BTC-T Alfa Romeo 147
One of the new BTC Touring specification cars entered in the 2001 BTCC season was the JS Motorsport-built Alfa Romeo 147. It was the first of the independently built BTC-T cars to race, being ready in time for the first round of the season. Despite originally intending to run 4 BTC-T spec and 2 Production spec cars,[2] only 2 BTC-T cars were ever entered in one event,[3] and no Production spec car was ever built.[1] The team had 4 different drivers across the season: the experienced David Pinkney (rounds 1-4) and Tim Harvey (rounds 3-4 and 9-13) sharing drives with the younger Mark Blair (rounds 10-11) and Tom Ferrier (rounds 2, 7-9 and 12-13). Darren Malkin had been announced, before the season started, as one of the drivers; however, he never made an appearance.[4]
| Category | BTCC | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | JS Motorsport | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Alfa Romeo 147 | ||||||||
| Engine | 1,969 cc (120.2 cu in) 270 hp (201 kW; 274 PS) In-line 4 NA front-mounted, FWD | ||||||||
| Transmission | 6-speed Sequential | ||||||||
| Weight | 1,150 kg (2,535.3 lb) | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | JS Motorsport | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | Tom Ferrier Dave Pinkney Tim Harvey Mark Blair | ||||||||
| Debut | 2001 BTCC at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Teams' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The 147 proved to be unreliable, racking up 16 DNFs across the season, failing to start seven other races, and a multitude of other reliability gremlins. Despite this, the car was reasonably competitive - Harvey taking a surprise podium at the feature race at Oulton Park, albeit in a race marred by attrition,[5] and Ferrier was running in a fine second place at Donington Park until engine failure ended his race.[6] Harvey was the most successful driver, finishing 8th in the Driver's championship, whilst JS Motorsport's 4th place in the Team's championship was more a reflection of the small grid than anything else.[7] The team did not reappear for 2002, and the 147s were not raced again.
References
- "Alfa Romeo 147". BTCC Pages. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- "JSM confirms plans for 2001 | BTCC News | Jan 2001". Crash.Net. 2001-01-17. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- "Plato takes Sprint race win | BTCC News | May 2001". Crash.Net. 2001-05-07. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- "Bumper BTC entry lists announced | BTCC News | Mar 2001". Crash.Net. 2001-03-06. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- "Results: Oulton Park Feature race | BTCC News | May 2001". Crash.Net. 2001-05-20. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- "BBC SPORT | MOTORSPORT | Plato holds slender lead". BBC News. 2001-09-23. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- BTCCPages.com (2009-04-05). "2001 BTCC Points". BTCCPages.com. Retrieved 2012-12-23.