2023 BTCC Test Day at Brands Hatch

I attended the BTCC Test day at Brands Hatch, This was the first chance to see the 2023 cars and teams on track. With the first rounds of the season at Donnington Park on the 22nd and 23rd of April, this will give us insight into who will be quickest, albeit under test conditions.

Some changes for 2023, Team Dynamics have announced that they will be taking a hiatus from the BTCC. They will be supporting the One Motorsport with Starline Racing in trying to win the driver and constructors overall titles in 2023. Josh Cook, Aiden Moffatt and Will Powell are driving this season. Team Dynamics will also be focus will take place using on their classic, touring car and GT race car business as well as running customer cars in all kinds if championships worldwide.

Mikey Doble and Andrew Watson make their debuts for CarStore Power Maxed Racing, Ronan Pearson has his debut for BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 in the BTCC, while Nick Halstead joins BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 after making a solo outing at Croft in 2021.

NAPA Racing UK now has a 4 car team, Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish are joined by Daniel Rowbottom and Sam Osborne.

Jade Edwards has signed a very last minute deal with Re.Beverages and Batercard with Team HARD.

This year at some of the races, there will be a normal 30 minute qualifying session followed by a 5 minute break then followed by the top ten taking to the track in a top ten, ten minute shootout.

This will take place at Donnington Park (National) 22/23 April, Brands Hatch (Indy) 06/07 May, Oulton Park 17/18 June, Knockhill 12/13 August, Silverstone 23/24 September.

2023 also see's the return of the Option Tyre. The majority of events will utilise hard medium or soft where the 'Option' tyre must be used during race one, two or three meaning we will see lots of different strategies playing out over the races.

At Snetterton and Croft, all three tyres must be used and at Thruxton only the hard tyre will be used due to the high speeds.

There have also been tweaks to the Hybrid Deployment rules that will also see different strategies throughout race weekends.

With all of this 2023 is going to be an interesting season. 

Below are my photo's from the Test Day.

Jake Hill flying round a drenched Brands Hatch

Stephen Jelley's test came to an abrupt end when his BMW went straight on at Druids Corner. Cold tyres and a wet track were not a good combination. Thankfully Stephen walk away from the incident and was taken to the med centre for a check over.

Colin Turkington

Ash Sutton

Tom Ingram

George Gamble

Sam Osborne

Ronan Pearson

Dan Cammish

Nick Halstead

Daniel Rowbottom

Andrew Watson

Aiden Moffatt

Rory Butcher

Will Powell

Tom Ingram was quickest around Brands Hatch with a time of 47.928s, the top 7 were covered by a little over half a second. Hopefully then some close wheel to wheel racing for 2023.

For further information on the BTCC, please visit:

https://www.btcc.net/

 

Tiff Needell Interview

For those of you that don't know who Tiff Needell is read this interview and then look him up. If you do, please read the interview.

Over the years I've been lucky enough to meet Tiff at various events and he's always very polite and easy going to talk to, so I hoped he would say yes to an interview and luckily for me, he did.

Below is the interview:

KCB: What first drew you to motorsport?

TN: Dad took me to Goodwood as soon as I could walk.

 

KCB: When you were learning to race at Brands Hatch, do you think the skills came naturally to you?

TN: Seemed to. Playing with Mum’s Morris 1000 on wet roundabouts might have helped! 

 

KCB: You won a Lotus 69F Formula Ford car in a competition held by Autosport Magazine, Do you remember the question and the answer you gave?

TN: It was a competition when you had to arrange 10 items for preparing a racing car in the order of their importance and one of my entries came the closest to those picked by a panel of experts!

 

KCB: Did you stick with the Lotus for the rest of your time in Formula Ford or did you switch cars?

TN: Sold it after two and a half years when offered a cost price, new Elden Mk10C.

 

KCB: How did you learn race mechanics?

TN: By trial and error.

 

KCB: In 1975 you won the Formula Ford Championship and then progressed up to Formula Three in 1976, how were the car’s different?

TN: Mainly did FF2000 in ’76 getting used to slicks and wings so the step up to F3 was simply one of more power.

 

KCB: After your time in Formula Three, you then go on to win the Durex Formula One Scholarship and land yourself a drive in 1980 with Team Ensign. What was it like to be a part of an F1 Team and what was the Ensign like to drive?

TN: The Ensign team only totalled about six mechanics, so it was a nice small family. Sadly they were only waiting for Jan Lammers to be free so it was a very brief experience.

 

KCB: What is your favourite car you drove at Le Mans?

TN: The Porsche 962 that carried me to 3rd place in 1990.

 

KCB: While driving at Le Mans, what would you go through your mind while driving down the Mulsane Straight?

TN: A time to relax, check all the gauges and wait for the kink to arrive! 

 

KCB: What were your favourite memories of racing in Japan, any favourite tracks?

TN: The Japanese way of life. Great food and a very different culture. Suzuka was always the best track.

 

KCB: Do you have a favourite BTCC car that you drove?

TN: Steve Soper’s BMW I tested for a Top Gear story. RWD and so much easier to drive on the limit.

 

KCB: Have you competed in Historic Motorsport?

TN: All 25 Goodwood Revivals plus Silverstone Classic, Thruxton and Donington Festivals.

The MKVII Tiff drove at the Goodwood Revival in 2010

 

KCB: Do you find it easy to switch between cars and to be quick in them?

TN: Pretty much if I know the circuit.

 

KCB: Of all the racing cars you’ve driven, which was your favourite to drive?

TN: March 782 BMW Formula 2 car.

 

 

KCB: Do you have a favourite race track?

TN: Thruxton of course!

 

KCB: Do you own any of the cars you raced?

TN: Just the Lotus 69F that I sold in 1973 and bought back some 40 years later!

 

KCB: What was it like to work with Murray Walker commentating on F2 and F3? 

TN: Wonderful!

 

KCB: How did Top Gear come about?

TN: When Chris Goffey broke his ankle a week before driving the new Formula First single seater early in 1987, they asked me in just to do the driving for him and, when they liked what I did, they asked me to do more …

 

KCB: MPH 03, I remember you driving a Jaguar?

TN: Drove many things in those shows and a Jaguar may well have been one of them!

 

KCB: After Top Gear you went onto 5th Gear, how many seasons did you film and what were your highlights from that time?

TN: After Top Gear was taken off air, I was pivotal in creating 5thGear along with a former Top Gear producer. Highlight was surely driving a Williams-BMW FW26 Grand Prix car round Rockingham in 2005 – racing Vicki Butler-Henderson in the latest M5 BMW.

 

KCB: How did you get involved in Lovecars on the Road?

TN: When 5th Gear was taken off air, Paul Woodman invited me to join his YouTube and TV productions and I’ve been there ever since.

 

KCB: Will there be more Lovecars On The Road?

TN: Second series filmed and being delivered to distributors later this month.

 

KCB: How did the Hot laps at Thruxton come about?

TN: Seemed like a good idea at the time – and it was!

 

KCB: What is your favourite car that you’ve owned?

TN: My 1981 BMW 323i.

 

KCB: What is the best car you’ve driven?

TN: McLaren F1.

 

KCB: What is the worst car you’ve driven?

TN: FSO Polonez.

 

KCB: Electric cars, what is your overall opinion of them?

TN: They’re fine if they suit your lifestyle.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Tiff.

 

For further information about Tiff Needell please visit:

https://www.tiff.tv/

or to book a drive with Tiff around Thruxon Circuit, please visit:

https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/experiences/tiff-needell