Formula Saloon Car Championship

[dazbaz_99]

Does this series still exist?

I saw them racing at Silverstone in April of last year during the Bank Holiday Monday BARC Championship Raceday. I cant seem to find any information on the series anywhere, not even the BARC Website. Has it been renamed, stopped altogether? I remember there was some very nice late 90s BTCC cars racing in the series, they dont race in Britcar, so where are they?! Any info would be appreciated, id like to catch them racing again sometime, was good to see!

[Ian Sowman]

The championship no longer exists due to a lack of competitor interest.

[avro]

Three of the ex Formula Saloons Nissans race in the Euro Saloons championships.

[redshoes]

Sadly it's no more. There was plans for a 3 event SuperTouring Challenge for the 90s BTCC cars but that failed. There was plenty of initial interest but when the deadline came for entries not enough drivers were prepared to part with the cash and the whole idea was cancelled.

Derek Hale and Peter Challis still race a couple of Nissan Primeras in the LMA Euro Saloons, as does Richard Hawkins occationally in either a Vauxhall Cavalier or his newly acquired Primera.

For a while an ex-BTCC car was ideal for Britcar but things have moved on since then and been replaced by ex-DTM or GT cars. Steve Hurst for example ran an Audi A4 in Britcar for a while but now uses an ex-DTM Astra.

All the other seem to have been sold on or are sitting in garages unused.

[Tim Wilkinson]

Richard Hawken's Primera is an ex-Woodcock one. The other two of theirs are up for sale. Jim Pocklington still has his Cavalier, but is concentrating on racing his Primera on the continent.

Seems as tho these cars are going the way of the Thundersaloon - not many places to race them, and crippling running costs for the average clubman.

[R59]

The Thundersaloon variety can also be seen in Eurosaloons, and BARC-SE Track & Race Car Saloons.

It's a shame about Formula Saloons - I was hoping to race with them, but events overtook me, nightmare after nightmare, and I lost a year in the build of the car.

Some of the Super Tourers are raced on the continent in various championships. I've even seen reports of them down-under.

Garry Woodcock worked his n*ts off to make it all work, but it came to nowt in the end.

And that leaves many cars sitting in barns, on display in car showrooms, and not racing, which is a waste.

Mind you, the same can be said for many of the old Thundersaloons.

Rob.

[Snapper Baz]

Yes, its a real shame about all these cars sitting around gathering dust. Garry did his very best but to no avail for this year and last. It would be great to see those cars out in Britcar or another championship that would gladly welcome them all. It aint obviously cheap to run one of those cars but maybe get a few willing drivers together and field a team in something could be possible if they could all got thier heads together-who knows?

[avro]

Like most motorsport you can overspend in trying to get higher on the grid, for us we found this in Formula Saloons, whislt enjoying the series and the people we raced with (well most of them), racing the 96 Nissan we could not compete with the 98 - 2000 cars and were not prepared or able to throw money at tyres etc in doing so, hence we switched to the Euro Saloons in 2004, and by doing so can race at the front of the grid on old tyres and by not having to run at 110% all the time just to finish halfway down the grid keep our maintenance costs to a minimum.

We would welcome more tourers out but would like to encourage the older cars first, ie the Cavaliers, old Nissans, Mondeos etc.

There are places to race super tourers but people need to rid themselves of the perception that running a super tourer is going to be more than any other tuned race car, also Britcar does not lend it self to racing Super Tourers, these cars were built for sprint races of no more than 30 minute duration and will not last in Britcar without mega money rebuilds after every race.

[R59]

The costs of running a supertourer were one of the reasons why I took the option of going down the ex-Thundersaloon route with a fit'n'forget Engine/gearbox/axle (though the axle came about after my first attempt this year). According to my engine builder, it'll cost about $300 to freshen the motor with rings, bearings, and gaskets, and that should need doing every two years or so. A bit different to a Cosworth, or a tourer.

The only thing I expect to use more of, than a tourer, is fuel!

Avro - if I haven't broken it before hand, I'm hoping to be at Rockingham in October.

[Al Weyman]

I had a v8 Chevy engine for 5 years Rob without a teardown, I bought it secondhand off a mate who used it for 2 seasons and I used it for three. It only expired because I lent it to the guy who sold it me as he had sold a drive to some **** in his Camaro and it threw a fan belt as he left the pit lane but he decided to let carry on racing it till it destroyed itself, but it still went about 6 laps with no fan belt before it locked up!

Apart from the cost of petrol and I have been told that a 180bhp 1700 cvh Fiesta on full bore gets down to single figures on the race track, they can be very economical to race.

Opps before I get into trouble again let me appologise in advance for letting this thread go the V8 road again!

PS What happened to Brian Sheridan who started the Formula Saloons or should I not ask?

[Wilbo]

That's why I plan putting a V6 in my Laguna so the 300bhp should come easier and I can do the odd Britcar with it and hence it will be less stressed.

[peter thurston]

Hopefully I will be out at brands in the prelude this weekend and if all goes well and my new nipper is sleeping better I will do the next meeting there plus snetterton and rockingham. Race yer there rob.pete

[R59]

In the Preload or the Escort?

Wilbo, the V6 Laguna - sounds like a nice idea. Front or rear wheel drive?

[peter thurston]

In the prelude I hope .

[Snapper Baz]

Wilbo-give it more - go V8...think of all that grunt and a seperate class!!!!

[Andrew Kitson]

Garry did work so hard to make it happen, as did his brother Michael and father Colin. Such a shame, great blokes, great series. It WAS good, the man that arguably knew more about racing saloons than anyone else believed strongly in it and gave it full approval as president of the club - the late Gerry Marshall. Somehow ironic that Gerry should leave us and Formula Saloons are also no more.

[Al Weyman]

I don't know but was this another case of allowing drivers too much say in the regs, these things have a habit of getting out of hand and leading to a championships demise.

[R59]

The regs had been stable for many years. Super Tourers to supertouring regs. Thundersaloons to thundersaloon regs (with a few tweaks), and that was about it.

It was a case of people not coming out with their cars due to the cost of running them competitively.

I was trying to get my car ready to run in Class A (Thundersaloons), but things kept getting in the way and causing more and more delays - work being the biggest problem, leading to no time to work on the car.

Garry worked his doodahs off to run a Super Touring Weekend at Snetterton last year, and that went well. This year's got cancelled due to a lack of interest from competitors.

Like many have said, it was a great championship - the fastest saloon car championship in the UK, probably more spectacular than the BTCC (with it's dozen cars).

[Wilbo]

Rob, Baz, I hope to fit a Clio V6 engine with some head work, cams and on throttle bodies mated to a Sadev 6 speed sequential. It's a 95' Williams car. I believe it to be ex Menu or Hoy but not 100% sure. To race Britcar I need to keep the engine Renault (+ it makes sense to keep in manufacturer derived). It's a longer term project as and when as I am concentrating on racing the BMW.

Rob the Thundersaloon is looking spot on. Can't wait to hear it rumble!!!

[R59]

You should have been at Snetterton last thursday while I did an impression of a super tanker on the rocks (oil spilling everywhere!).

Quite a few woes, but nothing that isn't fixable without too much grief.

According to my road angel, I pulled 168 before the esses, following a slow exit of Sear, and having the rear brakes binding (and discs glowing cherry red!).

Now there's lots of plumbing to re-work, new master cylinders to get and fit, and a spot of gear linkage re-work before I get a chance to test it again - probably Silverstone in early September.