Does anyone seriously give a toss about this championship anymore?? Just watched 5 mins tonight on Men and Motors. Those rear wings on the cars are a joke.

2-litre saloons. Zzzzzzzzz

Seems to have taken a real dip i'm afraid.

Used to be good at Knockhill, but as far as i'm aware, they're not even doing that this year. :(

Sorry guys but got to dissagree...

The racing has been brilliant this year!! Superb... loads of contact, nip and tuck battling etc!!

If you saw Rockingham there is no way you could have made your comments above....


btw - they may be 2.0 l saloons but they all running 300 bhp and contact all the way! :D

Got to agree with Plantie.

Been to Brands Hatch (supporting the Champ Cars), Thruxton and Rockingham this year to watch the BTCC. The two races at Rockingham were fantastic. Wheel to wheel stuff for 25 laps. Top quality racing. You also get the benefit of a good support program. The Renault Clio races are some of the best you will see. Add in the Formula Ford boys and you get a good day out.

Compare to the boredom of the French GP (and I'm a big F1 fan too), then I know what I would rather pay to watch.

The prices they are charging for Silverstone this year are a complete joke. Much prefer to spend £30 and goto Goodwood Festival of Speed (which I will be on Sunday :) )

Chris

better than F1

More fun to watch

My free tickets the other week to watch at Silverstone went down well. Good bit of racing and lots of contact. Having said that just been the the Jim Clark rally and this was amazing. Much better than any roundy round stuff ;)

Much prefer it to F1! Have followed it for years and it is a lot better now than in the last few years.

Knowing the costs involved for even a small team via our work link with Collard Racing I think the costs are far too high for most people to consider.

I think the racing is really good and close.


AllanB

have to say Rockingham Rocked, awesome racing

We usually go to Oulton Park to watch BTCC, always good action down at Knickerbrook

Yep - great fun!!!:D

Allan - Collard Racing are doing well!! :) It's AMAZING what DentMaster can do these days ;) :D

Will have some music for you guys soon... :)

Dan

i still find it a lot more exciting than most other track racing, but something needs to be sorted - a few yrs ago both the btcc and the dtm went down costsaving routes but both took a different route... while the btcc went for slower cars with loads of downforce (they ain't near 300bhp btw, its more like 250-260) the dtm opted for beastin V8 lumps, which not only brought the racin close together but made them goddamn fast too :D this is what the btcc needs, some good old big engines, less downforce and maybe even RWD... the tourin cars from like 1997 would wipe the floor with the pussy cars today ;) still plenty of close action, and bein a rover man i love the MG's, look and sound tremendous :D

just my tuppence worth ;)

Sambo sei WROTE:

>>and bein a rover man i love the MG's, look and sound tremendous<<

Were you around in 1982 when the big Rover V8s were top cars ....? ;) If not you missed a sight and a half as those babies did their bit on the tracks. Champ winners then too driven by Andy Rouse IIRC!

Currently those BTCC MG ZSs look and sound a bit special .... wished my ZS sounded and went like that ..... and no doubt the Honda and Astra boys think likewise about their cars too .... :D
Still it helps sell 'em.

BTW .... know what was fastest road legal FWD car at the Pod yesterday? Right in one! That Flying white MG Maestro T16 again ... well done Andy. Keep up the good work.


[Edited by MGJohn - 04/08/2003 20:08:09]

[Edited by MGJohn - 04/08/2003 20:10:22]

Also worth pointing out that Alan Gow is back in charge of the BTCC. He ran BTCC when it was at its height a few years back. He wants to open up the championship to the European Touring Cars, so you should see the likes of BMW / Alfa and quite a few others returning.

This is the one thing that the BTCC has lacked. At the moment, you really need to be in an Astra / Honda to be competative. Bringing a lot more top draw teams will open up the field.

I still reckon it represents a good day out.

Chris

[Edited by Chris L - 7/8/2003 8:09:21 AM]

Yeah Collard will probably win thier section as Gavin Pyper has run out of money.

Nice ot see the MacWarehouse spnsored car bringing home the bacon.


