BTCC Silverstone 2011 - the Finale!

[Allyc85]

So whos your money on for the title?

I want Shedden to win it, but I just get the feeling that somehow Plato will sneak it!

[MG CHRIS]

Its a tight call but my head says neal but my heart says jackson with the top 3 having contact between them due to battling to hard.

Great news to also have another car on the grid with throney motorsport with the insgnia and a welcome return for james thompson in the 3rd motorbase focus should be a cracking weekend of racing.

[Allyc85]

Great to see you on here chap :)

Its certainly going to be anything but dull isnt it, I can imagine tempers flaring well before the end of the day!

[MG CHRIS]

Well i thought i better join up. Intresing a post on pH has got a picture of 3 honda civics with the 3rd car being number 00 muller so could be a 31 cars for the final.

[m0rk]

Well i thought i better join up. Intresing a post on pH has got a picture of 3 honda civics with the 3rd car being number 00 muller so could be a 31 cars for the final.

Except that:

1) it's a road car with stickers, a roll cage & 3 doors
2) the 'muller' is a photoshop

[MG CHRIS]

I did notice that after i posted it good wind up mind

[mattie007]

Hoping it will be Sheddon as im bored of Plato moaning or saying he has no chance of the title to make Toca reduce the turbo boost!

[MrJan]

I dislike Shedden intently after the way he barged Boardman around at Brands at the start of the season. Plato is aggressive but at least he normally gets his nose as far as the rear 3/4 before pushing people out of the way, Shedden just kept nudging people from the rear so that they understeered off.

[Allyc85]

Fp1 has just finished and Chilton was fastest with 3 Fords seeming to show what a power track this is.

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Tom Chilton Ford 59.900s 16
2. Mat Jackson Ford 59.927s + 0.027 25
3. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 1m00.021s + 0.121 25
4. Matt Neal Honda 1m00.041s + 0.141 24
5. James Nash Vauxhall 1m00.063s + 0.163 25
6. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m00.160s + 0.260 30
7. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m00.177s + 0.277 18
8. Andy Neate Ford 1m00.191s + 0.291 25
9. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m00.299s + 0.399 24
10. Dave Newsham SEAT 1m00.339s + 0.439 28
11. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m00.395s + 0.495 23
12. Frank Wrathall Toyota 1m00.421s + 0.521 25
13. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m00.604s + 0.704 21
14. Ollie Jackson Vauxhall 1m00.652s + 0.752 28
15. Rob Collard BMW 1m00.705s + 0.805 27
16. Jeff Smith Vauxhall 1m00.705s + 0.805 25
17. Paul O'Neill Chevrolet 1m00.808s + 0.908 24
18. James Thompson Ford 1m00.849s + 0.949 23
19. Daniel Welch Proton 1m01.093s + 1.193 21
20. Liam Griffin Ford 1m01.129s + 1.229 29
21. Nick Foster BMW 1m01.441s + 1.541 27
22. John George Chevrolet 1m01.531s + 1.631 27
23. Martin Byford Volkswagen 1m01.574s + 1.674 21
24. Tony Gilham BMW 1m01.642s + 1.742 26
25. Rob Austin Audi 1m01.780s + 1.880 22
26. Lea Wood Honda 1m02.189s + 2.289 29
27. Chris James Chevrolet 1m02.401s + 2.501 24
28. Tony Hughes Toyota 1m02.820s + 2.920 18
29. Chris Swanwick Audi 1

Unfortunately the Insignia didnt get out, but they are hoping to have it running in a later session.

[BDunnell]

Practice times from both sessions are interesting. The non-turbo cars are absolutely nowhere in FP2. Even Liam Griffin was quicker in the second session than MacDowall and the BMWs.

[christophulus]

Anyone having trouble watching the quali stream online?

[Sarah]

Had to reload it once half way through other than that OK. Good quali session

[VkmSpouge]

Very good qualifying session. Matt Neal getting that crucial pole position. Should be some good racing tomorrow.

[Allyc85]

Wow, you would never have thought today was the championship decider seeing how dead it is on here!

The races wernt the best and a bit processional, but fair play to Mat Neal on taking this years crown :)

[F1boat]

I am very happy that Neal won after all the whining from Plato and, of course, because he is a great driver!

[MG CHRIS]

well desrved champion but thought sheddan would of raced neal a bit more he just seemes scared of hitting neal. I see on ph theres the constant bitching about plato.

