Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    Get rid of the wings....

Cleland and Thompson are fastest in practice for the Silverstone round. Tarquini
will replace Simoni at Alfa after Silverstone GP round.

Dave.

    
    I was watching a round of  the BTCC on Eurosport ths week (Brands?)
    
    What amazed  me and thought was outstanding was a move by Thompson.
    He was in fourth, trailing a BMW (I think). In trying to pass he nudged
    the BM slightly sideways and got through (Don't they all, you say!) 
    BUT on the exit of the corner he then slowed down and let the BM re
    pass him as he felt he had got the third position unfairly!!!!!
    He then continued the battle.
    
    A new generation in race driver!!!!!!
    
    	Tony B.    

    Yeah right, course he did.
    
    Phil Gill.

    
    What .3 says is absolutely correct.
    
    It wasn't all sportsmanship though. There have been numerous cases of 
    people benefiting from pushing the opponent out of the way in the BTCC
    and, often, they've been penalised by n second penalties (which usually
    leads to losing more than the place gained). 
    
    Thompson obviously realised he'd gone a little too far and decided to
    cede the place to avoid a penalty. Sensible driving.
    
    BTW, it was Menu's Renault, the only time a Vauxhall's been behind a
    BMW this year is when they've been about to lap one! :^)
    
    Mark

re.3:

I think you mean Menu in the Renault Luguna. Thompson forced Menu on to the oil
that they all knew was there at that corner, so he let Menu re-pass.

Dave.

    
    Yep, you're right it was Menu.
    
    They showed an in car with Menu as Thompson let him re-pass. Alain
    was waving his thanks. So it was deliberate.
    
    Tony B.

    I was looking on Ceefax over the weekend at the results from
    Knockhill and saw the name J Allam in a Vauxhall. 
    
    Has one of last years results entered a time warp? Is he back from
    Australia where he has been standing in for poor Grieg Hansford in a Mondeo
    If he has, whose car was he in?
    
    Simon H.

    He was standing in for James Thompson who had the mother & father of
    all accidents in testing. He went off & into a 125mph series of barrel
    rolls and it needed 15 mins to cut him out.
    
    Thompson hopes to be back for Snetterton on August 28th, subject to
    getting vision back in his left eye which went blind as a result of the
    deceleration forcing his brain into the back of it!
    
    (Now return to your breakfasts kiddies!)
    
    Paul

What happened to the privateer (Cox?) that barrel rolled his Mondeo at Thruxton? 

Dave.

    He's back (almost). He's got a new Mondeo built up - hatch body style.
    But I don't think he's raced it yet.
    
    Paul

From what I've seen of the BTCC this year, the races are more like stock car 
derbies than anything else. Still it brings the crowds in...

Any thoughts?

Edward.
PS. I thought that Rydell's spin at Snetterton was remarkable. I bet that he 
could never have done that on purpose.

    
    I've never been to a BTCC race before, and was thinking of making the
    trek up to Silverstone (this weekend I believe?)  -  are there many
    supporting races on, or are there just a couple to keep the punters
    happy before the big two races?
    
    Chris.

re Edward,

I go through patches of frustration with the BTCC...Sometimes the constant 
crashing, nudging etc is fun and exciting, and sometimes it's annoying.  On one 
hand, it seems as though most of the drivers find it easier to bump someone out 
of the way than to move round them, which is cheating, but on the other hand, 
it makes for unpredictable racing, which is good. 

    re .13
    Edward.
    I also thought Rydell's exit was amazing to say the least! I'm sure if
    he'd tried to go backwards through that gap at about 60 mph, he'd have
    had trouble doing it. As it was there should be several very relieved
    ambulance men at Snetterton - he nearly went backwards straight into
    their ambulance. As it was, the on-board camera showed them standing
    there looking bemused, as he shot past them...
    
    I thought the whole day was good fun..
    DaveT

    Rydell took menu out twice and got no warning's or anything.
    
    Greg

re -1

>    Rydell took menu out twice and got no warning's or anything.
 
I thought it was his team mate Tim Harvey    

Anyone know when the TOCA shoot-out takes place? And it is Donnington, isn't it?

Cheers,
Dave.

    Whilst watching RTL4 (a Dutch channel) on Sunday, I was amazed to see them 
    broadcast the fatal accident that befel Kieth O'Dor at Auvis (?) in Berlin. 
    
    Having won the first race, he was intervied, saying amongst other
    things that that he thought the track was a bit Mickey Mouse. It does
    look VERY narrow to have so many cars on. Most did not get round the
    first hairpin due to the traffic jam.
    
    They then showed him losing it as he came onto a straight, spinning across 
    the track being hit by various cars following before being T-boned on the
    drivers door by an Audi A4. 
    
    Having already read his obitury, I was amazed that they broadcast the crash
    followed by a black rimmed photo of him.