RWD BTCC

[GasolineFire]

Hi there.

Just wondering if anyone here with a better memory than myself can remember what RWD cars have featured in the BTCC within the last five years other than:

BMW 3 Series E46?
Cadillac CTS?
MG ZR?
BMW 1 Series

Thanks in advance.

[GrahamG]

Don't ever recall the Caddy being in BTCC

The Totalmotorsport Lexus IS200 was RWD though if I remember correctly

[AMD87]

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

[MHM]

The Lexus was RWD, but the Total/ABG was BTCC spec in 2001, however the Speedequipe, and the one Adam Jones drove were S2000. That was it for RWD recently.
(along with the BMW's obviously)

Edited by MHM on Monday 12th October 18:16

[fastcaterham]

What about Rick Kerrys 1 series.

[Allyc85]

Last 5 years is..

BMW 320
BMW 1 series Diesel
Lexus IS200

[jamiebae]

Niek Leason (spelling?) ran an utterly piss poor 120d BMW in the first couple of rounds this year, was about 4 seconds a lap off the pace at Thruxton I think before quitting to 'improve the car' and never to return.

Other than that, it's the ubiquitous 3 series and the Lexus IS and nothing else since 2001.

[Muz_Wez]

GasolineFire said:

Hi there.

Just wondering if anyone here with a better memory than myself can remember what RWD cars have featured in the BTCC within the last five years other than:

BMW 3 Series E46?
Cadillac CTS?
MG ZR?
BMW 1 Series

Thanks in advance.

Arh hah caught you Gareth.....Why to you want to know? - PHTCC by any chance???

[GasolineFire]

GrahamG said:

Don't ever recall the Caddy being in BTCC

The Totalmotorsport Lexus IS200 was RWD though if I remember correctly

I could have sworn I saw one at Snetterton last year. I might just be confusing it with one of the first Chevys with it being so long ago...

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Well stone me, so it was...


Thanks guys!

[RedBeeza]

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

[Marc W]

jamiebae said:

Nick Leason (spelling?) ran an utterly piss poor 120d BMW in the first couple of rounds this year, was about 4 seconds a lap off the pace at Thruxton I think before quitting to 'improve the car' and never to return.

That was the same car as Rick Kerry's from 2007. The car had improved since 2007 (There were suggestons that a different driver would have been a lot quicker in it.) but they ran out of money and I believe the car has since been sold.

Definitely no Cadilac CTS in the BTCC, ever!

Edited by Marc W on Wednesday 14th October 10:30

[andy97]

RedBeeza said:

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Wasn't the MG ZS chassis related to the Honda Integra Type R DC2 dating back to the Honda-Rover Group link up, pre BMW?

[stacy]

RedBeeza said:

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Yes but Dick Bennetts will tell you that the only MG component on that car was the badge, the rest was WSR..

S.

[thunderbelmont]

andy97 said:

RedBeeza said:

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Wasn't the MG ZS chassis related to the Honda Integra Type R DC2 dating back to the Honda-Rover Group link up, pre BMW?

In true Rover form (and BL before it), it's more likely to be related to the Concerto (Rover 214/216), since their marriage broke up when they were making those. The Rover engines (like the K series and it's derivatives) were better than the Honda engine (perhaps with the exception of the VTEC) in terms of oomph, but pants in terms of longevity (mostly brought about by poor build quality/corner cutting).

Any road up, we can kiss goodbye to RWD in the near future as the BTCC looks to be going the way of Chairman Gow. That's FIA spec engines (all the same 1.6 turbo), all FWD. Just the body shapes will be different. My interest in the BTCC (from a technical point of view a the last bastion of modified road car going racing) will wane that last little bit. Oh how I wish they'd gone back to Gp.A rules, with multi-classes like the good/bad old days.

[jamiebae]

thunderbelmont said:

andy97 said:

RedBeeza said:

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Wasn't the MG ZS chassis related to the Honda Integra Type R DC2 dating back to the Honda-Rover Group link up, pre BMW?

