The cracks begin to show!

[RIKB]

BMP announced the shape of BTCC's future last week, and already the cracks are beginning to show!

Denys Rohan, Chief executive of Silverstone, a partner in BMP! has expressed concerns about whether the new regulations will provide the "right level of entertainment" with cars that only have 270bhp on tap.

Dave Richards, head of Ford works team Prodrive, and former TOCA director has worries about Touring car racing "fragmenting" after the success of the National Saloon Car championships, and BPM's decision to press on with the Supercar series, a spaceframe series created by former BTCC champ, Andy Rouse. Richards has said that the BTCC needs strong leadership to stop everyone pulling in different directions.

To add to the woes, the European Superstars series looks as though it will attract many of the top teams and drivers. This series is to be organised by Octagon motorsports part of the company which owns Brands Hatch, another BMP member!
TWR, Prodrive and Zakspeed are rumoured to be looking at this series, and it even has damon Hills' support!

[Crash Test]

Ahhh, what good is Damon Hill's support?
Hmmm....
And 270hp...i think my grandmas wheel chair might be eligible

[kmchow]

Well for sure, the Euro Superstars has one thing going for it--they're all PHAT (Pretty Hot A Tempting) four door sedans!! Can't say the same for the BTCC! I think the NZTC has moved to race only sedans in '99, they dropped the Integras. Ditto for the Argentinian TC2000---all PHAT sedans!!

[Super Tourer]

Call me an old cynic, but the whole saloon car racing scene looks a total mess.

ESTC, Superstars and the BTCC are all claiming interest from the same manufacturers.....Anyone with half a brain knows that they will only do one series and thats without a lot of claimed interest from car makers in the NSC.

How many times have we know seen Ford (Prodrive) disqualified from either qualifying or the race for alleged rule infringements, and this is in a series with 3 works teams !!!

The desire and need to win in these saloon car racing series has reached F1 proportions and has gone way beyond a bit of promotion to show how 'exciting your average family car is'.

Whatever series they enter, regardless of the format, works teams will stretch the rules, squabble and protest, budgets will rise and then teams will drop out again. Its an interminable cycle.....

As for works 'tuner' teams supplying cars to private teams - forget it, "they will be identical" - yeah right....

[kmchow]

Anyone else read the Eurostar and Hill announcement at the Autosport website? Perhaps it is all posturing on Damon's part, but what are the chances do you think a World Champion will race full time in the series? The concept is very interesting--having at least one big name from each of the countries the series races in. Anychance they can come to Vancouver?? ;-)

Supertourer wrote:

>The desire and need to win in these saloon car racing >series has reached F1 proportions and has gone way beyond >a bit of promotion to show how 'exciting your average >family car is'.
>
I thik he has a good point. I guess saloon car racing has just become too successful and important? It's success is turning into what leads to it's failure???

>Whatever series they enter, regardless of the format, >works teams will stretch the rules, squabble and protest, >budgets will rise and then teams will drop out again. Its >an interminable cycle.....
>
I guess that's what Disney calls the "Circle of Life"???

[Danielsun]

I think I speak for most race fans when I say this: SCREW ALL THIS SHYTE AND JUST GIVE US WHAT WE ALL BLOODY WELL WANT:

Gimme a D
Gimme a T
Gimme an M
Spell it...

DTM

The rest is krap
And that's a rap...