[BTCC] BTCC 2021

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Pringles

I thought the vehicle had to be available with a road going ICE as part of the regulations?

If it is a requirement currently, then there are only a few years left to make the necessary amendments.

So what? I suspect that, given the fact that pure-ICE cars will not be on sale in the UK from 2030, then if a team was to propose homologation of a model that only comes in EV form TOCA would probably permit the entry.

(That's not to say I have any indication of someone wanting to enter an MG5, or any other car that comes in EV only - but the day will be upon us soon).

[FIRE]

The European automotive market has changed since the 90s. People buy SUV's and MPV's instead of saloons, THAT killed (in my opinion) the Accord, Vectra, Mondeo, etc.

[BertMk2]

Rick Parfitt Jnr targetting BTCC for 2021:

https://twitter.com/RickParfittJnr/s...85586783440896

It'll be interesting to see how he makes the transition from GT's - it's worked for some in the past whilst others not so much!

[S griffin]

Hmm, I wonder if he has any sponsor and/or team lined up. I wish him the best if he comes to the BTCC. No tin top experience means it would be hard to tell how he goes

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Hmm, I wonder if he has any sponsor and/or team lined up. I wish him the best if he comes to the BTCC. No tin top experience means it would be hard to tell how he goes

I don't know him but how was he able to race in GT's?

[pimmy]

He used to cry about people racing him too hard in GTs, so he'll need to change his mindset if he's going to survive here. Then again, Blundell left BGT citing poor driving standards and I don't remember him being quite as fussy in BTCC.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by pimmy

He used to cry about people racing him too hard in GTs, so he'll need to change his mindset if he's going to survive here. Then again, Blundell left BGT citing poor driving standards and I don't remember him being quite as fussy in BTCC.

In that case I wish him luck.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by FIRE

I don't know him but how was he able to race in GT's?

He won BGT Championship , but then again so did James Gornall.....

[thlbtcc]

All this crying about the lack of an Accord, when the new Civic looks to be the size of that class of car anyway...!

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

He won BGT Championship , but then again so did James Gornall.....

I thought Jiggy performed well for a rookie until his money ran out! I think RPJ would be best if trying to get in a RWD car, but that limits his options.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by thlbtcc

All this crying about the lack of an Accord, when the new Civic looks to be the size of that class of car anyway...!

I think the key word there is 'looks'.

Although it appears longer, lower, and wider than its incredibly popular predecessor, Honda hasn't messed much with its dimensions. Its height and width are the same as before, and it's only about an inch longer. Its wheelbase has been stretched a little more than an inch, but interior space is unchanged. "Rear legroom remains the same," says Dan Calhoun, Honda senior planner for the Civic four-door and Si. "But the longer wheelbase allowed us to increase the rake of the rear seat slightly for more comfort." Trunk space is also about the same.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by thlbtcc

All this crying about the lack of an Accord, when the new Civic looks to be the size of that class of car anyway...!

Looks much nicer - and less overstated - than the monstrosity that they're currently selling. They might make decent touring cars from them, but by crikey the current Civic is ugly. That one looks lovely though.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Greem

Looks much nicer - and less overstated - than the monstrosity that they're currently selling. They might make decent touring cars from them, but by crikey the current Civic is ugly. That one looks lovely though.

Yep that looks awesome. Hopefully the hatch version sorts out the current rear end too as I imagine that'd be the NGTC version (assuming Dynamics continue with Honda)

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Rick Parfitt Jnr targetting BTCC for 2021:

https://twitter.com/RickParfittJnr/s...85586783440896

It'll be interesting to see how he makes the transition from GT's - it's worked for some in the past whilst others not so much!

Interesting that that was shared by Shaun. So AmD / MB a possible option then (as much as you can take from a retweet!)

Wonder if with Blundell's backing they would think about picking up a 3rd TBL.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Interesting that that was shared by Shaun. So AmD / MB a possible option then (as much as you can take from a retweet!)

Is 'shared by Shaun' the post-Covid equivalent of 'shake with Shaun' ?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Is 'shared by Shaun' the post-Covid equivalent of 'shake with Shaun' ?

Haha it is now! Which means it won't happen

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Haha it is now! Which means it won't happen

Shaun did tweet RPJ back when he first started talking BTCC not long after his op & offered him a test when he was ‘ready’! Read into that what you will

[3marinadrive]

Originally Posted by Jiiiiiiim

Shaun did tweet RPJ back when he first started talking BTCC not long after his op & offered him a test when he was ‘ready’! Read into that what you will

So I am very close to Mr. Hill in BTCC but I have been around motorsport for a gazillion years so I feel confident I can drive this 'poll' with some confidence and a degree of impartiality;

Please rate your top ten BTCC drivers of 2020 based on;

Results
Improvement over previous years or ability to maintain previous results
Qualifying
Race craft
What they have achieved considering the equipment they are in....i.e have they over or under performed?
Consistency
Sheer speed


So here, is my top 10 of 2020 based on that criteria;

1 - Sutton
2 - Turkington
3 - Ingram
4 - Cammish
5 - Butcher
6 - Hill
7 - Cook
8 - Jackson
9 - Morgan
10 - Oliphant


Thoughts folks.....

[Alfisti]

Well if the boy has budget then why not give him a whirl? His famous father will guarantee media interest, which should help pull in sponsor cash.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Greem

Looks much nicer - and less overstated - than the monstrosity that they're currently selling. They might make decent touring cars from them, but by crikey the current Civic is ugly. That one looks lovely though.

