Trakstar Ford Sierra Sapphire - 1991 BTCC

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by racer69

Did Trakstar have anything to do with Alistair McRae's 1992 BRC Group N Sapphire entry? It ran with Shell backing and a similiar livery (potentially clutching at straws)

No! The only connection was the Shell sponsorship and therefore almost identical livery.
I'm trying to remember the name of the team who ran that for Alister...

[KA]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

No! The only connection was the Shell sponsorship and therefore almost identical livery.
I'm trying to remember the name of the team who ran that for Alister...

SBG Motorsport or something like that? Went on to run a programme (BRC and some overseas events) for Volkswagen UK with Alister in a Group A Golf GTI?

http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/285866/4.JPG

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by KA

SBG Motorsport or something like that? Went on to run a programme (BRC and some overseas events) for Volkswagen UK with Alister in a Group A Golf GTI?

http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/285866/4.JPG

That's it, Steve Black Garages (I'd just come back to my PC to post this as I'd remembered the name). Well done KA.
I also think that Richard Asquith may have had something to do with this project too, possibly the year before SBG go the contract?

[KA]

Originally Posted by Derwent Motorsp

I seem to think Trakstar got wound up at the end of the year owing quite a few people money.
What happened to Smithy anyway both racingwise and on TV?

Don't remember him racing after Trakstar- funnily enough he turned up on TV a week or two back when BBC Breakfast TV did something for whatever anniversary it was of their first Breakfast programme

[Craner Curves]

Alister's car was the Shell Scholarship prize drive. SBG was run by Steve Bagnall in Daventry. They got the VW UK works contract to run the Golf MKIII.

I think Asquith may have run a similar looking car for Jonny Milner in the Mintex Championship, as they did award a prize drive in both the Top Gear/Mobil 1 BRC and the Mintex Championship.

[KA]

Been searching through my photos for the RS500 thread, and found another shot of the Gravett car at Brands

[chunterer]

Good one. I'd forgotten what a nice looking car that was! Shame plug was pulled early as it was starting to show some promise towards the end of the season?

[chunder]

Did they just run Gravett or did Mike Smith run a car at all, I seem to remember them only running one car? Was a nice car actually and sounded great, like a BDA!!

[kurtiejjj]

Originally Posted by chunder

sounded great, like a BDA!!

Ohh now I definetely want to see some footage of it !

[chunder]

Try and get the review video, there are a couple of bits of teh car coming towards camera, sounds like a Bergrunn car!!
God I am turning into an anorak!!

[Chris B]

Sorry if I am hijacking this thread.

I used to work for SBG in around 1996, but have long lost contact. Does anyone know here what happened to that company?

On the comments before Viva GT (Steve Black) and Craner Curves (Steve Bagnall) are both right. Steve Bagnall, originally an Audi UK and Volkswagen Motorsport UK director, was director of SBG. SBG however stood indeed for Steve Black Garages. Steve Black was the owner of SBG, but an engineer through and through with little interest in the administrative work.

Although that was before my time, I think Johnny Milner in the Scholarship Sapphire Cosworth was also run by SBG. I remember a Richard Asquith Autosport connection to the project. But in my days at SBG Johnny Milner was still getting his groupN Audi S2 Quattro serviced there, which was a legacy of Johnny not having a program since his Sapphire Scholarship days.

[RS250]

Didn't Mike Smith try a bit of hillclimbing in an R22? Alas a Robinson not a Pilbeam.....

[Craner Curves]

Just found this photo of a restricted Trakstar RS500 for Sean Walker in 1991, fully liveried up for him.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Craner Curves

Just found this photo of a restricted Trakstar RS500 for Sean Walker in 1991, fully liveried up for him.

Interesting to see this picture again (I'm sure it, or something like it appeared in the press at the time).
I think this was a 'sprat to catch a mackeral' exercise on behalf of Trackstar, mocking the car up for Sean, before he'd signed anything. (Sean Walker was run by Graham Goode Racing in the 1989 BTCC, switching to an Andy Rouse Engineering run RS 500 for 1990. I think a move to the apparently more successful TRackstar Team was mooted for 1991).
More interesting, if you look at the other picures on the website, you can see the unique bellhousing and long gearbox assembly that the Sapphire used initially.
That must have cost a fortune!

[billy bleach]

A quick potted history

Dick Johnson raced one at the 1988 Silverstone TT - word was that the car then sat in Malcolm Swetnams ( Trakstar Team Manager) Garage until it reappeared as a Trakstar car at Oulton with another DJR built car for Smith and Gravett. They won first time out!

The DJR RS 500's were then sold one to Graham Hathaway and one to Malaysia I think and a New one was built for 1989. This car won the 1989 BTCC and was a Lightweight "Europeanised" version of the DJR cars. It was then sold to Greece where sadly it ended its days as a rallycross car.

One of the original DJR cars ( I guess the Hathaway car) is now back in DJR livery and owned by Andy Lloyd in UK.

Trakstar also built a Sierra Group N car for an Irish customer, it won loads of races and then disappeared.

They also raced a Sapphire at the 1989 Willhire but failed to finish - that car disappeared as well.

Malcolm Swetnam left the Team before the 2 litre project started

The BTCC 2 litre cars - one was raced and a second existed but was never assembled before the Team went broke. The project was bought from the receiver and taken to Portugal where one car raced by Carlos Rodrigues. Both this car and the second car ended up as Rallycross cars in Spain.

[chunterer]

Hiya Billy!!

