CC Racing Developments Group 1 Ford Capri Mk III's

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by KA

This could be utterly off-topic, but did TWR possibly have access to a Capri in '82?

If you take a look at the results for the Spa 24 hours in '82, the TWR Jag entries were car numbers 4 (Walkinshaw/Nicholson/Percy) and 5 (Pierre Dieudonne/Peter Lovett/Jeff Allam. The interesting thing is that the results also list a Motul-backed Capri, car number 6, for Percy/Allam which qualified 38th but posted a DNS.
http://homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jon...982%20Spa.html

Given the Motul sponsorship, and both drivers being cross-entered in the XJSs, I'd assume TWR had something to do with this entry- but what was the purpose behind it?- and if it was a 'TWR' entry, could it have been the Nicholson car?

I could be imagining this, but I've got a very vague memory of reading something about a token third entry by the team in order to get more pit garage space, plus a little extra track time for the drivers, with no intention of the car ever starting the race...

That sounds familiar to me too (and it's the sort of 'creative' thinking you'd expect from TWR!)

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by KA

This could be utterly off-topic, but did TWR possibly have access to a Capri in '82?

Given the Motul sponsorship, and both drivers being cross-entered in the XJSs, I'd assume TWR had something to do with this entry- but what was the purpose behind it?- and if it was a 'TWR' entry, could it have been the Nicholson car?

I could be imagining this, but I've got a very vague memory of reading something about a token third entry by the team in order to get more pit garage space, plus a little extra track time for the drivers, with no intention of the car ever starting the race...

I suspect you're right KA!

It could've been the ex Nicholson car and I think I might have read somewhere that TWR ran a Toleman entered Capri in the BTCC around 1978/79 time. Can't remember the driver/s or context but I wonder if this is the same car at different stages of its life?! It might even have been Tom's old MKII 'rebodied.'

This is certainly a slightly OT aspect but well worth investigating further in this thread!

[KA]

Frustratingly, there aren't many 1982 pics from Spa on racingsportscars.com, although their version of the entry list confirms it as a Walkinshaw entry and 'withdrawn, not intended to be raced'

http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...982-08-01.html
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...982-08-01.html

I think the 'extra pit garage' story came from Autosport's race report, but wouldn't swear to that- unfortunately I don't have Autosports far enough back to check

[Jesper OH]

Sitting with Autosport in front of me, I can comfirm that the magazine says it was to gain some extra pit garage space. Interestingly the report also says that the Capri was not complying to Group A regulations but allowed to qualify and make the grid - not mention on what point or points it didn't comply, though.

Jesper

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Sitting with Autosport in front of me, I can comfirm that the magazine says it was to gain some extra pit garage space. Interestingly the report also says that the Capri was not complying to Group A regulations but allowed to qualify and make the grid - not mention on what point or points it didn't comply, though.

Jesper

I find it hard to believe that TWR could ever be involved with such a thing.

[chunterer]

If it didn't comply to Group A it further suggests to me that it must've been the ex BTCC Group 1 car?

Either that or Tom's Cologne Group 2 car (the one sold at the '03 TWR auction, if he even had it back then?!!).

Now that really wouldn't have complied at scrutineering!!!!!

Another thought: Could this Capri in question have been sold to a local customer and left behind after the '82 event?

[Sarnie]

I guess it would also be useful to know what happened to it after Terry finished with it.

It went to France (Gulf colours) not sure if its still there.

Second image is of a car I snapped at Donington in 1991, possibly at the DTM meeting that October. As I can't find the Programme can anyone help to identify the driver and which car it might have been?

It was I took a pic at the same meeting, mislaid my programme too.
It went to Spain for a time were it was converted to lhd, in the engine bay pic it looks to be a Mk2 shell as it has the extra pressing on top of the inner wing (arrowed) only found on Mk2's. But it looks like the left hand inner wing has been replaced at some time with a Mk3 one as there is no pressing.

[Peter Mallett]

Interestingly the left hand wing has the strut top reinforcement, but the MkII one doesn't.

[Sarnie]

Yes looks like a 4-pot shell as there is no triangle corner bracing (top of inner wings to bulkhead), I guess the replacement Mk3 inner wing was a v6 item then.

[grantp]

As suggested in the SD1 thread, some Capris from Donington identified as 1981.





(just doing 2 for now to see if I get the same 'invisible post' problems as previously with posts that have multiple links.)


Grant

[grantp]

OK, the last one seemed to work so I'll try 3 this time.

[grantp]

Hmm 3 seems OK..








I really must find the time to rescan a few of these and see if I heave learned anything that will improve the results.

Hope you enjoy.


Grant

[chunterer]

Grant, that's fantastic, not only have you posted some rare Tricentrol shots but also plenty of Capris and some CC Racing built cars to boot!

Bet there aren't many like this around, or of there are people have probably got them stuck in a loft or something!!

