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Old 18 Nov 2007, 13:45 (Ref:2070169)   #1
kurtiejjj
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Trakstar Ford Sierra Sapphire - 1991 BTCC

Whatever happened to the Sierra Gravett in the 1991 BTCC? It was supertouring spec wasn't it? I am quite sure there was a second sierra racing at the time, however I don't know who drove it...
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Old 18 Nov 2007, 15:24 (Ref:2070220)   #2
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Originally Posted by kurtiejjj
Whatever happened to the Sierra Gravett in the 1991 BTCC? It was supertouring spec wasn't it? I am quite sure there was a second sierra racing at the time, however I don't know who drove it...
If it's just the 4-door Sapphire bodyshell you're interested in there were three examples built to 2-litre regs for the BTCC.

The first was the Rouse-built car run in 1990 by Ray Bellm and occasionally Chris Hodgetts. This re-appeared at Snetterton in 93 for Jim Wheals, who then sold it on to Bob Berridge who raced it in the second half of the season.

The second was the 1991 RobbGravett Trakstar/Shell car you're interested in. It was intended as part of a 2-car effort, the second never appeared. Think the driver for the second car might have been intended as Sean Walker- from memory he appeared in qualifying at one round in a 'restricted' RS500 but didn't start. Don't know what happened to the car subsequently.

The third was Dave Brodie's car which appeared sporadically from mid-season in 1991. I won't swear to this, but it might have been 4X4? I'm think I also remember seeing it in a saloon/GT race in at least one of the end of season Brands Hatch winter club meetings, with an RS500 engine. Brodie might have raced it subsequently in that form.

Dave Pinkney entered a Sapphire in 1992, but this never raced- it appeared at the British GP meeting but never ran- it apparently turned up without the engine, which wasn't prepared in time.
According to the Touring Car Year annual for that year, it may have been the ex-Brodie chassis (at least the book describes it as being bought from Brodie) and apparently was intended to use a V6 engine rather than the 4-cylinder..

There were a couple of 3-door Sierras run in 2-litre form in the BTCC- a Grahame Goode-run car for Andy Middlehurst in 1991, and long-time BTCC privateer Dennis Leech's black & orange car in 92- Leech had appeared in a few early-season 1991 rounds in a restricted RS500.

Think I've got photos somewhere of the Gravett and Middlehurst cars, and possibly Brodie's- I'll see what I can find

Last edited by KA; 18 Nov 2007 at 15:31.
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Old 18 Nov 2007, 15:52 (Ref:2070232)   #3
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I don't have any of my pics from that season scanned, but Peter Still's website came to the rescue with pics from the same 1991 Brand Hatch BTCC round:

Gravett 1991 Brands Hatch
http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga...91_07.jpg.html

Brodie 1991 Brands Hatch- think this was the debut for the car
http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga...91_12.jpg.html

Andy Middlehurst's 3-door- again same Brands meeting
http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga...91_20.jpg.html

Last edited by KA; 18 Nov 2007 at 15:55.
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Old 18 Nov 2007, 21:34 (Ref:2070422)   #4
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From memory, the Trakstar car experimented heavily with locations of engine / gearbox, but what was good in theory didn't work out in practice. I've got a programme from a '91 Brands Hatch round that has a big feature on the car - I'll try and find it and post some relevant info.
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Old 18 Nov 2007, 22:59 (Ref:2070444)   #5
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That is already some stunning information! :thumbsup:

What I still don't quite grasp was 1991 already a fulll supertouring year or more a transitional year?

E.g. how much BHP would these sierra/Sapphires have had? 270? 280BHP?

Come to think of there is another photo of gravett in a different livery than the shell one on the web somewhere.
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Old 19 Nov 2007, 00:31 (Ref:2070490)   #6
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1990 was the transitional year. Gravett won that in an RS500, so he carried the #1, but BMW and Vauxhall had a years development headstart. '91 was purely 2l.

According to the article I have the car didn't turn a wheel until practice for the first race at Silverstone, they couldn't get it to "steer, handle, or react to suspension alterations". Then later on it says the team is concentrating on getting more top end power out of the n/a unit, as the head was designed for the turbo unit.

There were plans to get Mike Smith out in a second car for the next round (Silverstone again, the Brands round was late June), but i don't know if that happened.

