[BTCC/STCC/TCR etc.] 2023

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Bottom post of the previous page:

2 Wins for Dan Cammish and Tom Chilton scores his first win since 2019 in a wet Race 2 in the first meeting of the 2023 BTCC.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Three meetings and 9 races into the 2023 British Touring Car Championship, I dare say Ashley Sutton might run away with it this year, he's achieved 4 wins in a row which hasn't been achieved since Alain Menu won the first 4 races in 1997.

[Vassago]

I don't know if anyone cares about TCR at this stage but I see Ben Bargwanna is in the series? Not looking for the V8 ladder comfort zone or is TCR Australia simply run by a different body? @Everso Biggyballies

[Everso Biggyballies]

I don't know if anyone cares about TCR at this stage but I see Ben Bargwanna is in the series? Not looking for the V8 ladder comfort zone or is TCR Australia simply run by a different body? @Everso Biggyballies

Its a bit confusing..... In Aus we have basically two main Promoter Groups.... Speedseries, owned by ARG (Aus Racing Group) which 'owns' the rights to TCR,.Aus GT, S5000 Touring Car Masters and more, including the Bathurst 12 hour, Bathurdst Internation (TCR race which is part of the TCR World Tour) They do all their media through STan Streaming Service owned by Channel 9 lthough FTA coverage i very limited. ARG is majority owned (I think) by Garry and son Barry Rogers. The other is of course Supercars. All sweet a few years ago with ARG and Supercars owned by their respective shareholders running independently doing their own thing.
https://australianracinggroup.com/ might give you a bit of an idea.

It all got a bit messy and confusing when Supercars were fairly recently sold by the previous owner Archer Investments to a Consortium called
Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises Ltd (RACE) . RACE is partly (a large part it seems) owned by ARG. Then various shareholders came in and out of the RACE consortium but I believe now ARG basically own a larg chunk of both Supercars and the Speedseries. It gets a bit confusing and to be honest I dont follow the who is up who for the rent goings ons and just watch the racing.

I do know that ARG and others financially involved on the Team ownwer front have put a lot of money into TCR to the extent that cars have appeared on the grid with 'name' drivers, sponsorship decals everywhere but are in reality funded by the organisers to get entry levels up and people more interested to run in it and follow it.

I think Ben (son of Jason, Grandson of Harry) Bargwana, who is running the full TCR Aus series, is appearing on the UK scene because he got the budget to run the first two rounds of the World TCR Tour thing (Portimao and this last weekend at I think Spa.). I believe his running those two events were to enhance his chances of qualifying for the two Aus rounds of the TCR World Tour)
https://tcraustralia.com/2023/02/09/ben ... cr-events/

I think Ben B is just a young guy with a bit of talent who cant get the money together to run in the Super 2 Supercars ladder of things and is trying the other cheaper or less expensive ladder to climb with. He started in the low budget Hyundai Excel one make clubbie series before moving up to TCR. He drove in a number of S5000 races..... bear in mind that the TCR and S5000 series are owned by the same people with an aim to increase poor entry levels in both. I doubt the S5000 runs cost the Bargwana family a great deal of money and they were likely ARG gifted runs to boost the entry numbers.

Bottom line is TCR Aus has had a lot of money pumped into it by the owners / promoters and not really taken off as would be hoped. That includes running some V8SC drivers like Mostert and Brown to try and lift the TCR profile. I believe the first year of TCR FTA TV coverage was 'bought' by the promoters for a lot of money..... an amount they were not happy to continue spending.

Apologies if its not that clear, or maybe doesnt answer your question beyond positioning TCR here as a struggling series that doesnt get a lot of FTA coverage and thus struggles to attract entrants and backers.

[theracer120]

GRM also runs the car he drives in TCR Aus (although it's not entered as a GRM car) and they originally brought him into the series to run alongside his dad for the 2020 season that never happened.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Rest in Peace Steve Neal.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Will Powell out of One Motorsport and out of the 2023 British Touring Car Championship.

Jade Edwards moves over from Team HARD to replace Powell.

Daryl DeLeon replaces Edwards at Team HARD to become the BTCC's first Filipino driver.

[White six]

Good day at croft yesterday apart from being freezing.
It's a great circuit and virtually every place to view is also excellent

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Will Powell out of One Motorsport and out of the 2023 British Touring Car Championship.

Jade Edwards moves over from Team HARD to replace Powell.

Daryl DeLeon replaces Edwards at Team HARD to become the BTCC's first Filipino driver.

Three meetings later, we've lost Nicolas Hamilton with Rob Huff returning in his place at Knockhill.

Ash Sutton has scored 3 Wins and 3 2nds and appears to have one hand on a 4th title, barring one bad round at either Silverstone or Brands Hatch.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Mikey Doble on pole for Race 1 at Silverstone.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Jake Hill wins Race 1 from Dan Rowbottom and Andrew Watson, Mikey Doble recovers to 11th after mistakenly doing an extra warm-up lap and having to start from the back, Daryl DeLeon scores his first points in 14th.

Sam Osborne notably running his Focus in the colours of the Valvoline Mondeo of 1995 and 1996.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Sutton wins Race 2 from 23rd on the grid with Aron Taylor-Smith 2nd and Tom Ingram. Ash now has 10 Wins to his name in 2023, the best since Fabrizio Giovanardi in 2007.

Michael Crees on Reverse Grid Pole for Race 3.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Colin Turkington wins Race 3 and takes BMW's 150th British Touring Car Championship win.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Win #11 and Title #4 for Ash Sutton in Race 1 at Brands Hatch.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Sutton takes a record-equalling 12th Win of the season in Race 2.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Jake Hill wins the final race of the 2023 British Touring Car Championship.