Jason Plato fights his corner.

Timthebrief

Barmy Army sleeper cell
Regarding the issue of equivilency in this years BTCC, an issue dear to the hearts of the Barmy Army and all serious racing fans, JP has posted an excellent explanation and riposte to the forum dwellers who thinks he moans too much.

link:http://www.btcc.net/forum/showthread.php?10429-Please-everyone-let-s-be-factual

Obviously not everyone agrees with how he puts his point across but I was present to see and hear him being interviewed by Alan Hyde before race 1 and he was calm, lucid and giving a balanced view like the seasoned professional he is.

What he later to said to Louise on ITV was clearly in the heat/frustration/stress of the moment and yes he does have good grounds for complaint.

Respect.
 

Empi5

Your scaring me.......
Feb 24, 2005
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Totally agree.

I cannot do with these people who moan about his moaning. He is passionate about his sport, and quite often a microphone gets pushed into him, when incidents occur and his adrenalin is flowing.

I feel at the moment , TOCA and Mr Gow are taking the preverbial pee out of the supporters, and we deserve better than that....... !

You cannot avoid hard facts alot of which were promises made to the non aspirated teams.

We will see what happens, but our support for JP is stronger than ever.
 

FSiLeonMike

Barmy Army Reservist (TA)
Apr 26, 2007
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Although I often say his moaning gets on my nerves (cos it does), at last he has done the right thing.

This is a good arguement, with his points well presented, and based on fact.

Fair play to him, but, the way he was with poor Louise Goodman, that was a bit off, like her or not, she was just doing her job, and he was a bit of an arse.
 

ZBOYD

Looking up at the stars!
May 19, 2001
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There will never be true equivalency with different cars running to different specifications. FACT

The BTCC can't have parity when so many specifications are being mixed up in the same series, but force every team to weigh in their expensive defunct race cars for NGTC spec and watch the grids shrink and watch the fans further bemoan the lack of competition. TOCA are walking a fine tightrope to keep the series on the annual calendar.

I very much doubt they'll ever achieve true parity in this series until the older specs are entirely scrapped and everyone is forced to run with the same set of parameters and even then there will be some who do it better than others.

Equivalency would require that the BTCC essentially be a silhouette series, all the same underneath with a different body-shell on top. Some could bemoan the fact that it would be nothing more than a glorified one make championship.

Gone are the days of multi-million pound budgets and super tourers, the series needs to evolve and though its the nations premier motorsport series, its just a jumped up national club meet until serious teams can invest money into new race cars that are built to the same rule book.

That's just my humble opinion as a motorsport fan, whether its the same or differs in opinion to a leading professional driver or the series boss is their problem to deal with.
 
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FSiLeonMike

Barmy Army Reservist (TA)
Apr 26, 2007
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Z, for once, I think I agree.

Yes, Plato has a point, and for Gow to deliver parity, well, as you said, it will never be true parity, in effect there are 4 different classes of car out there

BTC
S2000
S2000/NGTC
Full NGTC

Now, the answer will come in 2013

Everybody, (even Mr Plato and all at RML) knows that if your are still running S2000 machinery, well, in simple terms, TOUGH LUCK. You'll be slower

Only then will the playing field start to level out properly.
 

ZBOYD

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May 19, 2001
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Comes down to asset management, much like Mr Gow eluded to last night on TTT.

How many teams wouldn't be there if they had to sell/scrap off cars that are no longer in regs or competitive.

Chevrolet for example are running WTCC hand me downs, would they be there at all if the regs were tightened for NGTC only?
 

F2 Stu

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Oct 4, 2001
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Mr Gow and TOCA have made a mistake by their stance over be parity and equivalency between all the different machinery.

Turbo'd NGTC engines are the future and they shouldent be pegging them back, allow NASP Engined cars to enter but its upto them to shut up & step up to the challange, if not tough **** and invest in a turbo'd engine. simples

Its the teams that have gone for a Full NGTC spec car I feel sorry for, they're taking the pain for developing a future spec thats clearly slower and then will be blown out the water by the major players.
 

F2 Stu

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Oct 4, 2001
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Comes down to asset management, much like Mr Gow eluded to last night on TTT.

How many teams wouldn't be there if they had to sell/scrap off cars that are no longer in regs or competitive.

Chevrolet for example are running WTCC hand me downs, would they be there at all if the regs were tightened for NGTC only?

Not when they got a stock pile of Vauxhall Redtops to use up!
 

