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Old 21 Feb 2014, 19:34 (Ref:3370755)   #1
S griffin
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1994 British Touring Car Championship

Here's one I've been thinking about for a while. Start a thread on the 1994 BTCC. This season was the first season I watched. I became a fan of Radisich as a result. I'll start it off with the Teams and Drivers.
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Old 21 Feb 2014, 20:18 (Ref:3370765)   #2
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First the works teams

Alfa Corse. Alfa Romeo 155 Silverstone #55 Gabriele Tarquini #56 Gianpiero Simoni
The team that changed the BTCC forever. They entered the series with the 155 Silverstone Homolgation Special and immediately started dominating, much to the annoyance of the other teams who felt they were going against the spirit of the regulations. Tarquini won the first 5 races, but there was controversy when they ran the car with the front spoiler in the extended position and lost points, but eventually got them back on appeal by compromise, providing the splitter was put back. Only a few incidents and mechanical failures held Tarquini back, but only once when he finished he didn't finish on the podium. A deserving champion. Gianpiero Simoni came in from single seaters and proved fast, but very wild and got himself in trouble a few times, before maturing into a fast and solid driver, with a victory. Indeed he could have won both races at Brands Hatch but he obeyed team orders after being promised he'd get his shot at the title one day. That never came sadly.

GB Motorsport Renault Laguna #10 Alain Menu #11 Tim Harvey
The Lagunas were in to replace the much maligned 19s and were quick almost from the off, but a bit of bad luck delayed them getting results. However Menu then became the first man to beat the Alfas in qualifying and went on to have a very consistent season with 17 consecutive points finishes and 18 in all, more even than Tarquini. Two wins saw him take 2nd in the championship. Tim Harvey seemed to go backwards in races and seemed to get the lion's share of bad luck. However by the end of the year he was back on his teammate's pace and scored a win at Silverstone. What can't have helped him was that 94 was one of those rare seasons where there was no wet race.

Rousesport Ford Mondeo Ghia #3 Paul Radisich #33 Andy Rouse #32 Kelvin Burt #31 Robb Gravett
Ford ended 93 so well and were tipped for the title in 94, even with the Alfas. Paul Radisich became Tarquini's closest challenger and scored consistently and took advantage whenever Tarquini faltered, although the car had problems with it chewing its tyres. Sadly the title challenge ended due to bad qualifying and a series of unreliability, but Paul didn't give up til the end and was rewarded with three wins at Donington at the end. The final round, the TOCA Shootout and the World Cup. Andy Rouse's season didn't start too badly and even beat Radisich at both races at Brands early on, but then he too suffered with the Ford, but retired with his legacy intact. Kelvin Burt drove the third Ford at Silverstone without much success, same with Gravett at Donington, who also did the TOCA Shootout.

RML Vauxhall Cavalier 16v #4 John Cleland #9 Jeff Allam #20 Anthony Reid
Same drivers, different team from 93. With RML, they were able to have a much more stable year than 93. John Cleland was Tarquini's main challenger to begin with, but then started to struggle in qualifying. The team then realized they weren't going to be the fastest in qualifying anyway, so concentrated on race setups and with long lasting Dunlop tyres, were able to perform much better in the races. Vindication of that came at Brands Hatch GP, where Cleland started 12th and finished 5th, passing car after car. Two wins saw him on to fourth in the title. Allam lived up to his reputation as a solid driver who looked after his car and that came good in the heat of Donington where he came third. Anthony Reid drove the third car in the TOCA Shootout.

Schnitzer BMW 318i #1 Joachim Winkelhock #2 Steve Soper #21 Roberto Ravaglia
The reigning champions. It didn't start well, with the weight penalty for rear wheel drive usually confining them to the midfield. However at the British GP a reduction in weight and new aerodynamics saw them back to their best with a 1-2 on the grid. Winkelhock went on to win 4 wins, bettered only by Tarquini. Soper only did a part schedule due to the JTCC, but still shone, the highlight being an opportunistic win at Knockhill. Ravaglia did the races Soper missed, but unfortunately only had one proper race when the car was at it's best. That said, there are people who say he wasn't quite the driver who won six titles in touring cars.

Peugeot Sport Peugeot 405 Mi16 #18 Patrick Watts #13 Eugene O'Brien
Peugeot's best year? Patrick Watts proved that underneath all that crowd pleasing, was a very skilled and serious driver, getting onto the podium four times and featuring in the top six for the first half of the year. He even came close to a win a few times. His teammate O'Brien was allegedly nicknamed General Accident by his mechanics, indeed he had two big accidents and both made him miss a meeting each. But he could match Watts for pace on occasion, although Patrick could transform the car as well.

