BTCC 2016 : All Chat Here

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AMG

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Don't see a thread for BTCC 2016, so thought I'd start one since I've heard a local man has got a drive in this years championship, don't know who with though.
 
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Crow555

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Breaking news - Subaru to enter BTCC in 2016.
BTCC | Subaru enters BTCC with Team BMR

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Shaun

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Brilliant to see, Now lets see if Plato complains about the RWD's advantage at the start......:party:

Some rumors that ford are looking back in with Motorbase and WSR are getting BMW back on board again :cool:
 
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DEEJAY.B

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Well , i seen this coming . .

RwaPNQAwKzcPK--4uH49MYKYIVVBqFJa7XoadW4IeUuOsmu71ddKdtC6e3ikZePgPFGRuvEieacPftaVTC4biIu2NomdES23cmmPHUG5yeP6oPFqPqQgtZz2W_P_reVMY1Iec9UdYJmtglWVimCSVtgrmOklVVay1dWJS20=s0-d-e1-ft
To our Owners Club family

I am currently at the Autosport show and very shortly I will be announced as the new driver for Handy Motorsport. I am sorry we have been so quiet over the off season but as I’m sure you can appreciate we have had to keep this under wraps however I wanted you guys to be the first to know and I wanted to explain the situation in more detail than the press will be able to.

Firstly this has been very difficult for us, Dad, Lucy and I have run the RAR team for ten years now and have grown it from running a single Ginetta G20 at track days to a race winning BTCC operation so I’m sure you can appreciate how difficult this decision was.

The fact is though that the only way we could have continued would have been with the Audi A4s while remaining on the GPRM suspension package. With the championship being so competitive we wouldn’t have been able to be at the front. If you’re not at the front then you and your sponsors don’t get seen and eventually this downward trend would only continue and, well, fading out isn’t a fate I was willing to accept!

We tried our upmost to bring a manufacturer on board and had some good engagement but unfortunately ran out of time. As you can imagine the level of funding required to build two new cars and update them both to the new RML kits is huge and as great as our sponsors are we really needed a manufacturer on board to make it possible.

I was then at a family dinner and, as I’m sure most of you know by now, Christian **** who runs Speedworks is my brother in law. Speedworks run the car for Handy Motorsport and so he suggested this route. Tom Ingram put in some great performances last year and showed the car has enormous potential. When Christian told me some of their plans for the winter and given our situation I went for a meeting with Simon Belcher (who runs and owns Handy Motorsport)

Simon really impressed me, he has some exciting plans for the future, he’s a bloody good bloke and from a team point of view they are doing everything right! Things we simply couldn’t afford to do!

So we did a deal.

This deal sees US as a team joining forces with Handy. The same team of mechanics and engineers will be running my car, Dad and Lucy will continue their roles and I made sure that you guys were part of the deal as well. So we will still have OC meetings on Saturdays and we will be doing the roof scheme again and you will still be just as involved.

I’m sure you have heard that we are planning to run Sherman and Panzer in the B-Tec development series, so that side of the team will continue to run while the other side concentrates on our BTCC aspirations.

The car is a brand new build Toyota Avensis which is considerably lighter and shorter (in wheel base) than the Audi, Tom proved it very competitive last season and there is and has been a considerable winter development plan. Combining the experience and skills of Handy Motorsport, Speedworks and RAR I really think we will have a package that will be a solid, consistent andvery competitive front runner.

It’s a big change and it’s been stressful, of course I care what you guys will think as well but everything considered I really believe that this is the right move for us and I hope we will continue to have your amazing support through this next chapter of our quest to win the British Touring Car Championship.

Here’s to a fantastic 2016 season!

As ever, thanks for your support.
Rob and the the RAR team
 

Shaun

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Been pretty well known the past few weeks he was joining them. Hopefully he does well in it! (y)
 

surprising_skoda

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Hardly matters if rob austin sets up with another team, still going to crash to pass no doubt. Just won't have the weight of the audi to back it up.


