BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

This is really a nonsense because they stand in the pit lane at other circuits, and you may get a glimpse of a car that's in a garage but that's all. They very, very rarely go inside the garages and rely on the drivers coming out to see them. Today, they were between the garages and the transporters with their awnings, and whilst they were chatting, mainly without drivers with them, some of the cars were under the awnings and some were already in the garages ready to be pulled out into the pit lane.

What is so special about trying to talk over the sound of cars racing by whilst standing in the pit lane. It doesn't add any ambience, and anyone watching the coverage surely knows that the programme is coming from a race circuit? If the sound of racing cars in the background is so important, then why do the use an enclosed studio van for most of the time when a race is in progress, at which time the commentators are also enclosed in commentary box? They could just as easily stand on an outside balcony and not bother using the special commentary microphones that limit the outside noise being transmitted.

So it's not about sound, it's about the visuals - if you are standing in front of a garage (or in Thruxton's case an awning), you can see activity behind you.

[billy bleach]

Is it just me or is the BMW running launch control?!

[tee.1s]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Is it just me or is the BMW running launch control?!

their starts have seemed a lot stronger this year. Hill also seems to be able to get his tyres working fairly quickly after the start, so its kind of a double whammy at the moment

[SV8Predator]

Originally Posted by tee.1s

their starts have seemed a lot stronger this year. Hill also seems to be able to get his tyres working fairly quickly after the start, so its kind of a double whammy at the moment

Remember the rear-wheel-drive cars' turbo-boost is pegged back so they don't have any launch/start advantage over the front-wheel-drive cars. So maybe it's down to the driver?

[auroan]

The BMWs had an "aggressive" set of limits on their first gear ratio and boost limits, but these got softened (either last season or this season)

[Evantra]

Seems the new junior series will have the historic ‘Chevron’ marque attached to it:

https://www.facebook.com/people/TOCA...1560450087701/

[antnee]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Seems the new junior series will have the historic ‘Chevron’ marque attached to it:

https://www.facebook.com/people/TOCA...1560450087701/

Are we expecting the new Junior car to be very similar to the Ginetta G40, just not made by Ginetta?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by antnee

Are we expecting the new Junior car to be very similar to the Ginetta G40, just not made by Ginetta?

A few years ago, the molds to the Chevron GR8 were acquired with the road-going example below with some intent to restart (or properly start!) production, so I wonder if using or adapting those might be a cost-effective way to do things. Or conversely the rights to the name could be completely unrelated.

https://www.manorparkclassics.com/au.../?lot=515&sd=1

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by antnee

Are we expecting the new Junior car to be very similar to the Ginetta G40, just not made by Ginetta?

no

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...aunch-in-2025/

[auroan]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

no

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...aunch-in-2025/

I reckon they will be more like the French mitjet cars.

Basically mini solution F cars. Where can a variety of different body shell shapes on a standard chassis and engine package.

[antnee]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

no

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...aunch-in-2025/

Maybe I should have been a little clearer in what I meant.

The Ginetta was a purpose built race car, which was RWD, fairly basic design (which keeps things cheapish) with a low power NA engine.

From what I can see, the new junior car appears to be a purpose built race car, which is RWD with a low power 1800cc NA engine. As apposed to something like the Fiestas which are typically converted road cars.

[ahobson98]

The new cars will be more similar to the Ginetta Junior than the Fiestas or Saxos.

My guess is that they will all use the same shell to keep it simple, most similar to the T-cars championship from years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BME7NLtbJE8&t=798s

Very interested to see what the costs are like, it will be more expensive than Fiestas/Saxos, but if they can make it cheaper than the Ginettas, it could do very well.

I'm just hoping they don't overdo the aero, if the cars can't follow closely then it will just be yet another boring support race.

[ahobson98]

-

[tee.1s]

Originally Posted by auroan

The BMWs had an "aggressive" set of limits on their first gear ratio and boost limits, but these got softened (either last season or this season)

Below is an Instagram comment from WSR sporting and operations manager Carl Mitchell: "Boost is still limited and the same as last year… we just done our job and developed the car over the winter… don’t think hard work should be punished ??

Shame we normally have to fight so hard to maintain the positions gained where we cant get temps up as quickly as FWD, can we balance that out please?"

[auroan]

Originally Posted by tee.1s

Below is an Instagram comment from WSR sporting and operations manager Carl Mitchell: "Boost is still limited and the same as last year… we just done our job and developed the car over the winter… don’t think hard work should be punished ??

Shame we normally have to fight so hard to maintain the positions gained where we cant get temps up as quickly as FWD, can we balance that out please?"

They defo had a a change to the balancing. So either the gear ratio... or the boost changed happened last year and not this.

[TinTopGrumpy]

I just wish they would make the series FWD only. They're never going to get a perfect balance and people will always be unhappy on one side or the other.

Yes RWD do have a disadvantage for the first lap or two but it's far easier to defend from the car behind during that period than it is for a FWD car to defend from a RWD car on the start IMO.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by TinTopGrumpy

I just wish they would make the series FWD only. They're never going to get a perfect balance and people will always be unhappy on one side or the other.

Yes RWD do have a disadvantage for the first lap or two but it's far easier to defend from the car behind during that period than it is for a FWD car to defend from a RWD car on the start IMO.

thats really naive to think that being only fwd will stop teams complaining about the competitiveness of their own cars and engines against their competitors!!

have you not noticed all the arguments that carry on in tcr over the years about performance balancing of their fwd cars for example?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Is it just me or is the BMW running launch control?!

Didn't mean to stir up a Fwd/Rwd debate just surprised how impressive off the line BMW are. I guess their work over the winter has found something

[antnee]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Didn't mean to stir up a Fwd/Rwd debate just surprised how impressive off the line BMW are. I guess their work over the winter has found something

I'm sure they would love to have launch control - unfortunately BTCC have a standard/spec ECU from Cosworth so an individual team couldn't add features like that.

However, it doesn't stop them from optimising the engine mapping, suspension geometry, etc. I don't know how regulated the clutch is (and therefore its adjustment options) but if they have been able to review spring/clamp forces, maybe even bedding in process - all of this will aid getting the thing off the line. And fair play to them if they have gone into such details.

At the end of the day, you have 3 or 4 BMWs run by a top team with good drivers in - yet they aren't even top of the drivers standings. I think the drivers points are exactly as most people would predict (although ATS seems to be punching above expectations these year!!)

[Sodemo]

Sadly we will never know if anything has changed as this BOP stuff is rarely released to Joe Public unless “leaked” by Tim Harvey during a random qualifying broadcast. A situation I find incredibly bizarre.

[TinTopGrumpy]

Originally Posted by touring fan01

thats really naive to think that being only fwd will stop teams complaining about the competitiveness of their own cars and engines against their competitors!!

have you not noticed all the arguments that carry on in tcr over the years about performance balancing of their fwd cars for example?

Yes but the point is it there will always be built-in advantages/disadvantages to FWD and RWD and it's nigh on impossible to even those out.

I never said anything about FWD vs FWD so it's not being naïve. That is a completely different set of arguments for how they are balanced against each other. TCR performance balancing is a very different thing to how it's done in BTCC anyway.

[auroan]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Sadly we will never know if anything has changed as this BOP stuff is rarely released to Joe Public unless “leaked” by Tim Harvey during a random qualifying broadcast. A situation I find incredibly bizarre.

It was a Harvey leak that I'm basing my comments on about changes to the beemers.

[SV8Predator]

Originally Posted by antnee

BMWs run by a top team with good drivers in - yet they aren't even top of the drivers standings.

Not top of the drivers' standings? Are you referring to another series?