New Cars Aren’t Always Super-Expensive!

If you are looking to buy a new car, and your budget allowed a price ceiling of $40k ($40,000), then there is a plethora of opportunity for you out there at the car lot.  It has been interesting to observe the changing winds in the car industry.  The onset of a wide variety of more affordable new electric vehicles (EVs) becoming available to buyers has meant that the opportunity to own a new EV is becoming much more attainable.  There are still some EV issues that need to be seen to before living with an EV becomes a seamlessly easy way of life; however, for some people, the switch to owning an EV has been a good move.  If you can charge your vehicle at home, and most (if not all) of your travel is short distances in a city/town environment, then you’re well on the way to being a happy EV convert.  Or maybe you are reading this and are feeling smug that you are already a happy convert.

Definitely, there are also many more new hybrid vehicles (vehicles that use battery power to enhance the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine (ICE)) that you can buy.  In my humble opinion, these are the best new vehicles to buy, particularly if you want good fuel economy and low emissions but spend time travelling between townships and cities.  They offer the best of both worlds. Let’s face it: Australia’s EV infrastructure is improving but still has a long way to go before it is anywhere near perfect. 

There are still some great new ICE vehicles that use petrol or diesel on the market for a decent price.  Fuel economy has gotten better and better for these types of vehicles, so they still offer a new-car buyer a solid purchase.  Thus, particularly if you are employed in any trade that requires travelling plenty of kms, an ICE vehicle or hybrid can’t yet be beaten on practicality.  You only need to look at the latest new car sales list to read that ICE and Hybrid utes and SUVs still remain the top purchases.

OK, so what’s out there for under $40k (at the time of writing? 

Hybrid Cars/SUVs

• GWM Haval Jolion SUV Hybrid
• GWM Haval H6 SUV Hybrid
• Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid
• Hyundai Kona SUV Hybrid
• MG3 Hatch Hybrid
• Toyota Camry Sedan Ascent Sedan Hybrid
• Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid
• Toyota Corolla Sedan Hybrid
• Toyota Corolla Cross SUV GX Hybrid
• Toyota Yaris Cross SUV Hybrid
• Toyota Yaris Hatch Hybrid

ICE Cars/SUVs/Utes

• Chery Tiggo 7 Pro SUV
• Chery OMODA 5 SUV
• Fiat 500 Hatch Dolcevito
• Ford Puma SUV
• GWM Ute
• Honda CR-V SUV
• Honda HR-V SUV
• Honda ZR-V SUV
• Hyundai i30 Hatch
• Hyundai Venue SUV
• Hyundai i20 Hatch N
• Isuzu D-MAX Cab Chassis SX High Ride Ute
• Kia Sportage SUV S
• Kia Cerato Hatch
• Kia Cerato Sedan
• Kia Picanto Hatch
• Kia Seltos SUV
• Kia Stonic SUV
• LDV T60 Ute Max Pro
• LDV D90 SUV
• LDV G10 Van+
• LDV V80 Van
• Mahindra PIK-Up Ute
• Mahindra PIK-UP Cab Chassis
• Mahindra PIK-Up Ute Light Truck S+ 4×4
• Mahindra XUV700 SUV 4×4
• Mazda CX-5 SUV
• Mazda 3 Hatch
• Mazda CX-30 SUV
• Mazda CX-3 SUV
• Mazda 2 Hatch
• Mazda 3 Sedan
• Mazda 6 Sedan
• Mazda BT-50 Cab Chassis XS Ute
• Mazda 2 Sedan
• MG ZS SUV Excite
• MG MG5 Sedan
• MG ZST SUV
• MG HS SUV
• Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV
• Mitsubishi ASX SUV
• Mitsubishi Triton Cab Chassis GLX Ute
• Nissan Navara Cab Chassis SL Ute
• Nissan Juke SUV
• Nissan QASHQAI SUV ST
• Renault Captur SUV
• Skoda Kamiq SUV
• Skoda Karoq SUV
• Skoda Scala Hatch 85 TSI Ambition
• Skoda Fabia Hatch Monte Carlo Edition 150
• SsangYong Musso Ute ELX
• SsangYong Korando SUV
• Suzuki Swift Hatch
• Suzuki Vitara SUV
• Suzuki Ignis SUV
• Suzuki S-Cross SUV
• Toyota C-HR SUV GXL
• Toyota Hilux Ute Workmate
• Toyota Hilux Cab Chassis
• Toyota RAV4 SUV GX
• Volkswagen Polo Hatch
• Volkswagen T-Roc SUV City Life
• Volkswagen T-Cross SUV

