Rob Collard turns his back on the BTCC....

[cpearson]

"Rob is a very quick driver and been around the BTCC for a long time"

yea he's been around fopr a while but he's hardly set the track alight when he was on the grid has he

Ed - not always no but he's had his fair share of very good races....but I suppose you could say that about quite a few of the drivers out there...

I feel that the flack he gets on here is unjustified and people are too quick to judge either a person or a situation without knowing the facts. Also a lot of people jump on the bandwagon for no reason.

Chris

[wedge]

There seem to be a few people ganging up on Rob here. It's true to say he has been involved with a few of the more controversial incidents in recent years and has overstepped the mark once or twice but he is by no means alone.

It wasn't too many years ago that JP was being slated for what happened with PB at the Snetterton night race and JP again with Yvan at Silverstone; PB and Steve Soper pretty much everywhere; Anthony Reid with Matt at Silverstone; Matt with Owy at Brands... they've all had their moments!

Anyhow - if it wasn't for those types of incidents now and then, there would be very little to talk about after some race weekends. Lets face it, we all want to see drivers go into safe battle in the BTCC. If people want to see gentlemen racing then I would recommend the Goodwood revival meeting.

Sorry to say it but good riddance.

It's guys out there like Rob who give BTCC a bad name, the naysayers who look down on the series and call it Premier League banger racing.

He wasn't the best of drivers out there, the likes of Matt Neal and Yvan Muller can easily be forgiven because they're quality drivers and Rob isn't in there league.

Yes, I do know there's contact involved but the difference is all too apparant at WSR. Collard still thinks he's racing stock cars, whereas Colin Turkington is probably the currently one of the best drivers out there pulling off the 'love-tap'/'bump n run' without wrecking a load of cars.

[edenrace]

You cannot justify intended contact if a driver is quick. Rob may not be as quick as Muller ,who gets paid a high retainer, but he does not intentionaly cause serious accident damage.If so he would be banned.Having run the WSR taem for the last part of the season I can assure you that Rob was no different to the majority of drivers . Sadly Rob cannot see the sense in paying large amounts of money to compete in the BTCC.

[MG2004]

If Rob won't be in the BTCC this year I am glad he will at least be at the meetings through the Porsche support races because he's one of the nicest drivers you could hope to meet in the paddock, always having time for a chat and a photo.

His results weren't great last year, but they weren't appalling either. I think the first meeting hanging over him for several months, including the legal wrangle over his transporter, took away some of his joy of competing in the BTCC and his results suffered as a result. I think the bully boy tactics of another team had a lot to do with Rob's loss of form after the first meeting.

I reckon that Fabrizio and Gordon both caused more damage last year than Rob, but they seem to get away with it. Colin had a bad season of results in 2005 but that is now forgotten because he bounced back so strongly last year. Rob's money probably kept WSR in BTCC in 2005 when he was their only driver. Certainly on the results of last year I am not surprised he was not retained by Team RAC, but I am saddened he couldn't find a drive elsewhere in BTCC.

I for one will miss having Rob in the BTCC, but I look forward to supporting him in the Porsches instead - finally gives me a reason to watch the Porsche races which up until now have just been "background noise" while I ate my lunch!

Good luck in whatever you drive in 2007 Rob.

[reidy_fan]

I cannot believe all the verbal that has been aimed at Rob on this thread, yes he did a bit of rubbing but dont a lot of drivers. I think he will be missed in the BTCC as he is one bloke that showed the true spirit of following the motorsport dream by buying an old astra, the buying a top drawer drive

good luck to you Rob wherever you may race

[KILOHMUNNS]

Didn't Anthony Reid have similar flack a couple of seasons ago from some quarters because of a few of his driving rubbings! That was unjustified as is the flack Rob is getting now

[Ed]

the only flack im giving rob was that he was slow, rubbing and panal bashing has always been part of the BTCC for many many years now

[tdb]

Ask Tom Chilton about the race in 05 where Rob won and tom came 2nd.

Tom will tell you, he had the better, quicker car, but could not get past Rob as he drove such a good race and deserved the win!

Also winning the independants trophy in the astra was not luck or even a top car.
It was down to Rob's ability behind the wheel!

And btw i am not a collard fan!

[SEATFreak]

Didn't Anthony Reid have similar flack a couple of seasons ago from some quarters because of a few of his driving rubbings! That was unjustified as is the flack Rob is getting now

Certainly to the point they physically threaten or verbally abuse Reidy it was.

Whilst Muller is known to have physically threatened Reidy when in parc ferme when he yanked at Reidy's helmet whilst still on, Neal is known to have done both and before the cameras at Silverstone when Neal pushed him and made an expletive. Even the much nicer Thommo is known to have done one of them when he verbally abused him by calling him a clown who ought to be juggling balls in a circus.

[jeremywhitmore]

Good to see the age old British tradition of building people up in order to knock them down is still thriving!!
Perhaps when views from people as respected as Edenrace (with all his years of sucess and experience) are ignored, you just have to accept the rights of armchair critics to have the opportunity to air their views in public is also a British tradition.
Whilst I think a lot of what has been written on this thread is utter nonsense, everyone on this forum has a right to a say. Maybe an idea not to appear to make comments appear so personal sometimes. I won't try to defend Rob on here, because he doesn't need to be defended. Rob is a personal friend who I have sponsored for 4 years now, and he is a top class act on and off the track. I am happy to continue my sponsorship, but both of us want Rob in a car capable of winning, and if that is not available currently in BTCC, we have to explore a number of other offers and option for 2007.