2011 season BTCC thread

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ENTRY LIST: 2011 DUNLOP MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

No. Driver (NAT), Hometown, County, Team/Car
1. Jason Plato (GBR), Oxford, Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze
2. Matt Neal (GBR), Droitwich Spa, Worcs, Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic
5. Tom Chilton (GBR) Reigate, Surrey & Poole, Dorset, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus
7. Mat Jackson (GBR), Henley-in-Arden, Warks, Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus
8. Robert Collard (GBR), Hook, Hants, WSR/BMW 320si
11. Frank Wrathall (GBR), Preston, Lancs, Dynojet/Toyota Avensis
12. David Pinkney (GBR), Harpenden, Herts, Rob Austin Racing/Audi A4
13. TBA, Rob Austin Racing/Audi A4
14. James Nash (GBR), Newport Pagnell, Bucks, 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra
17. Dave Newsham (GBR), Inverness, Scotland, Geoff Steel Racing/BMW 320si
18. Nick Foster (GBR), Odiham, Hampshire, WSR/BMW 320si
20. Alex MacDowall (GBR), Carlisle, Cumbria, Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze
22. Tom Boardman (GBR), Preston, Lancs, Special Tuning Racing/SEAT Leon
28. John George (GBR), Par, Cornwall & Guernsey, GoMobileUK.com with tech-Speed/Chevrolet Cruze
29. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Widnes, Cheshire, GoMobileUK.com with tech-Speed/Chevrolet Cruze
34. Tony Gilham (GBR), Dartford, Kent, 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra
42. Daniel Welch (GBR), Fleet, Hampshire, Welch Automotive/Proton Gen-2**
43. Lea Wood (GBR), Hereford, Central Group Racing/Honda Integra*
44. Andy Neate (GBR), Aylesbury, Bucks, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus
50. Tony Hughes (GBR), Knutsford, Cheshire, Speedworks Motorsport/Toyota Avensis
52. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Dalgety Bay, Fife, Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic
55. Jeff Smith (GBR), Wellingborough, Northants, Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra
66. Liam Griffin (GBR), Essendon, Herts, Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus
77. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Lichfield, Staffs, Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra
78. Chris James (GBR), Luton, Beds, Team ES Racing.com/Chevrolet Lacetti
99. Tom Onslow Cole (GBR), New Malden, Surrey, AmD Milltek Racing.com
TBA. TBA, TBA, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus

Key
- Cars numbers 1, 2, 20 & 52 eligible for Manufacturer and Constructor championships
- Cars numbers 5, 44 & TBA eligible for Constructor championship
- All cars except numbers 1, 2, 20 & 52 eligible for Independent championships
- Cars numbers 1, 8, 17, 18, 20, 28, 29 & 78 all full S2000-spec
- Cars numbers 2, 5, 7, 14, 22, 34, 44, 52, 55, 66, 77, 99 & TBA all S2000/NGTC-engine
- Cars numbers 11, 12, 13, 42 & 50 all full NGTC-spec

* Entry from Oulton Park
** Entry from Snetterton
TBA To be Advised

[chungster]

Some positive news for the AMD fans....they know what caused the problem and it's easily rectified so not as bad as first thought. They expect to be out at BH on Tuesday to give TOC some proper lappage.
 

[rich83]

Chungster... is tuesday open to the public?

[Janner_Sy]

AMDMiltek are in better form now.  They managed over 100laps in testing yesterday

'Productive' test for Onslow-Cole
Tom Onslow-Cole had the ‘most productive test’ of his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship career, while driving his AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf at Brands Hatch on Tuesday.

The Essex-based outfit suffered reliability issues with its new turbocharged NGTC-engined Golf at official testing during last week’s annual BTCC Media Day at Silverstone, bringing its running to a premature end.

However, Onslow-Cole was able to clock-up more than 100 laps on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit on Tuesday, working on the car’s reliability and adapting setups to suit his driving style.

AmD Milltek Racing.com team principal Shaun Hollamby, who raced a Golf in the BTCC last season, commented: “Our test at Brands Hatch was really good and I’m pleased with how it went. It was how we hoped it would be on Media Day.

“After the problems we suffered at Silverstone we’re still going to be doing some setup work on the Saturday before race day. The main thing for us yesterday was to make sure the car ran reliably. We can now concentrate on performance.

“Handling-wise the car is a big improvement on the Ford Focus Tom drove last year – I know that from being behind him last season, as it looked a massive handful. By the end of the day, Tom was clearly fully committed – that was obvious watching him get the back end out at Surtees – and he said to me that it was the most productive test day of testing he has ever done,” reported Hollamby.

After running at the back of the field for most of 2010, Hollamby is hoping Onslow-Cole’s influence will help the team break into the top ten, starting with this weekend’s season opener at Brands Hatch (2-3 April).

Im not sure he was ever close enough last season to even see the focus's handling.  They were more often than not fighting for the podium, with the golf bringing up the rear.

