The _TCC Series Thread

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 24 Jun 2017, 11:19

Thank goodness it was a touring car and not a single-seater. I suddenly had visions of Jules Bianchi and Maria de Villota. :roll:

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 24 Jun 2017, 17:32

Samster wrote: Just found footage. Just when I thought this season couldn't get more farcial! How was a situation like that allowed to happen, looks to me like they redflagged that way too late.

Oh have I ever mentioned before how much I don't like David Addison as a commentator. He's so monotone, how through all of that can you not change tone in your voice or show any kind of shock or surprise is beyond me.

I've only just watched the Croft races (I'm always way behind) and I said exactly the same thing - how could you not red flag that after Davenport's accident, even if they hadn't seen the car dump oil everywhere?

After the Oulton Park debacle where the circuit seemed to need barrier repairs after almost every race in the meeting, the Australian Bernie really needs to have a look at the calendar instead of doing the same tracks in the same order every year. Dump those 2 circuits and have a round using the Silverstone GP circuit (or is there a reason why they don't already do this?) and an extra round at Donington or somewhere else.

David Addison isn't the worst commentator ever (hello, Martin Haven) but he is very 'on a level' and uses the same phrases repeatedly. There are other ways of describing the driver in 10th place other than '<Insert Name Of Driver> rounds out the Top 10' for instance....

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 29 Jun 2017, 14:22

Jeff's son Brett will replace him for the rest of the season at Eurotech. Good to see him get the opportunity as based on their respective performances in the Mini Cup Brett seems to be moderately more talented than his father. Hopefully this leads to a permanent change of the guard and Jeff just does Minis once he recovers as he is actually capable of wins there.

This Could Be You · Post by **This Could Be You** » 20 Jul 2017, 14:56

"Good" News Everyone! Stewart Lines is back in the Maximum Motorsports Focus for the rest of the 2017 BTCC season, most likely offering us some new and stunning displays of incompetence behind the wheel, though he won't have Scott and Howerd as playmates this year.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 21 Jul 2017, 17:25

Weird how Strandberg was given all of one meeting to prove himself. It wasn't like he was particularly awful either. Unlike his boss.

Peteroli34 · Post by **Peteroli34** » 23 Jul 2017, 20:37

The first race of the TCR Germany championship at Zandvoort was a bit of a shitshow, 18 drivers were penalised and the race results were amended 5 times

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 30 Jul 2017, 19:43

Well BTCC is back with an exciting 3 races. Sutton showing himself to be a real title contender with 2 wins today. A good recovery by Shedden after his dismal qualifying despite and incident with Moffit.

And Rob Austin ruining Both Ingrams and Suttons races (race 1 and race 3 respectively) and intrestingly not receiving action from the Stewards, (although a broken suspension in both cases was maybe punishment enough)

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 12 Aug 2017, 16:28

I think that sadly, from my point of view, the Australian Bernie has got bored of the Hondas winning and is now doing his best to let those ugly shitbox Subarus take the title by helping them out with their power.

Evidence 1: Sutton easily taking the win in race 2 last time out with full ballast (not the first time that's happened this season)
Evidence 2: Useless Cole easily getting Top 10 finishes in races 2 & 3.
Evidence 3: Subaru 1-2 on the grid for tomorrow, though admittedly it sounds like quali was a little bit of a lottery due to the weather.

Post by **Londoner** » 13 Aug 2017, 11:32

Vintage Jason Plato. He lets Sutton go into the lead on the final lap, having said earlier that he was assisting Sutton's title challenge....and then divebombs him at the hairpin to take the win anyway. Even better, Sutton doesn't even get a point for leading a lap because Plato let him by after the timing line. :badoer:

It does mean Plato has now won at least once in every BTCC season he's competed in, and snaps a winless streak dating back to, would you believe it, the first race of Knockhill last year.

Shoutout to Senna Proctor for a fantastic race to 7th.

Post by **Miguel98** » 13 Aug 2017, 14:07

The driving standards this year :facepalm:

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Aug 2017, 09:00

East Londoner wrote:Vintage Jason Plato. He lets Sutton go into the lead on the final lap, having said earlier that he was assisting Sutton's title challenge....and then divebombs him at the hairpin to take the win anyway. Even better, Sutton doesn't even get a point for leading a lap because Plato let him by after the timing line. .

Sums up how I feel about Plato. At least race two went a bit more to plan for Sutton.

