Shaun Watson-Smith

Last updated

Watson-Smith, deputising for Michael Briggs in the South African Group A Touring Car series, late 1995 SWS.png
Watson-Smith, deputising for Michael Briggs in the South African Group A Touring Car series, late 1995
Watson-Smith driving for Proton at Donington Park during the 2004 British Touring Car Championship season. Shaun Watson-Smith - Proton Impian at the 2004 BTCC, Donington (50958952126).jpg
Watson-Smith driving for Proton at Donington Park during the 2004 British Touring Car Championship season.

Shaun Watson-Smith (born 6 February 1970 in Port Elizabeth) is a South African racing driver who has mainly raced in Touring Cars. He first entered the national production car championship in 1991, winning the overall championship a year later in 1992. In 1994 he got a works drive for the Opel team, helping to develop the new car. He was class B champion in 1995 driving his Opel two-litre Astra and also won his debut race in the South African Touring Car Championship. After finishing third in class in 1996, he went on to dominate the championship winning the title in 1997 and 1998. In 1999 he drove in the South African Touring Car Championship, finishing tenth on points in a Petronas Opel Vectra. He went on to finish second in the final full year of the championship. From 2001 through to 2003, he raced in the WesBank V8 Series, driving an Opel Astra. He never raced a full season, but won several selected races that he drove in.

Contents

In 2004 he got his big break in the British Touring Car Championship driving a works Proton Impian for Petronas Syntium Proton, alongside teammate Fariqe Hairuman. He impressed many people with his driving and pace that season, but the team was under-funded and the car was well off the pace of the other works teams. He placed fourteenth on points and at the end of the season Proton withdrew from the championship and he returned to South Africa.

Racing record

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position - 1 point awarded in first race) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap - 1 point awarded all races) (* signifies that driver lead race for at least one lap - 1 point awarded all races)

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930DCPts
2004 Petronas Syntium Proton Proton Impian THR
1

9
THR
2

8
THR
3

Ret
BRH
1

7
BRH
2

Ret
BRH
3

9
SIL
1

12
SIL
2

11
SIL
3

14
OUL
1

Ret
OUL
2

14
OUL
3

10
MON
1

12
MON
2

Ret
MON
3

10
CRO
1

13
CRO
2

10
CRO
3

10
KNO
1

7
KNO
2

8
KNO
3

10
BRH
1

8
BRH
2

Ret
BRH
3

Ret
SNE
1

DSQ
SNE
2

12
SNE
3

15
DON
1

14
DON
2

12
DON
3

Ret
14th28

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Lamy</span> Portuguese racing driver (born 1972)

José Pedro Mourão Nunes Lamy Viçoso, OIH, known as Pedro Lamy, is a Portuguese former professional racing driver. He was the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a Formula One World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fariqe Hairuman</span> Malaysian racing driver (born 1983)

Fariqe Hairuman is a Malaysian race car driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvan Muller</span> French racing driver (born 1969)

Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a four-time World Touring Car Champion, winning the title in 2008 with SEAT, in 2010 and 2011 with Chevrolet and in 2013 with RML. He was British Touring Car Champion in 2003 with Vauxhall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Thompson (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 1974)

Edward James Thompson is a British auto racing driver. He has twice been champion of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), and was third in the 2007 World Touring Car Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Menu</span> Swiss racing driver (born 1963)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabrizio Giovanardi</span> Italian racing driver (born 1966)

Fabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won ten touring car titles, including European and British crowns making him the most successful touring car driver worldwide. He has spent the majority of his career racing for Alfa Romeo and Vauxhall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Leslie (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (1953–2008)

David William Leslie was a Scottish racing driver. He was most associated with the British Touring Car Championship, in which he was runner-up in 1999. He was particularly noted for his development skill, helping both Honda and Nissan become BTCC race winners. He was born in Dumfries, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erkut Kızılırmak</span> Turkish racing driver (born 1969)

Erkut Kızılırmak is a Turkish racing driver. He started racing in rallying in 1992 and switched to touring cars in 2002, at the age of 32. In 2005 he won the Turkish Touring Car Championship, in a Vauxhall Astra Coupé formerly raced by Yvan Muller in the BTCC. He also made an appearance in the Turkish round of the World Touring Car Championship in 2005 driving an ex works SEAT Toledo for the GR Asia team alongside Tom Coronel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Coronel</span> Dutch racing driver (born 1972)

Tom Romeo Coronel is a Dutch professional racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr. His most important results are winning the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 race in 1997, the Formula Nippon championship in 1999, and the 2006 and 2009 World Touring Car Championship Independents' Trophy. As of September 2016, Tom Coronel has driven over 1,000 races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Neate</span> British racing driver (born 1974)

Andrew Simon Neate is a British former racing driver.

Michael Bentwood is a British auto racing driver. After starting racing in Karting, he entered the 1994 Formula First Winter Series, finishing the season in tenth. In 1995 he finished fifth in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series. He then spent four years between 1997 and 2000 in the British Formula 3 Class A Championship where he finished the highest placed British driver in the year 2000; winning the Raymond Mays Trophy and the BRDC Spencer Charrington Trophy. He was also awarded BRDC membership. He was proposed by Johnny Herbert and second by John Cardwell. The years of ultra competitive Formula 3 were followed in 2001 with a drive in the Euro Formula 3000 Series where he finished the season in twelfth place with a handful of top six finishes.

Charles Butler-Henderson is a British auto racing driver who now works as a racing instructor and presenter. He is part of a family which has strong links with motorsport. His father was a karting champion, and his sister Vicki also races and is a television motorsport presenter.

Stefan Hodgetts is a British auto racing driver, best known for driving a part season in the British Touring Car Championship. His father Chris was twice champion of the BTCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Rustad</span> Norwegian racing driver (born 1968)

Tommy Rustad is a Norwegian racing driver. He currently drives in the FIA European Rallycross Championship and occasionally in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Tommy is the son of former well known Norwegian racer Ola Rustad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Radermecker</span> Belgian racing driver (born 1967)

Vincent Radermecker is a Belgian racing driver.

Michael Briggs is a South African racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricardo Maurício</span> Brazilian racing driver (born 1979)

Ricardo Maurício is a Brazilian racing driver. He currently drives in the Stock Car Brasil series, which he won in 2008, 2013 and 2020. Prior to this he raced in several European single-seater formulae, winning the Spanish Formula Three Championship and recording podium finishes in International Formula 3000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Welch (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 1982)

Daniel John Welch is a British racing driver. During his career he has mostly driven for his family team, Welch Motorsport. He drove in the British Touring Car Championship from 2011 to 2016. He is the son of former British rallycross driver John Welch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent Aïello</span> French racing driver (born 1969)

Laurent Aïello is a French former race car driver, most notable for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 1999, and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Skuz</span> Ukrainian racing driver (born 1976)

Igor Vasylyovych Skuz is a Ukrainian professional racing driver currently competing in the Ukrainian Touring Championship since 2007 for a family-owned MasterKart Racing Team, that also has a role of main promoter of the series since 2018. Outside Ukraine he competed in Russian Touring Car Championship, European Touring Car Cup and TCR International Series.