DTM DTM and Touring Racing Discussion Thread

[M.N.D]

but on this one, NASCAR is much more than about who is competitive... it's about the rivalries and banter too!

That's good to know I remember way back watching a program about NASCAR where some drivers were having a fist fight! It looked like the program had a bad intent, but trying to make it entertaining.

Seriously though, you might get a better idea about the drivers just by watching some driver interviews... I find them pretty entertaining.

Good point. Any names you'd suggest?

... and then, after all that. Support 7-time champ Jimmie Johnson. He's NASCAR's Colin Turkington in my opinion!

That sums it up then I used to know Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt jr. as Chevrolet drivers as a GM fan, but they're long retired I guess.

 

[M.N.D]

Finally, I've caught up with BTCC schedule at both Oulton Park and Knockhill...

I won't be saying much, but overall, Knockhill was more exciting than Oulton for me which had very good moments as well. Looking to your thoughts @Matski

About Oulton, I felt bad for Cook and his terrible streak of crashes, and why was he denied his win in the first race? Oliphant was surprisingly doing a good job, but still mistakes here and there. hopefully he'll improve even more? Team BMW pace wasn't that good this time and the cars were all over the place; I don't know if it's due to the ballast and being RWD on a wet circuit, or there was a boost reduction, but overall, Turkington proved he's virtually the best despite carrying the highest ballast almost all the time. Good show for Butcher, Cammish and Hill in race 1. Sutton is becoming very competitive. Race 3 was good, but wasn't expecting a red flag.

Knockhill... oh man! That was more fun to watch. The circuit is hard to do overtaking, but leave it to the boys for some 2 wheels-flying-action! Race 3 was the best despite me wishing a better result for our champion. Beginning of race 2 had Sutton pushing Colin on the start, which was a bit of a d!ck move. I didn't know why Colin wasn't able to overtake him despite having a bit less ballast.

Overall, the standings are becoming closer than ever, which is exciting, and also, a bit stressful...

 

[Matski]

I felt bad for Cook and his terrible streak of crashes, and why was he denied his win in the first race?

Ride height infringement I believe.

Knockhill's great, I watched the whole day's coverage at a friends house, the Ginetta GT5 race was really good, and Harry King in the Porsche Cup is fun to watch. This friend and I had made plans to go up to Scotland and watch, but thanks to Covid restrictions we couldn't... set the TV up in the garden with a BBQ instead! Watch the F1 'highlights' (jeez, what a snooze fest), then some streams from Pikes Peak IHC. Fun day.

My gut feeling from both races (Oulton and Knockhill), is that Sutton is in a stronger position than Turk. I reckon that Infiniti has the performance of the BMW, and seems to manage its weight nearly as well. On track they're very evenly matched cars, however, as drivers, I reckon Sutton is more aggressive than Turk, and that'll give him the edge... Turk is almost too clean. I'm constantly surprised how clean Sutton is driving at the moment, and fair play to him for that, but when push comes to shove, door panel to wing mirror, I think Sutton is more likely to get past Turkington, than the other way around. Consequently I think this season is going to be a lot of back and forth between them, and it's mostly going to come down to qualifying, with Race 3 being random, that really could be the decider this year. Glad to see Tom Ingram and Dan Cammish with some pace, but I thought they'd be further up. Oliphant is getting better, he's a better number 2 than either Mat Neal is for Dan Cammish, or Aiden Moffat is for Ash Sutton at the moment... and that's important for the team standings.

Anyway, it's all good. Turk leads the standinds but it's only 8 pts, so there's really still everything to go for.

 

[M.N.D]

Ride height infringement I believe.

Good to know. Thanks, and shame for Cook.

the Ginetta GT5 race was really good, and Harry King in the Porsche Cup is fun to watch.

Interesting. Now I'm watching the racing clips instead of the whole coverage. Maybe I'll check out the support series later.

This friend and I had made plans to go up to Scotland and watch, but thanks to Covid restrictions we couldn't

That's unfortunate, man!

set the TV up in the garden with a BBQ instead!

What was on the menu?

Watch the F1 'highlights' (jeez, what a snooze fest), then some streams from Pikes Peak IHC. Fun day.

