Honda announcement imminent

[Bring Back The Cavaliers]

Originally posted by Super Tourer
Arena may have had a flash exterior but didn't prove much back in'99.

Would you want to sink your budget into a proven touring car race winning team, or hot air and promises........Place your bets now!

Didn't they run the Gulf Audi R8 in the ELMS for Stefan Johansson?

And they stepped in to run Alan Morrison in the BTCC in 2000 when VLR had clashing NSC races.

[Guy Goddard]

Originally posted by Super Tourer
I agree with Guy on this one.

Honda are usually very loyal to drivers and I am sure they still regard Thommo as a 'Honda' driver despite his 2001 prog with Vauxhall - hence his late season 'calling' back to the Honda fold for the ETCC.

We all know contracts mean bugger all and in anycase a lot are in 'draft' format at his time of the year with 'options' rather than concrete.

As for Plato, can't help feeling that a lot of people don't regard him as a 'worthy' champion, his on track barging has won him few friends on the track and off it. Coupled to his attitiude as an arrogant s**t, I can't see him being many people 's favorite.

Two very valid points in that Honda do regard Thompson as a honda driver and his call up to the ETCC was a strategic move to lure him back, on the other hand Honda will have to pay big money to get him out of the contract with Vauxhall but Honda are looking at the bigger picture with Thompson in that he could drive in ETCC and/or BTCC and if your going to invest in both then going for a driver that is young and knows the Honda set up makes sense.

Second valid point is Plato, certainly people within the sport share the same feeling as Super Tourer in that he simply had the wrong attitude last year where as Muller had the right balance. Whilst most drivers are arrogant Plato simply crossed the line and the skill we had seen in 98 and 99 in a laguna was gone, replaced with almost desperation at times.
He his struggling for a drive next year and as I said before seeing him sit out a year would make him reflect more on the mistakes he made last year rather than the winning.


Regards


Guy

[Eddie_harasym]

Originally posted by fudge


Would JT be happier with Honda?

Yep I think he would, after all I thnik he and the Egg team have plyed second fiddle to the works 88 team this year. A team that he knows, from Honda point of view and a seat that he can command would be good for him.

[Bring Back The Cavaliers]

Originally posted by Eddie_harasym



Yep I think he would, after all I thnik he and the Egg team have plyed second fiddle to the works 88 team this year.

But he's not doing Egg in 2002.

[MJB RETURNS]

hes in the best car next year,so i cant see him back at honda just yet.

[touringlegend]

So he will stick with Vauxhall. I would anyway.

[JMeissner]

>Didn't they run the Gulf Audi R8 in the ELMS for Stefan Johansson?

Nope, it was Johansson Motorsport, Stefan's very own team.

[Bring Back The Cavaliers]

Originally posted by JMeissner
>Didn't they run the Gulf Audi R8 in the ELMS for Stefan Johansson?

Nope, it was Johansson Motorsport, Stefan's very own team.

I read that Arena ran it in the ELMS while Stefan's team ran it in the ALMS.

[RIKB]

If there is indeed a choice for Thompson then It will be this...

Do I want to be No. 2 at Vauxhall coz Muller will certainly be No. 1. or do I want to be No 1 at Honda?

[MJB RETURNS]

i think he would want 2 be at vauxhall then a new team which hasnt got proper testing of there new car

[hunttheshunt]

Ah, but by the time the 2002 season starts (unlike this year) all the teams, certainly the factory ones, should have had ample testing time like Vauxhall did this year. I certainly expect MG and Honda too, and probably Proton too. And don't count out VLR/TMSR-solid car, solid drivers, plus a year's experience.

[Eddie_harasym]

I think after the winter testing Proton and MG will be very strong indeed

[Super Tourer]

I think the task is a bit easier for teams this year, as they all know what they have to beat.

At the start of this season there was no bench mark and due to the limited winter testing - nobody really knew what lap times would be achieved.

Vauhall will undoubtedly start the year as the car to beat - but I guess that MG will be very strong. Because Vauxhall have now 'shown their hand' it will be much easier for the other teams to build a competitive car, because they have something to aim at.

I think the field should be a lot closer. Generally, Vauxhall had at least 1 sec gap to the Pugs and around 2 secs over the rest, I think the MG's/Astra's will trade a half a second gap. If they can get more of the Lexus's power onto the track through improved traction, that is one car that should improve enormously. It had fantastic 'drive' out of the slow corners.

[Simon Pullan]

Originally posted by Bring Back The Cavaliers
I read that Arena ran it in the ELMS while Stefan's team ran it in the ALMS.

This is correct. And they didn't do a bad job at all.

[Eddie_harasym]

Originally posted by Super Tourer
If they can get more of the Lexus's power onto the track through improved traction, that is one car that should improve enormously. It had fantastic 'drive' out of the slow corners.

Certainly agreed ST, that is one car that I think could be a true winner if.....

They get a pair of permanent drivers for the year, and have no Muller/Plato incidents.

[hunttheshunt]

Tommy Erdos is a class act and Steve Soper isn't a such-if VLR and TMSR combine i expect to see these two as permanent drivers next year in the Lexus'.