The _TCC Series Thread

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 16 Feb 2013, 01:13

No Paul O'Neill in 2013

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 16 Feb 2013, 15:45

darkapprentice77 wrote:No Paul O'Neill in 2013

Thats a shame, he's one of my favourite drivers, and he can be properly quick as well :cry:

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 11 Mar 2013, 18:41

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 11 Mar 2013, 22:38

darkapprentice77 wrote:YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

YESSS!

Its a shame he can't get a better drive though in fairness, that Golf is far from the best S2000 car there; I mean not even Onslow-Cole could make it consistantly competitive. Still, it'll be interesting to see if Kaye still has it.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 11 Mar 2013, 22:44

takagi_for_the_win wrote:
darkapprentice77 wrote:YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

YESSS!

Its a shame he can't get a better drive though in fairness, that Golf is far from the best S2000 car there; I mean not even Onslow-Cole could make it consistantly competitive. Still, it'll be interesting to see if Kaye still has it.

But in terms of the S2000 trophy, Liam Griffin may be his only real competition. The other 2 guys in the S2000 trophy I don't know about, although they both got good equipment in a S2000 Cruze and Focus.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 20 Mar 2013, 12:22

It'll be nice to see a Leon on the BTCC grid again: http://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/03/ ... with-seat/

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 20 Mar 2013, 22:28

World Touring Cars are racing in Monza this weekend. Sure it might not sound the most thrilling but there are no more factory Chevrolets and best of all a Lada team!

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 20 Mar 2013, 22:42

Shadaza wrote:World Touring Cars are racing in Monza this weekend. Sure it might not sound the most thrilling but there are no more factory Chevrolets and best of all a Lada team!

Monza is a track I think is quite solid for WTCC, with the long straights it's allow these cars to stretch their legs and make it possible to pass each other. Most tracks on the calendar are too mickey mouse, but Shanghai last year was a all-time classic and I see no reason why Monza can't follow the trend.

Also James Thompson and Lada have my support!

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 21 Mar 2013, 13:53

OH THANK YOU GOD. In other BTCC news, Ollie Jackson will be partnering Dave Newsham at Speedworks, Motorbase seem to be going all out with the NGTC Focuses , and Lea Wood will win the S2000 trophy.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 21 Mar 2013, 15:15

32 CARS. Admittedly not all of them will be there at the start, but 32 CARS. This season is going to be great, partly because some teams (Motorbase, Gilham) appear to have gone completely insane. Also, I don't like the standard 1-Series, but that WSR car is the best looking touring car I've seen in years...

Not sure Wood will have it all his own way, as the S2000 class looks far more competitive than it did about a week ago. If AMD can get that Golf working well on a consistent basis Kaye could be a threat and I'd be willing to bet at least one of the unknowns turns out to be half-decent.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 21 Mar 2013, 21:12

Yes, it should be a good season hopefully. Also good news is that (although they didn't exactly make a big fuss about it) the idiot Moody has been binned as commentator. The guy who replaced him has apparently done a lot of the circuit commentary. I can't say I know his work but it surely can't be any worse than what we got last year?

As for the WTCC, I will be supporting Lada and Honda, though I have a funny feeling that even without factory support, those boring Chevys may clean up again.
I still miss the Volvo though...

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 21 Mar 2013, 23:54

The BTCC looks seriously good this year, definitely going to see if I can make a race at some point, it's so cheap it's almost rude not to go! Plus they have Formula Ford on the support bill again as well.

Now just to decide which track to go to...

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 22 Mar 2013, 00:36

the WTCC should run a support race or exhibition at COTA, because the track's organizers seem to have booked every other major gig in sight. maybe on the northern short course, though i'm not sure if they plan on building a pitlane complex on a short-circuit like they did in Abu-Dhabi.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 Mar 2013, 00:54

Barbazza wrote:Also good news is that (although they didn't exactly make a big fuss about it) the idiot Moody has been binned as commentator. The guy who replaced him has apparently done a lot of the circuit commentary. I can't say I know his work but it surely can't be any worse than what we got last year?

