[BTCC] BTCC 2017 Rumours & Silly Season

[Sodemo]

Not at all surprised to hear that they are being pegged back, in fact I predicted it would happen.

[crmalcolm]

I imagine Plato will agree with the decision, given that his comments previously have included-

"It's a BMW championship, I'm afraid,"
"We've reached the point where we can't do any better because we're not allowed to [due to the spec parts and NGTC restrictions].
"When all the NGTC cars are developed, RWD is inherently better, better weight distribution, better traction.
"They need extra weight or a longer first gear. That's not just based on today, it's based on 20 years' experience.
"I think they'll win races everywhere."

Which could now read -

"It's a Subaru championship, I'm afraid, Everyone else has reached the point where they can't do any better because they're not allowed to [due to the spec parts and NGTC restrictions]. When all the NGTC cars are developed, Subaru Boxer+RWD is inherently better, better weight distribution, better traction. They need pegging back. That's not just based on today, it's based on 20 years' experience. I think they'll win races everywhere."

[thetool]

You guys never to fail to give JP the one thing he's after above all else..

[psq43]

Originally Posted by thetool

You guys never to fail to give JP the one thing he's after above all else..

What's that? Credit?

I'll , give him credit. He is a truly fantastic marketing machine. Not only for himself, but for any brand associated with him, and for the BTCC. He's a gifted driver of abundant talent, the likes of which we could do with more of. He is also a great engineer from a drivers perspective who is able to quickly digest information and give detailed accurate feedback to his mechanics to quickly improve the car.

He is sadly let down in many eyes by his bad-ass mouthpiece persona he's adopted. At times, and I did say, at times, his attitude to the fans has been questionable, BUT of late, this hasn't so much been the case, which is a positive.

It seems that two or even three of his biggest and most vocal complaints lately have slightly backfired on him however.

45kg not being enough to hamstring successful cars, so we go to 70kg and it's a contributing factor (potentially) towards punctures, several of which he's suffered. Bit flimsy that, so I'll move on..

Rear wheel drive is too good by physics, so they get 1st gear boost reduction, taller 1st gears and forwarding of ballast. His next car is rear wheel drive.

Now he has a car with a by design/physics advantage, and it's being penalised.

Irony....

[thetool]

Originally Posted by psq43

What's that? Credit?

I said fail to. Attention and publicity. Like him or loath him, he's made himself into by far and away the most well known driver on the grid. And look, here is everyone talking about him yet again!

[psq43]

Originally Posted by thetool

I said fail to. Attention and publicity. Like him or loath him, he's made himself into by far and away the most well known driver on the grid. And look, here is everyone talking about him yet again!

Absolutely, that all goes in with his self marketing. The blokes got that one by the short and curlies...

[S griffin]

Doesn't give him the right to mouth off when he doesn't get his own way or use unnecessary bully boy tactics on track. I respect his talent, but his attitude makes him harder to like

[Mies7337]

But after all, Jason Plato is, after all those years, still only a 2 time BTCC champion. People who, on the surface at least, don't complain too much about the rules (like Gordon Shedden, Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan) have had more succes in the past few years. I do think Plato is a very good Touring Car driver, but in the end, most of the time he fails to be the champion. The past few years have showed us that the BoP is very good in the BTCC, so I don't think the BTCC will be a Subaru show only in 2017. I'm looking forward to a year like the last one, where WSR, Dynamics, BMR and hopefully Motorbase, 888 and maybe another team will fight for victories.

[auroan]

Tut,

Whats the point. Why don't TOCA just make it a FULL spec series if they are going to do that.

Give everyone a solution-F car......

[S griffin]

Or go the NASCAR route of spec bodies and only engines are different

[850Estate]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

This is the flip side of performance balancing, it provides close racing for us, but as a team owner a lot of the investment in gaining performance can be wiped out by the constant quest for equality. I wonder if anyone will bother to produce their own engine again, for example, because any gain will be pegged back.

I must say I agree with this.

We don't want to see one car sprinting off into the distance and running away from the title, but from an engineering point of view it's a darned shame that something, within the rules, can be designed and built to be the best possible NGTC car possible (with plenty of time and effort going into the research and development of that car) it should be pegged back. That's like doing all your work in the build up to a test and then being told, because your other colleagues haven't done as much work as you, that the questions will only cover half of what you worked on. Sure more people will pass and be happy, but it does leave you wondering what the point of doing all the work was.

Still, thems the rules, and BMR will have been more than aware of them when they built the Subarus so I suspect they always imagined something like this would happen.

[Sodemo]

I think TOCA are still licking the wounds from 1999 when Nissan romped away with the majority of the wins.

[LeonardBernstein]

Originally Posted by Steel Wheels

Don't joke, a driver who has previously raced in the BTCC is well into negotiations with them apparently! So whatch this space..............

They'll probably do what they did last time & say no just a soon as it's looking like it will finally happen 😉

Hello Jack Clarke?

[Steel Wheels]

Originally Posted by LeonardBernstein

Hello Jack Clarke?

