A wet setup is a race-car configuration optimized for low-grip conditions like rain. Teams adjust things such as tire pressures, suspension settings, and differential behavior to help the car turn in and stay stable when traction is limited.
Druids is a named corner at Brands Hatch. If something goes wrong there, it can cause big problems for the cars involved.
Place
Sutton
Sutton is a specific part of the Brands Hatch track. Where you place the car through corners like that can affect how easy it is to pass and how confident the driver feels.
The Race to Pole sprint is a short race that helps set up where drivers start for the main races. If something goes wrong in that sprint, you can end up starting much further back.
A “medium tyre” refers to a tire compound with a balance of grip and durability. In BTCC, choosing the wrong compound for conditions (like warmer weather) can reduce performance and force drivers to manage pace differently.
Boost is extra pressure from a turbo that helps the engine make more power. If a car has little or no boost, it won’t accelerate as strongly and can feel noticeably underpowered.
The alternator is what keeps the car’s electrical system running and the battery charged. If it fails, the car’s electronics can start shutting down, and the driver may have to slow down or retire.
Track limits are the boundaries of the track you’re allowed to use. If you go outside them, race officials can penalize you—often with time added—which can drop you down the order.
A black-and-white flag is a warning from race control. It means the officials think you did something wrong and you need to fix it, or you could get a bigger penalty next time.
A 10-second penalty means the race officials add 10 seconds to your race time (or make you serve it). That can cost you positions even if you drove well.
The “Jack Sears” win is a separate prize within the BTCC weekend. Instead of only looking at who wins overall, it’s based on points in a particular category.
“Pegged back” means trying to hold a leading team back so they don’t run away with the championship. The host thinks that’s unfair if they’re just doing a good job within the rules.
Regulations are the rules teams have to follow when building and racing their cars. The host is saying teams should be able to use the rules to make the car faster, not be punished for doing it well.
Term
slippery shaped coupé style
“Slippery shaped” refers to aerodynamic efficiency—how well the car’s body reduces drag and manages airflow. The host says the team changed to a similar coupé-style shape because it worked well last year, improving overall speed and balance.
TTB is just a short name for Tocca Turbo Boost. It’s the boost rule/system the drivers use during the race weekend, and it can affect how the races play out.
Allocation here means the rules about how much (or when) the boost is available to drivers. It affects strategy because you can’t necessarily use it whenever you want.
It’s a button feature in racing that briefly makes the car faster so the driver can try to pass. It’s temporary—once the boost time is used up, the car goes back to normal.
BTCC groups tracks into two categories (A and B). That classification changes how much boost time cars get, because the races have different lap counts and track characteristics.
Silverstone is a famous race track in the UK. Here it’s used as an example of a track type that affects how the boost-time rules work.
Place
SNES
This looks like a track name, but the transcript spelling is unclear. The hosts are talking about what they saw at that circuit regarding how often the boost was used.
Turbocharger geometry is how the turbo’s internal parts are adjusted to control boost. Changing it helps the engine get more air when the extra-power mode is active.
A wastegate is a valve that controls how much exhaust goes to the turbo. That helps the ECU control boost pressure and therefore how much extra power you get.
Telemetry is the car’s data—numbers coming from sensors while it’s running. It can show things like how the engine is behaving and what the car is doing. If the car hits something like a curb, the readings can change and that can affect whether the car crosses a limit.
Disqualification is the harshest penalty—basically, the car doesn’t get to keep its race result. Here, the host explains that penalties can range from time penalties up to disqualification if the rules are broken badly enough. It’s the series saying “this was too far.”
A penalty state is when the race system decides your car has broken a rule limit. If you finish the race still in that restricted mode, you can get disqualified.
The onboard computer is the car’s main electronics that control things like turbo boost. Here, it can automatically limit boost if the driver has broken the rules.
The live tracking system is how officials monitor the car in real time to see if it’s exceeding boost limits. If it does, the car can be penalized by limiting boost later.
Spike tolerances are small rule allowances for short, sudden boost surges that can happen even when you’re not trying to cheat. The system gives you a bit of leeway before it starts penalizing you.
Place
Snedderton
Snedderton is the track being talked about in the example race. The hosts use it to show how a driver’s strategy helped them keep the lead.
F1 is Formula 1, the highest level of open-wheel racing. It’s known for lots of advanced tech and computer control compared with simpler racing approaches.
Concept
raw style racing
“Raw style racing” here means the driver and the car’s basic mechanical behavior matter more than complicated electronics. The host prefers a more straightforward, less computer-controlled feel.
