Group A Ford Sierra RS500

[Andy Clegg]

Thanks for that,
Andy.

[KA]

Flicking through one of the Ford mags last week when I picked up my Autosport, and spotted a feature on a wide-arched Thundersaloon-style RS500 owned by Dave Holland's DFDS-DHR Racing team.
http://www.dfdsdhr.com/

Apparently, they've been campaigning it in endurance races in Lithuania, and it's the Rouse-built ex-Simonsen 'CMS Sweden' car.
IIRC from the article, the Simonsens sold the car on to Finland, which is where the wide-arched bodykit was fitted in the 90's.

http://www.dfdsdhr.com/images/Cars/r...sale%20(5).jpg
http://www.dfdsdhr.com/images/Cars/r...sale%20(4).jpg
http://www.dfdsdhr.com/images/Cars/r...ale%20(12).jpg
http://www.dfdsdhr.com/images/Cars/r...sale%20(3).jpg

It was also listed on EBay a couple of months back. Nice to see another one is still around!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RS500-RACE-CAR...Automobiles_UK

[VolvoGroupA]

Hi Guys!

This is a little bit off topic, but does anyone in here know or can help me find out what the name of Eggenbergers mechanics?

I need the name of the whole team! PM me or reply here.

Very great full for help with this...

Regards Björn

[GTRMagic]

1988 Bathurst winner, TLR1, with Mr Tomas Mezera crossing the line...

[basmsport]

Is somebody here who can help me find 5 bolt wheel bearings?
Same as on RS500/RS200/Metro 6R4/TWR SD1.

Bert

[racer2_uk]

Hi Bert,

I know the Grp "A" sierra's didn't have a 5 bolt fixed wheel bearing, but the Grp "A" rally escort cosworth's did use them, there is a conversion bearing carrier available from Dennis Osbourne that uses a common bearing.


Andy

[brown dog]

I tried getting some spare 5 bolt bearings for a 6R4 as spares, 7 or 8 years ago, and they are like rocking horse poo as you probably know!

I think the rally Gp.A Sierras used them too (not the Gp.A RS500 though)

Certainly a bearing carrier that utilises a common bearing would be the answer.

Conrad

[PAUL S]

this fella makes competition cosworth billet hubs for the original 5 stud type and a version using the more common bearing types

I think he can also get hold of the earlier bearings

http://www.mkmotorsport.co.uk/

[KA]

Watching this video by Simon Lewis of a Castle Combe Thundersaloon race from 1990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBi74...eature=related
Note what looks like a Group A Sierra on the grid- a plain white car with race #212

Any idea who and if it's an ex-BTCC machine, which one?

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by KA

Watching this video by Simon Lewis of a Castle Combe Thundersaloon race from 1990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBi74...eature=related
Note what looks like a Group A Sierra on the grid- a plain white car with race #212

Any idea who and if it's an ex-BTCC machine, which one?

Interesting! Dennis Leech would be my first guess, but perhaps an ex-Rouse car with unknown driver. Is that a road registration plate at the back?

It looks like an ex-Alpina BMW M3 in the back of the picture, very likely Brian Chatfield.

Jesper

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Interesting! Dennis Leech would be my first guess, but perhaps an ex-Rouse car with unknown driver. Is that a road registration plate at the back?

It looks like an ex-Alpina BMW M3 in the back of the picture, very likely Brian Chatfield.

Jesper

That's a thought- The Leech car was certainly white, and Combe is the right part of the world for him to be taking in a local Thundersaloon race on top of his BTCC appearances. Don't know the date of this race, but Leech's RS500 didn't appear until a few races into the 1990 BTCC season, so if it's an early-season race, is it Dennis using the Thundersaloon race as an early-season shake-down or test outing with an as yet unsignwritten car?

