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24 Apr 2017, 15:44 (Ref:3728903) | #51 | ||
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Quote:
Was a real treat at Oulton in 2015 when they had the Super Tourers in the paddock. Considering you never got up close to them the first time round it was great to see them, bonnets up so you could really appreciate the engineering. |
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24 Apr 2017, 17:19 (Ref:3728924) | #52 | ||
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We've found the break during the day to be of benefit. Call it controversial, but we actually get some lunch ourselves during that period knowing we can sit and eat comfortably without missing any track action.
When you look around the crowds, there are usually quite a lot of spectators who are getting restless before the end of the day, so I think any additional track activity could saturate some. With youngsters being the future of the sport, BTCC is doing a great job at the moment of giving races that don't seem to drag on too long, come in fairly quick succesion during the day and allow time to get to the track and home again without it being too long a day. The problem with a start any earlier than 11am for the first BTCC action would cause problems both with TV scheduling and travelling to the track for the day spectators. BTCC knows it's market lies in the more casual observers alongside the dedicated minority - make them feel like they are missing out on something and they will look elsewhere for their entertainment. |
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24 Apr 2017, 17:39 (Ref:3728927) | #53 | |
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We don't need warm up, the fans see the tin tops three times on a Sunday, so it's not like they are getting less bang for their buck and also the tight scheduling precludes it
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25 Apr 2017, 00:08 (Ref:3729015) | #54 | |||
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ST era Brands Indy... Sprint race 25 laps Feature race 50 laps NGTC era Brands Indy... 3 X 24 laps races So in actual fact, its 3 laps less. Make the teams all do 3 laps in the warm up and we will call it quits |
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25 Apr 2017, 07:30 (Ref:3729055) | #55 | |||
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25 Apr 2017, 08:13 (Ref:3729065) | #56 | ||
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Quote:
The difficulty comes (as you say) in satisfying ITV, I.E. the first race needs to be around 11am allowing a program to start at 10am with an hour's build up and adverts. Then allowing 2-3 hours between for the benefit of teams for repairs etc means the day ends up stretched to 5-6pm. I'd hate to have your day job if you think a day at the BTCC is a short day lol. Ok I know the accident knocked timings on their head a bit, but I was out of the house at 7 and didn't get back until gone 9 and we're only just south of York. Usually we'd be back closer to 7pm but even still that's a long day by my books. I feel even more sorry for the folks who travel the length of the country! Overall, you're spot on with the race duration thing. I actually commented with my dad that we hadn't been to the British GT's in a few years (during the mid 2000 (read boring small fielded) years of BTCC, we started going to the more Endurance based meetings, BGT, ELMS, WSC, FIA GT etc) but then remembered that whilst the racing was interesting, you often ended up sat for an hour or two with little clue of who was in the lead and barely saw any action or overtaking (bar the massive pile up in the wet at Oulton in 2002) and that as an 'entertainment' package the BTCC couldn't be beat! Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the BTCC weekend format, the support packages are great (even the F4's and I don't really care for single seaters) and the only thing I'd love to see would be another form of multi-make championship, some kind of modern take on production saloons would be ace! I just think there are bits that could be changed to make the day feel a little less stretched out or broken up. |
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25 Apr 2017, 08:48 (Ref:3729079) | #57 | |||
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Out at 7am and back over 12hrs later could already be argued as being too long, particularly for driving safely with a family in the car. Not wanting to sound like H&S police, but in my job we have to keep a close eye on the hours people drive before and after their shifts. No-one wants to see people out before 6am, and still driving home 16+hrs later just because there were some BTCC cars on track at 0930 that they didn't want to miss - or at least I know I wouldn't want to be sharing the same road as that driver. 7-8hrs of on-track actions is roughly the same as a typical working day, so add on the commute and it is fairly typical to the amount of time many people are out of the house for work. To me, that feels about right and I wouldn't want to push it any further. If ironing out issues needs to be done, perhaps a 30 minute session run after qualifying later on the Saturday would make more sense, allowing teams to see what has been stressed on the cars and put them into race trim. |
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25 Apr 2017, 16:03 (Ref:3729156) | #58 | |
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4 May 2017, 07:58 (Ref:3730926) | #59 | ||
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So the racing at Thruxton is nearly upon us, what have the manufacturer teams been saying via Facebook (links):