Not Mr Clarke, he's linked with another interested manufacturer 😉

[LeonardBernstein]

Originally Posted by Steel Wheels

Not Mr Clarke, he's linked with another interested manufacturer 😉

Alfa?

Or is there some other dark horse in the pot?

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

I think TOCA are still licking the wounds from 1999 when Nissan romped away with the majority of the wins.

Well that's a silly reason if so, because they decided to introduce success ballest the next season as a result of this

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by 850Estate

can be designed and built to be the best possible NGTC car possible (with plenty of time and effort going into the research and development of that car) it should be pegged back. That's like doing all your work in the build up to a test and then being told, because your other colleagues haven't done as much work as you, that the questions will only cover half of what you worked on. Sure more people will pass and be happy, but it does leave you wondering what the point of doing all the work was.

Still, thems the rules, and BMR will have been more than aware of them when they built the Subarus so I suspect they always imagined something like this would happen.

except according to the rules nobody else can use a boxer engine cos they don't have one in their road car range

so it's unfair and impossible to everyone else on the grid

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by LeonardBernstein

Alfa?

Or is there some other dark horse in the pot?

Dark horse? Would it be prancing?! ;-)

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by Steel Wheels

Not Mr Clarke, he's linked with another interested manufacturer 😉

I often wonder why a driver is supposedly the link to bringing a manufacturer in to the btcc. Surely if say Alfa Romeo are interested in entering, they would approach at least two teams to see what package they could offer and the budget required.

Look what happened to Infiniti when they were 'sold' the concept by an unproven team, when what they should have done is approach an established team.

I know that Plato did this with Subaru, but he is a different case.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

I often wonder why a driver is supposedly the link to bringing a manufacturer in to the btcc.

I don't think it is as simple as just the driver. It must be remembered that most BTCC drivers rely on their sponsorship package to fund their drive, so the manufacturer(s) will be looking at many factors including driver/sponsors/team.

E.g. - Mat Jackson/Volvo Trucks might not work with some car manufacturers.

Also - isn't Clarke a Honda Yuasa development driver?

[pagey318]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

I often wonder why a driver is supposedly the link to bringing a manufacturer in to the btcc. Surely if say Alfa Romeo are interested in entering, they would approach at least two teams to see what package they could offer and the budget required.

Look what happened to Infiniti when they were 'sold' the concept by an unproven team, when what they should have done is approach an established team.

I know that Plato did this with Subaru, but he is a different case.

Are you ready for this?

The Infiniti deal was brought about by... a driver. The driver sold them the idea and the reasoning, and the manufacturer liked the idea. However, the driver had put trust in a family and group of people who he had built a relationship with over months of discussions, maybe even more than a year. And these people fiddled with it and pushed said driver out. To quote the unnamed family/team boss, "its my train set and I will play with it how I ******* like". That was in response to said driver questioning the way the car was being built.

I must say no more.

Jack Clarke has been doing a lot with Renault, and I know Renault are considering entering with the new Megane. We shall see what happens I suppose.

But don't believe me, I know nothing.

[pagey318]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I don't think it is as simple as just the driver. It must be remembered that most BTCC drivers rely on their sponsorship package to fund their drive, so the manufacturer(s) will be looking at many factors including driver/sponsors/team.

E.g. - Mat Jackson/Volvo Trucks might not work with some car manufacturers.

Also - isn't Clarke a Honda Yuasa development driver?

There is always one person who spearheads a campaign and marketing pitch towards a manufacturer, whether this be the driver or team boss etc. It is that persons responsibility to sell the idea to interest them, that is why the best marketing brains in the business always have a drive.

[Ry44]

just read an article discussing how Tom Chilton would return given the correct offer


http://www.touringcars.net/2016/11/t...tions-for-2017


I do feel what he has said in the article probably rules it out though

[Ry44]

Originally Posted by pagey318

Are you ready for this?

The Infiniti deal was brought about by... a driver. The driver sold them the idea and the reasoning, and the manufacturer liked the idea. However, the driver had put trust in a family and group of people who he had built a relationship with over months of discussions, maybe even more than a year. And these people fiddled with it and pushed said driver out. To quote the unnamed family/team boss, "its my train set and I will play with it how I ******* like". That was in response to said driver questioning the way the car was being built.

I must say no more.

Jack Clarke has been doing a lot with Renault, and I know Renault are considering entering with the new Megane. We shall see what happens I suppose.

But don't believe me, I know nothing.

given the fact i know who you are referring to I must say he has dealt whith the situation in a VERY PROFESSIONAL manor and I do hope he can at least get back on the grid and given a proper chance after all of the hard work and effort put in and sadly swiftly undone

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by pagey318

Jack Clarke has been doing a lot with Renault, and I know Renault are considering entering with the new Megane. We shall see what happens I suppose.

Is some of the association with Renault connected to Jolyon Palmer?
If so, does his F1 seat have any bearing on Renault's potential to tie up with Clarke?