BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[coffinpilot]

Not forgetting Autosport reported Motorbase are planning on building another two cars for next year - for customers.
https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...2024/10495358/

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Not forgetting Autosport reported Motorbase are planning on building another two cars for next year - for customers.
https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...2024/10495358/

Think it was more a readiness to support a team if such showed up and wanted to use this support. This doesn't necessarily mean they are planning anything.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Not forgetting Autosport reported Motorbase are planning on building another two cars for next year - for customers.
https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...2024/10495358/

Presumably one has now already been built post Donington

[touringlegend]

Commentary said it was a spare with 2023 spec, could be an old chassis or a new.

Maybe execeler8 are looking to gain a couple of TBLs out the HARD stable (or whom ever they belong to).

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

Commentary said it was a spare with 2023 spec, could be an old chassis or a new.

Maybe execeler8 are looking to gain a couple of TBLs out the HARD stable (or whom ever they belong to).

Exactly this. The spare chassis was "completed" prior to the start of the season, in readiness for such a situation as happened. Same as Dynamics, I believe, in the past because the go to man, Willie Poole, is only able to straighten out so many cars a year and he can't always repair the cars on such short notice.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Presumably one has now already been built post Donington

Motorbase have re-used the car that Ollie Jackson raced in 2020/21. Last used for testing in 2022. It was also going to be used as a 2-seater in late 2022; not sure if that ever happened.

[Evantra]

Alan Gow:

- his ideal grid size is 24 cars
- guest support categories to continue for 2024
- new junior series planned for 2025 with a possible announcement in November
- further boosts planned for hybrid to improve overtaking

https://x.com/btcc/status/1705858119...T11pmdgnSSDQzA

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by Matt_123

swear there was a rule saying you can only run up to 4 cars. thought they still had that before Hard brought 6 cupras

There might be, but HARD "don't run 6", "they" only run 17 and 18.

"Autobrite Direct" run 2 and Go-Fix run 2.

It's bullcrap of course but look at the other TOCA series with these rules and you have stuff like "Dave Motorsport 1", "Dave Motorsport 2" and "Dave? Never heard of him Motorsport by Dave".

Originally Posted by Evantra

Alan Gow:

- his ideal grid size is 24 cars
- guest support categories to continue for 2024
- new junior series planned for 2025 with a possible announcement in November
- further boosts planned for hybrid to improve overtaking

https://x.com/btcc/status/1705858119...T11pmdgnSSDQzA

Isn't it amazing how Alan Gow's "Ideal" grid size gets smaller every year at the exact rate as teams drop out of his series because it's getting hilariously expensive?

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Alan Gow:
- his ideal grid size is 24 cars

Part of the reasoning behind reducing grid sizes was not about what happens on track but reducing the amount of paddock space needed. That was especially true a few years ago when we had big support races grids complete with big transporters and hospitality unit. That isn't really the case any more.

That said I don't have a problem with a 24 car BTCC grid if it means 24 decent drivers in 24 decent cars. At the minute it feels like we could easily cull a few cars from the back of the grid and not even notice.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Part of the reasoning behind reducing grid sizes was not about what happens on track but reducing the amount of paddock space needed. That was especially true a few years ago when we had big support races grids complete with big transporters and hospitality unit. That isn't really the case any more.

That said I don't have a problem with a 24 car BTCC grid if it means 24 decent drivers in 24 decent cars. At the minute it feels like we could easily cull a few cars from the back of the grid and not even notice.

24 decent drivers in 24 decent cars is a bad idea actually, as people then complain when you get drivers like Cook or Cammish qualifying 16th.

The last few years have had possible the best quality of drivers the series has ever seen. There are 18, maybe 20 drivers who have raced recently who you wouldn't ve surprised to see winning a race.

[Dudley]

The problem is, someone has to be at the back, if you got to 24, there's still going to be 2 or 4 that are usually at the back and you'll say the same about them "We could lose them and not miss them".

There's also the problem that you won't lose who you think. If you told Motorbase they could only run 2, one of them is still going to be Sam. If you do the same at Toyota Gamble is paying enough of the budget it's one of his quicker teammates going.

[Evantra]

Also, if we get a situation where teams merge into bigger ones again, from a grid of 24 it’ll only take one team to drop out and we’d be down to 20 cars.

It’s definitely about time a fresh team comes in, but obviously it’s not as easy as it sounds.

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Also, if we get a situation where teams merge into bigger ones again, from a grid of 24 it’ll only take one team to drop out and we’d be down to 20 cars.

It’s definitely about time a fresh team comes in, but obviously it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Yes, always healthier to have more smaller (smaller in terms of a number of cars) teams rather than fewer that field 4-6 cars. Especially as Team HARD for instance fields lots of cars but there's little quality behind it all. Nice they give chance to the likes of Lloyd or Thompson though.

Anyway, unfortunately can't see a new team joining in the foreseeable future. Would be nice to see Parker or Dynamics back (the latter probably will never return though) but that's only a wishful thinking at the moment.

What worries me, on the other hand, is the exodus of staff from One Motorsport. Seems like something's wrong there. Didn't Cook mention another person who leaves after this weekend?

