Tozer/PSP The issue of parity between turbo and normally-aspirated cars has been one of the hot topics of conversation within the paddock this season, with Jason Plato in particular having been vocal with his opinions on the matter on a number of occasions over the course of the year. However, the defending champion isn’t the only man who has struggled to take the fight to turbo cars this year and can at least console himself in the fact that he goes into the Silverstone finale with a chance of taking the championship title; having managed to win more races than anyone else this year. Others haven’t been so lucky… This season, Plato is the only driver to have a won a race in a normally-aspirated car, with former champions West Surrey Racing amongst those heading towards the end of the season having failed to take to the top step of the podium.
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It’s been a far from easy campaign for WSR, who last tasted victory back in 2009, with Rob Collard and rookie team-mate Nick Foster having shown flashes of speed but struggling to take the fight to the turbo cars on a consistent basis. Qualifying in particular has shown the challenge they have faced, with Collard only once qualifying higher than tenth and Foster yet to make it into the top ten at all in his first season in the series.
hard year.
For a team that won the championship just two years ago, it’s been difficult to stomach the fact that the eBay Motors-backed BMWs have invariably been left fighting for scraps in the midfield and team boss Dick Bennetts admits that the 2011 season hasn’t been an easy one for his team.
it should have been done on speed because the turbo cars have more power. At the start of the year, there were all these stories that said they only had 20 or 30 horsepower but we’ve done a lot of research and have visited engine builders – both normally-aspirated and turbo – and they have 350-360 horsepower. Our BMW has 285.
“To be honest with you, it’s been very challenging,” he tells Inside BTCC in an in-depth and exclusive interview. “I knew from the outset that this was going to be a tough season, and I said to Alan Gow before it started that he was going to have a
“One of the big problems has been how do they sort equivalency between the turbo and normallyaspirated cars? Is it done on lap times or is it done on speed? Personally, I believe
front and then drive away on the straight. It’s the reason why Jason has said that he can win from the front as he can carry speed and momentum through a corner. However, if he has a turbo car slowing him up, he doesn’t have the torque to
“I knew from the outset that this was going to be a tough season, and I said to Alan Gow before it started that he was going to have a hard year.”
“It’s also been seen that it is hard for a normally-aspirated car to fight against the turbo cars unless you are in front. The turbo cars have the extra torque that means they can back a car up if they are in
then challenge on the straight – which is the problem all of the drivers in normallyaspirated cars have faced. “It’s a different style of racing when you have turbo cars racing against normallyaspirated cars, and it gives teams on both sides – and TOCA – a headache.” The issue of parity and equalisation is one that has been discussed since the season kicked off back in spring, and Bennetts admits that TOCA’s job hasn’t been made easy as team’s fight for any advantage they can find to try and secure
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