Term
ballast was here's the box, here's the weight
The host is describing how ballast is handled in a straightforward, physical way—like adding a known weight in a specific place. It’s contrasted with more complex systems.
Concept
cream always rises to the top
It’s basically saying the best teams and drivers usually end up winning. Over time, skill and resources show up in the results.
A junior program is a training ladder for up-and-coming drivers. It’s meant to help them get experience and eventually move up to bigger racing series.
A junior championship is a stepping-stone racing series for younger drivers. They’re talking about how strong the current junior scene has become and whether adding yet another junior series will dilute interest or resources.
They’re talking about the Ford Fiesta as the current “cheap and easy to race” option in junior touring-car racing. The point is to compare how affordable a new series might be versus racing a Fiesta.
TOCA package is shorthand for a well-known racing “system” in British touring cars—rules, support, and the way the series is run. They’re saying the new junior series will feel similar, which could make it attractive to drivers and teams.
PMR is the team that’s expected to build the cars for this new junior racing setup. The hosts are basically saying PMR usually delivers, but delays might make it harder to sell the cars if they’re too expensive.
They’re talking about a movie/film project connected to British touring car racing. The idea is that filming will happen over the next couple of seasons and the story will adjust to the real racing action.
Aaron Taylor Smith is a touring car racer. The hosts are saying he did really well in tough, slippery track conditions by adapting his driving and setup. They also point out it had been a long time since his last big win.
“Sticky, greasy conditions” describes track surface behavior where the rubber and contaminants create unusual grip. “Sticky” implies the surface can hold the tire well, while “greasy” implies it can feel slippery or inconsistent, often changing lap to lap. In touring car racing, that kind of surface can force different tire choices and setup changes to maintain traction.
Tires are what connect the race car to the track, so they control how much grip the car has. If you’re on the “right” tire for the conditions, the car can turn and accelerate much better. The hosts are saying the tire choice likely helped him pass others.
Nick Hamilton is a touring car racer. The hosts are talking about how he keeps competing despite challenges, including needing changes to his car for his disability. They also say he hasn’t always had the best equipment to get maximum results.
The hosts are talking about Nick Hamilton’s disability and the fact that his race car needs modifications so he can drive it. They’re saying those changes can be difficult and costly for a team. It’s part of what makes his continued racing impressive.
Alton Park is a race track in the UK. The hosts are saying it’s the next event, and they’re expecting wet conditions, which usually changes how cars handle.
Thruxton is a UK race track. It’s known for being relatively fast and flowing, so teams often need different car setups than they would for slower, twistier circuits.
Mallory Park is another UK race track. The hosts are basically saying they’ve covered almost all the circuits on the touring car calendar except this one.
Place
Mondello Park
Mondello Park is a race track in Ireland. The hosts are clarifying the name and whether the series has raced there before.
LIVE
A Baltic brand, a searing Snedicum and everything in between. This is the May Registering Car
Capture.
Hello and welcome back to the British Touring Car Podcast. We are back once again to bring
you all the action in a shorter version from what's happened in May and any news that we
may have found out in the meantime that we haven't mentioned as of yet. How are you?
I'm okay. It is warm again. It is fun being British in the houses that retain heat. There's
no air today. It's like walking through treacle. I stupidly to run this morning and I've basically
become a puddle. But I did have two costars to make up for it. So not too bad. How are
you?
I'm going to apologize now. I sound a little bit nasally. I'm one of the population that
suffers with hay fever and it's kicking me in the face today. So we're going to try
and battle through this as quickly as we can and hopefully without any sneezing.
It always amuses me that it's daisies that are your greatest kryptonite.
Trees, actually.
Yeah, well, bees spreading the pollen around. Maybe use them from hay fever. Why not comment
below if you can do it or not. It helps the algorithm. Right, we'll crack on as I say.
We're just going to brief overview of everything that's happened in the May month. There isn't
a great deal of news. We'll cover that off at the end along with looking at the boost,
which has been a long standing talking point. That's the word over the last couple of weeks.
Yeah. So we've had two rounds in May. We've had Brands Hatch, which has said in the intro
was rather chilly with some inclement conditions and a bit of rain and everything shuffled
in. And then we've just finished off at finish May off, should I say, at Sneserton in Norfolk,
which was blazing hot.
That's British, putting the British in the British touring cars that two weeks apart and
completely different weather environments. And at time of writing a week before Alton Park,
it is supposed to be incredibly wet. Yeah. Which means snow.
But yeah. Right. So our winners at Brands Hatch then, obviously, three races, race to
par with as well, that we get on the Saturday now. But we'll concentrate on the winners.
