[BTCC] BTCC 2023 season discussion, News and Rumours!

[Robin Marriott]

Originally Posted by SSmith

I wonder if the amount of sponsorship/financial backing changed causing a reversal of the naming order? Could also connect up with a potential last minute driver change as well.

More likely to be that Powell IS One Motorsport and wants his brand first in the description is HIS press release?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by SSmith

For me I would say Butcher and Cook could challenge those five as they've both got stronger engines than they had last year.

Yeah I think it’ll be very close at the front. Morgan will be another one not far behind, and I expect Moffat to be pretty close to Cook.

Excelr8 look the weakest out the top teams. The one with six cars doesn’t get one name thrown up! I do hope Thompson can manage a breakthrough win though.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Excelr8 look the weakest out the top teams. The one with six cars doesn’t get one name thrown up! I do hope Thompson can manage a breakthrough win though.

If Excelr8 want to win lots of trophies, they need to hope Chilton has a better season and Pearson gets up to speed quickly.

A Thompson race win could be a reality in a Race 3 at some point this season.

[crmalcolm]

2023 TBL	Team	Car	Driver	Status	Jack Sears
EXCELR8-1	BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	Ingram	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
EXCELR8-2	BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	Chilton	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
EXCELR8-3	BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	Pearson	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
EXCELR8-4	BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	Halstead	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Motorbase-1	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Sutton	Confirmed as 3-year deal in press release	Inel.
Motorbase-2	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Cammish	Confirmed as 3-year deal in press release	Inel.
Motorbase-3	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Osborne	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Motorbase-4	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	Rowbottom	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
HARD.-1	HARD.	Cupra León	Butel	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
HARD.-2	HARD.	Cupra León	Thompson	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
HARD.-3	HARD.	Cupra León	Patterson	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Boardley-1	HARD.	Cupra León	Lloyd	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
Aiden Moffat-1	HARD.	Cupra León	Edwards	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Aiden Moffat-2	HARD.	Cupra León	Hamilton	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Speedworks-1	Toyota GAZOO Racing UK	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Butcher	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
Speedworks-2	Toyota GAZOO Racing UK	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Collard	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
Speedworks-3	Toyota GAZOO Racing UK	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	Gamble	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
WSR-1	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	Morgan	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
WSR-2	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	Turkington	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
WSR-3	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	BMW 330e M Sport	Hill	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
WSR-4	Team BMW	BMW 330e M Sport	Jelley	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
PMR-1	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	Taylor-Smith	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
PMR-2	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	Watson	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
HARD.-4	CarStore Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra	Doble	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
BTC-1	Starline Racing by One Motorsport	Honda Civic Type R	Moffat	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
BTC-2	Starline Racing by One Motorsport	Honda Civic Type R	Cook	Confirmed in press release	Inel.
BTC-3	One Motorsport with Starline Racing	Honda Civic Type R	Powell	Confirmed in press release	Elig.
Team Dynamics-1	???	???	???	Team Dynamics taking a sabbatical in 2023	???
Team Dynamics-2	???	???	???	Team Dynamics taking a sabbatical in 2023	???
TOCA-1	Not allocated
TOCA-2	Not allocated
TOCA-3	Not allocated

[Craner Curves]

I think we have plenty of potential race winners, but perhaps we need a few of them to be a bit more consistent to offer a title challenge. Coom and Morgan are among those for me.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by SSmith

If Excelr8 want to win lots of trophies, they need to hope Chilton has a better season and Pearson gets up to speed quickly.

Chilton will do much better this year. He's paid to have a new chassis built, because that was absolutely reason he didn't do that well last year.

[BTCC frog]

For next year, I predict that we are looking at:

Title Contenders:
Jake Hill (champion)
Ash Sutton
Tom Ingram

Outsiders:
Colin Turkington
Rory Butcher
Josh Cook

Other race winners (or those in contention for wins):
Adam Morgan
Dan Cammish
Stephen Jelley
George Gamble
Dan Rowbottom
Aiden Moffat

Upper midfield:
Ricky Collard
Tom Chilton
Dan Lloyd
Bobby Thompson

Lower midfield:
Aron Taylor-Smith
Sam Osborne
Andrew Watson
Ronan Pearson
Dexter Patterson

Backmarkers:
Mikey Doble
Will Powell
Nick Halstead
Jade Edwards
Jack Butel
Nic Hamilton

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Craner Curves

They should of given it to Jack Goff......

I can see why he's involved, he's paying some of the bills after all.

Given? And how would this be funded?

