The Merit of T-Cars (formerly Next Best BTCC driver)

[Stephen Green]

I could think of a few more people you could practice on Eric

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Stephen Green

I could think of a few more people you could practice on Eric

Stephen, I am Tim. Would you like a frontal lobotomy while I'm learning

[Stephen Green]

Sorry Tim. It would seem I may have already had one

[barry barnes]

Originally Posted by rcarr

I give up!

Does anyone have any news on the ex Mick Hill/Doug Niven Beetle?

I thought it got badly damaged long time ago and is probably lying unloved in a shed somewhere , preferred Colin Hawkers fastback though !

[Tim Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by rcarr

I give up!

Does anyone have any news on the ex Mick Hill/Doug Niven Beetle?

Rob says it's being restored, but I can't recall who's doing it.

[R59]

Originally Posted by teej

Rob says it's being restored, but I can't recall who's doing it.

It was being done by a guy called Martin Walker, but has been sold back to north of the border, Motherwell seems to come to mind....

And he was restoring it back to the Doug Niven Border Reivers colourscheme.

Rob.

[rcarr]

Motherwell! Oh God! It'll come n race with us as a "test," It should walk the field, unless its driven by someone that can't race!

[R59]

Found it.

Stevie Charles was buying it. More famed for his short circuit racing.

[racer-gal]

look rcarr, im arguing with you because you were wrong.

ive had to give up things so my brother can race and i dont mind one bit! because i know he has the talent!

he fully appriciates what my mum and dad do for him. my mum has been working 9-12 nights in a row and my dad everyday to help pay for ladders' racing.

he started t-cars because it was the only junior series around at the time.
hes only just turned 16 so he couldnt have done anything else.

he's racing the global gt1 at the fpa autumn trophy and is thoroughly enjoying it!

[davyboy]

racer-gal, I admire your family for your collective belief in your brother. Over the years, I've seen quite a few families pull out all the stops to provide their kid with the chance to go all the way... an incredibly, unbelievably, tough burden to bear but it often galvanizes in a way few other things can.

There are a couple of comments I'd like to make [all from experience] :

o In the event your brother does turn out to realize his talent through success, and does get noticed... be VERY careful of signing contracts. I know of one individual who signed an agreement to pay 25% of his lifetime earnings in return for two fully paid seasons in FF1600 back in the early 1980s. Of course he didn't make it, but I wonder how difficult it would have been to exit that contract.

o I raced against Dino Morelli and Kevin McGarrity in 100cc karts back in the late 1980s. Both were superb drivers and nice guys too, but they came from well to do families in Northern Ireland who had the necessary resources to take them forward. Both managed to make it to F3000, McGarrity doing reasonably well there. However I doubt their talent would have taken them that far without the financial resources of their families. That's just the way motor-racing is. There were a number of other people at the time as talented as McGarrity and Morelli, who fell away at various stages of the ladder through funding problems.

Passion for a dream is fantastic, but never forget to temper it with realism. Having said that, I do wish your brother the very best of luck.

[racer-gal]

thanks ever so much davyboy

we need more people *like yourself* supporting the "young'uns" instead of slating them!!

[danccooke]

Well having marshalled the Junior Fest. I saw some good close racing, i saw some interesting lines and some over enthusiastic moves. So in short no different to any other clubby. I will be volunteering for next years one if they do it. Not sure which was my favourite :-

Looks = Ginetta's
Sound = T- Cars
Excitement = Saxo

Overall favourite was probably the saxo's but mainly due to numbers, but as I said I throughly enjoyed my day. Hoping to see some of these names on the sides of Touring/GT/anything else in the future. Whether as a paid driver or as a clubby racer. When Dee and I have sprogs if we are able to I would love my kids to race (assuming they want to) and would pull out all the stops to make sure they could.

[terence]

RacerGal,what happens if for whatever reason your brother dos,nt make it ?Do you get the chance to take over? Seems to me that you have the right attitude for racing .I really think ,despite all thats been said in these pages,that without this kind of series,how and where do we find "The Next Generation "of drivers.I know that some would come from karts,but most of those will eventually just fade away.

