2014 BTCC Preview... The Numbers Game...

Well, this is going to be the hardest preview I've written yet...

The 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship boasts an amazing 31  drivers with 14 models of car from 11 different manufacturers. Amongst those 31 drivers are 7 different former overall champions, 13 different race winners and 4 former Independent Champions.

Ok, those are the numbers...

However, to choose a title winner from this is like predicting the lottery numbers for next Saturday...

Bloody Difficult bordering on The Impossible!!!

But thats not going to stop me, so where possible I will use logic and common sense regarding the various teams and drivers.

Yes... I said Logic and Common Sense...

First of all we have Andrew Jordan joined by former BTCC entrant Martin Depper at Pirtek Racing with both drivers using the Honda Civic Hatchback. For Depper, this is his first go in a topline NGTC car and he has done plenty off testing during the off season. For Jordan its his 3rd year in a car that he is at one with, taking pole positions and wins alike in 2012 and 2013. So for me, logic and common sense suggests that Jordan is best placed for title No.2...

But then there is the lineup at MG/Triple Eight... MG are fielding three MG6's in what is the final year of a three year deal setup between MG, Tesco, Triple Eight and Jason Plato. What has been evident so far is that on a good hot day the car is fast and with the addition of Marc Hynes and the return of Plato and Tordoff to the lineup, they should be ideally placed to finally take a championship title, be it Drivers, Constructors or Teams.

Yuasa Honda shocked everyone in December by announcing they were debuting the Honda Civic Tourer this season, replacing the all conquering Civic Hatchback. Whilst the car maybe fragile to begin with, you can be certain that Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden will bring the car home and it never takes long for the team to make the Honda a reliable and front running challenger. Expect both Neal and Shedden to be in the hunt...

West Surrey Racing/ebay Motors are back with the BMW 125i Sport and an unchanged driver lineup of Colin Turkington, Rob Collard & Nick Foster. With a seasons running and more testing under their belt, the BMW was a genuine threat last year and will be again this year with pre-season testing showing it to be as quick as the Honda Civic Hatchback. Turkington has also said he feels he has the car to win a 2nd title whilst Collard is looking to target some race wins...

Motorbase/Airwaves Racing have caused one of the biggest surprises by signing 2007 & 2008 Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi to drive the new for 2014 NGTC Ford Focus with late signing Mat Jackson joining him in the team. Airwaves are long overdue a title win and have a strong lineup with Giovanardi and Jackson. Gio has done the majority of testing with Jackson getting in the car at Media Day. If both drivers get a handle on the car, they will also be in with a shout...Gio has made it clear only the title will do. Jack Clarke joins the team in a 3rd Focus under the Crabbies Racing banner and has also shown good pace in testing.

Team BMR Chrome Racing has also caused a stir in the BTCC Paddock. Warren Scott's team has encompassed Team HARD. and signed Aron Smith and 1997 & 2000 BTCC Champion Alain Menu to join Scott and Jack Goff in the team. Menu has admitted that he would have  liked more time in the VW Passat but is happy that the team will gel and become a front running outfit. Smith and Goff are very happy with the Passat and the Insignia respectively with Smith targeting Pole Position at Brands Hatch. Scott will start the season in the 2nd Insignia before moving to a 3rd Passat later in the season. I'm expecting these guys to cause a surprise or two during the season.

Next up is a new team to the BTCC this year. United Autosports are entering their first season of BTCC but are an experienced team with years of sportscar racing under their belt. To prepare for this season, both James Cole and Glynn Geddie have been racking up the miles in testing so I'm expecting some regular top ten results from these guys, once they have gotten used to the hustle and bustle of the BTCC.

AmD Tuning have purchased a 2013 NGTC Ford Focus from Motorbase and signed popular driver Dave Newsham for this season. With his hands on a decent quick NGTC car, Newsham has proven quick in testing against the front runners and is looking to be a regular top ten runner. I believe this will be genuinely possible if he can qualify well. Dave is one of my dark horses for this season.

Another dark horse in the running is Rob Austin who returns with his fan favourite two car team (The NGTC Audi A4's known as "Sherman" & "Panzer") being joined by GT ace Hunter Abbott. Austin has reported back quick times in testing and is aiming for podiums after launching the Rob Austin Owners Group allowing fans to buy shares in the team. Abbott is well aware that he needs to find his feet before moving forward.

Adam Morgan and Ciceley Racing swap the NGTC Toyota Avensis for the new NGTC Mercedes A-Class and right out of the box the car has been quick with Morgan being quietly confident about qualifying and race pace. Morgan was a star performer last season, often being the quickest Toyota and being Jordan closest Independent challenger, so expect major surprises from the compact Mercedes.

Speedworks Motorsport have reduced down to one Toyota Avensis with Tom Ingram now on board whilst giving assistance to Handy Motorsport who are running an NGTC Toyota for Clio Cup racer Simon Belcher. Both drivers have made what is seen as long over due moves into the BTCC with both of them looking fast in testing with Belcher aiming for points whilst Ingram is after top ten finishes.

Robb Holland joins the BTCC for his first full season after several outings for Tony Gilham. He will be racing the Audi S3 saloon, bring the Audi count up to three. The car didnt run at Media Day but it did get some mileage at Silverstone so once the bugs are sorted, expect him to muscle into the action. 

Meanwhile Lea Wood returns to the series for his 5th consecutive season with his family run team now competing under the Houseman Racing banner in an NGTC Toyota Avensis bringing the Toyota count up to five. This be his first time in an NGTC car but Wood is well known for his giant killing performances from previous seasons in less competitive cars so expect him to fly once hes up to speed and hassle the frontrunners.

Ollie Jackson joins Dan Welch at the Welch Motorsport operation as they expand to a two car team with both Protons getting updates. The team has also secured STP Title sponsorship along with Sopp+Sopp however did not run at Media Day due to supply issues. They will have a difficult start due to virtually no testing but once up to speed both drivers are fast and are capable of top ten finishes.

