'BTCC MASTERS' RACE ANNOUNCED
Past Champions To Go Head-To-Head
The greatest names in British Touring Car history will clash
at Donington Park's final championship meeting this season,
when champions from the past 14 years go head to head with
other notable past BTCC drivers in a spectacular and unique
'BTCC Masters' event.
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow has today unveiled plans for
the one-off race: all title-winning drivers from the BTCC's
golden era, right back to 1990, will be thrown together in
identical SEAT Cupra Championship cars to fight it out for
the title of 'BTCC Master'.
The cars, used in SEAT's single-make saloon car series that
supports the BTCC, are two-litre and turbo-charged. In the
hands of some of the BTCC's greatest drivers, they are sure
to provide an incredible spectacle around Donington's National
circuit on 25-26 September.
"I've had the BTCC Masters idea sitting in my head since
the Nineties when I previously ran the championship and the
idea recently surfaced again ... so now the time is right
to make it happen," said Gow. "Every driver I have
spoken to about it has been wildly enthusiastic for the concept
and has put it in their diaries already.
"In addition to inviting all our champions since 1990,
I will also be inviting a number of 'wild card' drivers. These
will be drivers who starred in the BTCC, in that same era,
but who didn't win the title. I suppose on that 'hit list'
would be drivers such as Nigel Mansell, Steve Soper, Andy
Rouse, Patrick Watts, Paul Radisich, Jeff Allam, Derek Warwick,
David Brabham etc. They all had a tremendous presence in the
championship. It's in the final planning stage at the moment
and we will announce the full list of drivers at a later date.
"This will make for an absolutely stunning event, the
likes of which has never been seen before. Just imagine ...all
the best drivers that the BTCC has seen, all in the one race
and all with every bit of their competitive instinct and talent
on display.
Gow concluded: "SEAT and Donington have been tremendously
enthusiastic about the idea and I can't thank them enough
for their help in putting this together. Like everyone involved
in the BTCC, both are racers in the truest sense of the word."
The race will be held over 20 laps and the winning driver
will nominate his favourite charity, to where all the proceeds
from the event will be donated.
Sadly, the only past champion who can't be invited will be
Will Hoy who tragically died 18 months ago. Will won the BTCC
title in 1991 driving a BMW M3 for Vic Lee Racing.
"Will was not just one of our most popular champions,
but remained loyal to the BTCC for many years after winning
his title," added Gow. "He was a fantastic competitor
and a great friend and I know how much he would have loved
to have been a part of this. Having our past champions together
without Will is bound to stir a lot of people's emotions."
The BTCC's two-litre era started in 1991 having run as a
class within the championship in 1990. It started a golden
era in BTCC history.
The 'Masters' since 1990:
1990 Robb Gravett (GBR) Ford Sierra
1991 Will Hoy (GBR), BMW M3
1992 Tim Harvey (GBR), BMW 318
1993 Joachim Winkelhock (GER), BMW 318
1994 Gabriele Tarquini (ITA), Alfa Romeo 156
1995 John Cleland (GBR), Vauxhall Cavalier
1996 Frank Biela (GER), Audi A4 quattro
1997 Alain Menu (SUI), Renault Laguna
1998 Rickard Rydell (SWE), Volvo S40
1999 Laurent Aiello (FRA), Nissan Primera
2000 Alain Menu (SUI), Ford Mondeo
2001 Jason Plato (GBR), Vauxhall Astra
2002 James Thompson (GBR), Vauxhall Astra
2003 Yvan Muller (FRA), Vauxhall Astra
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