EVs (Hatchback/SUV)

• GWM Ora Standard Hatch
• BYD Dolphin: Hatch
• MG ZS EV Excite SUV
• MG4 Excite Hatch
• Nissan Leaf Hatch

Some of us are on an even tighter budget.  We would love a new a car, but… Well, here’s some good news:

Six new cars under $25,000 (All ICE)

• MG3 Hatch
• Kia Piccanto Hatch
• MG ZS SUV
• Kia Stonic SUV
• Suzuki Ignis SUV
• MG MG5 Sedan

These prices are typical, but have a chat with the helpful team here at Private Fleet, as we may be able to land you an absolutely stellar deal. Also check out our reviews to get more details.

Visit Your Overseas Car Museum From Home.

As Australia and, indeed, the globe, moves towards the sort of lifestyle once only forecast in sci-fi novels, travel restrictions make what we took for granted on a daily basis ever more harder to do. Technology, as always, provides an option or two.

Car people now have the perfect excuse to travel overseas, albeit virtually, to check out some great car museums.  Some have Virtual Reality access either from their site or a third party, others have scrollable 360 degree vision.

Germany.

Easily one of the best car museums in the world, and one on many enthusiasts’ bucket lists, the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, gathers the brand’s most iconic and influential sports cars, race cars, and one very important tractor in a stunningly designed building that’s an attraction in itself. The museum’s virtual tour lets you explore the masterfully displayed collection inside and take in all the architectural beauty outside.

Also located in Stuttgart is the just-as-stunning and just-as-closed Mercedes-Benz museum. Not to be outdone by Porsche, the Museum at Mercedes-Benz has its own architecturally impressive building, as well as a massive car collection that’s presented in a dynamic and engaging way. Take the museum’s virtual tour here.  If you have a VR headset, Mercedes offers a number of 360-degree videos on its YouTube channel.

Italy.

The fabled Italian car maker, Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, offers a virtual tour via Google Street View. Virtually wandering through the halls may not cure the blues, but there will be plenty of other colours to see.

Ferrari has been celebrating its work in Italy and provides two access points, here and here.

The U.S.

Bowling Green, Kentucky, is hallowed ground for diehard Corvette fans. Not only is it home to the plant that builds the Corvette, but it’s also the site of the National Corvette Museum. Thanks to the magic of Google Street View, anyone can make a virtual pilgrimage to the museum. You can also take a 360-degree tour of the sinkhole that swallowed eight classic Corvettes in 2014.

The Petersen has always been a world-class car museum, but in 2015 it got a makeover to match the quality of the automotive artifacts housed inside. The renovations completely transformed the atmosphere of the museum. This Google Street View tour of the pre-renovation Petersen, however, is a nostalgic stroll through memory lane. The cars in the collection haven’t changed, though. Click here to see a list of what the museum has on exhibit, and if you’d like to peek inside the Petersen’s prized “vault,” which stores its rarest race cars, movie cars, and icons of car culture, you can still do that while the museum is closed. For $3, you can take a livestreamed hour-long digital vault tour led by collection manager Dana Williamson. Also, catch the Petersen’s series of educational livestreams it plans to broadcast throughout the duration of L.A. school closures.

If you love weird and quirky cars, then the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is the perfect place to virtually visit. With an eclectic collection of cars that can be found here, the Lane Motor Museum is almost guaranteed to have a car you’ve never seen or heard of before. Get ready to start scratching your head and browse the collection yourself by clicking this link.

Japan.

Toyota is one of the largest automakers in the world—it even has a city named after it. So it should come as no surprise that the Japanese brand has an impressive museum. Located in Nagakute, Japan, the Toyota Automobile Museum not only tells the story of the company founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937, but of the automobile itself. As such, the museum doesn’t just showcase classic Toyotas. In fact, you’ll be treated to Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, Mercedes, Fords, and much more. If you’re hankering to see some vintage Japanese sheet metal, you’ll find plenty of that, too. Take the virtual tour here.