Hear, hear. I lost count how many times I facepalmed at Moody's inane banter last year. I'd prefer Jonathan bloody Legard to be honest; at least I could somewhat entertain myself with Legard bingo when he was commentating.

AndreaModa wrote:The BTCC looks seriously good this year, definitely going to see if I can make a race at some point, it's so cheap it's almost rude not to go! Plus they have Formula Ford on the support bill again as well.

Now just to decide which track to go to...

It's a shame there isn't actually a Cardiff Bay round like in Samster's Alternate championship, else I'd go to that.

I think Thruxton'd be the closest to me, though I might try Donington, because, well, Donington. Of course, that'd mean having to see about a coach or train there, given that I don't have a car and don't think I'm old enough to rent one.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 22 Mar 2013, 21:36

I'd quite like to go to Donington too given that I only went to the circuit once even though I lived practically next door for a year (and that wasn't a BTCC meeting)

Unfortunately it's too early in the year for me, April is a bit busy. Plus, trust me on this one - East Midlands in April. No.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 22 Mar 2013, 22:39

Barbazza wrote:I'd quite like to go to Donington too given that I only went to the circuit once even though I lived practically next door for a year (and that wasn't a BTCC meeting)

Unfortunately it's too early in the year for me, April is a bit busy. Plus, trust me on this one - East Midlands in April. No.

It was lovely last year! A bit windy and cool at times, but when the sun was out (which was quite frequent) it was nice and warm!

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 Mar 2013, 22:40

Barbazza wrote:I'd quite like to go to Donington too given that I only went to the circuit once even though I lived practically next door for a year (and that wasn't a BTCC meeting)

Unfortunately it's too early in the year for me, April is a bit busy. Plus, trust me on this one - East Midlands in April. No.

I should probably remember that last bit, considering I lived in Chesterfield for a few years. :lol:

So, Thruxton, anyone?

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 22 Mar 2013, 22:59

Well since I live in Basingstoke, which is half an hour away from thruxton, I may as well go on race day ( let's hope its actually dry this year because I went last year and f**k me that was cold to the extent I couldnt open a packet of crisps :lol:

)
Also been reading about Jason Plato and I once asked him for an autograph and he said, " have you got a pen mate?" he struck me that day as an arrogant twat, the Paul Di Resta of the BTCC
Same thing applies with flash as my dad had to block him just for an autograph although Matt Neal was happy to stop for a chat just after practice

I have also been wondering, how much is an NGTC car?

Pointrox · Post by **Pointrox** » 23 Mar 2013, 15:28

In the meantime, WTCC season opener in Monza is underway - starring Honda and Lada.
To my amazement, James Thompson qualified in 9th!

Also, there's HRT's spiritual successor in form of Campos Racing, with Fernando Monje and Hugo Valente.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 23 Mar 2013, 19:32

Pointrox wrote:In the meantime, WTCC season opener in Monza is underway - starring Honda and Lada.
To my amazement, James Thompson qualified in 9th!
Also, there's HRT's spiritual successor in form of Campos Racing, with Fernando Monje and Hugo Valente.

After Thommo's teammate tried to be a hero in Q1 nonetheless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3LyV1kabaE

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 23 Mar 2013, 21:20

Yes, that was quite amusing. Presumably the team asked him to think like an Italian driver at his home circuit to get the best out of himself. Unfortunately he thought they meant Liuzzi in the HRT a couple of years ago by the looks of it.

It looks like I was right about the Chevys though : 1-2-3 in Quali. Sigh.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 24 Mar 2013, 02:10

That reminds me, how the bathplug is Alex McDowall in 3rd. He always looked a little bit crap in BTCC. I rate his teammate James Nash a lot more highly

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 24 Mar 2013, 09:38

Well, this sucks.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/106334

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 24 Mar 2013, 10:42

Autosport wrote:Dudukalo's participation in the Marrakech event is now uncertain.

Yeah, I bet it is.
I can only imagine things are a little frosty in the Lada camp right now: 'tis a shame, as the Granta actually looks like a half decent touring car...

