The month in Motor Sport

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OCTOBER

13: The FIA’s World Motor Sports Council ratifies changes to F1 technology, though no official regulations are forthcoming. As expected, traction control and other driver ‘aids’ are to be banned, while refuelling is made permissible once again. An F1 calendar is also issued. This includes Argentine and Pacific Grands Prix, at circuits which have still to be confirmed. South Africa and Europe (Donington Park) are dropped to make way.

13: The FIA also announces a 10-round World Rally Championship and a nine-event two-litre World Cup.

14: The favoured works cars having fallen by the wayside, Franco Cunico wins the Sanremo Rally in his Ford Escort. Christine Driano, 26th overall in her Citroen AX, does enough to become World Ladies Champion.

14: Martin Brundle escapes with little more than a shaking from a huge testing accident at Magny-Cours.

15: Jean-Marc Gounon finally secures an F1 seat. The Frenchman will replace Christian Fittipaldi at Minardi for the final two Grands Prix of the season.

15: In addition to his confirmed appearance behind the wheel of a Ford Mondeo in the forthcoming TOCA Shoot-Out at Donington Park, Nigel Mansell also signs up to race a TVR Tuscan on the support programme.

16: Neil MacKinnon (Escort Cosworth) wins the Tour of Mull.

16: Stephen Price wins the Cheviot Rally, but father John’s early retirement allows sixth place finisher John Dalton (Darrian T9) to wrap up the Demon TweekslMotoring News National Tarmac Rally Series.

17: Paul Radisich’s Ford Mondeo dominates both heats in the FIA Touring Car Challenge at Monza. Alfa drivers Nicola Larini and Philippe Gache take the next two places on aggregate.

17: Victory at Fuji propels Kazuyoshi Hoshino to the top of the Japanese F3000 Championship. Runner-up Eddie Irvine is two points adrift with one race to run, and Ross Cheever retains an outside chance of the title.

18: Pacific Grand Prix shows off its new F1challenger, the PR01.

18: Volvo confirms that it will contest the 1994 BTCC. TWR will prepare a brace of 850s.

19: Lola’s T93/50, unraced in European F3000, is tested by Paul Stewart Racing at Silverstone. It proves to be quicker than the team’s usual Reynard.

20: Jacques Villeneuve, son of the late Gilles, tests Forsythe-Green Racing’s Lola IndyCar at Indianapolis. Villeneuve, who will contest the full Indy series in 1994, completes 280 laps without drama, and impresses the team with his pace.

20: British F3 champion Kelvin Burt laps quickly when trying PSR’s Reynard F3000 chassis at Silverstone.

22: Distinguished rally privateer Bob Freeborough dies in hospital, after a short illness

23: Innes Ireland succumbs to cancer, aged 63 (see Tribute, page 1202).

23: Ron Dennis crashes the McLaren F1 road car while attempting to demonstrate it Gerhard Berger at Suzuka.

23: Sauber confirms that its drivers for next year will be Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

23: Steve Petch wins the Castrol Crystal Ford Forest Rally. Victory in the ‘Formula 2’ class brings Neil Freeman the Peugeot Sport Gold Star Championship.

24: Ayrton Senna wins the dry/wet/dry Japanese GP, but sours the occasion by thumping impressive F1 debutant Eddie Irvine afterwards (see Delirium Tremens, page 1206).

24: Lotus confirms that Johnny Herbert will stay put in 1994.

24: Victory at Charlotte moves Rusty Wallace closer to NASCAR points leader Dale Earnhardt.

24: The split format of the Formula Ford Festival, run for separate Zetec and Kent engined classes, reduces the event’s impact to a small degree, but there is still some excellent racing. British Open Formula Ford champion Russell Ingall dominates the Zetec section, while Andrew McAuley takes Kent honours.

25: Volkswagen UK announces that it will enter a ‘Formula 2’ Golf on the forthcoming RAC Rally. Jimmy McRae will debut the car.

27: Speculation links DAMS Formula 3000 boss Jean-Paul Driot with an F1 project.

27: Renault confirms that Alain Menu and Tim Harvey will spearhead its works attack in the 1994 BTCC.

28: Indy Lights champion Bryan Herta visits Lola, where he is ‘presented’ with part of his prize – the loan of a T94/00 chassis for the 1994 IndyCar season.

28: Peugeot ‘Masters’ Challenge rally series winner David Higgins is excluded, after a technical check revealed that his engine had holes drilled in its cam pulley, contrary to regulations, though the modification conferred no performance advantage. Higgins’ appeal fails, however, and he loses both his championship prize money and a works Group N drive, in a 309 GTI, on the RAC Rally. The spoils are passed on to Mark Lawn.

29: Simtek unveils its new F1 challenger, the S941.

29: Ayrton Senna and Eddie Irvine are summoned to appear before the FIA World Motor Sports Council, to explain their post-Suzuka contretemps.

29: Ari Vatanen wins the Hong Kong-Beijing Rally, ahead of Colin McRae. The victor donates his prize money to Stefan Freeth, two year-old son of the late Kiwi co-driver Rodger Freeth.

30: David Gillanders wins the Weir Toyota Forest Stages, final round of the Burmah Scottish Rally Championship.

