2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car ChampionshipTouring Cars

[AudiMan2011]

Given the issues that Honda Yuasa had when campaigning the Civic Tourer, I wonder if the RWD-converted Levorg will be able to do any better for BMR.

It'll be interesting to see, but I'm a bit sceptical.

 

[ENFORCER 98]

I'm just hoping this year one of the teams has the courage to put more than words and a few lines on their car. I have always thought that the BTCC was a bit dull on the liveries side.

Also Turkington in a RWD... Interesting hopefully the car is relatively competitive straight out of the box but who knows until we get to the coldness of Brands Hatch.

Do you think there was a mitigating factor that brought on BMR's switch to RWD cars ? Do you think Colin had any say in it ?

Also, Could someone explain to me how these Subaru's are going to be RWD ? As far as I can interpret the rules. The cars must be based on the production car. So if a car is FWD on the road it must be in the race car and a RWD is a RWD etc. Where it becomes grey for me, Is the RAR Audi's were RWD. I believe this was due to the fact. That the road going version of the A4 uses a longitudinally mounted engine to be AWD, As far as I can understand RAR were not permitted to turn the engine 90 degrees to a transverse layout so it forced their hand into being RWD. I'm just wondering how the Subaru is going to be RWD. Does the road going Subaru run a longitudinal or transverse engine ?

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

So is anybody taking on the ex-BMR Passats then?

Hideous livery on the later RCIB cars, but still a good looking race car IMO, be a shame not to see any on the grid.

I'm guessing back to their owners as they are privately owned by collectors and not BMR

I'm just hoping this year one of the teams has the courage to put more than words and a few lines on their car. I have always thought that the BTCC was a bit dull on the liveries side.

Also Turkington in a RWD... Interesting hopefully the car is relatively competitive straight out of the box but who knows until we get to the coldness of Brands Hatch.

Do you think there was a mitigating factor that brought on BMR's switch to RWD cars ? Do you think Colin had any say in it ?

Also, Could someone explain to me how these Subaru's are going to be RWD ? As far as I can interpret the rules. The cars must be based on the production car. So if a car is FWD on the road it must be in the race car and a RWD is a RWD etc. Where it becomes grey for me, Is the RAR Audi's were RWD. I believe this was due to the fact. That the road going version of the A4 uses a longitudinally mounted engine to be AWD, As far as I can understand RAR were not permitted to turn the engine 90 degrees to a transverse layout so it forced their hand into being RWD. I'm just wondering how the Subaru is going to be RWD. Does the road going Subaru run a longitudinal or transverse engine ?

longitudinal

 

[VXR]

Given the shape of the boxer, I've never really thought of it as longitudinal, but the light-bulb has come on now.

I'm just hoping this year one of the teams has the courage to put more than words and a few lines on their car. I have always thought that the BTCC was a bit dull on the liveries side.

The Nineties saw its fair share of proper liveries, but some cars have been a little plain or haphazard since. I do like the YUASA Civic somewhat, as it uses shapes and colours well enough.

 

[Clark]

Levorg is such a crap car name.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Levorg is such a crap car name.

I thought somebody had got over-excited by the news and typo'd the hell out of Legacy when I first saw it written down.

 

[Furinkazen]

I'm just hoping this year one of the teams has the courage to put more than words and a few lines on their car. I have always thought that the BTCC was a bit dull on the liveries side.

Also Turkington in a RWD... Interesting hopefully the car is relatively competitive straight out of the box but who knows until we get to the coldness of Brands Hatch.

Do you think there was a mitigating factor that brought on BMR's switch to RWD cars ? Do you think Colin had any say in it ?

Also, Could someone explain to me how these Subaru's are going to be RWD ? As far as I can interpret the rules. The cars must be based on the production car. So if a car is FWD on the road it must be in the race car and a RWD is a RWD etc. Where it becomes grey for me, Is the RAR Audi's were RWD. I believe this was due to the fact. That the road going version of the A4 uses a longitudinally mounted engine to be AWD, As far as I can understand RAR were not permitted to turn the engine 90 degrees to a transverse layout so it forced their hand into being RWD. I'm just wondering how the Subaru is going to be RWD. Does the road going Subaru run a longitudinal or transverse engine ?

I'm guessing back to their owners as they are privately owned by collectors and not BMR


longitudinal

Hey Corey

What about the Audi S3 thats FWD then? Is that because engine layout is different to the A4?

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Hey Corey

What about the Audi S3 thats FWD then? Is that because engine layout is different to the A4?

Yes

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Levorg is such a crap car name.

It's a horrible-looking car, too:

It looks way too long, too big, and too heavy. But then, I have never been a fan of estate touring cars.

 

[Furinkazen]

It's a horrible-looking car, too:

It looks way too long, too big, and too heavy. But then, I have never been a fan of estate touring cars.

There's only ever been two of them. Also it's an estate, so it's pretty obvious it is going to be heavy. There isn't such a thing as a short estate.

 

[Bo]

I think it's stunning. I hope they're run in yellow so we can have a spiritual successor to this.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

There's only ever been two of them.

Which to me is two too many.

Also it's an estate, so it's pretty obvious it is going to be heavy.

Which I find to be counter-intuitive in a series with such a diverse range of base platforms. Why penalise yourself by putting more weight than you need on the car? Sure, if you take the ultra-light approach, you might need to add some ballast to meet the minimum weight requirements, but at least you get some control over where it goes.

 

[Furinkazen]

Which to me is two too many.


Which I find to be counter-intuitive in a series with such a diverse range of base platforms. Why penalise yourself by putting more weight than you need on the car? Sure, if you take the ultra-light approach, you might need to add some ballast to meet the minimum weight requirements, but at least you get some control over where it goes.