Finally we have two NGTC Chevrolets full time this season. Aiden Moffat has returned to keep hold of the "BTCC's youngest ever driver" title with his family run team having purchased Andy Neates Chevrolet Cruze Saloon for a full season. Although they had a big crash at Thruxton, the team is confident that they have the equipment to help Aiden move forward.

Meanwhile BTC Racing returns to the BTCC  after six years away, armed with an RML designed and built Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback and regular driver Chris Stockton back at the wheel as well. The team is well aware they have the best oppurtunity to compete with the big boys and fully intend to. I expect both teams to offer surprises as the season progresses.

So thats all the runners and riders for the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. There are other changes for the season as well with Dunlop introducing a new version of tyre, the full International Circuit being used at Oulton Park and the promise of turbo boost parity being reduced further to enhance the racing now there is a full NGTC field of 31 cars.

What I cant tell you is who will be Champion... 

Although I suspect that Plato, Jordan or Turkington are all due another title and are in the best place.

Remember I said this when the Finals Day arrives to see if you can congratulate me or laugh at me...

What I can tell you is that there will be plenty of panel bashing, flying wing mirrors, bumpers being ripped off and close door to door racing in what could be the best ever season of the BTCC that kicks off on Saturday with two free practice sessions and Qualifying. So if you find the Malaysian Grand Prix a bit of a letdown on Sunday Morning, pop over to ITV4 at 10.30am for some cracking racing that is guarunteed to entertain...

Oh, theres just one other thing to say before I go...

BRING ON THE TINTOPS!!!

Cheers

Phil!

BTCC: The Guru at BTCC Media Day 2014...

Wow!! What a day...

The 2014 edition of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was officially launched yesterday and this year promises to be a classic and amazing season.

Despite the weather having an off day with various showers making things interesting on track, it was a packed day where the fans got up close to this years runners and riders to see who is where and what liveries have been announced.

Mat Jackson was confirmed in a last minute deal at Airwaves Racing, joining the confirmed lineup of Fabrizio Giovanardi and Jack Clarke. Various liveries were revealed whilst several cars didnt go out in testing. Lea Wood is waiting on parts as is the Welch Motorsport duo of Dan Welch and Ollie Jackson whilst Robb Holland and Jack Goff didnt go out. Andy Jordan, Gordon Shedden and Alain Menu were the top three quickest drivers with Jordan setting a time of 1:11.087. Morgan, Tordoff and Neal were 4th, 5th and 6th. Aron Smith, Colin Turkington, Rob Collard and Tom Ingram rounded out the top ten.

For ourselves, well we had a great chat with Robb Holland in the Rotek Racing garage with the stunning Oakley sponsored, fan chosen livery of the Audi S3 being worked upon. Robb explained that the car is due to test at Rockingham on Thursday to have its shakedown in preparation for the opening weekend at Brands Hatch and that he is currently looking for somewhere to live in the UK.

Robb is currently commuting between the UK and Germany with racing and testing commitments for the upcoming BTCC and VLN series where he will pilot the Audi TTR-S. It was also interesting to find out the operating budget of running an NGTC car in its first season and a few secrets about the S3... But I would like to say thank you to Robb for taking the time to speak to myself, Nik and Aaron.

Happily, I can say a few family traditions related to the BTCC took place at Media Day. These include Nik's mandatory picture with 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan who always has time to stop for a picture ever since our first visit to the BTCC back in 2011 at the Media Day held at Silverstone.

Another tradition is holding up the honour of being staunch Tony Gilham supporters and I can happily report that during a busy day of testing we were able to catchup with Tony, working hard on timing at TeamBMR, his lovely wife Sammi (Yes, I got my Sammi Hug!!), his mum Deb who was running back and forth on catering duties and stopped to chat with us and we caught up with Sammi's father Gary who this season is working as Team Manager at Laser Tools Racing who are running Aiden Moffat.

I also want to say thank to Team BMR Grid Girls Samantha Gilham and Gemma Newman for posing for me yesterday for a photo thats becoming quite popular!!

Now as for my son Aaron, his never ending talent of popping in and out of garages snapping away on his camera has not dulled one bit. Aaron was on form as he took lots of pics of drivers, teams at work and cars in action. He managed to grab a chat with new Team BMR signing Aron Smith who was very happy with his time in the VW Passat CC yesterday and is looking forward to challenging near the front this season.

I also have to say it was great to meet up with some fellow BTCC fans from Facebook and Twitter. I caught up with one of my many BTCC Brothers in Arms Baz "Broadsword" Taylor, who introduced me to the lovely Sam Clark whilst we stood in the Goddards Chicane Grandstand trying to compare the cars with the loudest "pop" as they accelerated up the Start/Finish straight.

The eBay BMW's won with Dave Newsham coming second by the way...

I also met the amazing Steffan Bowen yesterday in his epic St Patricks Day headgear for the first time and I was lucky enough to meet Matt Auger who writes for the brilliant Touringcars.net website, where we shared a passionate conversation about the situation in the World Touring Car Championship with current entrants and possible TBA entrants.

I'd like to say thank you also to the guys at Laser Tools Racing who were very welcoming during the various downpours and offering us a nice warm Cuppa as well! You've got yourself some new supporters guys!!

Now there is one thing I must mention...

One other tradition for us is to run a fantasy BTCC League over on the website www.fantasydrivers.com. Once again, my lovely partner Nik has setup a league on the site in preparation for the upcoming 2014 season. So with her kind permission, I can happily say that anyone is invited to have a go to setup a team and take on the Guru at running a BTCC Fantasy team. I still revel in winning the old TOCA Talk League in 2012 and Niks League last year... 

If you wish to take part feel free to message me on Facebook with your name & email address where you will then be sent an invite to the league via email with the joining details. I also know that there is a league being setup in the facebook group BTCC Fans Group which I'll be participating in too.