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 24 Mar 2013, 14:16

RealRacingRoots wrote:
Pointrox wrote:In the meantime, WTCC season opener in Monza is underway - starring Honda and Lada.
To my amazement, James Thompson qualified in 9th!
Also, there's HRT's spiritual successor in form of Campos Racing, with Fernando Monje and Hugo Valente.

After Thommo's teammate tried to be a hero in Q1 nonetheless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3LyV1kabaE

One of the most rejectful things I've seen in a while.

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 24 Mar 2013, 14:33

eurobrun wrote:That reminds me, how the bathplug is Alex McDowall in 3rd. He always looked a little bit crap in BTCC. I rate his teammate James Nash a lot more highly

The thing is, McDowell was crap in BTCC. If I remember correctly, he got his arse handed to him by Plato when they were teammates at Chevy.
Personally, I don't see what all the fuss about Nash is. I see him as a mini-Plato, one of those drivers who, if they can't overtake someone within 5 corners, will just punt them off the track. I haven't seen him race in a few years, so he may have matured, but for me the jury is still out.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 25 Mar 2013, 13:00

So, I actually bothered watching a WTCC event yesterday, for the first time in years. Meh. Hopefully the rest of the season won't go the same way, with Muller running away with everything, but I'm not optimistic. Can anyone think of a good reason why the race wasn't red-flagged or the safety car wasn't deployed after Boardman and Nash's collision in Race 1? I know it would have meant that it wouldn't have ended under race conditions, but Boardman's car was just sitting there on the racing line!

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 27 Mar 2013, 22:17

Yes, that was a depressing pair of races, save for Tarquini's usual brilliance - hopefully the Hondas will be better in the dry. The BMWs certainly couldn't be any worse.

As for the Brits, I've never rated MacDowall but I don't think Nash is too much of a bully. Certainly nowhere near Plato standards - his last season in the BTCC was decent.

Leaving Boardman's car on the track and not red flagging the race was mental, but then this is Italy we're talking about!

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 27 Mar 2013, 23:13

The worrying thing is that Tarquini has said that he thinks the rain actually lessened the Honda's performance deficit compared to the Chevrolet. I hope he's wrong, otherwise the season will probably be a write-off. From what I saw MacDowall doesn't appear to have changed much since his BTCC days: he's fast when left alone, but seems to capitulate when there are other cars around him...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 28 Mar 2013, 00:01

Caught up with watching the WTCC Monza races yesterday - why so little TV focus on the champion, Huff, charging through the field? The footage seemed fixated on what was happening at the head of the field...

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 28 Mar 2013, 21:27

The other day, I read on Wikipedia that an NGTC car costs about £200,000 to build and that got me thinking, can you build a touring car which is faster than DTM for under £200,000?

Base car: JL G09 brazil stock car
The reason I have picked this is because all the cars run spec everything and because of this, they only cost $220,000 which is about £155,000 an because everything is all heavy duty, there shall be less maintinence costs to go with it.

Engine: holeshot racing h1 busa v8 1000hp
The engine in a brazil stock car is a 6.2L dodge v8 producing 500cv and I have no idea how much the engine is worth so if anyone wants to take a guess then feel free to :p

If I have missed anything out please let me know

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 29 Mar 2013, 19:51

You're outta here!

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/03/29/mikhail-koslovskiy-replaces-dudukalo-at-lada/

Tough luck for the team, having to build a new car already after the first round. Hopefully Aleksei smartens up after this, because otherwise he isn't that bad, hes average but not offensive like he was in Quali for Monza.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 29 Mar 2013, 20:09

RealRacingRoots wrote:You're outta here!

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/03/29/mikhail-koslovskiy-replaces-dudukalo-at-lada/

Tough luck for the team, having to build a new car already after the first round. Hopefully Aleksei smartens up after this, because otherwise he isn't that bad, hes average but not offensive like he was in Quali for Monza.

Not really a surprise, but still a harsh decision I think. Yes, it took the whole team out of the weekend and left them with a lot of repair work, but it's still just one mistake - I doubt he would have been fired if he hadn't happened to clatter into Thompson. Not sure whether it's a good decision to replace him with a complete unknown either: I can't find anything that would suggest that Koslovskiy is in any way an improvement, and he won't be as familiar with the tracks, having seemingly mainly compteted in Russia.