The last time I watched anything that's F1 champion related was some highlight last year. The highlight videos try their best to show the exciting bits.

My gut feeling from both races (Oulton and Knockhill), is that Sutton is in a stronger position than Turk. I reckon that Infiniti has the performance of the BMW, and seems to manage its weight nearly as well. On track they're very evenly matched cars, however, as drivers, I reckon Sutton is more aggressive than Turk, and that'll give him the edge... Turk is almost too clean. I'm constantly surprised how clean Sutton is driving at the moment, and fair play to him for that, but when push comes to shove, door panel to wing mirror, I think Sutton is more likely to get past Turkington, than the other way around.

I agree. Sutton is more the risk taker and it paid off well, while Turk is the cautious chap. Turkington is a real professional, but I also think that he needs to be a bit more offensive. He doesn't always try to dive or stick the car on the inside to force the other driver to leave the line, or speeding up on the outside and letting the car a bit loose while gaining momentum.

Consequently I think this season is going to be a lot of back and forth between them, and it's mostly going to come down to qualifying, with Race 3 being random, that really could be the decider this year. Glad to see Tom Ingram and Dan Cammish with some pace, but I thought they'd be further up. Oliphant is getting better, he's a better number 2 than either Mat Neal is for Dan Cammish, or Aiden Moffat is for Ash Sutton at the moment... and that's important for the team standings.

Yes, and I'm glad they're competing which makes things more exciting, but this being BTCC, I'd like to see more drivers challenging for the title. Butcher and Ingram are doing an excellent job, so hopefully they can keep pushing even more. Cammish is having a bit of a bad luck, which is shame because he had a great start to the season.

Oliphant is getting better, he's a better number 2 than either Mat Neal is for Dan Cammish, or Aiden Moffat is for Ash Sutton at the moment... and that's important for the team standings.

It looks like Oliphant is getting more confident with his car, as his pace is getting better with each race. Good stuff for team BMW!

In other news...

In DTM, I've watched the first race of the third round at Lausitzring, and the race wasn't that exciting. I have a long rant about the whole series, in addition to some talk about the latest developments and announcements, but I'll keep that at another post once I'm done watching race 2.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

@Matski and @M.N.D
Guys, are you sleeping?
Check this out:
Auf Facebook schreibt Glickenhaus: „Wir sind sehr froh, dass die DTM unsere GT-Idee übernimmt. Wer daran interessiert ist, in der DTM zu fahren: Wir haben ein Auto für Sie, zu einem rentablen Preis und niedrigen Einsatzkosten. Jetzt hoffen wir, dass auch der ACO, die WEC und die IMSA dieses Format als Ersatz für die GTE ins Auge fasst.“

 

[Matski]

@Matski and @M.N.D
Guys, are you sleeping?
Check this out:
Auf Facebook schreibt Glickenhaus: „Wir sind sehr froh, dass die DTM unsere GT-Idee übernimmt. Wer daran interessiert ist, in der DTM zu fahren: Wir haben ein Auto für Sie, zu einem rentablen Preis und niedrigen Einsatzkosten. Jetzt hoffen wir, dass auch der ACO, die WEC und die IMSA dieses Format als Ersatz für die GTE ins Auge fasst.“

Interesting, thanks.

Article from Motorsport.com on the subject..

Glickenhaus interested in fielding cars in GT3-based DTM

www.motorsport.com

I've not really got my head around what the changes in DTM mean for the series long term. I've never been a fan of the GT3 basis idea, but if it's getting some support from manufacturers that's probably good.... even if BMW aren't so keen.

____

Having been working a lot recently, I've missed multiple DTM and BTCC races, I've been doing well to avoid seeing the results, so I click on the notification for this thread very gingerly!

 

[Matski]

@M.N.D

Saw this a little while ago, forgot to mention it...

... I mean, it's not going to happen, but I'd lose my sh!t (in a good way) if BMW said they were going NASCAR racing

 

[M.N.D]

Thanks for the link @CrunchSlaughtered

Also, thank you for mentioning me for that crazy link @Matski

I'm unable to post at length right now, so I'll be responding in more detail very soon as both topics are very Interesting

 

[Matski]

Despite England going back into full on Covid lock down, the BTCC season finale will take place at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks time.

