BTCC Dream Teams: The Sensation of Silly Season
Although silly season is drawing to a close, there is still a month of rumour, conjecture and speculation regarding the construction of the BTCC field for 2015. As such I decided to take what may be my final plunge into the silly season swimming pool. Across the close season on the various tin top communities, a common conversation topic is who people would like to see in teams. Therefore, what better way to end the silly season than to present my ideas for some BTCC dream teams!
Super Touring Super Group
Last time Menu and Rydell raced together, they dominated all before them. Image Taken From: TouringCarTimes.com
Similar to those rock groups of years gone by that are formed by a selection of stars from across the music world, my first proposal would see the same thing done with icons of the BTCC. Most specifically, I would have a team comprised of some of the biggest names from the 90s. If we take a team the size of BMR it gives four slots to work with. Along the same lines as BMR from 2014, the team would run two makes of car; Volvo and Renault. What better way to bring back two classic manufacturers than in the ultimate super touring team? And why not have the cars built and engineered by Andy Rouse, who would of course fill in if ever a driver could not take part in a meeting.
For the drivers, only thorough-bred champions are right for this team. My favourite driver of all time is Alain Menu, so there is no doubt that he would get a place on the squad, followed closely by the Swedish superhero Rickard Rydell. Give that man a chance to return to the BTCC and I would hedge my bets that he would leave the WTCC in an instant! Next up, it is the animal himself Mr John Cleland. Part of me would feel strange putting him in a car that wasn’t a Vauxhall, but for the purposes of this I am willing to overlook that. My final choice may surprise a few, but the remaining slot in this team would go to Paul Radisich. He may never have won a championship, but he always drove like a champion. After all, in 1993 he only competed in the latter part of the season yet still managed to finish 3rd in the championship. It’s probably safe to say that if the Ford team had been ready for the start of the year, Paul would have taken the title in ’93.
The return of two legendary manufacturers? A team made up entirely of legends of the BTCC? An icon of touring car engineering?
That would be a dream team.
Bringing the Rock to Touring Cars
What a sponsorship deal this would be. Imagine this on a jet black car.
Across the many years of the BTCC, there have been all manner of companies that have taken up sponsorship of race teams. However, the one area that I have always thought could expand into racing is strangely, music. In 2002 there was the one-off Team Atomic Kitten that entered with the then rookie Colin Turkington and Gareth Howell. But speaking as a Queen fan, you can see where I may be going with this. I would love to see a Queen branded car take to the grid. Perhaps with Queen Sponsorship involved, the warm up lap music can be improved. Over the last few years, I have always found the dodgy dance track at the start of each race to be somewhat annoying.
Bringing in sponsorship from another successful sector would inevitably bring with it a growth in fans to the sport. In addition, it would be great to combine the race weekend with amazing musical entertainment. Do you remember the Queen’s Golden Jubilee where Brian May stood atop Buckingham Palace and played the national anthem? Imagine Brian May standing on the roof of the Queen entry, rocking out a solo to the fans around the circuit. And just in general, if more music was integrated into the BTCC then perhaps we would start seeing our favourite machines appearing in more music videos and more adverts.
If you have any funny band/artist based team names I would love to hear them!
Guest Drive
Remember the last time a guest car ran in the BTCC? Image Credit: Motorsportretro.com
One of the aspects of the Porsche Carrera Cup that I admire is their ‘guest drive’ addition to each round of the championship. Along with the usual contenders in the field, there is a driver running who does not compete for championship points as a one-off type deal. There was a time when this guest drive was often Tim Harvey who would then go on to enter the championship fully. Would this not be a great addition to the BTCC? Let us not forget last time Ford ran a guest car and a certain Nigel Mansell created one of the best touring car races there has ever been.
This would give drivers from across the motorsport spectrum a chance to race in what is now officially one of the best touring car series in the world (second only to DTM don’t you know). The ever increasing popularity of the sport will without doubt attract a whole new audience including other drivers. As the BTCC field is already at capacity it may not always be feasible to bring in more international or even celebrity talent for a full seasons’ drive, but having them compete in rounds throughout the year could work. Furthermore, it would give a whole range of drivers the opportunity to compete. I can imagine stars from the WTCC and V8SC in particular wanting in on the action.
After all throughout the 90s the BTCC did attract some big international talent such as Aiello, Biela, Tarquini and even F1 teams like Williams Touring Car Engineering. Personally, having a one off driver would definitely mix it up for the whole field; nothing to lose apart from a few wing mirrors and body panels. It could be a whole lot of fun. In 1998, Mansell only ran in select races, but if this became a recurring feature of the championship it could bring massive audience figures and sensational entertainment.
What or who would you like to see in your ultimate BTCC team?
Or on the flip side, what would be a hilariously explosive team would you have? Having Neal and Plato as team mates with equal number one driver status comes to mind…
Send your suggestions in!
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Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
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