The
1993 championship was full of great cars, drivers and teams but driving
standards were going downhill with drivers getting away with that more
often than not. The Schnitzer BMW team dominated the start of the
season with first Soper and then Winkelhock, and managed to keep the
lead to the end of the season where the front drive brigade had the
upper hand. Thankfully for BMW, the teams took points away from each
other. Since most of the teams had some sort of glory during the
season, it is probably best to name them all.
BMW: though both Vic Lee and
Prodrive left the BTCC, the latter since they were unsure if the car
would be competitive, the gap was filled in by the brilliant Schnitzer
team. At least when it was dry, the Yokohama tires were an advantage
early in the season, the drivers did the rest.
Vauxhall: the CC team with
Cleland and Allam slipped down the order during the season, only one
race win for them - a miserable season by their standards. The Ecosse
team with Mallock-built Cavaliers did better but Leslie was unlucky
despite four poles (on Dunlop tires); finally, a win late in the season
was some sort of a reward, together win a win in the TOCA shootout.
Toyota: four TOM’s Carinas were
entered, two with a junior team, but the “works” team with Hoy and
Bailey was clearly faster. The cars were regular top-5 qualifiers but a
chance to shine for a big crowd at the Silverstone GP meeting ended in
tears when the leading cars collided. There was a single win at
Knockhill, but Hoy was unlucky while Bailey was consistent but
shone only occasionally.
Nissan: apart from two Janspeed
cars there was an extra car for Needell run by NME; a popular victory
at the GP meeting, two seconds but not a lot more.
Ford: the Mondeo came late in
the season, after experiments with rear-wheel drive did not work out.
The car was fast from the start, and Radisich had a string of good
results which enabled a third place in the standings - and the World
Cup at Monza.
Peugeot: Gravett, O’Brien and Flux had a difficult season; a second at Brands was the best result.
Renault: the 19 was probably
the wrong car to use; helped by its Michelin tires, an unexpected 1-2
at Donington gave the team some confidence, but instead of reigning
champion Harvey it was young Menu who impressed most during the season.
Mazda: an under financed single
car effort had limited success for Watts; the car was quick but no
podium was achieved; the only car to do so.
The TOCA privateer cup was won by Neal (Dynamics BMW) only two points ahead of Khan (Cavalier).
The races: |
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Silverstone |
Donington GP |
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Donington |
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Knockhill | Oulton Park | Brands Hatch |
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