I mean, there is only one winner and it has remained the case. Sutton took race one. He
then finished second and second in the next couple of races, which extended his podium run
to six in a row. Unbelievable. Which not only podium run, didn't finish lower than second,
six times in a row. Yeah. In terms of his championship contender, if there is one,
it's probably Tom Ingram. He finished third, fourth and first at Brands Hatch. And some other
people there who is worth talking about, Ricky Collard managed to get a second podium or sorry,
second and third podium of the year, the second or third. And we saw a drive for the ages from
Aaron Taylor Smith in those wet weather conditions, really making the most of them and taking a win.
It looked as if he'd got a full wet set up on the car. He was that much quicker than the cars
in front and then eventually behind him. Yeah. Despite that race that he won being curtailed
early due to a controversial incident involving Robottom and Osborne up at Druids. Plenty of
people have had their word on that. We'll leave that there for now. We think that he would have
gone on to win that race quite comfortably. He was faster than anyone else on the track,
and he looked so much quicker from sitting there spectating as well.
Absolutely. It's also worth just mentioning that Mikey Doble also picked up his second
podium of the season at Brands Hatch, a strong showing again from the PMR outfit.
Yeah, there's a fair few bits of incidents that we have covered off in great detail on
the Brands Hatch review. So if you wanted to hear Sam and I debate the other flag incident,
that is your place to go. That weekend was, as you said, very wet, very cold.
Didn't really play into the BMW's hands as we thought it might do,
and it really just showed that Sutton's ability just keeps on rising through.
Yeah, it was James Dallin that managed to take home the Jack Sears win for that weekend
with two outright wins. In the Jack Sears category.
Yes. He was looking very confident and very comfortable within that high end day.
Obviously, only his second round in that event, but seems to be settling in nicely.
Absolutely. I think that pretty much sums up Brands in a very quick recap style.
My highlight from that weekend was going home. I was very cold at that point.
But yeah, we did see some really good racing at Brands Hatch. It's a circuit that I absolutely
love. I think it's just so built for racing. It sounds daft to say that, but we've
got to set it to the next, which isn't as built for racing in my view. I know you have
a much fonder view of Sutton than I do. We'll get there. Was that fond of you altered at all
last weekend? It was hot, first of all. I don't think that helped, but we saw certainly the cars
that we kind of expected to do better in those warmer conditions come through and race well in
the BMWs. The first race, apart from the opening lap or to what was fairly processional, once
Rainford had got out front, he was very comfortable. He was able to keep that gap to Ingram and then
De Leon made late race progress, as we know that BMW can do in those conditions up to the podium as
well. Race two and three were more exciting. They were. Race one had the added interest that
Sutton did start from the back after a puncture in the Race to Pole sprint event, but he did
recover to 10th. Yeah, on a medium tyre, which wasn't the ideal tyre for that race as well.
And no boost or very little boost, I should say. It's kind of how he wanted to then play the weekend
from that disadvantage, would you call it, that he had. And he played it out perfectly,
really. He did. He did, because it's what Sutton is able to do. Eight out of nine podiums now.
Yeah, because he'd go on to win race two and then finish second in race three. For Ingram,
a second in race one looked really good. Then a retirement in race two as his car decided that
the electrics didn't want to work. Alternator gave up on him. It did. And then he managed to
battle through to third on the road, but the 10 second penalty for track limits, which put him
back down to eight. Which he did kind of admit to. Yeah. Yeah, I think he knew it was coming to be
fair. I'm a little bit frustrated for him and for the driver that finished in fourth that they
couldn't have done that on the before they got to the podium because it was tracking was a fairly
cut and dry. You get warnings, you get the black and white flag and you get told that you're on
your last warning and it'd be fairly obvious if he's done it again, even if it's not the last lap
that have been should have been enough time to go right. That's 10 second penalty, which would have
allowed Dowder Leon to stand on the podium for the second time that day. Obviously, the stats
will still show that Dylan has that podium and he'll have the trophy. Did deny him a chance on the
podium though. Yeah, which is always nice place to be. And one person that did get up onto the
podium that weekend was Nick Hamilton. He took the overall Jack Sears win for the weekend. Consistency
was key for him. He took two second places and a fourth in the category, which was enough across
all the other drivers to be able to take home the most points for the weekend and his first
silverware in the Jack Sears. Absolutely. All credit to him, especially with a new car to him
this season and something that he was striving for at the start of the season. So it's great to see
that he's already achieved it just three rounds in. Yeah, and he's certainly a lot more competitive
this year. He has already scored points outright, which is more than another driver in the field
has managed. So he's there's only one job in the field that hasn't got points. And I think a lot of
people at the start of the season have gone, well, that'll be Nick Hamilton, if you said that without
the context. But it's not he has scored points and he has certainly been particularly at Snettison.