And here is where to go for some 360 degree views. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/srochnodengi-online-zaymi.html

Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Mitsubishi Triton Exceed vs 2015 Toyota Kluger Grande.

Opples and Aranges.

No, that’s not a misspelling, I’ve deliberately used opples and aranges to highlight there’s differences and similarities between the top of the tree cars, in their category, from Mitsubishi and Toyota. The Triton Exceed is the top of the range for the newly revamped dual cab ute whilst the Kluger Grande is atop the pile for that range from Toyota. Lets compare apples with oranges to see why we have an opple and arange as A Wheel Thing compares the two.

Powersource.
The Kluger range is fully petrol and suffers from economy issues. It’s a 3.5L V6 and slurps 91 RON petrol quicker than a Friday arvo tradie at the pub necks his beer. A Wheel Thing averaged 11.0L per 100 kilometres from the Grande…from 95% freeway work. That’s unforgiveable in today’s driving environment.
The Tritons are now almost exclusively diesel (there is a couple of 2.4L petrols) and it shows; at 2.4L capacity also it sat at around 8.0L/100 kilometres and was on a predominantly urban usage cycle.
There’s 201 kW from the Kluger at 6200 revs, the Triton offers 133 kW at 3500. Torque from the Toyota is 337 Nm at 3700 rpm with the four door ute twisting 439 Nm at 2500 rpm. Transmissions were both self shifters, a six ratio ‘box in the Grande and a rejigged five cogger for the Mitsubishi.
Toyota claims, per 100 kilometres, 10.6/14.4/8.4L for combined/urban and highway from a 72 litre tank. Mitsubishi says 7.6L per 100 km on the combined cycle from a similarly sized (75L) tub.

The Suit.
The Triton hasn’t really undergone a massive overhaul; Japan’s current design philosophy is chrome and it showed, with a bright silver grille taking pride of place at the front, bisecting the slightly reprofiled headlights. The test vehicle supplied was also kitted with a rear canopy cover and roof mounted storage, as it had been used for what all proper four wheel drive vehicles should do. It went travelling to the Simpson Desert, courtesy of a four wheel drive magazine and the toughness showed with no major squeaks or rattles, bar the passenger seat moving somewhat as the car moved around.

The rear tray looks almost unchanged bar the tail lights: in profile the top part of the assembly leans forward into the metal whilst directly from the rear the once rounded look is now an angular shape, looking most like it’d been pinched from another Japanese two/four door ute maker… there’s also a strong crease line from the headlights joining the rear, compared to the previous model’s smoothness.

In overall looks it’s more of the same but newer. Dimensions say it’s a hefty unit: 5280 mm in length make it one of the longest vehicles readily available in Australia, plus 1815 mm in width and 1780 in height add to the Triton’s imposing presence. Wheelbase? Well, that’s big too, at 3000 mm…Whack in the weight of 1965 kg unladen, to boot.
To add to the visual appeal, there was sidesteps and front bar; it’s a beast and makes no apologies.

The Kluger has been in its current guise for a while; the vehicle supplied was fresh, with about 500 klicks on the clock when picked up. It’s a big unit too, at 4865 x 1925 x 1730 mm (L x W x H) with a near 2.8 metre wheelbase (2790 mm). It weighs a bit, too, which may account for the economy, as 2065 kilos unladen doth not make a lightweight.

The profile is boxy, angular, moving away from the relatively smoother and slightly curvy previous iteration. There’s a hint of cab forward, with a shortish bonnet compared to the overall cabin length. The window line is familiar, with Camry/Aurion hints plus there’s privacy glass as well. There’s a tailgate lid spoiler and the tail light assembly has hints of Lexus. The front is bluff, upright and in the eyes of the beholder for looks…

On The Inside.
It’s here that the two cars take a stronger divergence. The Exceed needs, quite simply, more bling, whilst the Grande comes with seven seats, sunroof, DVD player (roof mounted and with cordless headphones), heated and ventilated seats, fully adjustable steering column with paddle shifters and a somewhat unusual dash styling, with a curved shape at odds with the hidey hole styling.
In between the driver and passenger sits a huge console, big enough to hide some small bottles or cans. A brushed aluminuim accent surrounds the air vents, info screen and aircon controls, whilst the tabs around the screen are basic and bare looking in black and white plastic.

