BTCC 2014 : All Chat Here

[svensktoppen]

The B-class is basically a glorified people carrier, which nobody buys

No idea how they have it set up for BTCC, could be anything with the NGTC chassis.

 

[DEEJAY.B]

New Merc is an A series .
Basically an Astra . .shapewise .
Front wheel drive .

 

[weeloaney]

Ah sorry, my mistake, but knew it was that merc just got the wrong model name.

Nice looking car, vast improvement over the old one.

Since it is like Austin's audi, the production can be bought in fwd and 4wd I wish the would do it rwd, would make it interesting with more rwd stuff

 

[DEEJAY.B]

NEW CAR UPDATE: WIX RACING MERCEDES TAKING SHAPE

The WIX Racing Mercedes A Class will be one of a number of new designs expected for the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. As the first Mercedes to contest the championship since the late 1980s, the Ciceley Racing-run car has caused quite a stir, and btcc.net caught up with driver Adam Morgan for an exclusive update on the build.

A new car is always an exciting prospect for a racing driver – have you been getting a lot of feedback since the car was announced?

We’ve had lots of people taking interest since we made the announcement. Lots of Mercedes magazines want to write about it and the reception from the fans has been great – everyone’s getting involved!

What was the thinking behind the switch to a Mercedes?

Ciceley Commercials is a Mercedes Benz truck and van dealership that my dad’s run for more than 30 years, so it made sense to go down this route. We’ve got a lot of connections through the business, and we proved in 2013 that we can be consistently competitive as a team, so hopefully it will be beneficial to us in the long term as well as attract attention!

The NGTC regulations mean that a lot of the components from your 2013 car can be used in the new build – how has this helped you as one of the smaller teams in the paddock?

It’s one of the major positives of the NGTC regulations for sure. We’ve stripped a lot of the components off my Toyota from last year and fitted them to the new shell. Obviously there are some things that are brand new or needed replacing from the old car, but it’s made life a lot easier for the team having these regulations in place.

What stage is the car now at?

Right now we’re doing all the welding and fabrication before everything gets sent away to be painted. Once we get that back then we can get the full build underway – the plan is to be ready for testing by the end of February and at this stage everything is on course for that to happen.

How different do you expect the Mercedes to be compared to the Toyota you’ve driven previously?

It’s going to be really interesting for me to see how different they are. The only front-wheel-drive touring car I’ve ever driven is the Toyota – obviously the Mercedes is smaller and has a shorter wheelbase, so it will handle differently. I know the team will put together a competitive car, it’s going to be up to me to get my head around the differences and move forward from where we were last year.

For the first time this year you’ve got a title sponsor in the form of WIX Filters – what can we expect the car to look like once the build is complete?

It’s great to have WIX on board as a sponsor and the car will be instantly recognisable. I’m not going to give any details away at the moment, but you’ll definitely see it coming!

 

[Dan]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112308

This is going to be an awesome season!

 

[timor]

Good to see Menu back,should make for some interesting racing!i have admit i didn't see Aron Smiths' move coming.

 

[Dan]

That's true, although the fords performance these last few years hasn't been great with the exception of mat Jacksons few podiums.

Good thing is though if that is the passats seats filled then Turks will stay in WSR

 

[timor]

The new Honda had its' first outing today,though it looks a bit strange now i dare say we'll be well used to it by the end of the season!

 

[weeloaney]

Seen it at the autosport international show in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.

Was awesome looking I thought

 

[DEEJAY.B]

Its got a big a$$ for everyone to use as a brake !

 

[cormac81]

Didnt know Menu was back was my favourite driver back in the day with the R19 and laguna.

 

[DEEJAY.B]

Picture of Sherman and Panzer stripped down for paint last month , Sherman,s
ready to rollout tomorrow for a shakedown #bring it on ! .

 

[Shaun]

Rob Austin. Doesn't sound too bad

 

[svensktoppen]

I want his job

 

[timor]

Sherman now painted and ready for first test of the year,looking mean!

 

[DEEJAY.B]

 

[timor]

The Honda's beginning to grow on me.......

 

[DEEJAY.B]

AUSTIN "DELIGHTED" WITH 2014 AUDI AT SILVERSTONE

• 'Sherman' stuns driver on first run out of workshop

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin reckons he and his Exocet Racing-backed team are set for their most competitive Dunlop British Touring Car Championship season yet after a highly encouraging first test of the year in his Audi Sherman at British F1 Grand Prix circuit Silverstone.

Despite streaming wet conditions Austin completed plenty of laps around the world-famous Northamptonshire venue’s short National circuit which will be raced on by the BTCC later in the season. The Audi ran in a sinister all-black livery – it’s final colourscheme won't be unveiled until the BTCC’s Media Day launch at Donington Park on 18 March.

