Quote:
Originally Posted by Evantra
Seems everyone here is super excited by the finale 
Nice to see Boardley win it after never really getting the rub of the green of it in the BTCC. Guesses as to which midfield BTCC driver will come over and win next season?
Nightmare year for Smiley and the new Honda. Wonder if they’ll stick with the program or look elsewhere.
Brickley was greatly impressive to finish 2nd, not sure anyone would’ve expected him to finish there after coming in much as an unknown. Similar to Ley last year.
Probably the best season of TCR UK yet, although shame the grids seemed to fluctuate again through the year. Hopefully we see growth again through the winter to keep it firmly in the 20s next year. Not sure if the Gen 1 cup will help too much.
Much like last year, it seems reliability issues are the series’ biggest problem. Whether that’s the fault of the championship, teams, budgets (a given) or just bad luck is up for debate, but so many drivers have had a year completed wasted through breakdowns. From the outside, I can presume a few might not be overly keen to return.
The streams and comms I thought were good, although wish Paul would stop with the random squeaks and squeals and personally not the biggest fan of Anthony Jordan.
Glad next year’s calendar doesn’t have the gap of around 2 months until the final meeting. |
Arguably the best season of TCR UK when considering drivers, entries, and streams together. The streams from AlphaLive for the BRSCC have taken a step forward in reliability and video quality this year. I've always been a fan of Paul O'Neill and I think the broadcasting operation will likely improve with time.
I was happy to see Boardley take the title, by far the most consistent performer this season. His season is also a lesson in perseverance given he was apparently close to quitting the series after an unsuccessful weekend at Snetterton. It'll be interesting to see what he does next year - defend his title, have a go at something else, or even return to the BTCC?
I'm not fully convinced by the new Gen 1 cup. Whilst it will give the likes of D Wilson, Alden, Jaxon, Kerry, and Smith, plus whoever now owns Dan Lloyd's old VW Golf something to aim for, I can't see an influx of old CUPRAs and old Audis appearing, and I doubt someone would take a punt and buy and race other "Gen 1" cars like the VW Golf, Alfa Giulietta, and Peugeot 308. And a small part of me wonders if these Gen 1 cars and drivers may be nothing more than moving chicanes causing safety cars...
In terms of reliability, it does seem like TCR UK suffers more from it than other TCR series. Driving standards have also been very hit and miss (pun intended).
The Honda Civic FL5 has been the biggest disappointment, I would have expected Smiley, Restart, and JAS to have sorted some of these issues out. Its interesting that Ruben Volt has won two TCR Europe races in an FL5 this year (although admittedly that series isn't exactly in good health and was in essence the Audi Trophy). And on the subject of TCR Europe, I wonder what Lewis Brown could have achieved if he'd stayed in TCR UK rather than heading to Europe?