The dash design, as stated, is odd; there’s a beautiful, sinuous wave shape to the binnacle, only to meet an inset for the clock at the top and a wrap around to the airbag cover, whilst below is a storage locker that simply doesn’t fit with the look of the rest. But at least there’s tech like Blind Spot Alerts to give the driver something more positive.

The Exceed benefits from an updated dash but lacks in presence. There’s the piano black surrounds for the infotainment system, push button start, machine made leather, dual zone aircon and a powered driver’s seat. The seats are better than before, with more padding and support to the hips and thorax, with both getting the standard array of airbags including one for the driver’s knee.

Both don’t suffer from room, with rear seat passengers in both able to stretch comfortably. The Kluger is a seven seater, with simple pull straps to raise the pews, whilst, normally, there’s an uncovered tub for the rear section of the Triton, but in this case it was a three windowed canopy. The tub itself is huge, with more than enough room to toss a sleeping bag and rubber mat to sleep on whilst not knocking the noggin should you sit up.

The Exceed may be at the top of the ladder but to look at the cabin you wouldn’t know it. There’s a real lack of appeal visually, with nothing to catch the eye and make the statement. Not all buyers of off road capable utes with dirty the car or themselves and this really could do with a higher level of visual velcro.

On The Road.
Kluger Grande is a suburban off roader; it’ll see speedhumps and puddles way more than it will any beaches or muddy tracks. There is a 2WD version, the 4WD supplied gets a lockable centre diff. The Triton, on the other hand, is equipped with an electronic 4 wheel drive selector. Operated via a dial in the centre console and displayed on the small colour dash screen via sybols, there’s a clear indication of two wheel drive, four wheel drive and high and low ratios, plus locking centre and rear diffs for getting down and dirty off road.

The Exceed was taken to A Wheel Thing’s test track, a combination of sand, gravel, muddy ruts, rocks and undulating surfaces. To say it coped with that terrain is a huge understatement. Kluger would struggle in the same environment and it’s not a terribly difficult off road track.

The Kluger’s transmission is smooth and slurs through the ratios with barely a hiccup, but the go pedal needs a good prod to get the two plus tonnes moving at anything other than a crawl. Although the Kluger feels, seats of the pants, effortless, it’s clear the lack of lower down the rev range torque hurts. There was a hint of fuel in the tank after 490 klicks were covered; as mentioned before, virtually all driving was freeway based therefore hardly stressing the drivetrain in a suburban stop/start environment.

As one would expect, the ride and handling of the Kluger is well sorted, with minimal roll, dive and squat, plus the brakes grab well enough under most circumstances to haul its mass up. Brake pressure was suitable for the Grande, with engagement almost straight away. Steering is light for the Grande’s size, but not to the point of feeling over assisted or disassociating the driver from the road.

2015 Toyota Kluger

The Triton is big, boofy, solid in its feel on the road but definitely no ballet dancer. Even with the earth rotating torque the diesel generates, the five cogger does its best to hobble the grunt. Acceleration is moderate from standstill but rapid enough once on the run. Even under full pressure, the diesel is relatively refined, quiet and will haul the Triton along nicely.

The auto has been given an overhaul, so although a touch ancient in basic design, it’s smoother and slicker in changing. The package works well and is certainly economical enough, although one wonders how an extra ratio would go. Under hard throttle, it drops smoothly and quietly back one, two, ratios, before launching forward.

Engaging the transfer case is simple; stop, neutral, select, watch the screen…all four paws grip and the Exceed ploughs through and over nonchalantly. It’s fun, agreeable and relatively stress free.
On tarmac…the brakes need work. There’s an inch of travel before they pads bite and then not well. More than once there were some sharp breaths as the rear of the car in front arrived quicker than was safe. It was reported to the dealership that the car was sourced from, just in case.

Steering, again, is light with enough weight to talk but not leave the driver wondering where the front wheels are going, and being a rear wheel drive off road capable working ute, it’s leaf springs at twenty paces at the rear and a touch tight at that.

The Wrap.
Apples and oranges or, in this case, opples and aranges. Why? They’re the top of the range, both four wheel drive capable and have a number of similar features like push button start and satnave, leather seats, kneebags and so on. But they’re different in that one is a proper off roader whilst the other would faint at the sight of a six inch deep muddy puddle. But one offers a DVD player and a suitable interior whilst the other….doesn’t….

