by Steve Holmes » Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:33 pm
I moved to the UK in 1992, towards the end of the year, and the BTCC that season was coming towards its conclusion. I'd heard about the new Super Touring formula, but hadn't yet seen it in action, and although I didn't get a chance to attend any of the races, I got to watch them all on tv. But this new formula was HUGE in the UK, with lots of manufacturer support. The racing was immense, very cut and thrust, and very close, with lots of biff and barge. It was hugely different to the Group A era that preceded it, which in the UK was dominated by the Sierra RS500s. The 2 Litre Super Tourer category was an all-out brawl, and it seemed anyone could win. Alan Gow and his TOCA company were responsible for the changes, and they also played a part in the very successful tv coverage, which played out like an arcade game, to portray the drama. It was all very successful.
The final round of the '92 BTCC came down to a three-way tussle for the championship, which could go to either Will Hoy in a Toyota, John Cleland in a Vauxhall, or Tim Harvey in a BMW. Hoy was in control early in the race, as the leader of the three main title contenders. Steve Soper, as Harvey's team mate in the Vic Lee Motorsport BMW was very quick, but got involved in some drama which brought about body damage and dropped him down to last place. Harvey managed to catch Hoy, but in attempting to pass him, put them both off the track, allowing Cleland ahead.
Then, as Soper came storming back through the field, he pushed by Cleland to put the Vauxhall driver between himself and Harvey. As Cleland tried to get back past Soper, he allowed Harvey back through, and Soper immediately dropped in behind his team mate to play defence. First Cleland clunked into Soper as he tried to get back by, then, a few corners later, Soper dive-bombed him, and both cars were eliminated on the spot. It was dramatic stuff!
That race really made Super Tourers a world class phenomenon, and in my opinion, most touring car categories today try to emulate that intensity. To my mind, most are too contrived for my liking.
A few months after Harvey won the BTCC, drama unfolded as it turned out the Vic Lee cars were being used to smuggle drugs in and out of the UK, and Vic himself was sent to prison. I believe the cars had special hiding places specifically designed for the drug packages where they couldn't be detected. Incidentally, I got to see one of these cars in the flesh last year when visiting Rick Michels in Invercargill (New Zealand). This is the Tim Harvey BTCC winner. Very cool!
Super Touring cars are appearing more and more at historic events around the world, and deservedly so, this was a ground breaking category, and worthy of its place in history.
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I moved to the UK in 1992, towards the end of the year, and the BTCC that season was coming towards its conclusion. I'd heard about the new Super Touring formula, but hadn't yet seen it in action, and although I didn't get a chance to attend any of the races, I got to watch them all on tv. But this new formula was HUGE in the UK, with lots of manufacturer support. The racing was immense, very cut and thrust, and very close, with lots of biff and barge. It was hugely different to the Group A era that preceded it, which in the UK was dominated by the Sierra RS500s. The 2 Litre Super Tourer category was an all-out brawl, and it seemed anyone could win. Alan Gow and his TOCA company were responsible for the changes, and they also played a part in the very successful tv coverage, which played out like an arcade game, to portray the drama. It was all very successful.
The final round of the '92 BTCC came down to a three-way tussle for the championship, which could go to either Will Hoy in a Toyota, John Cleland in a Vauxhall, or Tim Harvey in a BMW. Hoy was in control early in the race, as the leader of the three main title contenders. Steve Soper, as Harvey's team mate in the Vic Lee Motorsport BMW was very quick, but got involved in some drama which brought about body damage and dropped him down to last place. Harvey managed to catch Hoy, but in attempting to pass him, put them both off the track, allowing Cleland ahead.
Then, as Soper came storming back through the field, he pushed by Cleland to put the Vauxhall driver between himself and Harvey. As Cleland tried to get back past Soper, he allowed Harvey back through, and Soper immediately dropped in behind his team mate to play defence. First Cleland clunked into Soper as he tried to get back by, then, a few corners later, Soper dive-bombed him, and both cars were eliminated on the spot. It was dramatic stuff!
That race really made Super Tourers a world class phenomenon, and in my opinion, most touring car categories today try to emulate that intensity. To my mind, most are too contrived for my liking.
A few months after Harvey won the BTCC, drama unfolded as it turned out the Vic Lee cars were being used to smuggle drugs in and out of the UK, and Vic himself was sent to prison. I believe the cars had special hiding places specifically designed for the drug packages where they couldn't be detected. Incidentally, I got to see one of these cars in the flesh last year when visiting Rick Michels in Invercargill (New Zealand). This is the Tim Harvey BTCC winner. Very cool!
Super Touring cars are appearing more and more at historic events around the world, and deservedly so, this was a ground breaking category, and worthy of its place in history.
[ATTACH]20776[/ATTACH]