Keen to see how they get on this season though. There should be soe really good mid field scraps this season.  From what ive read, the likes of MAtt NEal are already saying Plato will take some beating.

Plato is using the old NA engines whihc are good on tyres.  His Civic whilst being quick with the new NGTC engine has alot more torque so will not look after its tyres as well as platos chevy

[NeilM]

 

[Hedge]

Nice Neil bring us back some photos 

[markymark]

Nice Neil bring us back some photos 

Yeah, Im missing your fence snaps!!

[Janner_Sy]

i was contemplating going up to watch it, but i have to much work on

[brodie]

hopefully will see the car abit more this year, wasnt nice seeing it fighting out at the back.

[chungster]

First free practice session of 2011 is under way. Lets see how the Golf compares to the big guns.

http://www.tsl-timing.com/toca/LiveTimingTOCA.html

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MOre problems with AMD

[Janner_Sy]

MOre problems with AMD

http://TO-C puzzled by speed deficit
Tom Onslow-Cole says he’s puzzled by his VW Golf’s lack of speed in Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying at Brands Hatch.

Onslow-Cole, fourth in last year’s championship, could qualify no higher than 16th in the AmD Milltek Racing.com car – that was eight places and eight tenths of a second adrift of Tom Boardman’s Special Tuning SEAT Leon that is using the same turbocharged VW TFSI engine.

Adding to Onslow-Cole’s problems, he was also prevented from taking part in the session’s final ten minutes having caused a red flag for stopping briefly on the start-finish straight when his car’s throttle system malfunctioned.

But the New Malden racer’s big concern was a 7mph deficit to the front-runners through the speed traps.

He told btcc.net: “We didn’t expect this really. We thought the power was a given and that we’d have to sort the chassis out. This is a bit of a kick in the nuts.

“We’re 5mph down in one sector and 7mph down in another, so it’s quite a big speed difference. If we can find that extra speed I think we’ll be up there with the best of them – and we can find that power because Boardman is running the same engine and I think our chassis is better.

“We won’t know what the problem is until we send the engine back to our tuner, Lehmann in Liechtenstein. It could be an internal thing like an electrical fault or something in the mapping, but it’s doubtful we’ll find an overnight cure. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher at the moment.

[Janner_Sy]

Neil took pole

Neal takes first pole of 2011
Matt Neal has qualified on pole position for the opening round of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.

Worcestershire’s Neal, driving his Honda Racing Team’s new turbocharged Civic, set a qualifying lap record of 48.210s to achieve pole. Over such a short lap (the Brands Indy circuit is just 1.2 miles in length) that was a staggering 0.255s clear of his rivals, headed by young charger Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra – like Neal, also using a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.

Third was the reigning Champion Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze while another youngster, James Nash in his turbocharged 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra, put in a late burst of speed to secure fourth place on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.

Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up to Plato last season, said: “What a start and we’ve probably even surprised ourselves with that gap. But the race will be different – we can’t sustain that pace every lap and all the turbo runners are expecting to suffer greater tyre wear over the second half of the race whereas Jason is not too far away. He’ll come on really strong as the race progresses so starting ahead of him in particular is exactly where I need to be.”

Jordan, aged just 21 from Lichfield, added: “I was fastest in the morning practice sessions and knew the pace would increase again in qualifying but perhaps not quite by that much! I’m confident I can give Matt a good run over a race distance, but the one I’m really watching is Jason – that Chevrolet is notoriously good at looking after its tyres and he is the big threat for all of us.”

But Plato, who starts the new season equal with Andy Rouse’s record of 60 wins, begged to differ. The Oxford racer commented: “That really is everything we’ve got in our tank – we’ve gone quicker than the pole record we set here last October yet the gap to Matt is still nearly four tenths of a second which is a bit of a shock. The other teams have clearly done a great job in the winter. There is all this talk about the turbo cars having tyre worries but until we actually find out tomorrow then that’s all it is… talk!”

Completing the top six in qualifying were Plato’s young Cumbrian team-mate Alex MacDowall and Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson in the local Wrotham-based Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Dorset's Tom Chilton had looked set to challenge Neal for pole but instead dropped to seventh when his best time was disallowed after his Team Aon Ford Focus failed a mandatory ride height check.

At least he took part in qualifying. Having to sit out the session after a high-speed crash in morning practice badly damaged his car was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Fife racer, third in last year’s BTCC, is therefore set to start tomorrow’s first race from the back of the 23-car grid.

For full qualifying times click on this link: http:/www.btcc.net/html/raceresults_detail.php?race_id=78&season_id=54

[chungster]

damn...that speed differential is not good.

but hey ho its early days. But is it the engine tho that's underpowered?

[Hedge]

damn...that speed differential is not good.

but hey ho its early days. But is it the engine tho that's underpowered?

Funny how the engine was the problem last year and they continue to use Lehmann.

Not that you can draw any conclusions from that.  

I do hope they get it sorted.