Timthebrief

Barmy Army sleeper cell
Z I agree that true parity is difficult to acheive in a transitional period and that TOCA had no realistic option but to give teams time to maximise current assets.

BUT and this is JP's point, in order to lure everyone back in AG did promise that they would do their best to achieve equivilency between the best NA and best turbo. If they didn't think they could ever achieve it then that should have been made clear well in advance so teams could plan accordingly and understand where they were likely to be in the pecking order. It's case of what the teams reasonably expected from the rules and the pronouncements in advance.

HONDA TD have undoubtedly put together a strong package and deserve wins on merit, but they should not be able to just slingshot past the top NA car and driver on the straights as if they had pressed the KERS or Nitro button! That's what I saw happening on Sunday and as JP says "that aint right".
 

ZBOYD

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May 19, 2001
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Z I agree that true parity is difficult to acheive in a transitional period and that TOCA had no realistic option but to give teams time to maximise current assets.

BUT and this is JP's point, in order to lure everyone back in AG did promise that they would do their best to achieve equivilency between the best NA and best turbo. If they didn't think they could ever achieve it then that should have been made clear well in advance so teams could plan accordingly and understand where they were likely to be in the pecking order. It's case of what the teams reasonably expected from the rules and the pronouncements in advance.

HONDA TD have undoubtedly put together a strong package and deserve wins on merit, but they should not be able to just slingshot past the top NA car and driver on the straights as if they had pressed the KERS or Nitro button! That's what I saw happening on Sunday and as JP says "that aint right".

The alternative to mixed specs are very small grids, maybe TOCA are stuck between a rock and a hard place. TV deal to consider too. Politicians often make promises they can't keep, the smart man sees through the smoke and mirrors, the series is undergoing a transition designed to keep the grids large and diverse...but you can't have parity with diversity.

However the RML deal came about it must hang on the back of WTCC programme, you can't tell me they didn't see this coming. It's only made worse by the fact FIA regs have moved to the 1.6 turbo that Chevrolet are developing and winning with in the WTCC. No time, resources or budget to develop an NGTC Cruze.

I'd wait and see how TOCA respond to it but from a PR point of view I don't think anyone is coming up smelling of roses.

Until there is some championship parity maybe Chevy and JP should pull out if they are not happy as they seemingly have to take their grievance to public scrutiny which generally only opens a huge can of worms. It would send a stronger message, but it will have a further detrimental effect on the series.
 
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RobDon

Pro Detailer
I agree with most of the above points. I also believe that it should be RML and other N/A teams putting in official complaints, not JP as he is being seen as a sore loser and a moaning sod, but his point is valid and he only wants a fair chance to race equally.

Imagine how you'd feel, full throttle down a straight and a turbo NGTC car just sails past you like he's on a sunday drive.
 

RobDon

Pro Detailer
He should not be penalised for saying what everyone else is thinking and seeing but are too afraid to say it. The championship organisers need to address this and equalise the racing, some basic side-by-side testing between Plato's car and one of the Honda's would achieve this quite easily and quickly, in ONE day.

If JP is penalised for this I can see RML pulling out of the championship.

PS. He doesn't need to apologise to anyone, he was talking into the camera, not ranting at her directly. (he probably said sorry to her straight after the interview anyway)
 
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I think the situation is far more complicated than it appears. Performance parity was gifted by lowering boost for the turbo charged cars (even within the different teams Honda 1.6Bar vs VX 1.9Bar) and weight handicaps.

I think the fact is that rules have been set out and Honda have made the best of the rules (similar to F1 in ways) and it has made them faster. How they change the rules to preserve the equality of the teams who knows?
 

RobDon

Pro Detailer
Bottom line is Alan Gow promised equality and has not delivered. Just like F1 is boring seeing Red Bull ahead of everyone else and a processional race, BTCC is becoming the same.

Something is wrong when the Honda's can go out for a few laps in qualifying, set fast times then go and sit in the garage and watch everyone else fail to match them, usually by half-a-second at every circuit.
 
Apr 12, 2010
635
1
Bottom line is Alan Gow promised equality and has not delivered. Just like F1 is boring seeing Red Bull ahead of everyone else and a processional race, BTCC is becoming the same.

Something is wrong when the Honda's can go out for a few laps in qualifying, set fast times then go and sit in the garage and watch everyone else fail to match them, usually by half-a-second at every circuit.

well said
 
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