Quote:
Originally Posted by davyboy
As I understand it, Neate part funds the team... without him [or somebody similarly well heeled]... the 2012 MG programme wouldn't have happened.
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I'm not saying Andy hasn't paid well for that drive, nor that he doesn't deserve to be there. I'm saying that in order for MG/888 to compete with Honda, WSR and Motorbase as a team, they need to expand to three cars and get a well-funded, quick driver alongside Plato and Neate.
It was clear 888 were having engine woes at Knockhill from the start. Before the first race, I passed the 888 awning, and Ian Harrison and a Swindon engineer were have a rather deep conversation regarding the engine. In race one, Plato was holding everyone up before Smith punted him - and IMO, it was a punt - because it appeared he simply had no grunt from the engine.
Moreso in race two. Was expecting Plato to come tearing through the pack (ala 2009 in the Lacetti), yet he could hardly keep up with Jeff Smith's Civic. Before race three, they had a Q&A at the Tesco stand, where they lamented the awful weekend, and Neate mentioned how they'd been having significant electrical issues, resulting in the car switching off the engine and resetting itself throughout the lap.
The sooner MG/888 develop their own engine, the better. My mechanic mate that was with me had a look at the engine of the MG6 road car and told me it was running a turboed K-series engine, so I'm assuming they'd have to use that as the base for their NGTC engine.