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 18 Aug 2017, 19:28

The BTCC suport series continue to be an absolute farce as the entirety of JHR Developments have been banned for the rest of the season from all Ginetta competition.

http://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2017/ ... mpetition/

This comes after three of their Ginetta Junior drivers getting excluded from the Thruxton results then reinstated again. :facepalm:

This means the Ginetta Junior series is down six cars just like that which includes the current top two in the championship. :facepalm:

Yeah I'm done with any of the TOCA package bar the BTCC and maybe Porsches.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 23 Aug 2017, 20:18

Just me peed off about the Subarus getting an unfair advantage then, as previously noted?

It was blindingly obvious at Knockhill with Cole getting 3 good results, Plato & Sutton being comfortably ahead on full ballast, and even Price being competitive (when he wasn't knocking everybody off the track that is, wonder who he learnt that from?)

If the Australian Bernie really wants to play this game then I won't be bothering from next season. I'm just glad that Turks managed 3 decent finishes to just head off the ginger prick at the top of the leaderboard.

This Could Be You · Post by **This Could Be You** » 23 Aug 2017, 20:58

Barbazza wrote:Just me peed off about the Subarus getting an unfair advantage then, as previously noted?

It was blindingly obvious at Knockhill with Cole getting 3 good results, Plato & Sutton being comfortably ahead on full ballast, and even Price being competitive (when he wasn't knocking everybody off the track that is, wonder who he learnt that from?)

If the Australian Bernie really wants to play this game then I won't be bothering from next season. I'm just glad that Turks managed 3 decent finishes to just head off the ginger prick at the top of the leaderboard.

Actually, it was at Knockhill that my enjoyment of the series began to wane slightly on account of the blatant pace advantages the Subarus now have. I have little doubt that even Warren Scott could have got the current Levorg well inside the top 15, and it was especially obvious when Cole's impressive speed did not in any way match with his awful racecraft (read: banging wheels at each and every oppurtunity to pass), which would make early-2000's Rob Collard look composed.

This bothers me far more than previous periods of a single team having a pace advantage- at least the 888 Astras were obviously well engineered and consistently both fast and reliable to the point that TOCA had to weigh them down, while the Subaru's seem poorly built (even in the most recent races, Sutton's front-running car seems to fall to pieces over races) and are either way, way off the pace or after TOCA calculations, way off into the distance. When other cars have their performance adjusted, their pace doesn't seem to swing quite so violently, such as with the often-slowed Civics and to a lesser extent the Motorbase Focus and MG. Add in BMR's seemingly dodgy rise to world BTCC grid domination and you've got something that rather spoils the illusion of a fair, balanced series and falls dangerously close to being scripted.

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 24 Aug 2017, 19:19

Well at least we will have TCR UK next season to enjoy. Judging from the interest from many of the current BTCC teams it looks set to be a roaring success.

Hopefully enough for Aussie Bernie to not be so complacent about running his empire anymore.

I'd agree BMR's sudden dominance looks suspicious but then Knockhill has always been something of a RWD benefit. WSR were clearly next best team. I'd be surprised if they were this dominant in the remaining rounds.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 24 Aug 2017, 19:23

The BMR Subarus are defiantly overpowered at the moment. It has always struck me that the BMWs are slow in a straight line so could they be due a boost upgrade? Also I think the Mercedes should get more power, they've been a bit hopeless this year since Donington.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 26 Aug 2017, 15:01

James Cole has just qualified on pole. What the hell is going on?

Post by **Ataxia** » 26 Aug 2017, 15:29

andrew wrote:James Cole has just qualified on pole. What the hell is going on?

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 26 Aug 2017, 17:39

It's not even like the Subarus were that dominant. Sutton was 4th, Plato 10th and Price 12th. How long does he last out front?

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 26 Aug 2017, 19:31

andrew wrote:James Cole has just qualified on pole. What the hell is going on?

As we have been discussing recently, Australian Bernie is fixing it for Subaru to win, that's what! This is now total proof. Bear in mind Sutton had considerable ballast on so 4th is good. Price in 12th is also way above his actual ability. Only Plato underperformed there really. If they win 2 races out of 3 again, I'm done.

For those still in doubt, I noted a significant quote on the BTCC website - "...it was also the first ever qualifying top spot for a rear-wheel drive car at Rockingham...". That's right folks, over all the years the competitive BMWs have been going there with top drivers at the wheel, they never managed it.....

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 26 Aug 2017, 19:43

Ingram qualified 4th at thruxton with maximum ballast, but I take your point on sudden improvements. Maybe they found a set up that they liked? I wouldn't so quickly jump to a favouritism conclusion personally.

