SEAT Sport UK call time on the BTCC

[FSiLeonMike]

Question is guys, now our beloved team is about to bow out at BH for what we only know to be a desire to expand the brand into other areas of marketing...where do each of us go now? Where do each of you plan on being?

I will still wear my brand new SEAT jacket, baseball cap and tee-shirt (albeit as clothing and not anything symbolic of a followed team) but I am edging closer to a definitive answer.

My very start as a keen follower of the BTCC has it's roots in WSR. It will be like coming home going back to Team RAC. But as I am looking at the Team CVR website I am just all happy again.

I would love to follow Team CVR. They still run green/yellow Leons, a driver I very much respect (Dan Eaves) as probable No#1 driver, and Doug Bebb (former Team Manager at SSUK) again as Team Manager.

So my advice would be.....let us all now move en masse and sign up to be fully fledged supporters of Team Carbon Zero Racing. It will be hard to let go of SSUK but please believe me guys, this could be the dawn of a new era. Trust me on this one. Dan Eaves has a proven track record in the BTCC (and is known as the only driver to win all 3 races in the new 3-race format meeting) and both Team Principal Colin Neil and Phiroze Bilimoria I hope will have the makings of top drivers. Only thing am not sure about is bio-ethanol and how competitive it will be.

Exactly my thoughts earlier in this thread, OK, we supported SEAT Sport UK, but I know I, and many others always cheered for Jones in his Leon, and Stockton in his Toledo too. Its the brand we should follow.
And as you say, Team CVR are running the same colours (mmmm, strange that), so they will get my support. And who knows, one of the bigger Independants may show up with 2 TDi Leons next year, stranger things have happened.

 

[IainW]

Well here's where £500k of the money is going? http://www.knockhill.com/events/news.php?a=324

 

[JasonP06]

And who knows, one of the bigger Independants may show up with 2 TDi Leons next year, stranger things have happened.

I see no reason why Team CVR cannot be one of the bigger Independent outfits.

It has been fantastic seeing the 3-way battle between Turks/Jackson/Jones and I hope it goes all the way down to the wire, but I think what we need are 2 or 3 big 2-car Independents and 2-3 really competitive 1-car teams. If CVR show they can get on the pace early in their debut then I see a great battlebetween BMW and SEAT next season. Both weighing in with 2 competitive teams; one 1-car team managed by a competitive Independent team and one big 2-car team.

In one corner, for SEAT, CVR and Team Air Cool (GR Asia), and in the other corner, for BMW, Team RAC and BMW Dealer Team UK (RBM).

SEATSport UK may be gone but I hope something good happens in 2009.

Its the brand we should follow.

Exactly. Let us not forget what I believe to be true. That this great site is for SEAT as a marque and I don't think was ever intended to be loyal to just the works team. I wasn't. I cheered for Jonesy as passionately as I did Jase and DT.

 

[adrian t]

been reading this today and thought some one here would say it but not

seat uk hire there cars and tdi motors from seat spain like every other seat team running with works or semi works backing . also vw cuting its rally raid audi cutting back its sports car program . i think with car sales down to the 1960 s level is hurting every one

also now porsche have a bigger stake in vag group there calling the shots a little bit more . and there cutting back there motorsport bugget a bit to . so maybe the good times for motorsport have gone

also seat cupra cup go s

..

i also wounder if vaxuhall will be a semi works team next year as there stopping there lines as thay have not sold that meny units this year ???


but on a brighter side volvo have said its looking at btcc to help it with the c30 ( it needs it as it drives like a stain in u pants )


to scott wardee jp and dt and all the other at the team all the best with what ever u do ( indy team looks best )

 

[adrian t]

come on guys do you realy think cvr will be on the grid next year i don t think so cvr been banging on about btcc for 3 years and never ever turned up was ment to do last 2 rounds but no !!!

i

 

[JasonP06]

come on guys do you realy think cvr will be on the grid next year i don t think so cvr been banging on about btcc for 3 years and never ever turned up was ment to do last 2 rounds but no !!!

i

Shall I hold you to that?

I mean they have done so much work getting everything together, the car, the drivers, the team personell, the sponsorship etc., I just find it so hard to believe they won't do 2009.

You have got a whole team together (drivers, personell, car, sponsorship) and you suddenly decde not to do next season in a championship. What are you going to do with your new team if you don't plan on running them and how do you think your drivers especially are gonna feel learning they have paid their hard earned funding money for nowt? I don't think they are gonna be happy.

I am sure CVR will be out for 2009 just as they plan on doing Brands Hatch.

 

[adrian t]

i tell u what if thay do do full year next year i give £100 to ben ( motorsport charity ) hows that if thay dont what will u give lol

 

[m0rk]

I think this whole scaling back campaign is coming from the top... The same weel as they can'd SEAT Sport UK, they've can'd SEAT South Africa (totally) (but then they only sold 2,600 units in 3 years

 

[JasonP06]

i tell u what if thay do do full year next year i give £100 to ben ( motorsport charity ) hows that if thay dont what will u give lol

I really don't belive you at times. How sceptical you can be at times.

If your so sure why don't you contact them and tell them you doubt they will be out for 2009?

In fact does anyone want to take up my offer of contacting them but this time ask them if they plan on not doing 2009?

I have send a link on the CZR website to the "Contact Us" page where you can send a general enquiry.

http://cartridgeworldcarbonzeroraci...ronocontact/chronoformname,contact/Itemid,32/

 

[IainW]

But you're the biggest pessimist of them all SEATFreak, you can't criticise anyone else for doing so.

I'm inclined to agree with ade here. Because of their recent history, I'm treating the CVR effort with a bit of scepticism, but now that Dan Eaves has actually come out and said he's onboard, it gives it a bit more credibility.