But I can say we had a great day enjoying the launch of the 2014 BTCC and that in the coming days I will be presenting a preview of the upcoming season and my thoughts on the runners and riders.

Finally, I've added a few pics from Media Day as well.

Cheers

Phil!

Tintop Guru's 1st Anniversary!!!

Wow!! The Guru Blog is One year old today!!

When I started back on 14 March 2013, I honestly wasnt sure if I'd still be writing a blog a year later, let alone the following it has gained in those twelve months.

I also have to say that writing this blog has helped me to share my passion of motorsport with fellow friends, fans and followers and help me to realise that there is a firm fanbase for both single-seaters and tintop racing.

Also I would like to say...

THE GURU IS GOING TO BTCC MEDIA DAY!!

Yup, I shall be there with my adorable partner Nik and my son Aaron who is the creator and Chief Photographer of Blue Lake Photography. He will be taking plenty of photos whilst we are at Donington Park as well as also taking taking the excellent landscape photos in his spare time.

I recommend taking a look, look up Blue Lake Photography on Facebook.

I would also like to say thanks to a few people who have supported me as I have written this blog. First of all I would like to thank Andrew Abbott and all at TouringCars.net for allowing me to retweet and post my blog through their twitter feed. I would like to thank them for the support and advice he and the team have given me and being included as part of the team for my small part. I recommend this website for its excellent news and content.

I would also like to thank Nick Hunt who runs the BTCC Fans Group on Facebook for allowing me to post my bloglinks in his group to share with everyone in the group as well as those generally on Facebook and Twitter.

I want to thank Neil Hudson of TouringCarTimes, whose own blog regarding motorsport inspired me to start writing my own views, opinions and memories in a blog that became Tintop Guru. I also want to thank Neil, Ian Gallagher, Johan Meissner and George East for their great feedback on the article I had published last year online and their fantastic work at TouringCarTimes. I recommend this website as well.

I also want to say some thank you's to my family and friends for supporting me through a very difficult time last year and for the support of my decision to begin writing this blog and for the feedback they have given me when looking to improve it and keep it fun.

I want to say thank you to my two best friends Clive and Andy. Clive has always been a shoulder to me ever since we met in 1995 and Andy has shared my obssesive love of motorsport ever since we met in 1995 in Woolworths in Bedford looking for BTCC Review Videos.

I want to say thank you to the many friends I have on Facebook and Twitter who share my love of motorsport and who are also very supportive when times have been tough and difficult. You are a great bunch of people to talk to and share tintop banter and theories with.

Finally I want to say thank you to three very important people. Firstly my mum, who supported me through my childhood as my love of motorsport grew as I grew up and for reminding me when the buzz buzz is on. I have never forgotten the many years that I watched F1 and Touring Cars whilst I had my Sunday Dinner on my lap or she sat doing her knitting. Priceless.

I want to say thank you to my son Aaron, who shares his heated passion of motorsport with me. Often we will argue when drivers clash on track as to who is to blame and who isnt, we will argue during the off season as to who will drive where as I speculate and he waits for facts to be published, but he is the biggest Vettel/Red Bull fan I know and he loves his motor racing.

Finally I want to say thank you to my partner Nik. I dont think she realised when we met in 2009 what she was taking on but she has stood by me and supported me as we havent ventured through these past 4 years together and knows how much I love my motorsport and Sci-Fi. She supported my idea to write this blog and I can honestly say I dont know what I would do without her.

So here is to another year of blogging from the Guru. I will be concentrating on the BTCC, WTCC  and World Rallycross this year with the odd post on other motorsports to come later on. Meanwhile my photo this time is my favourite shot from many memories of Formula One, from the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix where over the last 7 laps, Nigel Mansell chased down Ayrton Senna but couldnt pass the Mclaren driver.

Thank you to all my followers and readers and heres to another year of blogging from the Guru.

Cheers

Phil.

BTCC Update... 3rd March 2014...

Well last week showed that testing is well underway for the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship however there have also been a few announcements to give a clearer picture of the runners and riders this season.

So, whats been happening...

1. Yuasa Honda took the newly built No.2 Honda Civic Tourer for Gordon Shedden for Testing at Snetterton. Shedden has spent time in the No.1 car previously testing it back to back with the 2013 Civic Hatchback, however this allowed him time in his own car.

2. United Autosports drivers Glynn Geddie and James Cole also at Snetterton testing the teams two Toyota Avensis NGTC cars. 

3. Adam Morgan revealed the livery of his WIX Racing Mercedes A-Class, taking the oppurtunity to show how the car livery took shape via an online Social Media presentation.

4. Snetterton became a popular place as Pirtek Honda drivers Andrew Jordan and Martin Depper arrived to test their NGTC Honda Civics, giving Depper more time in an NGTC car.

5. Airwaves Racing also tested their 2014 Ford Focus at Snetterton with Fabrizio Giovanardi at the wheel and Jack Clarke spotted in attendence, building speculation that Clarke will be racing for the team.

6. United Autosports stayed on for a 2nd day of testing with both Geddie and Cole getting further NGTC mileage under their belts.

7. Returning BTCC Team BTC Racing unveiled the livery of their NGTC Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. The car will be black with main sponsor Power Maxed dominating the livery. Chris Stockton will pilot the car during the season.

7. Brands Hatch was a hive of activity on Thursday as several BTCC teams took the oppurtunity to test in drying conditions. Rob Austin was out in his RAR/Exocet Racing Audi A4 Sherman whilst Dave Newsham got his first run in the AmD NGTC Ford Focus this year. Team Dynamics were also out in force testing their Civic Tourers with Flash and Neal getting more seat time. Meanwhile Ebay/WSR BMW were testing at Snetterton, getting more data with their more aero designed 1 Series for the season ahead.

8. Friday saw wet testing taking place at Silverstone for several teams. United Autosports were testing both NGTC cars with regular drivers Glynn Geddie and James Cole getting more wet testing mileage. WIX Racing are also out at Silverstone, testing their new NGTC Mercedes A Class for the first time with Adam Morgan at the wheel.