I think the racing was better further down the field but the camers didn't pick up on it as they were focusing on the front.

Roll on 2012.

[christophulus]

Not a patch on the 2009 finale, I think I stopped breathing for most of that race!

Congratulations Neal and Honda, they had the best package this year. I'm looking forward to a bit more action next year, when I hope most teams are going for the same spec of NGTC cars.

Massive plus to see nearly 30 cars on the grid though, the series is far from dead :up:

[Bezza]

I can't believe a driver as poor as Matt neal is a three time champion.

Daddies help paying off.

Shedden no bottle to not even have a go

The end of a poor season.

[MrJan]

What a crap day, I really can't understand why they use that **** layout at Silverstone. Does the Abbey hairpin/Bridge corner track no longer exist? Because it's much better. It was also clearly a turbo track. I'm not complaining that there are tracks which favour one type of engine over the other (because that works both ways) just that we've been to tracks that are far more even and that would've made for a more interesting showdown. As it was Plato was so far behind the Hondas that it was basically sorted in qualy.

Ginetta juniors were great though, some superb racing and just a shame that Gamble sort of spoilt the end :(

[Allyc85]

The international layout is no more unfortunately, but there is the Silverstone South layout which uses the new pits which would have been a much better circuit to use than yesterdays!

Im guessing that Silverstone want more money for championships to use the new pits as from what ive seen from the BSB there the other week they also used the old garages that get so much criticism.

[tintin]

The international layout is no more unfortunately, but there is the Silverstone South layout which uses the new pits which would have been a much better circuit to use than yesterdays!

Im guessing that Silverstone want more money for championships to use the new pits as from what ive seen from the BSB there the other week they also used the old garages that get so much criticism.

The South Circuit doesn't have enough paddock space to host an event as big as BTCC. In fact it doesn't even come close. You could probably have squeezed in the BTCC and one of the larger support races (or two small ones), but certainly not all five support races.

[Iain]

What a crap day, I really can't understand why they use that **** layout at Silverstone. Does the Abbey hairpin/Bridge corner track no longer exist? Because it's much better. It was also clearly a turbo track. I'm not complaining that there are tracks which favour one type of engine over the other (because that works both ways) just that we've been to tracks that are far more even and that would've made for a more interesting showdown. As it was Plato was so far behind the Hondas that it was basically sorted in qualy.

Ginetta juniors were great though, some superb racing and just a shame that Gamble sort of spoilt the end :(

There's a slightly different version of the National they could use, where it goes on to where I think the International circuit turned right, and becomes a right hairpin, which then joins onto the new F1 loop and then down the Wellington straight. It'd add another couple of corners without drastically increasing the lap times.

[Allyc85]

The South Circuit doesn't have enough paddock space to host an event as big as BTCC. In fact it doesn't even come close. You could probably have squeezed in the BTCC and one of the larger support races (or two small ones), but certainly not all five support races.

Ah yea thats a fair point actually, I did read that at the F1 event teams in gp3 etc had to move all their stuff from the old pits to the new for the races!

[Tixy54]

Funny ol' thing in race three, turbo car leads, chevvy cruise can't catch it, however, turbo cars behind chevvy aren't making any progress. Could it be they don't want to catch up and get punted off?

[Wasted Talent]

Even after a number of boost reductions and weight increases over the season the Hondas were still able to dominate the non-turbo cars at Silverstone - imagine how far ahead they would have been if things had been left as they were at the start of the year?!

WT

[BDunnell]

Even after a number of boost reductions and weight increases over the season the Hondas were still able to dominate the non-turbo cars at Silverstone - imagine how far ahead they would have been if things had been left as they were at the start of the year?!

WT

Indeed. It's also why I feel it was only right for a Honda driver — I didn't mind which — to win the title, because they quite simply produced by far the best package of all the turbo runners.

[F1boat]

Indeed. It's also why I feel it was only right for a Honda driver — I didn't mind which — to win the title, because they quite simply produced by far the best package of all the turbo runners.

+1

[Tixy54]

Indeed. It's also why I feel it was only right for a Honda driver — I didn't mind which — to win the title, because they quite simply produced by far the best package of all the turbo runners.

Superior engineering skills

[wedge]

Team Dynamics are consistently one of the best teams in BTCC and its no surprise.

As long as you keep the same team personnel: you can change the car but not the brains.