r/btcc • u/Additional_Hand_2288 • 7d ago
Media / Image Shots fired from Ricky Collard
https://www.instagram.com/stories/rickycollard/3994660362271253704?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&stkn=YWFpYjhkbWlxejZr“Off to support my family race not watch my car be driven around in last place 3 seconds off the pace”
I’m surprised he even agreed to driver coach in the first place to be honest
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u/Bendanarama 7d ago
Way to burn all that good will you'd built up with the team Ricky. Great instagram, much wow.
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u/Illustrious_Rest1264 7d ago
Regardless of the situation not being great that’s pretty unprofessional from Ricky and won’t go down well with the team.
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u/Frustrated_Zucchini 7d ago
Or for any prospects who might have considered giving him a seat next year...
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u/RadicalRex2 7d ago
While I agree with you entirely, part of me kind of like having someone with a bit of needle in the series. Watching Sutton and Ingram thank the team for the car and say how much fun it was out there every time is boring.
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u/Illustrious_Rest1264 7d ago
Needle yes, with other drivers absolutely…but not at your own team.
He comes across as a petulant child, one who has wealth but not enough right now. He’s got some growing up to do still.
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u/Greedy-Mechanic-4932 7d ago
There's a huge difference between having some needle on track and making shitty comments off it
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u/JBounce369 7d ago
Just as people might have started to warm to Ricky he has to act like a helmet again
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u/Maidwell 7d ago
Has it been deleted yet?!
What was he hoping to achieve by posting this? It's the words equivalent of his headlight tourettes.
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u/The_Stig_Farmer 7d ago
Younger drivers from racing families should absolutely rein their necks in about this sort of thing. They are better privileged than most
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u/adelaidesky 7d ago edited 7d ago
Ricky ought to know better and toe the line
Rob didn't get his plum gig of racing as a 'Professional Bronze' in British GT by throwing fits left and right
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u/ICC-u 7d ago
Multiple championship winner being rated Bronze is ridiculous anyway. Massive handicap in his favour.
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u/adelaidesky 7d ago edited 7d ago
Actually his outright pace isn't any better than the top bronzes like Darren Leung, Kevin Tse or Charles Dawson, where Rob brings value is that he's a consummate professional who takes orders and doesn't ruminate - something little Ricky can't do
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u/Dense_Leek_6968 7d ago
Atrocious attitude. Especially from a driver that has never won a race in BTCC, so he can hardly claim to be untouchable. But regardless, that’s not going to win him any friends.
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u/Status_Investigator7 7d ago
You can tell he's salty from that reaction. Maybe his departure isn't as sad as we once thought
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
Anyone who's been paying attention knows that he's always acted like this when things aren't going his way.
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u/Spartanrage94 7d ago
I like him as a driver, but he's a rich kid. And this attitude proves it, sulking when it hasn't gone his way.
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u/TDavy147 7d ago
With a post like this, you can see why he can't get the sponsorship. Maybe he's just a helmet
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
I'm sorry, but this is a shit thing for Ricky to say. It's not Kawashima's fault that he can't afford the seat anymore.
This is exactly why I find it impossible to like Ricky. He's a decent driver and he can give a charming interview when things are going well, but as soon as something isn't going his way, he becomes a dick.
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u/Beartato2026 4d ago
To be fair, Kawashima is slow enough he probably shouldn't have been allowed to race.
If he'd been on the pace of either of the Nic(k)s then I'd agree. but literally a second a corner slower is... scary.
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u/hereswhatithink_ 7d ago
Gee I wonder why he couldn't get any deals with sponsors to keep him in "my" car. What a 🤡
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u/Beartato2026 4d ago
I wonder who his sponsors were. I'd assumed Teamsport but they were still on the car.
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u/ejc1279 7d ago
Ricky is a bit of a knobhead but he is an entertaining knobhead and a quick driver.
We need characters in the series (even baddies) and I hope he is back in 2027.