[racer-gal]

i would LOVE to start racing (hopefully in 2008 IF i can get sponcership)!
but i would never be as good as my brother. if he doesn't make it... i dont know... but as dad says we'll cross that bridge when we come to it... or something like that :S

[AndyUK]

Originally Posted by racer-gal

i would LOVE to start racing (hopefully in 2008 IF i can get sponcership)!
but i would never be as good as my brother. if he doesn't make it... i dont know... but as dad says we'll cross that bridge when we come to it... or something like that :S

Well, can i say Dan and his family are a superb bunch of dedicated and down to earth guys and girls and i wish him luck, as for bridges, well just keep moving forward, i tell my kids that i have a hat that i pull rabbits out of, and if you really believe it it somehow happens, comon you believe in magic, dont you??? can anyone lend me a hat???? keep beliveing and we hope you get yr drive in 2008 Em

[AndyUK]

[QUOTE=danccooke]Well having marshalled the Junior Fest. I saw some good close racing, i saw some interesting lines and some over enthusiastic moves. So in short no different to any other clubby. I will be volunteering for next years one if they do it. Not sure which was my favourite :-

Looks = Ginetta's
Sound = T- Cars
Excitement = Saxo

Which was you favourite Ginetta???? for looks that is

[AndyUK]

We are wondering what colour to do ours in next year.
the Saxos looked very scary Mary to me,
ps. thanks for giving up you time to keep our little blighters safe. You guys and girls never get enough thanks in my opinion!!

[racer-gal]

Thanks andy. But it's a tad scary, cos it sounds like you know us... but I don't know who you are:S
sorry!

[AndyUK]

Originally Posted by racer-gal

Thanks andy. But it's a tad scary, cos it sounds like you know us... but I don't know who you are:S
sorry!

Well i tell you when we next see you!!! until then keep guessing!!! Scaryyyy

[racer-gal]

Originally Posted by AndyUK

Well i tell you when we next see you!!! until then keep guessing!!! Scaryyyy

AGHHHH!
erm... *thinks* OW

Hmmmm.... Andy... with a sense of humour???

OOO! RUSSELL!

STEVE AND PHIL'S DAD!

ooo... I have to wait untill you reply now!

Dang it!

[kelvin88]

OH OH Can i play? I think its former childrens TV presenter Andy Peters, lost from our screens for years and now back to run a race team!!

[AndyUK]

Originally Posted by racer-gal

AGHHHH!
erm... *thinks* OW

Hmmmm.... Andy... with a sense of humour???

Dang it!

Correct!!!

[R59]

Originally Posted by kelvin88

OH OH Can i play? I think its former childrens TV presenter Andy Peters, lost from our screens for years and now back to run a race team!!

I'm sure it's going to be "Team Blue Peter"

Will his car be the most politically correct entry, with professional stunt drivers operating it with dual controls to save his own drivers from having to do anything too scary? Maybe they will hold the cars together with Sticky Back Plastic?

Had it been the old days, with John Noakes, then the cars would be supercharged running on Nitrous for added effect, with no seat belts, and open face p pot crash helmet sporting a Blue Peter logo. And he'd go on live TV to show the bruises (and no doubt stiches) following any major incident.

On a more serious, much more, note. It's good to see celebrity types getting involved - it's worth a vast amount of marketing work!!

Rob.

[dj choc ice]

how about a jim'll fix it race series after all it does only cost 50p to repair the crashmax paxo's

well i was going to go to brands for the junior festival but i had to work which was a serious pain in the arse

btw did it not actually rain at brands when i was at oulton a certain persons damn weather prediction came true and it poured it down, you know who you are

[TimCrighton]

Having trawled my way through 14 pages of what can majoritively be described as utter *insert name of large male chicken here*, I've been motivated to post...

As we see time and time again in Motorsport within this country the industry has to tear itself down from the inside. What is wrong with you?!

Just before I post I'll give you a brief run down of why I think I'm qualified to comment: I've been racing since the age of 6 in Karts (Cadet, Yamaha and JICA), having been riding school boy Motorcross bikes since the age of 4 (yes my Mother hated it!) - I made the transition to T-Cars in 1999. I've raced since in Formula Ford, Formula V, British GT, Italian GT's and this year after a break of 2 seasons (Thanks to not having the super rich parents that supposedly everybody in T-Cars has according to some) I've raced again this season in the MINI Challenge and we are hoping to race in SEAT's next season...

T-Cars is a different product to those 'other' junior Formulae (yes in plural it has an 'e' on the end - so no we're not all thick or only capable of using 'txt speak' either). Both Junior Ginetta and SaxMax have their plus points, but the aim of T-Car was in its name - as a Training Car, or T-Car. Indeed the first car built, for those old enough/actually clued up enough to remember it was the silver 'dual control' car. T-Car's was aimed at those drivers wanting to make an early transition to cars or those that perhaps couldn't afford to follow the 'Euro' Karting route. As T-Cars has evolved, and thanks mainly to one of the best saloon chassis's I have ever driven, they have become serious racing cars. Driving a T-Car now is in a totally different league to driving a SaxMax car or a Junior Ginetta (From now on referred to as JG) - its a much more 'physical' product, its a proper racing car rather than a converted road car in the case of the Saxo or a budget built sports car in the case of the JG. T-Cars has struggled in my opinion for a number of reasons, but never the less still produces some extremely close and competitive racing. One of the reasons is (in my opinion) a lack of identity - indeed the reason Touring Cars remains so popular, is its Identifiable, people know and recognise the cars. T-Cars as a name that does nothing for it either - Perhaps a rebrand as 'JTCC' (Junior Touring Car Championship) or the like would be of assistance in that. However what its crucial to remember in a debate like this is that the above points shouldn't detract from the strengths of the series. It has produced some great drivers - some spoilt brats too - but some great drivers:

