[BTCC] BTCC 2020 season discussion, News and Rumours!

[mj088]

Originally Posted by redshoes

With the Tour de France now rescheduled to 29 Aug - 20 Sep, could that have an effect on BTCC's plans. Part of the reason for the BTCC's summer break is because ITV4 also cover the TdF - look up previous year's viewer numbers if you are wondering why ITV4 give preference to TdF.

At this point the only clash is Knockhill on 30/08 but I think we can expect the BTCC schedule to change as they try to make up for lost meetings.

EDIT: Add in the French Tennis Open (24 Sep - 04 Oct), which is also covered by ITV4

I'm sure in extenuating circumstances they could show either event on one of the countless other itv channels or the itv hub

[Sodemo]

The Premier League are already talking about games behind closed doors as a means of getting their season underway ASAP. I would think the same could be said of the BTCC.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

The Premier League are already talking about games behind closed doors as a means of getting their season underway ASAP. I would think the same could be said of the BTCC.

There's an interview with Alan Gow in Motorsport News a couple of weeks ago where he touches on that. With teams, support teams, TV crew, medics, marshals, etc you are still looking at needing 1400 on site. Potentially they could restrict the number of team personnel at get that down closer to 1000 at a push. At what point would such a gathering be allowed?

Football needs considerable less people on site, although I would have though having 22 sweaty footballers in close contact would be more of a risk.

[Matt K]

In America discussions about restarting sports are serious, NASCAR included, so I think it can be done. Worrying is the fact that currently the UK is turning as a second Italy or Spain in terms of coronavirus...

[bella]

Originally Posted by redshoes

There's an interview with Alan Gow in Motorsport News a couple of weeks ago where he touches on that. With teams, support teams, TV crew, medics, marshals, etc you are still looking at needing 1400 on site. Potentially they could restrict the number of team personnel at get that down closer to 1000 at a push. At what point would such a gathering be allowed?

you'd have to curtail hospitality to get the numbers down far enough. takeaway team meals only from a toca-run catering operation if necessary (goes without saying, nobody has time to sit down on race day), but aside from that i don't actually think it'd be hard to socially distance by a metre within a team setting, particularly if even fabric masks were mandated. obvious occasional exceptions aside.

your biggest risk would be touch - most folk wear gloves of some sort, usually not disposable due to needing to be heatproof. gloves need to be changed to risk cross-contamination which is a huge amount of stock, or handwashing stations need to be available beyond the loos or a scabby sink in the back of the garage.

in many paddocks it'd be difficult to create a little more space between awnings in the support area, but you've already got a lower concentration of folk down there.

potentially you would be looking at staff who were vulnerable dropping out and resigning as well - teams would be wanting to get people to sign disclaimers to avoid any issues where someone becomes ill. would they be wanting teams to monitor staff whilst at events? how about insurance - will insurance companies cover the events or exclude anything to do with the virus?

lots of questions that i'm sure everyone is working hard at answering and providing plans to work around. thankfully we have a lot of very knowledgable medical staff close to the sport and the organisers, so we're in a good position to act responsibly when we do get round to racing.

[redshoes]

The 1400 figure was after hospitality was removed, although you are right that it still needs some form of catering for the teams.

If you needed to cull numbers further and add room in the paddock then the obvious step would be to drop one or more of the support series.

Things like hand-washing facilities would need to extend beyond the paddock at to all marshal posts. I guess potentially you run the event similar to a test day where you have little more than a few flag marshals and the red-flagging or using a safety car for every recovery. Possible but perhaps not overly practical.

[S griffin]

I think we should see how the football situation works first

[Greem]

Originally Posted by redshoes

The 1400 figure was after hospitality was removed, although you are right that it still needs some form of catering for the teams.

If you needed to cull numbers further and add room in the paddock then the obvious step would be to drop one or more of the support series.

Things like hand-washing facilities would need to extend beyond the paddock at to all marshal posts. I guess potentially you run the event similar to a test day where you have little more than a few flag marshals and the red-flagging or using a safety car for every recovery. Possible but perhaps not overly practical.

Quite (not overly practical).

Paddock aside, you need a team of marshals in the assembly area, the pit lane, the start line (pit team often double up on that duty), and then round the circuit. I'm not personally convinced that the Motorsport UK steward would sign off on a track day setup as the response times to get boots to an incident would be too long.

Of course, I could be wrong, and this could be the death knell for "traditional" marshalling in the UK with a move to rapid response/fast intervention vehicles as per most circuits in the USA. Flaggies & observers still needed, but remove the response element.

I think the only thing we can currently be sure of is that the new normal won't be the same as the old.

[mark_l]

Originally Posted by Greem

Quite (not overly practical).
Of course, I could be wrong, and this could be the death knell for "traditional" marshalling in the UK with a move to rapid response/fast intervention vehicles as per most circuits in the USA. Flaggies & observers still needed, but remove the response element.

I think the only thing we can currently be sure of is that the new normal won't be the same as the old.

If we adopted a rapid response marshalling system then it would need a major change in driver attitude, full course yellows would be far more common and drivers would need to stick to a speed limit of 30 mph for example. Circuits work out what a 30 mph laptime would be and anyone exceeding that time while a full course yellow is in operation would be given a hefty penalty.

