BTCC End of 2012 Season News
After an exciting 2012 season, ESM’s BTCC Correspondent brings you a round-up of all the news, rumours and seat-swapping that has happened so far. So, what does he have to offer you? Read on:
It’s been a few months since the end of another dramatic season in the BTCC, which culminated in Gordon Shedden winning his first BTCC drivers’ crown. The teams, and TOCA, have naturally been busy in preparing for the season ahead; starting at Brands Hatch on the weekend of March 30th/31st.
Some of the most exciting close season news comes from Team HARD, who had been running Honda Civics throughout 2012. However, in quite a change of tact, the team will be fielding not only two Vauxhall Insignias next season but also two VW Passat CCs! Quite exciting, I’m sure you’ll agree. Team HARD have also secured the services of Tom Onslow-Cole from WSR in a shock three-year deal, which is quite some statement of intent. Onslow-Cole has proved himself to be an excellent driver in recent seasons and I’m sure Team HARD will be hoping his progress continues over the next three years. This will be one to one watch in the 2013 season.
Artist’s impression of Team HARD’s VW Passat CC for next season. (Courtesy of btcc.net)
Team HARD have also decided to give a BTCC chance to Renault Clio Cup champion Jack Goff, who had been testing with the team over the winter. All the best to Jack for the forthcoming season. I assume Tony Gilham will be taking one of the other remaining seats with the team leaving one spot still to be filled. Last season, the team chopped and changed their second driver so it remains to be seen who will complete their 2013 driver line-up.
One man, who will not be in the Team HARD seat next season, will be Dave Newsham who has completed a surprising move from ES Racing to Speedworks. There is little doubt that Newsham extracted the best from the trusty old Vectra and I thought he would have stayed there to give it another go next season, but he has opted join the NGTC Speedworks team to race a Toyota Avensis. Tony Hughes has certainly struggled to get the best out of the car, something highlighted by Paul O’Neill’s efforts at Knockhill in particular, when he was a guest driver. With Speedworks signing up Newsham, I expect to see the Avensis in the top 10 on a regular basis next season and possibly pushing for a win, especially in the reverse grid race.
Speedworks seem to be intent on running 2 cars next season, but who will join Newsham currently seems to be a mystery. The team have had Lea Wood, Sam Tordoff and Carl Boardley all testing the Avensis in the close season so one of these chaps could yet pop up in the second car.
Newsham’s departure from ES Racing obviously leaves a seat to be filled alongside Chris James for next season. The team have had Chris Knox testing last season’s car over the winter, but it remains to be seen whether he gets the nod for the season ahead.
Another man looking for a drive in the 2013 is Andy Neate following his early departure from Triple Eight/MG. Neate rarely impressed in the MG alongside Jason Plato last season; in-fact Neate has rarely impressed in any BTCC car in three years!
Three men who have been confirmed for next season are this year’s champion, Gordon Shedden at Honda Yuasa Racing alongside Matt Neal, and Adam Morgan who will continue in his Toyota Avensis, albeit now run by his own team, Cicley Racing.
Some interesting team news sees WSR eBay Motors remaining in BTCC with their BMWs, except they are changing to a 1-Series M-Sport version after 6 seasons with the successful BMW 320si models. The highlight of this car clearly came in 2009 when Colin Turkington won the BTCC drivers’ title. It’s a real shame we’ve never seen him since, apart from the occasional drive in the WTCC. It would be great to welcome him back in 2013. This could be a possibility following some hints during interviews last season and there is obviously a seat to be filled at WSR following Onslow-Cole’s departure.
A car that could be making a welcome return next season is the Chevrolet Cruze in NGTC specification with Tech-Speed Motorsport. The team have been testing the Cruze over the winter with the hope of it being ready for the new season.
TOCA have decided to spice things up next season before the race action has even begun on each race weekend, with Thruxton being the only exception. Drivers will be allowed to choose one set of special extra soft tyres allowing more grip throughout the race before qualifying has started on a Saturday. The drivers will be allowed to use the tyres in race 1, 2 or 3 on a Sunday but will have to nominate the race they have chosen pre-qualifying. Exciting times!
Finally, TOCA have also decided to employ a ‘three strikes’ strategy next season. Any driver who receives three warnings throughout the season will automatically have a 6-place grid penalty for the next available race plus any other penalty that is imposed. This news will certainly have grabbed the attention of some drivers more than others!
We continue to look forward to the start of the new BTCC season here at ESM; more news will follow in due course.
From ESM's BTCC Correspondent
EngageSportMode is committed to bringing you more regular BTCC news and updates throughout the close season, in the run up to the first 2013 round in March. ESM will also be attending various rounds to bring you photos and reports from the frontline, along with the learned opinion of our own correspondent.