Andy Middlehurst in his Sierra was slightly quicker than RG in practice, but I don't have him listed as finishing the race - RG classified 9th (18 entrants, I only have 9 finishers written in, but there may have been more).

There's no reference in the article to the gearbox location - I must have read that somewhere else.
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Old 19 Nov 2007, 16:14 (Ref:2070944)   #7
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Originally Posted by Tim Wilkinson
1990 was the transitional year. Gravett won that in an RS500, so he carried the #1, but BMW and Vauxhall had a years development headstart. '91 was purely 2l.

According to the article I have the car didn't turn a wheel until practice for the first race at Silverstone, they couldn't get it to "steer, handle, or react to suspension alterations". Then later on it says the team is concentrating on getting more top end power out of the n/a unit, as the head was designed for the turbo unit.

There's no reference in the article to the gearbox location - I must have read that somewhere else.
Tim- I definitely remembered the design being pretty radical in terms of engine/gearbox location as well. A quick Google turned up some references to the car in a piece about Gravett which fit what you're suggesting:

http://www.supertouring.co.uk/driver..._gravett2.html

I have a vague memory that the senior engineer or designer responsible for either the original design, or re-engineering it mid-season may have come from a rallying background, but can't think where I've got that from?

The same site turns up some more pics, including the original Rouse Sapphire from 1990:
http://www.supertouring.co.uk/galler...ntrants_2.html
Berridge in the same car in 93,
http://www.supertouring.co.uk/galler...ntrants_5.html

and more of the Brodie
http://www.supertouring.co.uk/galler...ntrants_3.html
and Gravett cars
http://www.supertouring.co.uk/galler..._entrants.html

Last edited by KA; 19 Nov 2007 at 16:22.
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Old 19 Nov 2007, 17:03 (Ref:2070988)   #8
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Originally Posted by KA
...I have a vague memory that the senior engineer or designer responsible for either the original design, or re-engineering it mid-season may have come from a rallying background, but can't think where I've got that from?
IIRC the engineer's name was Alan Wilkinson (?) who I think had some connection with Ford Motorsport.
Also IIRC, initially the car ran a strange sort of combined gearbox/rear axle (transaxle) with a strangely numerically low final drive ratio. Something to do with reducing frictional losses due to the mechanical gearing reduction.
I also seem to remember that this was the component that usually failed! Other (more conventially engineered) Sierra's didn't have these problems.
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Old 19 Nov 2007, 19:30 (Ref:2071092)   #9
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Originally Posted by VIVA GT
IIRC the engineer's name was Alan Wilkinson (?) who I think had some connection with Ford Motorsport.
Also IIRC, initially the car ran a strange sort of combined gearbox/rear axle (transaxle) with a strangely numerically low final drive ratio. Something to do with reducing frictional losses due to the mechanical gearing reduction.
I also seem to remember that this was the component that usually failed! Other (more conventially engineered) Sierra's didn't have these problems.
that name definitely rings a bell- he was ex-Ford and Mitsubishi amongst others I think. I'm pretty sure you're right about the transaxle as well
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Old 21 Nov 2007, 14:55 (Ref:2072534)   #10
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Correct Mike Smith did have something to do with Trackstar but i thought he had something to do with running it. I could be wrong but he was defo involved somewhere along the line. Also Sean Walker did drive for them i can certainly remember him driving the Rs500 think that must of been in 88 or 89 not sure about the saphire.
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Old 21 Nov 2007, 16:58 (Ref:2072619)   #11
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So can anyone remember why the project was pulled at the end of '91?

I recall there was a lot of 'Shell' on the cars (cracking livery IIRC) and I'd guess Ford must have been thinking about backing the team but Robb cleared off to Peugeot and the team folded?