[peebee2]

Clearly these are unprecedented times but I am just struggling to see BTCC taking place without crowds as I think hospitality is where the funding comes from in the main.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Clearly these are unprecedented times but I am just struggling to see BTCC taking place without crowds as I think hospitality is where the funding comes from in the main.

Just querying, who do you think the hospitality is more important for? Teams, drivers or circuits?

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Just querying, who do you think the hospitality is more important for? Teams, drivers or circuits?

Teams and drivers. In my experience a high proportion of the sponsorship is based on it.

Not all, with the clear exception of Dunlop/Goodyear as someone corrected me before. But that isn’t really for the teams anyway.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by redshoes

The 1400 figure was after hospitality was removed, although you are right that it still needs some form of catering for the teams.

People can take their own food with them. You don't need catering at all.

I guess potentially you run the event similar to a test day where you have little more than a few flag marshals and the red-flagging or using a safety car for every recovery. Possible but perhaps not overly practical.

You could use lights instead of flags. But marshals aren't really an issue, as if you had one on each post, that would be adequate social distancing.

[Alfisti]

Well Scottish football (not Premier league - yet) ended its season at the point they stopped. It'll happen in England soon enough, mark my words.

It's all well and good rescheduling the Tour de France, but I'm calling it overly optimistic ******** - it won't happen I'm convinced. Unless the French Police are on hand to club anyone to death who has the temerity to turn up roadside to spectate. Way too many people travelling all over the shop - way more dangerous than one football team travelling on a bus to play an away game (behind closed doors).

I know NASCAR publically still hopes to get all it's meets in this year; I don't think there will be enough weekends to do so even if normality of sorts resumes in June. Unless they can double head some meets or do some mid week things. But then it'll come to TV audience and whether it's big enough for the sponsors to get chequebooks out for.

I'm with Private Frazer on this... "we're doomed!"

[bella]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Unless the French Police are on hand to club anyone to death who has the temerity to turn up roadside to spectate.

of course they will. with no recent riots due to covid the crs will be itching to get the tear gas out

[Mike_Powell]

You only have to look at Donington in 2017 to see why you need more than one marshal per post. And not all circuits have full CCTV so lights aren't always the answer; if you have lights and no marshals, then you'll have more and more yellow infringements as they won't get reported.
Sadly for us, I do see marshal numbers being reduced, certainly at major meetings, but at smaller club meetings they have previously begged for more marshals.

[Greem]

Of course the counterpoint to that would be Zanardi at Lausitzring; horror crash, FIV and medics deployed, life saved.

Anyhow: there's already been a "thinning" of marshal numbers across the country over the last few years, as you say, for many reasons. I've done many meetings across the Midlands in recent years where I've been the only one on a post, I've felt lucky if there's been two or more of us, and that's not just been clubbies.

The BTCC is an outlier as it always gets plenty of volunteers, which feeds the numbers problem at other meetings in the country or local region which happen to be on the same day.

It's going to be a stretch for a lot of folks when we get back to racing again, that's for sure.

[deley]

Originally Posted by Greem

Of course the counterpoint to that would be Zanardi at Lausitzring; horror crash, FIV and medics deployed, life saved.

A counter counterpoint would be John Grant's crash and fire at Brands Hatch where the outcome would undoubtedly have been worse if it hadn't been for the marshals being there to fight the fire initially. The location of the incident at Paddock meant access by any vehicle wasn't easy.

We could go on and on with different scenarios and different circumstances.

There isn't a "right answer".

[Greem]

Originally Posted by deley

There isn't a "right answer".

You and I agree there. Hopefully nothing has to change, but best to think forward, eh?

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Greem

Anyhow: there's already been a "thinning" of marshal numbers across the country over the last few years, as you say, for many reasons. I've done many meetings across the Midlands in recent years where I've been the only one on a post, I've felt lucky if there's been two or more of us, and that's not just been clubbies.

The BTCC is an outlier as it always gets plenty of volunteers, which feeds the numbers problem at other meetings in the country or local region which happen to be on the same day.

It's going to be a stretch for a lot of folks when we get back to racing again, that's for sure.

I don't think marshal numbers will be a problem.
There simply won't be any club racing this year. There may be no racing at all, but anything that does happen will be the big national meetings.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Greem

You and I agree there. Hopefully nothing has to change, but best to think forward, eh?

yep, there's definitely no right answer. plenty of wrong ones but no right ones...

[BtccLee]

Indication on Twitter from Shaun Hollamby that a revised calendar will be announced 'very, very soon.'

Unless the start date is September not desperately optimistic that summer events will be viable if you look at the trend across Europe.

Fingers crossed though for everyone involved that we hit that track at some point in 2020.

We just don't know. Hope everyone is remaining safe

[S griffin]

Exciting announcement from Hollamby. Just to keep our ear to the ground

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by BtccLee

Indication on Twitter from Shaun Hollamby that a revised calendar will be announced 'very, very soon.'

Unless the start date is September not desperately optimistic that summer events will be viable if you look at the trend across Europe.

Fingers crossed though for everyone involved that we hit that track at some point in 2020.

We just don't know. Hope everyone is remaining safe

Depending on which trend we're talking about. In Germany, Austria or Czech Republic some restrictions are being lifted and sports are discussed to return without attendance.
In other countries, like the UK, Italy or Spain it's...worse.

BTCC will not happen this year unless at least some of the races will be held behind closed doors + unless the season starts in September. Which writes the season off in my opinion.

[Craner Curves]

How do we know it's not an eseries?