He was in a battle pack to quote David Addison. And he was racing really nice in that battle pack.
He was really getting involved racing well, lots of overtakes, lots of defending. It was really
good to see. Yeah, although we didn't actually get to see too much of that coverage, especially
when we watched back, certainly from where we were watching at the track on the day,
he seemed to be really quite confident and be able to put the car where he wanted to.
And as you say, make those moves that were critical to him taking home the Jack Sears
Sears trophy for the weekend. You went full Norfolk there, didn't you? Go home the Jack Sears trophy.
All that has led to in terms of the championship is that Ash Sutton has a large gap at the top.
He's on 174 back to Ingram's 117 and Rainford completes the top three at the moment on 106.
I hyperbole is my strong point. I don't wish to just give him the trophy now because we did this
last year at the halfway stage and looked a bit foolish when Tom Ingram lifted it at the end of
the day, but I do think it feels different this year. It would take a humongous turnaround for
that to change and for Sutton to not become quite traction. I think you say that. There's
also another couple of raids that could happen. The car gets pegged back, which is what a lot of
people are calling for, which is nonsense. We had this discussion last year about the
Hyundai and we had this discussion in 2023 about the focus patchback which is dominating at the
time. You cannot penalise the team for getting the best up the regulations. It's daft. It puts
teams off developing cars on a grid where it's difficult to get manufacturers on to and keep
some of the best talent on. You've got to be allowed the teams to make the cars as quick as
they can be. The only reason that we've seen a slight change of regulations in the F1 was more
down to safety issues rather than just pegging one team back, which is why we've seen those
changes. We've seen in the past that Mercedes have dominated seasons. Red Bull,
obviously, that year were a max one all but one race. You can't peg a team back for getting the
regulations right and getting the car set up well. There's the cheating, which is different.
And there is no suggestion that Napper are cheating at this stage. There's no reason to
believe they are. They've just a really good, well resourced, well-equipped team that have built
an absolute demon car this year. To be fair, they noticed what was doing well last year,
which was the slippery shaped coupé style. They've moved their car to match the same.
And what they were lacking last year, which is a little bit of a straight line speed, they now
have, but even more impressively, they've kept their speed in the corners. Last year,
they were better than Hyundai in the corners. This year, they are better than Hyundai in the
corners and arguably on a straight line speed, which is why they are dominating, why Sutter
is dominating. It is predominantly a car that's set up for him to do exactly what he wants to
because they know how good a driver he is. And at the moment, unfortunately,
unfortunately, depending on your view on it, the top teams will set the car up for the best
driver. And that's just Ingram and Sutter at the moment. There's also the point as well that
Sutton just gets on with every car he's been in. He has won a championship in an Infiniti.
He has won a championship in a Subaru, which really was terrible at times. The Infiniti
know and ever have picked that out of a catalogue of cars that could compete and go,
yes, that's the one that's going to win me two championships. This is what he gets the best
out of. The only other way, of course, that we might see it change is if that Team Virtu and
Hyundai managed to fix some of their shortcomings, which is a long season, there will be a little bit
of improvement throughout the season. We saw that last year as well. So it will be a little
bit interesting to see whether they can sort of develop the car to be a little bit more
on tune with the Napa Ford. Although I do think overall Hyundai probably have the better package.
If you look at Chilton and Collard, they're doing better than Camysha and Osborne.
You would argue it's just a case that Sutton is really on quality and caliber of driver.
I mean, your thoughts down in the comments below on that one.
Yeah, I mean, Camysha is a top level driver. Okay, it might be a little bit harsh to be
comparing Osborne to one of Chilton or Collard, but Collard's been away for, I don't know how long
he's got back into a seat that's too big for him and is doing very, very well indeed. So, yeah.
Yeah, let us know your thoughts on how May has been and the rounds that we've covered so far.
Obviously, we've got Alton Park coming up and we'll bring you up to date with the
Toca Turbo Boost. Next.
Now, Sam, you wouldn't drive a car without an engine, would you?
That depends if it's electric. But no, not generally.
You wouldn't drive a car without a propulsion device of in that means it can go forward, right?
You wouldn't. So, in many ways, you subscribe to movement. And that's what you can do on YouTube
and Facebook and everywhere else is you can subscribe to our movements talking about the
touring cars. It's a very clunky metaphor. That's very tenuous, mate.
But the point is to make me stop having to give you these really clunky, terrible analogies.