Having tried to make a couple of them out when posted in the SD1 thread, a couple of the Capris are now clearer to see!

The red 1&2 are Spice cars (CC built but self run)

The black #14 is Nick Whiting's ex Allam car (CC built)

The white 5 is Sawyer-Hoare (Rouse run)

Now the interesting one afaiac are the 3 car gaggle that appear to be getting a bit rough with each other!!

yellow 15; white 19 and black/dayglo 13.

I still suspect the yellow car is Chuck Nicholson's, although we have recently learnt that Tony Sugden did appear in it later in the year when Chuck got into a Mazda. Wonder who was in it here?

The #13 is Dave Brodie at an educated guess? The livery was his and then Dennis Leech adopted it on his Rovers afterwards.

The #19 has me stumped!!!

It isn't an Esso car so that rules out Woodman or Buncombe and the other Capri drivers I can think of from that time are Graham Goode; Mike Kimpton or Wayne Wainwright?

Anyone else got any thoughts?

[grantp]

Hmm. Just had a look to see if I can dig out any more detail form the scans as they are at present. I think perhaps not much if anything since the scanner is picking up the film grain.

#19's main sponsor seems to be 'Kaminski Bros'. The driver has an open face helmet, white. He may have a moustache although that could be a trick of the light.

Black number 13 seems to have Dennis Leech as the name on the wings ahead of the doors but whether or not that identifies the driver is another guess. (and I could be mis-interpreting what I see ....).


Grant

[Peter Mallett]

Interestingly I just found this:

http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/pag...programme.shtm

Have a look at the production saloon car entires.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Interestingly I just found this:

http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/pag...programme.shtm

Have a look at the production saloon car entires.

Just saw a few references to this in my searches as well.

Some useful info (perhaps) in a picture in the middle of this item.

http://forix.autosport.com/8w/bsp-81.html

[VIVA GT]

I remember seeing a clip of the Citroen CX celebrity race on TV, it looked like one of the least disciplined races I've ever seen!

[chunterer]

Yes, there's a very brief clip of the Dubai G1 race on Youtube as well, i'm sure someone posted a link back in this thread?

Good find re the programme entries Peter!

Grant you've keenly noted that the #13 black/dayglo Capri has Leech's name on the panels. Dennis did buy the car from Brodie for a season or two I think, so i'm assuming then that he bought it for the '81 season, or at least at some point during it?

Also seeing as Graham Goode's car is listed as #11 on that Dubai list, the #19 in your images suggests that it isn't him?

The mystery continues!!

Further possible points of significance are the 'Track Marshall' logos on the #15 yellow car that i've assumed is the Nicholson/Sugden Capri. I'm sure there was a car in Modsaloons around that time that was sponsored by them as well, can't remember whom though.

Also, we've got Nick Whiting down as driver of the #14 Capri, but there appears to be a different car with same livery at the back of one of the shots (the Rover damaged one, mid chicane). It appears to bear a different number. 'All Car Equipe' did enter a couple of cars on occasions, the other being for Mike Kimpton?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Yes, there's a very brief clip of the Dubai G1 race on Youtube as well, i'm sure someone posted a link back in this thread?

Good find re the programme entries Peter!

Grant you've keenly noted that the #13 black/dayglo Capri has Leech's name on the panels. Dennis did buy the car from Brodie for a season or two I think, so i'm assuming then that he bought it for the '81 season, or at least at some point during it?

Also seeing as Graham Goode's car is listed as #11 on that Dubai list, the #19 in your images suggests that it isn't him?

The mystery continues!!

Further possible points of significance are is the 'Track Marshall' logos on the #15 yellow car that i've assumed is the Nicholson/Sugden Capri. I'm sure there was a car in Modsaloons around that time that was sponsored by them as well, can't remember whom though.

Also, we've got Nick Whiting down as driver of the #14 Capri, but there appears to be a different car with same livery at the back of one of the shots (the Rover damaged one, mid chicane). It appears to bear a different number. 'All Car Equipe' did enter a couple of cars on ocassions, the other being for Mike Kimpton?

When I first enlarged the photo, I read the name on the black Capri as Dave Brodie, but re-reading shows me it now says Dennis Leech!
I'm sure the yellow Track Marshall Capri is Chuck Nicholson (or am at least sure they were one of his sponsors). #19 certainly isn't Graham Goode. I've forwarded the picture to him and he can't identify any of the drivers at the moment...

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

When I first enlarged the photo, I read the name on the black Capri as Dave Brodie, but re-reading shows me it now says Dennis Leech!
#19 certainly isn't Graham Goode. I've forwarded the picture to him and he can't identify any of the drivers at the moment...

Same here, couldn't quite make out Leech's name at first despite the large lettering!!

Amusing about Graham's memory loss, he's not that old is he?!!

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Same here, couldn't quite make out Leech's name at first despite the large lettering!!