[Evantra]

Looked like Hamilton was in the NAPA garage for the last race, for what it’s worth.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Looked like Hamilton was in the NAPA garage for the last race, for what it’s worth.

Yes it seemed he was, and he told Louise Goodman he's targeting a 2024 return to the BTCC. I can't see it being at Motorbase/NAPA Racing UK but he raced there in 2019 and stranger things have happened. Ultimately, if he finds the sponsorship money, he could end up anywhere.

With the rumours of 6 EXCELR8 Hyundais next year, I did think about what could happen if Motorbase acquired two more TBLs and went up to 6 cars. A pair of Valvoline-coloured cars for the Osborne brothers (Sam + Jamie) and a quartet of NAPA-coloured cars (Sutton, Cammish, Rowbottom, + a driver with significant backing)?

With rumours of 6 EXCELR8 Hyundais, the ongoing issues at HARD, and whatever is going on at One Motorsport (underperforming on track, staff exodus, end to GT racing programmes etc.), plus the annual question around funding/backing for WSR and Speedworks in 2024 - the composition of the grid next year could be rather different.

[Matt_123]

Originally Posted by SSmith

With rumours of 6 EXCELR8 Hyundais, the ongoing issues at HARD, and whatever is going on at One Motorsport (underperforming on track, staff exodus, end to GT racing programmes etc.), plus the annual question around funding/backing for WSR and Speedworks in 2024 - the composition of the grid next year could be rather different.

Yh I dont see One Motorsport back for 2024 unfortunately, unless anyone has heard anything on the contrary.

Its gonna create a massive arms race for Cook and Moffat though, they could go anywhere tbh, they deserve to stick around

[AnnoyedMoose]

Here's an off the wall idea. Cook is so much more than just a driver and we know Motorbase have said they could provide a turnkey operation for a new team.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Matt_123

Yh I dont see One Motorsport back for 2024 unfortunately, unless anyone has heard anything on the contrary.

Its gonna create a massive arms race for Cook and Moffat though, they could go anywhere tbh, they deserve to stick around

On the One Motorsport subject I found Gow's talk of "24 cars being the ideal" quite interesting. Remove the One Motorsport entries and you get... 24 cars.

Autosport suggested Cook could be a target for Speedworks Motorsport due to Danny Buxton becoming Head of Motorsport there. "Buxton’s move to Speedworks cannot come without speculation that One Motorsport star Josh Cook, who has won 16 races with the team in the BTCC, could become a target for 2024. Cook claimed the runner-up spot in the 2014 Clio Cup with Buxton’s SV Racing squad, and Buxton has mentored him ever since."

I'd like to think he has a very strong chance to stay on the grid. As AnnoyedMoose points out, Josh Cook's Cooksport team is very active in club racing. If they can find the funding then who knows (this is the rumours thread after all).

If Moffat still owns two TBLs (which I think were loaned to Team HARD this year) then it'll be interesting to see what he decides to do. Should Team HARD downsize (and in some respects I hope they do), there may be a couple of CUPRAs on the market, and irrespective of whether One Motorsport stay or leave, he could race the same Honda.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by SSmith

I'd like to think he has a very strong chance to stay on the grid. As AnnoyedMoose points out, Josh Cook's Cooksport team is very active in club racing. If they can find the funding then who knows (this is the rumours thread after all).

cooksport closed down this year

[touringlegend]

I could see Cook at Toyota. Gamble seems to have had a poor year.

[Adamcas87]

Originally Posted by Matt_123

Yh I dont see One Motorsport back for 2024 unfortunately, unless anyone has heard anything on the contrary.

Its gonna create a massive arms race for Cook and Moffat though, they could go anywhere tbh, they deserve to stick around

Moffat deserves to stick around?? Apart from a budget he is pretty average on track to be fair

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Adamcas87

Moffat deserves to stick around?? Apart from a budget he is pretty average on track to be fair

Whilst I can see him perhaps wanting to explore different avenues, in fairness that car has been pretty awful this year. But even so, 82 points to Cook’s 237 is a bigger gap than I would’ve expected. (still better than Edwards on -5…)

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by touringfan01

cooksport closed down this year

I hadn't realised that. Speedworks it is then.

Originally Posted by touringlegend

I could see Cook at Toyota. Gamble seems to have had a poor year.

With the Buxton connection it does seem a likely option. Gamble has taken longer than expected to adjust to FWD and is a long way off Collard and Butcher (182 & 172 points vs Gamble's 60). I assume though that Gamble brings budget to the team from Hooch and Car Gods.

[Evantra]

It would be a great move for Speedworks. Whilst they have three very good drivers capable of winning races, I don’t think they have a driver capable of winning the championship. One lucky reverse grid win this year is really not where that team should be at.

[tocatrucky]

I suppose here is as good a place as any, watching the Driver 61 podcast from 2021, Karun Chandhok talked about his motorsport bucketlist and BTCC was something he liked a lot, praising Gow highly and ''in a 'couple of years' he'd try and put together a programme for it'', as did host Scott Mansell (he mentioned he'd seriously attempt to join the grid within 4-5 years).

Not saying they are in the frame for 2024 definitely but names to bear in mind in coming seasons and not ones I've seen previously linked.