[KA]

Thruxton qualifying times

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Round 3 of 13 of the 1988 Dunlop RAC British Touring Car Championship held on Wednesday 2nd May 1988 over x laps on the x.xxx miles/3.791 km Thruxton circuit.

The book ”British Touring Car Racing in Camera”, pages 136-137 has a picture of the cars about to line up for the dummy grid, showing approcimately this formation:

1./ #6 / Steve Soper / Eggenberger-Texaco / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m20.86
2./ #22 / Andy Rouse / Rouse-Kaliber / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m21.51
3./ #15 / Graham Goode / Goode-Listerine / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m22.48
4./ #14 / Mike Newman / Goode-Burlington / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m23.28
5./ #4 / Dennis Leech / Leech-Demon Tweeks / A / Rover 3500 V8 Vitesse 1m23.75
6./ #7 / Mike O'Brien / Docking / A / Holden Commodore VL 1m24.43
7./ #10 / Robb Gravett / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m24.59
8./ #16 / Karl Jones / Asquith-Duckhams / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m24.67
9./ #21 / Guy Edwards / Rouse-Kaliber / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m24.72
10./ #8 / Jerry Mahony / Dowson-Arquati / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m24.72
11./ #33 / Frank Sytner / Richards-Mobil / B / BMW M3 1m24.74
12./ #19 / Laurence Bristow / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m24.91
13./ #5 / Tim Harvey / Drury / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m25.18
14./ #32 / Mike Smith / Richards-Mobil / B / BMW M3 1m25.69
15./ #17 / Bob Sands / CC-Crystal / A / Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1m25.57
16./ #36 / Godfrey Hall / Maguire / B / BMW M3 1m26.07- I almost missed the Hall M3 in the photo- He's well out of his grid slot, right over by the edge of the track, and the crew seem to be looking at something at the back of the car...a last-minute problem being fixed?
17./ the pic shows a gap on the grid that should be filled with Graham Hathaway's RS500....
#20 / Graham Hathaway/Hathaway/A/Sierra RS500/1m27.50- DNS engine
18./ #27 / Peter Buxtorf / Buxtorf / A / BMW 635CSi 1m28.01
19./ another missing car in the pic- #77/Geoff Kimber-Smith/AGK/D/Toyota Corolla GT/ 1m28.91- should have been fastest in Class D
20./ #44 / Alan Minshaw / Minshaw-Demon Tweeks / B / BMW M3 1m29.84

The rest of the grid is impossible to read, but the Class C VW Golfs of James Shead and possible Andrew Jeffrey is visible as is the #63 Tony Crudgington class D Toyota Corolla. A white Ford Escort RS (1600i or Turbo?) is seen at what appears to be at the back.

The rest should be:
21./#62/Tony Crudgington/Crudgington/D/Toyota Corolla GT/1m30.68 (in the pic, looks to be correctly lined up in his grid slot- car has the LH door open)
22./#55/James Shead/Maguire/D/VW Golf GTi 16v/1m31.48- the white/blue Golf alongside Crudgington
23./#70/Phil Dowsett/TOM'S GB/D/Toyota Corolla GT (fwd)/1m32.30- in the pic, appears to be the car diagonally across the track, just lining up behind Crudgington)
24./#48/Andrew Jeffrey/Specialist Cars Aberdeen/C/VW Golf GTi 16v/1m32.56- lined up behind (and partially obscured by) Shead
25./#38/Dave Wallis/Drury/B/Ford Escort RS Turbo/1m33.02- the Mk3 Escort visible at the back
26./Another absentee in the pic-#39/Lionel Wiffen/Drury/B/Ford Escort RS Turbo/1m36.60- DNS with gearbox troubles
27./Also missing from the pic as far as I can see- #74/Vic Lee/North Essex/D/Ford Escort RS1600i/1m42.24
Lee retired after 7 laps with clutch failure, so maybe already having clutch problems and opted to start from the pitlane? I certainly can't see another Escort on the grid...
28./#50/John Brindley/Minshaw-Demon Tweeks/C/VW Golf GTi 16v/2m06.02- The roof of the red Golf is just visible at the back....and a time over 30 seconds off class pole (and 20-odd away from the previous car on the grid) suggests they'd had a very troubled qualifying session...

Think that's covered everyone in (or missing from...) the pic in the book