Grand Prix Rejects

glad to see perennial underdog rob austin doing good for once, fingers crossed the car is reliable

It seems like Plato has his best teammate since 2009. It is a pity for Turks to have to start from the back on his return due to contact with one of the cars in Tony Gilham's Evil Empire. I also feel a bit sorry for Norbert Mi... I mean Frank Wrathall

eurobrun wrote:It seems like Plato has his best teammate since 2009. It is a pity for Turks to have to start from the back on his return due to contact with one of the cars in Tony Gilham's Evil Empire. I also feel a bit sorry for Norbert Mi... I mean Frank Wrathall

Tony Gilham's Evil Empire.... since when is Tony Gilham evil?

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:

eurobrun wrote:It seems like Plato has his best teammate since 2009. It is a pity for Turks to have to start from the back on his return due to contact with one of the cars in Tony Gilham's Evil Empire. I also feel a bit sorry for Norbert Mi... I mean Frank Wrathall

Tony Gilham's Evil Empire.... since when is Tony Gilham evil?

IDK, I saw that name for the team on another forum and I just thought it was kind of funny. I have nothing against him but he is way too ambitious

Rob Austin went from 7th to 1st on the 1st lap!
Gordon Shedden saved an absolute monster of a slide!

ROTR Honda, both of them pit and lose a lap, Shedden to clear grass that Matt Neal forced him into, Neal for reasons unknown.


On a sort of related note, I have a friend who lives down the road from me who races in the Ginetta Juniors, so watch out for Tom Jackson in that .

Both Dynamics a lap down!

IIOTR for Wrathall
My 500th post

Jordan hits Plato!!!!!!!!!!!!

darkapprentice77 wrote:Jordan hits Plato!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jordan could have got him harder
Can't wait for the interview

roblomas52 wrote:

darkapprentice77 wrote:Jordan hits Plato!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jordan could have got him harder
Can't wait for the interview

That was as ambitious a move as you will see all season, that was pretty much bin it or win it.

Nice drive from Rob Austin, always happy to see him on the podium. Plato seemed remarkably un-pissed off in that interview, given that I was expecting some anti-Jordan rant from him. And finally, wonderful drives from Wrathall and Turkington, they could spring a surprise in races 2 and 3.

takagi_for_the_win wrote:Nice drive from Rob Austin, always happy to see him on the podium. Plato seemed remarkably un-pissed off in that interview, given that I was expecting some anti-Jordan rant from him. And finally, wonderful drives from Wrathall and Turkington, they could spring a surprise in races 2 and 3.

Yeah, a big shame for Mat Jackson though, he had a good start, but it seems Motorbase still need to get their reliability issues licked.

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:

takagi_for_the_win wrote:Nice drive from Rob Austin, always happy to see him on the podium. Plato seemed remarkably un-pissed off in that interview, given that I was expecting some anti-Jordan rant from him. And finally, wonderful drives from Wrathall and Turkington, they could spring a surprise in races 2 and 3.

Yeah, a big shame for Mat Jackson though, he had a good start, but it seems Motorbase still need to get their reliability issues licked.

And also find some speed.

Anyway, that was a good race and ticked all of the BTCC boxes.

ROTR to ITV for making Paul O'Neill read out random tweets, although the one's he's doing now are at least more useful.

midgrid wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:

takagi_for_the_win wrote:Nice drive from Rob Austin, always happy to see him on the podium. Plato seemed remarkably un-pissed off in that interview, given that I was expecting some anti-Jordan rant from him. And finally, wonderful drives from Wrathall and Turkington, they could spring a surprise in races 2 and 3.

Yeah, a big shame for Mat Jackson though, he had a good start, but it seems Motorbase still need to get their reliability issues licked.

And also find some speed.

Anyway, that was a good race and ticked all of the BTCC boxes.

ROTR to ITV for making Paul O'Neill read out random tweets, although the one's he's doing now are at least more useful.

Sigh, can't they at least have him as the pit reporter instead of Louise blumming Goodman who still sounds like she barely knows a thing about racing.

As much as I appreciate ITV's full day coverage, I still can't stand their off track stuff. Still have that awful theme tune that's been used since 2010, as well as awful music during the actual coverage. Wish they'd take a leaf out of Channel 7's V8 coverage on this regard, I've never known a channel consistently pick such awful music as ITV. And their pre-race features on the drivers are still as pointless and cringey as ever. I really don't need all these close up mug-shots. As for race coverage, please please please don't be afraid to look at cars other than the front-runners every so often. Don't think we even saw any of the S2000s all race other than Warren Scott spinning off.

But at least the racing is still as good as ever and great to see that Rob Austin is a rocketship off the line. He should get that first win soon based on today's performance. Though it looks like Plato's MG could be the car to beat this season. Especially if Honda continue to have such awful luck as they did in race 1. The Toyotas all look quick too and hopefully WSR's BMWs will be soon with a bit more development.

Big disappointment so far has to be Motorbase who's NGTC Focus seems to be off the lead pace and still unreliable if what happened to Jackson is anything to go by. Very disappointing to see after the pace that Jackson showed at the end of last season. But great to see Tony Gilham's barmy army get two of their cars in the points.