NGTC is roughly 1350kg. Larger shell means an aerodynamically better car and longer wheelbase is more stable at expense of some high speed manoeuvrability. The estate thing is just your own bias - touring car racing is supposed to be about cars you can buy on the road and getting the attention of a brand like Subaru who have never ever been involved even shows the series increasing appeal.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

touring car racing is supposed to be about cars you can buy on the road and getting the attention of a brand like Subaru who have never ever been involved even shows the series increasing appeal

Estate cars still feel like marketing gimmicks. Top Run pup up an Impreza in the final rounds of the TCR championship last year, and while the car was a dog thanks to its lack of development, it was still a suitable platform:

 

[Furinkazen]

Estate cars still feel like marketing gimmicks. Top Run pup up an Impreza in the final rounds of the TCR championship last year, and while the car was a dog thanks to its lack of development, it was still a suitable platform:

TCR is a series based around hatchbacks, wondered why SEAT always dominate?

Also maybe it's just because you don't have many estates in australia to speak of? In what way is an estate more of a gimmick than a hatchback for instance?

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Need to remember with estates there's more weight higher up so building them underweight can help.

 

[Robin]

It's a horrible-looking car, too:

It looks way too long, too big, and too heavy. But then, I have never been a fan of estate touring cars.

I have to say I do like the look of it and I think estate touring cars like the iconic Volvo ones and the more recent Civic ones look epic, especially sliding round corners.

 

[Furinkazen]

Critical thing here: yet another manufacturer and not just them providing shells, but backing as a works team. Big news for BTCC.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Also maybe it's just because you don't have many estates in australia to speak of?

We have estates. We just don't race them. V8 Supercars was, until relatively recently, built around the two models that were among the most popular in terms of sales - the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. The regulations were opened up as the popularity of those models gradually started to decline, but even then, the Volvo S60, Mercedes AMG E63 and Nissan Altima are all very similar to the Falcon and Commodore in terms of body shape. Even when we had Group A touring cars and Super Tourers in the 1990s, there was still no demand to race estate cars.

We do, however, race utes. And the ute drivers made Pastor Maldonado look sensible at times.

 

[Furinkazen]

We have estates. We just don't race them. V8 Supercars was, until relatively recently, built around the two models that were among the most popular in terms of sales - the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. The regulations were opened up as the popularity of those models gradually started to decline, but even then, the Volvo S60, Mercedes AMG E63 and Nissan Altima are all very similar to the Falcon and Commodore in terms of body shape. Even when we had Group A touring cars and Super Tourers in the 1990s, there was still no demand to race estate cars.

We do, however, race utes. And the ute drivers made Pastor Maldonado look sensible at times.

Yes, bog standard 4 door saloon shape. Like most touring cars over the years. Utes are irrelevant to this discussion but i'll just say on a personal level I watched them a lot a few years back, good fun 👍

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Utes are irrelevant to this discussion

I was thinking that since racing utes is something of an Australian phenomenon, maybe racing estates is a British phenomenon.

 

[Valkyr1313]

Personally, think it looks fantastic! It would be really cool if BMR brought in David Higgins from the Subaru Rally Team USA squad to run a round but I'm doubtful that would happen. This is one of the reasons why BTCC has always been one of the better racing series's out there, as someone can come in with and decide "Psh, a rear wheel drive estate Subaru hasn't been done, should be proper competitive, let's make it happen." It's even cooler that Suabru as a manufacturer is deciding that they want to back this effort

 

[twitcher]

I like the Subaru. Hopefully it's in different colors than BMR was last year, but overall, I like the look of the car.

When it comes to touring cars, the bigger, the bulkier, the boxier, the more different, odd, funny looking, etc, it's all better I say. There's enough series out there for super sleek sporty looking cars.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

http://beta.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122457/new-development-series-for-btcc

Trying to be like V8SC and DVS.

Ingram confirmed at speed works
http://www.insidebtcc.com/ingram-re-signs-with-speedworks/

 

[Diehardracer]

I talk about the BTCC and all motor-sport in layman's terms. I am not at all trained in most subjects talked on here like the financing of teams/drivers, the mechanics of a car or anything. I don't care whether someone has put the engine in the wrong way round or how the car looks so long as it performs. BMR did a cracking job with the VW Passatt and regardless of who owns the Subaru Levorg (which sounds like a Klingon from Star Trek.) if BMR can do half as well with this as they did with the Passatt they will cruise the series this year. They have shown they can buy any car (or however they come to have it) and run it well and competitively.

 

[Furinkazen]

http://beta.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122457/new-development-series-for-btcc

Trying to be like V8SC and DVS.

Ingram confirmed at speed works
http://www.insidebtcc.com/ingram-re-signs-with-speedworks/

RAR send the Audi's there, hmm.

 

[TheCracker]

For a company well known for producing AWD boxer-engined cars, a RWD straight-four seems an odd choice.

 

[Furinkazen]

For a company well known for producing AWD boxer-engined cars, a RWD straight-four seems an odd choice.

Well AWD isn't legal and drive train is decided by engine position.

 

[TheCracker]

Well AWD isn't legal and drive train is decided by engine position.

Yeah, i know. But it's obviously not a 'works' effort and their involvement is probably no more than supplying a few gratis body shells, I just wonder why Subaru would want to move so far away from their cult fan base.

 

[Furinkazen]

Yeah, i know. But it's obviously not a 'works' effort and their involvement is probably no more than supplying a few gratis body shells, I just wonder why Subaru would want to move so far away from their cult fan base.

Subaru haven't had any major motorsports involvement for a while?