They’re designed for different markets, different people and therefore will have different appeal. The Triton wins on economy and true dirt ability, the Kluger wins for features but sucks badly for economy.
Consumers, it’s your call. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/online-zaym-na-kartu-payps.html

BTCC 2014 Review: Bringing the Thunder to Brands Hatch

Photo Credit: BTCC.net

After months of excitement and anticipation, the time finally came for the first round of the 2014 Dunlop British Touring Car Championship. There was no better proving ground than the hallowed tarmac of Brands Hatch in Kent. The Indy circuit provides a sub-50 second thrash of a lap, demanding both high speed and perfect handling. It will come as no surprise (based on the monumental BTCC-based output I am prone to) that this championship has and probably will always be my favourite motor sport series. So one can only imagine my uncontrollable happiness to be first hand witness to the rebirth of a racing phoenix on the weekend of March 29th/30th.

The return of the true champions of motor sport also coincided with the new-look F1 series, with their fancy power-block-drive-train-why-is-it-not-just-called-an-engine. A week previous to the Touring Car return had seen the first race in the F1 calendar fail spectacularly to impress the general public. Since then of course, F1 has proven these new rules can work, but it is still far from convincing many. Could the full NGTC low cost, close racing Touring Cars show the big boys how to start a race season?

A blistering 31 car grid. 7 previous champions. Full NGTC outfit. Supported by an amazing BTC package including Renault Clio Cup UK, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Formula Ford, Ginetta Junior and the Ginetta G50s, the weekend promised something special.  This was going to be good.

The BTCC grid were all fired up and ready to go. Image Credit: BTCC.net

Qualifying

Before any racing got underway, there was still the issue of qualifying to get through. The word thrilling does not do justice to what I was privileged enough to witness on that Saturday. Crowd favourite Rob Austin complained about his 11th position start for the first race; usually I have no time for comments like this. This time was an exception however, considering Austin was only 0.260 seconds off the pole time. I completely understand his frustration; his car is massively competitive yet due to the clever NGTC rules, he is only 11th. In fact, of the 30 cars that turned up for the first race weekend, the top 23 all qualified within one second of each other. If that isn’t competitive then I don’t know what is. Granted, the top 5 positions were filled with the ever familiar faces of Jordan, Plato, Turkington, Neal and Shedden, but no one can deny the level of competition present in the championship this year.

As the cars lined up on the grid for the start of the first race, you could feel the magic in the air. Nobody knew what was going to happen.

As the flag dropped on the 2014 season, it was all out action until the flag was waved. Image Credit: BTCC.net

Race Day

For those who were watching on television, the first two races may have appeared to be a continuation of form from last year. It was very much a Honda, MG and BMW affair, with Jordan taking the first two races rather comfortably. But, in the midfield the changes of position were constant and mostly all very well undertaken. It was all rather thrilling. In terms of the usual suspects, it was quite interesting to see an uncharacteristic set of problems appear for Jason Plato in the MG team, who after a podium finish in the first race, had to start the race from the back. It was fascinating to see him carving his way through the field up to 11th by the end of the race. In a post-race interview, Plato said that he did the best he could and ‘to get from last to the top 10 was basically impossible’. Considering this was the most successful touring car driver ever saying this, you must admit you would be pretty inclined to believe it.

It may have been a common occurrence to see the works Honda team fighting for the top positions, but it came as a considerable shock to many. The Yuasa Honda team had introduced their new estate Civic (the ‘Tourer’) to the surprise of many, and pre-season testing would have given the impression that they may not be as competitive straight away. Yet they come to Brands Hatch (a track they specifically mentioned would be tricky for them) and were as strong as ever. In many ways I should be happy for the Honda team that they have managed to get good performance from their new model. Yet, I find myself audibly exhaling with a hint of frustration; for the last few years the Honda team has been so utterly dominant that I was hoping for a change. And if this was their weak track, I can see them doing rather well at Donington Park next weekend. My feelings aside, well done to them, the new car may be a bit of a shock to the eyes, but it definitely works.

