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

[GT6]

i really do not care how things are funded, call me selfish but i just want to see btcc races, i would prefer to actually be there but if not then full coverage on itv4 is better than nothing .

[RS67]

There has always been "amateurs" and professionals in the BTCC, some go onto be "professionals " some don't, I wouldn't begrudge anyone the chance to fulfil a dream and compete in the BTCC, no matter how they got there. Only the top 15 drivers in each race score points, you can pretty much guarantee those 15 will be the more experienced BTCC drivers each time, the lesser experienced, are only really going to get a look in on getting into the top 15 and scoring some points if a more experienced driver has a mishap of some sort. It doesn't mean the "amateurs don't deserve their place out there.

As far as marshalling goes, it is slower this year because the number of Marshall's has been restricted, due to social distancing. Tracks usually have a regular recovery crew helping out, I notice these have been absent from race meetings, so that has added to the time delay.

The length of time for a barrier repair has been explained, but it wasn't just the barrier that needed repairing but also the catch fencing behind it, so that would have added to the repair time.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum. I'd like to talk about a few issues I have with the BTCC and wanted to get your thoughts.

I've been watching the championship for over twenty years, following it for ten and have gone to Snetterton every year for nearly ten years. I really enjoy watching the championship but some things about it frustrate me.

My main complaint with it is how it can seem a bit amateurish at times. Take the incident with Carl Boardley on the formation lap of the first race at Oulton Park. Boardley makes a rather stupid mistake and crashes into the barriers at the final corner and it then takes over half an hour for the barriers to be repaired. For the record, I know how important marshals are to any motor racing event going ahead and I commend all of them for doing it. However, every time there's an incident in the BTCC that requires a car to be cleared away or barriers to be repaired, I expect there to be a lengthy delay. The marshals take ages to do things that are done much quicker in other racing series. Is it that the facilities at the circuits don't allow for these things to be done quickly, an issue with the marshals themselves, or something else?

Talking of Carl Boardley, he's one of the drivers in this year's championship who I have a bit of a gripe with. He was able to buy a BMW 1 Series from WSR, so he's not short of money but does seem a bit short of talent. He had a rather poor season last year in a rather bad car, so when I saw the news that he'd bought the BMW, I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and judge him on how he performs this season. From what I've seen so far, I'm not impressed. Look at how Boardley has performed compared to Stephen Jelley in the same car with the same engine. Jelley is 12th with 43 points and Boardley is 22nd with six. He should be doing far better in a car as good as the 1 Series and his results lead me to believe that he isn't good enough for the championship.

The same goes for Michael Crees. I know he's popular, but is he any good? He's 17th with 23 points in a car that won three races last season. His teammates Tom Chilton and Josh Cook are 8th and 15th - albeit after a difficult start to the season. Without the disqualification at Oulton Park, Cook would be far higher up the standings. It's pretty clear that Crees is only in that car because of the sponsorship he brings. Getting a drive that way is fine if you can back it up with results, but so far this season he hasn't.

I understand that motor racing's history is built upon wealthy amateurs taking part and I have no problem with that as long as those wealthy amateurs are good enough. The BTCC has plenty of examples of amateurs who have paid their way in but have performed well enough to be deserving of a drive year after year.

It's no coincidence that it's usually been the same five drivers finishing near the back this season. Those five drivers currently occupy the bottom five positions of the standings (I'm excluding Mike Bushell as he's only competed at one round). I'm assuming that all of them have bought their way into the championship in some way or another, either through buying a car, sponsorship or just writing a cheque. Boardley, Brown, Neate, Butel and Hamilton clearly aren't good enough for the BTCC and their results prove that.

This brings me back to my earlier point about the series being a bit amateurish. The rules allow drivers with little experience and/or ability (in relative terms to other drivers in the championship) to compete if they've got the funds to do so, but if it turns out they're not up to standard it means the overall quality of the championship is lowered. It's supposed to be Britain's "premier motor racing series", but it seems like a bit of a hobby for some. There are too many drivers trying their best but getting nowhere. How can drivers with too much money and not enough ability keep racing in the BTCC year after year?