Should be interesting since it's on the Indy circuit. I think qualifying for the first race will be pretty crucial since overtaking opportunities are limited, it's likely that overtaking will have to be done somewhat 'forcefully', neither Turk or Sutton will want to risk getting shoved off at Paddock Hill or Druids, but Cammish and Ingram really have to go for it to stay in contention. Starting on the front row for race 1, or at very least the second row will be crucial for Turk and Sutton - if one of them gets to scamper off unhindered at the front, the other will be boned. Technically 4 drivers in contention for the championship, but it seems unlikely that Honda or Yuasa Racing will overtake BMW or WSR in the teams/manufacturers standings - but you never know! Last year's spectacular finale demonstrates that it ain't over till it's over!

 

[Matski]

Okay, so, having been out of it for a while, I checked to see what was happening in NASCAR... I had a bet on Harvick winning the season.

Not being familiar with the "play-off" format, I was expecting to see something similar to the old 'Chase' points standings... yet I see Harvick (never a guy I particularly liked, mind) has been removed from contention for the title, despite having the most wins, and most top 5's.

... I have to say, I can see why the new system comes in for a lot of stick. I know the Chase wasn't popular with long time NASCAR fans, but I'd be surprised if it ever worked quite this badly.

Of those remaining, I'd rather Keselowski didn't win it, but it seems my bet is already out of the window. NASCAR betting isn't as reliable as Formula 1 betting!

 

[M.N.D]

Despite England going back into full on Covid lock down, the BTCC season finale will take place at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks time.

Should be interesting since it's on the Indy circuit. I think qualifying for the first race will be pretty crucial since overtaking opportunities are limited, it's likely that overtaking will have to be done somewhat 'forcefully', neither Turk or Sutton will want to risk getting shoved off at Paddock Hill or Druids, but Cammish and Ingram really have to go for it to stay in contention. Starting on the front row for race 1, or at very least the second row will be crucial for Turk and Sutton - if one of them gets to scamper off unhindered at the front, the other will be boned. Technically 4 drivers in contention for the championship, but it seems unlikely that Honda or Yuasa Racing will overtake BMW or WSR in the teams/manufacturers standings - but you never know! Last year's spectacular finale demonstrates that it ain't over till it's over!

Interesting analysis Last year's final round was on the GP circuit, so I guess that means this time it'll be tougher. I don't know if the RWD cars will get a boost reduction, but I hope that won't affect their pace. So far, Sutton was the better overtaking driver this year and the more aggressive, whereas Turkington excels more in defending despite carrying the heaviest ballast. I may need to watch last year's Indy circuit round to get myself to remember the layout a bit more.

The last couple of rounds at Croft and Snetterton were very interesting. It's been a while since I watched the races so I can't remember all the details, but the race to the title is now basically between Turkington and Sutton. Cammish is 25 points behind, while Ingram is 34. I am a Turkington's fan and supporter, and I do hope for a fifth championship, but I hoped if Cammish and Ingram would've done better, especially for the latter. The 3rd race was supposed to be a good one for Ingram, but that incident with Butcher was totally unnecessary, and it jeopardized his position at the standings.

However, this is BTCC we're talking about. Just like you mentioned @Matski it ain't over till it's over! the championship is still my most favourite racing series to watch.

Okay, so, having been out of it for a while, I checked to see what was happening in NASCAR...

I've been trying to follow NASCAR this year, but ended up not doing so. My mind is busy with many things, and I do need to sort out what to watch and follow. Hopefully next year I'll be in a better position and I'll try to give the series a more serious shot.

From your post, I can still see that it's a bit hard to understand the sporting regulations and the standings, but let's give it another try in the future...


Also...

This weekend will host the final round of the 2020 DTM season at Hockenheimring. I didn't watch the first race yet, so I won't comment on anything.

While I lost interest in the main series, I watched the race highlights. It was supposed to be a title race between Rast, Muller and Frijns, but the latter was out due to a pit lane crash that caused him to be out. Between the remaining two, I'm a bit split. I don't like Muller, but at the same time I don't mind seeing a new face winning the championship. Rast is the better driver, if not the best driver at the grid right now, so I don't mind seeing him winning a third title, but that's simply because I have no horse to back up.

