2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car ChampionshipTouring Cars

[Furinkazen]

Broken ribs and collapsed lung for Dan Welch

 

[Malcolm Tucker]

http://www.insidebtcc.com/ingram-admits-btcc-career-could-stall/

Rookie of 2014 imo, it would be a big shame not to see him on the grid this year

Thanks for the United Autosports confirmation @Tom I was expecting that! How did things go for you?

I'm trying to figure out how many licences are available for 2015. Last year was full except Gow held back one two-car entry for a manufacturer, which I assume has gone to Infiniti. UA is no more so that opens up two car places, how many have the new Support Our Paras team got? Assuming they've got two that would mean the grid is full if everyone else from 2014 is returning, and there'd be no space for any new entrants like HARD. Still a lot of confirmations to come through though so I'm probably jumping the gun a bit

 

[Furinkazen]

Think Eurotech to one car.

 

[Malcolm Tucker]

Yep I could see Eurotech with one car. That means they'll have a Civic for sale, maybe Team Dynamics will revert back to the standard Civic from the silly 'estate' car Doesn't look like Honda want them to use the new Type-R for some odd reason. Everyone is still reporting it as 'likely' but their leaving it a bit late if they haven't already started building it

I missed this from a week ago, no Volvo for 2015 so that answers half of my earlier question lol

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/volvo-btcc-project-stalls/

 

[Tom]

http://www.insidebtcc.com/ingram-admits-btcc-career-could-stall/

Rookie of 2014 imo, it would be a big shame not to see him on the grid this year

Thanks for the United Autosports confirmation @Tom I was expecting that! How did things go for you?

I'm trying to figure out how many licences are available for 2015. Last year was full except Gow held back one two-car entry for a manufacturer, which I assume has gone to Infiniti. UA is no more so that opens up two car places, how many have the new Support Our Paras team got? Assuming they've got two that would mean the grid is full if everyone else from 2014 is returning, and there'd be no space for any new entrants like HARD. Still a lot of confirmations to come through though so I'm probably jumping the gun a bit

No problem.

After chatting with a very reputable photographer in the BTCC, he revealed about Alan Gow's apparent dislike of Gilham and John Thorne and how he is very reluctant to allow them licenses to race in the championship again.

The reasoning behind Gilham is due to his driver 'merry-go-round' two years ago, he feels it put the sport in a bad light. John Thorne doesn't need explaining - poor preparation, poor organisation, poor driver(s). Mind you, given how it nearly bankrupted Thorne Motorsport, it's very unlikely they'll make a return anyway.

Support Our Paras Infiniti will be fielding two Q50s, both are incredibly nice guys, it must be said and I wish them every success for the season. It will certainly be interesting to see what a team with such a vastly different business model to that of the conventional teams can achieve.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

I missed this from a week ago, no Volvo for 2015 so that answers half of my earlier question lol

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/volvo-btcc-project-stalls/

This has been known for a long time.

 

[Malcolm Tucker]

No problem.

After chatting with a very reputable photographer in the BTCC, he revealed about Alan Gow's apparent dislike of Gilham and John Thorne and how he is very reluctant to allow them licenses to race in the championship again.

The reasoning behind Gilham is due to his driver 'merry-go-round' two years ago, he feels it put the sport in a bad light. John Thorne doesn't need explaining - poor preparation, poor organisation, poor driver(s). Mind you, given how it nearly bankrupted Thorne Motorsport, it's very unlikely they'll make a return anyway.

Support Our Paras Infiniti will be fielding two Q50s, both are incredibly nice guys, it must be said and I wish them every success for the season. It will certainly be interesting to see what a team with such a vastly different business model to that of the conventional teams can achieve.

That's not a surprise at all lol, thanks for the inside info Glad to see you had a successful weekend

Was there much of an actual Infiniti presence at the show? I've had reservations about them since the announcement, I think they're mainly there for the association with charity work, rather than a full blown manufacturer attempt at the title. I'm hoping they are committed enough to provide SOP with decent cars.

Just realised my typo/lack of concentration, I meant RacingForHeroes when I said Support Our Paras They have one BTCC entrant, to answer my own question (which leaves one car licence spare, provided everyone else retains their 2014 licences).

This has been known for a long time.

It seems as though it was always just a rumour and never actually came into fruition at all. He probably posted those pics in December just to get everyone talking about him again lol

 

[Furinkazen]

The reasoning behind Gilham is due to his driver 'merry-go-round' two years ago, he feels it put the sport in a bad light.

Well TEAMHARDwithRentADriver.Com are back it appears.

And potential female racer inbound in form of Mazda Miata driver Abbie Eaton as well. I'm putting 2 and 2 together here to make 4.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Well TEAMHARDwithRentADriver.Com are back it appears.

View attachment 290979

And potential female racer inbound in form of Mazda Miata driver Abbie Eaton as well. I'm putting 2 and 2 together here to make 4.