9. Finally 2013 Jack Sears Champion Lea Wood announced that he will compete in the 2014 season driving for newly formed team Houseman Racing using an NGTC Toyota Avensis. The team is the same family run outfit JWT Performance that ran Wood in 2013 with title sponsorship from 2013 sponsor Houseman Dry Lining. Wood has explained that as the Toyota is a developed car already, he and the team are hoping to score good points during the first half of the season.

So with Lea Wood announcing his return, another seat and team are confirmed. From my point of view, assuming that Speedworks may only run one car, this leaves three seats left to be filled and with 15 days left to the BTCC Media Day on 18th March, its highly likely these other seats will be confirmed then.

What is clear that the 2nd seat at Airwaves Racing is a straight fight between 2013 Airwaves drivers Mat Jackson and Tom Onslow-Cole with Jack Clarke an almost cert for the third seat.

However as the buildup to Media Day continues with the season start on 30th March 2 weeks later, its looking to be an amazing season this year.

All the best,

Phil.

BTCC Update... 24th February 2014...

So its been a relatively quiet week for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and news and updates coming out for the 2014 season...

But there has been some news...

On Tuesday last week, several BTCC Teams headed to Thruxton to gether some testing data in somewhat wet conditions. Aiden Moffat suffered a big accident whilst avoiding a rabbit, causing damage to his NGTC Chevrolet Cruze. However he has since reported that the Cruze will be ready for more testing and will be at Media Day.

Also at the test were Sam Tordoff and Marc Hynes for MG, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden for Honda, Andrew Jordan and Martin Depper for Pirtek Honda, Glynn Geddie and James Cole for United Autosport, Colin Turkington, Rob Collard and Nick Foster for WSR and Rob Austin for RAR/Exocet Racing.

Honda tested their Civic Tourer and Civic Hatchback again with Shedden suffering a small fire in the pits during the day. Meanwhile the RWD Teams of RAR/Exocet Racing reported good progress from last years data.

Tim Harvey confirmed that he has signed up to stay in the BTCC commentary box with David Addison until the end of the 2016 season on ITV4. Harvey joined Ben Edwards in the BTCC Commentary box in 2003 and last year was a big hit when teamed with David Addison.

Airwaves Racing were out testing at Brands Hatch last week with the new 2014 NGTC Ford Focus. There is a noticeable change on the front end of the  car with a new aerodynamics package on the car. Airwaves have confirmed that Fabrizio Giovanardi will drive one of the new cars however the other two drivers are not confirmed yet.

Team Boss Dave Bartrum has confirmed that two cars will run under the Airwaves banner whilst the third Focus will be a satellite team. Rumours currently put Jack Clark, Stepson of former F1 & BTCC driver Julian Bailey in the third Focus.

United Autosports have shaken down their second and newly built NGTC Toyota Avensis for their planned two car assault on the BTCC this season. With pictures shown on social media, the 2nd Avensis was shook down by Glynn Geddie. The team had already purchased the assets and Toyota Avensis from the Dynojet outfit that took part for the past three seasons. Both drivers took part in the test at Thruxton.

Finally 1989 & 1995 BTCC Champion has given his endorsement and support of the quality of the drivers, driver talent and NGTC Cars that have been announced for the 2014. Cleland explained that the quality of the driving talent, including 7 former BTCC Champions competing, shows that the championship has improved and doesnt need the "10-12 Manufacturer Teams" that took part in the SuperTouring days. Cleland himself has confirmed he will be racing his 1997 Vauxhall Vectra in the Historic Super Touring Cup at the BTCC Oulton Park meeting.

So, more testing is taking place and we still have four seats to be filled before the official list is announced on 18th March at the BTCC Media Day being held at Donington Park. There are two seats at Airwaves, One seat at Rob Austin Racing/Exocet Racing and one at Speedworks Motorsport. There are still big names missing such as Mat Jackson, Lea Wood and Tom Onslow-Cole with no plans announced. TOC was testing an Aston Martin GT3 car at Portimao last week with former BTCC Drivers Jonny Adam, Alex MacDowall and current champion Andrew Jordan.

But all will be revealed at Media Day at what I am certain is going to be a very popular and crowded Media Day event with such a highly talented crop of drivers announced.

All the best,

Phil.

WTCC 2014: The story so far...

With all the hype of the British Touring Car Championship having 7 former champions competing this year on a capacity grid of NGTC cars and the new FIA World Rallycross Championship gaining star talent such as Jacques Villeneuve & Tanner Foust and Works Teams be entered by Ford, VW and Peugeot, both series seem to be putting the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship in the shade almost.

So I thought I'd put something together about what is known so far for the World Championship.

This year, the WTCC goes into a new set of regulations for the car and series itself. The cars still have 1.6 litre turbo petrol engines, but now they produce 380bhp instead of 300bhp. Add to this that the cars now have a slightly more aerodynamic package, they are lighter and you can see that the new TC1 cars will be giving an even better show already.

I've spoken of this in a previous post but this years new regulations are called "Super 2000 2014." However since the introduction of the original Super 2000 Touring Car regulations in 2003, theres been some changes. So to make this easier, The FIA has introduced a new recognition system. TC1 cars are built to the new regulations. TC2 cars are Super 2000 that use the original 1.6 litre Turbo engine that produces 300bhp. These are cars used in the WTCC from 2011 to 2013.

TC2 cars are eligible in the Yokohama Trophy this year but they will be 1.5 seconds slower per kilometre than the brand new TC1 cars. So to give an example, TC2 cars would be 9 seconds a lap slower than TC1 cars on the Suzuka East circuit...

To add to this, the sporting regulations have been updated. Both races will have standing starts. There is no more rolling start for race one. Qualifying will also change. This will be split into three sessions. Q1 will determine who goes through to the top 12 in Q2. Q2 will determine the top 10 to be reversed for the Race Two start. However Q3 will be a one lap Superpole for the top five cars from Q2, to determine who will take pole position for race one. Points will also be scored by thr five cars in Q3 as well. The races will now be a mandatory 60kms in duration. There will also be testing on Friday at every venue except Moscow & Macauu.

