BTCC » Knockhill – Race results (3)

The fact is that SEAT has developed the Leon within the same BTCC regulations that apply to all the other manufacturers too. If other manufacturers think that the turbodiesels have the advantage, they're free to develop their own TD's.

Although I realise that some, e.g. Honda, probably don't have suitable turbodiesel engines in their ranges, most manufacturers do.

If memory serves, BMW have raced diesels in other series in the past...

I was at Knockhill yesterday and the TOC "incident" with Plato happened right infront of me. How is this clown still in the points after race 3? I wasn't aware that the straight turned right half way up it! Plato dived up the inside and made a clean move only for TOC to just take him out half way up the straight.
If that's not blantant cheating I don't know what is! He'd already held him back for laps before then.

Good racing apart from that though, a cracking weekend!

@rich ard

Again

I don't mind VX losing. I didn't mind that the Dynamics Integra beat the crap out of VX

My problem is that the SEAT TURBO diesel is faster than every other petrol car on the grid. The rules give them an unfair advantage. The rules are wrong to begin with and they need to be changed to get the ballanced right

And seriously when was the last time a VX driver WON a race this year. So much so for VX domination....

alex, i'm still puzzled by your comments. vauxhall have ruled the roost for many years but as soon as another car starts winning, you dont seem to approve, if its a SEAT. you dont mind bmw or civic beating them , but a SEAT!!!!. as james says, and as has been evidenced in wtcc, the seats have some advantages but they also have some disadvantages, such as tyre wear etc. bmws have an advantage in standing starts but you are not calling for them to be penalised. when a new form of power is introduced, it will be difficult to strike an exact balance, but i think that the overall balance at present is actually quite good.

everyone here is talking about tom onslow cole, i thought turkington went OTT when he had giovanardi off the track in a straight line, i was so happy when neal nearly spun him but then pushed him out of the points, best part of the race

Must say that the T O-C move was sooo tatical - when asked about the "incident" do you think he is going to be truthful? Think not...... I think JP does a good job and for this deliberate shove you off attitude to be considered acceptable in BTCC is a turn-off! Yes the diesels are quick but also front heavy biased, they clearly don't handle too well and we need this diversity for a racing future.

I just watched and enjoyed the racing. I didn't think any of the moves were mega dodgy, some were a bit OTT but generally standard BTCC. Great fun

As for Seat TDi superiority - I think something will need to be done to level the lap times, even if nothing much can be done to counter straight-line acceleration of a diesel.

If no adjustment is made, next season would see in the BTCC what's happening in WTCC at the moment, where the SEATs have had a major advantage for several races and only now have a weight adjustment to neuter them.

Even then, a weight penalty can only equalise lap times: diesel torque will still make it very hard to keep up on long straights, let alone pass. The only way to pass one will be to carry more speed through the previous corner but timing is critical, only the very best will be able to repeatedly do that.

rich ard
There were a few dubious moves in all the races, no surprise this is touring cars after all.

Seemed to me (no preference or axe to grind one way or the other) that Onslow-Cole was backing Plato up. His pace noticeably dropped as soon as he was directly in front.

He then drove into the side of the Seat when Plato did get a run on him out the hairpin, and that was that.

Jason certainly felt it was entirely Tom's fault, but he stopped short of saying it was tactical.

Onslow-Cole reportedly said that it wasn't deliberate - but to me there was no need for contact, he had been left enough room to continue directly up the straight.

The point is they are the fastest car by far, after all they got double pole in the last races.

And if tey got relaibility now imagine what will happen next year. Do you really want to see SEAT havin g double poles and winning each race next year