 

[markoos]

It'll be great if this comes off for Team CVR-good luck to them I say.They all seem pretty committed to the cause,looking at their website and publicity.

 

[JasonP06]

But you're the biggest pessimist of them all SEATFreak, you can't criticise anyone else for doing so.

I'm inclined to agree with ade here. Because of their recent history, I'm treating the CVR effort with a bit of scepticism, but now that Dan Eaves has actually come out and said he's onboard, it gives it a bit more credibility.

How can I be a pesimist, irrespective of whatever username I use, when I have said in my last posts that I saw no reason why they cannot do a whole season after what they went through to pull the team together. I mean how much does it cost to put together an Independent team of their size? Nearing £3.5m say? Why would anyone spend that much only to decide they aren't going to do it after all. It is like me buying in 2 or 3 pieces of gym equipment and suddenly deciding not to use them after all and instead watch TV all the time.

But if you say they what they are in terms of the way they behave then maybe we should disregard any spin and rhetoric from them that they are taking the BTCC seriously.

 

[IainW]

They've been planning to enter for the past couple of seasons though, with a professional looking website which implies they've got a good setup, but at the end of the day, they didn't have the funds or the cars when they wanted to run Chevrolets. As I said, it looks a bit more credible this time with the announcement of the main sponsor and Dan Eaves publicly stating he's part of the team.

 

[Cupra Kid]

This has happened before, SEAT came along and within a couple of years there were lurid coloured Ibiza MK2's flying through forests getting everyone off down to the dealers with as much money as they could find for the full fat 2.0 16v or the fun on a shoe string 8v. Then at its peak........ they canned it, thinking they had done enough. Then the late 90's arrives and it wasn't the best spell for SEAT, the mk3 being just a revised MK2, and the new toledo and leon taking off slowly.

Then they get back into motor sport with BTCC and we get big body kitted Leons with huge power along with some diesel performers for the more sensible of us and again right at the peak, they're canning it!

It will be money orientated as every company is cutting back in anticipation of hard times so they can save enough and hopefully get through, but it will also be slight cockiness with the big wigs thinking they've done enough!

Wonder where in motorsport SEAT will pop up next time?

 

[Mat]

WTF???

watched a bit of BTCC last year, and tried watchin more of it this year. So only really just started getting into the whole BTCC event (inc cupra cup, etc etc). What's the point in watchin now? May just have it on as "background noise"









Wonder if they try F1 next seeing as rally and touring cars has been done

 

[JasonP06]

WTF???

watched a bit of BTCC last year, and tried watchin more of it this year. So only really just started getting into the whole BTCC event (inc cupra cup, etc etc). What's the point in watchin now? May just have it on as "background noise"

Wonder if they try F1 next seeing as rally and touring cars has been done

I don't really know what you mean when you say "have it on as background noise" and "what's the point in watching it now" as I think with or without SEAT the BTCC will continue to be a competitive crowd-puller, but I doubt SEAT will do any motorsport as a manufacturer if they want to do, as they say, expand the brand into other areas of marketing. Except for the WTCC programme.

* Can I just ask as a matter of interest (and I would really this time like some answer as I believe it only manners after all ), now that the SCC is to bite the dust next year which of the TOCA support races do you plan on following - if any?

I follow Total Control Racing and so even though their SCC programme will be no more I plan on following them in the Clios.

 

[Mat]

sorry, what I meant was I only really watched it for Seats. Will still have it on "in the background", but not bothered as to who wins etc (if that makes sense). I enjoy most motorsports (watch motorsTV a lot - or I did at the parents). So will still kinda watch it, but not with as much "enthusiasm" as I have recently due to seats.

 

[JasonP06]

sorry, what I meant was I only really watched it for Seats. Will still have it on "in the background", but not bothered as to who wins etc (if that makes sense). I enjoy most motorsports (watch motorsTV a lot - or I did at the parents). So will still kinda watch it, but not with as much "enthusiasm" as I have recently due to seats.

Have no fear, if CVR are telling the truth and they are going to do 2009 then I see before long tem, like most of the Independent teams who run SEAT's, doing well and competing with the 320si's and the Vauxhalls.

In fact speaking of them pesky Vauxhalls, atleast one god thing has come of SEAT's withdrawl; until a new factory team comes in before the start of new season for the forseeable future, I don't think Vauxhall will ever win the Manufacturers title again because their won't be a Manufacturers title to win. I don't think the MSA will continue with the Manufacturers title for as long as theirs only one works team in it.

But that is digrerssing from the point. In Team Air Cool their is a team that even this year I think may still have a chance to win the Independents crown (GR Asia). Jackson and Turks in their respective beemers I don't think have had it all their own way.

I mentioned before what I thought of CVR if they do decide to enter and as for BTC Racing I see them picking things up to the stage where I think they will be up there with Team Eurotech, if they get their hands on SEAT's TDi Leons. With every new car they appear to have done that bit better. With the IS200's they weren't great but with the Toledos they do seem to have performed that bit stronger again.

Keep the faith man!

 

[traumapat]

I think this whole scaling back campaign is coming from the top... The same weel as they can'd SEAT Sport UK, they've can'd SEAT South Africa (totally) (but then they only sold 2,600 units in 3 years

Scary times. Hard to swallow when i see many more mk2s locally than mk1s riding around. The UK`s only one forecort and youd have to look everywhere the cars sold to see the actual picture.

BTCC and S.A., anything else coming?

Wonder how VW are fairing... ....need to drink more wine to kill off these feelings of paranoia.

 

[traumapat]

Agreed with the brand following. As long as its a seat its worth a shout.