TOM's Toyota Carina E #5 Julian Bailey #7 Will Hoy #57 Tim Sugden
The team may not have had any wins, but it would be easy to just dismiss their year as dismal. But it wasn't that bad. At the start of the season they would be mixing it in the midfield, but once they got new suspension the car was transformed. Indeed by the final two meetings of the season they were mixing it with Renault, Vauxhall and BMW. Bailey and Hoy did what they could with the cars, with Sugden also not doing too bad in his part time schedule in a third car.

TWR Volvo 850 Estate #14 Jan Lammers #15 Rickard Rydell
'They all laughed when Volvo said they would be entering an estate, but they don't think it's funny anymore.' Murray Walker's immortal lines at Brands Hatch, where Lammers got as high as fourth summed it up. The plan was for there to be a sedan and an Estate, but in the end both cars were Estates. Like the Renault 19s in 93 the car struggled with the privateers to begin with. However by the 3rd round Rydell had qualified the car third. After that the car got better and would mix it with the best on more than one occasion. It certainly could have won in 95, if rule changes hadn't rendered the estate pretty much obsolete.

Janspeed Nissan Primera eGT #23 Keith O'Dor #24 Eric van de Poele #34 Tiff Needell
A disappointment considering the car was a race winner in 93. That said Keith O'Dor proved what a great driver he was, especially at Snetterton where he finished fourth and even challenged Simoni's Alfa for third. Sadly he also had a tendancy to get caught up in someone else's accident. The lowest point for the team was the British GP, where all three cars were in the gravel in the first corner pile up right in front of the Nissan hospitality! VDP didn't exactly set the world on fire like O'Dor did and eventually stepped down to do development work. Needell could get close to O'Dor's pace on occasion and certainly seemed to have a better year than in 93.

RD Motorsport Mazda Xedos 6 #8 David Leslie #12 Matt Neal
The team would be run by Win Percy, but lack of funds hampered it from the start. David Leslie got a few points for the team early doors, while Matt Neal struggled, but it wasn't exactly the ideal situation. His crash at Silverstone ended his year, while Leslie got as far as the British GP, before the team pulled out. However Neal and Mazda were seen again at the TOCA Shootout, possibly run by Team Dynamics.

There's the Works teams, Privateers to come.
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Old 21 Feb 2014, 20:46 (Ref:3370777)   #3
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So let's move on to the Total Cup for Privateers. I'll need help with the origins of these cars

Maxted Motorsport Toyota Carina E/Vauxhall Cavalier 16v #29 James Kaye #17 Ian Khan
Perhaps the most professional of the privateers. James Kaye had possibly the best car in the Total Cup and despite a few incidents did an outstanding job, beating Nigel Smith to the title after a season long battle. He may not have scored any points overall, but his consistency in the category was excellent. Ian Khan did the first race in a Toyota, before switching back to a Vauxhall as he had driven in 93, but was almost invisible, indeed he was never mentioned on the review video when he was in his Vauxhall(I first found out who it was on the 93 video) before disappearing completely.

Team HMSO Vauxhall Cavalier #25 Nigel Smith
Nigel Smith's own team with the 93 David Leslie Vauxhall. Smith was a welcome addition to the championship with his personality and challenged champion James Kaye right to the end of the season. He drove with professionalism and despite only winning 4 races to Kaye's 10 he was still in contention at the final race. One of only two privateers to score a point outright too.

Roy Kennedy Racing Vauxhall Cavalier #30 Chris Goodwin/Julian Westwood
Chris Goodwin could have challenged both Smith and Kaye in this ex works car, but sadly had to miss a few rounds, so although he did win races and even lead the Total Cup, he was not in contention come the final round. A few incidents didn't help either. Ex single seater driver Julian Westwood competed in the TOCA Shootout.

Woodkirk Peugeot 406 Mi16 #19 James Thompson
Ex works car, not sure which one? Anyway Thompson made his step up from the National Saloon Car Championship in the year he turned 20. Although there were a few problems, including having to miss a couple of rounds, Thompson showed what a talent he was. He took two wins, including one at the British GP where he finished 10th and was being offered drives from works teams for 95. He signed for Vauxhall and the rest is history

Harrow Motorsport Renault 19 16v #27 Nigel Albon
Didn't do a bad job and could challenge the best privateers on occasion and got a win at Oulton Park where various incidents meant the win was up for grabs. However he incurred the wrath of the other Nigel (Smith) over his driving tactics on more than one occasion.

Hamish Irvine BMW 318is #26 Hamish Irvine
Irvine made his return in the championship in one of the Team Dynamics BMWs from 93. He didn't do too badly, but never got close to a win either. His best finish was 13th overall at Knockhill

Geoff Steel Racing BMW 318is #22 Geoff Steel
The Modified Saloon Champion made his debut in another of the ex Team Dynamics BMWs, but only really seemed to attract attention when he was having a moment, of that he had a lot! His best finish in the Privateers was third at Oulton.

