BTCC news.

[Rob]

Peak time TV for Rockingham
Fans planning to catch all the BTCC action from Rockingham via their TVs rather than trackside should note that ITV is making a small revision to its planned coverage.

Due to an altered commitment to its IPL coverage, the network will not now be screening the day's final BTCC race as it happens.

However, the good news is that ITV4 has scheduled an extra 90-minute special BTCC programme later in the same evening at the peak viewing time of 8.30pm. This programme will show all three BTCC races from the day and is sure to attract a bumper audience.

Best of all, fans going to Rockingham can watch all the televised action later in the same day - the best of both worlds!

So to re-cap ITV4's coverage on the day from Rockingham, that's live from 11.00am-3.15pm and then highlights from 8.30pm-10.00pm.

Of course, those wanting to follow the racing live and not able to travel to Rockingham can always keep bang up to date by logging into the BTCC's dedicated Twitter site www.twitter.com/dunlopbtcc or the live timing feed via links on this website.

[Greig]

Will see it live

[Rob]

Will see it live

you going aint you mate?

[Rob]

09/Apr/2010 'Next Generation Touring Car' gears up for 2011 debut
www.btcc.net

• Front and rear wheel drive confirmed
• Technical partners announced
• Programme on time and on budget
• Development car to debut at Brands Hatch season finale
• Images of NGTC car revealed



The organisers of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, the UK’s premier motor racing series, have confirmed more details covering the introduction of new, low-cost technical regulations for 2011 and beyond.

Last year TOCA announced the introduction of the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) featuring the use of some common components such as electronics, brakes, gearboxes and suspension to make significant savings to both development and running costs. A new budget-conscious turbo-charged two-litre engine specification was also announced and has already made an excellent competition debut.

Cars conforming to the NGTC specification will be eligible for the BTCC from the start of next season – there will be performance parity with the current S2000 cars until 2013, after which time the performance level of the NGTC car will be further increased.

TOCA has now confirmed that both front and rear wheel drive formats will be permitted under the 2011+ NGTC technical regulations - in accordance with the drivetrain used on the model on which the race car is based. TOCA has also confirmed that the regulations will adopt the use of front and rear sub-frames with double wishbone suspension all-round, as originally envisaged.

GPR Motorsport* has been commissioned to carry out the design, validation, prototype manufacture and testing programme for the new subframe/suspension assemblies. GPR will be the nominated supplier of those suspension subframes and associated assembly components, while TOCA has also appointed the following major control component suppliers as its Technical Partners: Xtrac, AP Racing and Cosworth Electronics.

A full detailed design for both FWD and RWD drivetrain layouts will be carried out using CAD (Computer Aided Design) technology supported by a physical vehicle buck, to validate the component designs and system packaging. A technical working group comprising representatives of the teams, suppliers, GPR and TOCA will regularly meet to provide input throughout the design process.

A prototype NGTC car will be built and undergo a comprehensive track-testing programme to validate and demonstrate the reliability, integrity and performance of the design and assemblies. This car will also take part in the official BTCC practice sessions at the Brands Hatch final round.

At the conclusion of this development/testing process, early October 2010, teams planning to build NGTC for the 2011 BTCC will be provided with all the drawings and data for the mandated component assemblies - thus enabling teams to more easily and effectively design and build their own cars to incorporate those specified components.

Thereafter GPR will be providing on-going technical assistance and will support competitors at all future BTCC rounds and official test days, providing sufficient stock of the suspension components, sub-frames and assemblies – further reducing the need for teams to tie-up their own capital in major parts stock.

“Tremendous progress has been made and we are right on schedule. Its genuinely exciting to see how the car is developing - it will be a fantastic piece of kit!” said Alan Gow, BTCC Series Director.

“At the culmination of the design & development program, our teams will have a comprehensive package of component assemblies around which they can more easily build, individualise and develop their own chosen car. And at around £100k, plus engine, they will then have a better car – which is easier to maintain and has greater performance potential - at about half the cost of a current one. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

“After we released details of the NGTC program last year, I stated that we would revisit the question of incorporating rear-wheel drive in the regulations if there was enough interest or commitment from teams and manufacturers of rear-wheel drive cars to support it. Having now had those discussions, I’m confident that there is and so we have now included it.”