Alternatively, maybe one of the various ex-BTCC RS500s that went into Thundersaloons and club racing- Both Nigel Mustill (though according to the pic captions, he was still using his Mk1 Escort up to 1991) or Stuart Donnan (the ex-JQF/Fina car) were Combe regulars I think?
http://www.motorsport-fanatic.co.uk/...ersaloons.html
Looking at the RS500 in the video, and original BTCC pics of the Leech and JQF cars, it could easily be either- Donnan's car was still in 'original' Group A condition in 1990 (IIRC he raced it in a late-season BTCC round), rather than the wide-arched Thundersaloon guise of the pic I linked to

Yes, I'm sure the M3 is Chatfield- I remember seeing the Alpina green M3 at Brands around that period- there's a pic of it (though a bit more modified) on here:
http://www.motorsport-fanatic.co.uk/...ialGT-bmw.html

There seem to be quite a few Group A or ex-Group A cars in the entry for this one- the RS500 and M3, one of the ex-MIL Supras (though RS500-powered by then) and that 635...(which also appears in the gallery of Combe BMW pics above)

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by KA

That's a thought- The Leech car was certainly white, and Combe is the right part of the world for him to be taking in a local Thundersaloon race on top of his BTCC appearances. Don't know the date of this race, but Leech's RS500 didn't appear until a few races into the 1990 BTCC season, so if it's an early-season race, is it Dennis using the Thundersaloon race as an early-season shake-down or test outing with an as yet unsignwritten car?

Alternatively, maybe one of the various ex-BTCC RS500s that went into Thundersaloons and club racing- Both Nigel Mustill (though according to the pic captions, he was still using his Mk1 Escort up to 1991) or Stuart Donnan (the ex-JQF/Fina car) were Combe regulars I think?
http://www.motorsport-fanatic.co.uk/...ersaloons.html

The Nigel Mustill car (according to caption) seems to be running 4 stud rims, while the #212 definitely runs center lock BBSs. The Castle Combe race seems to have been from a sunny day and I would guess it was summer by then. The problem is that I don't know how the Leech Sierra looked except that it was white and debuted in 1990.
The Mustill car though looks more at home at the Fast Ford series or what ever it was called at the time.

Jesper

[Tim Wilkinson]

It's Stuart Donnan, in an ex-van Kouwen JQF car. I've been trying to confirm which one, as there seems to have been two JQF cars. The first was the ex-Crystal car (Bob Sands in '88, iirc) and then came the "active" car. This Donnan one seems to have been the later active car, but without the active suspension. Donnan was originally getting signatures, then went off to play (briefly) in BTCC, then came back to Thundersaloons with the car in wide-arched trim and red/white/blue C-fresh livery - kind of as pictured in the previous link, he changed it quite a lot it seems.

Donnan shared with Nigel James, and was qualified 3 places behind Chatfield's 2nd entry M3 - the opposite side of the row behind.

Race date was Saturday August 4th 1990.

I'm pretty sure the Mustill car was ex-TDR. I really need to go back through threads and PMs here and at the other place, and sort out my emails.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Tim Wilkinson

It's Stuart Donnan, in an ex-van Kouwen JQF car. I've been trying to confirm which one, as there seems to have been two JQF cars. The first was the ex-Crystal car (Bob Sands in '88, iirc) and then came the "active" car. This Donnan one seems to have been the later active car, but without the active suspension. Donnan was originally getting signatures, then went off to play (briefly) in BTCC, then came back to Thundersaloons with the car in wide-arched trim and red/white/blue C-fresh livery - kind of as pictured in the previous link, he changed it quite a lot it seems.

Donnan shared with Nigel James, and was qualified 3 places behind Chatfield's 2nd entry M3 - the opposite side of the row behind.

Race date was Saturday August 4th 1990.

I'm pretty sure the Mustill car was ex-TDR. I really need to go back through threads and PMs here and at the other place, and sort out my emails.

Thanks for confirming that Tim- I'd only ever seen pics of Donnan's car after the wide-arched bodykit was fitted

Now you mention it, yes, I've got a vague memory that Mustill's car was of Terry Drury origin as well...

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

The Nigel Mustill car (according to caption) seems to be running 4 stud rims, while the #212 definitely runs center lock BBSs. The Castle Combe race seems to have been from a sunny day and I would guess it was summer by then. The problem is that I don't know how the Leech Sierra looked except that it was white and debuted in 1990.
The Mustill car though looks more at home at the Fast Ford series or what ever it was called at the time.