31: David Leslie wins the TOCA Shoot-Out at Donington Park, but the headlines are monopolised by Nigel Mansell, who crashes out of third place and into a parapet at Starkeys Bridge. The IndyCar champion, bruised but otherwise uninjured, spends a precautionary night in hospital. The accident prevents Mansell from starting the TVR Tuscan race, for which he had qualified third.

31: Mark Martin is NASCAR winner at Phoenix. With one race remaining, Dale Earnhardt extends his points lead over Rusty Wallace. He needs only to finish in the top 34 at Atlanta to secure the title.

NOVEMBER

1: Gary Brabham announces that he will run a two-car Indy Lights team in 1994. The team will operate under the Brabham name.

1: It becomes clear that Paul Radisich and Andy Rouse will be Ford’s works drivers in the 1994 BTCC.

1: Vincent Radermecker’s Formula Vauxhall Euroseries title is confirmed, following the rejection of an appeal by Draco Racing, entrant of rival Patrick Crinelli, against the points-scoring format of a restarted race at Zandvoort.

3: Francisco Bofill, one of Spain’s most prolific and successful co-drivers in historic rallies, is found dead at his garage in Barcelona. He was 37.

4: Francois Delecour wins the Cataluna Rally, but the Frenchman’s World Championship hopes evaporate as Juha Kankkunen’s third place proves to be enough to secure the crown.

4: Mercedes-Benz announces that it will have an official presence in both Formula One and IndyCar racing next year, having acquired a 25 per stake in Ilmor Engineering.

5: Tyrrell confirms that Ukyo Katayama will be staying in 1994.

5: Vauxhall gives its works BTCC contract to Ray Mallock, entrant of the Ecurie Ecosse Cavaliers which outpaced the factory cars for most of 1993. Despite his increased commitments, Mallock will also continue to prepare a brace of Cavaliers for Ecosse.

5: The BRSCC says that it is pressing ahead with plans for a British F2 Championship in 1994, despite the series’ poor support this year. There will be two street races in Canada in mid-season and, hopefully, a major series sponsor. There is also talk of a street race in the UK.

6: Ford and Benetton issue a joint statement, confirming that they will be F1 partners again in 1994.

6: Nissan’s new ‘Formula 2’ rally car, the Sunny GTi, is tested in Wales by Gregoire de Mevius.

7: Ayrton Senna ends his relationship with McLaren on a winning note in Adelaide, where Alain Prost concludes his 199-race GP career by finishing second to his archrival. Senna’s win promotes him to second in the World Championship, ahead of Damon Hill. The departing Prost says that he might consider racing outside F1 in the future, should a suitable opportunity present itself.

8: The word from Prodrive, responsible for Subaru’s participation in the World Rally Championship, is that Carlos Sainz could yet join Colin McRae in the team next year.

9: Derek Warwick is reported to be considering a possible NASCAR drive.

9: Bernd Ziskofen, driving force behind the European Rallycross Association, dies aged 51.

10: Reynard commences testing of its 941 IndyCar at Sebring, Florida. Michael Andretti reportedly sets impressive times.

11: Out-of-work F1 racer Gianni Morbidelli tests one of Forti Corse’s F3000 Reynards at Misano. Morbidelli is said to be considering a return to the junior formula, in a bid to revive his career.

12: A new racing ‘package’, the Best of British Motorsport, is launched at Brands Hatch. Organised by the BRSCC, BRDC and BARC, it will function in a similar way to TOCA, with the British F3 Championship as star attraction.

12: Ford’s European Motorsport boss Colin Dobinson flies to Spain to meet Carlos Sainz who, it is now felt, is more likely to drive an Escort Cosworth than he is a Subaru in the 1994 World Rally Championship.

12: The FIA decrees that manufacturers contesting the 1994 WRC must be present it a minimum of nine events in order to be eligible for points.

12: It’s deadline day at the FIA for those wishing to enter the 1994 World Championship. New F1 teams Simtek and Pacific both get their applications in on time, and pay the necessary $500,000 deposit.

12: Richard Westbrook finishes third in the third, and final, round of the Formula Vauxhall Winterseries at Donington Park, which assures him of the title.

14: Thomas Danielsson wins the final round of the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship at Suzuka. Kazuyoshi Hoshino fails to finish, but still takes the title – Lola’s sixth in seven years – as he had won two races to Eddie Irvine’s one, and the Ulsterman’s fourth place had left him level on points with the local hero. Victory would have given the crown to Ross Cheever, but the American finishes second, just ahead of Andrew Gilbert-Scott. Anthony Reid retires from the main event, but makes amends with a win in the supporting F3 race.

14: In an incident-packed Hooters 500 at Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt survives to finish 10th, thereby taking the NASCAR title for a sixth time. His only rival, Rusty Wallace, completes the season with a victory.

14: The Turnbull Stages Rally is marred by the death of John Teasdale, who succumbs to injuries sustained when the Vauxhall Chevette he was co-driving strikes a tree.

15: Nissan confirms that former F1 racer Eric van de Poele will partner Kieth O’dor in the 1994 BTCC.

15: JJ Lehto’s mentor Keke Rosberg reports that his charge will test a Benetton at Estoril later in the month. The Finn apparently has several F1 options available to him for 1994. Elsewhere, Tyrrell confirms that it will be giving Gabriele Tarquini a run at Barcelona in December.

17: Lola announces that it will not be attempting to return to Formula One in 1994. Instead, it will concentrate upon a test and development programme in preparation for 1995. (See Insight, page 1230.)