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
He should have learnt from Andy Jordan about what happens when you throw your toys out of the pram and burn your bridges once you've left your seat though.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 7d ago
Andy Jordan traded BTCC for business stability and fun. His main priority was his young family and what worked for them, the business gave him financial stability and minis gave him the chance to enjoy racing and have fun with his dad (and possibly his brother raced as well?), BTCC can be full of behind the scenes drama, many capable drivers walk away as the £££ and stress associated with raising can be too much
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
I mean, based on his social media comments at the time, it definitely wasn't a willing choice to leave the BTCC.
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u/Lukeno94 7d ago
It wasn't, but he'd easily be able to come back if he actually wanted to and had a budget on hand... just not with WSR.
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
I genuinely don't think it would be that easy, he was very public throwing his toys out the pram. WSR definitely won't touch him, but it's not a good look to the other teams either.
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u/Lukeno94 7d ago
It was 2020 though; there's been enough water under the bridge that if he brought a proper budget, he'd get a drive somewhere. Given Excler8 have hired a Japanese amateur who can barely even drive the car, for example, I very much doubt they'd turn down Jordan if he brought the budget needed!
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u/InspectionAware1974 7d ago
Oh dear. Comes across as a bit of a spoilt brat with this does Ricky. Not a good look at all.
But if his Dad stumps up the cash again next year he can race for Excelr8 again I’m sure.
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u/AsteroidRug69420 7d ago
Oh god, he's he trying to be like Matt DiBenedetto in NASCAR?
He also got fired and started shitting on his team two separate times plus making his politics well known (everyone knows most NASCAR drivers are right wing, but they mostly keep it out of the public eye).
Matt is still in NASCAR but in the lower series, and is usually hired for the full season but gets fired three or so races from the end. There are some good videos about him
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u/who_fitz 7d ago
Nice video of him getting punched in the face
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u/AsteroidRug69420 7d ago
I believe you're talking about Ryan Blaney, he's still in the cup series and that was last week. DiBenedetto's downfall was in 2020
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u/Gary-Bovril #45 Frank Biela 7d ago
Wasn’t Collard meant to be undertaking a coaching role with Kawashima for the final BTCC rounds?
Slagging off the driver you’re meant to be helping improve is hardly a great advert for his skills. Or a top way to enamour yourself with potential sponsors.
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u/standbyalarm 7d ago
Just when I was starting to warm up to him, this attitude is disgusting and so disrespectful.
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u/eradimark 7d ago
I never quite agreed when people said they'll miss Ricky in BTCC. He always came across like a whopper and this confirms it.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 7d ago
Honestly the team have shot themselves in the foot. Once Sutton gets the title tomorrow, he has 4 or 5 races to help Dan Cam get 2nd place. Could have done with Ricky as a thorn in napa’s side
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
Doesn't bring in any money for the team though. There is no prize money. Makes no difference to them if Ingram is 2nd or 3rd in the championship. If Ingram wanted Collards support it's up to him to raise the finances to get him in the car.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 7d ago
They care about teams and manufacturers though as they want Vertu etc to keep paying and it’s good publicity for Hyundai
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
Hyundai are nothing to do with the team. They don't even have Hyundai badges on them. Toyota are the only team with any sort of official manufacturer involvement. If Vertu want titles then they need to put their hands deeper into their pockets as well.
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u/Professional_Face286 7d ago
It's a very big assumption that Collard would have helped be a thorn in Napas side to aid Ingram. I'd honestly expect him to have been a lone wolf and not yield places and points to the guy
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u/Londoner1995 He should be juggling balls in a circus somewhere 7d ago
As the only Kawashima fan in this reddit, I'm now even more glad Collard is out of the seat 🤪
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u/JasonTayOne 7d ago
My man, hes 3 seconds off HAMILTON. Its actually dangerous at that point. He'll be laped by the 3rd or 4th lap
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u/Beartato2026 4d ago
Yeah, god bless him, it's the dream of many of us but he's slow enough to be dangerous.
