btcc. do you need to be fit and in shape to race??

Diesel... are they actually going to race a diesel, or is it just a concept? Is Audi-itis taking over the world. BTCC will die an even more horrible death if Vauxhall enter a diesel, because I doubt they'd be able to pull it off as well as Audi.

I didnt comment on the engine or anything :P Its Super 2000 spec rules, which is cheaper, same as WTCC, but is also even slower than BTCC. It'll probably be a decent racing engine, but they wont pull it off like Audi.

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I know you weren't commenting on it - it's just written on the dummy regisitration plate

Without going and reading about it, I'd say it's more of a publicity thing, but frankly, I couldn't care less. It'll suck either way.

gav Wrote:
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> Diesel... are they actually going to race a diesel, or is it just a
> concept? Is Audi-itis taking over the world. BTCC will die an even
> more horrible death if Vauxhall enter a diesel, because I doubt they'd
> be able to pull it off as well as Audi.
>


VXR are using bio-diesel fuel right now, it's not a concept

There was a car that switched to Bio-fuel during the last couple of events and they actually found a performance increase over the standard fuel.

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Debateable. I'd be surprised if someone of reasonable fitness couldn't last 3 races. I used to do 4 and that's in something which pulls 3/4 G and has no suspension and I wasn't exactly out at the Gym everyday lifting weights. Add the fact they are known to be one of the heaviest things out there to steer since you're technically lifting the whole weight of the kart and you. I'd be surprised if a BTCC car pulls much more than 3G cornering force and the power steering will make it nice and easy on the drivers arms.

I believe that I am of reasonable fitness as I do plenty of long distance running and occasionally upper body exerices. But after half an hour non-stop in a kart im pretty tired. I don't go karting often and so I believe this is why, as I was probably using muscles in my body and arms that I don't normally use.

It sounds like you are (or was) quite a regular driver if you were doing 4 races, and so over the years that in itself will have got you fit enough to drive a kart for that amount of time with no real problems. If I tried doing 4 karting races in a day, I probably wouldn't stand a chance, altho I would give it my best shot.

Recently me and some mates that had never been karting before went, and they was expecting it to be easy and when I told them it would tire them out they looked at me as if I was an idiot. But after the half an hour, their faces were red and they looked pretty knackered.

My point is that people not brought up in a racing heritage, driving karts and the like will not have the muscles and strength to cope with any type of racing to just jumping straight in and give it a spin, even with power steering (surprised BTCC cars have it) and not pulling tremendous gforces round a corner. Thats just my opinion, I don't know if its right or not.

Just my two cents.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2006 09:28PM by FRESCO.

I believe that I am of reasonable fitness as I do plenty of long distance running and occasionally upper body exerices. But after half an hour non-stop in a kart im pretty tired. I don't go karting often and so I believe this is why, as I was probably using muscles in my body and arms that I don't normally use.

I guess its a different kind of fitness then.

I admit, i dont do much exersie. I do a fair ammount of walking, but thats it. The only thing related to karting i do is sim racing, which isnt the most tyring thing in the world. But yet i can last a good long time on a kart with no problems at all.

I guess it differs from person to person. Might help me by having FFB effects on my wheel turned up to massive percentages to make the wheel super heavy, my arms have probably gotten used to fighting a heavy wheel, rather than ligther ones most people use on a sim. But thats just me guessing there.

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Same as Dave - I'm about as unfit as I've ever been at the moment, and half an hour on a high-speed indoor track in the middle of summer leaves me a bit sweaty, but still feeling fine.

When karting outdoors I'm barely any different to how I got into the kart, with the usual exception of a couple of bruised knees if it's dry

Well when you consider a 8 year old will pull 2Gs and manage it fine, I doubt they are out running :p. Most hire karts use a super hard compound but will still pull about 1.2-1.5Gs.

The only thing I suffered from was bruising to my knee and sometimes stiff arms the next morning as the super sticky tyres gripping vilontley while your trying to lift the rear inside wheel in the air. A BTCC driver doesn't have to deal with holding there legs up right from hitting the steering wheel column bolt so they shouldn't have any problems like that.

I hadn't been in kart since the end of the 02 season and first time back in a kart with super soft gearbox tyres I was only sore because I'm so skinny so rattled about in the seat, which are huge. Could fit one and a half oe me in it.

