BTCC Silly Season 2007

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

The Vectra is a welcome addition, its a "proper" touring car IMO, better than all these smaller hatches the BTCC has these days unfortunatly. IMO of course.

I agree it's the best option Vauxhall have considering how poor the new Astra is...but I think that's more a comment on the pitifulness of the current Vauxhall range than a complement on the Vectra.

[cos]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

The Vectra is a welcome addition, its a "proper" touring car IMO, better than all these smaller hatches the BTCC has these days unfortunatly. IMO of course.

IMO indeed... there's no proper definition of what a 'touring car' actually is. The manufacturers will race whatever sells well, and these days 4/5dr saloons have become the domain of the company car buyer. Bring on the MPV/hot hatch racing

[tonyp]

heard a rumour that vauxhall are scrapping astra and bringing new vxr vectra into the fold.

anyone heard anything?

[cos]

Well they'll need a new car built to S2000 regulations anyway, and the Vectra is looking likely at the moment. They might run this year's Astras in a satellite team as well though.

[R59]

As I understand it (when I was at RML the other week), the main problem with the Lacetti is it's width. The widest car in the WTCC is the BMW, and that is it's advantage.

The Lacetti's floorpan is the same as the Astra, as it's the Daewoo Nubira in "old money".

I now have a Lacetti in my workshop, and after close looking around it, it's Astra under the skin, though it won't be for long.

So, one would assume, that 888 will be merrily working on a Victor, errr I mean Vectra.

Hazard, you say the new Astra is poor? Do you own one, have you owned one? In my experience, they are a great improvement on the Astra E, (or was it F), but like all GM cars of late, they get heavier, the engine's are no more powerful. They could do with a couple of "big engine'd" Astra's or even Corsa's, ie: put the 2.0L in the Corset, and the 3.2 in the Astra (driven at all four corners) to rival the Golof R32. But the committee get's worried that grandma might frighten herself if she bought one. Yet they sell a 400bhp V8 powered beastie that is nothing short of an exciting animal (Monaro VXR), they brought us the fastest production five seater four door car of it's time (Lotus Carlton), yet the rest of the range is bland. I personally was gutted when the canned the "new Omega" project which would have seen Holden Commodore VZ's rebadged as Omega's.

Back to the thread.

Astra too narrow, just like the Lacetti.
Vectra probably too heavy, but it'll have to do.

I do hear on the rumour mill that there may well be a bio-ethanol powered Lacetti in the BTCC next year.

[touringlegend]

Are you involved with that then when you have a Lacetti in your workshop ?

[cos]

Originally Posted by racing59

I do hear on the rumour mill that there may well be a bio-ethanol powered Lacetti in the BTCC next year.

That's the dream!

[R59]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

Are you involved with that then when you have a Lacetti in your workshop ?

Nope, my Lacetti will be powered by a different variety of Chevy.

See my (needs updating) site http://www.teamdangerous.com for what I have now.

I've done some rough sketches, based on a DTM style of bodywork, and it looks pretty fair!! It was a case of do I destroy my existing Astra, or start with a clean sheet of paper. Those nice people at RML have helped me with the latter!

Could it be Bio-Ethanol powered? Now that is fairly high on the list of ideas. I'm am keen to make use of this "green" fuel. For something like my project, it means having a tank big enough!! I carry just under 20 gallons of petrol now, but would need probably 30 gallons of ethanol for the same distance. It's not 50% heavier because Ethanol is slightly lighter than petrol per litre.

It's early days in my project. I have to sort out my woes with the Astra first, so the Lacetti will probably lay dormant until early next year when I get some workshop space.

On the subject of the Bio-ethanol BTCC Lacetti - a great idea, just as long as Mr Gow gives the Lacetti the same "performance breaks" that it get's in the WTCC, and a little more for having to run the bigger tank for the increased fuel requirement.

Does anyone know if the Bio-ethanol Astra is given any weight "advantage"?
If Ricardo have done their homework right with the engine, it should produce more than the petrol engine, and you can save a little weight running a smaller radiator, less coolant, etc....

Rob.

[Marc27]

No the techspeed Bio ethanol astra is given no extra weight dispensations. neither is Jason hughes' MG which now also runs on Bio Ethanol.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Marc27

No the techspeed Bio ethanol astra is given no extra weight dispensations. neither is Jason hughes' MG which now also runs on Bio Ethanol.

wrong.
they are allowed to run 10kg's lighter to allow for the extra fuel they have to carry.

[Marc27]

I've checked up on this and all BTC spec cars have a base weight of 1175kg whatever fuel they run. Even if they were allowed a different weight the difference in a full tank of Bio-Ethanol compared with petrol is 46kgs so 10kgs wouldn't be enough.

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Marc27

I've checked up on this and all BTC spec cars have a base weight of 1175kg whatever fuel they run. Even if they were allowed a different weight the difference in a full tank of Bio-Ethanol compared with petrol is 46kgs so 10kgs wouldn't be enough.

then maybe you havent read the regulation update bulletins that come out during the year. biofuel cars run 10kgs lighter. and btcc cars dont run a full tank of fuel obviously for only 20 minutes of running! the difference of 10kgs is for the extra fuel they have to run for the race distance.

[Marc27]

I should have been more clear the weight I stated was the difference in fuel levels at the start of the race.

[R59]

That's a fair break. When you consider that the Astra that Leggate uses is the old car, it would be interesting to see what a current, or up-to-date S2000 chassis would do with a properly built ethanol burner.

At the start of the race, I would expect the bio-ethanol car to be a little slower due to it's extra weight, but by half distance, it ought to be as quick, and towards the end, it should be quicker by virtue of it producing a little more power.

Shame that there isn't a decent comparison on the grid, or may be there could be with Hughes' MG, as I understand he now has a Judd 4 pot in there, after he started the season with the wailing 6-banger.

Rob.

[daz90]

Vauxhall are all set for a new Vectra anyway in a year or so. And its a sector of the market that all firms have been struggling with recently, having a Vectra in the press every other week may well help sales again.

As are Ford, a new Mondeo is due in 2007/8