Wrathall hits Turkington at Paddock Hill.

Then he hits Rob Austin...

FFS Wrathall what the bathplug was that?

Austin gets punted off by Wrathall

Warren Scott and David Nye collide while fighting for the wooden spoon.

Looks like this year will be PLATOWINSLOL

Frank Wrathall got what he deserved, after taking out Austin and Turkington.

ROTR for race 2 has to be Frank Wrathall. Good to see Neal gave him what he deserved, that was awful driving taking out Turkington and Austin, going for gaps that were never there. I always thought he lacked a bit of grit and gumption in his racing, but that was driving I'd expect off of Plato.

Also that MG looks scarily fast, and given how much they seemed to be favoured over the Hondas in 2012, they could easily be the team to beat. Though that was supposedly in part influenced by how godawful Andy Neate was - now that Plato has a proper teammate in Sam Tordoff (who seems to be making himself right at home in the leading pack), hopefully that won't be so prevalent this year. Andrew Jordan has to be considered a legitimate title contender this year, as well. He's very quick and seems very confident, he'll definitely be one to watch.

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:ROTR for race 2 has to be Frank Wrathall. Good to see Neal gave him what he deserved, that was awful driving taking out Turkington and Austin, going for gaps that were never there. I always thought he lacked a bit of grit and gumption in his racing, but that was driving I'd expect off of Plato.

Also that MG looks scarily fast, and given how much they seemed to be favoured over the Hondas in 2012, they could easily be the team to beat. Though that was supposedly in part influenced by how godawful Andy Neate was - now that Plato has a proper teammate in Sam Tordoff (who seems to be making himself right at home in the leading pack), hopefully that won't be so prevalent this year. Andrew Jordan has to be considered a legitimate title contender this year, as well. He's very quick and seems very confident, he'll definitely be one to watch.

Honda will be right there, it is only because the bathplugged race 1 that Plato managed easy races.

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:ROTR for race 2 has to be Frank Wrathall. Good to see Neal gave him what he deserved, that was awful driving taking out Turkington and Austin, going for gaps that were never there. I always thought he lacked a bit of grit and gumption in his racing, but that was driving I'd expect off of Plato.

Also that MG looks scarily fast, and given how much they seemed to be favoured over the Hondas in 2012, they could easily be the team to beat. Though that was supposedly in part influenced by how godawful Andy Neate was - now that Plato has a proper teammate in Sam Tordoff (who seems to be making himself right at home in the leading pack), hopefully that won't be so prevalent this year. Andrew Jordan has to be considered a legitimate title contender this year, as well. He's very quick and seems very confident, he'll definitely be one to watch.

Honda will be right there, it is only because the bathplugged race 1 that Plato managed easy races.

My friend Tom earned his first podium in the Ginetta Jnrs

Shadaza wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:ROTR for race 2 has to be Frank Wrathall. Good to see Neal gave him what he deserved, that was awful driving taking out Turkington and Austin, going for gaps that were never there. I always thought he lacked a bit of grit and gumption in his racing, but that was driving I'd expect off of Plato.

Also that MG looks scarily fast, and given how much they seemed to be favoured over the Hondas in 2012, they could easily be the team to beat. Though that was supposedly in part influenced by how godawful Andy Neate was - now that Plato has a proper teammate in Sam Tordoff (who seems to be making himself right at home in the leading pack), hopefully that won't be so prevalent this year. Andrew Jordan has to be considered a legitimate title contender this year, as well. He's very quick and seems very confident, he'll definitely be one to watch.

Honda will be right there, it is only because the bathplugged race 1 that Plato managed easy races.

My friend Tom earned his first podium in the Ginetta Jnrs

Congrats to him! I watched that race, it was pretty hectic for 2nd on back, so well done to him.

Also, according to Rob Austin's Facebook page, Frank Wrathall has been penalised for his race 1 shenanigans - a fine and a points penalty. Though he has at least apologised to Austin.

More bad news for Honda: Shedden has been excluded from Race 2 for failing the ride-height check. Jeff Smith moves up onto the podium and Mat Jackson will start the final race from pole position.

midgrid wrote:More bad news for Honda: Shedden has been excluded from Race 2 for failing the ride-height check. Jeff Smith moves up onto the podium and Mat Jackson will start the final race from pole position.

Wow. Shades of 2012 for Shedden, though at least Pirtek is saving some face for them. Also YES JACKSON ON POLE! He's a bit of a race 3 specialist, so hopefully the Focus will at least be good enough to let him work his magic.

Huge crash for Austin.

What a beautiful drive from Gordon Sheddon, one more lap and he would have won the race from the back! Still a Honda 1-2 is excellent news for the championship. Come on and catch that whiner Plato!

Shadaza wrote:What a beautiful drive from Gordon Sheddon, one more lap and he would have won the race from the back! Still a Honda 1-2 is excellent news for the championship. Come on and catch that whiner Plato!

congrats to Tom Jackson for the ginetta juniors race
IIOTR goes to shedden for race 3
thank god Austin is ok

Shadaza wrote:What a beautiful drive from Gordon Sheddon, one more lap and he would have won the race from the back! Still a Honda 1-2 is excellent news for the championship. Come on and catch that whiner Plato!

