[BTCC] BTCC 2023 season discussion, News and Rumours!

[Pickles]

I don't think we'll see him at Dynamics.

[Millvi]

One Motorsport seem to have gone a bit quiet. Are we not due a driver announcement this week? I’d have expected a few tweets from them building up to a driver reveal.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Millvi

One Motorsport seem to have gone a bit quiet. Are we not due a driver announcement this week? I’d have expected a few tweets from them building up to a driver reveal.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say if Plato does come back he'll be with One.

[mphplastering]

Originally Posted by Millvi

One Motorsport seem to have gone a bit quiet. Are we not due a driver announcement this week? I’d have expected a few tweets from them building up to a driver reveal.

Rumours are a 4th car

[mphplastering]

Originally Posted by Pickles

I'm going to stick my neck out and say if Plato does come back he'll be with One.

He said he enjoyed it there last season fingers crossed. Or dynamics is another rumour

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by mphplastering

He said he enjoyed it there last season fingers crossed. Or dynamics is another rumour

Theres a few rumours about Dynamics floaing around

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by mphplastering

Plato likes to leave his announcements till late so could be a coincidence

Last year there wasn’t even an announcement before he turned up with BTC in testing!* Personally I think he’ll stick to his word and retire, at least from the BTCC.

*Think it was the same with Ricky Collard too (might’ve been someone else) so best keep an eye for when Speedworks start testing!

[mphplastering]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Last year there wasn’t even an announcement before he turned up with BTC in testing!* Personally I think he’ll stick to his word and retire, at least from the BTCC.

*Think it was the same with Ricky Collard too (might’ve been someone else) so best keep an eye for when Speedworks start testing!

Yeah jp was posting pictures of Scotland on his twitter account everyone put 2and2 together as btcracing were at knockhill. Then 2 days later they were at croft testing and jp posting pictures of area around croft

[VXDave]

Really would be very surprised to see Plato back - he said he wouldn't be interested unless a well-funded manufacturer team came about (or words to that effect).

Also I think it would be very odd if he returns to [what was] BTC Racing. He complained when at PMR that the car wasn't fast enough in a straight line, then when to BTC which also used the TOCA engine (albeit it was MSport last year; Swindon when at PMR) and complained about the same issue. I don't recall his results really being any better at BTC than they were at PMR - in fact a quick look at Wiki shows his results were much better at PMR. I don't think we'll see him driving, but that is all conjecture.

The only thing playing on my mind is that there's been nothing from Dynamics. Could they and Plato have somehow schemed together with a new works entry??? Naaaa surely not...

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by VXDave

Really would be very surprised to see Plato back - he said he wouldn't be interested unless a well-funded manufacturer team came about (or words to that effect).

He subsequently said he'd be interested in a return if it was a multi-year deal, not necessarily with a manufacturer.

[antnee]

He just wants to get away from the scrabbling around to pull deals together every 12 months. Remove the stress and enjoy the racing.

[S griffin]

Plato always said the door is open to a return. However most of the signs until yesterday have said he was sticking by his retirement decision

[mphplastering]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Plato always said the door is open to a return. However most of the signs until yesterday have said he was sticking by his retirement decision

Until yesterday?

[teabag1993]

Regarding the supposed Plato to Dynamics rumour- he and Matt Neal are good friends and have been for some years (despite everything).

Is it possible that Plato might join Dynamics to help them out sponsorship-wise? Rowbottom leaving and taking Cataclean with him was undoubtedly a hefty blow to TD.

It was also quite unexpected. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Plato does Dynamics a favour and brings the likes of Adrian Flux to the table.

[Millvi]

https://twitter.com/creesy777/status...aGx6HhR1Sf-G6A

News incoming from Michael Crees. A move away from the BTCC?

[Millvi]

https://twitter.com/teamhardracing/s...aGx6HhR1Sf-G6A

And a 5th car being built at Team Hard…..

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Millvi

https://twitter.com/teamhardracing/s...aGx6HhR1Sf-G6A

And a 5th car being built at Team Hard…..

Ooh... Maybe HARD have acquired the 2nd ex-Aiden Moffat Racing TBL?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by SSmith

Ooh... Maybe HARD have acquired the 2nd ex-Aiden Moffat Racing TBL?

Could be a spare? Or a replacement.

If it was their TBL they sold on as reported and not Boardley’s, strange that they bought another one!

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Millvi

https://twitter.com/creesy777/status...aGx6HhR1Sf-G6A

News incoming from Michael Crees. A move away from the BTCC?

And a picture of a driver (him?) standing on the bonnet of a Ginetta.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Could be a spare? Or a replacement.

If it was their TBL they sold on as reported and not Boardley’s, strange that they bought another one!

Yes, it would be a bit strange! The reference to 5 just made me think of them running 5 CUPRAs for some reason.

I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that one of the chassis has been hobbled slightly since it was nearly destroyed in its first ever race weekend (the ex-Geddie, Mitchell, Powell, Oliphant, Boardley car) so a replacement may be necessary.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

And a picture of a driver (him?) standing on the bonnet of a Ginetta.

Looks like a picture of him in parc ferme at Brands after he won the Ginetta GT4 Supercup Am title in 2018

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by SSmith

Yes, it would be a bit strange! The reference to 5 just made me think of them running 5 CUPRAs for some reason.

That would make the most sense, bit weird to do a post about a fifth car when there’s still only four running, but could be as much to get the rumours going.

Don’t believe the 4th driver was ever billed as a ‘completing’ the line-up or anything like that either.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Don’t believe the 4th driver was ever billed as a ‘completing’ the line-up or anything like that either.

It wasn't...

[Steel Wheels]

Originally Posted by Evantra

That would make the most sense, bit weird to do a post about a fifth car when there’s still only four running, but could be as much to get the rumours going.

Don’t believe the 4th driver was ever billed as a ‘completing’ the line-up or anything like that either.

Well considering Team Hard ran the Moffat cars (to some extent), maybe they’ve done a deal to keep one of their TBL’s. There were rumours flying around about deals bailing each other out cost wise between the Moffat’s & Gilham’s, so wouldn’t surprise me to see the 5th Cupra on the grid.

I wonder which driver has pulled the short straw & got the ex-Geddie Chassis?

[S griffin]

I would hope that one of the cars could be leased to a new team entering the series.