I know there will be people on here who'll say that professionals competing against amateurs is part of the appeal of the BTCC, but is it appealing to see the same drivers doing badly all the time? Do you applaud them for turning up and having a go or do you wonder why they're there and want something done about it?

That doesn't even cover my other (smaller) issues with the championship, but I'll leave those for now!

Welcome to the Forum. I am very passionate about the BTCC, so I feel I can deal with your gripes about the series

While I do agree that recovery of cars can be lengthy and by the same token SCs can be deployed a bit hastily (Donny R3 springs to mind), I’m afraid that the delay with the barrier repair was no more than common sense. You can’t take chances with that and let’s face it, it was better it happened before the race than during that. Yes it was a bit annoying having got all worked up for the start of the race having to wait longer, but safety is paramount. Plenty of other race meetings in the UK no doubt have had similar problems with barrier repair, but they don’t have the live TV cameras on them, leaving viewers waiting

Now onto these so called amateur drivers or gentlemen drivers or whatever you want to call them, I’m afraid this has always been a lifeblood of the BTCC. These drivers are doing something they, which no doubt some of us on here would do if we had the opportunity!

Let’s deal with the drivers you mention

Boardley: he has done a good job adapting to a new car and he’s picked up a few points here and there. He qualified alongside Jelley in the same spec car at Oulton. That’s not bad going for a so called amateur

Crees: he is worth his place. No he hasn’t been as close to the front as Sonic and Cook, but he has picked up quite a few minor points finishes in the 11th-15th region. Not bad going. It’s not like he’s doing much harm in that seat, they still have two race winners in the other seat. And no doubt he is helping to keep those two in the team with his backing, so does it really matter he doesn’t have the talent of the other two?

Neate: the criticism from his previous time in the BTCC has been mostly warranted, but remember when he qualified 3rd at Oulton in 2011, behind the dominant Civics? You can’t do that unless you have talent. He hasn’t quite shown much speed this season, but where he has improved is avoiding incidents either by himself or with others. Like Crees his presence helps pay the bills, so the team can continue to run with two talents in Rory and OJ. And for me his new softly softly approach means that the team can avoid any unnecessary repair bills, so good on him.

Hamilton: it helps he has a famous brother, but also he can inspire others with similar disabilities, showing that you shouldn’t let disability get you down. Yes he’s made a few mistakes, but at least he’s not a danger to others

Butel and Brown: both of these are very inexperienced, but again needs must. Both are helping keep teams afloat at what is a very difficult time. Morgan’s win in R3 might not have happened without Butel’s money keeping the team going

Finally is it right we keep these drivers that are always at the back? For me we were a bit spoiled in 2017-18 when the grid was so talented you’d see different drivers at the front and back at different weekends. Those days are sadly over. As are the 90s where plenty of big buck manufacturers could employ the best drivers. Now it’s mainly independents, which means teams need drivers who can pay their way to help keep the teams going, especially at this time. But even in the 90s you saw some independent/privateer drivers who did it for the love rather than talent, difference is they had more to fight for as the independents were usually in their own race behind the works teams, whereas now Independent teams fill the grid

Of course it’s sad that the likes of AJ, JP and MJ all have to pull out through no fault of their own, but let’s face it, it could have been a lot worse. And yes the majority of fans enjoy the mix of pro and amateur drivers, that’s the great thing about the series. I know sometimes quality outweighs quantity, but I do not want to go back to various seasons when we struggled to get above 20 or even into double figures. And anyway the cream still rises to the top, so what’s the problem?

Phew, I think I need a break now!

[WestHam92]

Originally Posted by AnnoyedMoose

As for the quality of the drivers thats all down to what money people have. At the end of the day everyone in the BTCC (to my knowledge) is paying to race one way or the other. If there were more people around with the money to race and who could do a better job than those in the seats then the teams would take them on but there aren't.

