Media Day 2013

[Alfa Fan]

So with less than 36 hours to go, time to start this thread up!

Our host has their section online now at: BTCC 2013 - Media Launch @ Donington Park : 21st Mar 2013 : BTCCPages.com (http://www.btccpages.com/rounds/2013/Test-Sessions/72/)

So what are we expecting?

Capacity grid?
Balance between NGTC/S2000 entries?
New rules
Performance balancing
Boost levels

And on a more specific basis:

- Details on Motorbase's 2nd team of Liam Griffin in an S2000 Focus and the third NGTC Focus. Possible new sponsor? Driver of the other NGTC?
- New livery (red apparently) on the Eurotech cars, new sponsors? Will they both be in a "team" livery this year?
- Will we see the Team HARD VW? Probably not running but would be interesting to see car + livery. Also the two team names for the Vauxhall and VW squads should be revealed.
- 2nd Speedworks driver to partner Dave Newsham. It has looked like it will be Lea Wood, but other names are said to have been in contention. Contracts apparently signed this week. My bet is it is Lea.
- Have BTC placed an entry to the series? They say YES, but I'm not so sure I trust we'll see them on the list...
- Thorney's plans for 2013. Initially seemed very confident, but after missing reveal at Autosport International claimed all would be revealed at Media Day. Has intention of running two VXR-Rs, but members of the team have posted on Twitter there's nothing happening until mid-season at least...We shall see...
- How many entries AmD has placed. 1, 2 or even 3? The Golf for James Kaye is a certainty, but there has also been talk of them running a Ford Focus alongside it. And then there's the Astra project, which has gone very, very quiet. Shaun was asked about it on twitter last week and chose not to reply, which is unlike him...

All the speculation seems to be on there being very close to, maybe even reaching, a capacity grid for this year. I seriously doubt this.... BUT, if it is the case, then where does it leave the likes of ES Racing (hah!), the 3rd HARD Passat, etc unless these have been speculatively entered already? (ES sure hasn't...)

I'm expecting that the only "surprises" will be negatives ones (No Thorney, No BTC, 1 AMD car, no BMR Restart/Warren Scott).

[Alfa Fan]

Oh FFS, just after I clicked submit, go to btcc.net and the full story confirming Warren Scott is up, so scratch that doubt, and notch up the "me looking like an idiot" count by 1...

[tisme]

I really don't understand why you are SO negative about the BTCC????

Now I understand why this forum has so few contributors..

This section used to be a pleasure to visit..

[chris13]

Why are people doubting BTC racing there are pictures on twitter of the car taking shape and regular updates. I can understand Thornely maybe not being there but im sure BTC and Stocton will be. Also a friend has seen one of the Passats not sure if it was a runner but it has been seen in the flesh.

[Alfa Fan]

I really don't understand why you are SO negative about the BTCC????

Now I understand why this forum has so few contributors..

This section used to be a pleasure to visit..

I'd say its largely positive!

I'm doubting Stockton/BTC because frankly, if you read their twitter, they doubt themselves. They still don't have the money to run the car yet.

@teambtcracing (https://twitter.com/#%21/teambtcracing) Racetruck being used delivering @Ningbouk (https://twitter.com/#%21/Ningbouk) @ningbofrance (https://twitter.com/#%21/ningbofrance) furniture until needed for #btcc (https://twitter.com/search/?src=hash&q=%23btcc) later in the season.

Doesn't exactly fill you with confidence does it...

[chris13]

they did say the opening at brands would be a push.

[BDunnell]

I really don't understand why you are SO negative about the BTCC????

Now I understand why this forum has so few contributors..

This section used to be a pleasure to visit..

I don't think that's fair at all. The first post strikes me as eminently reasonable, with the caveat about Warren Scott — and isn't it the works Hondas that are meant to be going red, or have I mis-remembered that?

[BDunnell]

I'd say its largely positive!

I'm doubting Stockton/BTC because frankly, if you read their twitter, they doubt themselves. They still don't have the money to run the car yet.

@teambtcracing (https://twitter.com/#%21/teambtcracing) Racetruck being used delivering @Ningbouk (https://twitter.com/#%21/Ningbouk) @ningbofrance (https://twitter.com/#%21/ningbofrance) furniture until needed for #btcc (https://twitter.com/search/?src=hash&q=%23btcc) later in the season.

Doesn't exactly fill you with confidence does it...

Indeed — coupled with Iain's post in the other thread.

I'll say again that it will be a huge achievement if the majority of the Gilham cars are ready for the first meeting, let alone the media day. Same goes, I should think, for Neate's Chevy — at what state is that car? From the latest news, Stockton seems unlikely.

[Alfa Fan]

Motorsport News reporting capacity entry of 32 cars for this season.

[DazzlaF1]

Motorsport News reporting capacity entry of 32 cars for this season.

