BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[Mike Harte]

I usually enjoy most of the driver interviews by the ITV crew, but I do find it frustrating when these are conducted in the pit lane at the same time that other series are running on the track at the same time. I cannot see why these interviews cannot be done in the paddock behind the garages where it is considerably quieter.

[SV8Predator]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I cannot see why these interviews cannot be done in the paddock behind the garages where it is considerably quieter.

Is there anything about BTCC that you actually like?

[coffinpilot]

Does anybody know what kind of numbers the TikTok livestreams get?

As an old man with no clue I checked during race three at Snett and it had a number around 600 - the only number I could see, but is that likes or people watching?
I know on YouTube and a few other things like Facebook a live stream will show how many people are watching.

If it was to be 600 that would be a bust!

[antnee]

Most of the videos are showing between 2-5000 views, but it doesn't show the live streams.

[Mike Harte]

I'm never certain how reliable the viewing figures are for YouTube because there are various medium that it streaming on, for example I watch the qualifying live on my Virgin Media TV, and on last Saturday, it had a figure of about 650. I cannot believe that only that pretty small number can have been watching.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I'm never certain how reliable the viewing figures are for YouTube because there are various medium that it streaming on, for example I watch the qualifying live on my Virgin Media TV, and on last Saturday, it had a figure of about 650. I cannot believe that only that pretty small number can have been watching.

This seems about right compared to other series. BTCC Qualifying is not a highly popular thing.

TCR UK often gets under 1000 viewers on the streams at any one time. ELMS, Le Mans Cup, GT4 can be under 3000.

Honestly, a big issue is most people don't even know it's there and free to watch.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Does anybody know what kind of numbers the TikTok livestreams get?

As an old man with no clue I checked during race three at Snett and it had a number around 600 - the only number I could see, but is that likes or people watching?
I know on YouTube and a few other things like Facebook a live stream will show how many people are watching.

If it was to be 600 that would be a bust!

I saw around 600 too. Whilst that is not what we'd consider good, it's free to stream so it's 600 pairs of eyes that they may not have had.

[redshoes]

YouTube qualifying is currently showing 32K views for Snetterton and 50K+ for Donington and Brands. I'm rarely at home on a Sat afternoon to watch it live but will catch up on it later. I suspect I'm not the only one doing that.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by redshoes

YouTube qualifying is currently showing 32K views for Snetterton and 50K+ for Donington and Brands. I'm rarely at home on a Sat afternoon to watch it live but will catch up on it later. I suspect I'm not the only one doing that.

Not what the naysayer technophobes want to hear!

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by redshoes

YouTube qualifying is currently showing 32K views for Snetterton and 50K+ for Donington and Brands. I'm rarely at home on a Sat afternoon to watch it live but will catch up on it later. I suspect I'm not the only one doing that.

This is post publishing - which is a great advantage of YouTube. It's the same with ELMS. The race had 3000 people watching live. It now has 173k views.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by redshoes

YouTube qualifying is currently showing 32K views for Snetterton and 50K+ for Donington and Brands. I'm rarely at home on a Sat afternoon to watch it live but will catch up on it later. I suspect I'm not the only one doing that.

Having just compared 3 different sources for the Saturday qualifying YouTube, it seems as though they do collate all viewing figures, and it is not just from one streaming source.

[SSmith]

With regards to the TOCA Junior Series, scheduled to start in 2025, this in today's Autosport:

- The proposed chassis has passed stress tests
- Motorsport UK's Race Committee supports the championship
- The car will soon get approval from Motorsport UK's technical department
- The final bodywork and moulds for the car have been produced
- Track testing to begin shortly
- Public reveal at a BTCC event next month
- The series operations director Vickie MacClinton says that they have initial interest from 20+ teams and 10 privateers

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by SSmith

With regards to the TOCA Junior Series, scheduled to start in 2025, this in today's Autosport:

- The proposed chassis has passed stress tests
- Motorsport UK's Race Committee supports the championship
- The car will soon get approval from Motorsport UK's technical department
- The final bodywork and moulds for the car have been produced
- Track testing to begin shortly
- Public reveal at a BTCC event next month
- The series operations director Vickie MacClinton says that they have initial interest from 20+ teams and 10 privateers