Maybe that's the problem with having 27 drivers. If there were only something like 23 places, then in theory there would be fewer seats filled by weaker drivers. I know that cutting down the field doesn't completely eliminate the possibility of the sort of drivers I mentioned being in the championship, but hopefully it would raise the quality of the field.

I understand that someone has to come last, but I'd like that driver to be competitive and not always at the back.

If each team was limited to having a certain number of entries next season, we could have a field like this:


BMW - 2 cars
Honda - 2 cars
Toyota - 1 car
BTC - 2 cars
MB Motorsport (AMD) - 2 cars
GKR (AMD) - 2 cars
Motorbase - 2 cars
Team Parker - 1 car
Laser Tools - 2 cars
Excelr8 - 2 cars
Power Maxed - 2 cars
Carlube - 1 car
Team HARD - 2 cars

[S griffin]

I feel we are opening a whole can of worms here.

I really don’t think cutting the grid is the answer. We’ve already lost one WSR BMW and initially two PMR Vauxhalls and they were filled by three race winners, two former champions. So what good would cutting it further do? Just give it time and hopefully we’ll see a better quality grid, if not next season, then the season after

[VIVA GT]

I agree that cutting the grid numbers may well (or actually certainly would) not solve the problem. Some teams rely on lesser experienced but well funded drivers so that they can afford to run drivers who can be expected to be nearer the sharp end but (for whatever reason) don't have as much access to the funding. Running a BTCC team is not a cheap or simple exercise and it all has to be paid for, whichever end of the grid you are sitting at.
Also, the BTCC is a closely fought championship. In qualifying at Oulton Park on Saturday, Rory Butcher's Pole Position was just over a second than Nick Hamilton in 26th place, the top 18 were within 1 second of each other, so yes, there are quicker car/driver combinations and those that are not quite that quick, but those guys towards the back are clearly quick & capable drivers.

[Redshift]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

If there were only something like 23 places, then in theory there would be fewer seats filled by weaker drivers.

Not necessarily. Some of the stronger drivers may well have a struggle to raise the money to race whereas a weaker driver with a pot load of money can easily afford to do it.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I feel we are opening a whole can of worms here.

I really don’t think cutting the grid is the answer. We’ve already lost one WSR BMW and initially two PMR Vauxhalls and they were filled by three race winners, two former champions. So what good would cutting it further do? Just give it time and hopefully we’ll see a better quality grid, if not next season, then the season after

I think you've caught here part of why cutting the grid may not solve the 'problem' of lesser skilled drivers on the grid.

If there are less seats, then money begins to talk even louder than talent.
Those drivers who are more talented, but have less funds will find their seats are snapped up even quicker by those with more funds available.
We saw this in the past with Turkington struggling to get a seat. The problem would be made worse by reducing the grid, not better I feel.

[RS67]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

Maybe that's the problem with having 27 drivers. If there were only something like 23 places, then in theory there would be fewer seats filled by weaker drivers. I know that cutting down the field doesn't completely eliminate the possibility of the sort of drivers I mentioned being in the championship, but hopefully it would raise the quality of the field.

I understand that someone has to come last, but I'd like that driver to be competitive and not always at the back.

If each team was limited to having a certain number of entries next season, we could have a field like this:


BMW - 2 cars
Honda - 2 cars
Toyota - 1 car
BTC - 2 cars
MB Motorsport (AMD) - 2 cars
GKR (AMD) - 2 cars
Motorbase - 2 cars
Team Parker - 1 car
Laser Tools - 2 cars
Excelr8 - 2 cars
Power Maxed - 2 cars
Carlube - 1 car
Team HARD - 2 cars

Even with that grid, you could still end up with the same 6 drivers at the back each race weekend, hoping for better drivers to have mishaps, so they have a chance of some points.

[Matt K]

Yes, cutting the grid is not the right thing to do. I believe 26-28 cars is a good number and 'safe enough' in case of some teams pulling out. By safe I mean it won't be like suddenly there are 18 drivers competing.