Now, due to the new regulations, there are some changes in driver and manufacturer lineups...

First, Citroen Racing have decided to enter the World Championship. They will field three full time Citroen C-Elysse Saloons for Four time WTCC Champion Yvan Muller, Nine time WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb and Argentinian TC2000 Champion Jose Maria Lopez. A fourth entry will appear in the Asian WTCC rounds.

Citroen have been testing the car since late last year and have had a full testing programme underway, testing the car at Monza, Abu Dhabi and several other venues. Whilst Loeb and Lopez will learn steeply, Muller is expected to start on the best foot for defending his 2013 Title.

Next, Honda will field four of the new TC1 Honda Civics. Two will be raced by the works team with Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Montiero staying on. Hungarian team Zengo Motorsport will run one car for Norbert Michelisz whilst Italian Team Scuderia Proteam will run a single car for Morrocan driver Mehdi Benanni. Proteam were originally a stalwart BMW WTCC customer team so securing a Honda is new territory for them.

Honda only recently began testing the new car and have admitted that they will be on catchup with Citroen, however they are well up to the task and they are aiming high this year, looking to take race wins and challenge for the Drivers and Manufacturers titles.

Lada is the third manufacturer this year in the WTCC. They are fielding three Lada Granta Sport WTCC ebtries that are updated to the new TC1 regulations. As well as running James Thompson and Michael Kozilovskiy, they are joined by 2012 WTCC Champion Rob Huff. Thompson and Huff are well known as drivers who can help bring the best from a Touring Car and Lada are hoping that all three drivers can pose a serious challenge to Honda and Citroen.

Lada have also just started testing at Magny Cours in France so they will be looking to be fast and reliable from the off. Last year Thompson was capable of regular top six finishes, so more is expected with Huff now on board and a years worth of data from last years championship.

The fourth brand in the WTCC is RML-Chevrolet. Whilst this is not a works programme, RML have taken the decision to build an updated version of the all conquering Chevrolet Cruze to the TC1 regulations. RML will only be building the cars and supplying them to Customer teams with support offered. They will not be running a team as they seek to return in 2015 with a Works effort potentially with another manufacturer.

There could be up to six Cruze's on the grid this year with four confirmed so far. Former BMW customer team ROAL Motorsport has announced that they will run two cars for Tom Coronel and Tom Chilton. Meanwhile Spanish team Campos Racing has announced that they will run two cars for Frenchman Hugo Valente and popular Serbian Dusan Borkovic. There could be two more Cruze's on the grid but there is no confirmation of these yet.

RML have explained they hope to have these cars to their customers in March however never count out a car built by the Wellingborough concern. They know their stuff and I wouldnt be surprised if one of the cars took a win during the season.

Now there will be a fifth effort taking part in the WTCC this season and its been a secret until January. Mike Earle ran Team Aon in the BTCC for ten years until stepping up to the WTCC in 2012 with Tom Chilton and James Nash driving two Ford Focus WTCC's. However with no support in 2013 from Ford, the team closed it doors.

Well in 2014, Mike is back in the WTCC. In January he announced that he was resurrecting the Onyx Race Engineering Brand used in Formula One in the late 1980's to take part in a five year WTCC project. Now there is no confirmation of drivers yet or what car is being used as we await confirmation. Speculation ties young Spaniard Pepe Oriola to the team but we still await who will be driving what for Onyx Race Engineering.

Now with regards to the TC2 Yokohama Trophy entry, nothing has been confirmed. What is known is that Campos intend to field several SEAT Leon WTCC's and thats it possible Engstler and Weichers Sport could return with their BMW 320TC's.

However, the all conquering Chevrolet Cruze has been banned from taking part due to what is seen as a car that has an advantage over the rest. Apart from this, it will be interesting to see who will be fighting it out for Yokohama Trophy honours. There is also a cash prize for the winner of the Trophy as in previous years.

The series will also use different circuits this year as well with a change from the East Circuit at Suzuka to using the full Grand Prix Circuit. The series is also making a debut appearence at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France and a return to the Spa-Francochamps Circuit in Belgium, which the WTCC last used in its first season in 2005.

Now whilst all of this looks to be another Tintop championship that is going to have a bumper year. But for the WTCC there is a price and "Price" is the key word.

The reason is that this year there are currently 16 TC1 seats taken and being raced. However a lot of drivers who want to race in TC1 machinery who are Indepedent Drivers have already complained of the price of purchasing a TC1 Chevrolet and that in many cases its simply not affordable.

For the past few seasons, the WTCC has had a good driver base due to the many Independent drivers that took part and bulked up the field as in the BTCC. But with with the TC1 seats being filled and TC2 not presenting a "competitive option" to many teams, drivers are going elsewhere in 2014.

Stefano D'Aste, Charles Ng,
Michel Nykjaer and Darryl O'Young have already confirmed they will not take part this year. Tom Coronel and Pepe Oriola have also voiced how difficult it is to afford a drive this year.

In fact with the FIA European Touring Car Cup confirming that it will allow TC2 cars to compete with TC3 cars (Normally Aspirated S2000 Touring Cars) in 2014, the ETCC would seem to offer a more competitive option in the immediate future. There has been talk of Nykjaer returning to the ETCC and trying to win a third Cup.

Budget and lack of a Works seat is also another reason as to why tintop legends such as Alain Menu and Fabrizio Giovanardi have chosen to race in the BTCC this season. There is also speculation that 2013 WTCC Independent Champion James Nash could return of late...

However, if you remember, the BTCC also went through this change when moving from Super 2000 regulations to NGTC regulations. In 2011 four NGTC cars started the season. In 2014 at least 30 NGTC cars will compete in the BTCC.