Plato managed two well deserved podiums over the opening 3 rounds. Image Credit: Adam Johnson Photography

Jordan and Plato have assumed their usual positions at the top. Is a new rivalry forming? Image Credit: BTCC.net

The third and final race of the day has always mixed up the action somewhat, due to the reverse grid system that is used. The clever thing is that the drivers have no clue how many positions will be reversed; the number is picked out of a hat after the second race. So where once you would see drivers purposely slowing to get themselves 10th and therefore pole for race three, now nobody knows. All rather exciting really. The reverse grid greatly benefited the eBay BMW team, who began the third race with the perfect start and a formation fly into the first few laps. This began to fall apart when the limits of Nick Foster’s talent began to show. I do feel sorry for him, because he really does suffer with the ‘other driver’ syndrome. It is clear through example that he lacks the same ability as Collard and Turkington, and this was shown at Brands when he slipped from his early lead to 19th by the end of the race.

Formation flying: the eBay motors BMWs proved they have the performance to challenge for the title this year. Image Credit: BTCC.net

After the first round of the championship, the points totals are somewhat predictable, yet still interesting nonetheless:

1. Andrew Jordan – 47 points
2. Matt Neal – 45 points
3. Colin Turkington – 44 points
4. Gordon Shedden – 40 points
5. Jason Plato – 38 points
6. Rob Collard – 34 points
7. Adam Morgan – 18 points
8. Sam Tordoff – 17 points
9. Nick Foster – 16 points
10. Rob Austin – 16 points

The old flames may be dominating the top of the table, but the first round at Brands Hatch did definitely raise some interesting talking points that may change the course of the championship over the year.

Talking Points from Brands Hatch

Towards the rear…

I often find that with many motor sport series that some of the best talking points come from those who occupy the back of the grid. The 2014 BTCC season appears to be no different. There are some towards the back who I believe are only there because they have not yet had the development or experience to challenge the top end. One example of this is the wonderfully named Simon Belcher in the Toyota Avensis; he may have occupied the back of the pack most of the weekend but his lap times were plummeting. I suspect he may be reaching the high mid-pack and maybe even a top 10 by the end of the year. And then of course there is United Autosports who have their fingers in many a motor sport pie (usually GT based series); they have now decided to enter the BTCC with James Cole and Glynn Geddie. Given their previous successes, after a few races and further work they will be much further up the grid. It will be nice to see a fellow Glynn on the podium!

Someone else I definitely had my eye on was the sole American entry Robb Holland in his Audi S3 saloon. Not only does he have one of the best personalities in the field, but I foresee a great future for him. If he follows the path of the Rob, like Austin before him, he will soon be sticking it to the big boys. Same goes for the young Jack Clarke in the Crabbies racing Ford; he may not follow the path of the Rob, but I just cannot wait to see a car sponsored by alcoholic ginger beer at the front.

The American Robb Holland may follow his fellow Rob (Austin) into greatness. Image Credit: Adam Johnson Photography

Ollie Jackson and ‘The Man Who Beat Button’ (Marc Hynes) were both unimpressive at Brands. In the case of Jackson he seemed to enjoy being a flamethrower most of the time so I shall let him off, but hey its only the first round. Image Credit: BTCC.net

As much as I reward greatness in eternal praise through words, I also rather enjoy a bit of naming and shaming. Two names stand out more than any other; the first of these being Marc Hynes, or should I say ‘The Man Who Beat Button’. Ever since he was a confirmed entry to this years championship, he has only been referred to as the man who beat Jenson Button to the F3 championship many moons ago. Considering his wildly amazing reputation (he is also a driver trainer for the Marussia F1 team), I was expecting him to be the next Gabrielle Tarquini and storm the championship and blow everyone away on his first attempt. He may be ‘The Man Who Beat Button’, but over the weekend it seemed that he was more ‘The Man Who Was Beaten By Everyone’. If it wasn’t for the fact he had received so much hype I wouldn’t be so critical, but his performance was the ultimate characterization of exhaustive disappointment. His crowning moment was undoubtedly his destruction of the ever ridiculous Martin Depper.

I almost feel sorry for Martin Depper; as the team mate to the mighty Andrew Jordan he was rather embarrassing to watch. He was disqualified in race one, and then failed to finish both race two and race three. It takes a special kind of fail to manage that, especially with a team that is a proven race AND championship winner. He appeared to lack any form of pace or potential. He has gone from being ‘the other one’ in the Pirtek team to nothing but a slow and deep exhale, laced in exhaustion and derision.

