Pole position:
Fastest lap: Graham in 1.41,8 = 150,81 kmh
Distance: 20 laps
Average speed: 146,45 kmh
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1975 Cars
The last round of the RAC Touring Car Championship, which reverted to its former name as the Southern Organs money dried up. Stuart Graham, Andy Rouse and Win Percy were all there, tied on 75 points, but Rouse (Leyland ST Dolomite) held the advantage with a greater number of class wins. Stuart Graham, out for the last time in his immaculate Brut Camaro with the 7.4-litre engine installed, claimed pole position at 1.42,2. Richard Lloyd was busy confusing everyone, for the oil pump failed on his usual Simoniz Camaro so he switched to Brian Pepper's 5.7-litre Camaro instead, Pepper feeling the effects of flu and deciding not to race. Elsewhere in the order Bill Gubelmann had the bearings run on his Capri so Whizzo Williams, who was to have raced the Capri, was slotted into Lloyd's Simoniz car to start from the back of the grid. Stuart Graham had the race in his pocket, and didn't need to extend himself in the slightest to win. Vince Woodman's VMW Racing Camaro was easily second, ahead of Lloyd in Pepper's car, for the opening laps, but when a front damper broke on Woodman's car he fell back very quickly and Lloyd was through to second place on lap eight. Brian Muir headed Andy Rouse for all except the last 20 yards, the 20 yards that mattered, Rouse's silver Ralph Broad-tuned car lunging at Muir's time and again without success. Williams had started from the back of the grid without practice, and despite having to learn the car (with hardly any oil pressure) was soon climbing the lap charts, happily puffing out clouds of smoke as he went. An eventual sixth place was his reward. Bob Ridgard's Camaro was a strong midfield runner early in the race, until a trailing exhaust lost him two laps in the pits, and then, on the very last lap, Ridgard was almost the cause of a potentially controversial end to the championship. With seconds to go he crashed heavily at Clearways, apparently after a steering failure, and the yellow flags were brandished at Muir and Rouse as they approached the last corner. Coming on to the top straight, well past the accident, Muir pulled over and Rouse stormed by to win the class, all beautifully stage-managed. . . except that, technically, they were still under yellows until the start/finish line, the next marshals' post! No one was cad enough to protest, and Sid Offord firmly dismissed any thought of official action ("This is show business, let's face it") so Andy Rouse and Leyland Triumph claimed the title, very well deserved too. Despite his broken damper, Woodman just held off the battling Dolomites, and behind Williams in sixth place were John Handley's Commodore and John Hine's Ford Capri, the last unlapped runners. |
|
Touring Cars class A-D
|
||||||||||||
| Pos | Pos in class | # | Team / Entrant Car- Engine |
Drivers, Nationality | Engine vol. (cc) |
Engine Type |
Group | Distance, time |
Qualifying position | Qualifying time | Fastest lap | Reason out |
| 1 | 1 | Fabergé Racing Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Stuart Graham, GB |
7443 | V8 | D | 20 laps, 34.56,8 | 1 | 1.42,2 | 1.41,8 | ||
| 2 | 2 | General Relays Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Richard Lloyd, GB |
5736 | V8 | D | 20 laps, 35.19 | |||||
| 3 | 3 | VMW Motors - Team Esso Uniflo Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Vince Woodman, GB |
5736 | V8 | D | 20 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | 1 | Triumph Team Piranha Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Andy Rouse, GB |
1998 | L4 | B | 20 laps, 35.47,0 | 3 | 1.46,0 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Shellsport Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Brian Muir, AUS |
1998 | L4 | B | 20 | |||||
| 6 | 4 | Think Automotive/Simoniz Racing Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Barrie Williams, GB |
7443 | V8 | D | 20 | no time | ||||
| 7 | 1 | Dealer Opel Team Opel Commodore GS/E |
John Handley, GB |
2784 | L6 | C | 20 laps, 36.03,8 | 1.47,0 | ||||
| 8 | 2 | Adlards of Brixton Ford Capri II 3.0 GT |
John Hine, GB |
2993 | V6 | C | 20 laps, 36.03,8 | |||||
| 9 | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Roger Payne, GB |
5736 | V8 | D | 19 | |||||
| 10 | 3 | Allen of Romford Ford Escort RS 2000 |
Allan Wilkinson, GB |
1993 | L4 | B | 19 | |||||
| 11 | 3 | Ford Capri 3000 |
Stuart Rolt, GB |
2993 | V6 | C | 19 | |||||
| 12 | 4 | Ottershaw Motors Opel Commodore GS/E |
Shaun Jackson, GB |
2784 | L6 | C | 19 | |||||
| 4 | Ford Escort RS 2000 |
Alan Foster, GB |
1993 | L4 | B | 19 | ||||||
| 1 | Samurai Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT |
Win Percy, GB |
1588 | L4 | A | 19 laps, 35.35,4 | (1) | 1.50,8 | ||||
| 2 | Penthouse Racing Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior |
Stan Clark, GB |
1570 | L4 | A | 19 | ||||||
| 3 | Samurai Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT |
Brian Cutting, GB |
1588 | L4 | A | 19 | (2) | Puncture | ||||
| 4 | Renault R 17 TS |
M. Anderson |
1565 | L4 | A | 19 | ||||||
| DNF | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 |
Bob Ridgard, ZA |
5736? | V8 | D | 19? | ||||||
| DNF | Triumph Team Piranha Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Roger Bell, GB |
1998 | L4 | B | Engine | ||||||
| DNF | V.W. Derrington Hillman Avenger 1600 GT |
David Vizard, GB |
1594 | L4 | A | 10 | Blown engine | |||||
| DNS | Wisharts Garages Ford Capri II 3.0 GT |
Bill Gubelmann, USA |
2993 | V6 | C | Bearings | ||||||