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Originally Posted by Jesper OH
Before I continue with another season, I have a few random remarks about the 1985 season.
Didn't know much about Patrick Watts before his 1990s Super Touring exploits and very flamboyant driving style. Obviously class winning potential in the previous seasons with the MG Metro Turbo, but never seemed to be in the hunt here in 1985 in the North Essex Motorsport Ford Escort RS1600i. Was the car simply not up to scratch compared to the other Escorts, as Watts scored a single third at round 4 at Donington.
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Watts was a fairly prolific, at least in terms of race wins, one make racer in Mini's Metro's etc before he stepped up to Group A. The North Essex RS1600 was the ex Jock Robertson/Pegasus car I think. It wasn't properly sorted in 83/84 either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesper OH
Richard Belcher is not a name I'm familiar with but winning class C on four occations taking second in class from Alan Curnow in the Datapost Escort. Is the John Jeffreys Engineering Escort the same white/blue/red car that ended down under in late 1986?
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Again, Belcher was a regular Metro (and prior to that Mini?) racer. His car was I think an ex Datapost car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesper OH
Looking at class B, the turbo cars of Graham Goode and later Richard Longman was streets ahead of the ageing Alfa GTV6s. Four of those raced on a regular basis. The Terry Drury cars seems to have disappeared towards the end of the year though.
Of the class A runners, I'm most impressed by Neil McGrath finishing third in class. Again a driver I know little of but he finished all his 11 starts, somehow missing at round 10 at Brands Hatch in August.
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Indeed, the Alfa's were almost past it in sprint trim (although in Germany it was still ok thanks to handicapping?) by the time the Nissan really found it's feet and the RS Turbo came along.
As with Watts and Belcher, McGrath was another BL one make exponent for many years, and IIRC gave Steve Soper a real run in the Mini 1275 series in the late 70's?