The more you subscribe, the less I need to keep doing these ridiculous, terrible, awful,
don't really work metaphors. So, in short, make sure you are subscribed. We already have
over 650 subscribers on YouTube already and plenty more across Spotify and iTunes. We'd
love to get to a thousand on YouTube by the end of the year. So, if you subscribe on some of the
other platforms, do come across to YouTube as well. We appreciate it. It's just one click
and it really helps the algorithm. And if you want to join in debates, make sure you're on our
Facebook page where we post content throughout race weekends and the days that we don't have
any racing either. Back to the show.
Right, then. The biggest talking point of the year, possibly so far.
Your haircut. No, I do need one of those. Mohawk coming?
We'll see. Tocca Turbo Boost. Sin words at the moment. We have seen drivers already this season
suffer at the hands of the Tocca Turbo Boost system, otherwise known as TTB, which is how I
will try to refer from it for now on. Yes, because Tocca Turbo Boost three times fast is...
Exactly. It's difficult. It sounds like a chocolate bar.
So, it's the boost system that is in place for drivers to be able to use throughout the race
weekend, depending on allocation, depending where they are in the championship,
to be able to improve the racing. Yeah, we're not going to discuss here
whether we think the boost is a good idea. We have discussed it at length in our next
review. We should probably revisit in the mid-season review and we get that far.
I think it's fair to say that neither of us are massive fans of it, but we will save that debate.
We'll just go purely on the facts for this podcast because there's been a bit of confusion
from ourselves as well. Exactly. So, TTB is described as a push-to-pass system
that is used in the British Touring Car Championship. It replaced previous hybrid
systems that we eventually got to work, although you were skeptical first of all.
I mean, did they ever actually work? I mean, they didn't work that well, so they've been dumped,
but I mean, okay, sure. It gives drivers temporary extra engine power
by temporarily increasing turbocharger boost pressure. I should know all about that with
my car at the moment. Controlled via button on the steering wheel. I wish I had a button to
control it on the steering wheel rather than things just breaking. I mean, since you have
done this fix, it was quicker today. Yes, it was. It was. So, this comes into place through a
different allocation depending on championship position. So, the top seven cars in the championship
or on the grid depending on which race we're in across a race weekend will have reduced boost time
across the races through a sliding scale. Similar to what we used to have with ballast weight,
put on board on a car to be able to pull them back almost slightly in comparative performance to
the rest of the cars on the grid to equalize performance. Because we don't want the same
person on the podium all the time. Yeah, nine times already. And then cars from eight onwards
would have what is quoted as a full allocation. Now, fully allocation depends on what circuit
we're at. We have A and B class circuits. It's so complicated. We've got any listeners still
listening because I'm switching off to be honest with you. So, B class circuits are brands hatching
deep, not kill and Silverstone. They're all the very small, smallest circuits on the calendar
and the allocation changes for those. The rest of them are A class circuits. So, do they get more
or less at a B class circuit? So, you get more at a B class circuit because there are more laps
but less but less. Okay. So, you get more laps. Okay. I think it's best for everybody that I don't
comment and you just tell us because otherwise we'll never finish. So, last week or last time
out at SNES and we saw drivers that had the full allocation had 10 laps of TTB out of the 12 laps
that they were racing. And you can't use it on the first lap. And you can't use it on the first
lap. So, practically, 11 laps. Every other lap after that, apart from one, they were able to use
Tokaturbo Boost, which is why we saw Ash Sutton be able to make good progress through the field
as we saw with Ingram also making good progress through the field in the final race. Yes. Because
they had the full allocation. That's something we've had the full allocation. No, sorry. Ingram
had the full allocation in that final race, which meant that he was able to pretty much use Boost
where he wanted, when he wanted. However, there are limitations within that. You can only use a
five second burst at each point. I think it's four times around the lap. So, you get 20 seconds of
Boost for a lap. Right. Following. I mean, that makes no sense at all, does it? But okay, fine.
And then, going back from that, there is the reduced lap allocation. So, 10, 8, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, and 1. One being the least, only 20 seconds for one lap throughout the whole race.
Seems far too small an amount, but okay. I'm now going to add an extra confusion into it.
Please do. So, it can then only be operated depending on your allocation at differing speeds.
Okay. No, I'm not okay, but carry on. If you only have one lap of Boost, so one lot of 20 seconds,
the minimum speed of deployment is 140 kmph. As you go through and get more allocation,
the speed at which you can use that Boost then comes down, meaning that you can use it sooner.
See, to me, it would make more sense of the other way around, but okay.
Yeah. So, 140, 135, 130, 125, down in five increments, down to 105 kmph, which is the earliest
that a driver with the most Boost allocation can then press that Boost button. Is that clear?