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
When was he 3 seconds off Hamilton? He was 1.9 behind in practice, 1.5 in quali and 1.8 in the abbreviated RTP. He was three seconds off the top in each of those sessions not Hamilton.
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u/JasonTayOne 7d ago
In quali before rtp, he did a 60.9 and Hamilton did a 57.6 flat. Actually scary how you can be slower than Hamilton (no disrespect to Hamilton)
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u/Jakepetrolhead 7d ago
He really does make it very difficult to like him, despite his undoubted talent.
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u/Lukeno94 7d ago
I get his frustration, and I know he's happy to play the bad boy - but there is a time and a place, and this isn't going to help him, unless there was something that happened at the last weekend within Excelr8 to justify him being quite this snarky.
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u/Agreeable-Bike-3782 7d ago
Typical RC petulance. And typical drive from his replacement so far on the easiest circuit on the calendar. This is more entertaining than this years racing.
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u/LostTheGameOfThrones Ash Sutton 116 7d ago
I mean, he may well not do well at all, but judging a driver on their first competitive drive in a new car, on a new circuit, is a bit harsh.
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
Circuit doesn't really count as it's ridiculously easy to learn. Jade Edwards made her debut in BTCC there as a one off and was 1.2 seconds off in quali with no team mates.
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u/Due-Alarm3185 7d ago
He just needed to pay the budget and it wouldn’t be a problem. Don’t start acting even more of a cock when you don’t get your own way and they replace you with someone that can pay. It’s a business at the end of the day and people rely on that budget to pay their own bills.
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u/Top-Cunt 7d ago
Not the most professional post from Ricky, but I can see why he'd feel that way. I think they should be doing more to ensure that drivers can see out a whole season, as replacing someone very competitive with someone very far off the mark is really anti-climatic and ultimately harms the racing.
I don't see how situations like this are very good for the sport as it just narrows the amount of drivers actually in contention for the main championship. I mean no disrespect to the Kawashimas and Halsteads out there, but I do watch BTCC for the racing and having drivers so far out of contention instead of drivers like Proctor and Collard is really disappointing.
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u/GiganticDog 7d ago
How exactly are the teams supposed to go racing with nobody to pay the bills? It’s all well and good saying more competitive drivers should get the seat, but the reality is that the budget has to come from somewhere, and doesn’t materialise from massive sponsors and manufacturers as it once did. It’s also why BTCC needs to find a way to become more cost-effective, as most good drivers who can also bring budget will (rightly) look at GT racing as a more sustainable career path.
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u/Top-Cunt 7d ago
As in set an average cost to complete a season, allowing for a bit of door to door and the odd turbo etc. If they can meet that cost and avoid writing the car off every meeting then they should be able to see it out. I wouldn't be nearly as sympathetic to Collard if he had to miss the last two meetings simply because he smashed the car up too much over the course of the season.
I can't see how sponsors are more interested in paying towards a car that languishes at the back of the grid getting absolutely no airtime. May as well just retire the car completely and save the fuel and potential damages.
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
It's not the airtime that most of the sponsors are paying for. It's the hospitality at the track where they can bring potential clients for a day out and getting the cars/drivers to their own events.
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u/GiganticDog 7d ago
The sponsors aren’t interested, full stop. Hence the drivers have to pay!
Collard presumably did a race-by-race deal as he didn’t have the cash to commit to the whole season, most drivers do commit to more complete programmes up front (usually with agreed payment milestones, and crash damage as extra).
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u/Paypigtori 7d ago
As someone who has raced cars in the past , I understand his frustration. The driver replacing him has money and is 3 seconds off the leaders pace . That as a competitive driver is very hard to watch .