Thanks for that informative post, excellent stuff, but some of it might have been better off in here:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103035

or maybe here?
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114111

You might be able to add some more specifics in these 2 threads about the Group A cars as opposed to the 2-litre Sapphires that this thread is about.

[KA]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Hiya Billy!!

Thanks for that informative post, excellent stuff, but some of it might have been better off in here:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103035

or maybe here?
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114111

You might be able to add some more specifics in thse 2 threads about the Group A cars as opposed to the 2-litre Sapphuires that this thread is about.

I've copied it over to the RS500 thread....

[anthony81901]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Dick Johnson raced one at the 1988 Silverstone TT - word was that the car then sat in Malcolm Swetnams ( Trakstar Team Manager) Garage until it reappeared as a Trakstar car at Oulton with another DJR built car for Smith and Gravett.

Dick Johnson's Silverstone TT car was returned to Australia in time for Bathurst in September 1988.

[KA]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

The BTCC 2 litre cars - one was raced and a second existed but was never assembled before the Team went broke. The project was bought from the receiver and taken to Portugal where one car raced by Carlos Rodrigues. Both this car and the second car ended up as Rallycross cars in Spain.

I knew Rodrigues raced a 2-litre Sapphire in Portugal and at Macau in the early/mid 90's, but hadn't realised it was the Trakstar car. Think I've got a pic of him (in a Touring Car World annual) in the car at Macau in '94, with his regular 'Gianfranco' sponsorship

[KA]

Originally Posted by anthony81901

Dick Johnson's Silverstone TT car was returned to Australia in time for Bathurst in September 1988.

Was the deal for Gravett/Trakstar to buy RS500s from Johnson done at the TT, or Bathurst? DJR had 3 cars at Bathurst in '88, with Gravett amongst the drivers- as I remember, his Bathurst deal owed something to his Shell UK backing?

[anthony81901]

Originally Posted by KA

Was the deal for Gravett/Trakstar to buy RS500s from Johnson done at the TT, or Bathurst? DJR had 3 cars at Bathurst in '88, with Gravett amongst the drivers- as I remember, his Bathurst deal owed something to his Shell UK backing?

Johnson spent a fair bit of time whilst at the TT fielding queries from would be buyers after beating the Eggenbergers by four tenths in qualifying. A deal was done for the purchase of 2 DJR Sierras and it was no doubt on the strength of this that Gravett was entered in a 3rd DJR car at Bathurst with Shell UK brokering the deal. The car failed before Gravett had a drive, but he did get a steer when he returned in 1989.

[KA]

Originally Posted by anthony81901

Johnson spent a fair bit of time whilst at the TT fielding queries from would be buyers after beating the Eggenbergers by four tenths in qualifying. A deal was done for the purchase of 2 DJR Sierras and it was no doubt on the strength of this that Gravett was entered in a 3rd DJR car at Bathurst with Shell UK brokering the deal. The car failed before Gravett had a drive, but he did get a steer when he returned in 1989.

Thanks Anthony- that makes sense, I thought I remembered reading that Shell were involved with Gravett getting the DJR seat at Bathurst but wasn't sure about the rest of the story

[KA]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

The BTCC 2 litre cars - one was raced and a second existed but was never assembled before the Team went broke. The project was bought from the receiver and taken to Portugal where one car raced by Carlos Rodrigues. Both this car and the second car ended up as Rallycross cars in Spain.

Going off on a slight tangent, now that we've got an idea of where the Trakstar car(s) went, what about the other two BTCC Sapphires, mentioned at the beginning of the thread?

First, the original Rouse car raced by Ray Bellm and Chris Hodgetts in 1990- http://www.supertouring.co.uk/gallery/1990/bellm_90.jpg
It appeared again briefly in the BTCC in 1993 with subsequent owners Jim Wheals and Bob Berridge, but what happened to it after that?

Secondly, Dave Brodie's distinctive 4x4 car, which appeared mid-season in 1991.
http://www.stillphotography.co.uk/ga...91_12.jpg.html
I've got a vague memory of this appearing in at least one end-of-season Brands clubbie, at the end of '91, by then fitted with an RS500 engine, and I've read a suggestion that it might subsequently have been sold to Dave Pinkney, who had plans to run a V6-engined Sapphire in 1992- this didn't happen, and he bought a 318iS Coupe for 1993 instead. So where did the Ford end up?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by KA

Going off on a slight tangent, now that we've got an idea of where the Trakstar car(s) went, what about the other two BTCC Sapphires, mentioned at the beginning of the thread?

Secondly, Dave Brodie's distinctive 4x4 car, which appeared mid-season in 1991.
I've got a vague memory of this appearing in at least one end-of-season Brands clubbie, at the end of '91, by then fitted with an RS500 engine, So where did the Ford end up?

Brodie was running a black Sapphire in the Formula Saloons series around 4-5 years ago, so I wonder if that was the same car?

[KA]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Brodie was running a black Sapphire in the Formula Saloons series around 4-5 years ago, so I wonder if that was the same car?

That's a thought- could well be?

In a similar vein, Brodie has been running a black RS500 in recent years,
http://www.brdc.co.uk/image_archive/Dave_Brodie.jpg (seen here at a Silverstone 8 Clubs meeting in 2000)
It (or a similar one) also appeared at the BTCC 50th anniversary demo at Silverstone last year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_wa...n/photostream/

Wonder if it's his original BTCC car, or one built up more recently?
http://www.brdc.co.uk/brdcarchive.cfm/flag/3/picid/259