BTCC 2018 in-season discussion

[medius]

Maybe an overt way to make the team boss annoyed and take his borderline embarrassing squad away?

Benefit for the championship is that the grid reduces closer to the desired 20something figure mentioned before. But without directly saying "go away".

If it were a performance enhancing part you'd expect it to be present on all 4 cars, not just one. Maybe it's been there all year but only just discovered?

Is it known if the team appealed?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Other series would state an investigation was being conducted and the crime and the punishment if applicable; the way TOCA do things at times appears frankly amateur.

It takes them two weeks to make known a decision to exclude a car and dock some points - why? They clearly had found the suspect part at Knockhill during scrutineering and either determined it was a no no on the spot or confiscated it for further checks.

On that form what if driver A wins the championship at Brands but a part is found suspect after scrutineering? Brush under the carpet? A quiet announcement a fortnight later A isn't champion and B is? The handling is worse than the FIA farce over barge boards on Eddie Irvines Ferrari 20 years ago...

Well, it wouldn't be the first time this has happened in the BTCC would it TWR?

[Racer65]

The officials aren't full time BTCC employees. They have homes to go and other jobs to get to and Knockhill is a long way for most of them.

Next time they meet is the next race so its little wonder it takes to then to confirm the exclusion etc.

What difference would it have made if it had been announced a day or so later (checks need to be made) or two weeks later anyway?

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Other series would state an investigation was being conducted and the crime and the punishment if applicable; the way TOCA do things at times appears frankly amateur.

Would they? I don't think they would.

Formula 1 doesn't for example. When Renault protested Grosjean's car at the Italian Grand Prix, that wasn't announced by the FIA. It was leaked to the media by Renault.

The FIA didn't make any comment about it until the stewards had reached a decision and imposed the penalty.

It takes them two weeks to make known a decision to exclude a car and dock some points - why?

It didn't. The decision was made known not long after it was made, which was on Friday afternoon at Silverstone.

They clearly had found the suspect part at Knockhill during scrutineering and either determined it was a no no on the spot or confiscated it for further checks.

Scrutineers found the potentially illegal part after the third race at Knockhill and reported it immediately to the stewards / clerk or the course. This is standard procedure.

The CoC needed to interview the team manager about the matter.

However the last flights to Luton, Heathrow or Birmingham from Edinburgh airport on a Sunday night are all before 9pm. You need to leave Knockhill before 6.30pm if you are on one of these flights, so the team manager would have been on his way to (or already at) the airport by the time the CoC contacted him.

So they interviewed the team manager on Friday afternoon at Silverstone. Only then was the decision made to exclude the car and dock the points.

The team manager then had the opportunity to appeal the decision, and chose not to. At that point the decision was published and the points were updated.

On that form what if driver A wins the championship at Brands but a part is found suspect after scrutineering? Brush under the carpet? A quiet announcement a fortnight later A isn't champion and B is?

At the final round of the season the results are declared official late on the night of the final race, once all scrutineering is complete and all matters have been heard.

At all other rounds, results remain provisional until after the next round, when they will be declared official (unless there are still outstanding appeals).

[Robin Marriott]

Originally Posted by medius

If it were a performance enhancing part you'd expect it to be present on all 4 cars, not just one. Maybe it's been there all year but only just discovered?

It might not even be performance enhancing.

My money would be on them ‘accidentally’ using the old style (stronger) GPRM toe links which would no longer be homologated but they’d have loads kicking about still.

Did he break a one at Knockhill at all?

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by Robin Marriott

It might not even be performance enhancing.

My money would be on them ‘accidentally’ using the old style (stronger) GPRM toe links which would no longer be homologated but they’d have loads kicking about still.

Did he break a one at Knockhill at all?

He had massive impact into the barrier race 2 and if I remember right, as the tractor pulled it out a lot of the front end ripped off so sound have all sorts of damage

[medius]

So how do we think 2018 has gone? Has anything surprised you? Or pretty much business as usual?

I'm quite impressed about how after years and years of tweaking and fine tuning the playing field we've finally achieved almost universal parity across the grid.