So there is hope for more TC1 cars entering the WTCC in seasons to come. RML is seeking a new Manufacturer Contract, Lada plans to introduce the 2015 Priora Model built to TC1 regulations and Volvo is re-entering Worldwide Touring Car series with expanded entries in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in the past few seasons and a new 2 car entry in the International V8 Supercars Championship, so it possible to see more manufacturer entries and more cars built to TC1 Regs.

So in my humble opinion, things for the WTCC look just as exciting in 2014 as they do for the BTCC, World RallycrossRX and even Formula One.

Trust me on this one, The FIA World Touring Car Championship is looking very good...

Cheers

Phil.

Whats the attraction???... The 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship

2014 seems to be a year of change in Motorsport with many championships using new rules for the first time or attracting new drivers and returning big name drivers and new manufacturers.

Now I'm going to concentrate on two series that have attracted more interest this year because of current rules. One is the UK's biggest domestic series The British Touring Car Championship, whilst the other is the new formed FIA World Rallycross Championship. In this post, I'll be writing about the new FIA World Rallycross Championship.

Now last year, what was the FIA European Rallycross Championship reinvented itself as RallycrossRX, maintaining its Supercar rules using cars that are 4 wheel drive using 2 litre turbocharged engines that produce 600bhp plus. Allied with a 1 hour highlights programme that was shown on satellite channel British Eurosport showcasing the Supercar, Touring Car and S1600 catergories, this proved an instant hit with the action being fast, frantic and exciting.

What also proved successful were the drivers that were attracted to the series. Former WRC Champion Petter Solberg, Timmy Hansen, son of Rallycross legend Kevin Hansen, Gymkhana star Tanner Foust and the UK's own Liam Doran, son of Rallycross legend Pat Doran were just a few that took part during the season whilst one off guest appearances from 9 time WRC Champion Sebastian Leob and former DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom further ramped up the profile of the Championship during the season.

Along came September and the FIA World Motorsport Council decided that the European Championship would become an FIA World Championship in 2014 using the same rules package but expanding the series from 9 rounds in 2013 to 12 rounds in 2014. The European Championship would remain over a 5 round series held at the same events in Europe as the World Championship. Eurosport announced that it would upgrade its coverage at 8 of the events as live whilst delayed highlights would cover the other 4 rounds.

The result?

WorldRX was born.

The response for the 2014 World RX season has been phenomenal...

First of all there has been Manufacturer Support confirmed from 3 different makes: Ford, Peugeot and Volkswagen. Ford will support the Swedish OMSE team, Peugeot will support Hansen Motorsport whilst VW are supporting Marklund Motorsport.

Then there are the driver lineups already confirmed showcasing some amazing motorsport talent. 1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve has confirmed he will join British WorldRX team Albatec Racing Boss Andy Scott in a two car team running Peugeot 208's. Anton Marklund is joined at the VW Marklund Motorsport team by Global Rallycross Star Topi Heikenen whilst Tanner Foust will contest several rounds for the team also. Andreas Bakkerud and Reiniss Nitiss are both confirmed at the Swedish Ford OMSE team for the full season, being joined by 2013 British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan for the UK round at Lydden Hill only. Liam Doran is returning with a two car team whilst Petter Solberg has expanded to a two car effort with Alexander Hvaal joining him. Johan Kristoffersson is joining the series full time driving a VW built by VW Dealer Team Sweden.

Thats another point in the benefit of the European Championship becoming a World Championship, where teams are expanding from single car lineups in 2013 to multiple car lineups in 2014 and attracting Manufacturer support in the process as a Teams Title has been created for 2014. Now the teams can go for glory with two drivers where as last year there was only the outright Drivers Title to be won.

Whilst the coverage is mostly live this year, the series is expanding from 9 events to 12 with rounds from Argentina, Turkey and Canada being included in the calendar which opens the championship up to more viewers and also get more coverage to local talent to compete on home soil as well as the World Stage.

But what is the big pull is that the regulations havent changed and that last year the championship pulled in big figures for both Television and Online viewership and crowd figures from the venues themselves. People were flocking to these two day events where there is plenty of non stop action taking place with the various heats and finals taking place. The fans get the oppurtunity to meet the drivers and teams closeup, getting autographs and a chance at seeing the Supercars closeup that compete in the championship whilst Social Media has been a big move with lots of the competing drivers and teams using Twittet, Facebook and the like to give updates on Car Progress and Driver signings.

So in conclusion, the reason behind Rallycross RX becoming World RX is simple: the upgrade of the series to a World Championship with no change in regulations has increased peoples participation and grown the series further in terms of Entrants, Calendar and Coverage allowing the fans to get involved first hand and closeup.

Now, this year theres plenty going on with new rules and new entrants in such series as Formula One, World Touring Car Championship, The DTM, The British Touring Car Championship, The World Endurance Championship and V8 Supercars... But if you fancy something different to watch in motorsport terms, I recommend the FIA World Rallycross Championship or WorldRX.

Cheers

Phil.

BTCC Update: 17th February 2014...

Well it was a bumper week that was packed with lots of news and updates for BTCC fans ahead of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season. A lot of the updates also locked down who will be driving where, with who and in what...

So, here are the updates...

1. ebay/WSR confirmed that their 2013 lineup of Colin Turkington, Rob Collard & Nick Foster will return to drive the eBay sponsored NGTC BMW 1 series. The team will begin testing on Tuesday 18th at Thruxton, however Turkington is eyeing a title push with the little BMW this year...

2. Marc Hynes tested his 888 prepared MG6 at Oulton Park last week along with Sam Tordoff as both drivers gained more mileage in the MG. Rob Austin was also out testing his re-shelled Audi A4 at Oulton as well. Austin is reported to be very happy with the updates for Sherman.

3. Tom Ingram confirmed that he will drive for Speedworks, piloting one of their NGTC Toyota's this season. Ingram will be joined in the team by a 2nd entry to be announced before Media Day, whilst Speedworks is supporting Simon Belcher and Handy Motorsport with their Toyota Avensis.

