Best old one-make series?

[expaddockrunner]

Originally Posted by Splendid Cat

XJR-15's in Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge. Lovely cars, great drivers, pure indulgence.

wasnt this a 3 race championship! as support to monaco, silverstone and spa f1 races
winner taking home a cheque for $1M

[ghinzani]

Renault 5TS and then GT Turbos get my vote. Metro Turbos were good too, although pigs to push.

[expaddockrunner]

Originally Posted by ghinzani

Renault 5TS and then GT Turbos get my vote. Metro Turbos were good too, although pigs to push.

pushing a metro! you mean it still had all fours on the ground and running straight.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by andrewc

TVR Tuscan challenge was always exciting to watch

This ^^^ and those Merc 190 races that ran with Senna, Piquet and Co. during the 80's.

[formerf1champ]

Although not raced anywhere outside Australia and New Zealand, HQ Holdens would be my favourite. I was always happy when they were shown on TV as a support race to the ATCC/Bathurst. There was even a support series for Australian NASCAR, when it existed. 30+ cars going round clockwise on a Charlotte-type oval, Calder Park Thunderdome, was good fun to watch. As later model series started and developed, it has lost a bit interest from competitors and exposure, but there's still 15+ cars in each state series here, in Australia.

EDIT: Oh wait, "Old one-make series", series that used to exist, sorry. HQ's have been around 25 years, does that count?

[one five five]

One make racing has always been in vogue in Australia, but bar the HQ's and the Gemini's in QLD, most only stay around for a few years, in the last decade alone we've had Daewoo Lanos', MGF's, Lotus Exige's, Mini's, Carrera Cup came and went and then came back again, they tried to get a one-make BMW 120i series going too...

The Goodyear Laser's were good while they lasted (and helped get Mr Skaife noticed)

Amaroo had the Alfa Sud Trophy series which had Pro's and Am's involved. Only went for 2 years, but Tony Longhurst & Allan Grice still can't agree who really won the 1984 title to this day (thats probably for another thread though)

The 1985 Nissan Pulsar Super Challenge was entertaining, most leading locals got a start in this series (even rallyman Geoff Portman). The cars were all prepared by the Nissan touring car team, drivers got a different car each meeting... Nissan largely regretted it at the end of the year, there was a heap of prizemoney on offer, and naturally as none of the drivers owned the cars, they didn't mind denting panels! Nissan apparently said it cost them more running this series than it did their entire touring car program
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-zBWV473Zg

Plenty of others too, Triumph TR7's (pity they didn't use the TR8s), Renault's, Suzuki GTi's, Mazda 121's, VK Commodore's run by Oran Park etc..

[formerf1champ]

The Suzuki series that ran only in '95 and the Porsche Cup (before the Carrera Cup was introduced), I thought were good. I'm a bit embarrassed I forgot this class, as much as I think HQ's are great, I love the Commodore Cup! Despite, usually, only getting just over a dozen cars each meeting they are awesome to watch, both live and on TV. They're a serious beast too, about 450 horsepower, for an amateur class, is not bad I think. It's a class that I'd aspire to competing, and winning, in. It's annoying when you love motorsport and can't afford to, or have no clue how to, compete.

[duracel79]

How about the BMW County Championship?

BMW E21 323i's driven by many notable drivers.

Vid here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDHV6RQ9png

Duracel79

[JP]

Who remembers the fleet of Shellsport Mexicos that Brands Hatch ran in the early/mid '70s? They ended up being used mainly for "celebrity" races (radio DJs, Commons v Lords, etc) but in their first year, at the end of every Brands clubbie, all the day's race winners were let loose in them. I seem to remember they'd line them up on the grid, throw all the keys into a hat and re-draw the cars for the race. Occasionally one of the Mini racers such as Phil Spurling or Terry Attoe would get their hands on one and beat all the regular Brands stars of the era. Sadly it didn't last long, probably because the celebrities didn't wreck as many as the racers did.

[morninggents]

I remember racing at Brands in 1977 and for some reason missed the correct Special Saloon practice session in my Escort FVC. I was let out in the Commons v Lords session and being in a faster car did a lot of overtaking that morning! Some of the lines taken by the political lot were ........ strange, let's say!!
I remember that The Hon Kenneth Clark was racing that day - I'll have to look up the results to see who else was there.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by JP

Who remembers the fleet of Shellsport Mexicos that Brands Hatch ran in the early/mid '70s? They ended up being used mainly for "celebrity" races (radio DJs, Commons v Lords, etc) but in their first year, at the end of every Brands clubbie, all the day's race winners were let loose in them. I seem to remember they'd line them up on the grid, throw all the keys into a hat and re-draw the cars for the race. Occasionally one of the Mini racers such as Phil Spurling or Terry Attoe would get their hands on one and beat all the regular Brands stars of the era. Sadly it didn't last long, probably because the celebrities didn't wreck as many as the racers did.

I can remember Rob Mason getting his hands on a Shellsport Mexico, as a result of having won a race on the day's programme. He found himself bottled up behind Tony Lanfranchi, who was of course one of Webb's wonders. So one lap, coming out of Druids, he turned Lanfranchi round. To this day, I can still remember Rob describing how all the glass came out of the driver's side of Lanfranchi's car as he hit him....

Rob won, but was prohibited from competing in Shellsport Mexico races thereafter.

