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5 Sep 2020, 18:29 (Ref:4000297) | #101 | ||
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#HARD is a profitable business. All business owners should be aiming for and hopefully achieving that. They do provide one of, if not the, cheapest way for a driver to get into BTCC. With Creesy being the most recent example of a driver getting into the BTCC and then managing the move to a bigger team.
Not everybody can win. That never stopped Gian Carlo Minardi in F1. The team was a firm favourite of many, including me. Heck, I once spent a weekend with them turning down the opportunity to spend it with a certain other Italian outfit - probably one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life. Plastic chairs, cheap wine and oily greasy hands! Minardi, like #HARD, have provided that first step into the series for many a driver. A certain high profile highly successful Spaniard springs to mind Little teams, with little budgets have their role in all forms of sport. Last edited by Alfisti; 5 Sep 2020 at 18:37. |
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5 Sep 2020, 20:43 (Ref:4000315) | #102 | ||
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Quote:
But conversely, as we've seen this year, whether it's a car fault or down to the driver, they seem to be accountable for about half the safety cars we get. Perhaps they need to make their seats a little less cheap and put some of that money into the CUPRAs... |
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5 Sep 2020, 21:00 (Ref:4000319) | #103 | |||
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Quote:
Massive expansion plans and scholarships paying cash money for VW Cup drives and paying some drivers is juxtaposed by sending cars onto tracks fitted with certain parts almost double the lifespan logged, to such a degree that two former drivers (one a driver coach with a Jr team) refuse to work with the team on future projects. Jake Hill has been vocal about life behind the garage shutters. The cult that has emerged since they joined has been staggering in the NGTC years with very little to justify it. Last edited by medius; 5 Sep 2020 at 21:05. |
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From redshoes: ''I have no idea who the second Team Hard driver is, and I suspect after the name is announced I'll be none the wiser.'' |
5 Sep 2020, 21:56 (Ref:4000332) | #104 | |
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take Team Parker by comparison, little to no fuzz on social media just go out and do the job
and occassionly get podiums with lucky reverse grids or Excelr8 for small team they seam much more professional in purusuing results compared to HARD if Lord Gow has the chance he wiill surelly take away some TBL from HARD |
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5 Sep 2020, 22:46 (Ref:4000334) | #105 | |
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5 Sep 2020, 23:04 (Ref:4000337) | #106 | ||
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Indeed the fan backlash alone would be insufferable the only way the squad won't field a full compliment of entries would be:
Force majeur (injury/lack of parts etc) Rule change Selling the TBL It's too lucrative for them not to put someone...anyone in the car every opportunity while they are allowed to. It makes money when the driver is paying more than its costs to do it. But that's true of every virtually all 3 TBLteams. |
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6 Sep 2020, 08:19 (Ref:4000363) | #107 | |
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6 Sep 2020, 08:34 (Ref:4000366) | #108 | |
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6 Sep 2020, 09:04 (Ref:4000367) | #109 | |
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If anything Hard may sell the 2 of them, I believe there is the demand for them from other existing or hopeful teams.
That would also help fund the builds of the car. |
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6 Sep 2020, 09:12 (Ref:4000369) | #110 | |
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Define farcical, if you can. HARD have done nothing even remotely deserving of have TBLs taken away, if they choose to sell them that's down to them. The grid would look very different without their involvement over the years, not taking anything away from any of their obvious talent but would the likes of Hill, Smiley and Goff made the step up without Tony? Also he's got some very loyal sponsors so they must be happy, RCIB have been with him since his Porsche days and obviously have expanded to other teams as well, say what you like about the results but you obviously don't understand the business side of it.
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6 Sep 2020, 10:16 (Ref:4000383) | #111 | |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 292
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Take away everyone’s personal opinions on how good or bad Team Hard are next year they will have no excuses and it will be the same for Jack Goff, brand new cars so they have to be in the top 15 consistently in qualifying and the races, they will have to matching what the fords and Hyundai’s have been doing this year if not then people can start moaning more about them
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6 Sep 2020, 11:21 (Ref:4000386) | #112 | ||
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Quote:
I agree. The fact they are still here shows they are doing something right. And them winning at Silverstone last year due to them rolling the dice shows they can beat the odds |
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He who dares wins! He who hesitates is lost! |
6 Sep 2020, 12:54 (Ref:4000408) | #113 | ||
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Quote:
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6 Sep 2020, 12:59 (Ref:4000411) | #114 | |
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Walk a mile in someone else's shoes. When they realise you have, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes. |
6 Sep 2020, 13:00 (Ref:4000412) | #115 | |
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6 Sep 2020, 13:29 (Ref:4000434) | #116 | |
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6 Sep 2020, 14:01 (Ref:4000459) | #117 | |
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But in a very unique year when an established and successful works BMW driver, and a manufacturer backed team have both chosen to not take part, HARD are still there with all 4 cars. Appreciate they get a lot of bad press and that everyone has their own opinion but surely it would have been easy for them to sit back and say 'Yea, we can't do this, we'll sell 2 TBLs instead.'
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6 Sep 2020, 15:17 (Ref:4000509) | #118 | |
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I’d rather concentrate more on the close racing. It’s not HARD’s fault we are missing two former champions, plus a returning race winner due to circumstances. They themselves had to resort bringing Brown in to help pay their bills. So they have done well to get to the grid
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He who dares wins! He who hesitates is lost! |
6 Sep 2020, 15:49 (Ref:4000526) | #119 | |
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Without doubt it's good the BTCC grid stands at healthy numbers and teams such as HARD contribute to that and maybe make the whole field more interesting. Unless such teams make up 75% of the grid, I'm fine with them being perennial backmarkers.
I'd be happier though if they provided opportunities for young, excting talents who could be stars of the future. Hamilton, Brown, Boardley are hardly prospective, excting talents. |
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7 Sep 2020, 09:10 (Ref:4000707) | #120 | |
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Selling the TBLs could well be a viable way of paying for the 2 new cars - it is well known that a number of teams have been looking for another TBL (Dynamics and PMR for example). Along with a slight price rise for being in brand new machinery and could we see HARD genuinely making some sustainable forward moves?
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7 Sep 2020, 10:53 (Ref:4000733) | #121 | |
Racer
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At the end of the day anyone who wants to put the work in to raise the budget can race. Maybe the "young, exciting" talent should be doing more in that regard just like the others had to to get there?
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7 Sep 2020, 13:07 (Ref:4000751) | #122 | |
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Exactly. At the end of the day whoever is on the grid deserves to be there. Go on Facebook and the usual names always crop up who deserve a drive and 'should be given a seat'. Incidentally this is why I come on here, you can have a decent discussion without everyone b*tching that Rob Austin is still not back.
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8 Sep 2020, 18:43 (Ref:4000983) | #123 | ||
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On here we (maybe just me?) love a BTCC grid minus Knob Austin. Praise the Lord!
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8 Sep 2020, 18:49 (Ref:4000987) | #124 | |||
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Quote:
Would it work better if they ran two cars at £600K per seat? I suspect only TG can begin to answer that one. |
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8 Sep 2020, 19:05 (Ref:4000995) | #125 | |
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