4. Fabrizio Giovanardi tested his Airwaves Focus at Brands Hatch in a combined shakedown/test session for the Italian. Airwaves Boss Dave Bartrum reported that he was very happy with Gio's feedback and is still looking to finalise the teams lineup for Media Day.

5. Shaun Hollamby was on shakedown duty for his AmD team as he shook the Focus down at Brands as well with Dave Newsham taking over testing duties before Media Day. Meanwhile at Donington Park, Yuasa Honda were out testing both the Honda Civic Tourer and the Honda Civic Hatchback whilst Pirtek Honda had both Jordan and Depper out in their Civics. Rob Austin was also present at the Donington Park test where he completed 60 laps in "Sherman" his popular Audi A4. Austin is confident in being able to challenge the top teams this season.

6. Simon Belcher was out at Silverstone on Friday testing his Handy Motorsport NGTC  Toyota Avensis at Silverstone. Tom Ingram was also at Silverstone out testing his Speedworks Toyota. Although conditions were  not ideal, Ingram is confident he can score some top ten finishes in the first half of the season.

7. BTC Racing have confirmed that their title sponsor for the 2014 season will be Power Maxed with the team confirming it will be racing as "Power Maxed Racing" with the NGTC Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. The car is due to be seen in its first test during Media Day on 18th March with Chris Stockton confirmed to drive the car.

8. Andy Neate has confirmed that he has mothballed his IP Tech Race Engineering team for now and will be making a return to the BTCC in 2015. He has made it cllear that his return will be a fresh approach using the lessons he has learned from setting up his own team last year. The NGTC Chevrolet Cruze Saloon Neate campaigned in 2013 has been sold to Aiden Moffat who will campaign the car this year in his family run team.

9. Finally, the test at Thruxton on 18th February has confirmed that the following teams will attend:
Yuasa Honda Racing
Pirtek Honda
Triple Eight/MG
United Autosports
RAR/Exocet Racing
& ebay/WSR.

So as you can see, the jigsaw is almost complete. With the TBL licences in effect and the confirmation that 31 TBL's will be used, this now leaves 4 seats to be filled:

1 seat at Speedworks Motorsport
2 seats at Airwaves Racing
1 seat at RAR/Exocet Racing.

This also leaves one TBL held by series boss Alan Gow to hand out to whom he sees fit during the season. Lea Wood has confirmed that, all being well, he will release his "interesting" plans this week regarding his participation in the BTCC.

However the big news still surrounds the two vacant Airwaves seats. With Giovanardi making it clear that he is going for a third BTCC title, speculation still has a number of drivers vying for the other sests, one of which will operate as a satellite team. In an ideal world with budget no problem, you would expect Mat Jackson and Tom Onslow-Cole to join Giovanardi...

But both drivers have been quiet during the off season and names such as Steven Kane and Michael Caine have been mentioned. In fact, it might be possible this could be the first season in a while we may not see Jackson or TOC in a BTCC car. Jackson himself has been a stalwart Airwaves/Motorbase driver since 2010 and in 2011 was a title contender for both the outright drivers title and the Independent title...

But Airwaves/Motorbase has long been regarded as the team that should have won a BTCC title by now. With the team being restructured, a budget increase being applied and a former Double British Touring Car Championship signed on board, this year they may just make that step up to challenge the might of Team Dynamics and Triple Eight who have dominated the championship title fight in recent years...

Either way the next few weeks will be part of an amazing buildup to what is fast becoming the biggest, possibly most classic and titanic fight yet for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Personally I can't wait.

Cheers

Phil.

BTCC Update... 8 February 2014

Wow!! Well we've had a cracking week of announcements for the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car season which is due to kick off at the end of March and the hype is just building and building!!

So, heres what we have...

1. Motorbase/Airwaves Racing have announced that they have signed 2007 & 2008 Double BTCC Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi. He will pilot one of the teams NGTC Fords whilst his two team-mates will be announced in due course.

Team boss Dave Bartrum admitted he's tried to sign the Italian driver since he lost his drive with Triple Eight in 2010. Giovanardi confirmed on Twitter today that he will be testing out his Ford Focus on Thursday next week...

2. Aiden Moffat has confirmed that his family run team will compete as Laser Tools Racing this season in the NGTC Chevrolet Cruze they purchased from Andy Neate. Moffat has also been testing the Cruze as well.

I'm picking this driver/team combination as my dark horse for some cracking performances during the season...

3. Pirtek Racing have had their first 2014 test at Brands Hatch this week. 2013 Champion Andy Jordan and his 2014 team-mate Martin Depper completed testing on the Indy Circuit, looking to further improve the setup on the NGTC Honda Civic and allow both Jordan and Depper to further hone their driving skills with the car.

4. The 2014 BTCC driver market is due to take another twist in the coming weeks with the expected driver announcement from eBay Motors/West Surrey Racing. They were due to announce the lineup on Thursday, this has now been postponed whilst driver negotiations continue. They have also dropped a hint that its possible they could sign a former Australian V8 Supercars driver as part of the lineup.

Current fan speculation has various drivers suggested for the lineup, including Colin Turkington, Rob Collard, Nick Foster, Tom Onslow-Cole, Stephen Jelley, Alex MacDowall and the mystery V8 Supercar driver...

5. BTC Racing, who are fielding the NGTC Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback, have confirmed that Chris Stockton will drive for them this season. They have also announced via their twitter feed that they will be announcing a title sponsor in the next few days...

6. Finally, Frank Wrathall who drove for the family run team Dynojet has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found guilty to death by careless driving. Wrathall was involved in a fatal collision with a cyclist on May 14th 2012 near his home in Preston. He has also been disqualified from driving for four years.

The team confirmed that it sold its assets and TBL's to new BTCC entrant United Autosports.