[Gerry Taylor]

The dearth of motor racing as I used to know it. Once they started putting the Mexicos out, it was like watching the Ring Road go by. Something about production car racing that is just not very interesting to me.
OK let's hear cries of Shame...Dinosaur......, but I was brought up on hybrid special saloon cars. You can take the boy out of Special Saloons, but you can't take the Special Saloons out of the boy! Love 'em!

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Gerry Taylor

The dearth of motor racing as I used to know it. Once they started putting the Mexicos out, it was like watching the Ring Road go by. Something about production car racing that is just not very interesting to me.
OK let's hear cries of Shame...Dinosaur......, but I was brought up on hybrid special saloon cars. You can take the boy out of Special Saloons, but you can't take the Special Saloons out of the boy! Love 'em!

Gerry, you're being too harsh. The ShellSport Mexico's made for entertaining racing that the paying public enjoyed watching (another John Webb idea that worked).
Maybe it wasn't pure racing, but it was cracking entertainment...

[Gerry Taylor]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Gerry, you're being too harsh. The ShellSport Mexico's made for entertaining racing that the paying public enjoyed watching (another John Webb idea that worked).
Maybe it wasn't pure racing, but it was cracking entertainment...

Really? You honestly believe that? "Spider" introduced this because he was offered a deal by a manufacturer. His advertising was superb too. But.....well.............not real FULL ON S-O-Bust saloon car was it! Racing a'la' Bill McGovern, Norman Abbott, Ray Payne, Mick Hill, Roger Williamson, and the likes of "Gerry", Walter Robertson, Sedric Bell and so many more. Such exciting dicing, door handle racing. But...then they introduced the production ONE MAKE series, Oh, dear, Oh dear Oh dear.
I rest my case M'Lud.
( OK, that's livened it up a bit)

[johngee]

I'm going to stick my head above the parapet and say how much I agree with Gerry. Proper cars, proper drivers and proper racing. One make series contributed to the downfall of club and national racing both for the spectators and the drivers
....and that's my bigoted and opinionated view!

[GORDON STREETER]

Having watched motorsport from the late 50s and participated in various 2 and 4 wheeled types from the late 60s to me a one make series is like watching paint dry.
OK it's a good leveller but the race normally finishes with the results of qualifying.
I think that it is liked by the "banger tactics" that very often raises it's head (just like wrestling as it's boring with no villains) and of course by the people and families involved.
Putting "celebs" in them was OK for a crowed puller!
We mustn't forget that a lot of the single seater classes are "one make" which is a pity IMHO

[GORDON STREETER]

Me cause offence! I was telling how it is

[KA]

Originally Posted by dave vass

Goodness knows what they did with all those cars afterwards.
One owner from new!
Only fifty miles on the clock! So not yet run in!
Never raced or rallied!
I wonder!

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

They would have auctioned them off. I was at Alexandra Palace car auctions once and Vauxhall put through several works Manta 400 rally cars as I recollect. They were cheap as well!

Think at least one or two of the cars from the Thruxton Firenza race are still around: http://www.bromfieldhall.co.uk/hpfirenza.htm

I'd agree with a lot of what's been said about one-make racing- there's far too much of it around (often with little thought for sustainability after the manufacturer has pulled the plug on support, or introduced a new model which means everyone finds their car obselete overnight), and at it's worst, driving standards can be more like banger racing.

Having said that, I've enjoyed a few one-make series from trackside in the past- TVR Tuscans were always fun to watch (and dubious driving standards apart, the 'bigger' Ginettas- G50?- seem to be fairly entertaining), and Minis have always been good value.

I never saw any of it live, but BMW Procar has to deserve a mention as well!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6bgJ...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVbCoqiL8QU

[VIVA GT]

OK, maybe I'm biassed, but I went into racing a Mini Se7en a) because it was relatively cheap, and b) because I'd really enjoyed watching the close racing and thought (quite rightly) that it'd be even more fun taking part. (Fortunately for me, there was still close racing and fun further down the field where I was!).
Although I'm not at all a fan of the current BTCC, this has often been like a one make series at times, how many Group A RS500's were there competing in the late 1980's? Surely that was one hell of a spectacle?

[johngee]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Although I'm not at all a fan of the current BTCC, this has often been like a one make series at times, how many Group A RS500's were there competing in the late 1980's? Surely that was one hell of a spectacle?

I was going to say exactly the same thing but thought it might invite a torrent of abuse from fans of the current BTCC.

[expaddockrunner]

Originally Posted by johngee

I was going to say exactly the same thing but thought it might invite a torrent of abuse from fans of the current BTCC.

Simple, bring back the A, B, C & D class style of racing,
4 races in 1, brillant

[Andy Clegg]

Originally Posted by johngee

I was going to say exactly the same thing but thought it might invite a torrent of abuse from fans of the current BTCC.

I travelled to most rounds when the RS500 's were in action (1988-1990). It was a wonderful spectacle, Karl Jones on two wheels through Dingle Dell.
What more could you want?
Andy

[Steveo220]

Originally Posted by Splendid Cat

XJR-15's in Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge. Lovely cars, great drivers, pure indulgence.

I managed to find some extraordinary footage from the XJR15 race at Monaco, narrated by Murray Walker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrh2_1TIGs0