v8 utes and britcar

[acorn]

i don't know if anyone else watched the latest installment of britcar on motors tv this week but i'm sure i heard them talking about 6.2litre v8 and showing a pic of a ute(possibly for 2011??).

i've tried to find more info on the britcar website but failed miserably.
as it's pickup related i was wondering if anyone on here might have heard anything.

perhaps i was imagining it.

[PitMarshal]

It was mentioned in the program for the 24hr race as part of the support package for next year, but I've heard no detail anywhere.

[107miler]

Wasn't Utes racing in this country mentioned in Autosport this week? Excuse my ignorance but isn't this really the same as Pick Ups?

[PitMarshal]

Yes and no. V8 Utes are V8 (obviously) and are based on road going models - sort of touring car pick-ups if you like. The UK pick-ups are a spaceframe tube chassis with a silhouette body and a four cylinder engine.

[107miler]

OK, but the point I'm trying to make is if we've got Pick Ups why do we need Utes? Surely better to put this initiative behind expanding and improving what we've already got - Pick Ups??

Anyone have any other thoughts?

[english4ever]

yep, about time they put a decent engine in a pickup. hope the series does well.

[racing59]

The V8Utes stuff is Mr Tucker's attempt to bring some exciting one-make racing to these shores, and as part of his package.
At £32000 to rent a car for the year (all running costs are borne by the hirer), my gut feeling is that it's far too expensive, though the 6 race entries are included in that, and that's 3 x 40minute races per meeting. For that kind of money, I'd rather buy the car, at least I'd have an asset at the end of it to recoup some expense if need be.
A race winning Holden VE Ute will run you to about AU$150000, compared to about AU$23000 for a road going version of a Holden VE-SS.

To my mind, it's GT money as I'd wager that you could run a Mosler GT3-Cup for similar money.