[BTCC] BTCC 2021

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by thetool

And many years ago common place and understanable. Even as recently as 2019. But with no hospitality, and quite likely it will remain that way for at least this year, these sort of deals don't work anymore.

Indeed. This sort of deal is definitely a thing in recent history and currently I believe. A very popular and successful current driver carried branding on his fire suit in his debut year that was not on the already "fully stickered" car. The driver spent significant time in hospitality mingling with guests between the then two races on Sunday. I could have described half a dozen people there, so to narrow it down we're in 2002 IIRC and the Gentleman is very softly spoken.

[RED55]

888 Australia is looking to fill Wincups seat next year , Ashley Sutton your the ideal fit for that one !!!!!!!

[Speedysnapper]

So, the MB Motorsport/Motorbase line up revealed in Autosport this week:
MB: Hill and Ollie Jackson
Motorbase: Osborne and......Neate...
Discuss...!!

[Robin Marriott]

Originally Posted by Speedysnapper

So, the MB Motorsport/Motorbase line up revealed in Autosport this week:
MB: Hill and Ollie Jackson
Motorbase: Osborne and......Neate...
Discuss...!!

Hill and OJ I’m very happy about, they’ll get great results because the car is decent.

Osbourne is unsurprising given what we already knew, I think he’ll do alright.

Neate has enough money to get a drive. That’s all I’m saying.

[Robshillito1990]

Originally Posted by Speedysnapper

So, the MB Motorsport/Motorbase line up revealed in Autosport this week:
MB: Hill and Ollie Jackson
Motorbase: Osborne and......Neate...
Discuss...!!

Oh great another year of neate pointlessly driving into people.....

[Robshillito1990]

On another note if hill keeps consistent this year can see him challenging for the title

[aland]

neate still waving his bank statement about then

[thetool]

In terms of the drivers entered as Motorbase that is, by quite some margin, their weakest line-up, by quite some margin, since the days of running Pinkney in the Integra many years ago.

[DaviePHD]

It's that time of year again, the time of year we all despair as Andy Neate is confirmed in the BTCC for the coming season.

Ollie Jackson - great to see him back in kind of the same team. He'll have his hands full with Jake Hill as a Team mate!

Sam Osborne - Undecided on him as yet, he was obviously getting a seat due to his Father's investment, I was hoping that in the Civic he would improve in 2020, maybe he just had crap luck.

Volderneate - well what can be said that hasn't been said already.

I wonder how Dave Bartrum feels today? I know it's not his team anymore but it's his "brand" and I wonder if he feels it's been thrown under the bus by the new owners?

[crmalcolm]

On a 2+2= vein, Nic Hamilton was talking BTCC on the Halfords podcast recently.......

[BTCC frog]

https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...reveals-lineup

The bottom of this article seems convinced that Dan Rowbottom will be driving for Team Dynamics, replacing Matt Neal.

[mprmke]

The MB Motorsport team is very good. Ollie Jackson has developed into a competent Number 2 driver and Jake Hill is the real deal, so a very decent line-up there.

The Motorbase Team, not so good. Neate is always going to be a tail-ender. I've seen some flashes of promise from Osborne, but he's not Number 1 driver standard in a "proper" team by a long way yet

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...reveals-lineup

The bottom of this article seems convinced that Dan Rowbottom will be driving for Team Dynamics, replacing Matt Neal.

Have they taken the suggestion that Rowbottom will be in a Honda from this thread?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by mprmke

The MB Motorsport team is very good. Ollie Jackson has developed into a competent Number 2 driver and Jake Hill is the real deal, so a very decent line-up there.

The Motorbase Team, not so good. Neate is always going to be a tail-ender. I've seen some flashes of promise from Osborne, but he's not Number 1 driver standard in a "proper" team by a long way yet

Osborne and Neate are both quick enough to throw something left field on a car for feedback..

[BTCC frog]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Have they taken the suggestion that Rowbottom will be in a Honda from this thread?

Well he did say on this thread that he would not be driving for Team Dynamics, so probably not. But I don’t think that what he said proves that the rumour is false because BTCC drivers do love to surprise people with their announcements, and directly contradicting that he was going to TD would certainly make it a surprise if he did.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

https://www.autosport.com/btcc/news/...reveals-lineup

The bottom of this article seems convinced that Dan Rowbottom will be driving for Team Dynamics, replacing Matt Neal.

Would be a great loss to see TD become effectively a one car team from a point of view of front running entries.