I still believe that you could put someone of reasonable fitness in one and they'd be fine, only problem is you need someone who would be quick to make sure they were actually pushing the thing. Had some old guy at that meeting I did this year claiming he did a 3 hour endurance race all by his own, he went onto say he finished 7th. I believed him by the end of the day since he was about three quarters of a lap behind on a 45 secondish lap and it was only a 12lap race...


vMax.Keiran
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2006 11:51PM by keiran.

Before 2001, BTCC was good. Now it's utter turd.

Case closed

In your opinion.

In others it may be different.

As a long-time BTCC fan I feel the need to stick up for it here (and my first post in about two years!)
I've been loads this season and loved it. Yes, there has been some shocking driving and terribly inconsistent giving of penalties, but it is entertainment. That's why I watch motor racing-for entertainment. And that's why I have been switching off the F1 more this year because at times it has been painfully dull.
The cars are a bit slower, but that is down to costs. You don't see super tourer regulations in the WTCC either. It costs too much and now all the brands are owned by a few big players, they won't put two of their own brands on track against each other.
There are some VERY good drivers in the BTCC - Tom Chilton (already discussed here), Giovanardi (world class), James Thompson (world class) Neal and Plato (both proved themselves outside the BTCC), Mike Jordan (one of the best tin-top racers this country has), Dave Pinkney (still bloody fast) and other young guns Colin Turkington and Eoin Murray, both of whom are easily good enough for the WTCC.
Yes, there are some slower privateers. But the series needs them there at the moment because they can't attract the major manufacturers (remember the WTCC only has three! just one more than the BTCC). The privateers give us big grids, and they are all there for the right reasons - they want to race.

And just a final point with regard to other things said here. Maybe touring car drivers don't aspire to f1? the best years of the btcc never produced f1 drivers, it only had old f1 drivers which moved to it (warwick, morbidelli)

And that diesel vauxhall is an old concept car from 2004 motorshow. Vectra may do BTCC next year but not as a diesel.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2006 10:53PM by Muttley.

I don't watch BTCC since 2002 or 2003, but I think what happens to BTCC is the same as it's happening to Brazilian Stock car.
In our Stock Car series, we have a couple of great drivers, some old F1 drivers like Ingo Hoffman, Chico Serra, Luciano Burti, Cristhian Fittipaldi, Raul Boesel, etc, some old Tourism drivers like Guto Negrão (in fact he is not racing all races anymore, just a couple), Paulo Gomes, etc also there is the new stock car generation like David Mulfato, Caca Bueno, Giuliano Losaco.

Some had international experience like Caca Bueno who won the now defunct South American Tourism Championship (Super Sudam) and Giuliano Losaco who is doing a couple of races at Nascar lower series.
I really believe they have at least 15 competitive drivers who could race in international series.

The problem is that the series are having a couple of stupid rules, they are copying a lot of things from Nascar, and witch isn't the best idea in my opinion. Nascar calendar are much bigger than Stock Car calendar and they race in ovals most of the time. One example of this new rules are the stupid playoff thing, we had this weekend the last race of the regular season and the next 6 races only the 10 top drivers of the season will fight for the champ, with the points being changed with 5 points difference for each driver.

Also I get angry when a driver put the other out of the track instead of fight for a position, basically if someone is faster than the other guy he bump his rear or his side and pass him instead of trying a clean move. What I think is beautiful in racing is wheel-to-wheel battle not taking someone off the track to get a position. Some drivers are starting to be penalized, but it's still minimal punishment.

The other problem is that most drivers are getting of Kart and going to Stock Jr. instead minor formula series, South American Formula 3 and Brazilian F-Renault is dying also F-Chevrolet is dead. So after Bruno Senna and Nelson Angelo Piquet we won't have drivers at Formula 1, just if someone from nowhere appears like Robert Kubica from Poland.

I'm not saying I don't like Stock Car, but I think they should watch DTM for an example and not Nascar and they should have a formula Jr. series not a tourism small car for young drivers.

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Rocker

BTCC race winner picks a card. The card determines how many cars are going to be reversed on the grid for the next race. This was done after the rather crazy "race to be 10th" that took place all the time last year...



RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)

I say that Formula Woman should be Britain's premier motorsport

Didnt one of the leading FWoman drivers get thrown out for cheating?



RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)

Hey would you believe it, a driver that stepped up from the "rubbish" BTCC is now a double world champion!!

With FW yea she raced in another series or something like that tut tut

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