Jesper

The Dennis Leech RS500 was plain white with prominent 'Partservice' and 'Autela' signwriting.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...0/LeechWeb.jpg

His later 2-litre Sierra in 1992 reverted to the black & dayglo orange combination that was Dennis' trademark during the Rover years- I always thought it was a pity he didn't go this route on the RS500!

http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga..._pembrey_w.jpg

The 4-stud rims on the Mustill car are a good spot- there were a handful of BTCC RS500s that ran 4-stud rather than centre-lock rims, mainly the lower-budget entries- the Terry Drury trio, Graham Hathaway's original yellow car, the Bell/McDowell ECM car (which was pretty much a club-spec car,and road-registered) and the Karl Jones Asquith/Duckhams car.

Drury (Mike O'Brien's car- some pics finally surfaced on 'the other place')
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/07...rs/bob6001.jpg

Hathaway
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3598/...e6e47d03ff.jpg

ECM
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/...67f5d3fb75.jpg

Jones
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-09-04-043.jpg

[Tim Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by KA

The Dennis Leech RS500 was plain white with prominent 'Partservice' and 'Autela' signwriting.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...0/LeechWeb.jpg

His later 2-litre Sierra in 1992 reverted to the black & dayglo orange combination that was Dennis' trademark during the Rover years- I always thought it was a pity he didn't go this route on the RS500!

http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga..._pembrey_w.jpg

Technically he did..... Wasn't his '91 Sierra an RS500 with restricted boost and a higher weight?

[Andy Clegg]

This is N. Mustill in 1991 on Craners at Donington. Hope this helps.
Andy

[KA]

Originally Posted by Tim Wilkinson

Technically he did..... Wasn't his '91 Sierra an RS500 with restricted boost and a higher weight?

Yes, but I think I've seen photos of it and it was still white in 1991. He only did the first 3-4 rounds before shunting it (IIRC it got rolled at Thruxton) and didn't appear again.
He then came back half-way through the '92 season with a 2-litre n/a Sierra- this was the black car, though I don't know if it was the RS500 rebuilt or reshelled, or a different car altogether

[KA]

Think this might be the Leech car in one of it's few 1991 outings- liveried identically to 1990, apart from a change of race number and the appearance of some different secondary sponsors/suppliers' decals- 'Judge' and 'Turbo Technics'

http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/...Leech_1990.jpg

compared with the previous pic;
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...0/LeechWeb.jpg

[basmsport]

Originally Posted by PAUL S

this fella makes competition cosworth billet hubs for the original 5 stud type and a version using the more common bearing types

I think he can also get hold of the earlier bearings

http://www.mkmotorsport.co.uk/

I didn't get a reply to my emails.

[Jesper OH]

A pair of RS500s from an Italian forum:

http://www.motorforum.it/cronoforum/...=asc&start=800

#16 Eric Schmid, Swiss.
#18 Amato Ferrari in the Crypton Engineering car.

Both cars seems to be entered by Luigi Bello with Rudi Eggenberger preparing them for the 1990 CIVT. The Schmid car looks distinctly like a 1989 DTM car.

Jesper

[chunterer]

Apologies Jesper, you've already posted about what I referred to in the 635 thread!! Great stuff!!!!

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

A pair of RS500s from an Italian forum:

http://www.motorforum.it/cronoforum/...=asc&start=800

#16 Eric Schmid, Swiss.
#18 Amato Ferrari in the Crypton Engineering car.

Both cars seems to be entered by Luigi Bello with Rudi Eggenberger preparing them for the 1990 CIVT. The Schmid car looks distinctly like a 1989 DTM car.

Jesper

The Crypton car for Ferrari being the same one that popped up in the BTCC a couple of times that year- As you say, pretty sure it was an Eggenberger car

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by KA

The Crypton car for Ferrari being the same one that popped up in the BTCC a couple of times that year- As you say, pretty sure it was an Eggenberger car

I can conform that this was an Eggenberger car & it did crop up for a couple of BTCC races (IIRC so that the driver, who also raced in F3000, could learn the circuits...)

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

A pair of RS500s from an Italian forum:

http://www.motorforum.it/cronoforum/...=asc&start=800

#16 Eric Schmid, Swiss.
#18 Amato Ferrari in the Crypton Engineering car.

Both cars seems to be entered by Luigi Bello with Rudi Eggenberger preparing them for the 1990 CIVT. The Schmid car looks distinctly like a 1989 DTM car.

Jesper

The Schmid car is in the Ford rallyesport livery that the works rally cars ran in during that period. It also reminded me of the Rouse run car that Alain Ferte drove in the 1988 French series.