Showing posts with label btcc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label btcc. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Media day - what to expect


There's been a surprising amount of announcements on Media Day Eve, leading some to suggest that there's a big surprise on the cards for Thursday,

What we've learned for sure today:


What's highly likely

  • Alan Morrison as the second Arena driver
  • Pinkney to join Shedden at Dynamics
  • Steve Rider to anchor ITV's coverage


Rumour rumour...

  • One or two Astra Coupés to return run by a well-known Clio team featuring at an established Clio Cup front-runner
  • Still some suggesting there's a "surprise" reveal scheduled...

Monday, 2 March 2009

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

So who's the Arena sponsor?

A week or so back a 10/10ths poster suggested AA would be the main sponsor for the Arena Focus project. Well, courtesy of Mike Hoyer's excellent photos over at Talk Photography Chilton did indeed sport an AA logo on his helmet at the first test the other day (photo 4); but that's most likely a hangover from the AA sponsorship of Dynamics last year. Plus that AA yellow would clash horrifically with Andyb's fantastic livery.

Photo 5, however, shows TCs racesuit; and the only logo (aside from Sparco and Arena) visible is..... Benfield, the insurance group previously part-owned by TC's dad Graeme Chilton. Benfield was sold to Aon, one of the world's biggest insurance brokers, in August last year netting Chilton Sr a cool £77m, and the resulting deal means he gets to be VC of Aon itself.

Sunday, 22 February 2009

New Focus hits the track

And very good looking it is too.


Monday, 16 February 2009

eBay watch

See the new Focus

Circle March 2nd in your diaries now... no it's not because it's the first unveiling of the new FPA-clone-series-for-Formula-Master-rejects-and-sons-of-fairly-well-known-racing-drivers-with-questionable-talent* Formula Two car, but Tom Chilton will be giving some demonstration laps at Brands Hatch in the new Arena Focus as part of MSV's launch day for the circuit. Priaulx will be putting his 320si through its paces as well.

* In attendance representing F2:

  • Toro Rosso's Seb Buemi's cousin and one time A1GP rookie Natacha Gachnang
  • 2008 FPA champ Jason Moore
  • Son of the boss Jolyon Palmer, and
  • possibly the best driver Lithuania has ever produced, Kazim Vasiliauskas

Sunday, 15 February 2009

How a works team works


Form Northern South Ltd's annual accounts, for the year ended 31/3/08:

Northern South has entered into an agreement with SEAT (UK) whereby it runs the race programme in addition to the preparatory work on the cars. The basis of these arrangements is that Northern South Ltd are entitled to receive commission after each race event providing that the cars' performance in those races meet certain criteria. In addition to this a management charge becomes payable on each anniversary of the agreement, effectively reimbursing Northern South Ltd for workshop costs incurred on its own account.


Interesting that a commission payment was receivable by NSL specifically dependent on race performance. However, as the NSL/SEAT (UK) venture had its own bank account, any figures specifically relating to the actual cost of running those Leons in 2007 remains absent from Northern South's accounts:

As these costs and surplus funds are not the responsibility or property or Northern South Ltd these financial statements exclude any payments so made, and also the income derived from this activity. [...] the proceeds from invoices raised, and costs borne by Seat Sport (UK) are excluded since it is SEAT (UK) Ltd that bears the responsibility for approval of transactions and becomes entitled to surplus funds remaining after the payment of Norther South Ltd's commission"


Hmm. Strictly speaking NSL should be showing these costs in their books (as they paid them!), even if they are just recharges to SEAT UK. However, NSL qualify as a "small" company and therefore are not required to have its books externally audited...

Arena


Forum rumours have it that Arena will be out testing their new Focus this Thursday at Snetterton. However, MSV's testing days page indicates that Wednesday and Thursday at the Norfolk track are for single-seaters only. Judging from this week's Autosport interview all appears on track, although going by Mike Earle's comments any second driver is likely to be signed on a race-by-race basis at best.

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Newslets 22/11/08

  • Turns out the Vaulkhards own those Lacettis, and Robertshaw won't be running them in '09
  • They might, however, return to run Alan Taylor again
  • Meanwhile, those Lacettis are up for sale and Harry isn't sure what next season will bring
  • Jason Hughes hopes to wheel out a second MG for '09
  • TCT reports the Arena Ford Focus saloon project looks actually set to run; and they expect Chilton to be heading up the team
  • Meanwhile Steve Neal has again expressed his desire for James Thompson to join Team Dynamics. With N-Technology unlikely to return to the WTCC could it happen?
  • And finally, over in Spain, Neal, Giovanardi and Jordan Jr have been testing their Vectras

Monday, 17 November 2008

Newslets 17/11/08

Sunday, 16 November 2008

The next Fiona Leggate?