The bottom bread in the Pirtek sandwich, Jordan leading and Depper far, far down at the back. Image Credit: BTCC.net

The Shining Lights of the BTCC

At the other end of the scale, there were of course those who massively impressed across the weekend. The first of these is Tom Ingram, in the Speedworks Avensis. Ingram is a 3-time winner of the BTC support Ginetta G50 championship, and in his debut race weekend in the BTCC, he blew me away. He qualified sixth, and put in strong performances across the weekend. If he is not a race winner by the end of the year, then I will be the next Prime Minister of the UK. Sadly however, following two superb top 10 finishes, in race 3 he had an unfortunate coming together with Alain Menu which prematurely ended his race. I take my hat off to the Speedworks Team, they have done a fantastic job this year and they could not have chosen a better driver to lead their charge to glory.

The car hitting the wall, is a Toyota! Ingram suffered an unfortunate crash in race 3. Image Credit: BTCC.net

Rob Austin, the ultimate fan favourite among the current generation of touring car drivers certainly did not disappoint at Brands Hatch over the weekend. He finished a stunning 5th in the first race, proving he had lost none of his skill and talent from last year. Sadly, a mechanical problem ruled him out of race two, meaning he started from the back for race three. Now, do you remember that Plato had said it was impossible to get from the back to a top 10 finish was impossible? (Do remember that he was driving a factory MG). The flying Austin managed to get from last to 11th, and was mere meters away from 10th. If Austin was not marred by crippling bad luck, he would most definitely be a champion. If him and his Sherman continue on this upward trend, they will soon take final victory they deserve.

Similarly, I was blown away by the WIX racing Mercedes of Adam Morgan; mot only does it look spectacular but Mr Morgan knows how to drive that machine well. He put in consistent performances across the weekend and was constantly competitive. He will earn himself a few race wins this year, that I am sure of.

The Power of the Four Rings. Rob Austin and the amazing Sherman (his new Exocet Audi) were stunning at Brands. Image Credit: BTCC.net

Team BMR (Brilliant Motor Racing)

In my humble yet passionate opinion, the team that impressed me most over the course of the first three rounds was team BMR. Warren Scott, Aron Smith and Alain Menu definitely thrust themselves into the limelight. Scott and Smith proved that the BMR boys know exactly how to make a race car that works both aggressively and consistently. The return of Alain Menu to the sport that made his name was one of the most exciting things to come out of the close season, and unlike ‘The Man Who Beat Button’ and Giovanardi in some respects, he categorically lived up to the reputation and expectation that preceeded him. Where Giovanardi (a former champion of the 00’s) struggled to find pace and performance, Menu returned to ultimate driver mode.

He may have suffered a spin at the first corner of the first race, and then struggled on the option tyres in race two, but race 3 changed that. He had made his way from the back of the grid to 17th in race two, but race three saw him blister his way up to 5th overall, defeating names such as Giovanardi and Flash Gordon in the works Honda. Having the chance to watch the return of a true legend to the BTCC at my favourite track was the perfect mix of excitement, worry, thrills, drama and general joy. Menu joins the BTCC from the WTCC, which saw one of the worst displays of touring car racing recently in Morocco. If this form continues, and with a little more development and experience, I would not be surprised to see Menu challenging for the title either this year or next year. With a cheeky wink and the love-able self confidence, this is exactly why Alain Menu is the ultimate touring car driver in my eyes.

Team BMR will soon reign after their great show. Image Credit: BTCC.net

And so, I can say without any shadow of a doubt that the BTCC is back and better than ever. It is such a shame that the WTCC has the ‘world’ status considering the shambolic race weekend that was had. Ultimate touring cars? After what I witnessed at Brands Hatch, it is clear that the BTCC should once again reign as THE international touring car championship. In a field of 30 cars, all of whom are improving by the race, who knows what will happen this year. Hard, thrilling and exciting races.

For full results from Brands Hatch, please visit: http://www.btcc.net/results/

The next round at Donington is fast approaching. This year will be something special.

Can the titans be toppled? Will we see the rise of a new star? Will a blast from the past steal ultimate victory?

Only time will tell…

Photo Credit: BTCC.net

Follow me on Twitter @lewisglynn69

Keep Driving People!

Peace and Love!

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