[S griffin]

I do wonder what will happen at TD. I have been convinced Matt will be back, but we have to wait and see. At least they still have Cammish

[Robshillito1990]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I do wonder what will happen at TD. I have been convinced Matt will be back, but we have to wait and see. At least they still have Cammish

To be honest I can see Matt Neal doing 1 more year then handing the reigns to his son. The right way to do it surely? Then Matt take team boss role?

[Matt K]

Motorbase's lineup seems like a slap in the face for the former (can we say legendary?) team owner Dave Bartrum. I know money talks and it is what it is but it's hard not to be disappointed. Neate should never be a BTCC driver. I hope Osbourne will make some kind of a turnaround, early last year he seemed good only to fade later in the season. Hopefully a new, very good car, will help him to improve.

Ollie Jackson, even if against all odds, proved to be a very solid driver so should be a strong numer 2 for Jake Hill and I expect good things from Jake. Last year wasn't ecactly as good as I'd hoped but in my opinion Jake is already one of the top talents in the field. Having a very strong car, he should be fighting for a title, at least some wins. Will be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by Matt K

Motorbase's lineup seems like a slap in the face for the former (can we say legendary?) team owner Dave Bartrum. I know money talks and it is what it is but it's hard not to be disappointed. Neate should never be a BTCC driver. I hope Osbourne will make some kind of a turnaround, early last year he seemed good only to fade later in the season. Hopefully a new, very good car, will help him to improve.

Ollie Jackson, even if against all odds, proved to be a very solid driver so should be a strong numer 2 for Jake Hill and I expect good things from Jake. Last year wasn't ecactly as good as I'd hoped but in my opinion Jake is already one of the top talents in the field. Having a very strong car, he should be fighting for a title, at least some wins. Will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Wow wow wow! Hang on, so the ‘new’ team has in-effect swapped Butcher for Hill & added Osborne. Cannot see that as a slap in the face to Bartie, especially as he sold the team to Pete and Shaun fully knowing their intentions. Bartie ran Neate last year, so any criticism on that choice would ring true to past and present owners surely!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Matt K

Motorbase's lineup seems like a slap in the face for the former (can we say legendary?) team owner Dave Bartrum.

Lets not forget that Neate was part of the Motorbase team when it was still owned by Bartrum. Having the son of the person who bought the team should come as a shock to anyone.

Looking at the wider picture, Jackson was in Motorbase last year. That just leaves Hill as a new addition to a Motorbase-built car. As I recall Hill was highly rated by Bartrum.

I think anyone who sees this as throwing Bartrum under the bus or as an affront to Motorbase's legacy is somewhat overreacting.

[Craner Curves]

I'd argue it's better than Jackson, Depper and Davenport as a lineup.

[Alfisti]

If Andy Neate can drive as he did the first half of last season then there will be no problem. He seemed to become more aggressive on track (possibly in a quest to find more speed) as the season progressed and made more and more mistakes. Seemed to become a vicious circle. He also managed to get into fisticuffs with Carl, Jade and Mr Jelley by hitting them repeatedly for reasons unknown to me.

I'm hoping the mild mannered Andy Neate is the one we see. If we have repeats of the type of shenanigans inflicted on Carl and Jade again then I will be writing a very stiff letter to TOCA.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I'm hoping the mild mannered Andy Neate is the one we see. If we have repeats of the type of shenanigans inflicted on Carl and Jade again then I will be writing a very stiff letter to TOCA.

not the strongly worded letter

neate's lad is moving into single seaters this year isn't he? two decent sized budgets keeping a lot of people in work. i agree with you - hope to see the neate that turned up with decent pace and track manners. can't be arsed with all the hate - what's done is done. but what makes a decent man is the ability to learn and better themself rather than sticking their head in the sand and waving their arse at everyone. that attitude was pretty tiresome last year and only barely works coming from the guys with decades of btcc experience, race wins and titles behind them.

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Lets not forget that Neate was part of the Motorbase team when it was still owned by Bartrum. Having the son of the person who bought the team should come as a shock to anyone.

Looking at the wider picture, Jackson was in Motorbase last year. That just leaves Hill as a new addition to a Motorbase-built car. As I recall Hill was highly rated by Bartrum.

I think anyone who sees this as throwing Bartrum under the bus or as an affront to Motorbase's legacy is somewhat overreacting.

Yes, you're right, it might be a bit of overreaction. But my point is, the other side of the garage will race under MB Motorsport banner so the Motorbase moniker is gone. The duo actually running as Motorbase will be a very underwhelming one. That's the point I wanted to make, although, as a matter of fact, MB Motorsport and Motorbase will be the same team in many areas.