Btcc

[Alfa Fan]

Wil the BTCC be better than last year?

[Amanda]

I think the BTCC will be much stronger this year. I am hoping the cars will be more evenly matched and we won't get one team running away with the title.

[Peter]

I think it will definetly be a strong season.

It will be interesting to see the impact of the new race formats. I suspect they will work for the better, as a longer first race with pit stops will enable a greater opportunity to overtake. Meanwhile, I welcome a shorter Feature race, as the closing laps of long races last year often resulted in cars spacing out and dull racing.

My only question mark over the quality of this season is the car count.

[lauz]

yeah because the cars will hopefully be racing more closely than they were last year so the championship battle will be closer which would be good.

[Les]

It certainly should be.

The touring class has a defending champ in a car that is beatable. As long as the other manufacturers have done their homework then it should be close.

The indepenents looks very promising but needs Vic Lee's lot in there.

The production class is growing by the day it seems and a mixture of cars and drivers - should see some interesting tassles there. I do believe the Honda Civic will run away with it unless the 307 is as good as it sounds or the Ford Focus comes out running fast.

All in all we have a mixture of personality. youth, experience, brilliance and guts

[speedy king]

I thought 2002 was good, but this year i think is gonna be a cracker!!

[Claire]

It's all looking really good and we still have a few more names to be confirmed. MG and Honda are going to give Vauxhall a run for their money and James will working hard to defend his title. We have some new teams and faces in production. 2003 is going to be a good year. :D

[Ann]

I thoroughly enjoyed last year but it was my first (almost) full year of attending the circuits so I was bound to get more from it than just watching a lot of it on telly.

The signs are very good that this year will build on the last couple and be even more competitive so I have to vote yes. Its the BTCC & we have a whole wonderful season ahead of us - how much better can it get?!! :D :D

[thommo_fan]

last year was a very good year, the best since 1999.

this year should be better because all the works cars should be a lot closer then last year.
i think the new regulations will make for better racing too.

my only concern is the number of touring class cars on the grid, but i'm waiting til march 10th on this one. i hope to be pleasently surprised.

[AussieV8]

I reckon BTCC is going to be a great year. With the manufacture input you have I will be looking forward to watching it and reading about what happened on here first. :p

I've got the flu really bad so just going back through my videos and Im watching the UK cars 1st before the OZ stuff. :)

[cav1995]

Yeah it's gonna be a great year although I won't be able to visit as many venues as I would like.

Honda will be much stronger and Vauxhall will have ironed out those reliablity niggles and get their hat trick.

As for Proton and MG, they'll be fighting for 3rd me thinks:D

[Mocko]

Who said no?

The BTCC can only get better.

Defending champ back; Proton, MG and Honda to challenge with added purpose, the quality of drivers are evenly spread throughout the teams.

It's what's making me bug my mother to get Sky Digital. Live races will be great.

[John]

Originally posted by Mocko
Who said no?

An Andy Priaulx supporter maybe?

The thing that impresses me is that even when the BTCC is supposed to be rubbish (eg 2000 and 2001 with very few class A equivalent cars) it still offers brialliant racing and a really close championship.

Thats not to say that the organisers/teams etc should be complacent because in other years it was so much better!! :)

[The Stig]

Every pre-season in F1, I think to myself, "yeah this year will be great" and they rarely are. Never been dismayed by BTCC. Sure some seasons are less good than others, but it's the one motorsport, amongst loads I watch or enjoy, you can rely on to not let you down and lift your spirits. Venues are affordable and reachable, the racing is first class and fans are embraced and often feel part of it.
This season really will be great. Loads to look forward to. Don't think any one team will dominate, I expect to see skirmishes in all sorts of areas on the track, Tourers and Production, we have new rules, our defending champion returns and will face a scrap to retain his title. Don't even think comparatively small grids will lessen my enjoyment.

[Father Jack]

Given how much progress Honda made last year, the improvements made to the proton and MG making progress, this year is bound to be better in that respect.
The big plus in my view is the change to qualifying. We will see in every second race, faster cars starting from lower down the grid. That can only make for more exciting racing.
My mind drifts back to the feature race at the season opener at Brands last year, when Thommo had to start at the back of the grid because of his engine gremlins and he won the race!