Sounds good, I was worrying with it being fairly quiet on the subject. Looking forward to seeing it.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by SSmith

With regards to the TOCA Junior Series, scheduled to start in 2025, this in today's Autosport:

- The proposed chassis has passed stress tests
- Motorsport UK's Race Committee supports the championship
- The car will soon get approval from Motorsport UK's technical department
- The final bodywork and moulds for the car have been produced
- Track testing to begin shortly
- Public reveal at a BTCC event next month
- The series operations director Vickie MacClinton says that they have initial interest from 20+ teams and 10 privateers

Sounds a bit like the old T-Cars concept?

[TinTopGrumpy]

Just noticed that the ITV Sport YouTube channel is now posting all three races in one video without geoblocking unlike the previous race posts.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by TinTopGrumpy

Just noticed that the ITV Sport YouTube channel is now posting all three races in one video without geoblocking unlike the previous race posts.

Well at least it's something

[TyH]

Do we think the 4th BMW will be out this weekend with a different driver? After Bobby Thompson confirmed he won’t be driving this weekend.

Could that be the ‘familiar face returning’ that Matt Neal was alluding to on socials?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Well at least it's something

Some people are never Happy….

[tee.1s]

Originally Posted by TyH

Do we think the 4th BMW will be out this weekend with a different driver? After Bobby Thompson confirmed he won’t be driving this weekend.

Could that be the ‘familiar face returning’ that Matt Neal was alluding to on socials?

unfortunately, after his tweet about a familiar face being in the paddock, he tweeted a prediction about bobby T winning at Thruxton...
Guess that ship has sailed then

[Ant25]

Is this chat forum pretty much dead now then? I can’t believe that we are already near that half way mark in the season! Its going to quick.

[cxx666]

Originally Posted by Ant25

Is this chat forum pretty much dead now then?

Well it's primarily for rumours, so it's inevitable that it'll die off. Meeting by meeting have their own separate threads now.

[Mike Harte]

I wonder if the ITV director read my comments concerning holding the pit lane chats whilst cars are on the track, because it was a welcome change today when they had their chat behind the garages instead.

Another thing, to the member who wrote that the grid would be kept clear whilst the BTCC cars assembled, thus allowing the cars to come onto the grid under battery only power, neither happened today. Louise Goodman interviewed Dick Bennetts and the chap from Goodyear on the grid whilst the cars were arriving, and they were using ICE to do so.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I wonder if the ITV director read my comments concerning holding the pit lane chats whilst cars are on the track, because it was a welcome change today when they had their chat behind the garages instead.

Possibly because the cars here are in awnings behind the pit garages? Having the cars in the background is the idea I guess.

[SV8Predator]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I wonder if the ITV director read my comments concerning holding the pit lane chats whilst cars are on the track, because it was a welcome change today when they had their chat behind the garages instead.

No, he hadn't read your comments, because:

Originally Posted by Evantra

Possibly because the cars here are in awnings behind the pit garages? Having the cars in the background is the idea I guess.

It's Thruxton, remember, the pit lane garages are not used by the teams, other than a method to get the cars through from the "real" garages, to the pit lane.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by SV8Predator

No, he hadn't read your comments, because:



It's Thruxton, remember, the pit lane garages are not used by the teams, other than a method to get the cars through from the "real" garages, to the pit lane.

This is really a nonsense because they stand in the pit lane at other circuits, and you may get a glimpse of a car that's in a garage but that's all. They very, very rarely go inside the garages and rely on the drivers coming out to see them. Today, they were between the garages and the transporters with their awnings, and whilst they were chatting, mainly without drivers with them, some of the cars were under the awnings and some were already in the garages ready to be pulled out into the pit lane.

What is so special about trying to talk over the sound of cars racing by whilst standing in the pit lane. It doesn't add any ambience, and anyone watching the coverage surely knows that the programme is coming from a race circuit? If the sound of racing cars in the background is so important, then why do the use an enclosed studio van for most of the time when a race is in progress, at which time the commentators are also enclosed in commentary box? They could just as easily stand on an outside balcony and not bother using the special commentary microphones that limit the outside noise being transmitted.