“As these NGTC technical regulations provide a much more cost-effective opportunity for teams to compete in Britain’s biggest motor-racing championship, I’ve no doubt that the BTCC ambitions of many new drivers and teams will now be realised.”

Based on the established dimensions and specifications, attached are renditions of a car designed to the BTCC-NGTC regulations.

NGTC - OUTLINE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Engine:
• 300+bhp 2-litre turbo-charged direct-injection engine with ‘fly by wire’ throttle control.
• Low cost to develop, build, buy and maintain – either by teams and/or race engine-builders developing their own, or through lease/purchase of the TOCA-BTCC engine
• Engine can be sourced from a manufacturers broad ‘family’ range, including subsidiary marques under their effective control.
• Over-boost function and increased power output from 2013.

Drivetrain:
• Xtrac 6 speed sequential-shift gearbox.
• AP Racing carbon clutch.
• Drive-train layout (i.e. front or rear wheel drive) as per base vehicle.

Suspension:
• Full front sub-frame incorporating suspension, brakes, transmission and engine location that attaches to specified roll cage locations. Multi-adjustable double wishbone suspension with coil-over dampers.
• Rear sub-frame that attaches to specified roll cage locations. Multi-adjustable double wishbone suspension with coil-over dampers.

Bodyshell:
• 2,3,4 or 5 door of a minimum 4.4m length. (2 or 3 door cars must share the same basic body profile as the 4/5 door model).
• Equalised width of 1875mm
• Specified front aerodynamic device incorporating flat floor, apertures for radiator, brake cooling ducts, intercooler and side exits.
• Specified rear wing profile
• Stylised front & rear wheel-arch extensions.
• Increased driver protection
• Side exhaust permitted
• 80 litre fuel tank
• Base vehicle must be freely on sale in the UK through the manufacturers normal dealer network
• Base vehicle weights, for front and rear-wheel drive, to be determined.

Wheels/Tyres:
• Specified 18” centre-lock wheel
• Dunlop: 245 x 650 x R18

Brakes:
• AP Racing specified package
• AP Racing specified pedal-box

Electronics:
• Cosworth Electronics specified package incorporating ECU, dash, data-logging and scrutineering logger.
• Data channels limited to 16.
• Common power management box and switch panels
• Common wiring loom design

Target Price:
Complete car, less engine: £100,000*
Engine: £25,000
* 5-10% price-shift possible, depending on final components used by each team

Introduction:
Eligible from 2011.
Performance parity will be maintained with current S2000 cars until 2013, after which time the performance level of the NGTC car will be increased.

*GPR Motorsport is a motor-sport engineering and manufacturing company, headed by Gary Blackham and Roger King, based near Buckingham. It has a wealth of experience in Touring Car racing, both with manufacturer and independent teams in the BTCC and other Touring Car series such as SCCA. This experience has been gained with teams including Audi, Ford, TWR, BMW and Vauxhall. GPR has extensive experience in the design and manufacture of complex frame and suspension systems, as demonstrated in recent projects such as the Jaguar GT3, JCB DieselMax and Peugeot XVR8. In-house capabilities include CAD design, engineering, machining, fabrication, manufacturing, vehicle assembly, vehicle set-up and testing.

[Greig]

you going aint you mate?

Yeah me and my Julie gonna cheer for Gio if he is still around

[Julie B]

Yeah me and my Julie gonna cheer for Gio if he is still around

I won't be cheering for Gio

[Greig]

You won't be going then

[Rob]

I won't be cheering for Gio

and whats wrong with Gio? Im not going, bit gutted. Snetterton and hopefully, fingers crossed Brands

[Greig]

Don't worry Rob, Julie just likes to be awkward and pick the opposite driver that I like

[Julie B]

Don't worry Rob, Julie just likes to be awkward and pick the opposite driver that I like

[Rob]

Don't worry Rob, Julie just likes to be awkward and pick the opposite driver that I like

let me think Julie Matt Neal??

[Greig]

See what I have to put up with

[Tifosi]

let me think Julie Matt Neal??

Where's the *vomit* smilie when you need it?

[Julie B]

Where's the *vomit* smilie when you need it?

Noooooo don't really like him not too sure yet who I'm supporting

[Tifosi]

Noooooo don't really like him not too sure yet who I'm supporting

I assumed you'd be after Paul O'Neill Jules. He's not quite as Irish as Turkers (Irish parents though) but he is the half-brother of Mel C, so....... err.... maybe not!