What's interesting is this year will be a milestone for DTM, as it'll be the final round of the silhouette racing format, after 20 years. It all traces back to this one

I used to see the red prototype a lot in car magazines, and I thought that it would look nice if it's been put it in a Need For Speed game, without realizing that it was a proof of concept for DTM, but my interest in motorsports at the time was only through magazines and few video games (F1 1999, a carting game that I don't remember its name, and some of the racing cars in Gran Turismo).

Speaking of DTM itself, I want to address its current situation, its future options with the GT-PLUS thing, which will make for a long post, so I'll leave that after the final round, but for now, I would say that it seems that Gerhard Berger doesn't have a solid plan. DTM Trophy was fun to watch. I followed every race, and I intend to address some of it later on as well...

 

[Zipse]

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[Matski]

Congrats to Audi, they've certainly been the guys to beat in the Turbo era.

 

[Matski]

Electric DTM... coming 2023... probably.

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From TcT

The car, featuring 1200hp, has been developed in cooperation between the DTM organisation ITR and industrial supplier Schaeffler.

“Together with Schaeffler, our first strategic partner with which we will be cooperating, we want to lead the DTM platform into a successful future,” said Gerhard Berger, head of ITR, the DTM promoter.

“It is our aim not only to showcase the latest technology in DTM Electric, but also to bring central innovations to the race track that allow for spectacular racing. Thus, we also want to convince the classic motorsport fans about future technologies and fascinate them with attractive racing.”

Development of the prototype – that has been driven by DTM champions Timo Scheider and Hans-Joachim Stuck, as well as Formula E racer Daniel Abt and F3 racer Sophia Flörsch – will continue during 2021 in preparation for a planned series start in 2023.

The plan for the series is to have sprint races of 30 minutes with the possibility of automated battery changes during mandatory pit stops.

edit:

From Electrive

Whether the concept will also convince manufacturers to take part is another matter. DTM Electric will use standard technology in all vehicles with the option to mount varying bodies. The series claims this will keep the cost low. At the same time, participants won’t have the opportunity to test innovative technology, a feature that Formula E had introduced gradually. As a result, many established manufacturers had made the switch to electric racing, a factor DTM Electric has criticised. “I’ve always said that Formula E is justified as a marketing platform and that I can understand why many companies are getting involved,” says Berger. “My criticism was directed at the sport itself because I think cars are too slow and the driving style too strongly characterised by strategy and energy management.” Berger expects “spectacular wheel-to-wheel racing” from its own concept, as these are “powerful driving machines”.

These machines will come from Schaeffler, the sole technology partner of DTM Electric so far. Their proposition now demonstrated at Hockenheimring in Germany includes a car that generates almost 1,200 hp with 800 kW. That is virtually twice as much power as the current DTM cars (over 450 kW), informs the supplier. In comparison, the power of the Formula E racing cars in the race is limited to 200 kW in qualifying and 250 kW with the ‘fan boost’ during racing.

Schaeffler claims the new car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds, making it roughly 0.4 seconds faster than the current Schaeffler BMW M4 DTM. It also features Space Drive steer-by-wire technology as well as an integrated vehicle dynamics control to control the four motors. For Schaeffler, the vehicle is a development platform for the electric DTM with outings planned at DTM events in 2021. “It is then possible that the DTM will be a fully-electric race series from 2023,” says Schaeffler.

 

[M.N.D]

Well, here we go then... I've watched the highlights of race 1, and watched race 2.

Spoilers: If you haven't seen the races yet, don't read the following below!

The second race had some good battles, especially in the first few laps, and of course, all eyes were on the two cars at the front: Rast and Muller. The race settled down pretty quickly and nothing much changed over the course of the race. I see Hockenheim as one of the circuits that give better overtaking opportunities compared to other ones, but I've seen better DTM races. On the other hand, based on what I saw, I think that Team Rosberg can tune the powertrain of the car better than other teams, because that is the only way I can explain to myself the huge gap that Rast pulled over Muller in the second half of the race. No way a 3 lap newer set of tyres can give an advantage of over 10 seconds. I'm not convinced that Audi favours certain teams over other ones, but what do I know...