When it comes to the amateurish vibe of BTCC, unfortunately I have to agree. Of course it's not the most important thing in motorsport who provides the stickers on cars, who (if anyone) pays the drivers, what kind of brands are there on bonnets and doors or if the drivers are professionals on 'factory' contracts or just some driving instructors/accountants in family companies/etc driving as their hobby/passion. It's not the most important thing. However, having been watching championships like DTM or Supercars for years, sometimes it seems a bit baffling that 'the premier British motor racing series' is actually quite amateurish in its appeal comparing to many other series - even if they are national series like Supercars. Even ADAC GT Masters, which combines professionals and amateurs has quite a number of high-profile racing drivers, quite often on factory contracts with Audi/Porsche etc.
In an ideal world BTCC would be an exciting championship comprising of one of the best touring car drivers in the world. WSR would have some exciting young guns alongside likes of Turks. Speedworks would have at least two proper factory Toyota drivers and Jordan wouldn't need to step down from racing, Jack Goff wouldn't need to drive in such a minor team and so on and so forth. This is the part of the BTCC that I just don't like. But what is the alternative? You can always stop watching it but I think BTCC is still exciting enough to have an eye on it You can watch big teams, big sponsors and high-class drivers in different racing series (and no, I don't mean F1 now, I don't watch it at all).

[codename_47]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum. I'd like to talk about a few issues I have with the BTCC and wanted to get your thoughts.

I've been watching the championship for over twenty years, following it for ten and have gone to Snetterton every year for nearly ten years. I really enjoy watching the championship but some things about it frustrate me.

My main complaint with it is how it can seem a bit amateurish at times. Take the incident with Carl Boardley on the formation lap of the first race at Oulton Park. Boardley makes a rather stupid mistake and crashes into the barriers at the final corner and it then takes over half an hour for the barriers to be repaired. For the record, I know how important marshals are to any motor racing event going ahead and I commend all of them for doing it. However, every time there's an incident in the BTCC that requires a car to be cleared away or barriers to be repaired, I expect there to be a lengthy delay. The marshals take ages to do things that are done much quicker in other racing series. Is it that the facilities at the circuits don't allow for these things to be done quickly, an issue with the marshals themselves, or something else?

Talking of Carl Boardley, he's one of the drivers in this year's championship who I have a bit of a gripe with. He was able to buy a BMW 1 Series from WSR, so he's not short of money but does seem a bit short of talent. He had a rather poor season last year in a rather bad car, so when I saw the news that he'd bought the BMW, I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and judge him on how he performs this season. From what I've seen so far, I'm not impressed. Look at how Boardley has performed compared to Stephen Jelley in the same car with the same engine. Jelley is 12th with 43 points and Boardley is 22nd with six. He should be doing far better in a car as good as the 1 Series and his results lead me to believe that he isn't good enough for the championship.

The same goes for Michael Crees. I know he's popular, but is he any good? He's 17th with 23 points in a car that won three races last season. His teammates Tom Chilton and Josh Cook are 8th and 15th - albeit after a difficult start to the season. Without the disqualification at Oulton Park, Cook would be far higher up the standings. It's pretty clear that Crees is only in that car because of the sponsorship he brings. Getting a drive that way is fine if you can back it up with results, but so far this season he hasn't.

I understand that motor racing's history is built upon wealthy amateurs taking part and I have no problem with that as long as those wealthy amateurs are good enough. The BTCC has plenty of examples of amateurs who have paid their way in but have performed well enough to be deserving of a drive year after year.

It's no coincidence that it's usually been the same five drivers finishing near the back this season. Those five drivers currently occupy the bottom five positions of the standings (I'm excluding Mike Bushell as he's only competed at one round). I'm assuming that all of them have bought their way into the championship in some way or another, either through buying a car, sponsorship or just writing a cheque. Boardley, Brown, Neate, Butel and Hamilton clearly aren't good enough for the BTCC and their results prove that.

