Mark Hales

Last updated

Mark Hales
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Born (1950-11-07) 7 November 1950 (age 72)
Birmingham, England
British Saloon / Touring Car Championship
Years active7
TeamsTerry Drury Racing
Chris Hodgetts Motor Sport
Arquati Racing Team
ICS plc
MIL Motorsport
John Maguire Racing
Starts58
Wins0 (8 in class)
Poles0
Fastest laps7
Best finish2nd in 1987
Championship titles
1987 British Touring Car Championship - Class B

Mark Hales (born 7 November 1950) is a British auto racing driver and instructor. He is best known for finishing as runner-up in the 1987 British Touring Car Championship season. [1]

Contents

Career

He was a class B winner in 1987 with his Ford Escort RS Turbo. He switched to the Group N Production Championship in 1988, winning his class in a Ford Sierra in 1989. This led to him being hired for the 1990 BTCC by John McGuire Racing team, running a works backed Mitsubishi Starion. His final season in the BTCC was in 1991. He stayed with Mitsubishi, and was the sole driver for the works driver. [2] He competed in a Mitsubishi Lancer in the first part of the season, switching to a Mitsubishi Galant for the second part. He got one championship point at Snetterton. He raced in the TVR Tuscan championship in 1993 and 1994, winning the title in both seasons for Team Rallytech. [3] Most recently he has competed in historic racing, winning the Historic Six Hours of Spa in 2004. He was also a contributor and track-tester for the British motorracing magazines Evo and Octane . He also writes for the Daily Telegraph , and has published a book co-written by Nick Mason, called Into The Red . [4]

Racing record

Complete British Saloon / Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1973–1990 in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded ?–1989 in class)

YearTeamCarClass123456789101112131415DCPtsClass
1983 Mark Hales Ford Capri III 3.0S A SIL OUL THR BRH THR SIL DON SIL
19
DON BRH SIL NC0NC
1985 Terry Drury Racing Alfa Romeo GTV6 B SIL OUL THR DON THR SIL DON
10
SIL
8
SNE
9
BRH BRH SIL 19th96th
1986 Terry Drury Racing Ford Escort RS Turbo B SIL
Ret
THR
Ret
SIL
Ret
DON
Ret
BRH
18
SNE
5
BRH
10
DON
5
SIL
Ret
12th205th
1987 Terry Drury Racing Ford Escort RS Turbo B SIL
7
OUL
7
THR
8
THR
9
SIL
8
SIL
Ret
BRH
14
SNE
Ret
DON
10
OUL
7‡
DON
9
2nd511st
Chris Hodgetts Motor Sport Toyota Corolla GT D SIL
9†
NC
1988 Chris Hodgetts Motor Sport Toyota Corolla GT D SIL OUL
11
THR DON
21
THR SIL
DNS
30th86th
Arquati Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500 A DON
Ret‡
NC
ICS plc SIL
Ret
MIL Motorsport Toyota Supra Turbo SIL
Ret
BRH
NC
SNE
11
BRH BIR
DNQ
DON
18
1990 John Maguire Racing Mitsubishi Starion B OUL
Ret
DON
Ret
THR
Ret
SIL
Ret
OUL
16
SIL
17
BRH
9
SNE
9
BRH
15
BIR
12
DON
15
THR
17
SIL
Ret
18th2811th
1991 John Maguire Racing Mitsubishi Lancer SIL
17
SNE
10
DON
16
THR
16
SIL
DNS
BRH SIL 23rd1
Mitsubishi Galant DON
1

14
DON
2

Ret
OUL
14
BRH
1

13
BRH
2

Ret
DON
Ret
THR
11
SIL
Ret
Source: [5]

‡ Endurance driver.

† Ineligible for points.