While I have expressed in the past about how I don't like Muller, I hoped that he would give Rast a good fight for the title, given that he had a very strong start at the beginning of the season, but coming to the final round at Hockenheim, Rast had already a healthy lead advantage to the point that it was easy to see the result before hand.

All in all, congratulations to Rene Rast I'm a BMW Motorsport fan through and through, butI am happy to see Rast getting his 3rd DTM title. The man is a top driver, and he proved it time and time again, and at the same time, Team Rosberg is the best team on the grid.

\

Congratulations to Audi just like @Matski said, they were the masters of the (rather short) turbo era, and, in my opinion, the best manufacturer of the modern DTM, despite Mercedes having more titles.

As for BMW, it's sad to say that after the first round at Spa, I expected that we were in for another dry season. I don't know what to say, but Wittmann had a very disappointing season, and despite having an excellent driver squad, the performance of the cars were subpar and no match for Audi.



Now, onto the future of this series...

Since I knew about this decision 2 months ago, I was at a split opinion. On one hand, I am a fan of GT3 racing, as the machines are fantastic and the racing is very good depending on the used format, and I always prefer customer racing to a manufacturer controlled one. On the other hand, there are some points that worth addressing.

Germany already have a national GT3 series which is the ADAC GT Masters; a successful customer based series that has well known names in GT racing and it's well supported by the fans. It also has a very similar sporting format to DTM: Double sprint races over the weekend, with a separate qualifying round for each race. Half of the races are in Germany, with the other half in the neighbouring countries. The main difference that I can think of is the driver change during the pit stop.

I say that DTM brand is stronger than that of ADAC, but is that alone enough to convince the teams to migrate into? GT Masters has SRO behind it, which is pretty much the GT racing juggernaut. On the long term, one of the two series has to fade away, unless the racing format gets changed to have a two distinctive series instead of rivaling each other.

DTM proposed the "GT PLUS" platform with more powerful cars and a power-boost-overtaking aids and driving aids (TC and ABS) removal . Neat idea, but then none of the manufacturers agreed to modify their cars for some reason (maybe it'll be too costly, and also because there will be new GT3 regulations for 2022) so the idea was scrapped.

The other point that I like to mention is what I said earlier about a "very good racing depending on the used format" for GT3 cars. As I've seen from watching different GT3 series, the racing is better in the endurance format, as overtaking is not an easy thing to do especially during sprint races. In my humble, unprofessional opinion, either high grip tyres or temporary boost overtaking aid can be used to increase overtaking chances, since GT3 cars have become aero sensitive that they don't perform at their best if there is no clean air (not as bad as F1, though) when they're in the twisty bits of the circuit.

I remember @KiwiRob talking about the TCR format being the best option to stay true to the T in DTM. I was okay with Class One, but I'm also okay with the idea of having a real Touring series. However, I would prefer a more sophisticated platform to be used instead of the very basic TCR for what is supposed to be the top racing series in Germany. I think that if NGTC or Super 2000 with more power, slightly less weight, slightly wider tracks and wider, grippier tyres would make for a fantastic series, but I can tell that neither the current organizers or the future ones share the same mentality, because it's obvious that to them, GT3 is already a downgrade from Class One, and they're right, but now that the tie up with Super GT is all but over, there was a chance to have a new, fresh series that is unlike any other, and no matter how much either of the touring cars that I proposed will cost (even after they're theoretically modified to suit the series), they'll be less than that of a modified GT3, or at least equal to the standard GT3.

What do you think, people who visit this forum and are interested in motorsports (basically @Matski , me and another 2~3 members )

Electric DTM... coming 2023... probably.

Although it's a concept that can either succeed or fail, I am interested in this and hopeful that it'll work. I follow Wittmann on Instagram, and I've noticed that he shared some stories and posts about an upcoming Shaeffler project a while ago, but I didn't recognize what it is. This is going to be interesting, and 2 years is hopefully enough time to develop the series even more and to get more support! So far, the main electric racing series (Formula E) didn't impress me, and E-TCR is yet to be seen, so I hope that this will be more promising.

