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

[tator2001uk]

TOdays times mean pretty much nothing

1 - Who is checking legality/boost set up etc
2- Track limits are ignored
3 - people bedding in brake sets means they will be stupidly slow
4 - People dont want to damage the car and using the day as a shakedown
5- People doing anything possible to make it look like they would be a great bet to throw some money at
6- People doing the day on borrowed money hoping to find some to pay the team back

- reading the last 10 pages of comments just now after a break, people really shouldn't be glad of cars dropping out and drivers going to the scrap heap, some people this is like life to them and could effect them a whole lot more than just a race
Teams have paid mechanics, apprentices, truck drivers all who will now not be needed unfortunately

I really fear for the support car grids, anyone got any idea of 2019-2020 comparisons - not may juniors out testing this week or Ginetta Supercup (albeit on a track they wont use)
not big noise on F4 either

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by tator2001uk

5- People doing anything possible to make it look like they would be a great bet to throw some money at

With Motorbase not having a title sponsor this season - I would imagine this has as much to do with Butcher setting a lap time as anything else.

Remember the thoughts about Rob Austin's Alfa setting a blistering lap time in a mid-season test?

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by tator2001uk

I really fear for the support car grids, anyone got any idea of 2019-2020 comparisons - not may juniors out testing this week or Ginetta Supercup (albeit on a track they wont use)
not big noise on F4 either

This is a big concern - the MINIs have been pretty good with this, announcing a reduced calendar very early but the others have all been pretty quiet.

[S griffin]

I’m just happy to see cars out there testing again and certainly drivers like Colin are more than happy to be back in the saddle

[RS67]

Originally Posted by tator2001uk

TOdays times mean pretty much nothing

1 - Who is checking legality/boost set up etc

As it is an official test session, I would imagine TOCA would have that covered. If it was a free for all, it wouldn't be worth having TSL Timing and the teams would just have someone on the pit wall with a stopwatch.

[Pdh]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

With Motorbase not having a title sponsor this season - I would imagine this has as much to do with Butcher setting a lap time as anything else.

Remember the thoughts about Rob Austin's Alfa setting a blistering lap time in a mid-season test?

It’s not like butchers time is amazing it’s still 2 seconds off qualifying from 2019, think your reading to much into it

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by RS67

I especially like all the comments about the hybrid and that people will lose interest in the sport as they will never sound the same again.

Did they watch the video of it, sounds exactly the same to me!

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Pdh

It’s not like butchers time is amazing it’s still 2 seconds off qualifying from 2019, think your reading to much into it

I'm not the one who originally suggested that the time meant anything...

[HarryBrown]

Originally Posted by tator2001uk

TOdays times mean pretty much nothing



1 - Who is checking legality/boost set up etc

2- Track limits are ignored

3 - people bedding in brake sets means they will be stupidly slow

4 - People dont want to damage the car and using the day as a shakedown

5- People doing anything possible to make it look like they would be a great bet to throw some money at

6- People doing the day on borrowed money hoping to find some to pay the team back



- reading the last 10 pages of comments just now after a break, people really shouldn't be glad of cars dropping out and drivers going to the scrap heap, some people this is like life to them and could effect them a whole lot more than just a race

Teams have paid mechanics, apprentices, truck drivers all who will now not be needed unfortunately



I really fear for the support car grids, anyone got any idea of 2019-2020 comparisons - not may juniors out testing this week or Ginetta Supercup (albeit on a track they wont use)

not big noise on F4 either

British F4 is testing at Croft today I believe, seems to be a decent number of cars out on track

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[Daverb]

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.


I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

[RS67]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I'm not the one who originally suggested that the time meant anything...

All the times mean something.

[S griffin]

Indeed, usually though you have to check to see who’s doing the time

[Pdh]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I'm not the one who originally suggested that the time meant anything...

You suggested that the only reason they are fastest is because they don’t have a title sponsor

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.


I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

Think you'll find zero hospitality for guests was one of, if not the, biggest factors.

Intention is back next year, and in this I believe Adam. Sponsors are simply on hold, not off and away.

When Handy said about Knob Austin having a year away and coming back I think we all knew it was wishful thinking that some idiot would sponsor the crapwagon. At least I hope most people realised that at the time.

[Rob877]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.


I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

This 100%, in my experience most companies base their marketing budget decisions on what happens in a computer game.

[HarryBrown]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.


I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

I certainly hope that isn't the case. Although they share similarities, sim racing and real life racing are completely different

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[AnnoyedMoose]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.

I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

Many of the other drivers were far worse than Plato, he quite often ran at the front which is more than many higher profile drivers could manage. It was a bit of fun not anything serious at the end of the day.

So many of the people in the YouTube chat for those races thought it was the most incredible thing ever and a sign that Alonso could win the F1 championship easily. Just because he was winning races in a computer game against a field where the majority were just having a laugh on a Saturday evening and the odd glass of red as well.

I seriously doubt any of Platos sponsors gave a monkeys.

[S griffin]

It’s not like he got a gamer to take his place and pretend to be him

[medius]

With him becoming a free agent will AJ take sover responsibility for testing the Corolla Hybrid or can we see JP being drafted in addition to the planned Darren Turner role? 3 experienced heads are better than one after all.

[Sodemo]

Any chance of Matt Jackson trying to get into the spare WSR seat?

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by Daverb

Did anyone see Plato driving The Race Legends Trophy. It was bad, like worse than him driving the Subaru bad.


I wonder if the sponsors watched him and pulled the plug?

On track results are about the 25th most important thing to sponsors. Driving a PC game is well below that.

[RS67]

Originally Posted by medius

With him becoming a free agent will AJ take sover responsibility for testing the Corolla Hybrid or can we see JP being drafted in addition to the planned Darren Turner role? 3 experienced heads are better than one after all.

Make it 4 and include Matt Jackson too then as he was a MaClaren test driver for a number of years.

[touringlegend]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Any chance of Matt Jackson trying to get into the spare WSR seat?

I have read rumours Mat did lose a sponsor so I would doubt that.

[Jiiiiiiim]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

I have read rumours Mat did lose a sponsor so I would doubt that.

Mat was in doubt before PMR paused their campaign for this season, due to a sponsor loss, so agreed can’t see him funding a WSR seat now!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Any chance of [inset driver name] trying to get into the spare WSR seat?

WSR are going to want a sizeable amount of money for the seat. The chances of any driver being able to lay his hands on that much funding at such short notice the pretty much non existent.