This brings me back to my earlier point about the series being a bit amateurish. The rules allow drivers with little experience and/or ability (in relative terms to other drivers in the championship) to compete if they've got the funds to do so, but if it turns out they're not up to standard it means the overall quality of the championship is lowered. It's supposed to be Britain's "premier motor racing series", but it seems like a bit of a hobby for some. There are too many drivers trying their best but getting nowhere. How can drivers with too much money and not enough ability keep racing in the BTCC year after year?

I know there will be people on here who'll say that professionals competing against amateurs is part of the appeal of the BTCC, but is it appealing to see the same drivers doing badly all the time? Do you applaud them for turning up and having a go or do you wonder why they're there and want something done about it?

That doesn't even cover my other (smaller) issues with the championship, but I'll leave those for now!

No offence to you, but I have no idea why people allow things like this to bother them.

At the end of the day, those people are enjoying their time in the series, even if it is at the back of the grid, they get to race a BTCC car on some of the best tracks in the world. (And Snetteton)

The TV coverage rarely focuses on them unless they have an incident (Which could be part of the problem really, their relative successes, however small, aren't given focus), their incidents bring out the SC's that close up the racing and they are plying their trade and learning and no doubt will improve over the course of the season.
Personally I'd rather a 33 car grid (or whatever the limit is atm) than a 15 car grid just of the manufacturer teams.
More cars=more excitement imo

As for the marshal question, well, Safety comes first.
In a potential wet race you cannot have a barrier that is half-good, a botch job done in a rush just because there's a TV window to hit.
Otherwise any other car going off there is going to end up out of the arena like an episode of Robot Wars

I also remember Addison making the point over the weekend that Marshal teams can't be at full strength atm due to covid regulations, so there may well be less marshals on each post expected to do the work of double the amount of people from before.
No wonder things take longer in that regard.

[codename_47]

Originally Posted by Matt K

Yes, cutting the grid is not the right thing to do. I believe 26-28 cars is a good number and 'safe enough' in case of some teams pulling out. By safe I mean it won't be like suddenly there are 18 drivers competing.

When it comes to the amateurish vibe of BTCC, unfortunately I have to agree. Of course it's not the most important thing in motorsport who provides the stickers on cars, who (if anyone) pays the drivers, what kind of brands are there on bonnets and doors or if the drivers are professionals on 'factory' contracts or just some driving instructors/accountants in family companies/etc driving as their hobby/passion. It's not the most important thing. However, having been watching championships like DTM or Supercars for years, sometimes it seems a bit baffling that 'the premier British motor racing series' is actually quite amateurish in its appeal comparing to many other series - even if they are national series like Supercars. Even ADAC GT Masters, which combines professionals and amateurs has quite a number of high-profile racing drivers, quite often on factory contracts with Audi/Porsche etc.
In an ideal world BTCC would be an exciting championship comprising of one of the best touring car drivers in the world. WSR would have some exciting young guns alongside likes of Turks. Speedworks would have at least two proper factory Toyota drivers and Jordan wouldn't need to step down from racing, Jack Goff wouldn't need to drive in such a minor team and so on and so forth. This is the part of the BTCC that I just don't like. But what is the alternative? You can always stop watching it but I think BTCC is still exciting enough to have an eye on it You can watch big teams, big sponsors and high-class drivers in different racing series (and no, I don't mean F1 now, I don't watch it at all).

You cite those championships, but both Supercars and DTM are going through a bit of a lull atm due to manufacturers pulling out

I'm glad the BTCC isn't so dependant on Manufacturers as it was in the 90s
As much as they increase the apparent "prestige" of the championship, they bring with them tricks like aerodynamics, 4WD and other anti-compettive issues, raise the behind the scenes politicking to ridiculous levels, then storm off when they've either won enough to make the championship not worth watching any more, or one exec at the top changes and he isn't as much of a fan of racing as the last person so away goes the racing team's budget.
They are a detriment to the on track product too, so as much as they're good for generating headlines between races, the races themselves are quite poor.
This is the open secret of the Super Touring era too, when only clever editing and delayed highlights masked how processional that racing was.
And then they brought in pit stops to touring car racing. Lord save me!