So we have some good points and some bad points. Regarding the news about Frank Wrathall, I will not give opinion on this matter. However I will say it is a shame when someone involved in motorsport is brought to the headlines in this way. For those of you who have long memories, I am sure you will be reminded of the circumstances surrounding Vic Lee and his Vic Lee Motorsport squad.

As for the signing of Giovanardi at Airwaves, this brings the total of BTCC Champions taking part this season to six!! With the return of Alain Menu announced at Team BMR and championship stalwarts Jordan, Plato, Shedden and Neal confirmed to return, the BTCC has taken a step forward in regards to driver quality and the draw of the UK's biggest domestic motorsport series showing such a good show that the best Touring Car driver talent in the world want to race in the BTCC.

Giovanardi is a mutiple European Touring Car champion, having won Italian, Spanish, European and British Touring Car titles during his career. His battles with Jason Plato for BTCC titles are as legendary as Plato's battles with Matt Neal. However Gio has made it clear he's going for BTCC Title No.3 this year to join Matt Neal as Triple BTCC Champion.

Make no mistake. This season there will be no quarter asked and none given. Bumpers will be torn off, Wing Mirrors will fly and door panels will be dented. The driving talent announced so far this year is so high already and the competition being so close that people are talking of how the 2014 season will be reminiscent of the driving talent that the Manufacturer Teams brought in during the Super Touring/FIA Class 2 days from 1991 to 2000.

I think we are in for an amazing season that will offer amazing racing and epic highs and lows with the man who becomes 2014 British Touring Car Champion knowing that he will have beaten the best to the title in a field that is the best of the best.

I can't wait!!!

Cheers

Phil.

FIA World RallycrossRX: How the series went from strength to strength... In one year...

In early 2013, quite by accident, I discovered a full colour supplement in a copy of Autosport outlining the big players of the newly revamped for 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship.

And my interest was sparked...

As I browsed through the list, two names caught my eye. 2003 WRC Champion Petter Solberg and British Rallycross ace Liam Doran, son of Rallycross legend Pat Doran.

Now I'm not a big fan of rallying, however I was already interested in Solbergs plans as it was mentioned he could make a move into Touring Car racing. I recall watching the British Rallycross Grand Prix on the BBC from Brands Hatch as a child and something about this series made me want to watch.

With the championship sponsored by Monster Energy and getting a 1 hour highlights programme on Eurosport covering the events of each weekend, coverage of the championship soared. It was a new series for me and my son Aaron who was an instant supporter of Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud (due to them being sponsored by Monster) and 2012 Champion Timur Timerzyanov (because he's russian and sponsored by Red Bull...)

Theres a pattern there...

Big names took part during the season in either partial programmes or one off appearances such as Tanner Foust, Mattias Ekstrom, Sebastian Loeb and Tommy Rustad. This pulled in the crowds and viewership for the series and what added to this was that the racing in each round was fantic and hectic and close. It was never clear who the heat winner or the final winner would be.

To add to this aspect, viewing figures for the Championship grew round by round and the spectator figures at each round were getting larger and larger, especially in countries such as France, UK, Norway and Sweden where home grown Rallycross talent is in abundance and the sport is popular.

And then came a thought...from more than one person involved in the championship...

What if the series became a World Championship?

As the season carried on, murmurs began circulating in a familiar, similar way to the process that revived the World Touring Car Championship in 2005. That began life as the European Touring Car Championship and several years later became an FIA sanctioned World Championship. In the European Rallycross Championship, the same thing happened but in a much shorter timescale...

Months.

In September 2013 The FIA granted the series to be promoted as an FIA World Championship for 2014 and this move has caused massive interest for the 2014 season. The FIA European Rallycross Championship will continue of 5 events whilst the World Championship will take place over 12 events, encompassing the 5 European events.

Ford has pledged manufacturer support for Swedish Rallycross sensation Andreas Bakkerud whilst Peugeot have announced a manufacturer backed entry with Rallycross legend Kenneth Hansen for an entry for his son Timmy.

Plenty of entries have been announced apart from these as well. Liam Doran and his team are hard at work to build two cars to gain manufacturer support whilst Petter Solberg is expanding to a two car entry with Alexander Hvaal joining him for the 2014 season. Anton Marklund has also announced a two car team, returning with two VW Polo Supercars. Even WTCC regulars Munnich Motorsport, who campaigned three SEAT Leon's for Rob Huff, Marc Basseng and Team Boss Rene Munnich have built an Audi A3 Supercar to campaign throughout the 2014 season.

Now, I find when talking to a lot of people outside of Social Media about Motorsport that their first thought is "Oh yes, its boring, just like that Formula One!"

I find it a lot...

Well I champion the cause of Touring Cars all the time in this case, explaining how the BTCC has 3 40 minute races on a Sunday thats much more exciting and devoid of any politics. I also explain the fun aspect that the WTCC also offers as well, with Touring Cars racing on the same circuits used by Formula One but offering exciting races (Hungary for example...)

Well I'm also now going to recommend to anyone who has cable or satellite, to give World Rallycross a go. The cars are still recognisable on the outside, however underneath they are 600bhp, 4 wheel drive, race prepared monsters who have starts that could give an F1 car serious competition and where the racing is, if its possible, closer than Touring Car racing can be.

So this year, apart from my usual focus on Formula One, BTCC, WTCC, ETCC & DTM, I will also be keeping a keen eye on the World Rallycross Championship for a 2nd season as it hits the world stage and I will be looking to learn more about this sport to impart to you, my readers.

Especially the heat system. I need to get my head round that one...

I will also add that I am looking forward to the UK round of the championship from Lydden Hill in May as its now been been confirmed that 2013 BTCC champion Andrew Jordan will be taking part in that round with the Swedish Ford team in a Fiesta Supercar.

Thats got my interest even more.

So if you have Eurosport, give the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship this year and see if it offers an alternative to the usual single seater and tintop coverage out there. You can also follow updates from the championship on Facebook & Twitter by searching for "RallycrossRX".

Cheers

Phil.