WOW a whole 10 car grid

[pit rat]

yes folks step right up for the 2001 racing oddysey a whole 10 car grid of touring cars.

3 pugs, 3 astras, 2 lexus and 2 alfas - well maybe

Time for TOCA to wake up and sniff the coffee?

[Larsen]

It's going to be more than that i can tell you, if you remember Peugeot and Vauxhall are planning an extra 3 cars for privateers, oh yeah don't forget Team Dynamics!

[Dan Friel]

They need cars... hopefully the privateers will get more support, otherwise they won't show - which has been the trend over the last couple of years...

But is 15 cars enough?? The European series will have more entries..

[hunttheshunt]

I think it will be a bit more than 10;

3 pugs, 3 astras, 2 mgs (eventually), 2 lexus' and 4 (yes 4!) js alfas. thats 14 cars-throw in team dynamics, plus a couple of private pugs and astras and youre looking at 17 or 18 entries.

[******]

I don't think that there will be any customer pug's.As for the alfa's, we will be lucky to see one let alone four and who knows if they will be any good. After all they are being built by a club racing team (albeit with a bit of hel from others).

[Sodemo2]

I must admit this is kind of worrying. If the grid for the tourers isn't big enough, who is going to bother to turn up?

Lets face it, this series lives and dies by how good the touring cars are, if there aren't many entrants then noone will turn up.

in 1999 i was so ****ed off when at Oulton PK 3 or 4 cars got wiped out at that first corner smash, and we were left with about 12 cars, which stank big time.

Don't forget that this year the touring cars have to race alone (in the sprint) so they can't mask the poor numbers by shoving a load of class B cars in with them.

However, I can see the situation improving, as next year the cars which vauxhall etc have used this year, will be open for independants to use.

[Tim.Lad]

I was at the same race day it was just a farce the safety car won the most races in the day but it was that boring me and my brothers fell asleep and got woke up when the podium came round L

[RIKB]

Yes but don't forget that Richard West is "talking to a number of other manufacturers" I wonder what other lines he learned from Alan Gow.

[Invader]

TOCA who?

[Lorna]

I understand everyone's concerns but I wouldn't expect too much from this year's all new uncertain state. I'm an optimist and I'll be trackside again this year (don't forget about the support races). British Touring Cars will pick up, I don't think it will be this year.

[hunttheshunt]

I think this years BTCC could be similar last year in the sense that there was plenty of competitive, closr racing with 9 different race winners, but in terms of numbers quite poor. Next year, though, i think that will change.

[Les]

I agree with Lorna. This year the cars may be a little scarce but hopefully they will be well built (and won't die after a couple of laps), well matched and well driven because then we will have GREAT racing.

But if they don't then I suspect the very large Clio pack will be very entertaining.