Ian Flux Peugeot 406 #20 Ian Flux
The one that never was. He had entered the Total Cup in possibly the car he drove in 93, but never raced.
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Old 23 Feb 2014, 20:23 (Ref:3371352)   #4
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So any useful titbits you can think of from that season?
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Old 23 Feb 2014, 21:38 (Ref:3371383)   #5
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However Neal and Mazda were seen again at the TOCA Shootout, possibly run by Team Dynamics.

There's the Works teams, Privateers to come.
Neal did the FIA World Cup and TOCA Shootout in a new Mazda 323, built by Roger Dowson's RD Motorsport, but financed by Team Dynamics. I can't remember who actually ran it at Donington (on the entry list at least it was entered as a Mazda works entry), but it never appeared again.

The car eventually was sold to Belgium, where it raced in Belcar, and then to Greece

http://www.supertouringregister.com/...r/vehicle/131/
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Old 24 Feb 2014, 21:37 (Ref:3371778)   #6
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Craner Curves should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridCraner Curves should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridCraner Curves should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridCraner Curves should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
No mention of the Crinkley Bottom Motor Club?
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Old 24 Feb 2014, 21:43 (Ref:3371781)   #7
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Well mentioned! Mazda were supposed to get funding from Noel Edmonds, but it never happened. I wonder why?
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Old 25 Feb 2014, 07:29 (Ref:3371900)   #8
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DAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridDAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridDAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
If Alfa Romeo dealers delivered cars to customers with the front spoiler extended and the rear wing extensions fitted and showed purchasers how to withdraw/remove them, would there have been less controversy?
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Old 1 Mar 2014, 09:29 (Ref:3373527)   #9
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This week's Autosport has a feature on the Volvo Estate and how TWR almost didn't do the project due to the rivalry between the Volvos and TWR Jags in the 80s.
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Old 3 Mar 2014, 09:42 (Ref:3374305)   #10
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This week's Autosport has a feature on the Volvo Estate and how TWR almost didn't do the project due to the rivalry between the Volvos and TWR Jags in the 80s.
Pah! I can't imagine for one millisecond that Major Tom would let anything get in the way of taking on a money making deal!

This is an operation that managed to juggle several different manufacturer programmes in the same series in the 1980's!!

Conflict of interest?

Not at all.
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Old 3 Mar 2014, 11:16 (Ref:3374343)   #11
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andy97 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridandy97 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
It was reported that factions within Volvo that didn't want the deal with TWR, nothing to do with TWRs ability to do several jobs at once.
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Old 3 Mar 2014, 11:19 (Ref:3374344)   #12
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It was reported that factions within Volvo that didn't want the deal with TWR, nothing to do with TWRs ability to do several jobs at once.
I can well imagine any astute financial people there may have raised questions.
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Old 5 Apr 2014, 12:26 (Ref:3388979)   #13
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1994 British Touring Car Championship

Thought I'd add a bit more to the thread by talking about the pile up at the British GP.

Alain Menu was on the outside of Bailey going into, just slightly ahead. He went to take the line for Copse, but Bailey was there and the two cars touched, with Menu managing to hold it and Bailey going off into the gravel and having his front bumper taken off by Jan Lammers, who managed to continue with the Toyota bumper hanging off the back of the car, before Julian was hit by Tiff Needell. Meanwhile John Cleland had seen what had happened and tried to use the kerbing to avoid it, but Simoni probably had the same idea and them two collided in a carbon copy of the one ahead. Both cars were broadside across the circuit and Keith O'Dor hit the back of both cars, taking Simoni and Hoy off into the gravel with him, although the latter two managed to keep going. Andy Rouse braked to avoid the carnage and got hit from behind and into the gravel, but he too rejoined. Eric van de Poele who was on the outside of Rouse, also went into the gravel, as did O'Brien, Leslie and Nigel Alborn, who hit one of the Nissans in the gravel. It is mentioned that Chris Goodwin was eliminated on the season review video and although his car wasn't in the gravel, there is a shot of him in the background exiting Copse with a dent on the front of his car. Menu was fined by the stewards as a result of all this. Of the drivers who did not get going, only Leslie took the restart. Meanwhile Simoni did one lap in his damaged car, which included a damaged door and loads of smoke, before retiring.

Finally, funniest moment was seeing John Cleland interviewed with an ice cream in his hand!
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Old 5 Apr 2014, 13:57 (Ref:3389003)   #14
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Great touring car era. First with DTM/ITC and than Supertouring. At that time I didn't realize it was so special.
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Old 6 Aug 2014, 12:54 (Ref:3441933)   #15
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Here's another thing to add. Anyone know any interesting moments that weren't on the season review?
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Old 9 Aug 2014, 03:36 (Ref:3442638)   #16
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mountainstar should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridmountainstar should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridmountainstar should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
I think that season was one of the best in touring car racing history. I will always have fond memories of it.
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