Howell tests 2001 Focus

[BTC-P fan]

Gareth Howell yesterday tested the 2001 GR Motorsport Ford Focus at Donington. The test day was mostly spent shaking down the car ready for the first official test at Silverstone on Wednesday. After consistently lapping in the low 1'20's all day, he pushed a bit harder in the final 20 mins. Unfortunately he only managed 4 laps after the session was stopped for a Clio V6 which kept throwing itself into the gravel. His best time in those 4 laps was a 1'19.1 which was 0.1 secs off the pole position time set last year by Simon Harrison, and 0.3 quicker than Ruokenen in 2nd.

[Craig]

Clio V6 drivers are such a pain, aren't they ?! lol!

[redshoes]

Originally posted by BTC-P fan
Unfortunately he only managed 4 laps after the session was stopped for a Clio V6 which kept throwing itself into the gravel

That's it, blame RickP

Seriously though, the car looked very good. You're definately not going to miss the Teletubby yellow livery.

Just out of interest how much difference do the BFGs make over the Dunlops?

[SPOONERBORO]

do the focus' have a bit more power down the straights and not slam the limiter every time they get down to copse corner!!

[BTC-P fan]

Redshoes:- Gareth only ran with the Michelins. Matt ran with Michelins and then changed to BFG for the final session. He was doing 1'20.5's with the Mich and then down to high 1'19's with BFG. That could have been due to set-up changes as it was in all reality just a shakedown.

Spoonerboro:- He was reaching 128mph on the straight. The engine he is running during testing is up on power from last year with more torque. Mountune though have the next stage development available for after the Oulton test on 4th April. Despite still being down on power to the Peugeot, Mountune are confident that the engine will be very strong and with about another 3-5 BHP.

Gareth was really impressed with the car, it is much more responsive than last years and provides really good feedback. Matt was also impressed because while it is about the same as the Clio for speed, it is far more solid and much easier to drive. he said that when you point it in any direction, you know that is where it is going, unlike a Clio.

Craig:- I would have loved to heard what he said to the marshall when the strap snapped and smashed his rear window. It is a beast of a car but seems to be a bit like riding a wild horse. But as he will tell you, that's what testing is there for. (It wasn't finally stopped for RickP though. It was the TVR 12 speed which finally beached itself and caused the session top be stopped. It had no rear towing eye so they couldn't get it out)

[redshoes]

I'd heard the BFGs were going to be worth about a sec over last years Michelins, which themselves were a few tenths better than the NSC Dunlops. Those times more or less bare that out.

Didn't get to see the V6 spin but from where I was standing it certainly looked 'lively' See here for an update from Rick.

[hunttheshunt]

So who was exactly testing and how did their times compare?

[redshoes]

see http://www.redshoes-racing.com/Pictures/2001p1.shtml

[redshoes]

pic 2

[BTC-P fan]

Redshoes:- I spoke to the team this afternoon about tyres and they say that the BFG tyre is the same compound as the Michelin and they expect the times to be very similar. The Michelins however were about 3/10ths quicker than the Dunlops around Oulton Park and Silverstone.

HTS:- There was only Mat Jackson and Gareth Howell from the BTCC. They spent most of the day getting miles under their belts testing brake pads and tyres. In the afternoon they tried different set-ups but it was never a "try for fastest lap". The real testing starts at Silverstone on Wednesday but don't read too much into it because for a lot of drivers it will be their first time out. I understand that Jim Edwards Jnr is only collecting his car on Monday from the continent. RickP was there testing an ex-Wiseman Clio V6 and there were a few Ferrari 355 and 360 along with the TVR, some Caterhams and some FFords (Menu Motorsport).

[Sodemo2]

Those wheels are way too small AAAAHHHH!!!!

[Snapperjack]

BTC-fan, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but how do you find out all this detailed information on the drivers set-ups etc? Do all the teams not mind giving this sort of info out to callers? Thanks.

[SPOONERBORO]

hope that colour is not for real!! - i think ford will be pleased though cause they have loads of millenium focus' left to shift!!

[BTC-P fan]

Sodemo2:- Sorry but the size of the wheels is determined by the Championship organisers not us. They are regulation size wheels.