Don't see a thread for BTCC 2016, so thought I'd start one since I've heard a local man has got a drive in this years championship, don't know who with though.
Umm... turkington? Lol or aron smith even...
 

DEEJAY.B

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Chris Smiley has signed with Tony Gilham Racing for the 2016 British Touring Car Championship season.
“The BTCC has been a dream of mine for many years, right back to when I was in karting. It will be exciting to renew battle with some of my former rivals like Jack Goff and Tom Ingram – just like old days!” said Smiley.

The 23-year-old is going to drive a Toyota Avensis for the team and comes from a background of Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Germany and Mini Challenge UK where he claimed the 2013 JCW class title.
“Everyone who has come into contact with him knows he is a talent, and we are convinced he is more than ready to make his debut in what we regard as the world’s premier touring car championship. He is quick, dedicated and has a burning passion to succeed,” said Tony Gilham, team principal.
The Northern Irishman tested Jason Plato’s MG6 of Triple Eight Racing in 2013 as prize for winning the Mini Challenge and hopes to learn the Toyota Avensis of the team quickly.
“Whilst the NGTC cars aren’t a world away from the Minis or the Scirocco – they’re all turbocharged and front-wheel-drive – they are weighted very differently and the suspension behaves differently as they aren’t production cars, so they feel racier. I also have to learn about the tyres, because this will be the first time I’ve raced in a series with two different compounds. That all adds to the challenge, but I can’t wait to get going,” said Smiley.

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Shaun

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Think this is the latest so far...

Honda Yuasa – G Shedden – M Neal – TBC (Probably Clarke)
Eurotech – J Smith – M Depper - TBC
BMR – J Plato – C Turkington – W Scott – TBC
WSR – J Goff - Tordoff - TBC (probably Collard)
888 – TBC - TBC
Wix – A Morgan
Laser – A Moffat
Handy – Austin - Belcher/TBC
Dextra/Parker – Alex Martin
Motorbase – A Jordan – TBC
Power Maxxed – TBC – TBC
Speedworks – Ingram – Simpson
Team Hard – Smiley
Welch - D Welch (if they make it out)
Support Our Paras – Palmer
AMD Tuning – TBC
Maximus - Lines
 

Shaun

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Andy Neate is the 3rd drive for Honda lol Surely they could get someone at least half decent ^o)
 

Dan.86

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Looks good, although they aren't leaving much room for testing so this year could be a bit disappointing. Then again its CT and JP
 

svensktoppen

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Cannot see Jason Plato going to a team that will not be right at the top. He knows how to create a good team and make a car work, he brings a lot more along than just driving skills. Also remember these are formula cars in the sense they are all pretty much the same under the plastic skin on top. So not like anyone has to start from scratch as it were, just swapping badges at the front really.

Quite excited about it actually, and seeing Colin in there as well :grinning:
 

DEEJAY.B

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2016 BTCC LINE-UP

Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R: Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal, Andy Neate

Team BMR Subaru Levorg: Jason Plato, Colin Turkington, Warren Scott, James Cole

WSR BMW 125i Sport: Jack Goff, Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard

Motorbase Performance Ford Focus ST: Andy Jordan, Mat Jackson

Triple Eight Racing MG6: Josh Cook, Ashley Sutton

Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R: Jeff Smith, Martin Depper, TBA

Speedworks Motorsport: Tom Ingram (Toyota), Matt Simpson (Honda)

Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet Cruze: Hunter Abbott, TBA

Handy Motorsport Toyota Avensis: Rob Austin

Ciceley Racing Mercedes A-Class: Adam Morgan

Laser Tools Racing Mercedes A-Class: Aiden Moffat

Welch Motorsport Proton Gen-2: Dan Welch

Team Parker Racing Ford Focus ST: Alex Martin

Team Hard Toyota Avensis: Chris Smiley, Jake Hill

Maximum Motorsport Ford Focus ST: Stewart Lines

AmD Tuning Audi S3: Ollie Jackson
 
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