Building new cars?

[pink69]

Later this year we will welcome Rover/MG into the BTCC for the first time as they bid to improve their image. MG will be making their debut in the BTCC as a new manufacture and I believe that we need to encourage other manufactures to follow suit. SEAT have confirmed that they will be building a touring car for the ETCC in 2003 after leaving the WRC scene. But who would you like to see start building touring cars? I cannot remember Toyota ever running a touring car but with their F1 project getting under way their appearance will be unlikely. I would like to see Chylser , probably with the Neon , VW and their Bora , Mitsubishi and Citroen come to touring cars from WRC too.

[kristof14]

i think toyota raced super touring carinas in the early ninties. anyone got any info???

[Bennett Fan]

Toyota history.

1991 - Andy Rouse Engineering - Carina II
drivers Andy Rouse and Gary Ayles
1992 - ARE - Carina II
drivers Rouse and Will Hoy
1993 - TOMS/Park Lane - Carina E
drivers Hoy, Julian Bailey, Bobby Verdon-Roe, James Kaye
1994 - TOMS - Carina E
drivers Hoy, Bailey, Tim Sugden
1995 - TOMS - Carina E
drivers Bailey and Sugden

[touringcarnut]

Toyota were reasonably successfull in the early 90s, but pulled out when other Japanese manufacturers came in.

[hunttheshunt]

A shame Toyota pulled out at the end of '95 as by then Sugden and Julian Bailey were really on the pace; they were probably the third quickest team by the final rounds (after Vauxhall and Renault) and TOM's are a bloody good team as well. Mind you, they concentrated all their efforts on theie re-entry in the WRC in '97 i think.

[touringlegend]

Toyota was the best team along with BMW and Vauxhall in the early 90's.

[knowlesy59]

i seem to remember the toyotas being sponsered by securicor(the cars looked smart).and i also remember both cars colliding with each other at :confused: brands hatch gp circuit:confused: .hoy and rouse/bailey im guessing.anybody know what year it was?

[Bennett Fan]

92 was the Hoy/Rouse clash, 93 was the Bailey/Hoy clash.

[Les]

Not to be a pessimist but who on earth is going to bother??

Vauxhall have spent the last few years building a brilliant team and have all the tachnology and back up required. No-one can walk in and just beat them. It's going to take years for the likes of Lexus to get up to scratch so the only teams that could make a go of it are Volvo, Ford or Honda!

[hunttheshunt]

Ooohhhh, i dont know about that Les. Vauxhall did have a huge testing advantage and with the new ETCC rules im sure many teams will be able to compete w/teh Astras next year.

[touringcarnut]

I think the other teams will catch up with the Vauxhalls eventually. There's only so much that you can do to develop a car under the new rules, Vauxhall will get to a stage where they've done all they can to the cars, and the other teams will play catch up. No team in the BTCC in recent years has been completely dominant for year after year, just look at the different manufacturers who've won the championship in the last 10 years. Excuse the cheesemonger statement, but 'every dog has its day'.

[Les]

Oh do I hope you are right.

Mike Nicholson was saying he has pre-sold all his Astras to independants - now that's not bad going is it!!

[kmchow]

yeah, originally, it was rumored the present generation of Neon would be raced after Chrysler developed enough experience with the ST Stratus. Too bad ST b/c extinct. It would be interesting to see a Neon on the track!

[Radisichrox]

Originally posted by Bennett Fan
92 was the Hoy/Rouse clash, 93 was the Bailey/Hoy clash.

On the review video it's quite funny when Murray Walker is talking. He went crazy when Hoy and Rouse collided, but when Bailey and Hoy crashed he was just like "wow".

[racer69]

The RAS Belgium team ran some Toyota Supra's in the ETC in the late 80s, not sure if they were factory backed though, Sigi Mueller used to race it, not sure how successful it was, but it came 5th in the 1988 Spa 24 hours, just in front of the 6th place Nissan Skyline GTS-R of Grice and Percy.

I think 2002 and 2003 will be big years for Touring Cars. The return of the ETC will give a solid platform for touring car racing in the future, and hopefully similiar rules in every country, maybe even leading onto Japan, Asia and Australia, and possibly, if much better planned and organised, a World Touring Car Championship.

[hunttheshunt]

Does Mike Nicholson mean he's sold all the Astra's competing this year for next years privateers? Excellent news if he has. And going back to the domination thing-no manufacturer since BMW in 1993 has successfully defended their BTCC title as no driver did at all in the 90's.