|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
26 Sep 2009, 18:38 (Ref:2548704) | #126 | |||
Rookie
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 48
|
Quote:
Quote:
|
|||
|
26 Sep 2009, 20:49 (Ref:2548771) | #127 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
|
Nathan Freke would be a great addition to the series. It'd be a shame to break up the "Freke Breeze ends Wrathall" name combination in Ginettas though...
|
||
|
27 Sep 2009, 08:46 (Ref:2549036) | #128 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,087
|
Freke is just one of many drivers who deserve a place in BTCC but budgets are what hold them back as many have found out.
In terms of fans favourites Neal and Plato do have a fan base but if you had been a Snetterton all the fans were for Paul O'Neill and rightly he has picked up an award for being the most liked this year, great chap |
|
|
27 Sep 2009, 10:40 (Ref:2549061) | #129 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 5,100
|
|||
__________________
Marbot : "Ironically, the main difference between a Red Bull and a Virgin is that Red Bull can make parts of its car smaller and floppier." |
30 Sep 2009, 16:38 (Ref:2551366) | #130 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,646
|
Anyone got any ideas as to where Adam Jones will end up for 2010.
|
|
|
30 Sep 2009, 17:42 (Ref:2551407) | #131 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,087
|
One can hope he ends up back with GR Asia which served him so well in the past, I understand he owns the car and has good personal backers therefore he does have options. He may be able to piggy back onto the club Seat with Shedden and would be suprised if he is a no show in 2010.
|
|
|
30 Sep 2009, 21:49 (Ref:2551531) | #132 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,084
|
I was quite surprised it was Shedden who turned up with Club Seat backing when you consider how long Jones has been driving Seats!
|
||
__________________
Real men don't use "clients", real men whistle SYN/ACK down the phone |
1 Oct 2009, 07:23 (Ref:2551694) | #133 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Feb 1999
Posts: 8,968
|
SEAT do a fair amount of sponsorship and branding at Knockhill, so I'm guessing Shedden already had a lot of contacts to call on when the need arose.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2009, 12:10 (Ref:2554468) | #134 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 838
|
Looks like we'll know about Honda in the next 10 days - http://www.crash.net/btcc/news/15320...cs_return.html
Fingers crossed... |
||
|
5 Oct 2009, 12:23 (Ref:2554480) | #135 | |
Race Official
Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 8,961
|
Anyone see Hondas robot 'Asimo' on ITV4 yesterday? I reckon they should let it drive rather than Neal.
|
|
|
5 Oct 2009, 21:02 (Ref:2554770) | #136 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,087
|
I used to be a huge Matt Neal fan but am not now and I think his fan base is now small judging by Brands reaction to him.
If Neal Snr is looking to pay a driver then Neal Jnr should not even get a test, there are far better and his results in the second half of this year are poor. However it is highly likely he will drive for them only based on his family connections, Dynamics are very much a team in decline, should Honda want to invest other teams will be wiser choices. I do wonder what Neal Snr would do if Honda were to invest but said it was on the basis of not signing Matt Neal.... ummm |
|
|
5 Oct 2009, 21:18 (Ref:2554780) | #137 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 5,100
|
It depends if they want a big name or a young gun that would be great with a little more experience. Or if they have a huge chequebook and get Thommo, Gio or Turkington ...
|
||
__________________
Marbot : "Ironically, the main difference between a Red Bull and a Virgin is that Red Bull can make parts of its car smaller and floppier." |
6 Oct 2009, 06:47 (Ref:2554931) | #138 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,087
|
Quote:
Thommo did a remarkable job with the Civic this year and would be the best bet for the Dynamics drive, I am suprised they are testing Matt Neal so soon in the car, the reality is it is proberbly his only option to remain in BTCC. |
||
|
6 Oct 2009, 11:40 (Ref:2555110) | #139 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 12,493
|
For me, if I had to draw up a list of drivers, in order, for TD to pursue it would be:
1. Thompson 2. Giovanardi 3. Turkington 4. Eaves 5. Coronel 6. Jones 7. Neal with both Herbert and Pinkney bringing in sponsorhip and finance. Last edited by crmalcolm; 6 Oct 2009 at 11:41. Reason: Spelling |
||
__________________
"When you’re just too socially awkward for real life, Ten-Tenths welcomes you with open arms. Everyone has me figured out, which makes it super easy for me." |
6 Oct 2009, 11:49 (Ref:2555118) | #140 | ||
Race Official
Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,323
|
From the way Steve Neal was talking it sounded like there would effectively be two teams:
Honda - Fielding top line drivers (Eg Thompson) Dynamics - Amateur drivers (Eg Pinkney) (Amatuer was the word Steve Neal used before anyone accuses me of bashing Pinkney ) So if that's right there could be 4 Civics assuming 2 for each. |
||
|
6 Oct 2009, 12:30 (Ref:2555148) | #141 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Feb 1999
Posts: 8,968
|
Steve Neal says a lot of things. I tend to take most of them with a large pinch of salt.
