BTCC 2019 season discussion, News and Rumours!

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Pdh

So the championship has a new title sponsor in kwik fit

"Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship"

Will take some getting used to - both the name and the different numberplate stickers!

Surprised to see Dunlop replaced.

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by Evantra

"Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship"

Will take some getting used to - both the name and the different numberplate stickers!

Surprised to see Dunlop replaced.

Interesting change and didn't see that coming however I assume the deal with Kwik Fit is for 2019 only.

[btccbloke]

Most petrol heads wouldn't touch kwikfit with a bargepole so that's an interesting one

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Tell me more

There's a segment on James Martins Saturday Kitchen in which the vague idea is Jason Plato (a good pal of James Martin) drives someone around a farm (Warren Scott's?) at high speed while they are trying to follow a recipe.
Anyway it's pretty lame top gear style gimmick but Jason is still wearing BMR Subaru overalls each week.

JP doesn't strike me the sort to publicly promote anything longer than his contractual obligations suggest

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by btccbloke

JP doesn't strike me the sort to publicly promote anything longer than his contractual obligations suggest

Three factors need to be considered, before attaching any significance to the racing suit being worn.

A) when was the segment filmed?
B) was Subaru mentioned in any way?
C) did Plato just wear a racing suit that he already had?

if he is due to drive something other than Subaru, he wouldn't promote that until the press release?

[S griffin]

James Martin doesn’t do Saturday Kitchen anymore, so it was probably an old episode

Anyway Kwik Fit as sponsor. Can see tyre changes going downhill

[Alfisti]

I think the Subaru contractual agreements run to the end of the calendar year, not the end of the season. Think, but don't know. Logically they would as the manufacturer may have wished to use the team/ personnel in publicity post season if they'd won the championship for example.

I first heard the Plato TBL as a whisper at Silverstone. The whisperer in question is wrong as often, if not more so, than he is right. Chinese whispers up and down the paddock. I do doubt it to be honest. Where would JP take it? If he wanted his own team then why wait until this stage in his career to start it? Wouldn't he want a two car team to promote a fresh young talent? The rumour had legs to my mind until Warren Scott said BMR will be back next year. Unless he was bluffing, but I think Mr S is not the sort to bluff.

Also, if Norlin do have new wheels, then where are the existing cars off too and where would the TBLs to race them come from? Uncle Alan's TOCA two we think are the only unaccounted for ones? Or would Shaun or Matt Simpson be after spare shells to tuck away?

More questions than this time last year, or it seems that way! In some ways I wish all the teams were like #HARD - organised!

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Evantra

"Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship"

Will take some getting used to - both the name and the different numberplate stickers!

Surprised to see Dunlop replaced.

How many Dunlop tyres do we think Kwik Fit buy?.....

[touringlegend]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

How many Dunlop tyres do we think Kwik Fit buy?.....

Hmmm, if you look at the tyres Kwik Fit sell I would be willing to bet the majority of them are budget brands, and not in the premium sector of Dunlop’s/ Goodyear’s.

Regardless, it’s great to have a household name on board with the championship. In my eyes one of the biggest title sponsors since the Auto Trader days.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by btccbloke

Most petrol heads wouldn't touch kwikfit with a bargepole so that's an interesting one

They may find it increasingly difficult to do so when it comes to replacing tyres and exhaust systems. KwikFit have been busy over the years hoovering up many independent businesses, with chains like Stapeltons, Tyre City and Charlie Browns all belonging to the KwikFit Group.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by S griffin

James Martin doesn’t do Saturday Kitchen anymore, so it was probably an old episode

Anyway Kwik Fit as sponsor. Can see tyre changes going downhill

Well, there'll be the added delay while the mechanics spray WD40 onto the shockers then suck air in through their teeth and tell the driver they're leaking so he needs new ones!

