[BTCC] BTCC 2018 Rumours & Silly Season

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by BobJones

What a great endorsement for the BTCC. Mega driver.

I have a feeling that Sutton would be a driver who could do well in other tin top categories. He's that talented

[luckn002]

https://twitter.com/tonygilham34/sta...973750272?s=21

Looks like another white-based livery... Lots of black and white so far, hope to see a lot more colour on media day!

[psq43]

So, the final 32nd seat that apparently we are all foaming at the mouth over

A real surprise to come or just a 'regular' deal that hasn't been made public yet?

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I have a feeling that Sutton would be a driver who could do well in other tin top categories. He's that talented

Agreed. Hope he gets a VASC enduro drive.

[BLiTZ]

Originally Posted by luckn002

https://twitter.com/tonygilham34/sta...973750272?s=21

Looks like another white-based livery... Lots of black and white so far, hope to see a lot more colour on media day!

Well for the Brisky cars I'm expecting something similar to their TCR Golf:

[thlbtcc]

Looking good.




https://twitter.com/JakobEbrey/statu...42836299210752

[Bramzel]

Still no skirts on the Honda?

[BLiTZ]

Originally Posted by thlbtcc

Looking good.




https://twitter.com/JakobEbrey/statu...42836299210752

Indeed! Still an absence of side skirts on the Civic, would have thought they'd have got the aero done by now!

[thlbtcc]

https://twitter.com/Brands_Hatch/sta...13011643650048

[BLiTZ]

Some funky angles going on with the Civic's front wheel arch extensions trying to incorporate the road car's vented front wings. Seems a very different direction compared to the 'normal' boxy NGTC style, wonder if that'd the finished design or still to be completed?

I've highlighted what I mean in the image below:

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by BLiTZ

Indeed! Still an absence of side skirts on the Civic, would have thought they'd have got the aero done by now!

It's pretty obvious from the colour finish that they are still to finalise the panels at the front and rear that mate up to the skirts - so I expect the skirts will be the final piece of the jigsaw.

I still feel that this may be connected to the design route they'd taken that TOCA denied.

[HopAlong]

I'm not a fan of the BMW livery, it doesn't look very good on the M8 GTE or the DTM cars either. I think the livery in 2017 in IMSA and in GT3 in resent years looks way better. It looks passible in the launch photos, on track it looks terrible around the bonnet/wheel arch.

Odd that the Honda is still without sills. I don't think they are going for a Peugeot 208 R5 style body work in that area as it looks more unfinished than anything. Wouldn't have thought it was a major design task, maybe that's where they came up with something clever and ToCA keep knocking the ideas back.

[Sodemo]

The cars look better without those plasticy sills (imo).

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by BobJones

That would be sick.

Red Bull Athlete status doesn’t bring any money. Just a couple of caps, 24 cans and the right to use the branding to try and impress other potential sponsors.

[S griffin]

New cars looking good, can’t wait see to the final liveries

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Red Bull Athlete status doesn’t bring any money. Just a couple of caps, 24 cans and the right to use the branding to try and impress other potential sponsors.

Please kindly state where I said otherwise?

[Alfisti]

I guess the Honda aero is subject to understanding the car and how best to design any aero to improve it. Do they have the benefit of any wind tunnel time / simulation? Would not surprise me if it evolves over the first round or two... it is a brand new chapter after all.

[Robshillito1990]

I'm wondering if the side skirts thing with the civic is just down to the fact their late finishing the build and would rather test what's already there rather than lose track time to a pair of skirts that probably don't do much anyway

All the cars are looking great so far. Not a Subaru fan but hoping they've changed their livery up a bit this year as that's a good looking car also.

One thing that does worry me with Subaru is where do they go after the Levorg because Subaru have really cut their range down in the UK in recent years and the only other cars they sell here apart from the Levorg are 4x4s and Legacy Outbacks

[Alfisti]

Subaru road cars are either now (or headed to) being exclusively 4WD with auto boxes. Apart from the bigger beasts exclusively petrol too. Niche market at best; must be turning a profit for someone though I now can't name a single dealer: I personally knew half dozen and they've all ended their relationship with Subaru in the past few years.

(Exception being the BRZ coupe, but that is another niche model; small seller too).

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Interesting that Ash Sutton has been testing a Holden down under.

The Carl Faux connection...

Sutton really proved himself last year; I seriously think bigger and better things than BTCC are easily in his reach.

Maybe a co-ride for Bathurst next year? Be a good way to get a taster...

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Subaru road cars are either now (or headed to) being exclusively 4WD with auto boxes. Apart from the bigger beasts exclusively petrol too. Niche market at best; must be turning a profit for someone though I now can't name a single dealer: I personally knew half dozen and they've all ended their relationship with Subaru in the past few years.

(Exception being the BRZ coupe, but that is another niche model; small seller too).

Two dealers had a stab at selling them in our area and both gave up

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[BLiTZ]

Same round here. About 10-15 years ago The petrol station owner and long standing Subaru dealer that had been selling them to farmers since the early days, started a Skoda dealership along side, then dropped Subaru, closed the petrol station and eventually got bought out by a bigger chain that's now Skoda and Seat.

Since then the local Mazda dealer has tried to introduce both Subaru and Mitsubishi but neither have lasted more than 6-12 months!

[BobJones]

A shame, because Subaru America proves it can be done. And they include motorsport within their marketing mix.

[BLiTZ]

The problem with Subaru (and Mitsubishi for that matter) is that unlike all the other Asian brands, they've never really matured and improved to the levels of the Europeans. They're still producing the same 'Japanese Cars' that they did in the 80's, cheap, rudimentary models that now feel outdated. Don't get me wrong there's still a market for that, as Suzuki have proven (though not in the US where they’ve had to pull out), but it's not mass market. Not when everyone wants a Range Rover or BMW/Audi/Mercedes (but settles for a Kia or Hyundai due to budget).

The worst part is that they've dropped the ball on reliability in recent years which was one of their few saving graces and even fallen behind the Koreans in terms of desirability!

[aland]

problem with subaru is mention the name and most folk or most petrolheads think McRae and Burns rallying, that was late 90's. To be fair the late 90's cars the impreza and legacy were good motors. We have a legacy twin turbo auto, 240 bhp, hold tight, foot down and eat modern hot hatches