Malcolm Sweetnam ran it for them didn't he?
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Old 21 Nov 2007, 17:25 (Ref:2072641)   #12
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Originally Posted by The Shrew
Correct Mike Smith did have something to do with Trackstar but i thought he had something to do with running it. I could be wrong but he was defo involved somewhere along the line. Also Sean Walker did drive for them i can certainly remember him driving the Rs500 think that must of been in 88 or 89 not sure about the saphire.
Mike Smith & Robb Gravett were the two trackstar drivers, running ex-Dick Johnson RS500's in the BTCC. Apparently, due to lack of budget, they could only afford to run the one normally aspirated car for Gravett, although it was always the plan to get Smithy out in a second car later in the year once the additional budget had been secured. (Which never materialised, or it was spent sorting all the problems out with the first car!).
Sean Walker raced an RS500 for two BTCC seasons. In 1989 the car was run by Graham Goode Racing (co-driven by Damon Hill at the two driver Donington round). In 1990, Sean Walker ran an Andy Rouse run car.
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Old 22 Nov 2007, 08:36 (Ref:2073212)   #13
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chavez should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridchavez should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridchavez should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
The Middlehurst car was competitive on occasions.
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Old 22 Nov 2007, 09:03 (Ref:2073236)   #14
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The Middlehurst car was competitive on occasions.
Despite a very small budget, it finished higher in the championship than the heavily financed Trackstar car...
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Old 23 Nov 2007, 13:49 (Ref:2074170)   #15
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I think aswell that the Trackstar effort was running some weord stuff with a rear mounted gearbox if I rememebr rightly.

I think they were still running Mountune engines but obviously without a turbo.

Gravett got a few podiums I reckon in the car but as people say Middlehurst went very well in his car and the only thing I rememebr Berridge doing is getting in the way in a=race from 93 or summat round Brands!
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Old 23 Nov 2007, 16:29 (Ref:2074272)   #16
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The TRackstar did run a Mountune built, normally aspirated Cosworth engine initiall. However, towards the end of the season (after some kind of falling out IIRC) switched over to Wilcox built units.
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Old 5 Dec 2007, 09:21 (Ref:2081902)   #17
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Dumb question #1
Did the RS500 engine have a BD? designation.
# 2 is, did the Mountune normally aspirated engine use the same block etc.
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Old 5 Dec 2007, 09:46 (Ref:2081928)   #18
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Not a dumb question at all I16 - not many will automatically know this.

I thought it was dubbed the YB!!

In answer to the second bit, yes I think it did run the same block as the turbo engine.....
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Old 5 Dec 2007, 10:27 (Ref:2081959)   #19
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Just to confirm the Sierra Cosworth type engine does not belong to the 'BD' engine family
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Old 5 Dec 2007, 12:27 (Ref:2082048)   #20
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Originally Posted by I16
Dumb question #1
Did the RS500 engine have a BD? designation.
# 2 is, did the Mountune normally aspirated engine use the same block etc.
The RS 500 engine was known as the YBD, the Sierra Cosworth engine was known as the YB family.
YBA - Prototype of this engine.
YBB - 2 wheel drive Sierra Cosworth engine.
YBC - Group A version of the YBB.
YBD - RS500 road car engine.
YBE - Not used (In case someone called it Your Bloody Engine apparently!).
YBF - Group A RS500 engine.
And so on (All information from memory from the Graham Robson Cosworth book).
The n/a YB engines did use the standard block and cylinder head castings.

OK, it's time to put my Cosworth anorak back on and go for a lie down...
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Old 5 Dec 2007, 16:20 (Ref:2082198)   #21
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Highly informative and highly amusing post VIVAGT!!!

Does that help I16?
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Old 6 Dec 2007, 02:50 (Ref:2082548)   #22
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YBH!

.... your big help!.... Thank you for the information.
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Old 19 Jan 2008, 19:21 (Ref:2109491)   #23
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sean walker

sean walker drove the fai car in 89&90 the 89 car was a g/goode prepared car which quite correctly he shared at donnington with damon hill and the 90 car was rouse prepared he had nothing to do with the trakstar team of gravett and mike smith the 89 car has now been sold to a gentleman in australia but i kept the pics of damon and sean at donny in the pits with the car and the letter sean wrote to me confirming the race history
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Old 26 Jan 2008, 17:03 (Ref:2114170)   #24
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I seem to think Trakstar got wound up at the end of the year owing quite a few people money.
What happened to Smithy anyway both racingwise and on TV?
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Old 27 Jan 2008, 02:47 (Ref:2114457)   #25
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Did Trakstar have anything to do with Alistair McRae's 1992 BRC Group N Sapphire entry? It ran with Shell backing and a similiar livery (potentially clutching at straws)
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