Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 2012

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I'd be interested, Oulton may be difficult for me but Brands Hatch or Silverstone might be workable.
 
I'd be interested. Brands or Thruxton are ideal for me but probably too far for most others. Silverstone would be the best compromise, but I really ought to make an effort to see a circuit I haven't been to before - Rockingham, Donington, Snetterton or Oulton. I've never been to Croft or Knockhill but they're a bit too far for me.

Anything but Thruxton or Brands I'd probably go up on Saturday and camp overnight.

2013 dates, if anyone needs them:

Code: 
Round/ 	Circuit/ 	Date/
1 	Brands Hatch 	31/Mar/2013
2 	Donington Park 	21/Apr/2013
3 	Thruxton 	05/May/2013
4 	Oulton Park 	09/Jun/2013
5 	Croft 		23/Jun/2013
6 	Snetterton 	04/Aug/2013
7 	Knockhill 	25/Aug/2013
8 	Rockingham 	15/Sep/2013
9 	Silverstone 	29/Sep/2013
10 	Brands Hatch GP 13/Oct/2013
 
Ardius
Yeah, I can't wait to see the FFords back,...
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The EcoBoost thing looks like they have made the cars better looking and more competitive since from what I understand the EcoBoost delivers torque to the engine at a level more consistent with larger engines than is used. It is of course also much more efficient by 20% and sees greenhouse emissions reduced by 15%.

Can't wait to find out who is on the 2013 entry list. Will be a big moment for me because given the fact it has a strong history of developing talent that has gone on to much better things, these are the first young drivers whose career I will actually be able to monitor closely from day one. Will also be a big moment for them of course since they have a much bigger audience they will be looking to impress in front of.
 
Roo
I'd be interested. Brands or Thruxton are ideal for me but probably too far for most others. Silverstone would be the best compromise, but I really ought to make an effort to see a circuit I haven't been to before - Rockingham, Donington, Snetterton or Oulton. I've never been to Croft or Knockhill but they're a bit too far for me.

Anything but Thruxton or Brands I'd probably go up on Saturday and camp overnight.

2013 dates, if anyone needs them:

Code: 
Round/ 	Circuit/ 	Date/
1 	Brands Hatch 	31/Mar/2013
2 	Donington Park 	21/Apr/2013
3 	Thruxton 	05/May/2013
4 	Oulton Park 	09/Jun/2013
5 	Croft 		23/Jun/2013
6 	Snetterton 	04/Aug/2013
7 	Knockhill 	25/Aug/2013
8 	Rockingham 	15/Sep/2013
9 	Silverstone 	29/Sep/2013
10 	Brands Hatch GP 13/Oct/2013
Click to expand...

We're four foot six from Croft. You're welcome to stop here.
 
Liquid
As an unashamed supertouring fanboy, I obviously have my preferences, but you just cannot compare the BTCC now to the 1990s. Anybody with sense knows that comparisons between the two eras hardly prove anything.
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Yup. I'm a huge fan of the Supertouring era, having grown up with it (I got into touring cars in 1994, which is still the pinnacle for me) but the last few years have been fantastic in the BTCC.

Ardius
I actually we think we've got a fairly good representation of what "BTCC" should mean this year.
While people like to dream about the golden years with the international drivers, manufacturers and huge teams - they weren't really BTCC then in my opinion. In the 90s, BTCC was almost the de facto WTCC considering its legacy since. It seems a lot of people internationally know about BTCC from that era, not just British people.
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That's actually a good way of putting it. BTCC was the series in the 1990s, irrespective of the ETCC/WTCC around at the time. It's where all the top drivers ended up, the grid was full of well-funded works teams etc.

Now it's much more privateer-based, which when you have the variety of cars and drivers we have at the moment really isn't a bad thing. And it's still regarded as one of the best touring car series worldwide, as far as I'm aware. I don't think there's anyone here who prefers WTCC, do they?