Agree with the above totally... one caveat: there is a saloon of the current car which sold barely any here and it is a lot smoother and to my mind nicer than the origami hatchback. For their sake I hope Honda has grafted an elegant hatch onto the back of this rather sleek looking saloon rather than producing another visually challenging carbuncle!

Whatever, if you want a British built hatchback then you're choices are ever more limited... only the Corolla and Mini are coming to mind.

[CaptRustyNail]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Agree with the above totally... one caveat: there is a saloon of the current car which sold barely any here and it is a lot smoother and to my mind nicer than the origami hatchback. For their sake I hope Honda has grafted an elegant hatch onto the back of this rather sleek looking saloon rather than producing another visually challenging carbuncle!

Whatever, if you want a British built hatchback then you're choices are ever more limited... only the Corolla and Mini are coming to mind.

the saloon rear is much nicer, the hatch is still ugly.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Agree with the above totally... one caveat: there is a saloon of the current car which sold barely any here and it is a lot smoother and to my mind nicer than the origami hatchback. For their sake I hope Honda has grafted an elegant hatch onto the back of this rather sleek looking saloon rather than producing another visually challenging carbuncle!

Whatever, if you want a British built hatchback then you're choices are ever more limited... only the Corolla and Mini are coming to mind.

Or the Astra

[AnnoyedMoose]

Originally Posted by 3marinadrive

Please rate your top ten BTCC drivers of 2020 based on;

Thoughts folks.....

My thought is this should be in the 2020 thread not the 2021 thread...

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Or the Astra

Well yes currently, as per the moose tooled current Civic, but I have a horrible feeling that the Ellesmere Port plant may not be for much longer. The Peugeot/Citroen/Opel/Vauxhall etc. group has way more production capacity than it needs. One hope I have is that a no deal Brexit would theoretically allow the British Government to provide financial assistance to secure jobs. EU membership prevents this so I'm told. Although Peugeot etc. are lobbying for a deal, so who knows where the real truth lies.

[BTCC frog]

Here is a potential driver line-up that I would love to see in 2021. Some of these are very unlikely to happen, but this is not a prediction; it is merely a personal preference.

WSR BMW (3TBL)
Colin Turkington - still the best driver on the grid.
Tom Oliphant - is still improving every year and deserves another go in WSR.
Sam Tordoff - extremely unlikely, but I really want to see him back in the championship and he did very well in his last stint with WSR.

Team Dynamics Honda (3TBL)
Dan Cammish - just missed out on the title for a second year in a row, 2021 could be his year.
Matt Neal - very underwhelming last year, but still has more to give.
Gordon Shedden - best driver on the grid in 2015-2017, and still has a fourth championship in him. It would be great if he returned.

Laser Tools Infiniti (2TBL)
Ash Sutton - the fastest driver on the grid, and if he can eliminate the silly errors like his crash at Croft, he will be better than Turkington.
Aiden Moffat - not particularly a fan, but I can't see him leaving and he was good in 2016-2019 before switching to RWD.

Motorbase Ford (3TBL)
Rory Butcher - very good the last few years.
Ollie Jackson - 2020 was his best season ever in the BTCC.
Michael Epps - did a good job for Team HARD, and deserves another shot.

BTC Racing Honda (2TBL)
Tom Chilton - not great last year, but can still win races in the BTCC.
Michael Crees - doesn't seem like a future champion, but deserves another go in 2021.

Speedworks Toyota (2TBL)
Tom Ingram - deserves a championship, and I think 2021 could be his year.
Josh Cook - a partnership of Ingram and Cook would be great, and Cook is good enough to fight for the title.

MB Motorsport Honda (2TBL)
Jake Hill - improving every year.
Andrew Jordan - wanted to fit him in somewhere, and he did will for Honda in 2012-2014. Can't realistically see it happening though.

Ciceley Mercedes (1TBL)
Adam Morgan - a very consistent driver. Ciceley are better off just focussing on him, as Jack Butel is not good enough for the BTCC.

Excelr8/TPC Hyundai (4TBL)
Senna Procter - did well last year back in FWD.
Chris Smiley - has also done well the last few years.
James Gornall - did pretty well last year, and has more potential than Bobby Thompson.
Paul Rivett - the four-time Clio champion did well in his two round cameo, and it would be great if he had a full season.

Team Parker BMW (1TBL)
Stephen Jelley - after two awful years in 2017 and 2018, he has improved into a midfield driver, and could still win a race occasionally.

Team HARD Cupra/BMW (4TBL)
Jack Goff - deserves a better car really, but hopefully the new Cupra will be better than its predecessor.
Mike Bushell - hopefully it will be third time lucky for Bushell in terms of actually starting the season with HARD.
Tom Onslow-Cole - very quick in the early 2010s, and whilst he wasn't great in 2020, I think he would be much faster with a full season.
Carl Boardley - like Crees, he isn't a future champion, but deserves another go anyway.

Power Maxed Vauxhall (2TBL)
Jason Plato - after a nightmare 2018, he looked back to his old self (relatively) in 2019, and can still fight for championships.
Mat Jackson - it was a shame not to have him back last year, so I hope he returns in 2021 instead.

HMS Alfa Romeo (1TBL)
Rob Austin - I don't know if a return for HMS is on the cards or not, but I would like to have them back.

So that is my preferred line-up for 2021. There are a lot more potential champions on the grid than there were in 2020, although due to financial problems with the pandemic, I think the number of quick drivers will actually go down next year. Obviously there are no rookies on this grid as I don't know as much about the support series.