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011DCPts
1988 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arquati UK Ltd Ford Sierra RS500 MNZ DON EST JAR DIJ VAL NÜR SPA ZOL SIL
12
NOG NC0

Related Research Articles

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

Andrew Graham Priaulx, MBE is a British racing driver from Guernsey. In 2019 he raced for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Cyan Racing Lynk & Co in the FIA World Touring Car Cup, having been a former BMW factory driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickard Rydell</span> Swedish racing driver (born 1967)

Rickard Rydell is a retired Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cleland (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 1952)

John Cunningham Cleland is a retired Scottish auto racing driver, best known for winning the British Touring Car Championship in 1989 and 1995.

<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">Steve Soper</span> British racing driver (born 1951)

Steven Soper is a British racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robb Gravett</span> British racing driver (born 1956)

Robb Gravett (born 10 May 1956 is a British retired racing driver and team owner from London. He started his motorsport career on two wheels, racing Moto Cross at the age of 12. By 15, he was already British champion, but decided to switch to four-wheeled racing in his early 20s. Robb began racing cars in 1978, eventually entering the British Touring Car Championship in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Hoy</span> British racing driver (1952–2002)

William Ewing Hoy was a British racing driver and the 1991 British Touring Car Champion, the highlight of a 20-year career in motor racing.

James Peter Kaye is a British auto racing driver. He has been a stalwart competitor of Hondas in various championships since 1995, and has had 2 lengthy spells in the BTCC. He won the BTCC independents' championship in 1992 and 1994.

Kelvin Burt is a British auto racing driver. After attending the Jim Russell Racing Drivers' School in 1987 he turned to Formula Ford racing, battling hard against David Coulthard for the championship. He won his class in a British Touring Car Championship round at Oulton Park, before spending 1991 winning the Formula Vauxhall Lotus series, and being voted Autosport Club Driver of the Year. He moved up to British F3 in 1992, winning the title with Paul Stewart Racing in 1993 with 9 wins, a record for a British driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kox</span> Dutch racing driver (born 1964)

Petrus Dionysius Lambertus Theodorus Kox is a racing driver from the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Allam</span> British racing driver (born 1954)

Jeffrey Frank Allam, is a former British racing driver who made his name in Saloon Car racing. He now works as Head of Business for Allam Motor Services in Epsom which are a Skoda sales and service and Vauxhall servicing dealership.

Laurence Alan Bristow is a British racing driver and businessman, best known for his time in the British Touring Car Championship. He is son of helicopter magnate Alan Bristow.

Kurt Gerrard Luby is a British former racing driver who now works as a motorcycle dealer in his hometown of Bolton. He first entered racing through karting in 1978, winning seven championships up to 1987. In 1987 he won the British Formula Ford 1600 series, winning the championship that year and then defending his title in 1988. He switched to the Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship in 1989, finishing second on points. A year later he was third in the championship. After moving to saloon car racing, he was second in the 1991 National Saloon Championship Group N, driving a BMW M3. Also that year he won the Willhire 24 Hours with Will Hoy and Ray Bellm. His final championship title was in the 1998 British GT in a GT2 class Chrysler Viper GTS-R alongside Richard Dean.

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.

Franklyn De Karl Jones is a British former auto racing driver. He is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)

Nigel Smith is a British businessman and retired auto racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Byford</span> British racing driver from Colchester

Martin Byford is a British racing driver from Colchester. He competed in the BTCC in 2011 for AmD Milltek. He is currently driving for BPM Motorsport in the 2019 Dunlop Endurance Championship with Ashley Woodman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Cammish</span> British racing driver

Daniel Cammish is a British racing driver currently competing in a Ford Focus for NAPA Racing UK in the British Touring Car Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Sutton</span>

Ashley John Sutton is a British racing driver, and four time British Touring Car Champion, who currently competes in the British Touring Car Championship with NAPA Racing UK.

Graham Derek Goode is a British former racing driver and car tuning specialist.

References

  1. "BTCC :: Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2009. Official 1987 BTCC standings
  2. "The British Touring Car Championship".
  3. "Our Management Team". rallytech.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010.
  4. http://www.markhales.com/sub-pages/about-sub.html Writing Career
  5. de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 18 October 2022.