AllanB

unfortunately i wasn't MGJohn, was born in '84 so i'm only a baby :(

have seen pics of a TWR V8 beast tho, looked rather nice ;)

sambo sei,

Were you able to watch a certain N. Mansell performing in a Mondeo a few years back during torrential rain? He came from last to first during the race and won the respect of the more experienced BTCC drivers. I think that was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Motor Races I've ever seen. Even my other half, who is not at all interested in Motor Sports, was on the edge of her chair watching that race.

i can only really remember mansell driving 1 of the rouse racing mondeo's and being taken off by tiff needell. i really ain't a mansell fan, but would have been good to watch. its a pity knockhill lost the touring cars, i've missed them this year - i can remember this time last yr in the pi5hing rain all huddled under the big shelter watching them all take it in turns to lose it at the hairpin :D oh well, maybe next year...

Check out www.supertouring.co.uk for some nostalgia. Great site, and the webmaster drives a Scooby I understand!

Poor tiff. He always gets blamed for sticking mansell in the bridge.

If you watch the footage Mansell goes off all by himself and tiff only tags him when trying to avoid him. All mansells fault.

Still, mansell did well at the other race in the wet. Did he not fall off and stuff the car in the first race only for the mechanics to burst a gut fixing it so he could get out in the second? Did well to win.

Jono

I saw it differently ...... "Tiffany Dell" could have done more but chose not to do so or just maybe he isn't half the driver he thinks he is..... :) ..... What's professional jealously Dad?

Easiest thing in the world to nudge the rear of the car you're following resulting in the bonus of extra braking (if you've left yours too late)and sending the poor sod in front off in every which way direction so that you inherit that position in the race. Happens in all motor sport. All drivers are well aware of the technique and are rarely penalised for benefitting in this so called "that's motor racing" way.


All credit to Mansell for mixing it with the Touring Car boys back then. He certainly didn't need the money and Mondeos sold very well in the UK thereafter for a while ... can't imagine a Schumacher or any of the other namby-pamby F1 drivers of today stepping out of their now much cushioned world of F1, unlike the F1 drivers of yesteryear. Anyone who saw Jimmy Clark or Graham Hill in their Lotus Cortinas performing back in the sixties (Yes, I know you missed out sambo sei .... born too late...:) will know what I mean. Not only were the competition cars far more dangerous to drive back then, but so too were the circuits until Jackie Stewart and a few others started banging their drums .... Drivers today (of any standard) don't know theyze born .... :D

Just my 2ps worth ...;)

Hhhhhmmmmm...

From what i remeber, Mansell comes round the corner and looses it. He ends up going from lock to lock trying to get it straightened up and ends up crossing all over the track and on and off the grass.

Tiff comes along trys to avoid him and mansells car swings back and tiff tags him. If it had been at a corner it could have been seen as tiff trying to nudge him to get a position, but as mansell was in mid spin, the position was tiffs if he could get past. In the end mansell ended up in hospital and tiff retired due to damage sustained. Racing incident

Tiff may not be the best racer, but he's one of the best at getting cars to slide about all over the place!! :D

that seems to be the way i remember it too, as surely if mansell went off an hit the bridge he wasn't in a braking zone and was in fact on a straight? just the way i remember it, but i was only a young lad at the time who hated mansell and loved tiff so that might be distorting my view ;)

I agree in some part.

It's not as good as it used to be. But then, when I saw Rockingham - that was great!

It's not as boring 1. But I think it does need opening up.

It would be nice if the cars actually resembled the road-going counterparts like in days of yore. Back then you could have smash, spin off. Then start it up and carry on racing. Now due to all the lightweight and flimsy suspension and bodywork a decent thump will put the car out the race.

More privateers are needed. And more regulations resticting the cars to the road going version, will give privateers a chance (won't cost as much), give more fodder to race against. And may mean that we get a few road-going special editions :D

Personally I think they bring back the ETC. It was laughable that the Jag XJS's could whip everybody else. Even though the car was relatively standard, was far heavier and had to make extra fuel stops - bit thirsty those v12's ;)


[Edited by ALi-B - 7/9/2003 11:18:30 AM]