BTCC Week – More ESM at Oulton Park
With the sun burn now slowly (and painfully) turning to a rich golden brown, it’s time for Engage Sport Mode to reflect on just what happened at Oulton Park yesterday.
The 2.26 mile Cheshire Circuit played host to rounds 10, 11 and 12 of this year’s British Touring Car Championship. The Yuasa Hondas of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden look to be the cars to beat this season, with convincing performances in the previous rounds. Admittedly, ESM fell out of love with the BTCC a number of years ago (to be discussed later in the week) and was very much there for a good time, rather than as a die-hard fan.
As a result, the pictures you see below cover a variety of on and off track entertainment, including 2010 champion Jason Plato eating a burger. All the photos below were taken in an amateur style on a iPhone 4. I do not profess to be a professional photographer, nor do I particularly aspire to be one. ESM took along its “roving photographer” for the proper pics, also to be featured later in the week. Enjoy:
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- Somewhere on the M62
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- No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is an orange Audi Q7.
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- ESM’s fearless roving photographer and driver for the day. Two hands on the wheel of course.
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- Entering Oulton Park.
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- Team truck for a certain large nosed racing driver.
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- 6.2 litre V8. Can you tell what it is yet?
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- Of course, it’s a Vauxhall (Holden) VXR8 (GTS).
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- The MG stand proving to be rather low rent.
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- The angled, carbon fibre, goodness of a BMW 320si.
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- You can tell we’re in Cheshire. The Chrome Edition BMW M3.
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- The rather lovely, if expensive BMW M5 M Performance Edition
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- The rather less lovely BMW X6.
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- Race One; Civics of Shedden and Neal make their way round to the grid.
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- Followed by the eBay Motors BMWs.
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- The sprint out of Old Hall on the first lap, heading down towards Cascades.
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- Safety Car bunches the pack up.
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- Crowd congratulates the victorious Matt Neal, with second place Andrew Jordan alongside.
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- Crossing the track is exciting. This is the view back up towards Old Hall.
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- And this is the view to Cascades. It’s a lot steeper than TV makes out!
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- Porsche Carrera Cup race one with Daniel Lloyd charging down the start-finish straight.
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- Forget your big camera; I’ve got an iPhone and some angles!
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- Porsches coming out of Lodge and heading down the famous Deer Leap
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- Ginettas under braking into Lodge.
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- BTCC Race Two; a lonely looking grid girl for Jason Plato, starting from the back after technical issues in the first race.
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- A panorama of……more grid girls
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- ESM’s roving photographer getting the snaps that matter most!
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- Plato arrives at the back, as Dave Newsham sidles past.
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- Porsche provide both the Safety Car and Medical Car. The Cayenne sounds especially naughty.
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- A good view of just how STEEP Deer Leap is. Hope JP’s got his handbrake on.
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- His new found favourite!
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- Onto the Clio Cup. Whilst one Hamilton was about to embark on a drive to victory in Canada, younger brother Nick was going to be less successful.
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- MORE Deer Leap action. Imagine coming across here flat out…
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- Found lurking in the car park, a rather sultry looking Ferrari FF.
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- The “other” Hamilton at the back of the pack. Note mismatched door.
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- Clios powering their way out of Knickerbrook and up towards Druids.
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- Astra VXR, Ferrari California, VW Scirocco, Porsche Boxster, Citroen C4. Which is the odd one out?
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- Matt Neal and Gordon “Flash” (yes, seriously) Shedden doing some PR stuff.
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- Hmmm….cannot for the life of me remember why I took this one. Perhaps my finger slipped?
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- The whole Plato family. King Potato, Mother Potato and JP outside the MG garage.
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- The KING OF SANDWICHES not eating a sandwich.
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- Birthday boy Matt Jackson.
It was just after this point that ESM’s iPhone ran out of battery. Which was a shame, as the third and final BTCC race provided lots of action right under our very noses. Luckily our roving photographer got some great shots which will be neatly delivered later in the week.
If you want to know more about who won, who lost and who half of the people above are, then head on over to the offical BTCC website here.
Engage Sport Mode at BTCC – Oulton Park 10/06/2012
Today ESM spent many hours at the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire. Along with getting sun burnt, ESM also took a rather large number of photos before the iPhone battery cried enough. Yes I could have used a proper camera, but I didn’t.
Here’s a selection of three photos . The rest will be uploaded once the sun burn subsides. Enjoy:
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- Plato takes Welch in race two.
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- Paddock Life…
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- Now THAT is a hot dog!
