Pole position:
Fastest lap: Rouse in 1.33,2
Distance: 22 laps
Average speed: 144,00 kmh
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1976 Cars
With the circuit very oily and the sun still very hot many drivers were concerned about overheating of engines and tyres, particularly some of the Capris. Tom Walkinshaw had dashed back from Silverstone via helicopter to take up his grid position in the Team Castrol Capri, which had been one whole second slower than the Leyland Dolomite Sprint of Andy Rouse. Walkinshaw was in a determined mood, though, and the Capri stole the lead at Campbell first time round by dint of putting two wheels on the grass. Unfortunately Dave Brodie's Mazda could not start from its second-row position. The car had one of Eric Cook's gearboxes fitted after practice problems, but with Patrick Cobb's Toyota ramming it forcibly from behind, Brodie shot away with all the rear end pushed in. First time through Club Walkinshaw led Gordon Spice (Capri), Rouse, Colin Vandervell (Capri), Steve Thompson (Dolomite), Chris Craft (Capri), Richard Lloyd (Opel), Gerry Marshall (Magnum), Holman Blackburn (Capri) and Martin Thomas (Dolomite). By the third lap Rouse was through to second, and the 1.4s gap to Walkinshaw was cut to nothing within two laps as Rouse broke the class record during the chase. Rouse led over the line only once but the Dolomite was more agile and would power past in the complex, only to be retaken at Village, Towards the end the Dolomite slowed marginally with a power loss, leaving Walkinshaw with a narrow victory. Spice took charge of the second bunch and opened a small gap on Vandervell, Thompson, Craft, Lloyd and Marshall. Thompson departed from the fray spectacularly on lap seven with a spin at Cobb (the shock absorbers having gone off), while Marshall dropped back because of a faulty rev counter. Spice was caught by lap 14 and three laps later Craft usurped him from third. Then Spice spun at Club whilst overtaking a backmarker, dropping to sixth. That left just Vandervell to harry Craft, since Lloyd had dropped back after spinning the Ottershaw Opel on lap 14. Craft pulled away in the closing stages to secure third, with Vandervell, Lloyd, Spice and Marshall taking the next places. Win Percy had his customary comfortable win in the 1600 class, while his team mate Barrie Williams spun at Club but continued at unabated pace. Bernard Unett put up another faultless performance in the 1300 class to keep Chrysler's championship hopes very much alive. |
|
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, remarks |
| 1 | 1 | Team Castrol Ford Capri II 3.0 |
Tom Walkinshaw, GB |
2993 | V6 | D | 22 laps, 34.45,4 | 2 | 1.33,6 | |||
| 2 | 1 | British Leyland Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Andy Rouse, GB |
1998 | L4 | C | 22 laps, 34.46,4 | 1 | 1.33,2 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Tricentrol Ford Capri II 3.0 |
Chris Craft, GB |
2993 | V6 | D | 22 | |||||
| 4 | 3 | Triplex Ford Capri II 3.0 |
Colin Vandervell, GB |
2993 | V6 | D | 22 | |||||
| 5 | 4 | Ottershaw Motors Opel Commodore GS/E |
Richard Lloyd, GB |
2784 | L6 | D | 22 | |||||
| 6 | 5 | Wisharts Garages Ford Capri II 3.0 |
Gordon Spice, GB |
2993 | V6 | D | 22 | |||||
| 7 | 2 | Dealer Team Vauxhall Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 |
Gerry Marshall, GB |
2279 | L4 | C | 22 | |||||
| 3 | Mazda Dealer Team Mazda Savanna RX-3 |
Dave Brodie, GB |
2 x 491 | R2 | C | 22 | ||||||
| 1 | Samuri Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT |
Win Percy, GB |
1588 | L4 | B | 22 laps, 36.13,0 | 1.37,0 | |||||
| 2 | Samuri Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT |
Barrie Williams, GB |
1588 | L4 | B | 22 | ||||||
| 1 | Mopar Hillman Avenger 1300 |
Bernard Unett, GB |
1295 | L4 | A | 20 laps, 34.54,6 | 1.42,8 | |||||
| 2 | BMC Mini Cooper S |
Richard Longman, GB |
1275 | L4 | A | 20 | ||||||
| 3 | Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti |
John Myerscough, GB |
1186 | B4 | A | 20 | ||||||
| Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior |
Peter Hilliard, GB |
1290 | L4 | A | 1.42,8 | |||||||
| Toyota Celica GT |
Patrick Cobb, GB |
1588 | L4 | B | Accident? | |||||||
| Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Martin Thomas, GB |
1998 | L4 | C | ||||||||
| Hermetite Products Ford Capri II 3.0 |
Holman “Les” Blackburn, GB |
2993 | V6 | D | ||||||||
| DNF | British Leyland Triumph Dolomite Sprint |
Steve Thompson, GB |
1998 | L4 | C | 6 | Spin | |||||