Thommo to US without a BTCC championship

[Invader]

Will James flee to the US as planned or will he stick with the DTM?...it's going to be a hell of a commute if he sticks with both.

[Heeltoe6]

What's Thompson planning on doing in the states?

[RIKB]

One thing that is reasonably certain, is that he wont be staying in the BTCC.

I guess what he does next, depends on how he fares in the DTM this year.

He has in the past expressed an interest in doing Nascar.

[ganda123]

The way the BTCC is going, I don't think any drivers will stay next year - their road cars are faster than what they'll be driving soon if BMP have their way.
Talking of a hell of a commute, Rydell flies home to Sweden every other Sunday evening, and back again whenever he's got testing/team duties or he's racing. That must be a hellova lot of money to pay for all the flights - just how rich is that guy?!?

[Heeltoe6]

Thanks for the info RIKB. I had heard Plato express interest in Nascar, but not Thompson.

[Andy H]

that's correct, Thompson was linked with Indy Lights and another one (Formula Atlantic?).

He did an F3000 test near the end of last season.

[Invader]

Indy Lights was what I wuz referin'to

[Chris S]

Indy Lights would be a massive step down for someone accustomed to the exposure of BTCC. This series is an "also ran" in the US with coverage relegated to ESPN2 at 2:00 a.m. on weeknights. You can imagine the fan base, as even CART (Champ Cars, whatever), cannot get anyone to watch their races (the last race had only a .7 share of the market, barely more than a million sets).

As far as NASCAR is concerned, it would be interesting to see how the good ole boys would treat a Brit road racer -- heck, they can barely stand Tony Stewart and at least he comes from the States. The unfortunate part about NASCAR is you cannot win a banked oval race without a friend (or three) to help you; you can be first in line at Talledega or Daytona, and end up 15th in one lap because you get left out of the draft. And, as is usual, you can't win without one of the best cars out there. . .and with the exception of Alan Kulwicki and the Bodines, few outsiders have managed to break into the big leagues in the Winston Cup ranks.

For the last few years of the manufacturer-driven Trans Am races (1993-1998), the series also looked like it would expire from lack of interest. The series has been running now for two years with no factory backing . . . and the fields have trebled. There is something to be said for staying away from manufacturer-driven series. I hope that British touring car (the best touring car racing we Americans have ever seen) will be able to hang on long enough to re-write their rules and develop a great series without dependence on the manufacturers. I have to admit, after watching the racing on television for the last five or so years, my live introduction at Brands Hatch last year was less than I had expected. I loved the Brands circuit, though, and my husband (who drives an American Sedan Mustang V8 in SCCA club racing) was about crazy he wanted to drive around the track so badly.

I hope to come back to marshal in England again in 2001 -- please, let there be a series I can really enjoy working for (no open wheels, please!!). Opinions on the National Saloon series would be appreciated.

Chris Safranek

[KC]

I don't think you'll see any foreign drivers in NASCAR in the near future. They all thought that Alan Kulwicki was a foreigner and he was from Wisconsin. The drivers and team owners tend to be very close minded about drivers and this may come down from headquarters in Daytona. "NASCAR is American and we don't want no foreigners" would be the cry. The only series I know of that is considered a true American series and has any foreign drivers in it is the World of Outlaws sprint car series. Several big name Aussie and Kiwi drivers regulalry spend the summers here in the US racing with the top names on the dirt ovals. But then, the WoO guys figure if you can carry your end of the log, then you can be a lumber jack.

Personally I'd love to have James Thompson or Jason Plato or John Cleland come over and run with the stock car boys. They all have the ruthlessness required.

[Heeltoe6]

Chris: You only need friends at DIS and dega (where you'll go nowhere without them) but besides that, cause the cars are so aerodymnaimc now, the draft no longer plays a role in the intermediate banked tracks like MIS or CMS.

I don't know how well a foreing driver would be received. It would depend on how much NAscar thought they could market him. Take Jeff Gordon for example. Definitely not a good ole boy, but has done extremely well, despite some hatred from the more traditional fans.