Great analysis camelspyder and some good points that I hadn't considered. I just YouTubed Round 1 of the 2001 BTCC and there were only 8 cars on the grid, and 4 were Vauxhalls - hardly a championship to be proud of! I first became aware of Andy Priaulx when he was hillclimbing a Pilbeam (I think, it was a very long time ago). The reporters in Autosport really rated him and I followed his progress all the way to WTCC. Did he achieve all of his potential? Probably not. As for Andy Rouse and his 4th title in the XR4Ti, the pre-cursor to (or development mule for) the Sierra Cosworth, that was a risk he took and he had to develop it in to a race winner. I remember going to Silverstone to see it and it was indeed a quantum leap ahead of the rest  (although my focus was on the Golfs v Astras in the lower classes). And Chris Hodgetts in the Corolla coupe (as opposed to the hatchback) - I  hankered for one of these but ended up in a Mk 2 Golf 16v! Great Touring Car days

Priaulx won 4 consecutive top line Touring Car titles, has been a factory driver for top teams ever since 2002, and was a regular works F1 test driver. 

Pretty good for a kid who grew up on an island with no race track. 

 

I loved the Corolla GT86 too, my flatmate had one in the 80's when I had an Audi Coupe. We used to swap cars often - they were so different but both a lot of fun.

I tend to discount Chris Hodgetts because he won titles by being the fastest car and driver in a class of 3 men and a dog, when any one from about a dozen Capri 3.0S might win overall.

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

I tend to discount Chris Hodgetts because he won titles by being the fastest car and driver in a class of 3 men and a dog, when any one from about a dozen Capri 3.0S might win overall.

Yes, Hodgetts had limited competition in the smallest category, but I'm sure his 2 titles came after the Capri era; a quick Google shows the front of the races in 1986 had Rover Vitesses, Sierra XR4Ti and Mitsubishi Starion Turbos. A nice mix!

2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

I tend to discount Chris Hodgetts because he won titles by being the fastest car and driver in a class of 3 men and a dog, when any one from about a dozen Capri 3.0S might win overall.

That's what I said. Sytner had no real class opposition to his M3 either.

I much prefer the single class championship even if the Balance of Performance rulings and Mr Gow's favouritism effect the results far too much.

How about John Clelland, Tim Harvey and Frank Biela for some consideration too ? John C could hold his own in an argument I seem to recall.

John C could hold an argument in a phone box, or an empty room. His first title was another multiclass effort in an Astra. They (Vauxhall) even fiddled the points by entering Louise Aitken-Walker in their rally Astra if the class numbers dropped below the minimum for full points. He did get another title in the Vectra though and since that is regarded as a fairly **** Super Tourer I think that was a major achievement probably his career highlight.

 

Harvey just wasn't quite fast enough in Rovers or Sierras but the big budget  (cocaine funded) Vic Lee Racing team built a very competitive BMW and he won the title after that bad tempered finale where Cleland knocked Soper off, and Steve chased him down and crashed him giving Tim the title. Must watch that season highlights video again.😃

 

Frank Biela almost made my best ever selection above, but his BTCC year was all about car advantage. Alan Gow would never allow that these days...

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/lights-camera-action-shadowing-btcc’s-tv-crew

Can't believe he'll be 70 next year. I've watched him since his Grandstand days.

1 minute ago, Paul007 said:

Can't believe he'll be 70 next year. I've watched him since his Grandstand days.

I chatted to Steve Rider and Will Hoy in the pits on Press Day at Brands in the 1990's before getting my Autocar prize of 3 laps with Rickard Rydell in the then brand new S40 BTCC race car. What an experience and what a day. TWR ran the Volvo race cars back then and I was the first member of the public to get a ride in the S40.

The true extent of the BMW hobbling was revealed this week. 

 

Double winner earlier this year at Thruxton, Andrew Jordan, only got into the top 10 once at the second meeting on the same track.

 

Fastest WSR race lap last weekend 1:17.5. Fastest WSR race lap at the May Thruxton event 1:16.6

In qually they dropped from 1:15.6 in May to 1:16.3 this week.

 

Why do the teams like WSR bother spending money developing cars to be treated like this?

 

The way things are going, one of the 2 Honda teams might snatch some pretty much undeserved titles.

 

 

Edited 19 August, 20196 yr by camelspyyder

On 19/08/2019 at 22:37, camelspyyder said:

The true extent of the BMW hobbling was revealed this week. 

 

Double winner earlier this year at Thruxton, Andrew Jordan, only got into the top 10 once at the second meeting on the same track.

 

Fastest WSR race lap last weekend 1:17.5. Fastest WSR race lap at the May Thruxton event 1:16.6

In qually they dropped from 1:15.6 in May to 1:16.3 this week.

 

Why do the teams like WSR bother spending money developing cars to be treated like this?

 

The way things are going, one of the 2 Honda teams might snatch some pretty much undeserved titles.

 

 

 

This behaviour will kill the sport.... Mr Gow needs to go

Good weekend for TIngram.

 

On 30/09/2019 at 20:02, Paul007 said:

Good weekend for TIngram.

 

 

Yep, he was so quick in the first 2 races.

Great weekend for Cammish I thought. Honda still have a fair chance of stealing the title (but only if Turk has a disaster) at Brands.

Turk on pole. Cammish starts whining about BMW running DTM cars...boo-bloody-hoo. They've been crippled by the rule maker this year and he still can't get the works Honda close enough.

Sutton on the front row between the BMWs. He's amazing at Brands so likely to be a major spoiler in the title race.

And hopefully with how suttons driving has been this year he can give turks a love tap to help cammish win the title 

Hooray.   

 

BTCC's D1ck Dastardly  aka Matt Neal thwarted! 

 

After all the Alan Gow sanctioned savaging of the BMW performance, then Neal doing the completely dishonest DTM thing  and deliberately ramming and spinning Turkington to help give his team mate the title, what beautifully sweet irony it was for the other Team Dynamics Honda to break down and crash one lap away from the championship.

 

Congratulations to WSR BMW and 4 time champ Colin Turkington, for beating the competition, the biased BTCC rule-makers, and the Honda cheats too.

 

Hard luck to Andy Jordan, but those races missed with injury made all the difference.

 

Oh - and very well done to  JP for (incredibly) win #97 and to Ash for the last Subaru victory.

 

Roll on the 2020 season.

 

 

Edited 13 October, 20196 yr by camelspyyder

Really 😂😂 it was actually a clean move for matt neal and got punished for it. Bet the over civic in race 3 didn't get punished for the same move on the subaru. All because turks through his dummy out of the pram

Just now, Copey said:

Really 😂😂 it was actually a clean move for matt neal and got punished for it. Bet the over civic in race 3 didn't get punished for the same move on the subaru. All because turks through his dummy out of the pram

 

From the front view Neal drove straight into the side of the BMW. He was barely halfway alongside, and it's not like he doesn't have 20 years of form for this sort of thing. 

 

Nice to see its the first year he hasn't won a race in 20 years too. Time to retire. If Daddy didn't own a top team, I expect he would have by now.

10 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

 

BTCC's D1ck Dastardly

Curious how you didn't feel the need to mention how Tim Harvey "won" the BTCC because Steve Soper took John Cleland out. Or indeed, to mention Jason "push to pass" Plato.

 

Oh and for the record I was simultaneously gutted for Dan Cam and made up for Turks.

Hi Ken. No I was only observing current events - although I did allude to history like when the DTM has been decided by professional fouls at the last event too.

 

I thought the rule makers were even more one sided this year than before though, so we came incredibly close to the utter travesty that would have been Honda winning when WSR had built a far superior car. 

 

I completely blame Alan Gow for that, I can't really blame Matt Neal too much for trying to take maximum advantage of the unlikely opportunity, however he went about it, but he's ended up taking the BTCC panto villain role again.

9 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Curious how you didn't feel the need to mention how Tim Harvey "won" the BTCC because Steve Soper took John Cleland out. Or indeed, to mention Jason "push to pass" Plato.

 

 

 

Apart from above where I praised Mr Jason "He's won 34 more races than Matt Neal" Plato for his 97th win.

 

Cant see what Big Tim has to do with anything (apart from the bonus he's probably lost as Cammish's manager)

 

Be interesting to see how the Astra develops next year with JP at the helm. Needs a new rear gunner though, he's finally past it, like Neal.

10 hours ago, Paul007 said:

Be interesting to see how the Astra develops next year with JP at the helm. Needs a new rear gunner though, he's finally past it, like Neal.

JP thinks it has real potential, but will the team just put some younger faster guys in it, like Subaru did? Agree Robs looking a spent force these days but he's had some nasty crashes over the years hasn't he. Interested to see who WSR hire next year since Jordan has no sponsor.