Ardius
I really would love to see more of this on the TOCA package:
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Thanks for posting that - I'd not got around to seeing it before. Great racing and fab cars.

I want a Capri now.

Oh, and it does hint at one slight change I'd like to see with the current BTCC, which is cars based even more closely on their production cousins. I know I've mentioned this before and there are probably good reasons why it can't happen, but for a long time the BTCC's appeal was that the cars on the track didn't look dissimilar to those on the road. The current ones are just a little too "done up" to really have much relevance to the road cars.

I know Supertouring was hardly similar to road cars but in the very early 90s at least the cars themselves were externally identical - the Alfa 155 or the Mondeo you could buy from the showroom had near-as-dammit the same external dimensions, bodywork, bumpers etc. There was something very appealing about that.

Ardius
There seems to be quite a bit of excitement around the US Grand Prix meet up for GTPlanet, maybe we should organise something for a BTCC event - seeing as its cheaper than F1 and paddock access is easier, etc?
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I'd be interested in that. I'd suggest something fairly central - Brands and Thruxton are too far away for me, and tracks like Croft and Knockhill are too far away for you guys - but Donington, Silverstone, Oulton, Rockingham are all probably a respectable distance from most of us.
 
New 2013 NGTC tyre regs:

Each driver in an NGTC car will have a set of 'soft' tyres at each event bar Thruxton which will offer superior performance to the normal tyres. They must be used in one of the three races, with that race being nominated prior to qualifying. It will only become clear who is using the tyres in which race when the cars go to the grid - adding a new element of strategy to proceedings.

Also, teams can no longer use a mix of dry and wet tyres in changeable conditions - it will either be wets all round or slicks all round.
 
homeforsummer
That's actually a good way of putting it. BTCC was the series in the 1990s, irrespective of the ETCC/WTCC around at the time. It's where all the top drivers ended up, the grid was full of well-funded works teams etc.
Click to expand...

And out of the three years it was run, the BTCC won the *ahem* Touring Car World Cup twice. Thus proving its dominance and indeed, prominence.
 
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Ardius
Yeah, I can't wait to see the FFords back, I've really missed the Formula Renaults this year (though the classic car races we're fantastic!).

I really would love to see more of this on the TOCA package:
Click to expand...

I think it's unlikely that we'll ever see this sort of racing as a regular support series on the TOCA/BTCC package. We supported the BTCC for a couple of seasons in the mid 90's and the rules regulations concerning when you have to be at the circuit (Thursday afternoons) and when you can leave (Sunday Night) as well as other stuff, was just too much for most club level racers who have jobs to hold down or businesses to run. You just end up spending so much time kicking your heals with nothing to do.

As a one off, like they have at the Knockhill round, people can and will make an exception. But when it's ten times a year, it's too much for most. The lure of regular prime-time major channel TV coverage will also change the demographic for any race series. It becomes a big money game and instead of a wide variety of cars, you end up with grids full of the same few cars that are capable of winning.

It would be nice to see each circuit hosting a different race alongside the regular BTCC programme though, as they do at Knockhill.
 
TheCracker
I think it's unlikely that we'll ever see this sort of racing as a regular support series on the TOCA/BTCC package. We supported the BTCC for a couple of seasons in the mid 90's and the rules regulations concerning when you have to be at the circuit (Thursday afternoons) and when you can leave (Sunday Night) as well as other stuff, was just too much for most club level racers who have jobs to hold down or businesses to run. You just end up spending so much time kicking your heals with nothing to do.

As a one off, like they have at the Knockhill round, people can and will make an exception. But when it's ten times a year, it's too much for most. The lure of regular prime-time major channel TV coverage will also change the demographic for any race series. It becomes a big money game and instead of a wide variety of cars, you end up with grids full of the same few cars that are capable of winning.