You usually get a high water mark of compettitiveness around 5/6 years then the series spends itself out of existence.
It happened to the BTCC, it happened about 3 times to DTM and it's happening now to Supercars too.

For whatever reason, the BTCC is the model atm for how touring car championships should do it.
Live Free to Air television, huge crowds at tracks (pre-covid anyway) lots of eager sponsors and fantastic, compettitive racing.
No wonder then, that the UK is about the only place in the world the dreaded TCR cannot get a foothold. And quite right too.

It's so, so easy, especially here, for people to try and look down on the BTCC, but really, no-one can deny it is in rude health at the moment
And long may it continue.

[AnnoyedMoose]

Originally Posted by Matt K

However, having been watching championships like DTM or Supercars for years, sometimes it seems a bit baffling that 'the premier British motor racing series' is actually quite amateurish in its appeal comparing to many other series - even if they are national series like Supercars. Even ADAC GT Masters, which combines professionals and amateurs has quite a number of high-profile racing drivers, quite often on factory contracts with Audi/Porsche etc.

I've read many posts on YouTube from Australian fans who reckon that Supercars is very amateurish so I guess it may be the grass is always greener in a lot of ways.

To me a big part of the appeal of the BTCC is that it is directly relatable to a club racer. Crees is hugely popular amongst the fans as they see him as the perfect example that anyone can do it given hard work.

However it's surprising how many casual fans I've talked to who believe that the drivers in BTCC are on million pound contracts and are all professional drivers. They are really shocked when they find out many have full time jobs.

[WestHam92]

I take on board what you've said about cutting the grid meaning that money would become even more important than talent, but there has to be a solution to the 'problem' of a lack of quality further down the grid. Or is this just the way the BTCC has been designed and the powers at be like it this way?

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by AnnoyedMoose

I've read many posts on YouTube from Australian fans who reckon that Supercars is very amateurish so I guess it may be the grass is always greener in a lot of ways.

To me a big part of the appeal of the BTCC is that it is directly relatable to a club racer. Crees is hugely popular amongst the fans as they see him as the perfect example that anyone can do it given hard work.

However it's surprising how many casual fans I've talked to who believe that the drivers in BTCC are on million pound contracts and are all professional drivers. They are really shocked when they find out many have full time jobs.

Indeed, even the champions have their day job. Colin working for his Dad, same with Matt I think, JP did his TV work and Flash working at Knockhill

[WestHam92]

Originally Posted by codename_47

No offence to you, but I have no idea why people allow things like this to bother them.

It bothers me so much that it keeps me up at night. It's all I can think about.

[S griffin]

Think about how some teams would be feeling if they didn’t have someone help funding their team. They really would struggle for sleep

[WestHam92]

Originally Posted by AnnoyedMoose

To me a big part of the appeal of the BTCC is that it is directly relatable to a club racer. Crees is hugely popular amongst the fans as they see him as the perfect example that anyone can do it given hard work.

Doesn't that prove my point? If Crees is a club racer, then why is he in "Britain's premier motor racing series"? It's not Crees I have a problem with per se, it's the setup of the championship that allows him to compete in it.

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by AnnoyedMoose

I've read many posts on YouTube from Australian fans who reckon that Supercars is very amateurish so I guess it may be the grass is always greener in a lot of ways.

To me a big part of the appeal of the BTCC is that it is directly relatable to a club racer. Crees is hugely popular amongst the fans as they see him as the perfect example that anyone can do it given hard work.

However it's surprising how many casual fans I've talked to who believe that the drivers in BTCC are on million pound contracts and are all professional drivers. They are really shocked when they find out many have full time jobs.