Abbie hasn't said anything about that (known her since her saxmax days)

 

[Furinkazen]

Abbie hasn't said anything about that (known her since her saxmax days)

Well she's indicated tonight on twitter she is in talks with 1 team.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Well she's indicated tonight on twitter she is in talks with 1 team.

She was good in saxmax and actually won the Mazda championship last year.

Gow is rumoured to be very reluctant to give Gilham any licences. I'd expect to see Abbie teaming up with Kieran in the clios.

 

[TheCracker]

Doesn't look like Honda want them to use the new Type-R for some odd reason. Everyone is still reporting it as 'likely' but their leaving it a bit late if they haven't already started building it

Would a NGTC version of the new Type R look any different to the 2013/2014 (Pirtek) Civic. Surely all that would remain would be the reworked headlights?

 

[Malcolm Tucker]

Well TEAMHARDwithRentADriver.Com are back it appears.

View attachment 290979

I'm not buying it

Would a NGTC version of the new Type R look any different to the 2013/2014 (Pirtek) Civic. Surely all that would remain would be the reworked headlights?

Good point, if the chassis is the same they could just re-body the old one. I'm not sure what the rules say on that, you can use the NGTC stuff on multiple cars (Morgan's Merc was built with the parts from his Avensis) but the chassis has to be from the model you are using, unlike V8SC which is effectively a silhouette series. So Honda would have to declare if there's any differences in the chassis, if there is then they'd have to build a new one, at a guess.

 

[paulmac2k9]

I would have thought the type R would have a few little differences in chassis to the standard car.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Well TEAMHARDwithRentADriver.Com are back it appears.

View attachment 290979

And potential female racer inbound in form of Mazda Miata driver Abbie Eaton as well. I'm putting 2 and 2 together here to make 4.

And just to draw a line under this, Abbie hasn't been in touch with any btcc teams

 

[Furinkazen]

Stalking the message boards, sadly Rotek and Robb Holland look not to be back with the car reportedly up for sale. Wonder if Gilham will get it?

Either way, me and @paulmac2k9 will remember it for him nearly running him over at Oulton I think

 

[MatskiMonk]

Stalking the message boards, sadly Rotek and Robb Holland look not to be back with the car reportedly up for sale. Wonder if Gilham will get it?

That's a shame. Robb seemed like a fun guy, and it as nice to have another proper 4 door saloon on the grid (even if it was an Audi).

 

[Furinkazen]

That's a shame. Robb seemed like a fun guy, and it as nice to have another proper 4 door saloon on the grid (even if it was an Audi).

Not 100% official, but I really don't hope it's true. He was making progress all year with that car.

 

[True-blue-8]

Not 100% official, but I really don't hope it's true. He was making progress all year with that car.

Soon as he realised he had to turn right as well

But a shame if he does go

 

[paulmac2k9]

Stalking the message boards, sadly Rotek and Robb Holland look not to be back with the car reportedly up for sale. Wonder if Gilham will get it?

Either way, me and @paulmac2k9 will remember it for him nearly running him over at Oulton I think

That was your fault I went to go the other way but you said go there.. I forgot rule 1, never listen to Furi.

 

[Furinkazen]

Soon as he realised he had to turn right as well

But a shame if he does go

Hmmmmmmm......

That was your fault I went to go the other way but you said go there.. I forgot rule 1, never listen to Furi.

But, you got close to the action - the Ginetta racer though I think nearly got us both

 

[paulmac2k9]

But, you got close to the action - the Ginetta racer though I think nearly got us both

That was a fuming Jamie Chadwick after she got spun from 3rd on the last lap. Remember she ran up the backside of the guy that hit her after the race.

 

[TheCracker]

I would have thought the type R would have a few little differences in chassis to the standard car.

NGTC cars have most of the front and rear parts of the body shell, either side of the passenger-cell, removed to make way for standardised subframes that hold the engine and standardised suspension in situ. Any chassis differences between a standard Civic and the new Type R would be wiped out by the changes required by NGTC regs.

 

[Furinkazen]

Motorbase to use EcoBoost engines.

 

[Scaniabebe]

Andrew Jordan’s recent announcement that he will switch to race an MG for the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship came as a surprise to many. Having won the prestigious drivers’ crown in dramatic fashion in 2013 for the family-run Eurotech driving a Honda Civic, the familiar livery will now adorn the side of a manufacturer-backed MG6.

“I think it looks great,” said Jordan. “We’ve taken the fantastic Pirtek Racing livery and made the MG look the part!”

Despite the news only breaking a couple of weeks ago, it turns out that the 25-year-old had been in discussions with Triple Eight Racing team boss Ian Harrison since the middle of last year.

“Ian Harrison actually approached me on the Friday of the Oulton Park meeting last June,” continued Andrew. “He asked me to come to the truck, kicked everyone else out of the office and basically asked if I’d be interested in driving for Triple Eight! It was a very surprising conversation. We discussed how we could achieve it – my priority was to bring Pirtek with me, I already had the contract with them for this year [2015] anyway so I needed to make sure. We thrashed a few different ideas out and finally got to where we are now. We were talking on and off throughout the season but once it was all over we kicked it up a gear and were chatting most days and it all came together pretty fast. I actually really enjoy the negotiation side of things!”