[Pickles]

Afraid I don't agree with all the negativity, if anything there's now more chance of seeing others challenging for wins and podiums. Most drivers have found drives with other teams anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what this shake-up does for the series.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Given? And how would this be funded?

I think it was a joke

[Speedysnapper]

I have to say this looks like the most underwhelming, dissapointing grid of recent years, todays announcement just further confirms that….. what a shame….

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by Evantra

I think it was a joke

Absolutely!

[S griffin]

I don't think the grid looks too bad, got enough quality drivers in it

[Pickles]

At the end of the day any team and driver is free to enter if they can put the deal together. As has been mentioned the 4 and 6 car teams probably wouldn't have so many if there were others able to enter. It would be a massive shame if the drivers from teams who have pulled out found themselves without a drive, but most of them haven't. And as much as people will complain about Will Powell (yes it was a disappointing announcement), there's a reason why he's in the car and not Shedden, Goff or any other number of drivers. £££...

[antnee]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

For next year, I predict that we are looking at:

Title Contenders:
Jake Hill (champion)
Ash Sutton
Tom Ingram

Outsiders:
Colin Turkington
Rory Butcher
Josh Cook

Other race winners (or those in contention for wins):
Adam Morgan
Dan Cammish
Stephen Jelley
George Gamble
Dan Rowbottom
Aiden Moffat

Upper midfield:
Ricky Collard
Tom Chilton
Dan Lloyd
Bobby Thompson

Lower midfield:
Aron Taylor-Smith
Sam Osborne
Andrew Watson
Ronan Pearson
Dexter Patterson

Backmarkers:
Mikey Doble
Will Powell
Nick Halstead
Jade Edwards
Jack Butel
Nic Hamilton

Aside from some good or bad luck, I think this is the sort of order the championship will end in

[Andrew Abbott]

Looking at it objectively, the only top fifteen 2022 driver without a 2023 drive is Gordon Shedden.

Of last year's top twenty, only Shedden, Jason Plato, Ash Hand and Michael Crees don't have drives.

Of those, Plato hasn't been a win contender for a number of years, whilst Hand and Crees aren't proven winners.

So, in my view, from an 'enjoyment of the pointy end of the grid' perspective, the main thing to be 'disappointed' about is the absence of Shedden and Team Dynamics.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Andrew Abbott

Looking at it objectively, the only top fifteen 2022 driver without a 2023 drive is Gordon Shedden.

Of last year's top twenty, only Shedden, Jason Plato, Ash Hand and Michael Crees don't have drives.

Of those, Plato hasn't been a win contender for a number of years, whilst Hand and Crees aren't proven winners.

So, in my view, from an 'enjoyment of the pointy end of the grid' perspective, the main thing to be 'disappointed' about is the absence of Shedden and Team Dynamics.

This. And of those drivers named, at least 2 of them have tried to secure drives elsewhere (and their old team is still on the grid) and 1 of them was retiring anyway.

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

a sabbatical just as Team Parker's one ?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

a sabbatical just as Team Parker's one ?

Well - reported as a hiatus.

[Evantra]

Hmm not sure about the Josh Cook mullet!

https://twitter.com/btcc/status/1645...T11pmdgnSSDQzA

[pimmy]

I wonder if Powell has learnt what a racing line is yet. He was certainly nowhere near it at the first Thruxton meeting last year.

[redshoes]

https://www.btcc.net/2023-entry-list/

A few updates to team names:

One Motorsport with Starline Racing
Moffat / Cook / Powell

Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD
Patterson / Edwards

Autobrite Direct with Miller Oils
Thompson

Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown
Hamilton / Butel

Everything else as per crmalcolm's last list

[tocatrucky]

Originally Posted by Speedysnapper

I have to say this looks like the most underwhelming, dissapointing grid of recent years, todays announcement just further confirms that….. what a shame….

YTo be fair many commenters in this thread hyped every planned announcement upo so much and got so frothy that anything less than a 2 car manfacturer entry announcement would be disappoointing.

Learn to expect less is the lesson to take away. People never moaned so much over Chris Stockton PR releases every year for almost a decade, for example.

[touringlegend]

Originally Posted by redshoes

https://www.btcc.net/2023-entry-list/

A few updates to team names:

One Motorsport with Starline Racing
Moffat / Cook / Powell

Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD
Patterson / Edwards

Autobrite Direct with Miller Oils
Thompson

Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown
Hamilton / Butel

Everything else as per crmalcolm's last list

I wonder how many times Bartercard will end up coming out as Barclaycard from the commentators !

[touringlegend]

I remain positive it could end up a good season.

As someone else pointed out the One Motorsport and Toyota teams now with new engines could give them a little boost.