In true Rover form (and BL before it), it's more likely to be related to the Concerto (Rover 214/216), since their marriage broke up when they were making those. The Rover engines (like the K series and it's derivatives) were better than the Honda engine (perhaps with the exception of the VTEC) in terms of oomph, but pants in terms of longevity (mostly brought about by poor build quality/corner cutting).

Any road up, we can kiss goodbye to RWD in the near future as the BTCC looks to be going the way of Chairman Gow. That's FIA spec engines (all the same 1.6 turbo), all FWD. Just the body shapes will be different. My interest in the BTCC (from a technical point of view a the last bastion of modified road car going racing) will wane that last little bit. Oh how I wish they'd gone back to Gp.A rules, with multi-classes like the good/bad old days.

I wouldn't be so sure about no RWD in future, if a manufacturer comes along wanting to run a RWD car and is going to put enough effort/cash into it I'm sure the rules could be 'tweaked'.

[GasolineFire]

A RWD car just won the championship through "Driver Skill" rather than an engineering advantage (or*cough*Plato*cough*style driving).

If they loose it it'll be a sour day for British Motorsport indeed.

[RedBeeza]

thunderbelmont said:

andy97 said:

RedBeeza said:

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Wasn't the MG ZS chassis related to the Honda Integra Type R DC2 dating back to the Honda-Rover Group link up, pre BMW?

In true Rover form (and BL before it), it's more likely to be related to the Concerto (Rover 214/216), since their marriage broke up when they were making those. The Rover engines (like the K series and it's derivatives) were better than the Honda engine (perhaps with the exception of the VTEC) in terms of oomph, but pants in terms of longevity (mostly brought about by poor build quality/corner cutting).

Any road up, we can kiss goodbye to RWD in the near future as the BTCC looks to be going the way of Chairman Gow. That's FIA spec engines (all the same 1.6 turbo), all FWD. Just the body shapes will be different. My interest in the BTCC (from a technical point of view a the last bastion of modified road car going racing) will wane that last little bit. Oh how I wish they'd gone back to Gp.A rules, with multi-classes like the good/bad old days.

It's 2000cc turbos. They reckon that 1600 engines will be stressed that bit more, trying to get 300bhp from them.

[Marc W]

thunderbelmont said:

andy97 said:

RedBeeza said:

AMD87 said:

GasolineFire said:

MG ZR?

Erm.... it was the ZS and that was FWD.

Indeed. Anthony Reid waxed lyrical about the MG's "superb FWD chassis" many a time.

Wasn't the MG ZS chassis related to the Honda Integra Type R DC2 dating back to the Honda-Rover Group link up, pre BMW?

In true Rover form (and BL before it), it's more likely to be related to the Concerto (Rover 214/216), since their marriage broke up when they were making those. The Rover engines (like the K series and it's derivatives) were better than the Honda engine (perhaps with the exception of the VTEC) in terms of oomph, but pants in terms of longevity (mostly brought about by poor build quality/corner cutting).

Going a bit off topic but the road going MG ZS was a modfied Rover 400 which in turn was nearly the same car (The 5 door shells were indentical) as the late 90's Honda Civic.

[moffspeed]

..the only MG-Z that was blessed with rwd was the ZT-V8, which also happened to be a proper motor-car.

[thunderbelmont]

A proper motorcar fitted with a strangled Ford V8.

Oh how I wish they'd done the deal with Chevrolet instead of Henry.

Imagine a ZT with a LS1 in it instead of that asthmatic Ford thing.

In fact, a twin plenum old Rover Vitesse lump would have been better than the Ford in my opinion.

Regarding the comment about a manufacturer pushing RWD into the new FIA/Alan Gow world of standard engine xTCC racing - it won't happen. The rules have been set. They didn't care when they lost Audi by banning 4WD. They won't care if they only lose BMW by making it all FWD. Most manufacturers now only build FWD cars, and they won't pander to a minority just for the sake of the sport.

It also makes life easier when it comes to playing with weights for equalising performance. If they're all FWD, then they only need one weight limit.

I can see Beemer leaving the WTCC arena and joining their fellow countrymen in the DTM.