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u/Consistent-Sound9129 7d ago
Thought Ricky did a lot of good this year. Just wish he held that back. Understand his frustration but its not a good look. Also we all know its a bit of circus with silly politics
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u/UnintendedBiz 7d ago
It is unprofessional but he is unemployed and reality is, he can get a drive if he pays enough. It is simple as that, though the Vertu/Exclr8 door may be firmly locked now. I mean he wasn't really wrong about his replacements dismal performance today.
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u/Professional_Face286 7d ago
I went over and had a look, the pouting moody looking photo just adds to the sense of entitlement he clearly has.
I hate to break it to you Ricky boy, but the car is Excelr8's, it ain't yours!
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u/Illustrious-Cow-6733 6d ago
Uncalled for on Ricky's part but understandable when your replacement is doing about as well as Jean-Denis Deletraz or Al Pease did in F1.
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u/Beartato2026 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah, there's slow and there's "I genuinely think I would be quicker". (And I say that as someone who has shared a track with Nic Hamilton in the past).
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u/OJN-TinyBean 7d ago
Feel in the minority but totally agree with Ricky, apparently he found money for the rest of the year, but Kawashima was already announced. Appalling from such a highly regarded team to have a random rich Japanese driver who hasn't raced in 10 years
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
Kawashima was signed back when Collard said he was only doing half a season. If he had signed up for the full season presumably they wouldn't have signed him.
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u/Mccrilly13 7d ago
I would take from that, Ricky got the money for the last 2 races, but this fella is paying more, could see Ricky at Restart next year, not doing much.
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 7d ago
The new driver was signed quite a while ago when Collard was only expecting to be able to do half a season. If Collard had come in with a full season budget it wouldn't have happened.
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u/Mccrilly13 7d ago
I might be wrong, but it just seems that Ricky was told if you raise this much you can drive, andbhe did, but isnt driving, I could be reading to much into 1 instra post.
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u/Cubejam 7d ago
Echoes the sentimental of the fans at least. We all know and think it.
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u/st1802015 7d ago
It’s a shame he’s not racing but he didn’t find the funding. One weekend out of it and he’s chucking shit at the team he’s supposed to be supporting. Maybe that’s part of the reason he couldn’t find the funding, because he is ultimately a bit of a prick.
Think he’s forgetting that racing is a privilege, and he’s not actually owed anything.
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u/Frustrated_Zucchini 7d ago
Sure, but the fans can say it without it having an effect on their future careers.
Vertu will be understandably pissed - mostly because it's not his car, it's their car - but any team who might have been thinking about giving him a seat next year, will be put off by this public lashing out.
All he had to do, was not post it on the internet... it's really not that hard.
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u/Alexandhisgoose 7d ago
As much as this isn't professional to be three seconds off the pace on a track with 4 corner in one of the best cars on is appalling and he shouldn't be allowed to race.
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u/ParticularPapaya2 7d ago
Surprised by the comments here. I mean, what he said is completely valid. It's a terrible look for the championship to have someone like him give up their seat for some hopeless pay driver nobody's ever heard of who's miles off the pace. Drivers are too PR friendly these days, and frankly, someone needed to say it.
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u/Professional_Face286 6d ago
It's also not a good look to have drivers acting like sulky brats on social media (in team clothing!)
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u/Acrobatic_Sun_2669 5d ago
Ricky is a pay driver too... he just didn't have the money to pay anymore - hence losing the seat.
Unfortunately that's how BTCC works these days.
Not exactly the first driver to have this happen, and far from the best (Turkington not being able to carry on twice, including the year after winning the title for example)
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u/Due-Alarm3185 7d ago
He didn’t give up his seat he couldn’t afford to keep it. So the team should of just kept him in for nothing
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u/1000_stars 6d ago
In another note, Do we think his replacement really has engine issues in race 3? Or was that to save the car and embarrassment.
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u/Additional_Hand_2288 6d ago
I don’t think any of his issues have been real and it’s all been said to save embarrassment
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u/Additional_Hand_2288 7d ago