[BTCC] Brands Hatch Indy 2013 rounds 1-2-3

[Craner Curves]

Wrathall looking very sheepish on TV now. Apologised to Austin, I wonder if he's apologised to Turkington too.

[porsche962fan]

looks like a write off Audi

[Speed-King]

Absolutely gutted for Austin...

[awrb]

Yeah, that was awful. Really hope he can get it sorted and doesn't have to miss any racing

[porsche962fan]

they should put the event further in calendar , it's really dangeros with this cold temps !!!!!

[Sjoestrem]

oo what a crash, good that it's everything ok but it looks spectacular
Very unlucky weekend for Rob Austin

[Paulaweybridge]

Can someone tell me why the race wasn't red flagged and restarted.

Waste of spectator time running behind the safety car.

Or is it because of the curfew?

P.S... I see that the cars were removed very quickly so that's good and the tyres were kept warm, so the C of the C made the right decision in the end.

[Speed-King]

It's unusually cold for the time of the year... could easily be 10 to 15 degrees warmer... but yeah, with no Olympics or major football tournaments this summer there would actually be time to move up some races. Tour de France might play into it as well, though.

[simmo151]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

they should put the event further in calendar , it's really dangeros with this cold temps !!!!!

TBH when the calendar was made i dont think they realised it would be this cold, this time last year it was 20 degrees warmer than it is now.. Mother nature can be fickle and predicting the weather is almost a dark art :P

[Speed-King]

Sam Tordoff could be a huge assett for 888 when it comes to getting the teams title... very impressed by him.

[nickyf1]

Originally Posted by simmo151

TBH when the calendar was made i dont think they realised it would be this cold, this time last year it was 20 degrees warmer than it is now.. Mother nature can be fickle and predicting the weather is almost a dark art :P

I would go further and say that it is a dark art when planning for months in advance. Weather prediction only works well for a short period.

[Sjoestrem]

Nice weekend
I watched this series first time and it made on me terrific impression

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

they should put the event further in calendar , it's really dangeros with this cold temps !!!!!

Seriously? Slight overreaction surely?

Decent weekend, but I always felt that Brands and it's tight layout would cause problems with so many cars on the track.

Commentary aside, the TV coverage wasn't that great. Far too much time focused on Plato, Neal and Shedden, when there was plenty happening in the lower half of the top ten and the other points placings.

[medius]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Sam Tordoff could be a huge assett for 888 when it comes to getting the teams title... very impressed by him.

Plato's strongest teammate since Darren Turner I feel.

Overall a good days racing, more entertainment than both the F1 weekends combined!

[ascarmarshal]

There was no problem with the curfew as that is 18:30 at Brands. I think the reason that the race wasn't stopped was because of the tv. I think that TOCA put TV before safety as the armco definitively needed repairing after that hit. You could see the armco give a lot in the impact. They did the same when John George rolled at Surtees a few years ago and the armco was flattened and they still continued to race with what was in my opinion dangerous armco

[skells22]

can i remind everyone that last years 3rd race did get red flag for too many cars in gravel trap and also think back to all those multi car piles ups we had in the past, track was not blocked and as someone said marshals can clear wreck cars out of way quickly

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by skells22

can i remind everyone that last years 3rd race did get red flag for too many cars in gravel trap and also think back to all those multi car piles ups we had in the past, track was not blocked and as someone said marshals can clear wreck cars out of way quickly

Arguably a mass pileup can be more serious than a single car accident though, not to mention the fluid on the track that caused the pileup in the first place.

[ascarmarshal]

What about the damaged armco. The posts were clearly moved in the impact and most probably broken. If another car had hit that armco I dread to thnk what would have heppened

[porsche962fan]

seems Lea Wood was excluded , as a result Griffin leads Jack Sears with 2 wins

http://tsl-timing.com/?loc=major&sea...&tabletype=gif

[Paulaweybridge]

I just thought that if the race had been delayed due to a red flag, then the race timetable would have been put back and thus reduced the number of laps in the last race(s).

When this happens it always upsets competitors who have paid lots of money for a full length race.

I agree with regards the barriers. The wooden supports must have been loosened in the ground after that heavy impact.

A few years ago a C of the C red flagged a BTCC race and was chastised by the then bosses of the BTCC. Their reason was that television viewers would complain due to a lack of action.

However the Clerk was supported 100% because if the race had been continued under yellows, then the boys and girls in orange would have been put under great risk.

Shedden's drive in the last race was very good and overall not a bad meeting.

Nice to see Tom Ingram in the Ginetta doing so well these days. I remember taking fotos of him karting in the Formula Six championship at Sandown Park, Lydd, Bayford Meadows etc, eleven to twelve years ago.

Ohmigod where have all the years gone !!!

[Passo]

Spoke to Will Bratt about half an hour ago. He says that upon first looking, the main cage of Austin's car looks okay and is salvageable. The team thinks they can get the car sorted for Donington. I'm assuming further inspection will be required at the workshop though.

[cerdic]

The opening round of the BTCC has been at Easter for years with no problems. The weather just happens to be really cold this year. No need to panic...

[ascarmarshal]

Originally Posted by Paulaweybridge

I just thought that if the race had been delayed due to a red flag, then the race timetable would have been put back and thus reduced the number of laps in the last race(s).

When this happens it always upsets competitors who have paid lots of money for a full length race.

I agree with regards the barriers. The wooden supports must have been loosened in the ground after that heavy impact.

A few years ago a C of the C red flagged a BTCC race and was chastised by the then bosses of the BTCC. Their reason was they were upset that television viewers would complain due to a lack of action.

However the Clerk was supported 100% because if the race had been continued under yellows, then the boys and girls in orange would have been put under great risk.

Shedden's drive in the last race was very good and overall not a bad meeting.

I have to agree with you Paula. I saw the armco move quite a bit in the replays. Safety should always take the priority over TV timings. The over riding thing should be ho would it look in a Coroners Court if something went off in the same place and someone lost their life

[crooky]

The irony was that they were so quick at clearing the accident that they actually missed a part of the race.

[Paulaweybridge]

Unfortunately the organisers of some race series often put their commercial interests before safety.

Fine until it all goes pear shaped and as you say lands up in the Coroner's Court !!!

I am on the side of MSA officials who act properly and with concern to everyone's safety.

Originally Posted by ascarmarshal

I have to agree with you Paula. I saw the armco move quite a bit in the replays. Safety should always take the priority over TV timings. The over riding thing should be ho would it look in a Coroners Court if something went off in the same place and someone lost their life