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So compared to a year whose stock has risen/fallen the most?
I'd have to put forward
Risen
Jason Plato - showed real maturity in title win
Tom Onslow-Cole - blew away Chilton in his own team
Gordon Shedden - faster than Neal, just a bit to inconsistent/unlucky
Andy Jordan - 2 wins after pretty disasterous 2009
Paul O'Neill - stepped up significantly this year
Fallen
Mat Jackson - disaster. 3 great years in Chevrolet & BMWs previous
James Nash - failed to show much of his 2009 form
Andrew Jordan's two wins, whilst impressive were both from the front. The rest of the season has shown that he is too easily bullied off the track by the others.
I have been impressed with John George's improvement relative to last year (interesting to watch how he shadowed Paul O'Neill in Saturday practice!)
I agree with the original post, possibly with the exception of the comment about Andrew Jordan's 2009. I thought he showed impressive pace then, even without winning a race. O'Neill was excellent this year, and the mention above of John George is also well-deserved, I feel.
Of those whose stock fell, yes, Jackson was very anonymous in 2010, but I got the feeling that this was in part down to the car rather than the driver. James Nash was very disappointing — I thought he did really well in the Chevy in 2009 as a rookie, and was unlucky with his exclusion from victory at Snetterton. This season, he showed none of that form. And personally I don't think 2010 did much for Alex MacDowall either. Yes, he was brilliant in qualifying, but he was poor in the races compared with other rookies we've seen who were able to combine both race and qualifying pace — like his team-mate in 1997, for instance.
The guys who impressed and didn't impress for me were:
Thumbs up...
> Paul O'Neill - Punched way above his weight all year and was unlucky to miss his home round at Oulton due to gearbox issues. Deserved to be higher up.
> John George - A really nice guy, great with the fans and deserved the few points he picked up this year. If he continues for next year then I think he should be in a good position to pick up points more regularly now that he'll have some newer machinery available to him.
> Fabrizio Giovanardi - Showed his true class in the one event he managed to do. He showed that the mix of Vectra and Italian hands are still very capable.
> Jason Plato - Definately calmed down a bit this season and finally managed to get his second title wrapped up. Helped this year by having a very good car but he was in the form of his life for much of the season.
> Steven Kane - Showed consistant pace at most circuits even when the BMW was struggling.
> Andy Jordan - Did well with the sometimes unreliable NGTC engine, well deserved the 2 wins but need to show better race craft next season.
> Martin Johnson, Matt Hamilton and James Kaye - I always have to admire the guys who have a low budget but still race because they want to. They all really deserved their 9th place finishes this season.
Thumbs down...
> Andy Neate - I know he's still probably recovering a bit from his crash in 2008 but I was expecting more from him this year. He only seemed to get TV coverage when he was driving into someone.
> Mat Jackson - Seems to have lost some of his BMW driving style that was seen in 2007/08. The Beemers struggled on a whole this year but he made too many mistakes for a driver of his calibre.
> James Nash - Had a car and team that was very capable of winning (as shown by Gio) but just didn't find any of his form seen in 2009. Throwing it away at Snetterton didn't help in a race that he could have won.
Btw, I'd just like to mention how much of a shame it is that after so many years, the Honda Integra and Vauxhall Astra Coupe have finally been phased out. They've been a force in the BTCC over the last decade and I'm sad to see them and their screaming engines go.
They were fantastic touring cars in their time - but it's not their time anymore. It's good that they finally gone as, in my opinion (with the Astra especially), they would damage the credibility of the BTCC had they been allowed to stay in any longer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurotech
Most impressed by:
TOC - for beating Chilton in Team Chilton
Most disappointed by:
Matt Jackson - for an average driver that performance would probably classed as solid. For a future champ in the making (judging by past seasons) it was a very poor year.
Much like Shedden beating Neal in Team Neal a few years back? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by wedge