BTCC 2008 - Rockingham Weekend Thread

[charles_altea]

Some observations from Rockingham this weekend (at the track): The Seat Leon TDI's had a clear advantage this weekend at one point of the track, in both the wet and dry. This was exiting the twisty sequence of corners at the end of the lap and coming onto the main straight - the acceleration over the first 100 yards from that corner exit blew everything else into the weeds. The top speed may not have been greater than their rivals but the shove from the TDI (like in the road cars) meant nothing was going to catch them up on the straight. This is how JP managed to snatch 6th in the last race, as he had quite a bit of ground to make up Turkington. JP was also impressive in the wet braking into the twisty sequence I mentioned, making up quite a bit of time on his rivals. Mind you, the Honda Civics were quick there too. Even though Matt Neal won his first race in the VXR I wonder if he's left Team Dynamics too soon?

But overall this was a great day's racing, and for £21 in advance too with grandstand & paddock access thrown in. Will definitely go back next year if there's a BTCC round again.

 

[JasonP06]

I Think your just being very critical and not giving JP and DT a chance,

I think I am just been very demoralised more like it.....

so when they get a 1-2 will you be saying oh i knew that would happen?

So I won't be saying "I knew that would happen" when SEAT win a race.

Because it will be as much of a pleasant shock to me as it will be too you.

also a true fan would stick with their team defend everything they do,

I would defend everything they do! That is a deeply upsetting thing for me to have to see written down.

I am feeling very down and demoralised at the moment.

Feeling like I do you sort of prove is all too easy for people to misreasd the situation and think instead instead it is because he has turned his back on whoever.

It ain't easy to look as if you still stick with your team and defend everything to do when you feel like I do.

seems theres a lot of glory seekers about !

That is another easy misreading people makes when it comes to dealing with people who are very down and a little demoralised about something.

What you see is what you get when it comes to people who are feeling demoralised. They don't see any future success not because they only want to support a big team or they don't deffend people to the hilt, but because they see everyone winning and scoring lots, realise they aren't so much a part of that and get very deflated.

I was giving the armchair's rigidity a right pasting at the end of race 3. I was absolutely jumping up and down with joy, I was over-the-moon and ****-a-hoop when Jase' came up from 13th to finish 6th and beat the man who for so long had led the race so far ahead of Jase'. But as much as I want it to be that hasn't been for me a big enough achievement to get excited and positive again.

 

[ArosaRacer]

i look at it like this, when i owned my mondeo i did'nt have a team to follow, now i have 3 seats i do ! so im just happy i can give two fingers to the mondeo boys!!

 

[JasonP06]

I know what you mean. My old dad has just bought a new Nissan X-Trail. Better in a million ways to the Shogun he did have.

I feel like sticking two fingers up at Mitsubishi and telling them what crap second-hand cars they have.

 

[AwesomeSarah]

Mmm
I have to agree
We all know that the diesels have the potential , it is the first few tracks with the diesel`s , so come on shout for your men
Seat , come on show them how to do it , dont let them down
Sarah
Oh I am just an excited female who loves racing and I think that this IS the kind of racing we should be watching , not the F1 g**`s
Sarah

 

[JasonP06]

Seat , come on show them how to do it , dont let them down

Those words do bring some comfort.

I think I may have officially had it right now with VXR!!!

I have been left deflated and dissapointed by those jumped up little pr**ks (Triple Eight) in their little tent in Northampton for to long!!

You surely don't go 7 or so years of almost a total monopoly on a championships silverware without incuring the ire of rivals.

C'mon SEAT! Do whatever it takes to kick those black and white pr**ks into touch and finally relegate them to the SECOND best team in the BTCC where they belong!

 

[mrcoyote]

Er... calm down.

It's just a racing team. It's not life and death you know...

 

[JasonP06]

Er... calm down.

It's just a racing team. It's not life and death you know...