 

[Matski]

All in all, congratulations to Rene Rast I'm a BMW Motorsport fan through and through, butI am happy to see Rast getting his 3rd DTM title. The man is a top driver, and he proved it time and time again, and at the same time, Team Rosberg is the best team on the grid.

Agreed. I think the talent within the BMW squad has diminished over the years, Wittmann clearly is fast, and you know I rate Eng, but given it was the younger drivers turning in the results this year, I'm slightly bemused as to what the real problem was. It was nice to get Kubica in the car - I like him (met him once!), and he earned a place in the BMW Motorsport roll of honour with his F1 win... but, I don't think he was ever going to get anywhere in the machinery/team he was with, and perhaps not even with a full works team.

On reflection, I'm sad I didn't get to see the Class 1 beasts in action at Brands once last time, I do love the cars, and although I'd love to go to Japan to see some Super GT - That isn't going to happen anytime soon! The DTM 2021 calendar has been released, and unsurprisingly they're not visiting the UK. Since I'm not wild about the GT3 formula, it's not a massive issue, but it's a shame.

Although it's a concept that can either succeed or fail, I am interested in this and hopeful that it'll work.

It's the most credible effort so far I think. I really believe the DTM needs clear manufacturer involvement, and I'm not sure a spec car will attract them - I really hope it does - because while I'm happy to cheer for a silhouette race car built mostly by BMW backed teams - a simple independent silhouette that happens to use BMW body work is less appealing.

 

[M.N.D]

Agreed. I think the talent within the BMW squad has diminished over the years, Wittmann clearly is fast, and you know I rate Eng, but given it was the younger drivers turning in the results this year, I'm slightly bemused as to what the real problem was. It was nice to get Kubica in the car - I like him (met him once!), and he earned a place in the BMW Motorsport roll of honour with his F1 win... but, I don't think he was ever going to get anywhere in the machinery/team he was with, and perhaps not even with a full works team.

BMW has excellent drivers, and while I also agree that Audi drivers are faster, especially Rast, Muller and Frijns, I still think that the M4s aren't as fast as the RS5 ones. I used to assume that the Audi drivers have better experience in single seater cars which what DTM cars basically are, but I'm not sure if this assumption holds water, and if true, to what extent.

Based on this assumption, I'd say that BMW clearly lacks young single seater blood. Formula BMW used to be a good feeder, but that is history now. As for Kubica, it's a shame that he was put in one of the lesser teams, but it seemed that he wasn't comfortable with the car from the beginning, probably because it's a new experience for him, and sadly, he's not coming back to the series, according to motorsport.com, but it's nice to know that you've met him!! I remember you said that you've met Farfus and Zanardi as well. I remember you sharing your pic with Farfus, but do you have your picture with Alex? It would be cool if you can share that too

On reflection, I'm sad I didn't get to see the Class 1 beasts in action at Brands once last time, I do love the cars, and although I'd love to go to Japan to see some Super GT - That isn't going to happen anytime soon! The DTM 2021 calendar has been released, and unsurprisingly they're not visiting the UK. Since I'm not wild about the GT3 formula, it's not a massive issue, but it's a shame.

I am also sad to see Class One going away. Although they don't produce the best racing, it's awesome to see them. The M3 / M4 DTM duo are one of my most favourite racing cars. Just like you said, at least they will live on thanks to Super GT, which by the way, I intend to watch, because I planned to do so but then forgot about it, and since I don't know who's leading (or was, if the season is over by now) I won't have the problem of knowing the results in advance. However, I need to get more familiar with the drivers.

I was looking forward to see some excellent photography oh well, this year left us with many things to worry about, so hopefully it'll be next year!

It's the most credible effort so far I think. I really believe the DTM needs clear manufacturer involvement, and I'm not sure a spec car will attract them - I really hope it does - because while I'm happy to cheer for a silhouette race car built mostly by BMW backed teams - a simple independent silhouette that happens to use BMW body work is less appealing.