It would be nice to see each circuit hosting a different race alongside the regular BTCC programme though, as they do at Knockhill.
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It wasn't much an exception when we did croft we still had to be there day's before and had a set time frame when we could leave too.

Btw heading down to sheff again in a couple of weeks so if you wanna catch up just drop me a pm.
 
Famine
We're four foot six from Croft. You're welcome to stop here.
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Ta, much appreciated. The only thing stopping me is the 600 mile round trip at 25mpg :scared: and I really need to be saving money for the One Ten.
 
Info on Turbo Boost rules for 2013:

Teams back lap time boost method
At a recent meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s teams and organisers, it was unanimously agreed that the BTCC should continue with the lap time-based turbo boost adjustments for competing cars in 2013, albeit with some tweaks to the process.

The three significant areas of refinement to the methodology are:

• The amount of change (ie. increase/decrease) in the turbo boost pressure adjustment will be reduced from the current level

• Boost adjustments will be applied to either individual drivers or teams – yet to be determined – but not per car type/chassis as in 2012

• The frequency in which the adjustments are calculated is also to be finalised – currently it is a ‘rolling two-event’ average

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “As with almost any regulation, particularly new ones, they are ‘tweaked’ based on experience gained – and that’s exactly what we are doing here. As well, with S2000 cars now not having strict performance parity, the baseline boost levels on NGTC cars can increase and thus the profile of the calculation can alter.

“All the teams endorsed that the fundamental aspect of using the lap time analysis was the right way to go, but that we should refine those three areas in particular. In the coming weeks a working group, comprising a representative cross-section of the teams, will finalise those exact details.”

The baseline boost levels for each car/engine will again be calculated and set prior to 2013’s opening round, aided also by the huge amount of related data which was collated during the 2012 season.
 
Pfft, over-complication.

I suggest a better boost option: The "Arcade game" boost setup. Have a boost button, which you can use for as long as you dare - but too much and your car explodes :D
 
All but confirmed that I'll be at Brands Hatch on race day in March for the season opener. Anybody else going to make it?
 
So they adjust the boost levels based on performance, but what happened to success ballast?
 
No changes to success ballast, it'll work the same as it always has (weight based on championship position for practice, qualifying and race 1, then weight based on race 1 and 2 results for race 2 and 3).

Race 3 reverse grids will work the same still too.
 
Hmm yes his decision, like the past two years have been to leave the team...

Its obvious no one wants him for his talent, he's just used to get money into the team and after each year he's asked to leave the team
 
Newsham and Wood would be an interesting pairing.

I think one of them or both of them are just having a test in NGTC machinery though, similar to Tony Gilham testing out Thorney's Insignia.
I still get the impression Paul O'Neill is still likely to be there and it sounds like ES Racing are going to run NGTC for Chris James and presumably Dave Newsham (their Vectras are for sale).

Who do we think is going to be at 888 alongside Plato then? Maybe MG or Tesco are stumping up some cash to pay for a decent driver?
Plato and Giovanardi anyone?
 
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I think it might be more than a test day, I was reading a source from the sun and I found this

"Speedworks are hoping to run O’Neill in 2013. And team boss Christian Dick said he could be partnered by Newsham or Wood.

He added: “Either one would be a good proposition. They’re both quick drivers.”
"
Looks like they want to run two drivers next season, maybe ES racing or BINZ racing wont be on the grid next year?
 
Strawman Andy
I think it might be more than a test day, I was reading a source from the sun and I found this

"Speedworks are hoping to run O’Neill in 2013. And team boss Christian Dick said he could be partnered by Newsham or Wood.

He added: “Either one would be a good proposition. They’re both quick drivers.”
"
Looks like they want to run two drivers next season, maybe ES racing or BINZ racing wont be on the grid next year?
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Well BINZ won't if Wood goes. As for ES, maybe Neate and James will partner to become everyone's favourite team. 👍
 
Team Backmarker blasting off at the speed of light? :lol:
 
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