 

[AwesomeSarah]

I must admit I did used to deal with Tripple Eight at my last job as they was the main Sachs dealers
They was OK , but I must admit , I have never really been a fan of Vauxhall , never owned one and at the mo have no intrest in them
So yes would be excellent to show them that Seat are there to show them exactly what they can do
But then it was a risk using the diesel engine and in some way I suppose it was a very good advertising gimmik to promote the diesels
But it goes to show , that the deisels are not THAT far off , give it time and I will suppose the Vauxhall`s will be trying to get on the pace of Seat and trying a diesel of their own
Sarah

 

[JasonP06]

Seriously though, my comment, I do have a serious underlying issue with VXR. To the casual observer it would probably appear VXR seems to have the knack of doing something different ever season and still coming out of the season at the other end the best team in it; winning a shed load of trophies every time. The only exception was 2005 and 2006 when they only won the Manufacturers title in those two years.

For three years running in 2002, 2003 and 2004 they won the Manufacturers trophy and both the Drivers and Teams trophy. I mentioned about the mini-drought in 2005-6 where they only won the one trophy in that time and of course last year normal service was resumed when they won both the Drivers and Manufacturers trophy.

We debuted with the Toledo in 2004 with Rob Huff and RML. We couldn't win any title that season. In 2005 we had NorthernSouth for the first time and used two drivers to partner Jase in James Pickford and Luke Hines. We couldn't win any title that season. In 2006 we switched to the Leon and alternated between DT and Thommo and won only the one title in the Manufacturers title and last year when we had DT permenantly and won only the one title in the Teams title.

I just wish we could emmulate that kind of consistent success.

 

[IainW]

also a true fan would stick with their team defend everything they do, seems theres a lot of glory seekers about !

Well I do know a certain someone in this thread used to have a forum username dedicated to another BTCC team and then changed it to a SEAT-related one when their good drivers left and had no chance of winning.

 

[ArosaRacer]

mines always been Arosaracer and dieselracer on MEG

 

[JasonP06]

Who is it then?

I just want to say, I am a fan with a very simple sum for the BTCC. Win races + score points = trophies. Very little else seem as important to me. Yet so much to so many DO seem as important. So many of you really do draw as much positivity and hope from things that doesn't involve winning races or scoring loads of points, as if SSUK had won the Manufacturers title, Drivers title and Teams title all in one season.

How do you guys do it? How do guys draw from such small, albeit meningful and important, achievements, like all the small but apparently meaningful strides in pace from the Leons?

 

[fozzybear]

just wait ,,,as donny lastyear saw seat lead the field....all the rest were playing second fiddle as couldn,t keep their cars on the road without hitting something{yes i know it was wet that was seats advantage-better in wet}

 

[JasonP06]

To their credit tho it ain't just you guys who remain bullish about the teams chances. It is the team themselves. I read what DT, Jase and Scott had to say about Rockingham on the teams website and it was only JP's comments that was totally dominated by negatives in both a scathing criticism about a move Chilton made in race 2 and for the most part a moan about the lack of luck the team had. But DT and Scott seemed to make up for it.

DT had said: “Race one and two were really good. I made two good starts, raced well and I was pleased to finish on the podium.” He also said “It’s been a bit of a frustrating birthday for me today, and next time out at Donington we’ll just have to come out fitter and stronger.”

Scott had said: “We’re getting closer to unlocking the full potential of the Leon TDI.” He also said “Darren drove superbly in race one and two to score two excellent podium finishes, and in very difficult circumstances Jason came from the last to finish sixth in the third and final race.”

So if the team has positive things to say then how can anyone not believe it?

 

[IainW]

Who is it then?

Well you obviously.

How do you guys do it? How do guys draw from such small, albeit meningful and important, achievements, like all the small but apparently meaningful strides in pace from the Leons?

I'm guessing because they are SEAT owners and stick by them whatever happens, they don't just jump ship when the team loses star drivers or loses form.

 

[JasonP06]

Well you obviously. .

In what way me?

I have always been JP06 here.

But I don't find anything to question really about my support. I mean I think it is natural to aim your frustration at the team you follow even though it is by the constant success of your chief rival. You want your team to do well and so much that when your chief rival is still holding a frankly obsence amount of monopoly on the sport you love it starts to piss you off...worryingly by a lot.

It isn't that people are jumping ship when the going get's tough. It is just their getting frustrated at the total dominance of their beloved outfits rival team continuing to the degree it is.