She's only 15, but Alice Powell, seen in 2008 racing in the Ginetta Jr championship, has apparently been offered a BTCC drive for 2010. Admittedly her main aim is F1, but she's such a big Plato fan that the draw of the BTCC might yet sway her.
There is no real overtaking in F1, but the BTCC races are very exciting and the people involved are so friendly

Sunday, 9 November 2008

Newslets

Isn't off-season rubbish? Anyway, here's an attempt at a summary of BTCC-related news and rumours from the last week or so:


  • Andy Jordan will be testing his new Vectra in Spain later this month.
  • 2008 review DVD is out today - all 467 minutes of it. Let's hope there's no cock-up with the disc pressing this time.
  • Those Ford/Arena rumours are back again
  • BTCC is safe on ITV until 2010

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

RAC test van der Ende


Joining Motorbase at Brands today was Team RAC, and they elected to give Dutchman Ricardo van der Ende a run, and he was reportedly quicker than Stephen Jelley's pole run. I'm not sure lapping quicker than Jelley is much to be excited about; but it's good to see Dick Bennetts considering the options for a third car.

Ricardo won the Formula Ford Festival way back in '99, but had a patchy career since then. his best results have come in the Dutch Samsung BMW 130i cup, finishing runner up in '06 and winning the following season.

Motorbase testing


Tim Harvey was invited by Motorbase to test one of their cars at Brands today; and he was joined by a man who should have been in the BTCC well before now, Jonny Adam. Tomorrow (Weds) they'll give SEAT Eurocup driver James Nash a run, alongside GT and Porsche veteran Michael Caine. Touring Car Times reports Motorbase want to keep both '08 drivers on if possible, so fingers crossed for a third car.

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

AFM/Kerry/Leason update


Courtesy of Rick Kerry who has kindly been updating fans on the btcc.net forum:
Our plan is to run the car at snetterton the week after silverstone if its all ok and the btcc will let us then i will run at brands...

This year has been soooooo frustrating as parts to upgrade are not off the shelf like the petrols.Ive also had so much going on in my personal life..

But things for me and Nick are looking good for next year so if we can make brands it will only help.


Best wishes to Nick and Rick. And if nothing else bring that grid girl back.

Xero, finally?

That's what Xero insider tbd has posted on the forums. Finally running the Lexus, or just prepping one of the classic BTCC cars at the Silverstone legends parade...

Edit: Yup, it's just an old Cavalier in the parade. Damn rumours.

Friday, 18 July 2008

Robertshaw need a Hankey

Remember that "young driver" Robertshaw claimed was showing "serious interest" in the second Chevy? Well it's young Euan Hankey who's been out testing the team's Lacetti and looks set to race at Knockhill and the final two race meetings of the season.

Hankey acquitted himself well in Formula BMW and performed reasonably in his limited EuroF3 outings, so this could well be the next Stephen Jelley folks. If you can stand it, here's his Bebo page.

Monday, 30 June 2008

Allison back at Snetterton.... kinda

Previous reports indicated Matt would be back at Robertshaw for his home race. However, it appears he's switching to Clios for the remainder of the season instead. Meanwhile the team claims there's "serious interest" in the vacant drive, and hope to put a young driver in for three of the last four meetings (presumably not Knockhill then).

Monday, 23 June 2008

Clyde Valley/Carbon Zero Racing 3rd car?

The team have yet to pick up their actual racecars, but there's already talk of a third machine for the Scottish squad:

The team plans to run two Seat Leon Cupra racecars on bio fuel and, if funding can be secured, introduce a third car with an engine which will run on bio-methane - a waste gas more harmful than CO2 but when burnt releases near zero CO2.


http://www.eemsonline.co.uk/news/20-06-08_2

Friday, 13 June 2008

Miid-season break rumours

It's a six week gap between BTCC meetings, due to some some overpaid continental types kicking an inflated pig bladder around a field for an hour and a half every other evening. Still, there's some news and/or made-up stuff to keep BTCC fans occupied for a while...

  • Clyde Valley Racing actually announce entry. And it look s like it's for real!
  • Robertshaw Racing have their two Lacetti's up for sale at the end of the season
  • They also have Taylor's Integra for sale, but also "for hire race-by-race for the remaining rounds of 2008".
  • Rumours of BSB racer Paul Bird's plans to enter BTCC resurface again
  • Rumours of John Batchelor's return later this season, threads relating to which have been deleted from 10/10ths...