Snapperjack:- All of the information I have posted on this forum is already in the public domain. Gareth supplied all this on Thursday night in the live chat room on his website. He will be doing this after most of the pre-season testing and also at 19:00 on the day following each race. He will be on for at least 30 mins answering any questions.
Check out his site for the next update, should be Wednesday night at about 20:00.

Spoonerboro:- Yes, the colour is for real. In the world of TV the colour of car which is most clearly visible against the surface of the circuit is yellow. It is also the best colour for highlighting the sponsor, which at the end of the day is who pays for the car to be there. It is not millenium yellow either, any further guesses?

[redshoes]

Originally posted by BTC-P fan
It is not millenium yellow either, any further guesses?

I still think it's Teletubby yellow

Can confirm what BTP-Fan says about it being the most visable. From Coppice you can easily pick it out of a row of cars coming through Craners.

[Lucy G]

yup, the good old yellow renaults *sob* how i miss them, ah well good to see some yellow back on the track!
As well as alan morrison's 'i like yellow' car!

[Carrie]

Nothing at all wrong with yellow cars - I drove round in a yellow car for over 5 years. It went by assorted nicknames - Barnaby, Daffodil, That Yellow Thing, The Yellow Blob....

[SPOONERBORO]

well how on earth are we going to tell all the btc cars apart this year as the in colour is apparently yellow

yellow focus', yellow pugs what next yellow alfas/astras/ etc etc etc

whats wrong with traditional colours eg the gorgeous ford blue, or the steeming red of alfa, or even the british racing green

and i do not agree with the fact that u think that yellow is the best colour for advertisers look at the current crop of f1 cars apart from the jordan previous yellow colour schemes have been seen on oh let me think a Minardi & Forti and where have they got too, i think you have more chance of spotting a real coloured car and there associated sponsor eg you know a McLaren is coming and sponsred by west and Ferrari is coming and sponsored by marlboro or a williams is coming and sponsored by compaq none of the mentioned are bright yellow, but at the end of the day its not the colour which makes the car a winner its results you can ask jordan that!!

[Foolsgold]

BTC-P Fan:- Good to see that you are close to the development of Gareth and GR this season so far, makes for very interesting reading. Will you be at Silverstone on Wednesday?

[BTC-P fan]

Spoonerboro:- You may not have either a)read my post properly or b) understood it. I did not say that yellow was the best colour for advertisers, I said it was the most visible for TV and photographers against the road surface. That was not my opinion, it is a fact. Just ask any photographer. (Redshoes has also said it was the most visible in an earlier post). Your comparison about F1 sponsors is also quite irrelevant. F1 cars colours are chosen because of the sponsor. The major sponsor of Ferrari is Ferrari, whose corporate colour is red. (who spookily enough changed the shade of red because the current shade is more visible on TV). Mercedes corporate colour is Silver,
BMW is Blue and White, Jaguar is British Racing Green, although again they changed it to be more visible on TV.Do you see a pattern emerging here? They are internationally known companies who are easily identified by their corporate colour which has been in place for decades. They cannot choose the colour of the car, their corporate colour scheme chooses it for them. On the other hand Gareth's sponsor is not internationaly known and is not restricted by a corporate colour and can therefore choose the colour that is most visible for TV because at the end of the day, that is what they are there for. When you are stood on the banking at Thruxton looking across to the far side of the circuit, you will have no difficulty seeing the GR Focuses which means the whole exercise has been a success.
You are however quite astute and correct when you point out that "its not the colour which makes the car a winner " I think the point of choosing bright yellow was for marketing purposes rather than making it go faster.
Lets just hope that Phil Bennett doesn't end up in a yellow car, otherwise the "Eggy Bennetts" may end up with egg on their faces!

Foolsgold:- Yes

[Foolsgold]

Foolsgold:- Yes [/B][/QUOTE]

Will we find you in the GR Motorsport team area?

[hunttheshunt]

Aren't the MG's running in British Racing Green when they enter?

[BTC-P fan]

yes after 13:00

Who is we by the way?

[RickP:Clio51]

I may have caused a stoppage, read this weeks column in parc ferme for an update...

And when they broke the rear window with the tow rope the quote was ...

What the "f" was that, are you trying to kill me, can I bill you for that? FYI...

Now those Fords are slow...

RickP:Clio51!

[BTC-P fan]

Don't know how you'd know that Rick, you appeared to spend most of the day in the gravel at Redgate!