Super Tourers stalling?

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Current page

165

Current page

166

Current page

167

Current page

168

Current page

169

Current page

170

Current page

171

Current page

172

Current page

173

Current page

174

Current page

175

Current page

176

Current page

177

Current page

178

Current page

179

Current page

180

Current page

181

Current page

182

Current page

183

Current page

184

Current page

185

Current page

186

Current page

187

Current page

188

Current page

189

Current page

190

Current page

191

Current page

192

Current page

193

Current page

194

Current page

195

Current page

196

Current page

197

Current page

198

Current page

199

Current page

200

Current page

201

Current page

202

Current page

203

Current page

204

Current page

205

Eligible cars are plentiful, but few compete

The HSCC Super Touring Car Championship was one of the most eagerly anticipated historic racing developments when it expanded to formal championship status in 2014. It seemed to promise the return of one of the most popular and exciting categories, which has gone down in lore as the pinnacle of British touring car racing.

But just four years on from its relaunch, the reality is very different. Race organisers have struggled to attract entries and competitors have complained about the expense of keeping their complex machines running.

Now, even the championship organisers appear to be worried about its future. HSCC competition secretary Alan Jones admits that the championship is “going through a bit of a dip at the moment,” after a grid of just 11 cars made it to the opening meeting of 2018 at Donington Park in May.

Jones puts the low numbers down to the complexity of the engines making it difficult for privateers to run the cars. “There was quite a bit of manufacturer involvement in period, and they were making, effectively one-off engines,” Jones says. “Cars like the Ford Mondeo were purpose-built by the manufacturers,” he adds.

Super Touring came into its own during the mid-1990s and featured family saloon cars that wouldn’t look out of place on a suburban driveway. The racing was intense and fans could relate to cars, making it one of the most popular championships in Britain. Manufacturers loved it, too, with Ford, BMW, Vauxhall, Honda, Audi and Renault among those involved and teams such as Williams and Prodrive ran their cars. Partly because of this costs spiralled and the series imploded in the early 2000s – a victim of its own success. 

Today, specialist manufacturers such as Judd have had to step in to help competitors rebuild engines for historic competition. Double BTCC champion John Cleland, who is running a 1997 Vauxhall Vectra in the championship, says that “The grids are very thin, and not all the cars are super tourers anyway. We just need more cars of this type to come out. There are a lot out there, and there will probably be two dozen within a 40-mile radius of Donington itself.

“The perception is that they’re expensive to run – and I think that’s what scares people off – but they’re not if you maintain them.”

Historic racer and current British GT front-runner Jason Minshaw concurs: “There’s a lot of rubbish about people saying that you need a team of 40 people to run one of these touring cars, and you can’t start one without a laptop.

“I’ve built a Volvo S40 and run it as a 26-year-old lad and it’s not rocket science. It’s just that everybody’s frightened of them. If you’ve got plenty of spares, running a Super Tourer isn’t a problem.”

But Minshaw, who is restoring a Volvo 850 estate as a demo car, to run at the Silverstone Classic in celebration of the BTCC’s 60th anniversary, won’t be racing it – there just aren’t enough spares around.

Some competitors have expressed disappointment over the spec-Hoosier tyres, which don’t reflect the cars’ performance, and have a narrow, inconsistent window of performance. The HSCC says it is aware of the tyre issue and is working on a solution.

Whether that will be enough to boost the championship remains to be seen, but the HSCC remains optimistic: “It’s probably one of the most challenging points that the championship has got to, and we’re hoping that it bounces back,” says Jones.

WIRDHEIM WINS AT LAST

Former Jaguar Formula 1 reserve Björn Wirdheim won in Monaco on his debut as a historic racer (left) – and avenged a quirky misfortune that had befallen him 15 years beforehand.

Wirdheim was FIA F3000 champion in 2003, finishing on the podium in nine of the 10 rounds. He scored three victories – although that would have been four but for a bizarre incident in Monaco. Having dominated from the start, the Swede slowed on the final straight in the mistaken belief that he had already taken the flag. While he began celebrating, Dane Nicolas Kiesa – still at full racing speed – stole past to win by less than a second.

Now 38, Wirdheim has spent most of his recent career in Japan. He was also co-winner of the 2015 European Le Mans Series. At the GP de Monaco Historique he was invited to race the March 711 of his former manager Eje Elgh, who had Swedish TV commitments at the clashing Spanish GP. After qualifying on pole, Wirdheim didn’t put a foot wrong in the race for 1966-1972 F1 cars and resisted fierce pressure from Stuart Hall (McLaren M19) to win by 0.389sec.

“When I was asked to do it, I said straight away that it would be a chance to lay a ghost to rest,” he said. “I really enjoyed it – and it was such a tough race, too. I had wondered whether things might be a little bit more relaxed in historic racing, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’ve raced against Stuart in the WEC and know all about him. He didn’t allow me a moment’s rest.

“It was nice to drive something that relied so much on driver input, too. I’ve been racing GT3 cars for the past five years and, if I’m honest, they are probably becoming a little bit too easy. I’d love to do some more of this.”

‘LE MONSTRE’ BACK

Derek Drinkwater plans to enter his Cadillac ‘Le Monstre’ replica and his Cadillac Series 61 Coupé in the Le Mans Classic on July 6-8, aiming to emulate Briggs Cunningham’s bold entry into the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours.

‘Le Monstre’, also known as the Cadillac Series 61 Aerodynamic Roadster, competed at the event with a striking body designed to reduce drag.

The ‘Le Monstre’ replica was built by Drinkwater in his garage, using a projector to trace the replica’s bodywork and match it to the original ‘Le Monstre’, making sure that every individual rivet is in the right place.

It will be powered by the same 331ci engine as the original roadster, complete with a three-speed LaSalle gearbox. As a result, Drinkwater says that his ‘Le Monstre’ should hit a top speed 17mph faster than the original, thanks to a lighter flywheel, increased compression ratio and modern tyres.

“We wanted to do a ‘Cunningham Team’,” said Drinkwater. “We’ve got a 61 Series replica that we raced in 2016, but the engine failed. Now we’ve built the ‘Le Monstre’ so we’ve got the pair.

The only thing I would say that is different to the original is that the headboard is stronger, in compliance with modern-day standards.”

He aims to test his roadster at Brands Hatch before the American Speedfest, at which he will display the two Cadillacs.

200MPH AT PENDINES

Entrepreneur Zef Eisenberg became the first person to break the 200mph barrier at Pendine Sands when he set a motorcycle speed record of 201.572mph at the Straightliners Speed Event on May 13.

Pendine has long been associated with record-breaking in the UK, Malcolm Campbell having run there at 146.16mph with Blue Bird back in 1924.

“It can be a very difficult track,” said Eisenberg, “You often encounter washed-up jellyfish!” The Guernsey-born rider was on a supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa.