[BTCC/STCC] 2009 Season

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HC
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[BTCC/STCC] 2009 Season

#1

Post by HC »

Cheeveer wanted a regional touring car thread so here it is. This weekend STCC will conclude their season at Mantorp so its not that early to start it yet.

If there's any other series regional series you wish to include let me know. As far as I know these are the biggest series in Europe. I could also include European series like TDC and Superstars but I'm afraid there won't be any interest about them.
Leon diesels available to customers

By Jamie O'Leary Thursday, September 25th 2008, 10:45 GMT

Diesel SEAT Leons could run on a customer basis for the first time in the British Touring Car Championship next year after the manufacturer's UK arm confirmed that their two cars will be put up for sale in the near future.

SEAT decided earlier this month to pull out of UK motorsport for the foreseeable future and the pair of Leon TDIs ,driven to ten wins this season by Jason Plato and Darren Turner, will now be made available to customers.

"Once the dust has settled, the cars will be put up for sale," SEAT's UK motorsport manager Scott Dennis told this week's Autosport. "SEAT UK owns the cars, the money would go there. We'll sell them to the best bidder and they can run them wherever they want to run them.

"Hopefully we'll see them in the BTCC next year."

It's unclear at this stage which teams, if any, are in the running for the cars, either from the BTCC, WTCC, or other another series.

Autosport understands, however, that BTCC squad Team Air-Cool, who ran Adam Jones in a petrol-powered Leon this year, are not among them.

Source: Autosport
Shame Team Air-Cool isn't trying to get one, but they are not full time anyway thanks to their WTCC program. Hopefully we'll see some SEAT's back in BTCC, I'm sure they will run competitive for another two or three years. Just look at the Toledo that Motorbase ran last year, it was three years old and still running up front.
STCC: First pictures of new S2000 Saab 93 BioPower

The new S2000 manufacturer for the Swedish Touring Car Championship has been revealed: Saab. A brand new Saab 93 BioPower has been build in S2000 specification by the team Dealer Sport. STCC race winner Jens Edman completed a shakedown of the car two days ago at Saab's test track in Trollhättan, Sweden.

By Johan Meissner Thursday, 25 September 2008 11:49 CET

Edman was more than pleased with the first run of the new Saab and hopes to be back in the STCC next year.

"It was a perfect day, we had absolutely no problems at all with the car. We only did 15 laps, but the car felt great," said Edman to TouringCarTimes.com.

Image

Team boss and team owner Jan Warnestad was equally pleased with the first outing of the new S2000 Saab.

"We are more than pleased with the new STCC Saab! We think the car will be a strong competitor in the STCC-field, especially thanks to Saab's strong position in the BioPower-area," said Warnestad.

The team Dealer Sport, previously named Opel Team Sweden, ran an Opel Astra for Tommy Rustad in STCC 2007, but pulled out from the series ahead of the 2008 season. Edman was negotiating with the team ahead of the 2008 season, but if Edman will be behind the wheel of the car next year remains to be seen.

Image

"We are discussing things for next year at the moment. It would have been really nice to be back in the STCC, I have been in Denmark for six years now. The STCC has grown really strong and I hope to be back for 2009," said Edman.

Saab has backed the team during the building of the first S2000 Saab. But the level of official involvement from Saab in the team next year is unknown so far.

Image

The engine of the car is Saab's four cylinder, two liter engine and will be run on bio-ethanol. The gearbox is a six-speed sequential from Xtrac, the some one the team used in the Opel Astra.

Image

The car will complete a test run during the final race of the STCC at Mantorp Park this weekend.

Source: TouringCarTimes
That has to be the coolest looking S2000 car. With the red it almost looks identical to Per's Saab. Its real cool that all these different cars are in the regional series. BTCC has Honda and Vauxhall while STCC has Volvo and maybe Saab. While both series also have just about every car that runs in WTCC. Certainly makes these series a tad more entertaining then the big one.
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#2

Post by Cheeveer »

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Thanks for posting HC. That car looks awesome.
HC wrote:Its real cool that all these different cars are in the regional series. BTCC has Honda and Vauxhall while STCC has Volvo and maybe Saab. While both series also have just about every car that runs in WTCC. Certainly makes these series a tad more entertaining then the big one.
Additionaly STCC still has a couple of Audi's, a Mercedes and a Peugeot. To be honest, WTCC is the least interesting touring car championship today, at least the least that uses the S2000 rules.
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#3