I actually didn't pay much attention to the article you've quoted from Electrive, but now I've read it! That flew over my head I wasn't expecting that...

Now that I think about it, I can understand that this path was chosen to prevent the usual arm race between the manufacturers, but yeah, it doesn't sound as unique as I was thinking. It'll sound more of a "sponsored by Audi / BMW / Mercedes / Whatever" thing.

Well, we're still few years from the start, so let's see how it'll work out.

 

[M.N.D]

Well, this weekend is quite busy as we have many motorsport events, some of them are the closing rounds of this year's season...

Tomorrow will be the final round of the 2020 BTCC season, with at least 4 drivers competing for the driver's title:

Colin Turkington, 4 time champion and the title defender, currently the standings leader at 309 points:

Ash Sutton, the 2017 champion, currently second in the standings at 300 points:

Dan Cammish (#27), last year's title contender and Honda's best driver (probably?!), currently third in standings at 284 points:

Tom Ingram, the runner up 2018, currently fourth in standings at 276 points:

The final round will take place on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit:

Spoiler: Qualy results (no timing, just the list) and some initial thoughts!

1 Tom INGRAM
2 Rory BUTCHER
3 Ashley SUTTON
4 Dan CAMMISH
5 Ollie JACKSON
6 Jake HILL
7 Matt NEAL
8 Colin TURKINGTON
9 Paul RIVETT
10 Josh COOK
11 Stephen JELLEY
12 Tom OLIPHANT
13 Aiden MOFFAT
14 Jack GOFF
15 Chris SMILEY
16 Tom CHILTON
17 Adam MORGAN
18 Carl BOARDLEY
19 Nicolas HAMILTON
20 Andy NEATE
21 Sam OSBORNE
22 Michael CREES
23 Ethan HAMMERTON
24 Glynn GEDDIE
25 Brad PHILPOT
26 Jack BUTEL
27 Senna PROCTOR

Judging by the results, it'll be a tough race for Colin, as he'll start the race with the heaviest ballast and back in fourth row, while all the contenders are in the first two rows, and the Ford pair in addition with Matt Neal will not be an easy ride... hmmm.

Anyway, I'm anxious and excited at the same time! Few series can match BTCC's excitement and unpredictability, and last year's finale was so crazy.

I'm looking forward to watch the even more than anything else, even though there'll be another final round for another championship.

I hope that we'll see this tomorrow, just like last year:

 

[Matski]

I'm going to take a guess...

Sutton will be P1 by the bottom of Paddock Hill, and then he'll pull a gap and take the win. Colin will get the jump on the line but will have to battle with the other title contenders that will have less to lose, and he'll also have Matt Neal behind him, which ended in tears last year.

This will put Sutton on Pole for R2, about equal on points with Turk, who I'd guess will start on the second row. Therefore, R2 will be a Turk sat on the back of Sutton for the whole race, looking for a clean pass that may not come.

R3 grid will be random, but since Turk and Sutton will probably be 1-2 in the 2nd race (in either order), if the reverse grid draw splits them, it'll be game over for whoever starts second of the two. More likely, they'll start side by side, or nose to tail on the grid, and probably back in traffic. So R3 will most likely be a battle for 1 overtake amongst a tussle of ovetakes with the rest of the pack.

The weather could also be key.

BTCC finale is again the peak of the motorsport year for me. I'm already nervous.

 

[M.N.D]

Interesting analysis mate @Matski

I do hope that Colin can get past Neal and the Ford chaps, but Ingram, in my opinion, can't be ruled out so easily, as he was on a roll in the last couple of races, despite his last crash with Butcher, and since he's carrying less ballast compared to Sutton, who has to fend off (to some extent) Cammish, he (Ingram) will have a very good chance at staying in the lead of the race and winning the first race.

The third race will be very critical, just like you said, and all of this based on that there are no crashes or safety car deployment...

All in all, I'm just as excited and nervous! BTCC is by far my most favourite motorsport.

GT World Challenge Europe will have its final round tomorrow, the 1000KM Paul Ricard, in addition to the final round of the European GT4. As much as I'm a fan of GT racing, I'll be giving BTCC the priority once the replay will be uploaded, as there's no livestreaming available for me.