Priaulx's Pole as Plato Plummets at Knockhill Qualifying
Photo Credit: BTCC.net
As the BTCC takes its annual trip to Scotland, there is never any doubt that the action will be plentiful across the weekend. As qualifying draws to an end, Priaulx has pranced his way to pole position, followed closely by team mate Tordoff. With four of the top six drivers piloting a RWD car, Knockhill makes no secrets in which cars it favours. In a session that drew two red flags, for what seemed like the first time this year Team BMR were playing catchup, with Turkington their best finisher in 9th and Plato plummeting to a career worst 22nd.
BTCC Memorable Drives: Weather, the Great Leveller
Photo Credit: BTCC.net
Nothing makes motor sport more fascinating to watch than the driving force of unpredictability. Unlike traditional sports, racing is the combination of man and machine. Both must be working at optimum performance to achieve results – but sometimes mechanical malfunctions can strike when you least expect it. Above all of this, looming above like the very essence of chaos itself, is the weather. Within the BTCC, some of the greatest battles have taken place when the weather turns sour. From rain masters to the perfect plan, the weather is truly a great leveller. By delving into the glorious BTCC past, we can now see why.
Taking Rover in the Rover
Once upon a time, dogs trotted alongside whatever form of transport we humans used quite happily, as dogs and horses had similar levels of stamina. A few lucky dogs got to ride inside the cart or coach, while other dogs (e.g. Rottweilers) got to pull the cart personally. Dogs also famously provided the grunt for the sleds that conquered the South Pole. Some dogs still do act as the motive power of transport – just ask all the people who drive dog sleds in the Iditarod race in Alaska.
Fast forward to today. We still like to have our four-footed family members coming with us on outings. Some people need to take dogs with them for work purposes (cops and farmers). But is it just a case of simply popping Rover in the Rover? Or is it more complex than that?
Zen and the Art of Safety.
What’s the first thing on your mind when you get into your car? Kids? Problems with the spouse? The long drive to work because of traffic? It’s fair to say that no thought is given to having a safe drive, because we just expect that we’ll get where ever we’re going without a problem, because we know we have a safe car. What’s in our cars that relates to safety? Let’s check out some of the terms we get thrown at us by the good folk that are tasked with helping you buy your new car.
ABS. Anti lock Braking System. Possibly the most common and certainly one that’s been with us for some time. In this case, the name pretty much describes what they do. Hit the brake pedal, hard, you’ll feel a mild pulsation through the pedal, that’s the system grabbing and releasing the brakes, possibly up to 15 times per second. Let’s consider, for argument’s sake, a 1985 Corolla; you’d flatten the brake pedal, the brake pads would bite the brake discs and the wheels would lock, stopping rotation and control of the car. 
ABS allows a driver to steer out of a situation as the wheels haven’t locked up and possibly avoiding major contact. The caveat here is that ABS works just fine on tarmac, dry tarmac preferably. If you were to take an ABS equipped car off road and into gravel, for example, then you’d more than likely find the car would take longer to stop, however manufacturers would calibrate off road vehicles for this.
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