Steven Kane's legit!

[Julie B]

From Autosport

James Nash will replace current points leader Fabrizio Giovanardi at Triple 8 Engineering for the rest of the British Touring Car Championship season.

Nash, 24, made a number of appearances in an RML Chevrolet last season and scored a best finish of third at Silverstone.

"Missing the first race of the season obviously means I'll be playing catch-up, but I'm looking forward to racing at the front end and making a fight for the championship," he said.

Giovanardi, who currently leads the championship following a double win at the season-opening round at Thruxton, is understood to be chasing a drive in other championships. His last minute deal with Triple 8 for Thruxton was always billed as potentially a one-off outing.

The announcement means that next weekend's Rockingham races will be the first since 1992 not to feature a foreign driver.

[Greig]

crap lol

[Tifosi]

Bugger

[Julie B]

Well no rain yet, hope its a good day's racing at Rockingham

[Rob]

Neal romps to race 1 win www.btcc.net

Matt Neal romped to an easy victory in the first Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Rockingham that was decided by tyre choice on a damp but drying track surface.

Former double champion Neal took the lead at the start in his Honda Civic and from there quickly drew clear as his rivals fought among themselves for his third career race win at Rockingham.

Coming through to finish second was his team-mate Gordon Shedden to give the Honda Racing Team a dream 1-2 result. After a tangle at the start, Jason Plato finished third in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze – his and Shedden’s cars, like Neal’s, fully fitted with slick tyres. As a result, Plato has taken over the championship lead from the absent Fabrizio Giovanardi with today’s second and third races still to go.

However, it took seven laps for Shedden and Plato to establish themselves in second and third, each needing to pick his way past a number of drivers who, thanks to a mixture of slick and wet weather tyres on their cars, were quick in the opening the stages but then started to fade.

Team Aon Ford Focus drivers Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole and Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan all held second place at some point in the early laps before falling back. Chilton, who’d started from pole position in his LPG-powered car, would require a pit stop to change his car’s tyres and disappointedly finished outside the points.

In the end, fourth, fifth and sixth spots were filled by three more ‘all-slick’ drivers, namely the excellent Tom Boardman in his Special Tuning UK SEAT Leon, Airwaves BMW’s Steven Kane and Paul O’Neill, in his Sunshine.co.uk/Tech-Speed Honda Integra.

Jordan took seventh after passing Onslow-Cole at the Tarzan hairpin on the final lap. Chilton looked to be set for tenth until he, too, was passed on the final lap – in fact at the very last bend – by Robert Collard’s WSR BMW that had also needed to pit for slick tyres. Collard set the race's fastest lap during his drive back through the order...

Ahead of these two, however, and causing the biggest shock of the race, thanks to another nifty tyre choice, was Martin Johnson – a hugely popular career-best ninth in his tiny Boulevard team’s ten-year-old Boulevard Vauxhall Astra. This was despite being knocked into a spin on the opening lap and then, later, his car's fifth gear breaking!

Plato’s young team-mate Alex MacDowall, who’d started a superb third on the grid, also struggled with a mixture of slick and wet weather tyres and was therefore back in 12th. Airwaves’ Mat Jackson, whose BMW started with wet weather tyres all-round, was down in 13th. He remains third in the standings but has now been joined on points by Neal and O’Neill.

The remainder of the 18 finishers – headed by Shaun Hollamby’s AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf – also all required tyre change pit stops. Among them was Arthur Forster, 17th on his BTCC debut in his Forster Motorsport BMW having briefly been on the fringes of a top ten finish before his wet weather tyres expired in the drying conditions.

BTCC returnee James Nash – very much a fancied front-runner here in Uniq Racing with Triple Eight’s Vauxhall Vectra – and WSR BMW driver Andy Neate both retired from the race after their cars collided, Neate having run into Nash after a brush with Matt Hamilton's TH Motorsport Honda Civic Type R.

[Rob]

Plato gives Cruze 1st win www.btcc.net


Jason Plato just fended off Robert Collard to win today’s second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Rockingham – and give Chevrolet’s Cruze model its first victory in the BTCC.

A perfectly judged getaway allowed Silverline Chevrolet driver Plato to shoot through from third to first at the start and from there he would lead all the way. But in the closing stages Collard closed on him dramatically in his WSR BMW and at the line there was less than half a second between them.

