 |
The Saab Turbo Mobil Challenge was a one-make race series, run by the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) in the UK in 1987 and 1988. The cars permitted to compete were Saab 900 turbo cars in 10- and 12-lap races. The series was sponsored by Mobil and Saab (Great Britain) Ltd.
The cars were capable of 140 mph (225 km/h) and were tuned to production specification, with only Saab sports parts permitted for any adjustments. The wheels were shod with Pirelli racing slick tyres.
Key specifications for race cars were: no chassis modification; front and rear spoilers as standard, with removal of material permitted for engine cooling; ground clearance front 440 mm (17.3 in), rear 400 mm (15.7 in); sump guard prohibited; engines conforming to Saab-Scania standard H-series Turbo specification, as from model year 1986; oil and water cooler matrices standard; control of wastgate was 'free'; air filter box, element and throttle housing standard; exhaust manifold standard; exhaust system after the manifold was 'free'; the APC system could be deleted; fuel injection equipment standard, with permitted modifications; Saab roadholding kit fitted; Saab anti-roll bar kit fitted; permitted to alter front and rear wheel geometry; clutch uprated to an AP Racing unit; gearbox standard for 1986 model year; Saab-supplied wheels only; specified brake modifications permitted; handbrake could be removed; fuel tank standard; standard power-steering to be retained.
Drivers raced in either of two classes, Professional or Amateur. Points were awarded as follows: 10 for a win; 9 for 2nd place; 8 for 3rd place etc. down to 1 for 10th place. An extra point was awarded to the drivers who achieved a pole position or fastest race lap.
In 1988, the drivers (with end-of-season points) were:
The 12 rounds of the 1988 challenge were run at:
The overall winner (1988 Champion) was Charles Tippet, driving for Saab Haymill, based in Farnham Common, UK. On his way, he scored four race wins and three lap records. His car was in red livery with yellow stripes and raced as No. 28. It is the only survivor of the participating vehicles and is preserved in Oxfordshire, England.
The racing livery included advertisements for Scania, Scantruck, Saab Haymill, Pirelli and Mobil. The driver's name and the names of the service crew were also displayed and remain on the preserved motor car. In addition, some minor bodywork damage can still be seen, acquired during racing. There was a particularly dramatic incident at Donington, on 3 July, in which No. 28 was repeatedly struck by John Llewellyn's car and was eventually forced to spin off.
The Amateur Champion in 1988 was David Field (6), driving the blue and yellow McNaughton Ross Sponsored Car. After a season long battle with Simon Butler (Kentish Saab), Field won the Championship by a single point obtained by virtue of "fastest lap" in the final race of the season, at Thruxton.
Following the series Lionel Abbott, along with his brother Ed, went on to establish the company Abbott Racing. The Essex-based family business specialises in modifications to, and racing preparation of, many late Saab models, in particular the turbocharged models from the 1980s onwards.
Robert Christopher Austin is a British racing driver who formerly competed in the British Touring Car Championship. He was born in Evesham, Worcestershire.
Alain Menu is a Swiss racing driver who is currently working for Team BMR as a driving coach. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice. He drove for Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship between 2005 and 2012 with a best finish of second in 2012.
Mathew Jackson is a former British racing driver.
The Kumho BMW Championship is a single make racing series based in the UK. Exclusively for BMWs, the championship is run by the BMW Racing Drivers Club in conjunction with the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC). The championship is a BARC registered, BMW-exclusive motorsport series.
The 1997 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was won by Alain Menu of the Williams Renault Dealer Racing team, driving a Renault Laguna. Menu dominated the year, setting a record of 12 wins during the season. The runner up was Frank Biela of Audi Sport UK in an Audi A4 Quattro. Third place was Menu's teammate, Jason Plato. In the independent class the championship was won by Robb Gravett in a Honda Accord.
The 1999 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship featured 26 races across 13 rounds. It began on 5 April at Donington Park and concluded on 19 September at Silverstone. The driver's title was won by Laurent Aïello in his debut season driving for the Nissan works team, with his teammate David Leslie in second place. Reigning champion Rickard Rydell finished in third place.
Andrew Phillip Jordan is a British racing driver, who has driven in the British Touring Car Championship. He was the 2013 British Touring Car Champion.
MotorSport Vision (MSV) is a motorsport organisation and an operator of six UK venues. MSV has a portfolio ranging from major two and four-wheel championships to organising the PalmerSport corporate driving event.
The 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was the 54th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
The 2007 Elf Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom season began at Brands Hatch on 31 March and finished after 12 races over 10 events at Thruxton on 14 October. The Championship was won by Martin Byford driving for his own Z Speed Racing team, despite not winning a race.
David Robert Newsham is a British racing driver and businessman. He is the managing director of Norscott Vending. He raced in the British Touring Car Championship from 2011 to 2017, but in 2016, he competed in the British Rallycross Championship, only entering two rounds of the BTCC in place of Kelvin Fletcher.
The 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of family cars which are sold to the general public and conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It was the 55th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
John Barnaby Thorne is a British businessman and racing driver. He is the owner of Thorney Motorsport with whom he competed in the British Touring Car Championship between 2011 and 2012.
The 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of Family cars which are sold to the general public and conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It was the 56th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
Robb Holland is an American racing driver who has competed in several international racing series. Most notably the British Touring Car Championship where in 2014, Holland became the first American driver in history to compete full-time in the series driving Rotek Racing's Audi S3. Holland is also the first American ever to compete in the World Touring Car Championship when he drove for Bamboo Engineering in the 2012 FIA WTCC Race of the United States at Sonoma Raceway, California.
The 2004 British GT season consisted of an eight-round series of sports car racing in the British GT Championship, with each round consisting of two races. The series was open to N-GT and GT Cup class cars. Jonathan Cocker won the N-GT Class Driver's Championship, whilst Adam Wilcox and Ni Amorim shared the GT Cup Driver's Championship.
Joe Girling is a British racing driver who competed in the British Touring Car Championship in 2013 for Tech-Speed Motorsport, under the M247 Racing banner.
Robert Babikan was a British racing driver. He was most notable for competing in the British GT Championship in 2000 and 2001, and racing in a single round of the European Le Mans Series in 2001. He won the Porsche Cup GB in 1996.
Christopher Smiley is a British racing driver. He is a British Touring Car Championship race winner and the 2022 TCR UK champion.
The 2000 Privilege Insurance British GT Championship was the eighth season of the British GT Championship, an auto racing series organised by the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) and sponsored by Privilege. The races featured grand touring cars conforming to two categories of regulations known as GT and GTO, and awarded a driver championship in each category. The season began on 25 March 2000 and ended on 8 October 2000 after eleven events, eleven held in Great Britain with one race in Belgium. The series was joined by the BRDC Marcos Mantis Challenge Cup for a few rounds.