Having a lot of drivers ask about running a car and actually running lots of cars are two very different things. Lets give it a couple of months before getting too carried away. |
|
|
6 Oct 2009, 14:16 (Ref:2555205) | #142 | ||
Race Official
Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,323
|
|||
|
6 Oct 2009, 18:34 (Ref:2555373) | #143 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 12,493
|
If TD were to go down the 2-team route, I can't see a place for Matt in either.
Honda would undoubtably pull the strings with regards to drivers in a factory team and IMHO would not have M.Neal anywhere near the top of their shopping list. A second team would need significant funding over and above the existing setup and so would need all drivers to be paying for their seats I feel. |
||
__________________
"When you’re just too socially awkward for real life, Ten-Tenths welcomes you with open arms. Everyone has me figured out, which makes it super easy for me." |
6 Oct 2009, 18:42 (Ref:2555377) | #144 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 1,720
|
There is more chance of Steve running Plato than Eaves after what happened in the winter of 05/06
|
||
|
6 Oct 2009, 18:58 (Ref:2555381) | #145 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 5,100
|
Quote:
If I was setting up a Honda factory team I'd go for Thompson, Jackson and either Neal or a complete wild one (Takuma Sato might make the jump to touring cars well and Honda might be looking for a job for him?) - assuming Turkington will stay at WSR. That way Dynamics Two could be Pinkney and someone else. I feel sure with Honda money for the first three and pay drivers for the second two they could realistically operate five cars (advantage being a hell of a lot of data on those cars) - T8 did in 2001 with Egg Sport or whatever they were called and the Vauxhall team. |
|||
__________________
Marbot : "Ironically, the main difference between a Red Bull and a Virgin is that Red Bull can make parts of its car smaller and floppier." |
6 Oct 2009, 19:21 (Ref:2555391) | #146 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,136
|
Quote:
But I agree with the sentiments of nearly everybody else, Dynamics would be best off signing Thommo A.S.A.P. Drop Pinkney. He may have money, but his performances have been nowhere near as good as his team mate's for this season, whether it was Thommo or Herbert in. |
|||
__________________
A touring car and sportscar forum poster. The F1 sub forum is terrible! :P |
6 Oct 2009, 19:28 (Ref:2555394) | #147 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,706
|
The civic may not be the ideal Honda for touringcarracing, for that honour would probably go to the Accord. But I can imagine that Honda wants to promote the Civic type R as sporty fast car, and thinks the Accord does not need that kind of promotion, then the Civic it will be.
|
||
|
6 Oct 2009, 19:54 (Ref:2555407) | #148 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 5,100
|
They could start with the Civic for the first few months and then swap over to a NGTC spec Accord when they are finished and if Alan Gow would let them go in early...
|
||
__________________
Marbot : "Ironically, the main difference between a Red Bull and a Virgin is that Red Bull can make parts of its car smaller and floppier." |
6 Oct 2009, 20:10 (Ref:2555421) | #149 | |
Race Official
Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,837
|
If I would be a manufacturer I would develop a NGTC car and wait until 2011 before entering. Being the first with a NGTC car you get maybe some extra help from BTCC to be competitive against the S2000 cars. I assume BTCC wants to be the NGTC entries competitive from the start. If not it could discourage teams/manufacturers to develop NGTC cars.
|
|
|
6 Oct 2009, 21:38 (Ref:2555482) | #150 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 5,100
|
However, Honda have the Civics as a stop-gap measure, and of course Alan Gow might decide to allow NGTC cars in a little sooner (last 3 meetings in 2010?).
|
||
__________________
Marbot : "Ironically, the main difference between a Red Bull and a Virgin is that Red Bull can make parts of its car smaller and floppier." |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
2009 Australian F3 - rumour mill/driver line up | williamsf1 | National & International Single Seaters | 83 | 20 Mar 2009 10:46 |
Rumour mill reaches 20,000rpm! | Logrence | Formula One | 19 | 2 Jun 2005 16:34 |
2004 Rumour Mill Latest: Montoya To Replace Schumacher At Ferrari!!!!!!!!! | Knowlesy | Formula One | 11 | 4 Jun 2003 01:37 |
CART.com's Own Rumour Mill | macdaddy | ChampCar World Series | 40 | 13 Jan 2003 01:33 |
Trouble at Mill | Armco Bender | Formula One | 3 | 24 Nov 2002 13:02 |