Finishing third after running second for much of the race was Airwaves BMW’s Steven Kane.

Collard’s drive to second was truly mesmeric. He started only tenth, but by lap two was already up to fifth. On lap five he overtook Matt Neal’s Honda Civic into the Deene hairpin and on lap eight that became third as he slipped inside Andrew Jordan’s Vauxhall Vectra at Pif Paf. On lap 12 he was then into second as Kane, pushing on to try and catch Plato, ran wide at Deene.

Still there was work to be done but in one lap he took a second out of Plato to start the final lap some 7/10ths behind. When Plato appeared to struggle for grip through the Tarzan hairpin, Collard closed right in to give himself a chance of passing Plato into the final bend.

Indeed, as they negotiated the corner there was light contact between their cars as Collard looked for a way by, but Plato held on for what is his 54th race win in the BTCC. With an extra point for setting the fastest lap, he has extended his lead in the championship, although will start race three from ninth following the reverse grid draw and with maximum ballast in his Cruze.

Fourth – making it three BMWs in a row – was Airwaves BMW’s Mat Jackson, like Collard having come through the order, this time from 13th. Pirtek Racing’s Jordan ended up a lonely fifth, safe from a mighty scrap behind which eventually fell the way of Tom Chilton who was followed in seventh by Team Aon Ford Focus team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole. Eighth was Paul O’Neill’s Sunshine.co.uk/Tech-Speed Honda Integra and ninth, having held off this trio for much of the race, Matt Neal’s Honda Racing Team Honda Civic – laden with the maximum success ballast of 45kgs after its win in race one and, as a result, now struggling for pace. Ninth, though, has given him pole position for the start of race three - when his car will be ballast-free.

Team-mate Gordon Shedden, second in race one, was similarly affected and ultimately slipped to 13th behind James Nash’s Uniq Racing with Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra, Andy Neate’s WSR BMW and Alex MacDowall’s Silverline Chevrolet Cruze. Notably, Nash took tenth spot after a lengthy battle with Tom Boardman’s Special Tuning UK SEAT Leon which ended with them tangling and Boardman’s car sliding into a barrier.

Having finished a career-best ninth in race one, Martin Johnson again starred until a clash with MacDowall dropped his Boulevard Vauxhall Astra down to 15th – although he still set a fastest race lap only just over a second off Plato’s best!

In addition to Boardman, O’Neill’s team-mate John George and Shaun Hollamby’s AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf were retirements, the latter being tipped into a spin on lap one from which it crawled back to the pit lane.

[Rob]

Neal adds 2nd win in race 3 www.btcc.net


Matt Neal has won for the second time today in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's third race at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire.

Former double champion Neal led every lap of the race in his Honda Racing Team Honda Civic to finish more than five seconds clear of the opposition and add to his victory from race one earlier in the day.

Paul O’Neill finished second in his Honda Integra to give the Sunshine.co.uk/Tech-Speed team its best ever result in the BTCC to date while Steven Kane took third for Airwaves BMW.

Neal looked to have given away his pole position advantage at the start of the race as Tom Onslow-Cole’s Team Aon Ford Focus ST got the better of him into Turn One. But further round the lap, into the Tarzan hairpin, Neal quickly re-asserted himself at the front and from there rapidly built up a lead.

Behind there was chaos as Alex MacDowall (Silverline Chevrolet) and David Pinkney (Pinkney Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra) both retired following collisions. And there was further drama at the Short Link corner, as Tom Chilton (Aon Ford) and Mat Jackson (Airwaves BMW) both went spinning off the track, also into retirement.

The race then progressed in a much more orderly fashion until the final five laps when there was further re-shuffling of the order behind Neal. Onslow-Cole had held on to second since the opening lap but on lap 12 he succumbed to O’Neill as they exited Yentwood. On the same lap, Robert Collard (WSR BMW) passed James Nash (Uniq Racing with Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra) for eighth into the final corner and suddenly the chase was on – could he catch the group ahead of him, now led by Onslow-Cole, fighting it out for third?

By the final two laps he was right with them but the driver to lose out was Onslow-Cole when he ran wide at the Deene hairpin. Instantly he was down to seventh as the following Kane, Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Vauxhall Vectra), Jason Plato (Silverline Chevrolet Cruze) and Collard all filed past, this remaining the order to the finish (Kane had spent many laps looking for a way past Jordan and it took until Short Link on the penultimate lap before his persistence finally paid off).

