Radisich's BTCC Mondeo at Hampton Downs

[Snoozin]

Hi all,

Now I guess because I'm (at a guess) of a younger generation than many on this board, my ultimate focus on racecars tends to be of those that were current during my childhood. Being a frequent attendee of historic motorsport courtesy of my Alfisti uncles was always going to set me in good stead in terms of appreciation of racecars of decades gone, but as a kid there's always that fascination with the latest and greatest, the technical tour de force of the contemporary motorsport scene.

The race series, cars and drivers that captured my attention in the most significant way as a motorsport-mad teenager in the mid 90's was undoubtedly the 2l supertourer class, and in particular the BTCC championship. The patriotic notion of having a New Zealander running at the pointy end of the class no doubt assisted my excitement, and as such the Ford Mondeo's of Radisich and Rouse really caught my attention during the 1993 season when I'd make mad dashes to my uncles place to catch the racing on Sky (since my folks didn't have Sky TV). Of course the dominance of the Alfa 155 in the hands of Tarquini in 94 struck a chord but anyway I digress. Upon stumbling across a Mondeo at Speedshow, you can imagine the nostalgic excitement that swept over me, as I stood in front of this car which up until that moment had been quite the elusive beast.


IMG_1038 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr

Being something of a Supertouring trainspotter, I've noted it's had the usual racecar tweaks throughout it's ownership, and doesn't appear to be entirely true to it's 1994 specification that it ought to be... the late aero is the immediate giveaway, and it looks to be running the later guards with the larger cutouts to alleviate any tyre-on-metal contact which the rules forbade. However - bloody hell, I'm seeing a real life "factory" Supertourer! This particular car is the 1994 car that Radisich won the Touring Car World Cup in for the second time.

Moving forward in time a couple of weeks, a friend and I have entered in the 2KCup series, running a 95 Mazda Lantis Type R (incidentally the same basic engine fitted to these Mondeos) and attended a drive day yesterday at Hampton Downs as a means of actually seeing what the car is capable of, and what's going to disintegrate upon thrashing. Long story short, the Mondeo was there, with Radisich (who was doing driver training) accompanying it to make it's first tentative run on the track under his ownership (as I understand). So here's a few pics. Unfortunately the car ran 2 slow laps while Paul got the feel of things, and pulled back in due to something not feeling quite right. The car was also running fairly rich, so I believe there's some fettling to do before it makes it out again. However - seeing a Mondeo BTCC car on a track, with my own eyes is something I thought I'd never see... especially with the period correct driver installed . I'm already amping to see it again being given a beating, but in the meantime here's a few shots.


IMG_3397 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3371 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3366 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3308 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr

[Snoozin]

IMG_3322 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3330 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3376 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3338 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr


IMG_3398 by SnoozinRichy, on Flickr

[kiwi285]

That is a great looking car - we seem to be getting a few of this class in country now. Do we know who owns this car ?

[Steve Holmes]

Oh nice! That era of Super Tourers really was huge! The cars looked great, and the racing was really intense. Even the tv packages were made to be exciting, with lots of fast camera switches, from trackside to incar/oncar etc. It was the total package, and touring car racing the world over still works on a similar concept.

[Snoozin]

kiwi285 - I believe Radisich himself owns this car!

Steve - it really was a truly global era in touring cars - this formula was adopted all over the world too, and it really set a precedent (IMO) for future classes as you allude to. It was great though, to see how "real" the car was. Steel guards, steel panels, no fancy spaceframes, stock suspension pickup points etc. So good.

[John B]

Excellent images Snoozin ... are you a pro photographer?
Cheers, John

[Grant Ellwood]

Is that Matthew Radisich standing beside Frank in post 2 above?

[Steve Holmes]

I moved to the UK in 1992, towards the end of the year, and the BTCC that season was coming towards its conclusion. I'd heard about the new Super Touring formula, but hadn't yet seen it in action, and although I didn't get a chance to attend any of the races, I got to watch them all on tv. But this new formula was HUGE in the UK, with lots of manufacturer support. The racing was immense, very cut and thrust, and very close, with lots of biff and barge. It was hugely different to the Group A era that preceded it, which in the UK was dominated by the Sierra RS500s. The 2 Litre Super Tourer category was an all-out brawl, and it seemed anyone could win. Alan Gow and his TOCA company were responsible for the changes, and they also played a part in the very successful tv coverage, which played out like an arcade game, to portray the drama. It was all very successful.

The final round of the '92 BTCC came down to a three-way tussle for the championship, which could go to either Will Hoy in a Toyota, John Cleland in a Vauxhall, or Tim Harvey in a BMW. Hoy was in control early in the race, as the leader of the three main title contenders. Steve Soper, as Harvey's team mate in the Vic Lee Motorsport BMW was very quick, but got involved in some drama which brought about body damage and dropped him down to last place. Harvey managed to catch Hoy, but in attempting to pass him, put them both off the track, allowing Cleland ahead.

Then, as Soper came storming back through the field, he pushed by Cleland to put the Vauxhall driver between himself and Harvey. As Cleland tried to get back past Soper, he allowed Harvey back through, and Soper immediately dropped in behind his team mate to play defence. First Cleland clunked into Soper as he tried to get back by, then, a few corners later, Soper dive-bombed him, and both cars were eliminated on the spot. It was dramatic stuff!

That race really made Super Tourers a world class phenomenon, and in my opinion, most touring car categories today try to emulate that intensity. To my mind, most are too contrived for my liking.

A few months after Harvey won the BTCC, drama unfolded as it turned out the Vic Lee cars were being used to smuggle drugs in and out of the UK, and Vic himself was sent to prison. I believe the cars had special hiding places specifically designed for the drug packages where they couldn't be detected. Incidentally, I got to see one of these cars in the flesh last year when visiting Rick Michels in Invercargill (New Zealand). This is the Tim Harvey BTCC winner. Very cool!

Super Touring cars are appearing more and more at historic events around the world, and deservedly so, this was a ground breaking category, and worthy of its place in history.

[Snoozin]

Excellent images Snoozin ... are you a pro photographer?
Cheers, John

Thanks John, I'm not a professional as such. I am published and do cover the occasional event for some publishers but I wouldn't consider myself a professional. Maybe a very passionate hobbyist! I figure I can't afford to race a car, so why not contribute in a way in which is meaningful and long lasting. It helps I absolutely live for it!

I had no idea that the '92 Harvey car was over here... does this get amongst it on track in the Southern events? I really should drag my arse down South and catch some of the festivals/historic events down those ways.

[John B]

This is a slightly off-track question Snoozin (perhaps we need a "Photography Tips" thread), but do you have any experience taking close-up shots of small items in artificial light (ie: photographing model cars in a studio).
Cheers, John

PS : God I hate these nom de plumes that are used on Forums - never know what to call people!

[conrod]

I was at that final round at Silverstone, and the atmosphere was electric, probably the most exciting race meeting I have ever been to You should have heard the roar from the crowd when Soper and Cleland came together and fired off the track! I never get tired of watching the replay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCij9mYIokA

Pretty sure Vic Lee was smuggling the drugs inside the Nitrogen bottles for the air jacks, they made the tops removable and filled them up.He spent some time at her majesty leisure after that. Did not seem to learn his lesson, as he was locked up again in 2006 I think for the same thing

The Harvey car is nearing completion, and should be running later this year.