[aland]

kwik **** is where joe public gets tyres, the majority of motorists are not clued up on tyres etc, they want something thats round and black. its how the fancy tyre places make their money, good for the sport if kwik fit are putting money in, still wouldnt let them near my car though

[Robin Marriott]

It’s good that such a big name is willing to sponsor the championship, love or hate them, they’re probably more of a household name than any title sponsor since Auto Trader too (even Dunlop, ask your non car people to name a tyre brand and they’ll struggle, ask them where to have tyres fitted and they’ll say Kwik Fit)

It also means there will be additional exposure for the BTCC, Kwik Fit are very heavy on customer promotions so they’ll run ‘win free tickets with 4 tyres’ type competitions and all of their centres will be decked out with BTCC banners.

The only downside is they’ll run adverts before and after the breaks which are even more annoying than the Dunlop Mercedes driving into the beach one...

[CroftPilgrim]

Originally Posted by S griffin

James Martin doesn’t do Saturday Kitchen anymore, so it was probably an old episode

Anyway Kwik Fit as sponsor. Can see tyre changes going downhill

Yeah, the trouble will be a driver will come in for new tyres but they'll want to change his shocks and brakes as well!

[S griffin]

And give him a while u wait sign

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by S griffin

And give him a while u wait sign

We will just have to wait and see.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by CroftPilgrim

Yeah, the trouble will be a driver will come in for new tyres but they'll want to change his shocks and brakes as well!

They're not all dodgy, although I do remember the dubious up-selling attempts back in the day. In fact my local one is where I go; buy the tyres on the website, booked appointment for the swap and the prices are fair.

[airbusA346]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

They may find it increasingly difficult to do so when it comes to replacing tyres and exhaust systems. KwikFit have been busy over the years hoovering up many independent businesses, with chains like Stapeltons, Tyre City and Charlie Browns all belonging to the KwikFit Group.

Itochu Corporation own Kwik Fit and Stapleton's. Not Kwik Fit owning Stapleton's.

[btccbloke]

It doesn't take a lot of googling to read about Kwikfit and the scare tactics used to upsell or billing for work that may not have been carried out, generally most of their advertising these days seems to be done by Watchdog! Most of these fastfit places (national tyres, formula 1) are the same tho and quite untrustworthy by reputation on the whole, disappointing the series has become associated with such merchants

[Alfaholic]

Originally Posted by Robin Marriott

The only downside is they’ll run adverts before and after the breaks which are even more annoying than the Dunlop Mercedes driving into the beach one...

As long as they don't go back to the 1980's adverts and the catchphrase...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBx6IjYrN1I

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by Alfaholic

As long as they don't go back to the 1980's adverts and the catchphrase...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBx6IjYrN1I

... Anyone who thinks they can't get better than a kwik fit fitter needs to believe in themselves a bit more

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by airbusA346

Itochu Corporation own Kwik Fit and Stapleton's. Not Kwik Fit owning Stapleton's.

I would suggest that you read Kwik Fit Group's (which is why I was careful in how I wrote what I did) accounts, where it clearly states that the group includes Stapletons, although the group itself is owned by the Japanese investment company Itochu Corp.

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I would suggest that you read Kwik Fit Group's (which is why I was careful in how I wrote what I did) accounts, where it clearly states that the group includes Stapletons, although the group itself is owned by the Japanese investment company Itochu Corp.

There is a world of difference between Kwik Fit acquiring Stapletons Vs the Itochu group already owning Stapletons and later acquiring similar business Kwik Fit


https://www.kwik-fit.com/about-us/our-history

The more likely scenario is Itochu have grouped all of its UK subsidiary companies under a "group" (with Kwik Fit being the largest), hence showing they are in the same group, it does not indicate a parent-child relationship between Kwik Fit and Stapletons.

[Greem]

Do we need a subforum of this one specifically to discuss business relationships and accounting in relation the the BTCC?

Additionally, you have all seen the rebranding and renaming of the MSA, haven't you?

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Greem

Additionally, you have all seen the rebranding and renaming of the MSA, haven't you?

Apparently the rebrand is a smokescreen for large-scale cost cutting.