Post by **Londoner** » 27 Aug 2017, 09:06

ITV and assorted touring car websites are hyping up a huge announcement being made this morning at Rockingham. Obviously it's under embargo, but I wonder what it could be. Motorbase finally getting works Ford backing? James Thompson returning for 2018?

I bet it's an anti-climax and it turns out to be an announcement about Jason Plato's new dog, or Gordon Shedden revealing that he actually works at Halfords. :pantano:

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 27 Aug 2017, 12:36

And Cole actually wins it. And it seems the big announcement is Alfa returning with Handy. :shock:

Post by **Londoner** » 27 Aug 2017, 13:36

Awful, awful driving from Josh Cook in Race 2. No idea what he was trying to achieve against Jackson and Neal.

Title looks like it's gonna be between Sutton and Turkington, personally hoping Turks prevails here. Shoutouts to Tom Ingram, 32nd to 9th in that race, and Chris Smiley for his first top 10 finish.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 27 Aug 2017, 14:36

East Londoner wrote:
ITV and assorted touring car websites are hyping up a huge announcement being made this morning at Rockingham. Obviously it's under embargo, but I wonder what it could be. Motorbase finally getting works Ford backing? James Thompson returning for 2018?

I bet it's an anti-climax and it turns out to be an announcement about Jason Plato's new dog, or Gordon Shedden revealing that he actually works at Halfords.

Was this about the news I just saw on Autosport about Alfa Romeo coming back to the BTCC?

Post by **Londoner** » 27 Aug 2017, 20:07

dr-baker wrote:Was this about the news I just saw on Autosport about Alfa Romeo coming back to the BTCC?

Yes.

Meanwhile, Josh Cook has been banned from the first race at Silverstone, after picking up a fourth reprimand during the last race of the day. He becomes the first BTCC driver in 16 years to be benched. Nice to see TOCA finally clamping down on the bumper cars, Cook was driving like a goddamn rock ape out there. :facepalm:

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 31 Aug 2017, 16:28

Never let it be said that I don't back up my words. I watched Race 2 this afternoon, and as soon as the Hondas had both been shoved out and ginger prick was obviously going to win, I fast forwarded through the rest of the race then deleted it off my Sky box without watching the last one. Frankly, the standard of driving up and down the field in that 2nd race was so absymal that I didn't feel like I was missing much.

Until this blatant fixing in favour of Subaru comes to an end, I won't be bothering. You can stick your once quality product up your arse, Aussie Bernie.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 31 Aug 2017, 21:19

Barbazza wrote:Never let it be said that I don't back up my words. I watched Race 2 this afternoon, and as soon as the Hondas had both been shoved out and ginger prick was obviously going to win, I fast forwarded through the rest of the race then deleted it off my Sky box without watching the last one. Frankly, the standard of driving up and down the field in that 2nd race was so absymal that I didn't feel like I was missing much.

Until this blatant fixing in favour of Subaru comes to an end, I won't be bothering. You can stick your once quality product up your arse, Aussie Bernie.

Shedden was hardly shoved out in race 2. On Neal, it was a late but legitimate move and cook should have tried to cut back and not just turn in. Driving standards have been particularly Abysmal this year and I'm not sure why.

It does seem clear that the Subarus have more lap pace than the other cars. Although on top speed they are behind the BMWs. (I'll attempt the upload the photograph) so they must be gaining their advantage through the corners, meaning they have a good chassis. Having said that however, when duds like Cole win and nobody's like price can run in the top 10, it maybe does suggest that TOCA should slow the Subarus.

https://scontent.ftxl1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=5A122AA8

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 01 Sep 2017, 12:15

This boost nonsense is the worst thing about the BTCC these days. If they want to keep teams equal why not just make them all run the Swindon engine?

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 01 Sep 2017, 19:13

Sorry Barbazza, but I watched Race 2 over lunch today, and Shedden's accident was a 50/50 and Neal's was just over-optimistic and entirely his fault. Not sure what Cook could have done in that instance? Not turn in? How? Neal has hardly covered himself in glory this year and that incident is just another one to be chalked up in the 'reasons he's past it' column.

Driving standard have been poor, but it's good to see them cracking down on bad behaviour. It will no doubt take a while for some drivers to get the message, but at least something is being done.

On Subaru, yes it's a bit suspect, but Sutton is a decent driver in his own right. I expect the boost to be levelled out before the end of the year. Also, a point to bear in mind is the Subaru is one of the newest cars on the grid. The BMWs, MGs, Chevrolets, etc feel like they've been around for ages now so surely have lost a bit of pace from when they were first used. I'm no Subaru fan, I want to see Turks win the title, but I get the impression if it was the BMWs or Hondas out front and dominating there wouldn't be as many complaints.

