BTCC 2011

When was there a U-Turn on the ''no RWD'' rule?

i think when the rules were initially announced it mentioned FWD no AWD but there's nothing on RWD and there hasn't been since the rules were released so that's why

Then why did BMW go on a ''hefto radge'' with the BTCC when they announced NGTC? I'm pretty sure it was FWD only to begin with.

yeah that's what i was on about nicky but the rules never said anything about RWD that's why BMW went on a "hefto radge".

Alan Gow said aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages ago that if there was a demand for RWD, it would be incorporated into the NGTC rules. In fact, it was not long after the NGTC regs were announced, but before the final technical regs were released.

The reason BMW are not happy is because of the move away from S2000 and more specifically, the engine. They have backed the 1.6T S2000+ engine, and with teams in the BTCC moving away from BMWs as a result of the new regs, they are losing clients. Plus, if a current team were to put an NGTC engine into an existing S2000 BMW, then apparently BMW are going to pull support for that team.

Right, that makes more sense now.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=5737

Avensis DynoJet very nice

Yes Please Scot

Name the car.

Was thinking that the Legacy looked similar. Which is why I painted my TORA NGTC test Legacy like a TORA version of the BTCC NGTC Avensis prototype.

What I'm interested in with that is the fact that Toyota UK are paying for the development of a Toyota NGTC engine for the Dynojet Avensis, not the team. I think that's quite telling. No word yet on whether Speedworks, who are also using the Avensis, will run the TOCA Swindon engine or this Toyota one.

With the rumours abounding that Toyota are looking at sports cars, more specifically prototypes (am I right in saying that they are supplying Rebellion Racing with engines this year?), and after all the bad press they suffered in 2010 over recalls (their UK car sales took a massive slump), they are looking at better ways of marketing their product, and as SEAT proved, the BTCC is a cracking way to do it. NGTC is significantly cheaper that S2000, and with such a cheap method of promoting their product, Toyota might be on to something here.

But maybe it also highlights a change in the way we see motorsport (specifically BTCC) being approached by manufacturers. Rather than works teams, maybe we will see manufacturers simply being partners and suppliers to independant teams. I know this is going on now, and has been for a while, but maybe as a tactic by the manufacturers to get their names and products promoted, it is a tact they will adopt more fully.

Its a more sustainable way of having manufacturers in, which is always a good thing. I'm really looking foward to the amount of different engines next year.

Toyota even has its own Twitter feed now!

http://twitter.com/ToyotaBTCC#

i must say, the Avensis looks far better in production form and in BTCC/NGTC garb than the boring Corolla we got here in the States

Testing for the 2011 season has begun with Eurotech running Andy Jordan and Jeff Smith at Brands Hatch today, along with the TOCA prototype NGTC Avensis. I imagine the Avensis was being tested to get on-track data following the recent wind-tunnel tests, and engine regulation data.

James Nash has confirmed he's returning with 888 in 2011, but no word on what he'll be driving. Touring Car Times is reporting it will likely be an NGTC-engined Vectra, although there's the possibility of a full NGTC Insignia. 888 are in possession of Insignia shells, so you never know...

And WSR have committed to 2011 with the S2000 BMW 320Si. Likely Rob Collard will return with them, and they've said they may run up to 3 cars. The most interesting thing about their statement is that they are upgrading the S2000 engine and chassis. Maybe Rob Collard's complaint about being uncompetitive has been listened to? Oh, and new sponsors to be revealed.

Also, Paul O'Neill has tweered that there are no plans in place for 2011 yet, and Tony Gilham will be stepping up from Porsche Cup to run in BTCC, but no word on team or car.

Word today in Autosport is that former BTCC champion Colin Turkington will be joining James Thompson in the Scandanavian Touring Car Championship for 2011, with a full season for Flash Engineering in a BMW 320Si. He hopes to join up with WSR for a round or two of the BTCC, but I imagine that puts an end to rumours of a return this year.

Shame, I think he's one of the most talented drivers to ever race in the BTCC. Our loss is the STCC's gain.

Also, WSR have stated they have no plans for a WTCC campaign this year. I imagine if Turkington isn't available, there's no point.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=5749

And it is confirmed.

New BTCC news today is quite interesting!

1) Airwaves Racing/Motorbase have been out with Mat Jackson and Liam Griffin at Brands Hatch. The car is decked out in a rather eyecatching red livery, a nod to the last time Dave Bartrum ran Fords, but still looks like a hodge-potch of logos.

2) Tom Onslow-Cole is on hand with Motorbase. He's long been associated with the third seat there, especially with his knowledge of the car, and is hot favourite to take that remaining drive. Meanwhile Andy Neate has been sighted with Arena, who were present at Brands running a 2010 Focus (which is due to be handed to Motorbase shortly).

3) The STCC have opted to go with NGTC as the new regs from 2012. They'd announced this last year, only then they'd went for an RWD only variant of the NGTC regs, then dropped the idea. Now, they are adopting the full NGTC regs unchanged from the UK spec. What's interesting here is a quote from STCC MD Bob Huzell. He mentions that the BTCC will see Toyota and Audi NGTC cars on the grid in 2011, with "another six to eight" in 2012. That's worryingly low, just about 10 NGTC cars in 2012? Or could he mean manufacturers...

4) ... which brings us to Welch Motorsport. Rumour has been rife that they'd be entering the BTCC this year, and now they have a page on their website which implies that they will be running a Proton Gen-2 NGTC car.

5) And just in the last 10-15 mins, I got a message on facebook from Chevrolet BTCC saying expect an annoucement very soon!

With regards to number three, six to eight new models seems more fitting in the context of what he was saying.

Tony Gilham confirmed at 888 alongside Nash.

OP Updated

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89508

Proton set to retrun to the BTCC

Great!

Hmmm lets hope it's a slightly better car than the Impian which was.... well.... not that good.

I seem to recall to Protons driving over the finish of Race 1 at a snails pace in a race to finish tenth for the reverse grid

Proton:

2002 With Phil Benett and David Leslie, best finish 3rd at Knockhill for the late great David.

2003, same lineup, Phil Benett crashes into Podium-Truck on exiting pitlane at mondelo, destroying the steps to get onto the podium. That is all i can remember from the top of my head.

2004, Shaun Watson-Smith being a very promising South African racer who did not stay on for another year in the BTCC, and Malaysia's Fariqe Hairuman, who was dreadful in the Proton, but once he went back to the AFOS Asian Touring Car championship with the same car he was brilliant. (possibly down to being the only BTC-Spec car in a Group-N heavy series.

To be fair, what with the standardisation of the NGTC contstruction, and the fact it'll use the Swindon engine, they really should be able to produce a reasonably competitive car.

Something tells me this is a toe-in-the-water moment for Proton, or that Welch is trying to entice Proton to enter as a manufacturer. Why else would they pick that particular car, especially when Proton have been sniffing about at a possible return for years.

But this genuinely excites me for the future of the BTCC. I know that 2011 hasn't even started yet, but in 2012 we could be looking at a major return from manufacturers, especially with the STCC moving to these regulations.

Take a bow, Alan Gow, because this is looking like an absolute masterstroke of genius.