Post by kals »

That's a great looking car. :happy: Shame we won't see it in Britain :sorrow:
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#4

Post by Cheeveer »

It was the STCC final yesterday at Mantorp Park. Richard Göransson had already won the title for Flash Engineering, but the other factory BMW team, West Coast Racing, took the team title.
Robert Dahlgren won the race for Volvo, the second in succession.
The Saab did some demonstration laps with Jens Edman behind the wheel.

http://touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=2746
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#5

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BTCC.net wrote:Vectra for Jordan in '09
Andrew Jordan will race a Vauxhall Vectra VXR for Team Eurotech in 2009’s HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, the John Guest-backed squad has announced.

Team principal, Jordan’s father Mike, has acquired the car from the Triple Eight Race Engineering company that builds and runs Vauxhall’s title-winning factory Vectras in the BTCC. Triple Eight will provide Eurotech with technical support as it has in the past from privateer customers who have bought its cars.

Jordan senior has also confirmed he will step down from racing in the BTCC to concentrate on managing his team and son who, after an excellent debut season in the championship, will surely start 2008 among the favourites for Independent honours.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity,” said MSA British Race Elite driver Andrew, who claimed two overall podium results in his maiden season. "The chance to drive the best Super 2000 car in the BTCC is an awesome opportunity for me and I certainly intend to make the absolute most out of it.

“I can't quite get over the fact that I've gone from Junior Rallycross to a Triple Eight-built Vauxhall Vectra in five years.

"It is going to be a very big year for me and I want to do my best for everyone involved. It definitely gives me the chance to win races and my target for the year is to score a race win and really challenge for the Independents' Trophy."

Triple Eight principal Ian Harrison commented: "It's great that a young, upcoming driver like Andrew has decided on the Vauxhall Vectra for the next stage of his career and Triple Eight will be giving him as much assistance as we can within the framework of the Independents' Trophy regulations."

Meanwhile, Mike Jordan added: "I knew it was inevitable that I would eventually swap my crash helmet for a headset, but I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy for the chance that Andrew has got at 19!

"I'm hugely excited about our programme for 2009 and that John Guest is continuing into a 15th season with us. This is an amazing opportunity for all our commercial partners.

“On the day we signed the deal with Triple Eight, it was almost exactly five years to the day that we went to collect Andrew's first competition car, his rallycross Mini. It's been an incredible journey to get here and I can't wait to see how this next chapter in his career unfolds."
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#6

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Certainly will offer great competition to all the BMW's.
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#7

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Autosport.com wrote:Tempus to join BTCC with Lacettis

By Jamie O'Leary Wednesday, December 3rd 2008, 10:56 GMT


Tempus Sport will enter the British Touring Car Championship next year with a pair of 2008-spec Chevrolet Lacettis, one of which will be driven by Harry Vaulkhard.

The team, which is run by Richard Coleman, was set up last winter and competed in the Formula Renault BARC championship this year, but will graduate to the BTCC and receive technical support from RML, who ran the cars in the World Championship this year.

"This is a serious campaign with substantial backing," said Coleman, who has been involved with the Mitsubishi WRC team and the GR-Asia WTCC squad in the past.

"We have the latest specification Chevrolet Lacettis and everyone has seen how strong they were on the world stage this year. We have good support from RML and a driver with a lot of potential in Harry Vaulkhard."

Vaulkhard, 23, joins the team with a year's experience of the BTCC and the Lacetti, having raced a 2006-spec car to 19th in the overall championship and ninth in the Independents' standings for Robertshaw Racing last year.

"I think the odds were against me in 2008 but I'm confident that 2009 will be a far better season," said Vaulkhard. "Although the Tempus Sport name is not well known, the personnel have a lot of experience and I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the new car.

"Having a deal put together so early means I can focus on my racing and hit the ground running with an extensive test programme. If I get a run in the car before the end of the year it will be a perfect Christmas present."

A second driver is expected to be signed within the next six weeks, with Coleman hinting that somebody with a "race-winning pedigree" would be in the seat.
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#8

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Everyone seems to be joining the BTCC next year :tongue:
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Volkswagen will enter STCC next year.
Volkswagen Sweden and the Energy-company E.ON will have a press conference on tuesday next week regarding the Swedish Touring Car Championship 2009.
A recent press release states that E.ON and Volkswagen will start a programme for STCC 2009 with a clear environmental profile.