On a side note, does anyone else find it amusing that Shapovalov appears to have absolutely no control over who his drivers are? The decision appears to be Lukoil's...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 29 Mar 2013, 21:59

FloProAct wrote:
RealRacingRoots wrote:You're outta here!

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/03/29/mikhail-koslovskiy-replaces-dudukalo-at-lada/

Tough luck for the team, having to build a new car already after the first round. Hopefully Aleksei smartens up after this, because otherwise he isn't that bad, hes average but not offensive like he was in Quali for Monza.

Not really a surprise, but still a harsh decision I think. Yes, it took the whole team out of the weekend and left them with a lot of repair work, but it's still just one mistake - I doubt he would have been fired if he hadn't happened to clatter into Thompson. Not sure whether it's a good decision to replace him with a complete unknown either: I can't find anything that would suggest that Koslovskiy is in any way an improvement, and he won't be as familiar with the tracks, having seemingly mainly compteted in Russia.

On a side note, does anyone else find it amusing that Shapovalov appears to have absolutely no control over who his drivers are? The decision appears to be Lukoil's...

Wasn't Shapovalov a Lada driver himself last time Lada entered the WTCC in about 2009?

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 29 Mar 2013, 22:22

dr-baker wrote:
FloProAct wrote:
RealRacingRoots wrote:You're outta here!

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/03/29/mikhail-koslovskiy-replaces-dudukalo-at-lada/

Tough luck for the team, having to build a new car already after the first round. Hopefully Aleksei smartens up after this, because otherwise he isn't that bad, hes average but not offensive like he was in Quali for Monza.

Not really a surprise, but still a harsh decision I think. Yes, it took the whole team out of the weekend and left them with a lot of repair work, but it's still just one mistake - I doubt he would have been fired if he hadn't happened to clatter into Thompson. Not sure whether it's a good decision to replace him with a complete unknown either: I can't find anything that would suggest that Koslovskiy is in any way an improvement, and he won't be as familiar with the tracks, having seemingly mainly compteted in Russia.

On a side note, does anyone else find it amusing that Shapovalov appears to have absolutely no control over who his drivers are? The decision appears to be Lukoil's...

Wasn't Shapovalov a Lada driver himself last time Lada entered the WTCC in about 2009?

Yes: he is owner/team boss of Russian Bears, the team that runs the Lada WTCC effort. He retired in 2009 when they got Thompson on board.

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 30 Mar 2013, 17:12

Good ol' British weather. The last 15 minutes of BTCC qualifying were hit by snow, Happy Easter!

Andrew Jordan has pole in what looks like a Honda vs MG shootout.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 30 Mar 2013, 17:31

Shadaza wrote:Good ol' British weather. The last 15 minutes of BTCC qualifying were hit by snow, Happy Easter!

Andrew Jordan has pole in what looks like a Honda vs MG shootout.

And Sam Tordoff has just confirmed what a black hole of talent Andy Neate is.

Good run for Jordan though, he's been improving every year. I think he'll give the works Honda's quite a few surprises throughout 2013.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 30 Mar 2013, 17:43

Shame for Turkington and Goff (and Wrathall): Hope they can repair those cars in time for tomorrow.
ITV Watch: Didn't recognise Addison by name when they first announced him but definitely recognise him by voice: he's a solid, knowledgeable commentator and should be good. 2 fairly glaring, at least for me, errors in the driver lineup film however: Last year was not Dave Newsham's debut and James Kaye has been away for 2 years not 11.....

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 30 Mar 2013, 18:19

Shadaza wrote:Andrew Jordan has pole in what looks like a Honda vs MG shootout.

Delighted! I've always been a bit of a fan of both Jordan's, nice to see Andrew up at the front. How far away is Plato from him?

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 30 Mar 2013, 18:33

takagi_for_the_win wrote:
Shadaza wrote:Andrew Jordan has pole in what looks like a Honda vs MG shootout.

Delighted! I've always been a bit of a fan of both Jordan's, nice to see Andrew up at the front. How far away is Plato from him?

Directly behind him on the grid. Matt Neal will be alongside Plato on row 2, though.