As a result, Plato remains in charge at the top of the points table as the BTCC next heads to the spectacular Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in just seven days time (Sunday 2 May), but Neal is now up to second with Kane in third.

Meanwhile, Nash finished the race in eighth followed by Andy Neate – a career-best ninth in his WSR BMW – and Tom Boardman’s Special Tuning UK SEAT Leon. Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden had looked to be on for a top ten finish but he also retired when his Honda nose-dived into the barriers following a clash with Collard.

[Rob]

ROCKINGHAM RACE ROUND-UP www.btcc.net

Arch rivals Matt Neal and Jason Plato shared the wins in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Rockingham. Neal won both races one and three in his Honda Racing Team Honda Civic but it is Plato, victorious in race two in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze, who leaves Northamptonshire leading the standings from Neal as the BTCC now heads to the world-famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent in just seven days time (Sunday 2 May) for its third round out of ten in 2010.

Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006, was suitably overjoyed with his performances. Not only has he made up some of the ground he lost to Plato in Thruxton’s opening round earlier this month, he’s also achieved a double victory – the last time he did that was almost four years ago to the day in April 2006.

And his day could not have started any better – he won by the crushing margin of more than eight seconds, while team-mate Gordon Shedden followed him across the line in second to give the Honda Racing Team a dream 1-2 result.

“I am overjoyed,” said the Worcestershire driver. “In one day I’ve just doubled my wins tally for the last two years! Race one was just perfect as we’d gone for slick tyres all-round on a damp but drying track – I had no-one in my mirrors at the end of lap one and I needed no second invitation. The Civic again was terrific in race three and helped me make the break – it was vital we capitalised in that one, with Jason starting further back on the reversed grid. We’ll both go into qualifying and race one at Brands with a lot of success ballast in our cars so it’ll be difficult doing this again, particularly as there are a lot of other very strong car-driver combinations out there.”

Oxford-based Plato, hoping this year to add to his BTCC title of 2001, was satisfied with his days work but says his team needs to keep pushing development of its Cruze. Notably, his victory in race two was the 54th of his BTCC career and also the first for Chevrolet’s Cruze model in the championship, although he only just managed it after a determined late charge from Robert Collard’s WSR BMW.

Plato commented: “We’ve had a good day, but we need to sit down and do some more thinking to get just that bit more out of the car. The Cruze is still new to the BTCC so we’re still finding out what makes it tick and the opposition today – not just the Hondas but the Fords and BMWs – have clearly demonstrated they are very strong. Still, we’re enjoying a very good start to the season which is what we wanted and I had a great day on the Brands GP track last year with all three wins in one day. Whether I can do that again in next weekend we’ll see…”

Elsewhere, there were huge cheers in the Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport team as Paul O’Neill gave Marvin Humphries’ squad a best-ever second place finish behind Neal in race three. Furthermore, leaving Rockingham, he has taken over the lead of the Independent Drivers’ championship. Airwaves BMW driver Steven Kane is a happy man as well after third-place finishes in races two and three today have elevated him to third behind Plato and Neal in the outright title race.

Meanwhile, Chevrolet/RML retains its lead in the Manufacturer/Constructor table as does Airwaves BMW in the HiQ Teams’ Championship, although remains hotly pursued by both the Silverline Chevrolet and Honda Racing Team outfits. Airwaves has also taken over at the top of the Independent Teams’ standings from Sunshine.co.uk.

[Julie B]

Just back, good day out but Rockingham is as poor track to watch racing, good view but you feel detatched from the racing compared to the older tracks !

[Rob]

I never been there. The stands look big!!! can you see all track? Looked like you could but, as you say Julie not close to action when they go round track.

[Greig]

Stands are big but miles away from the action, poor place to watch BTCC

[Greig]

http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=140553

go to 17m 33 secs to see me lurking behind Louise

[Tifosi]

http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=140553

go to 17m 33 secs to see me lurking behind Louise

My claim to fame at touring cars is following Tim Harvey into the loos at Oulton Park but I don't talk about that much.

[Ste]

My claim to fame at touring cars is following Tim Harvey into the loos at Oulton Park but I don't talk about that much.

My sister used to go out with his Nephew

[Julie B]

You can see Greig stealing all the airtime whilst I only get a mlilisecond pfffft