While Jordan’s BTCC car is a change, the Pirtek backing remains as strong as ever. “Myself and my dad went down to Pirtek’s offices, we sat with the directors and marketing managers and presented the options we had on the table and they said that whatever we decided was best they’d back,” explains Jordan. “That’s what a long term relationship gets you – to have trust like that is a really nice feeling and they are fully behind it. They’ve grown from a very small sponsor to now being a primary sponsor on a works car – it’s a big step for them.”

While Jordan raced for Triple Eight in 2009, the move marks a departure from a five-year stint at Eurotech. Speaking about the move, he explains, “If I’m honest it’s given me new motivation and a different sort of motivation. I’m taking myself out of the comfort zone of the family team and some people might question why that is. I discussed it a lot with my dad as you can imagine, and I feel like the time is right for everything. Ultimately the decision came down to what was going to give us the best chance of winning the championship. Whether that had meant staying with Eurotech or making the move, that’s what it came down to.”

The 14-time BTCC race winner is confident that he can bring a wealth of experience from his time racing the proven Honda Civic package, and concludes, “I’ve got my race engineer and number one mechanic coming with me to Triple Eight Racing so there will be people I know there. I already know Ian [Harrison] well and the technical director from when I raced there before. It’s my job to go in there to see what changes I can make, what information I can bring from the Honda to this car.

Let’s face it, this was the quickest front-wheel drive car last year. I think the BMWs are going to be pegged back a bit this year and I think our aim is to make the weaker circuits stronger, especially with my knowledge around places like Thruxton where the Honda has always been strong I can make a real difference. If I didn’t think I could win the championship in the MG I wouldn’t be driving it.”

[URL='http://www.btcc.net/2015/01/23/new-motivation-for-jordan-at-mg/']BTCC | New motivation for Jordan at MG[/URL]​

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

@Furinkazen your time has arrived
https://www.msauk.org/MSA-launches-tender-process-for-British-Touring-Car-Championship

 

[Scaniabebe]

Following a rollercoaster debut season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Simon Belcher and Handy Motorsport are hoping that updates to the car plus changes to engineering personnel will bring a host of points-scoring finishes in 2015.

Preparation for the coming campaign is underway, and speaking to btcc.net driver Belcher commented, “Once the Autosport Show is out of the way it really feels like the season is up and running. When last season was over there was a big sigh of relief that we could have a couple of months rest, but it’s all systems go and we’re getting everything ready for 2015. This time last year it was the first time I got to experience the BTCC, the fans and what it was all about which was very humbling. Now having been in it for a year I’m just as excited but a lot more experienced!”

Belcher’s most memorable moment was undoubtedly and unfortunately his huge accident at Thruxton:

​

“The fans were absolutely amazing after Thruxton,” Belcher continued. “That was only my third ever touring car meeting and to end up on the roof in the trees really wasn’t the plan! We ran with the idea of the t-shirts and I just couldn’t believe how many great fans there are out there who really care about the series. We’ve met so many people throughout the year – everyone and everything to do with the championship is great, from the officials to the media and the fans, it’s great to be a part of it and I can’t wait to be a part of it again this year.”

The 41-year-old had hoped to score points in his first season in the BTCC, and although this didn’t quite materialise he is confident that with a year’s experience under his belt he can achieve that goal this year. “The level of competition didn’t surprise me,” said Simon. “I knew I was coming into the toughest championship in the UK and probably in the toughest year ever with so many champions and the depth of quality throughout the grid. Last year was always going to be my learning year, and with the crash at Thruxton that put some financial constraints on us that had an effect on our performance. We couldn’t quite break into the top 15 and the one time it looked time we were going to I got turned around on the last lap at Rockingham, but when it comes, boy are we going to celebrate. We’ve learnt so much – the first time you go to a BTCC meeting and line up on that grid it’s just mind-blowing. With two or three races under the belt you put that behind you and everyone is fair game! It’ll be tough this year, but compared to where I was last year I’m in such a different place in terms of experience and pace. We have a new engineer on board – Geoff Kingston – who is renowned in touring cars and has been for many years.”

It’s not just personnel changes that Belcher is hoping will bring success in 2014. He concluded, “We’re making a lot of changes to the car as well. We’ll have a new, lighter shell in the early part of the year, we’ve made a lot of changes to aero and the dampers, and it should all help make the car a lot more competitive. A couple of tenths of a second can be 15 places on the grid! We want to come away at the end of this year with a fistful of points.”

BTCC | Handy Motorsport believes winter updates will bring points​

 

[05XR8]

i dig that livery. nice car.

 

[paulmac2k9]

@Furinkazen no more always sideways Toyota for us this year..

 

[Furinkazen]

@Furinkazen no more always sideways Toyota for us this year..

I know...