It is. I don't like it. As I say, I think that'd be better the other way around, because then
the driver with a lower level of Boost at least has a lower threshold, whereas the driver with
more, okay, they've got more that have to be at a higher threshold. I think that makes more sense,
but yeah, okay. Again, I'm trying not to, you're going to get this any longer than we have to.
So, the extra power when engaged, the ECU within the engine temporarily adjusts the turbocharger
geometry or wastegate to force more air into the engine. So, the more air you get,
the bigger the bang you get, the more power you get.
For five seconds. Exactly. Equivalent to an extra 60 brake horsepower
of power. Which is a lot. That is basically, what, half a voxel
coarser, three quarters of a voxel coarser? It's about what mine's putting out at the moment.
That's generous. It's generous, but yeah, okay. It's fairly good. It's fairly good amount.
So, we've heard issues this season already of overboosting.
We have. So, overboosting is when a car's turbocharger produced more boost pressure
than the maximum level committed for that engine type. In simple terms, overboosting provides a
momentary performance increase above what is allowed for that engine. Teams are allowed to set or
there are regulations in place as to what that limit is. Teams then have to set up to that limit
and the closer you get to that limit, the more risk you run of going over that limit
accidentally. And when I say accidentally, there's atmospheric differences. There are
road surface differences. If you're going across a curb, it can change the geometry of it
and change the telemetry of it, which can cause these overboosting occasions.
It seems so much more complicated than it really needs to be, unfortunately.
Thoughts? I hate it even more than I did at the start of this podcast. I think the fact that you
overboost by hitting a curb is a nonsense. Agreed, completely agreed. I almost feel like
it would be a more simple system if it was a simple push to pass. So, an electronic controller that
controls an electronic motor on each wheel, for example, it goes right, there's your power,
it's a set amount, you go up to the maximum and that's it. Yeah, almost like a night,
to take it as simple, like a nitrous boost, you get in games, you hold X on the controller
and you get that boost. I don't understand. So, for the 2026 season, there is a live
boost monitoring system, which is why we're able to see penalties handed out within the race time.
Five seconds, ten seconds penalties be added. Right. Okay. There's a sliding scale of penalties.
So, the minor penalty is the five seconds, the medium penalty is 10 seconds and the maximum
penalty is obviously disqualification, which we have seen this season. Disqualification only
applies if a driver finishes the race or lapping qualifying while still in the maximum penalty
state and does not have their overboost reduced by the onboard computer. So, where we see drivers
finishing a penalty state at the end of the race is because they've used it on that final lap and
they haven't been able to claw back the performance and they've almost overused their allocation,
which is why we've seen disqualifications this season. So, you could theoretically
run an overboost for 11 out of the 12 laps. Exactly. It went through my mind while I was
looking at this. Make sure you don't boost at all in the last lap or use it all before the last lap
and then claw back all your allocation of what you've overboosted by. And then you'll be fine,
even though you've overboosted for the whole race. Yeah. It's bonkers. What's also very annoying
is that those penalty scales you've given aren't what they actually then report back. It's then
because they say significant or insults. So, that doesn't actually help tie into the penalties
because I don't even know there's a medium penalty. Right. So, the live tracking system,
it tracks how long each car operates above the permitted boost threshold. So, after allowing
for spike tolerances such as curb strikes and downshifts, which I mentioned to you,
if a driver exceeds this allowance, the system will automatically reduce the available boost
as a penalty, providing there is enough time left in the race or qualifying lap to do so.
So, you could literally just overboost for the first half of the race and then just
to get yourself through the field of or whatever. In my mind, yes.
And then you can just use the next half of the race. Being involved in a team and the technical
specifications of it, it's very difficult as a viewer and a fan to look at these questions
and how they've been answered. And this is all the information that's on the British
Touring Car website, I must add, to actually go, well, why can't they just do it that way around?
Or does this mean that you can have a car way or decently overboosting for the first half
of the race, getting a good lead? I'm not saying he did, but like Rainford did in race one at
Snedderton, he then was able to maintain that lead for the rest of the race.
Yeah, I think, I think the thing that strikes to me is that when I first got into the sport,
one of the reasons I loved it so much because it was so accessible, there wasn't,
there wasn't like, I started getting into sport about the time F1 was starting to get
really computerized, which in some ways is what they can do with F1 cars now is mask is just
genius. But to me, I prefer the more raw style racing of sticker driver in a tin shell with
an engine in it, and then they'll do the rest. This just seems needlessly complicated.
