Autosport wrote:BTCC 2010: Season Preview
The beginning of a new era for the BTCC began at Brands Hatch, with new regulations, teams, cars and drivers for 2010 getting their first official running this season at the Media Day test. The times set during this test became all the more important for this season, as due to the large field, the slowest four teams on aggregate would be forced to pre-qualify for the season. This article covers each teams fortunes over the test, and considers their prospects for the season:
West Surrey Racing
2. Menu 39.615
13. Chilton 39.951
Aggregate:
2. WSR 79.566
The 2009 champions seemed to be back on the pace after a lull in performance at the end of last year, with new recruit Alain Menu narrowly missing out on the fastest time in the now NGTC engined BMW, and Chilton only three tenths down in a tight field, making them the second-fastest team on aggregate. However, the reliability of the new engines may pose a problem in their title defence, as will rumoured financial issues; it is very likely that the team will have to run pay drivers this year.
Seat Sport UK
3. Plato 39.663
17. Jordan 40.166
Aggregate:
5. Seat Sport 79.829
After finally winning a driver's championship after six years of trying, the aim for Seat must surely be to try and win both titles this year, considering how close they got to regaining the crown they last won in 2006 despite Plato scoring all but eight of their points total last year. Alongside new teammate, the inexperienced Andrew Jordan (who lasted competed in 2008 with Eurotech) the Seats ran reasonably well in the test, with Plato third but Jordan only seventeenth (albeit only half a second off the pace of his teammate). Seat's success this season therefore depends on the young driver stepping up to perform alongside Plato, something Jones never managed last year.
Clyde Valley Racing
1. Muller 39.609
12. Shedden 39.933
Aggregate:
1. CVR 79.542
During the off-season, last year's top independent runners secured a major coup in securing 2003 Champion Yvan Muller's services for 2010, and it appears to have paid off already, with Frenchman setting the fastest time at Brands Hatch and Shedden's more subdued 12th place also meaning that the team topped the session on aggregate as well. CVR, considering their reliable and fast drivers and cars are definitely the favourites for the Independent title this year, and either of their drivers stand a good chance of challenging for the main title as well.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
6. Adam 39.742
15. Giovanardi 40.001
Aggregate:
3. Triple Eight 79.743
Ian Harrison's team has suffered the ignominy of losing its GM works backing after a disappointing and expensive 2009 campaign, with the cars now running in a black, sponsorless livery instead of VXR colours. However, this financial instability hasn't seemed to have affected the team's performance on-track, with Adam in sixth and Giovanardi fifteenth, leaving them as third-best team at the test. However, a lack of cash does still remain an issue , so it is likely Gio will need to make way for a pay-driver at some point this season to keep the team afloat.
Arena Motorsport
10. Coronel 39.883
21. Collard 40.309
Aggregate:
=9. Arena 80.192
Like Triple Eight, the de-facto Ford works team still appears to be consigned to best-of-the-rest status behind the teams challenging for the title, with Adam's replacement Coronel scraping inside the top ten while 2009 race winner Collard was a disappointing 20th place, nearly half a second back. It's clear that the Focus still needs further development before it becomes a front-running car capable of winning consistently, and the team may even fall into the clutches of privateer Seat teams ever-so-slightly back...
RML Silverline Chevrolet
7. Thompson 39.752
27. Smith 40.437
Aggregate:
8. RML 80.189
RML enter 2010 with full works Chevrolet backing and a new chassis, but this has made little impact on the team's form; admittedly, Thompson is slightly closer to the front in the Cruze than he was this time last year in the Lacetti, but his paying teammate Jeff Smith is a long way down the order in 27th place, nearly a full second off his teammate's pace. Race wins are possible, like last year, but on this form, a sustained championship challenge may still be out of reach for Ray Mallock's boys.
GR Asia
9. Gene 39.859
14. Foster 39.975
Aggregate:
4. GR Asia 79.834
Compared to the disaster for GR Asia that was the 2209 Media Day Test, this year was a considerable improvement; Jordi Gene, who replaces Tom Coronel was an impressive ninth place (a postion ahead of his predecessor) in his first run in a BTCC Leon, while pay-driver Nick Foster was a place ahead of double champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, highlighting the competetiveness of the petrol Seat package. Considering their comparative pace with fellow Seat runners Maxtreme, it should be a very close battle between the two.
Maxtreme Motorsport
8. Michelisz 39.823
23. Pinkney 40.323
Aggregate:
7. Maxtreme 80.146
Last year Maxtreme supassed all expectations in their debut season- they won within six races, and were consistent podium scorers all year, despite missing the first 12 races and operating off a shoestring budget with a three year-old car. This year, expectations must surely be high with driver stability and newer chassis, and early signs look good; Michelisz was eighth, Pinkney half a second off his pace in 23rd. It will be interesting to see what this team does with modern chassis over a full season.