Yeah, I think Shedden made a very clear statement in that race - he's the best driver in BTCC right now, for me at least. Utterly stunning drive, 27 kilos of ballast, starting from the back, on soft tyres. If he hadn't slid at Clearways, he could've possibly caught and passed Neal on that last lap!

Also, I'm glad to see Rob Austin is okay, that was a nasty hit - on the driver's side of the car as well. Shame that his weekend went so poorly after race 1, but he's proved that he can haul that Audi into race-winning contention, which is great to see.

Does Wrathall have some sort of evil twin brother aka Sniff Petrol's theory about Maldonado? 'Cos I'm fairly sure it can't have been him driving that car in Race 2. Ah well, at least he apologised to Austin and did look genuinely mortified. Really hope Austin can get the car repaired for Donington. Shame Morgan couldn't get his first podium, but I'll settle for Tordoff in third, who looks to be a good talent. All in all, it's good have it back, isn't it?

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Also, I'm glad to see Rob Austin is okay, that was a nasty hit - on the driver's side of the car as well. Shame that his weekend went so poorly after race 1, but he's proved that he can haul that Audi into race-winning contention, which is great to see.

Rob Austin might not have been hurt but his wallet certainly will be,that looked like a very expensive accident.

Shadaza wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Also, I'm glad to see Rob Austin is okay, that was a nasty hit - on the driver's side of the car as well. Shame that his weekend went so poorly after race 1, but he's proved that he can haul that Audi into race-winning contention, which is great to see.

Rob Austin might not have been hurt but his wallet certainly will be,that looked like a very expensive accident.

i reckon that Austin's crash has cost him between 150K and 200K

roblomas52 wrote:

Shadaza wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Also, I'm glad to see Rob Austin is okay, that was a nasty hit - on the driver's side of the car as well. Shame that his weekend went so poorly after race 1, but he's proved that he can haul that Audi into race-winning contention, which is great to see.

Rob Austin might not have been hurt but his wallet certainly will be,that looked like a very expensive accident.

i reckon that Austin's crash has cost him between 150K and 200K

Austin has said on Facebook that the damage is nowhere near as bad as it looked. The chassis looked mostly fine, at least. Still, it's money that could've gone into further refining the car...

Unlike everyone else I find the Audis in BTCC quite dull and boring. For some reason I can't really support them. I am still glad that Austin is OK though

eurobrun wrote:Unlike everyone else I find the Audis in BTCC quite dull and boring. For some reason I can't really support them. I am still glad that Austin is OK though

Mind you, I've seen worse on the Indy circuit, John George in the integra in 2008

eurobrun wrote:Unlike everyone else I find the Audis in BTCC quite dull and boring. For some reason I can't really support them. I am still glad that Austin is OK though

How are they dull and boring? Rob Austin is a legend, he's a great racer and great guy. It's impossible for me not to support him.

Is it me or does Alan Gow keep on finding ways of making everything better?
However, if I were him, I would do this because 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

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:

eurobrun wrote:Unlike everyone else I find the Audis in BTCC quite dull and boring. For some reason I can't really support them. I am still glad that Austin is OK though

How are they dull and boring? Rob Austin is a legend, he's a great racer and great guy. It's impossible for me not to support him.

I agree. Him and Frank Wrathall are two of the most likable blokes on the grid in my opinion.

Anyways, on the subject of that third race- anyone else think that, in a fair fight, Shedden would absolutely demolish the rest of the field? I mean, in race 1, once he cleared that group of cars in about 6th, I thought he could challenge the leading trio before his stop. Even then, a lap down, he spent the rest of the race up Jordan/Plato's chuff. Race 2 I didn't see much of, so I can't comment, but in race 3, going from the back of the grid to second- all I can say is, if he gets a trouble free weekend, he could really show Plato a thing or two about walking away with wins.

takagi_for_the_win wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:

eurobrun wrote:Unlike everyone else I find the Audis in BTCC quite dull and boring. For some reason I can't really support them. I am still glad that Austin is OK though

How are they dull and boring? Rob Austin is a legend, he's a great racer and great guy. It's impossible for me not to support him.

I agree. Him and Frank Wrathall are two of the most likable blokes on the grid in my opinion.

Anyways, on the subject of that third race- anyone else think that, in a fair fight, Shedden would absolutely demolish the rest of the field? I mean, in race 1, once he cleared that group of cars in about 6th, I thought he could challenge the leading trio before his stop. Even then, a lap down, he spent the rest of the race up Jordan/Plato's chuff. Race 2 I didn't see much of, so I can't comment, but in race 3, going from the back of the grid to second- all I can say is, if he gets a trouble free weekend, he could really show Plato a thing or two about walking away with wins.

I'd say Mat Jackson could give Shedden a run for his money; he's had relatively poor equipment the last few years, but still manages to regularly bring in wins and podiums. But yeah, those two would just walk away from everyone else in a class of their own.