So the driver also has the ability to make adjustments to reduce their overboost whilst
on track, because I haven't got enough to do exactly. And in order to ensure that it remains
within that permitted level during that race or lack.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, okay.
Yeah, I know. At least ballast was here's the box, here's the weight,
toky come down, put it in, screw it shut off you go.
Short of having a racer in there with a soldering iron that could undo it halfway through the race
and chuck some weight out of his window. There was no real way.
It was a very simplified system having the boost on board. And I know a lot of people and a lot
of fans out there that listening didn't like that system. Oh, yeah, there were problems with it.
I'm not gonna say there wasn't like the fact that we're we're holding back the top drivers. But
we've seen this season how they're able to drive around those issues. I was about to say,
do you know the worst thing about all of this is that they've made it so complicated and yet
Sutton has still got eight of nine. It's almost, well, I'm going to say the good thing about this
channel is that we're not back, we are independent, we're not back. So we can actually say what we
think about worrying about anything higher up saying, oh, don't like that. It's made the
whole thing fast going pointless because you've bought this incredibly complicated system in
and then Sutton's gone, yeah, okay, mate, I'll just take and that there will be plenty of people
out there. And we know from comments that we've seen that I am at Sutton Ingram would win every
single race, then don't anyway. Anyway, the thing is that I sympathize to a degree because
whatever the sport brings in, the cream always rises to the top and Sutton and Ingram are levels
above everybody else in the field. I do agree that whatever they bring in, they'll find a way
around it because as we said on the SNES review, you're talking to really well resource teams
with excellent engineers, excellent people back in the factory, lots of resources to put into this
and to really top skill driving. So I do sympathize to a degree. If you take them out a bit,
the racing behind is interesting. There is real good battles in the field. I accept that.
And a bit like F1 last year, if you took the two McLaren boys out of it, it was actually a really
good season. It wasn't particularly fun until Max's idea was going to try for a couple of rounds.
But I mean, that's where we are again here that yeah, those two aside, it's quite an interesting
season behind. The problem is whatever they bring in, whether that be ballast on before,
because Sutton was winning races on maximum ballast.
Well, we've already seen how he's spoken about going into this season,
testing with the least amount of boost to find out the setups that are going to work the best for
him to be able to overcome those issues. Going racing is overcoming issues. It's overcome the
boundaries that are put in front of you to still have the best car at the end of the season to be
at the top of the championship. Yeah, I can't really help but think of a James May code or
it's an ingenious solution to a problem that never really existed. Yes, yes, quite.
There we go. Right, that's the boost covered then. But for goodness sake, let's move on before
there is a few little bits of news to bring from the paddock. Then I'll ask for your
heart of the month and then we shall get out of this hot room. Two quick bits of news from the
paddock is that the junior program is progressing. They have announced a variety of partners and
stakeholders and have released a little mock of what they expect the car to look like.
We're not good. It's looking a lot more promising than it has done for the last couple of seasons.
I completely agree. Which I'm glad to see. But until I see an actual car on track with an engine
in it and a driver driving around a bit more than what Ingram used or was doing with the previous
incarnation junior system, I'm going to hold my breath on it. Yeah, I think, yeah, we'll just have
to wait and see that when they do come, whether they are affordable, whether they will get young
people in, because I think that the biggest problem they're going to have is that whilst this
whole has been there, the junior championship has gone from strength to strength. And now
the Ford Fiesta championship, junior championship, which is where Lewis Turcato is currently racing,
that has now really become quite a force. And I think that when it does get launched,
yes, it will have the allure of the TOCA package, of course. However, TOCA aren't the only package
out there. And the geneticists have been fine off the TOCA package. What I would also say, PMR
have taken on this mantle of being the team to build the car. PMR have nearly always delivered
on what they think they're going to do. Yeah, I think they will deliver it. I just think that
because of the delays and all that kind of stuff, I'm just wondering whether there is actually going
to be a market for these cars and how expensive they're going to be compared to a Ford Fiesta,
which is pretty cheap to pick up, pretty cheap. I mean, relatively, I mean, I'm not suggesting
that it's cheaper than your weekly shop. But I mean, in terms of racing, relatively cheap to
pick up, relatively cheap to modify for racing. How is that going to compare? And now I would
say having attracted some interesting names to it. And I would say that that championship
has grown quite a lot in the last couple of years. Is this going to be a problem given
the amount of time we've had now? Is it now this is another third year about a junior package on
the? Yep. It's a long time. It is. And then the other piece of news, as has been confirmed this
week on the British touring car page itself is it looks like there will be a British touring car
film to be coming out. Rumours are that it will be in I think late 27, but they're going to start
filming across this season and next. And that the script that surrounds it is going to be fairly
fluid and naturally will take into account the action that's going on within the seasons as the
racing is going on. Yep, it's going to involve fans from the sound of it as well. So when you're
trackside over the next couple of rounds, you may well see a little bit of film in taking place.