Peteroli34 · Post by **Peteroli34** » 01 Sep 2017, 20:02

AndreaModa wrote:Also, a point to bear in mind is the Subaru is one of the newest cars on the grid. The BMWs, MGs, Chevrolets, etc feel like they've been around for ages now .

They Have been around for ages all of the Honda's were built in 2012 part from Sheddens which was 2015. 2 of the BMW were built in 2013 while the MGs were built in 2012 and have been damaged countless times. In fact both Dynamics and Triple 8 have been running their current cars for longer then ran the previous Civic and the Vectra.
Most of the cars on the Grid are not that young - 18 were built between 2012 - 2015 while the rest have been built since 2015.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 01 Sep 2017, 20:37

It would also make a rather nice change, the last time a BMW or Honda driver didn't win the title was in 2010.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 01 Sep 2017, 20:41

AndreaModa wrote:Sorry Barbazza, but I watched Race 2 over lunch today, and Shedden's accident was a 50/50 and Neal's was just over-optimistic and entirely his fault. Not sure what Cook could have done in that instance? Not turn in? How? Neal has hardly covered himself in glory this year and that incident is just another one to be chalked up in the 'reasons he's past it' column.

Driving standard have been poor, but it's good to see them cracking down on bad behaviour. It will no doubt take a while for some drivers to get the message, but at least something is being done.

On Subaru, yes it's a bit suspect, but Sutton is a decent driver in his own right. I expect the boost to be levelled out before the end of the year. Also, a point to bear in mind is the Subaru is one of the newest cars on the grid. The BMWs, MGs, Chevrolets, etc feel like they've been around for ages now so surely have lost a bit of pace from when they were first used. I'm no Subaru fan, I want to see Turks win the title, but I get the impression if it was the BMWs or Hondas out front and dominating there wouldn't be as many complaints.

I don't know about that, there aren't many Honda lovers around here bar me I think!

FWIW I agree that Matt Neal has not been great this year, but I don't agree with you on that Race 2 incident, primarily because Cook was being a total arse. I guess I'll agree with you that Shedden's was probably 50/50, it was actually quite hard to see from the poor camera angles that ITV gave us.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 01 Sep 2017, 20:43

andrew wrote:It would also make a rather nice change, the last time a BMW or Honda driver didn't win the title was in 2010.

I'm all for change, but when it looks like a shed on wheels and is being driven by one of my least favourite drivers (given that I can't stand all 4 of them) I'll pass. If it was the Merc or Toyota or even the slightly boring Astra or Ford, I'd be fine with that.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 09 Sep 2017, 12:26

Plamen Kralev - yes, the Fire King - has been plying his trade in TCR Italia this season. He was in the thick of a battle for the lead - what would have been his first win in the category had he won out - but instead got given a 10 second stop/go for spinning Altoe into the wall at the second turn of the race.

Looks like the stewards snuffed out the Fire King :glasses:

Samster · Post by **Samster** » 11 Sep 2017, 16:18

Chilton is out for Silverstone on 'doctors orders'. PMR have only gone and secured Rob Huff as a sub!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 11 Sep 2017, 17:51

Samster wrote:Chilton is out for Silverstone on 'doctors orders'. PMR have only gone and secured Rob Huff as a sub!

Good choice, as Huff is far from being out of puff! Just a question of car familiarity.

Post by **Londoner** » 17 Sep 2017, 11:33

A crazy, crazy dry/wet race at Silverstone, which ended with an enormous shunt for Collard, Jordan and Will Burns. Collard's BMW is a total write-off, and worryingly there's reports that Burns is being attended to in his car.

Shoutouts to Tom Ingram, Jack Goff and Adam Morgan, before the SC came out they'd gapped the field to the tune of almost 15 SECONDS, and Ant Whorton-Eales for his first top 6 finish.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 17 Sep 2017, 20:10

When will Josh Cook learn?
https://www.touringcartimes.com/2017/09 ... ato-smash/

Post by **Londoner** » 01 Oct 2017, 14:18

Having perhaps had the worst race of his BTCC career in race 1, Colin Turkington may have just had his best in Race 2. 15th to 1st and maximum points. Regarding the move on Moffat, it did look like the Merc braked obscenely early into Paddock Hill, so I'd be surprised if any punishment came of it.

6 points between Sutton and Turkington going into the final race. Incredible.

Also, it's great to see Murray Walker again. For a man pushing 94 years of age, he looks in fantastic health.