I'm surprised how fast and far BMR have dropped off the radar as a team.equally I'm impressed by Matt Simpson moving from being alower card midfielder to consistantly scoring points.

Performances can't be that critical about though as the grid closeness means put one foot wrong at any point in the weekend and you can kiss the weekend over. Most drivers and teams rarely put in a flawless event these days and there's 20-25 guys capable of winning every weekend.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by medius

So how do we think 2018 has gone? Has anything surprised you? Or pretty much business as usual?

I'll a do a (long) write up at the end of the season. But overall it's been a really good year, bar all the Subaru negativity. Still can't help but think Tom deserves to win it more than Colin though, but that's just me.

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Still can't help but think Tom deserves to win it more than Colin though, but that's just me.

that failed ride height at Knockhill may prove Tingrams big undoing this year

[S griffin]

I thought nothing could top 2017, but this season has been equally close. You only need to look back to 2016 to see how much closer and more competitive the field has been the last couple of seasons

[antnee]

Team Hard are making an announcement tomorrow morning, not sure if it is BTCC related though.

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by antnee

Team Hard are making an announcement tomorrow morning, not sure if it is BTCC related though.

Let me guess, another #gamechanger

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by antnee

Team Hard are making an announcement tomorrow morning, not sure if it is BTCC related though.

Hard make an announcement every week. What is it this time - new colour, new driver we've never heard of, third mechanic has a new pet, they've found a box of legal parts?

[Alfisti]

#Gamechanger #HARD Monopoly. Go directly to drivers seat, do not pass go and give #HARD the £200.

[HopAlong]

Bushel is the first 2019 signing for HARD in the BTCC.

[Alfisti]

So Mike is cearly happy in a post GK #HARD; hopefully the pattern of improved recent performance will continue.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

So Mike is cearly happy in a post GK #HARD; hopefully the pattern of improved recent performance will continue.

What's to be unhappy about now: He is engineering his own car, and seems to be getting it right. And he gets to stay in BTCC, which he couldn't afford with any other team.

[Matt K]

It is unusual for BTCC to have such announcements in September so good for Bushell, he's got the winter to prepare himself for another season rather than seek funds and team to get here for next year. Bushell is a talented guy and I'd like to see him in a better equipment.

[S griffin]

This season has shown what a very good driver he is, so it’s good he will be back

[Alfisti]

It also shows his sponsors believe in him, which is fantastic for the young lad. I think he is very very good and will win races - so long as HARD can get enough testing in. Hope so!

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by BobJones

Here's the thing, I really enjoy the BTCC but is it me or has it become predictably unpredictable?

What I mean by that is, you know that if someone has championship or race result ballast and the harder tyre, then they are going backwards, and conversely, if they have the softer tyre and less weight, they are going forward. In many ways then, you can now predict an Ingram 'charge' or at least expect certain cars/drivers to be quick given the tyre and weight combo – which takes away the excitement, for me, of what would normally be an incredible spectacle.

Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes, I think you can. A new track would help, but it's not possible. Thus, ditch the tyre compounds – or at least make the difference between them smaller, or have three compounds and set which one is to be used at each track e.g. soft at Brands, hard at Donington, extra hard at Thruxton etc.

Going back to this, looks like I'm not the only one. Standby for a heated debate in the replies.

https://twitter.com/tiff_tv/status/1...666301953?s=19

[S griffin]

The fact is the drivers and cars are more closely matched than ever. That’s part of the reason so many drivers have won this season

[btccbloke]

Originally Posted by BobJones

Going back to this, looks like I'm not the only one. Standby for a heated debate in the replies.

https://twitter.com/tiff_tv/status/1...666301953?s=19

... Did you write the strongly worded letter

[sambeeb]

Sitting here in Australia watching the wet rounds of the BTCC at Snetterton. Just wondering, are the FWD cars able to run soft compound rears and medium fronts or do the regs preclude that?
sam

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by sambeeb

Sitting here in Australia watching the wet rounds of the BTCC at Snetterton. Just wondering, are the FWD cars able to run soft compound rears and medium fronts or do the regs preclude that?
sam

You must use the same compound on all four wheels.