The film is called shift. You have my you may have seen parts of it on Ricky Collard's car.
Yeah, it'd be interesting to see how that one develops as time goes by and what the final
version looks like. Right. What is your highlight for May touring car wise? I don't
necessarily need to know if you've had any nice meals at the allotment or found a nice hat.
I've had a birthday. That was my highlight. The food was very good that night. Yes, it was.
Actual touring car highlights though. I mean, yeah, getting sweaty then a piece of wet tender
stem at is not going to be up there for me. But true, true. I would have to say
it would probably have to be from brands and the way that Aaron Taylor Smith was able to
acclimatize to those very sticky, very greasy conditions. And as you said earlier,
look like he was on a completely different tire, completely different set up to be able to come
through the field like he did, especially with the amount of time that he's had away from that
top step of the podium. 10 years without a win is massive in this sport. And he spoke about it
recently that there were the mental struggles about whether he still got it about him to be able
to to take that race win. And he did it in style. We completely agree. Although can you have sticky
and greasy conditions? Nick Hamilton with the Jack says 100% out. He is a driver that continues to
smash down barriers and difficult entries to the sport and to see all that hard work,
all that determination. Nick has been on the touring car grid for a long time. I can't remember
his debut, but he's been on and off the touring car grid. I think it's fair to say he's never
really had the package underneath him that would maximize his performances. I do remember when I
went hospitality, it seemed hard a couple of years ago, and he spoke about just how much of the car
needs changing to accommodate him and his disability and how difficult that is because
race building a racing car for the majority of the field costs a lot of money. And then you
add factor in the adaptations that are needed so that Nick can go racing. I think a lot of people
will have given up long before this. I think it's real testament to him that he has kept going. He
keeps fighting for sponsorship. He is not backed by Lewis Hamilton. That's a room that always gets
put out there on social media, etc. He does it himself. He finds the strength to come back year
after year in the face of a lot of negativity. I think it's fair to say that social media is never
a great barometer for real people's thoughts, but it is fair to say he does suffer a lot of negative
comments on there and to keep coming back season after season and now to stand on that step as a
Sears trophy winner for the weekend. It was absolutely mega. It was brilliant.
Yeah, I'm sure he'll be looking to take that further on throughout the season,
maybe add to his silverware before the end of it.
And points, Tally, as well. His score points are over the season, and I don't think he's
far off scoring more points. He was really good at that. If he can take that form into
the rest of the season, I think he's going to have a good year. Even if not, he's done something
that has never been done before, and that's fantastic to see.
Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below about how the month of May has been regarding
touring car action. Any thoughts that you have on the TTB, Tocca Turbo Boost, and whether you
think there should be a simpler system in place to still give us that possible manufacturing
of racing or whether everything should be left alone and we should just have some saloon cars
out there going to their max? Yes. I will say no more on that. We'll discuss, we'll probably
just pick this up and people's views up on that in the mid-season review. Moving forward to June,
we have got Alton Park on the horizon. We're not going. It'll be our first sofa session of the year,
which I'm actually quite looking forward to in some ways. I will be if it's meant to be as wet as
it's meant to be. Absolutely. And then, have we got anything else? No, we've got the break
after Alton Park, haven't we? A little bit of a break, yeah, and then we'll be back once again
at Thruxton. Which we are going to. For the first time. Completing the touring car calendar
of available circuits. The only place I haven't been then is Mallory Park, which I mean, if you're
a new listener... Mondello. Is it Mondello Park? Both. I think they've raced at Mallory before,
but also Mondello over in Ireland. That's what I was actually thinking of. Mondello. There you go.
Yes, I haven't been to Mondello or the Birmingham Street race, which was a lot longer ago, but
this will complete our main roster of tracks, which would be awesome.
Yeah, but until the Alton Park preview, we'll be back soon. Bye for now.
About this episode
May’s BTCC recap swings from “rather chilly” Brands Hatch with rain that “shuffled in” the order to Snetterton in Norfolk “which was blazing hot.” At Brands Hatch, Sutton’s wet consistency stretched to “six in a row,” while Aaron Taylor-Smith looked set for a win until a Druids incident curtailed it. Ingram’s weekend was hit by electrics—“Alternator gave up on him”—and track-limits penalties. The hosts then dive into Tocca Turbo Boost/TTB rules, overboost monitoring, and what it means for strategy, plus paddock and junior-program news.