That sounds awesome, I think its roughly this

---NGTC CARS (26 ENTRIES)---
4 CARS - GILHAM/TEAM HARD: Tom Onslow-Cole, Howard Fuller, Jack Goff, James Cole (Robb Holland to replace Fuller for 2 races)
3 CARS - WEST SURREY: Colin Turkington, Rob Collard, Nick Foster
2 CARS - MOTORBASE: Mat Jackson, Aron Smith
2 CARS - HONDA RACING: Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal
2 CARS - MG: Jason Plato, Sam Tordoff
2 CARS - IP TECH: Andy Neate, ???
2 CARS - EUROTECH/PIRTEK: Andrew Jordan, Jeff Smith
2 CARS - SPEEDWORKS: Dave Newsham, ???
2 CARS - WIXRACING: Rob Austin, Will Bratt
1 CAR - AmD TUNING: ???
1 CAR - WELCH: Daniel Welch
1 CAR - BTC RACING: Chris Stockton
1 CAR - CICELEY: Adam Morgan
1 CAR - DYNOJET: Frank Wrathall

---S2000 CARS (5 ENTRIES)---
1 CAR - MOTORBASE: Liam Griffin
1 CAR - AmD TUNING: James Kaye
1 CAR - WELCH: David Nye
1 CAR - TECHSPEED/FINESSE: Joe Girling
1 CAR - BMR RESTART: Warren Scott

Now in that I count 31 cars, is there anyone im missing if Motorsport News are reporting 32?

[BDunnell]

Now in that I count 31 cars, is there anyone im missing if Motorsport News are reporting 32?

Third Motorbase NGTC Focus?

I think we can quite safely say that AmD's second car will not be NGTC, but an S2000 Focus. Is Andy Neate really going to be entering two cars?

[DazzlaF1]

Third Motorbase NGTC Focus?

I think we can quite safely say that AmD's second car will not be NGTC, but an S2000 Focus. Is Andy Neate really going to be entering two cars?

If you believe this article then yep, a 2nd car for later this year possibly

Two-Car Campaign for Neate (http://www.btcccrazy.co.uk/2013/02/12/two-car-campaign-for-neates-ip-tech/)

[BDunnell]

No Team HARD cars at the media day, it's been confirmed.

[Alfa Fan]

No Team HARD cars at the media day, it's been confirmed.

Where? Thats a serious joke.... It just makes no sense. None at all. Why deliberately miss the biggest pre-season event, and in doing so exclude yourself from so much media exposure over the season?

I wonder if any entries had to be turned away? Seems crazy that if was oversubscribed, that entries which are no where near ready will have been accepted into the series.

[Iain]

http://www.tonygilham.com/2013/03/hard-decision-taken/

[BDunnell]

Where? Thats a serious joke.... It just makes no sense. None at all. Why deliberately miss the biggest pre-season event, and in doing so exclude yourself from so much media exposure over the season?

Media day doesn't get a huge amount of coverage outside the specialist press any more, though, does it? I don't think it's too big a deal. Frankly, I'd have been amazed if they'd managed to get a car there.

[Alfa Fan]

Media day doesn't get a huge amount of coverage outside the specialist press any more, though, does it? I don't think it's too big a deal. Frankly, I'd have been amazed if they'd managed to get a car there.

No reason the Insignia's shouldn't be ready... No but if you consider a lot of the stock footage used for promoting the series, particularly at early rounds comes from media day, then.. Honestly i just smacks of the lack of professional this "Team HARD" was supposed to have, with all the hype, the endless drawn out driver announcements etc. They were using the phrase "Go HARD or go home" and they keep going home...

[BDunnell]

No reason the Insignia's shouldn't be ready... No but if you consider a lot of the stock footage used for promoting the series, particularly at early rounds comes from media day, then.. Honestly i just smacks of the lack of professional this "Team HARD" was supposed to have, with all the hype, the endless drawn out driver announcements etc. They were using the phrase "Go HARD or go home" and they keep going home...

I'll be more critical of the hype if the cars prove uncompetitive when they actually race, as opposed to not turning up to the media day.

[Alfa Fan]

Just done a quick count up and over 1/3 of the proposed grid is not yet ready to start the season, with just 8 days to go...

[Alfa Fan]

I'll be more critical of the hype if the cars prove uncompetitive when they actually race, as opposed to not turning up to the media day.

Team HARD is starting to remind me of JSM!

[Alfa Fan]

But putting all the negatives aside, I am REALLY looking forward to seeing the professional entries lined up tomorrow, the likes of the two 888 MGs in the new livery and seeing how Tordoff gets on this season, the brand new BMW from WSR, which I'm sure will be immaculately prepared and have a very successful debut next weekend, seeing Motorbase's professionally turned team, they always do a great job of looking the part and then actually delivering. Also looking forward to see the wixracing Audi's with Rob Austin, I hope both cars are liveried up with Wix sponsorship, will look great. And Eurotech always put on a good show too, heard their livery might be somewhat different this year. (Interesting to hear they have a 3-year deal tied up with Pirtek, which is almost unheard of in this series). Where it matters the series is looking the strongest in years, and come Brands will I really miss that there are no Team HARD VWs or no Thorney Insignia or no new Chevys? Probably not...

[BDunnell]

Also looking forward to see the wixracing Audi's with Rob Austin, I hope both cars are liveried up with Wix sponsorship, will look great.

According to info elsewhere, only Austin's will be in the Wix colours this season; Bratt's won't, though both cars (which have a significantly changed front-end aero package) will be entered under the Wix Racing banner.


And Eurotech always put on a good show too, heard their livery might be somewhat different this year.

Both cars are now in what looks like basically the same Pirtek livery as Jordan's wore last year, with yellow wheels on Jordan's and white on Smith's.

[MAX_THRUST]

This could be the best season ever. Can't wait.

[megadrive]

next seasone will be the best ^)