No offence but some Australian fans are just dreadful and their opinions look pretty ridiculous at times. If Supercars is amateurish then I dread to think what can be said about BTCC Unfortunately you can't really compare sponsorships of both championships, the TV, level of the drivers and so on. Unfortunately, you just can't compare likes of Whincup, McLaughlin, Winterbottom etc to some of the drivers who are winning races in BTCC. That's my view at least. I remember Shane Van Gisbergen comparing Supercars field to many drivers he's raced against in various GT races around the world. He said the level of competition and professionalism down the paddock in Supercars is incredibly high. He may be biased but I think Supercars is a really strong championship.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

Doesn't that prove my point? If Crees is a club racer, then why is he in "Britain's premier motor racing series"? It's not Crees I have a problem with per se, it's the setup of the championship that allows him to compete in it.

The issue comes if you look at it the other way though I feel.

If you introduce some form of criteria for entry based on talent alone, you'll end up with people only entering if they are in a realistic chance of taking the title.
From the current grid, that is about ten drivers at best.
Everyone who is entering for their own gratification won't meet that criteria and will enter a.n.other series.
With grids that are pretty much single figure entries, audiences will switch off, sponsors will walk away and no one will pay for the series to exist.

I think we are in this situation because of the manufacturer dominance of the 80s and 90s. There was a romantic notion of a private entrant being able to take a win. That meant that when Neal took that first race win, a lot of manufacturers thought 'why bother if someone can use a 2nd hand car and win?'.

The appeal for manufacturers dwindled before it was about budgets. This was a blessing in disguise, because it meant series organisers had to make the series valuable to privateers and the factory-backed model was dropped while other series still relied on them.

The regular rule change since has meant that everyone has their chance to shine (reverse grid, ballast etc.) But the best teams will have the consistency to take the titles. This is demonstrated by 2/3s of the races being decided on performance alone. This rewards the best ten I mentioned before. The rest of the grid are hoping to get lucky in the other 1/3 of races.
No one wants to come last, but everyone should have a realistic goal that equals success to them. For someone like Hamilton, it's achieving points. For Crees, it's probably hoping for some top tens and a Jack Sears trophy. For Neate, probably for the thrill of competing.
BTCC can be that to all of those, whilst simultaneously allowing Turkington, Cammish, Sutton, Butcher etc. compete for the title and BMW, Honda, Toyota to gain brand exposure in the UK on a FTA live broadcast.

[Daverb]

Surely Boardley was some kind of car failure. Brake failure etc

Can’t believe he just did that all on his own. He arrived way too fast so did look like a brake problem.

[Greem]

I'm late to the "welcome party" but I'd just like to point out - as a marshal - that barrier repairs are carried out by circuit staff.

They're not the work of a moment and they need to have multiple sign off too from circuit management, club and Motorsport UK stewards.

We might help if asked, but I generally look at things like that as time for a brew and a pork pie. If you know any marshalling mythology you'll know why that isn't necessarily a good thing

[Millvi]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Surely Boardley was some kind of car failure. Brake failure etc

Can’t believe he just did that all on his own. He arrived way too fast so did look like a brake problem.

It was a throttle problem and Carl said the pedal didn’t return when he let his foot off the gas.

Carl’s an experienced racer who’s now getting to grips with BTCC and the Series 1 BMW.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by WestHam92

there has to be a solution to the 'problem' of a lack of quality further down the grid.

You got me wondering if it is really a 'problem', and if so - for how long has it been?

This leads me to look back and see if it is recent phenomenon. I have looked back at 5 year intervals.

2015 - Shedden 348 points. 25 drivers below 100. 16 drivers on single figures.
2010 - Plato 260 points. 19 drivers below 100. 14 drivers on single figures.
2005 (only 18 drivers) - Neal 316 points. 10 drivers below 100. 2 drivers on single figures.

Compare that to 1987. 46 drivers in the final standings. 12 of them failed to get a point. 23 drivers were in single figures.

We have a lot less drivers today who are so far off the pace they are not scoring regularly, so if it is a problem it is improving.

[Millvi]

Just look at the transformation of Osbourne with his move from the MG to the FK2 Civic. He was woeful in the MG, but is far from that so far this season.

Likewise Goff struggling with the VW at Team Hard. Would love to see Team Hard get more competitive replacements for the VWs. What cars are out there? Simpson’s Civic?