Amusing about Graham's memory loss, he's not that old is he?!!

I'll not comment on that but it was a rare bout of amnesia on his part, usually he remembers everything...
Seeing the Dubai Production saloon entry list, it does throw up another possibility though. What colour was Holman Blackburn's Capri? Could he be the mystery #19?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I'll not comment on that but it was a rare bout of amnesia on his part, usually he remembers everything...
Seeing the Dubai Production saloon entry list, it does throw up another possibility though. What colour was Holman Blackburn's Capri? Could he be the mystery #19?

Fair enough, i'll not pursue that particular line...

Good shout re Les Blackburn but i'm not sure he entered in '81 and I believe his car was a feint yellow hue?

Right some 'bumpf' has miraculously found it's way into my hands concerning 1981 Tricentrol's which may or may not help us and grant in captioning......

The Donington round was on August 16 (F2 supporter?)

Result:
1 Lovett
2 Rouse
3 Muir
4 Spice
5 Whiting
6 Allam

Percy won Class B but not sure where he finished overall.

Other bits of useful info:
Nicholson was in the Mazda by this time and Tony Sugden only did one round in Nicholson's Capri......

Apparently the car was ex Woodman but doesn't say if he ran it himself (or had help from TWR as we've questioned earlier) before he took the RX7 drive.

The second Richard Grant/All Car Equipe Mike Kimpton driven car was badly shunted during the race, apparently both team cars were 'written off' one week apart. Don't know how or why though?

Interestingly having sold his own car to Wainwright; Stuart Graham drove the second Spice car in the first 2 rounds before being replace by Phil Martin-Dye because of performance and financial related issues. That could've potentially been a stellar line up, he surely might have been as good a partner for Spice as Rouse was!! Strange Stuart didn't do well in a well funded and sorted car, as he had gone quite well in his older car previously.

Wainwright was even backed by Carroll Shelby - is there anything in the images showing that on the #19 at all?

At the beginning od the season as many as 11 Capri's came out to play. A quick count makes: 2 x Spice; 2 x Esso; 2 x Grant; 2 x CS-H plus Goode; Wainwright; Nicholson (Leech didn't enter in the beginning). But at the final round there were only 5!!!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Also, we've got Nick Whiting down as driver of the #14 Capri, but there appears to be a different car with same livery at the back of one of the shots (the Rover damaged one, mid chicane). It appears to bear a different number. 'All Car Equipe' did enter a couple of cars on occasions, the other being for Mike Kimpton?

I think there is only one All Car Equipe Capri - just #14 although I must say when viewed small and in the background I thought it was the same team as the Dennis Leech #13 until I looked closely.

Interestingly (to me at least) I have some more shots from the same race (I assume, has to be the same day ...) some taken from a slightly different position but very similar which show the Audi's and the Lancers having a set to. For thiose I have other shots from a different angle that clearly idenitfy the driver names. The shots actually look very different so I had assumed that they were from a different year and the negatives had been mixed together at some point. Maybe just different filem and different lens settings OR I have simply forgotten the facts since it must be 3 or 4 years sinece I scanned them.

Moss and Brundle in the Audi's so it has to be 1981 - as if we needed any further confirmation!

I'm surprised so little detail comes up on the net. I would have thought that the information must be available somewhere in an official records archive.

Maybe I should have bought a programme .... but then by now my Management would have insisted on 'clearing out that old junk that you will never look at again' so there would have been little left to help us here.


Grant

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by grantp

I think there is only one All Car Equipe Capri - just #14 although I must say when viewed small and in the background I thought it was the same team as the Dennis Leech #13 until I looked closely.

According to my bumpf, there were 2 of them at this one

If you look closely, Whiting's is the #14 and the other one (at the back of that queue behind Sugden in Nicholson's yellow car) appears to have an 8 on the bonnet (presumably it's a #18?). It also has a light coloured section beneath the bumper whereas the '14 doesn't?

Originally Posted by grantp

Interestingly (to me at least) I have some more shots from the same race (I assume, has to be the same day ...) some taken from a slightly different position but very similar which show the Audi's and the Lancers having a set to. For thiose I have other shots from a different angle that clearly idenitfy the driver names. Moss and Brundle in the Audi's so it has to be 1981 - as if we needed any further confirmation!

No, they're very interesting Grant, we love all this on Ten-Tenths!!

If you like you could post them (I hope you do!!) under a more general thread title within Motorsport History?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by chunterer

The Donington round was on August 16 (F2 supporter?)

Ok, that would explain some of the other images as well. Quite an interesting F2 field (Tiff Needell, Jim Crawford, et al.) if I have the right negatives but I had somewhat more difficulty getting them in the frame as they passed by on the way to the Craner Curves (different shooting position. But still with the then benefit of no fences ...)

I'll dig out the negatives again if I get time later in the week and see if I missed anything else interesting on the Tricentrol side.

Grant