Matthew Wilson - Ford WRC
Ryan Lewis - British F3 Scholarship Champion
Stuart Hall - British F3
Tom Kimber-Smith - British GT
Jonny Cocker - British and FIA GT
Tom Chilton - BTCC
Tom Boardman - BTCC (now SEAT's)
Me - British GT
The list could go on...

I suppose the real argument here lays with the cost factor, or at least that’s how it appears in many of the posts - people object to the amounts of money being 'invested' (I prefer the word 'spent') on young drivers career's (I prefer the word 'hobbies'). Yes, probably they are more 'moneyed' drivers in T-Cars than the other comparable junior saloon championships, but then look at its genuine competition - Formula BMW and you can't use the same argument there - Most of those kids have F3 budgets being prepared as we speak! So perhaps we should move away from the perception that T-Cars is directly comparable to SaxMax? I would argue it’s a step-up. I've raced a post '06 spec (No close ratio box and no LSD) in the BRSCC Winter Saloon series (As have others - Tom Chilton, Ryan Lewis, Oli Playle) and the cars, remembering these are 'Junior' race cars are easily capable of running mid field surrounded by GrpN E36 M3's, the slower Cosworths, Mini Migila cars etc. They are serious bits of kit - and anyone that doesn't share that view point - come and feel free to have a look over the car we run (Advent Motorsport) next time you find yourself at a T-Car round. I think it was Rob Huff that tested one for Motorsport News a couple of seasons ago and was minded to say 'its a proper racing car compared to the other two' when doing a junior Formulae comparasion test. As a parent, one that perhaps has a large cheque book, but not necessarily - wouldn't you want the best for your child? Isn't that why we live in a society that has private schools and privatised healthcare for example? That’s not to say that those running in either of the other two Formulae aren't doing their 'best' but its all relative - when you have enough money to afford it, its not a problem - If I can afford to run a SaxMax and not a TCar then that’s the best I can do. Everything is relative.

Getting the opportunity to be in a race car at 14 - whether its a SaxMax, a JG or a T-Car is a FANTASTIC opportunity that all the kids are lucky to have, and the basic skills that it teaches them, regardless of the formulae shouldn't be underestimated. Karting is a great teaching ground - but to do Super1 or Stars is now a 40-50k budget in JICA - engines can be 3k a pop without problem - and of course you need 2, probably 3 complete karts to run at the front realistically.

To tackle the earlier question of 'you kid yourself you need a team to run you', Dear god I wish you were wrong - I really do. Unfortunately we've created this situation ourselves were its now so expensive and difficult to fund serious career progression in Motorsport that drivers must find alternatives to 'add value' because if you think that pound for pound advertising on a car works you are sadly naive. Most sponsorship packages (of those genuine sponsors involved!) are sold on corporate hospitality and team building. (It should be noted this is aimed at sponsorship' for 'career' classes rather than 'club' racing) They demand a high quality product and a 'team' is a part of that - its also part of the reason you hardly see a car run out of less than a 40foot artic at a FBMW or the like round anymore! People are investing heavily and demand a lot from it. I wish it wasn't true - but to remain competitive its not simply about how you perform on the track. I recall in FVauxhall for those that remember it, there was a championship winning car run off a trailer by an independent mechanic, perhaps the best set up car in the paddock, and at the end of the season when the driver he was running moved on - he waited, and waited and no one came to him to run their car despite his track record - and why? Because he didn't offer a 'competitive' product – A sad tail of the state of British Motorsport.

I wish, probably more than you realise, that the above simply wasn't true - but we live in a material society.

To open a whole new can of worms - Perhaps this really harks back to the problem that this country simply has too many classes and needs a clearer structure?

(Disclaimer - my opinion and mine only - slate it at will, for it’s only my opinion and I'm sure I love mine being trodden on as much as you love yours being trodden on...If its badly worded in places - well I only have so much time in life to spend as a keyboard warrior!!!)