Oulton Park RESULTS

[Timthebrief]

Hi to the rest of the SCN Crazy Gang. Looks as though you didn't get as wet as last year Tragically I had to enjoy the comfy sofa,Moto GP then BTCC

As seems to be the trend this season, Race 3 was the one to cheer about for Seat. Great to see Matt Neal take out himself plus all the key competition by the end of the first corner. Good result as 2nd & 3rd for Jason and Darren and Matt Jackson deserved his win after that blistering start.

Also good to see the old Tollys in the thick of the action in more ways than one.
Mind you ITV coverage was as cr*p as usual. The editor missed all the key action in races one and two with the exception of the cameraman who almost got taken out by Erkut :shock:

Hoping to make it to Donnington this year so see some of you then if I can get through the chavs!

 

[spyke85]

Yes, wasn't an amazing first 2 races for SEAT but the 3rd race was alot better. Jackson had a good race though, but the BMW did look a bit twitchy through them corners and thought Plato had him at one point.

I honestly thought the camera man was taken out bu Erkut!

 

[Brummy_Leon]

Just watched the video, unfortunatley knew I woulndn't be able to make this meeting a few weeks back... looking forward to Donnington hopefully

Plato drove well in race three, also thought Jones drove a great race.
So are both Giovanardi and Plato carrying 45Kg into race 1 next round?

 

[chris285]

will be there for donington myself, already ordered tickets and hotel is booked to make a weekend of it

 

[FerrariStu]

Don't you think our lack of straight line speed is really highlighting the difference between Plato and Turner?

Jason drove his arse off in the last race to close that gap to Jackson but Turner always looks like he's out for a Sunday drive in comparison.

Bring back JT

 

[Timthebrief]

Perhaps DT was still in "24hr" mode; I agree that he didn't seem to be as aggressive as usual tho, he did get bumped a few times.

 

[FerrariStu]

Perhaps DT was still in "24hr" mode; I agree that he didn't seem to be as aggressive as usual tho, he did get bumped a few times.

Maybe i'm being harsh on him but he always seems to go backwards to me (i.e. Good Qualifier but drops back for various reasons during the race)

He's the Jarno Trulli of BTCC

 

[Brummy_Leon]

Maybe i'm being harsh on him but he always seems to go backwards to me (i.e. Good Qualifier but drops back for various reasons during the race)

He's the Jarno Trulli of BTCC

Plato and Giovanardi are just in a different class. Chilton is often some way behind his team mate. Luck has a big influence though. Turner drove well at Croft. Straight line speed is an issue that needs sorting. I wonder if the new engine (fsi I think) they used in one car at the last WTCC meeting will filter down to Plato?

 

[FerrariStu]

Plato and Giovanardi are just in a different class. Chilton is often some way behind his team mate. Luck has a big influence though. Turner drove well at Croft. Straight line speed is an issue that needs sorting. I wonder if the new engine (fsi I think) they used in one car at the last WTCC meeting will filter down to Plato?

Indeed.... very frustrating to watch Plato make up the gap in the corners only to lose it again on the straights.

We should be thankful that Neal caused that pile up at the beginning of Race 3 (although he will no doubt blame Plato even though Neal was facing the wrong direction to make that move stick!) otherwise we wouldn't be on level pegging in the points right now.

We can't afford any more week-ends like this one IMO if we're going to take the Championship to them.

I'm getting worried now as both my Teams seem to have the same problem. Thank God Fabrizio doesn't have Lewis Hamilton as a team mate!

 

[ZBOYD]

Ignore everything that happens in WTCC. The new engine Gené tested at the last WTCC outing was a trial that the FIA are allowing, and it required them to add 25kgs to the car also. So they are determining if the extra power is worth the extra weight penalty before commiting all their cars to it.

The rules in BTCC are very different and follow more closely the FIA Super 2000 rules without any of the FIA dispensations. The more powerful engine won't filter down to SEAT Sport UK, unless they were to go to TOCA and say they are struggling and need more power. With Plato joint leader of the championship at the moment, and Turner also in the top 6 drivers. I can't see TOCA just allowing that without some kind of penalty.

I spoke with Scott Dennis at GTI International the other weekend regarding this very possibility, and he explained as above. Though the possibility is there, SEAT Sport have to weigh up the pro's and cons of such a modification, you could swap the engine and take the weight as a penalty but then is that more powerful engine as reliable?

