2025: BTCC chat & discussion
Discussion
The 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Season Launch will take place at Donington Park while Croft has also been chosen to host two official pre-season test days:
https://btcc.net/2025-season-launch-and-official-t...
The 2025 BTCC calendar:
https://btcc.net/2025-btcc-calendar-announced/
It will be an interesting few months ahead, with drivers leaving the championship, and some more returning.
https://btcc.net/2025-season-launch-and-official-t...
The 2025 BTCC calendar:
https://btcc.net/2025-btcc-calendar-announced/
It will be an interesting few months ahead, with drivers leaving the championship, and some more returning.
BTCC are dropping the hybrid system and moving to sustainable fuel instead. The extra boost will come purely from the turbo.
https://btcc.net/btcc-introduces-100-sustainable-f...
https://btcc.net/btcc-introduces-100-sustainable-f...
This seems like an odd decision to me, as they're not returning to having success ballast, instead having the same power increases as from the hybrid system but provided solely from temporarily increased boost pressure.
The staggered amounts of power boost have just never worked as well as the success ballast did for producing entertaining racing, and I would think from the perspective of attracting new manufacturers or sponsors for the long term health of the championship, having hybrid and carbon neutral fuel is better than one or the other.
I'm sure the teams currently in the championship will appreciate the reduced running costs next season, but it seems that just as the hard work has been done and they now have a mostly reliable hybrid system, it's being dropped.
The staggered amounts of power boost have just never worked as well as the success ballast did for producing entertaining racing, and I would think from the perspective of attracting new manufacturers or sponsors for the long term health of the championship, having hybrid and carbon neutral fuel is better than one or the other.
I'm sure the teams currently in the championship will appreciate the reduced running costs next season, but it seems that just as the hard work has been done and they now have a mostly reliable hybrid system, it's being dropped.
Sebring440 said:
The new fuel will be expensive!
Based on Sunoco prices (I know they are probably going to use Carless ECO blend) its about 50% more on a 20L can.Might be sustainable and less greenhouse gases when burned, but any fuel thats shipped about in small quantities must have an horrific carbon footprint?
clubracing said:
This seems like an odd decision to me, as they're not returning to having success ballast, instead having the same power increases as from the hybrid system but provided solely from temporarily increased boost pressure.
The staggered amounts of power boost have just never worked as well as the success ballast did for producing entertaining racing, and I would think from the perspective of attracting new manufacturers or sponsors for the long term health of the championship, having hybrid and carbon neutral fuel is better than one or the other.
I'm sure the teams currently in the championship will appreciate the reduced running costs next season, but it seems that just as the hard work has been done and they now have a mostly reliable hybrid system, it's being dropped.
I can’t believe they haven’t gone back to a success ballast system. It affects the car in every dynamic, braking, cornering, accelerating, change of direction. It allows the penalty of the extra weight to give other drivers a chance to overtake. The staggered amounts of power boost have just never worked as well as the success ballast did for producing entertaining racing, and I would think from the perspective of attracting new manufacturers or sponsors for the long term health of the championship, having hybrid and carbon neutral fuel is better than one or the other.
I'm sure the teams currently in the championship will appreciate the reduced running costs next season, but it seems that just as the hard work has been done and they now have a mostly reliable hybrid system, it's being dropped.
Hybrid and now boost pressure increases only effects the car in acceleration. It’s such a blunt tool with only one dynamic effect.
As for using sustainable eco fuel. When is the world going to wake up to the fact that these fuels require a shed load of energy to produce, are only made in small quantities, cost a fortune and (at a guess) shipping them around the world has no benefits compared to stock fuel to the environment.
Either way I’m glad we have got rid of hybrid, expensive, heavy and the same output can be produced by using boost pressure without the complexity and weight of hybrid.
Role on 2025 season.
I never like the fact that the Hybrid and no relation to the real world cars. You can't buy a Hyundai N with a 2.0 turbo engine with Hybrid boost, for example. It always seemed to me like a tacked-on method to show ' hey look we're doing the environmental electric stuff too' and ticking a box.
I don't know what the answer is, success ballast for all it's faults did actually work. Although I'd probably just save it for race three only. Different tyre compounds work, but becomes farcical when you have drivers that don't bother defending from a soft-shod car as it's pointless. Pit stops? We've done that, and probably for every one race it spiced up, there were three others that it made dull.
Maybe 40 minute races with pitstops and you have to run both the soft and hard compounds?
I don't know what the answer is, success ballast for all it's faults did actually work. Although I'd probably just save it for race three only. Different tyre compounds work, but becomes farcical when you have drivers that don't bother defending from a soft-shod car as it's pointless. Pit stops? We've done that, and probably for every one race it spiced up, there were three others that it made dull.
Maybe 40 minute races with pitstops and you have to run both the soft and hard compounds?
Sebring440 said:
Maybe it does, who knows? But much less of a "carbon footprint" that those heavy ol' diesel generators the teams used to charge the hybrid batteries.
Who knows either way. Without a detailed breakdown of the journey of every part of the differences between the two setups it's impossible to say. There are many other factors to consider as well such as is the biomass waste truly waste or is it something that could have fed animals and how long before there isn't enough waste biomass and food crops start to be used as synthetic fuels spreads to the mainstream?Just as with the hybrid it's all about the perception than reality in a lot of ways.
GlobalRacer said:
Sebring440 said:
Maybe it does, who knows? But much less of a "carbon footprint" that those heavy ol' diesel generators the teams used to charge the hybrid batteries.
Who knows either way. Without a detailed breakdown of the journey of every part of the differences between the two setups it's impossible to say. There are many other factors to consider as well such as is the biomass waste truly waste or is it something that could have fed animals and how long before there isn't enough waste biomass and food crops start to be used as synthetic fuels spreads to the mainstream?Just as with the hybrid it's all about the perception than reality in a lot of ways.
You have environmental 'cost' of building the vehicles, transporting them around the country or planet for international series, consumables such as tyres & brakes, plus any damage repairs. And then there's the carbon footprint of all the spectators travelling to/from the venue (as there is with any sport). I'll still watch though.....
Some more (sensible) rule tweeks for next season - https://btcc.net/btcc-confirms-further-rule-tweaks...
GlobalRacer said:
Some more (sensible) rule tweeks for next season
"all cars must cease weaving, braking and/or accelerating and stay no more than two car lengths from the car ahead of them."I wonder how they will police this. Two car lengths? What would the penalty be for being two and a half car lengths back? And who would decide/report this? How can they accurately measure car lengths?
Sebring440 said:
"all cars must cease weaving, braking and/or accelerating and stay no more than two car lengths from the car ahead of them."
I wonder how they will police this. Two car lengths? What would the penalty be for being two and a half car lengths back? And who would decide/report this? How can they accurately measure car lengths?
Aussie Supercars ran this rule for years before changing for this year so I expect Gow has consulted with them.I wonder how they will police this. Two car lengths? What would the penalty be for being two and a half car lengths back? And who would decide/report this? How can they accurately measure car lengths?
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff