Vague question about the BTCC cars' performance

[d-quik]

I realize that probably none of us has ever driven one or whatever, but I am curious as to how the performance of a typical BTCC car compares with road-going sports cars. So like, take the performance of any BTCC car and which road-legal car will offer up similar performance.

Anything would be helpful, just curious.

[Matra et Alpine]

The BTCC have favoured the FWD configuration BUT the cars have little in common with their road-goign versions. The engines are mounted MUCH lower, often it's an engine from another model and the suspension is all custom.

[Matra et Alpine]

Well here are all the Knockhill records sorted...
The Nissan That's running the 53/54s laps are 4 year old BTCC spec

0 Circuit Lap Record (practice) 47.14 Takuma Sato Dallara F301
1 Fastest Demonstration Lap 47.16 Ron Cumming Footwork Judd 3000cc
DDSRA DDMC Sports Racing (A) 49.51 Tony Sinclair Jade Trackstar
FR Formula Renault 50.28 Carl Breeze Formula Renault
K2I Karts 250 International 50.60 John Riley Anderson/Rotax
SSE Scottish Saloon/Sports (E) 51.52 Alasdair McCaig Mallock P20
S/NG 2 Seater Sports Racing Cars 51.55 Bryce Wilson Radical SR3
K125N Karts 125 National 52.27 Dennis Gale Anderson/TM
K125O Karts 125 Open 53.03 Steve White Anderson/TM
FFZ Formula Ford Zetec 53.23 Daniel Clarke Van Diemen RF04
NSS? 53.70 Alistair McCaig Ecosse C2
NSSA2 Northern Saloon/Sports (A2) 53.89 Jonathan Young Nissan Primera
S/NA Saloons/Sports 54.29 Jonathan Young Nissan Primera
GLA Global GT Light (A) 54.46 Linton Stutley Global GT
GLR Global GT Light (R1) 54.51 Chris Dawkins Global GT
DDSRB DDMC Sports Racing (B) 54.52 Ray Moore Crossle 9S
S/NA2 Saloon/Sports up to 2500cc 55.03 Ray Moore Crossle 9S
SSA2 Scottish Saloon/Sports (A2) 55.25 John Paterson Honda Accord
NSSA1 Northern Saloon/Sports (A1) 55.30 Colin Simpson Marcos Mantis
BTCC British Touring Cars 55.33 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra
LE Lotus Elise 55.55 Mark Fullalove Lotus Elise
F3 Formula 3 55.70 Takuma Sato Dallara F301
S/NA1 Saloon/Sports over 2500 & T 55.97 John Muir Toyota Starlet
SSA1 Scottish Saloon/Sports (A1) 55.99 John Muir Toyota Starlet
NSSE Northern Saloon/Sports (E) 56.38 Neil Gregory Fury
GL Global Lights 56.42 David Mountain Global GT Light
GLB Global GT Light (B) 57.41 Sean Crosswaite Global GT
S/NB Saloon/Sports Over 2000&T (RT) 57.56 Stewart Whyte Ford Cosworth
DSC Dunlop Supercars 57.70 Rod McGovern Dunlop Supercar
GT GT Championship (GT) 57.83 Tim Harvey Crysler Viper GTS-R
DDSRC DDMC Sports Racing (C) 57.90 Andrew Varey Swe Chettah
S/NC Saloon/Sports 1600-2000 (RT) 57.95 Stuart Thorburn Lotus Exige
PU Pickup Trucks 57.96 Kevin Clarke Pickup Truck
S/NE Kit Cars - Unlimited 58.05 Neil Gregory XTR2
NSSB Northern Saloon/Sports (B) 58.07 Ray Pollock Ford Escort Cosworth
HE Historic (E) 58.13 Allan McGregor Lotus 23B
SSD Scottish Saloon/Sports (D) 58.26 Kevin Adam Ford Sierra Cosworth
NSSE1 Northern Saloon/Sports (E1) 58.46 Malcolm Turnbull Westfield
SC Scottish Caterham Roadsports 58.48 Derek McMillan Caterham Roadsport
FF16 Formula Ford 1600 58.71 Jonathan Rarity Dastle
SSC Scottish Saloon/Sports (C) 58.72 Mario Caira Ford Escort Cosworth
RC Renault Clio 58.78 Daniel Buxton Renault Clio
NSSC Northern Saloon/Sports (C) 58.93 Tony Caig Ford Fiesta XR2
ARA BRSCC Alfa Romeo (A) 59.00 Graham Presley Alfa Romeo 75
HD Historic (D) 59.15 Darren McWhirter Aston Martin
SSB Scottish Saloon/Sports (B) 59.25 Derek McMillan Caterham Roadsport
PCA Porsche Cup (A) 59.40 Peter Chambers Porsche GT3
NSSF Northern Saloon/Sports (F) 59.41 Ian Blacklin Westfield
MGMC MG Mayflower (C) 59.51 Anthony Reid MG ZR
AIB BRSCC Auto Italia (B) 59.62 Tim Lewis Alfa Sud
ARB BRSCC Alfa Romeo (B) 59.62 Bob Godbold Alfa Romeo 33
MGMA MG Mayflower (A) 59.69 Steven Hunter MG TF
CMG Caterham Mega Graduates 59.90 Guy Halley Caterham 7
NSSE2 Northern Saloon/Sports (E2) 60.01 Phil Morris Caterham 7
S/NF Kit Cars - Rover/Lotus Engines 60.09 Ian Blacklin Westfield
CSG Caterham Super Graduates 60.78 Nelson Rowe Caterham Super
CRB Caterham Roadsport (B) 61.14 Tony Lawrence Caterham Roadsport
L Legend Cars 61.60 Chris Grieve 37 Chevy
XKD Jaguar XK Challenge (D) 61.71 John Chisholm Jaguar XK 120
PS Pursuit Sprint 61.75 Mark Cummins Van Diemen
NSSA Northern Saloon/Sports (A) 61.91 Steve Spicer BMW
CA Caterham Academy 61.97 Ross Wilson Caterham Academy
NSSD Northern Saloon/Sports (D) 62.27 Darren Flounders Ford Fiesta XR2
TC BRSCC T-Cars 62.29 Will Bratt T-Car
CRA Caterham Roadsport (A) 62.97 Jon Wolfe Caterham Roadsport
SSF Scottish Saloon/Sports (F) 63.13 Olly Ross Porsche 911
SSF2 Scottish Saloon/Sports (F2) 63.13 Olly Ross Porsche 911
CG Caterham Graduates 63.56 Toby Briant Caterham 7
TVR TVR Tuscan 63.59 Stephen Guglielmi TVR Tuscan
HB Historic (B) 64.09 John Walker Lotus 23B
XRC Ford XR Championship 64.25 Sandy Forrest Ford Fiesta XR2
S/ND Saloon/Sports up to 1600 (RT) 64.45 Mick Starkey Ford Fiesta XR2
ARF BRSCC Alfa Romeo (F) 64.54 Spencer Shirley Alfa Romeo 33
AID BRSCC Auto Italia (D) 65.19 Wesley Evans Alfa Romeo 156
ARE BRSCC Alfa Romeo (E) 65.27 Graham Heals Alfa Romeo 146
ARD BRSCC Alfa Romeo (D) 65.41 Peter Sloan Alfa Romeo 75 V6
AIE BRSCC Auto Italia (E) 66.03 Bryn Griffiths Alfa Romeo 156
FW Formula Women 66.09 Emma Hayles Mazda MX8
SM Scottish Mini Cooper 66.29 Victor Covey Mini Cooper
HC Historic (C) 66.56 Al Fleming Lotus Elite
MGMB MG Mayflower (B) 66.74 Tim Lewis MGF
FSI Ford Fiesta SI 66.78 Colin Mackinnon Ford Fiesta Si
SMM Super Mighty Mini 67.44 Gary Patterson Rover Mini Cooper
MGB BARC/MGOC (B) 67.89 Andy Campbell MG Maestro
XKC Jaguar XK Challenge (C) 67.89 David Hall Jaguar XK 120
HA Historic (A) 68.04 Barry Wood AC Cobra
C Crossle 9S 68.25 Hal Catherwood Crossle 9S
MGA BARC/MGOC (A) 68.36 Gary Smith MG Midget
MGF BARC/MGOC (F) 68.60 Iain Evans MGF
XKB Jaguar XK Challenge (B) 69.17 Paul De Haviland Jaguar XK 150
MM Mighty Mini 71.57 Neven Kirkpatrick Rover Mini Cooper
DDSRD DDMC Sports Racing (D) 77.15 Denis Jones Jade Clan
M12F Monoposto 1200 (F) 81.52 Nigel Reuben Jedi Mk6
M12S Monoposto 1200 (S) 96.42 Chris Robinson Jedi Mk6

[d-quik]

oh my goodness

can you show me where I can find the times of some road-legal cars?

[Matra et Alpine]

Look through the list, you'll see some "road legal" cars there - like all the Caterhams
the Radical SR3, the Lotus Elise, XK120 etc
There aren't really times kept for non-race-events, so "road cars" numbers are thin on the ground I'll get some from SS-R and get back.

[d-quik]

no need to bother if you have t ospend time lookin it up, just want info off of the top of people's heads IF ITS THERE. if not, then whatever

thanks for the lap times though. i didnt realize they were road leagal because they had prefixes which made me think they were race versions or whatever.

[RacingManiac]

BTCC after 2000 was a very different formula though. The newer cars was supposed to be a lot more production based and were made to be less aero dependent and so forth....

[Matra et Alpine]

RM, are you sure you're not mixing ETCC and BTCC with DTM like races in Europe ?
The BTCC was always "production based". But within it there were 2 classes the "touring" which always existed and the "prdouction" which was new in 99 IIRC and allowed less changes - IIRC suspension had to stay.
The aero package was always limited, it had to retain the car shell, but the engine was permitted yo coem from any car in the range, so you often got an engine from a larger model squeezed into the smaller frames.
As it's predominately rallying I've followed for the last 5 years, I'm not sure on that though.