 

[ZBOYD]

To add,

I think the main thing is the competition have caught up in development, they are managing to tweak that bit extra out of their cars. The Vectra and BMW are both saloons so benefit by having less drag on the straights.

Donington was hard work for SEAT last year, and probably their worst race weekend ever in terms of performance. They are going there in the knowledge that they expect to struggle. But this is racing, anything can happen and usually does (murray walkerism). The rest of field are S2000 now so Donington may not be quite as friendly to them either. We shall see. But its not a lost cause by any stretch of the imagination.

In fact during the tv footage yesterday, VX said they are going to circuits where they expect to dominate and are not, and going to places they expect to struggle and don't. Maybe SEAT will have a turnabout in luck, they have certainly been concentrating on simulating Donington a lot, and think they have found some solutions.

Half way thru the season and were level pegging. This time last year, Matt Neal was already romping away with it.

 

[IainW]

Maybe i'm being harsh on him but he always seems to go backwards to me (i.e. Good Qualifier but drops back for various reasons during the race)

He's the Jarno Trulli of BTCC

A wee bit harsh I would say. He gets the lions share of the bad luck - technical failures, being punted off by others and rules infringements (which were not his doing) last year in his part season and then not being able to take up his pole at Rockingham this year. He seemed to have nailed the starting technique at Croft, which stopped him going so backwards. I think he doesn't get noticed as much as Plato because he doesn't have an aggressive driving style like Plato. He's always there getting stuck in somewhere, while DT is probably one of the two clean drivers at the sharp end of the championship I'd say and prefers to do things the proper way.

 

[FerrariStu]

He's always there getting stuck in somewhere, while DT is probably one of the two clean drivers at the sharp end of the championship I'd say and prefers to do things the proper way.

... but doesn't get the results like Plato. It's a common theme in Motorsport but nice guys finish last (or at least out of the top points). Now i'm not condemning him but he does get passed a bit too easily sometimes when the heat is on.

Plato can be a bit naughty but he's also tough to fight (which makes the sport so much more fun).

... at least I didn't liken him to Ralf Schumacher!

 

[Empi5]

news on the BTCC website:

Giovanardi is clear leader
The BTCC confirms that Fabrizio Giovanardi has been awarded an additional point for setting the equal fastest lap time as Mike Jordan, in round 14 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park on 24 June.

This point-score oversight was due to a computer error.

This now gives Vauxhall driver Giovanardi a one-point lead in the championship, with 150 points to SEAT’s Jason Plato on 149 points.


Hmmmmm !

 

[IainW]

That does confuse me. I thought that Jordan would get the point as he set the time one lap earlier. I shall have to have a look at the rules PDF!

Edit: Just looked at them there they say "One additional point will be awarded to the driver setting the Fastest Lap in each Race. If two or more drivers achieve the same fastest lap time each will be awarded one point."

 

[ZBOYD]

Quality ****-up there then.

http://www.btcc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4640 oops

No big deal anyway, means Plato sheds a bit of weight now for Donington, which can only be helpful.

 

[FerrariStu]

... a computer error eh! That means a human oversight in the programming of the computer methinks!!

 

[JasonP06]

Before I give my view on the clerical error re Giovanardi's point I just want to give my view two things.

Timthebrief has a point. Race 3 has been good. According to results Rockingham and Oulton were good for us. At Rockingham a win for Jase and a 3rd for Darren compared to the 3rd and DNF for Jase and Darren respectively in Race 1 and the 5th and 6th for Jase and Daren in Race 2and at Oulton, as we know, a 2nd and 3rd for Jase and Darren in Race 3 compared to the 7th and DNF for Jase and Darren respectively in Race 1 and a 5th and 7th for Jase and Darren respectively in Race 2. In every case the Race 3 results for Jase and DT was better than any result in Races 1 & 2.
But the rest of the time the results have been hitty-missy. For instance at Brands Hatch Jase got 4th in Race 3 but won both Race 1 & 2. And at Thruxton whilst Jason won Race 3 Darren's 6th wasn't as good as his 3rd in Race 1. I get the feeling our biggest problem is the team is too inconsistent.

And he point Brummy_Leon made about Chilton. I think that is what makes DT better than Chilton as teammate. Whilst DT is posting 4ths, 5ths and 6ths, Chilton is regularly going 6ths, 7ths, 8ths an 9ths.

About the error that failed to recognise Giovanardi set the same time as Jordan (1:39.263), what is the current system and isn't is about time it was perhaps updated?