The speculations on what the press conference will reveal are running hot. As we previously have reported STCC-veteran Tobias Johansson has been strongly linked with this project.

The ambition for the programme, according to our information, has been to launch two LPG-powered Volkswagen Scirroco's in the STCC 2009. But according to our most recent information the project could have hit problems in getting the Sciroccos ready in time.

This could instead mean that Tobias Johansson and the other yet to be named driver could start the season with a pair of SEAT Léons.
http://touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=3016
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Crash.net wrote:Priaulx hints at BTCC, ALMS guest races in '09.
Tuesday, 16th December 2008

BMW's deposed three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx has admitted that his primary focus for 2009 is on reclaiming his title - but he may also find time for the odd BTCC or ALMS race along the way too...

Having been forced to finally surrender his World Touring Car Championship throne to SEAT rival Yvan Muller in 2008, Andy Priaulx has vowed to reclaim the crown in 2009 – and maybe even throw in a few guest appearances in the BTCC and ALMS into the bargain.

Priaulx was helpless this season as he took on the superior might of SEAT's turbocharged diesel brigade aboard his BMW 320si, and in the final reckoning he did well to salvage fourth position in the drivers' standings, splitting the yellow machines with a reverse grid victory at Pau in France at the beginning of June turning out to be his sole success of the campaign.

Though eight further rostrum finishes along the way and the fact that he wound up comfortably as the best-placed BMW driver were testament to the Guernseyman's peerless racecraft and undimmed motivation, for a four-time champion (three WTCC trophies from 2005-2007 and European Touring Car Championship glory in 2004) it was ultimately poor reward for his unstinting efforts.

“Sure, the season was really tough,” Priaulx reflected, speaking exclusively to Crash.net Radio during Wembley's annual Race of Champions at the weekend, “but we knew it was going to be like that and you've just got to stay really positive and try and take that energy into next year.

“You can't expect to win every year; you don't expect to win any year to be honest – that's just the way it is, but if I have a chance I take it.

“It was a good, character-building year, definitely. At the end of the day Yvan is a good driver and I've got a lot of respect for him, so it's not so difficult to hand over the trophy to such a good driver, but we want to win it back. It's on loan at the moment.”

Whilst pledging his immediate future to the WTCC, Priaulx did however admit that there may be some truth to the rumours linking him to either an eventual switch to BMW's new sportscar programme in the American Le Mans Series, or a return to the British Touring Car Championship – a series in which he sensationally stormed to a double pole position on his debut with Egg Sport Vauxhall as a sub for the banned Phil Bennett at Oulton Park in 2001, and triumphed at Knockhill with Honda during his only full season the following year.

“It's pretty much set for World Touring Cars,” the 35-year-old said of his 2009 plans, “with maybe the occasional guest appearance somewhere else. We'll have to see what BMW want to do.

“Absolutely [he would consider a future in the BTCC]; it's a good championship, but at the moment we're fully committed to World Touring Cars and trying to focus on that. Hopefully we can do a few guest races in British Touring Cars and ALMS – you never know. We're just keeping our options open, and working hard.”
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#11

Post by kals »

In this weeks Autosport magazine it is reported that Jason Plato has been talking with Dick Bennetts about the spare WSR BMW for 2009. That would be an awesome team. As much as Plato annoys me these days, without him the BTCC would be a lesser place.
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Post by Everso Biggyballies »

kals wrote:In this weeks Autosport magazine it is reported that Jason Plato has been talking with Dick Bennetts about the spare WSR BMW for 2009. That would be an awesome team. As much as Plato annoys me these days, without him the BTCC would be a lesser place.
Time for another comeback Nige...... Must be getting itchy feet again, signing cheques for both the kid's racing, sitting on the wrong (pitlane) end of the team radio :roll: :wink:
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#13

Post by kals »

The BTCC is a better place without him...
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Post by Everso Biggyballies »

kals wrote:The BTCC is a better place without him...
Im fearing the thought he might pull a few strings and we see Team Mansell into Sebring, 3 of them, Mssrs. Mansell, maximus, major and minor :shock: :tongue: :dunno:

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#15

Post by kals »

If that happens, god bless all the other racers. I feel for them.
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