won't happen. Don't see Epps at Speedworks (I doubt he has that much budget - would be pleasantly surprised if this did happen though), Newsham at PMR (budget) or AWE at Maximum (Maximum = more expensive than the MG last year, as we know from Cook.)

Everything else could be right.

The drivers you've missed from the BMR squad from last season are the ones with the money aren't they? Cole and Price surely have the budget to end up somewhere? Also Butcher at Motorbase instead of Davenport? (or has Butcher already committed to GTs somewhere?)

BobJones · 8 Jan 2018, 14:39 (Ref:3791376)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BertMk2

The drivers you've missed from the BMR squad from last season are the ones with the money aren't they?

Good point. Now Cole is a race winner, I'm sure the funding behind him would like to continue.

luckn002 · 8 Jan 2018, 14:52 (Ref:3791379)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BertMk2

The drivers you've missed from the BMR squad from last season are the ones with the money aren't they? Cole and Price surely have the budget to end up somewhere? Also Butcher at Motorbase instead of Davenport? (or has Butcher already committed to GTs somewhere?)

Turned into a list of what I'd most like to see than a list of what is most likely to happen!

Alfisti · 8 Jan 2018, 16:36 (Ref:3791392)

I'm leaning towards Sutton, Cole and Price all continuing at BMR. Genuinely no idea if there will be three or four cars.

Wondering if one is at Speedworks...

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