Halfords Yuasa Racing have been reminding us of their historical performance at the track - 'Honda returns to happy hunting ground as ultra-fast Thruxton beckons. Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal both multiple Thruxton winners. Civic Type R has historically been car to beat on ‘home’ turf' Adrian Flux Subaru driver Sutton has been cautious in his optimism - 'It is no secret that the car perhaps isn’t where it should be but we are all working hard to make it as good as it can be and get the results out of it. Thruxton is going to be a tough track for us, it doesn’t traditionally suit rear-wheel-drive cars as much as front-wheel-drive.' Team BMW Pirtek Racing feel they will be the best RWD runner, with Jordan predicting he will go well - 'One of the big strengths of the BMW is that it is good on its tyres, which is something that is particularly important over a race distance at Thruxton. My aim is to maintain the strong record I have shown there in the past and challenge for podium finishes, and obviously to try and secure a victory for a second successive season.' PMR Vauxhall have been pushing a livery competition - 'Need you to vote again please [...] for us to win 2017 Official BTCC best livery.' 888 MG racing have reminded us that they have a Q&A session and that with an MG GS you can fit '6 suitcases, 1 wife, 2 friends, 1 dog and a road trip to the coast' Can we infer anything from the focus of teams in their media from Facebook alone? Honda and BMW seem to be entirely focussed on their race performance. It seems that they are basing any publicity on results on track. A true case of going racing to promote the brand, and having focus on the actual sporting element. MG and Vauxhall/PMR seem to be entirely focussed on brand awareness, with the racing being a support medium to their overall marketing strategy. Subaru/Adrian Flux seem to be stuck in nowhere land with their promotional side. They are doing little to promote their brand, and also little to promote their racing prowess. It comes across (IMO) as seeking to position themselves as the team who are being forced to underperform, and not concentrating on getting results for either their marketing or performance arcs. I know for all of the teams, there will be so much more going on behind the scenes that is not placed in the public realm. But today's BTCC is more than just a racing championship. Marketing, promotion, entertainment, partnerships, public activities and crowd interaction are all part of what makes a successful NGTC-era BTCC team alongside the racing. From a manufacturer backed entry, I would personally expect all of these areas (and more) to be part of a team's focus for their own long term benefit. |
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4 May 2017, 11:27 (Ref:3730963) | #60 | ||
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What I found interesting was that at the two rounds I have attended so far, there hasn't been a consistent car brand presence. There was a massive BMW stand at Brands Hatch, however at Donington, I saw nothing. Again, same with MG, a fairly big stand at Brands, nothing at Donington, the same for Subaru. Perhaps I am getting a little muddled here and there with what was there and what wasn't there, but I didnt see much at Doni, no Honda stand that I could see either.
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4 May 2017, 11:37 (Ref:3730965) | #61 | ||
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Quote:
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4 May 2017, 11:52 (Ref:3730968) | #62 | |||
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Quote:
For the Brands round(s), some of the manufacturers will be inviting their corporate guests who are more likely to be London based than further north. Did you notice if Toyota had any presence at Donington? Looking at where manufacturers are based, it leans towards more southerly focus: BMW - Hampshire Honda - Swindon MG - Oxford Subaru - Coleshill Vauxhall - Luton I would be surprised if BMW, MG and Honda were not at Thruxton in force. |
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4 May 2017, 12:08 (Ref:3730974) | #63 | |
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4 May 2017, 12:15 (Ref:3730977) | #64 | ||
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4 May 2017, 15:34 (Ref:3731016) | #65 | ||
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Just had to double check when a news feed popped up the headline 'Schumacher BTCC' http://www.rcnews.net/2017/05/03/sch...cc-rd1-report/
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5 May 2017, 11:16 (Ref:3731189) | #66 | |
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Anyone off to Thruxton needs to be aware that the M3 will be closed from J2 to J3 in both directions from tonight through to Monday morning.
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5 May 2017, 13:19 (Ref:3731231) | #67 | ||
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I was due to be going, however I now cannot make it
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6 May 2017, 07:43 (Ref:3731410) | #68 | |
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Looking forward to qualifying later this afternoon, just nice to see cars race around Thruxton.
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6 May 2017, 08:57 (Ref:3731428) | #69 | ||
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Shedden carrying maximum ballast in Quali and R1
http://www.btcccrazy.co.uk/btcc/gord...ers-standings/ |
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6 May 2017, 10:08 (Ref:3731443) | #70 | |
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It's only FP1, so pinch of salt, but Sutton in the Subaru up near the sharp end again is nice to see.
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6 May 2017, 12:06 (Ref:3731461) | #71 | ||
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Is the qualifying on a live stream?
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6 May 2017, 12:11 (Ref:3731462) | #72 | ||
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6 May 2017, 15:27 (Ref:3731544) | #73 | |
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Just give me qualifying, the car just look ace moving about on this track.
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6 May 2017, 16:44 (Ref:3731600) | #74 | ||
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A Subaru tops the RWD qualification. Sutton seems to be the top dog at BMR currently, and surely the question to ask is why can't the other 3 Subarus match his pace again?
If the team are hoping for a break in the regulations to improve their pace, they'll need to start sandbagging Sutton soon. |
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6 May 2017, 17:02 (Ref:3731612) | #75 | |
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Honda 1-2-3 maybe they manage in race results too...
has the old man lost his touch if Sutton is now top dog ? |
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