Under the skin: How BTCC cars are built for fast repairs
In a world where rubbing is racing, how does a team keep their cars fighting fit?
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The British Touring Car Championship has always been described as ‘bumper-to-bumper,’ and that’s with good reason. The British Touring Car Championship has always been described as ‘bumper-to-bumper,’ and that’s with good reason.
Pack 29+ race car drivers onto the best circuits in the UK with very equal machinery and quick-fire races to decide the podium, and you end up with one of the most eye-catching national motorsport series in the world.
The last two instalments of this Under The Skin series have covered how teams ensure the engines and brakes work at their best, but what happens when things go wrong?
With racing so close, the chances are cars are going to come to blows at some point, and in the BTCC the adage ‘rubbing is racing’ is very much part of the game.
James Rodgers, Team Manager for eight-time BTCC Teams’ champions Team Dynamics (this year racing under the name Halfords Racing with Cataclean) explains that, although the rules try to stamp out dirty driving, you have to be prepared to change parts during the race weekend.
“Although the BTCC can be a contact sport, the regulations are clear in the fact it shouldn’t be and all reported incidents are investigated by the clerk of the course,” described Rodgers. “However, it is rare if we aren’t changing bodywork parts after a race! Rubbing is racing as they say!
“We carry two sets of bodywork spares for each car as well as complete front and rear subframes with everything – engine, gearbox, cooling packs, suspension and more – already installed.”
The BTCC race weekend varies considerably compared to your standard F1 weekend. There’s not just one points-scoring race on the Sunday, there’s three. With that in mind, it’s crucial that the cars can be turned around quickly and are fighting fit to head out on track if they’ve suffered damage.
Any point picked up can be vital to the championship. On average, the last five BTCC titles have been decided by a winning margin of 10 points, with the 2019 and 2016 champions beating the runner-up by a mere two points.
Getting the car out on track after an incident in the hope of picking up points is vital to any driver with their sights set on the title. In racing, every second counts, but that time isn’t necessarily won or lost all out on track. Rodgers describes how the overall car is broken down into smaller sections, specifically for fast rebuilds in between race sessions, helping the team get their star drivers race-winner Daniel Rowbottom and three-time champion Gordon Shedden back in the game.
“A lot of the cars parts are modular where we can swap out parts relatively easily. In total it takes around 45 minutes to change a complete front end, with the engine.
“The cars have a lot of inbuilt systems to protect them in the event of an incident, minimising damage whilst protecting the driver.”
Although it might sound relatively easy to fix, repairs don’t come without their cost. The Honda Civic Type R used by the Halfords Racing with Cataclean team may look like a roadcar on the outside, but every component has been trimmed and tuned, to ensure maximum performance across the entire package.
In the extreme case of a major accident, the teams are looking at a hefty bill to return the car to racing condition.
“Sometimes the costs for a single incident can be well over £50,000, although this would be extreme,” Rodgers highlighted.
To repair the cars and ensure they are fighting fit before heading out on track, the Halfords Racing with Cataclean mechanics utilise a range of tools, a whopping 75% of which are available over the counter at your local Halfords store.
“We use a lot of the Halfords Professional range over-the-counter tools,” explained Rodgers. “However, we do have specialist tools and equipment designed either specifically for ourselves or for motorsport in general.”
“We use dedicated motorsport set up equipment a lot of which we have developed in house.”
Everyday tools, specialist tools, and in-house tools allow the team to have the absolute best chance of repairing their Honda Civic Type Rs to the best standard in the pitlane. Sometimes, however, there isn’t enough time to enact a full repair forcing the team to ditch the tools for a little bit of tape and cable ties.
“We aren’t actually supposed to start a session with tape on external visible surfaces,” described Rodgers. “However, if the car suffers damage in the session we will use specialist tape to effect a repair quickly and get the car back out again!
“Even better, we will sometimes patch superficial damage with vinyl or tape in colours to match the livery!”
Come race weekend, the Halfords Racing with Cataclean Team ensure that their car is in the best shape possible before it hits the track, but should things go wrong, the car itself is designed to be rebuilt fast, and the mechanics are suitably armed and ready to get their machines back in shape for the next race
MAKE SURE YOUR CAR IS READY FOR ANYTHING
Halfords offers a huge range of motoring services to help your road car stay in perfect working order – check out the list of everything on offer here.
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