Tech-Speed
11. Neal 39.905
30. O'Neill 40.713
Aggregate:
13. Tech-Speed 80.618
Tech-Speed, however, had a much worse day. Running the 407s which topped the test last year (inherited from TH, who they have merged with) much was expected of Eurotech refugee Matt Neal and the returning Paul O'Neill. Instead, Neil was only 11th, while O'Neill had a shocker and set the 30th fastest time, faster only than Depper and James, this performance enough to drop Tech-Speed out of automatic pre-qualification. This lack of pace puts serious doubts on Marvin Humphries team's ability to run competitively this season, especially considering the woeful reliability the Peugeots had in TH's hands last year.
HARD Motorbase
18. Gilham 40.175
19. Jackson 40.241
Aggregate:
11. Motorbase 80.416
Another team which had a tough day was Motorbase, with both Civics almost a second off Muller's pace. Jackson's pace was especially disappointing, being a tenth slower than his cage-fighting near-rookie teammate, Tony Gilham. Unless improvements are made, another year in the wilderness beckons for the team.
Bamboo Engineering
16. Nash 40.080
26. Collins 40.408
Aggregate:
12. Bamboo 80.488
Back with a new name, new management, new drivers and a new car it was nonetheless business as usual at the team formerly known as Tempus Sport, with a rather anonymous perfomance by both drivers in the lower midfield, albeit one consistent enough to ensure that they don't have to pre-qualify for the opening rounds on aggregate. Points are a possibility, and a surprise good result akin to Gavin Smith's reverse grid podium last year is not entirely off the cards due to the Lacetti's reliability.
Eurotech
25. Onslow-Cole 40.391
31. Depper 40.724
Aggregate:
15. Eurotech 81.115
If there was one team that truly dropped the ball, however, it would be Eurotech. Onslow-Cole and Depper struggled with the reliability of the fragile C30 during both sessions (they also ran in the second test for teams that pre-qualified last year) and the best the former could wring out of the Pirtek-liveried car was 25th (his time in the first session was even worse, and would have put him 31st!) while Depper was second-last predicably. This season may even more difficult for Mike Jordan's team than the disastrous 2009 season, with worse pace and seemingly unimproved reliability.
Honda Racing
4. Farfus 39.666
24. Bennani 40.385
6. Honda 80.051
By contrast, Honda's running on the test shows what a difference a year can make. The new Civic, complete with an NGTC turbo was right on the pace out of the box in WTCC star Farfus's hands, and provided the new car holds together could even challenge for the title, while inexperienced Moroccan Bennani is understandably off his teammate's pace. This is still a rebuilding year for the former Dynamics squad, but it would not be a surprise if they beat their meagre 2009 points haul [of 8] by Thruxton the way they are performing.
Boulevard Team Racing
22. Neate 40.311
32. James 43.365
Aggregate:
16. Boulevard 83.676
Also thinking towards 2011 are Boulevard Team Racing, the team still feeling the financial effects of employing former WTCC champion Andy Priaulx last year, but providing him with a recalcitrant Seat Toledo which he could only coax to a single ninth place over their truncated season together, seriously limiting their funding. This year there is more money than talent in the race seats with Andy Neate and Chris James financing much newer Lacetti's with NGTC spec engines, which Neate at least took advantage of, setting the 22nd fastest time. James, however was dead last anyway. Pre-qualifying for races may be a bridge too far, except maybe on power circuits.
AFM Racing
20. Ferrier 40.300
28. Eaves 40.548
Aggregate:
14. AFM 80.848
As the smallest team in the BTCC right now, and considering that they are running exactly the same cars they turned up with at Brands last year, Rick Kerry's team did surprisingly well at the test; the experienced pairing of Ferrier and Eaves managed to get both their cars into the top 30, and based on this pace the team would even stand some chance of making it onto a race grid, at least until other cars are further developed.
Special Tuning UK
5. Turkington 39.720
29. Forster 40.472
Aggregate:
=9. Special Tuning 80.192
A new entrant for 2010, Special Tuning UK and their unique LPG-powered Honda Accords have made a stunning start to their debut campaign, with shock signing Colin Turkington putting his car into 5th place, and Forster even setting sufficient pace to hope to qualify his Honda for races. It still seems unlikely that Turks will be able to challenge for either title in 2010 with this team, but it's a solid start and wins are certainly possible.
Not attending the test (but expected to join the series) are BTC Racing who have quiet as to their plans over the winter, and the new teams AmDTuning and Forster who are also yet to announce if or when they are joining the series, but are unlikely to be at Thruxton in April.
In case it is unclear, Tech-Speed, AFM, Eurotech and Boulevard will have to pre-qualify until after Oulton Park, where the list is recalculated.
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If not, no worries, I'm happy to sit on the waiting list.