Austin is hoping to surpass his results of 2013 when he achieved both a breakthrough maiden pole position and race win in Britain's premier motor racing championship which is screened live on ITV4.

Ahead of his 33rd birthday tomorrow, the Pershore racer declared: “We’re already ahead of the game. Sherman has run perfectly straight out of the box and just feels more sorted than ever. The team have done a brilliant job in the build of the car – it’s a real work of art.

“Even though it’s been wet and cold here at Silverstone, we’ve still gathered some valuable data and worked through a number of set-up changes which have told us a lot. Plus, as a driver, it’s great to blow away the cobwebs. This is the first time our team has had the luxury of a proper pre-season testing programme for touring cars – we have another six or so test days still to come – and I’m delighted by where we are already.”

 

[timor]

Fabrizios back!

 

[Shaun]

This season is going to be unreal! Heard a few rumors about him maybe coming back. 7 Champions on the grid so far

Best motorsport about by far!

 

[Shaun]

Just seen Alain Menu is back aswell!!

Just start already god damm it!! lol

 

[Dan]

this is actually amazing! Gio is simply fantastic to watch when he's on it! remember when he was 4 wheel drifting round thruxton in the vectra, epic!

 

[svensktoppen]

Great news, this race series is just getting better all the time They really have got it so right

 

[DEEJAY.B]

Fabrizio Giovanardi back to the BTCC with Motorbase
Touring car legend Fabrizio Giovanardi has sealed his return to the BTCC with Motorbase Performance, taking the likely number of former champions on the 2014 grid to seven.

The Italian returns for his first full-time season in the BTCC since 2009, and will drive one of the Kent squad’s Ford Focus STs under the Airwaves Racing banner.

The 2007 and 2008 champion notched up 41 podiums and 24 wins during a five-year association with the BTCC, and last competed at the opening rounds of 2010, when he won twice at Thruxton, driving for Triple Eight, where he spent his entire BTCC career until now.

Giovanardi’s return is yet another feather in the cap of the series, with a spectacular looking 2014 grid already boosted last week with the return of another double champion, Alain Menu. Although 2009 title winner Colin Turkington’s drive is yet to be announced, he is expected to confirm a deal with West Surrey Racing soon, taking the number of past champions to seven.

Motorbase team principal David Bartrum chose to officially unveil Giovanardi during a one-off special edition of the Tin-Top Tuesday radio show tonight (Tuesday).

The pair said they had spoken about a deal as far back as 2010, which has now finally come to fruition.



Giovanardi said: “I am really looking forward to coming back to this special championship. For the last four years I have done long distance racing and for me, it’s quite boring! I need to be fighting for championships and this is the best place to find that, so I’m really happy to be back. I want to come here and try to win another championship; Obviously, I have to respect the other guys out there but I want to come here and try to win another championship; I need to win the third one!”

“When I stopped racing with Triple Eight I had a chat with David Bartrum and we tried to find a deal but there wasn’t the condition to do that, so now after three years, David has given me the technical effort to win the championship.”

“In 2008 and 2009 I had a big battle with this team and they were one of the teams to beat then. After four years I believe they’ve got good experience and they’ve grown up and they are right at this time to give me the winning chance.

“These are passionate guys, it’s a small team but with people that work well together. Good people and the right people make the right target and I believe straight away that we can be one of the teams fighting for the championship.”

Bartrum added: “This is a very important year for Airwaves Racing. This is going to be the one when we really do underline the product we’ve built here at Motorbase Performance and Fabrizio is the man to show you how it should go.

“I tried to get Fabrizio on board a couple of years ago, we’ve talked a lot about touring cars and this year I decided just before Christmas that was the right way to try and go. It was something that Airwaves wanted; they wanted us to up our game, that was one of the things that set their criteria and I was very happy to meet it.

“The intentions are the same as last year, the team wants to win. “We want to win races and we want to go after the championship and if you’re going to go after the championship this is the year to do it. There are thirty cars on the grid and possibly seven guys that have won it before; so I think it’s a fantastic year for Giovanardi to come back and join us.”

“A lot of work’s gone into the car over the winter,” he added. “I’m really pleased with what the team has done, they’ve worked very hard. As I’ve said before, you need to stop take a step back and look sometimes and that’s what we’ve done and now we’re hoping to get the reward.

“We’ve always been proud of our driver line up and no more this year than last year, but this year it’s got a little Italian spice to it that might take the team forward that little bit more.”

The team says it will start its winter testing programme “in the coming weeks”. It has not yet announced drivers for its other cars.

 

[timor]

Team Ebay are announcing their driver line up tomorrow,so all going well that'll be Turkington the 7th champ for this season!