Group "A" RS500 Touring cars at Donington

[racer2_uk]

Hi, at Donington last weekend saw an amazing collection of Sierra RS500's, several of which came from or raced in Australia and New Zealand, along with many original drivers.
I attendance were, Dave Brodie, Mike Newman-Listerine, Graham Goode-Petronas mach5, Andy Rouse-Mobil 1, Robb Gravett-ANZ, Tim Harvey-Labatts, Chris Hodgetts-Datapost, Karl Jones and Sean Walker-Texaco.
Along with them I drove my Dick Johnson Shell Ultra-Hi RS500 on the display laps we had through the day.
Many photo's of the day can be found on www.passionford.com , forums pages.

Andy Lloyd

[Rob 18]

Wasn't Rob Gravett's BTCC winning Sierra a DJR Built Pommy Ford???

[racer2_uk]

Hi Rob18, I don'y know about the winning '90 car but the '89 Gravett car was the first DJR sierra, DJR 1, I have owned this car since '96.
Out on track lsat week was the DJR sierra, Rouse/Brock Mobil sierra, the Rouse ANZ car and an Eggenburger Texaco car.

Andy Lloyd

[GTRMagic]

Is there any art (pics) of this event somewhere?

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by Rob 18

Wasn't Rob Gravett's BTCC winning Sierra a DJR Built Pommy Ford???

As Andy says, Gravett's '89 car was ex-DJR. His 1990 car was brand new and built by the Trakstar team. Mike Smith used an ex-DJR car (presumably DJR2) in '89 and probably in '90 as well.

[racer2_uk]

Hi WD jnr, you know your stuff ! in '89 Gravett used DJR 1, Smithy used DJR 2, in '90 Gravett used a new car, I don't know what car he used but Graham Hathaway drove DJR 1 for a couple of rounds in '90 before taking the car to Malaysia at some point ?

Andy Lloyd

[RS500]

Originally Posted by racer2_uk

I drove my Dick Johnson Shell Ultra-Hi RS500 on the display laps www.passionford.com , forums pages.

Andy Lloyd

These were the cars that got me hooked on Motorsport when I was 5, aswell as making me the ford enthusiast that I am now. I had the opportunity to watch these beautiful beasts do some laps around adelaide this year at the 500. Although they were going slow they still looked and sounded awsome as you would expect.

[Rob 18]

IIRC Andy, DJR 1 was a RHD Sierra & DJR 2 was the only LHD Sierra DJR built. Or is it the other way round???

They were an awesome touring car that's 4 sure.....

[EddieS]

I didn't think we were goiing that slow, especially on the Sunday some of those laps were fairly quick.

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by Rob 18

IIRC Andy, DJR 1 was a RHD Sierra & DJR 2 was the only LHD Sierra DJR built. Or is it the other way round???

DJR 1 was the RHD car that Dick used throughout 1987, and the car that obtained the first touring car race victory for an RS Sierra worldwide; the car that Bowe used throughout 1988, and was the sole DJR car - of the three that started the race - to make it to the finish of Bathurst 1988. This car went to Gravett for 1989. If this is the car Hathaway used in 1990, then it was probably the same car Mike Smith used when he made appearances in 1990.
This is the car Andy owns; lucky, lucky man that you are!
Do you know the race history of the car outside of the UK?

DJR 2 was the LHD car driven by the late Gregg Hansford throughout 1987, and was the car that put in such an awesome display in the opening laps of that year's Sandown 500. For 1988, this car was used as the team's show car. Of all the DJR Sierras, this is the only chassis I can remember being involved in accidents over here; it had hits at the Sandown ATCC race and the Calder WTCC race. Of course, it was then put into the hands of Mike Smith... Where is this car now?

And while I'm on the subject...

DJR 3 was the 1988 ATCC-winner in Johnson's hands, the 1988 Silverstone TT car, Bowe's 1989 ATCC car, and the car that Ray Lintott used in Valvoline colours in 1990 until the end of Group A. Where is this car now?

DJR 4 was the 1989 ATCC-winner, Bowe's 1990 car, and the car Kayne Scott and Greg Taylor used at Bathurst in 1991. I read somewhere that this car had been sold to Mark Petch before or after the race and was run in NZ that year by Petch for Johnson/Radisich in Shell colours. Where is this car now?

DJR 5 was the 1989 Bathurst-winner, the 1990 Bathurst runner-up, the 1992 Bathurst runner-up, and the car Bowe used to take several ATCC round wins in 1992. IIRC, this is also the car that Dick Johnson used in his last ever ATCC round win at Phillip Island in 1990. DJR still owns this car.

DJR 6 was Johnson's 1990 Bathurst car, and was also his ATCC car in 1991/92. Where is this car now?

There was also another show car by 1992, but I don't know which car it could have been. It looked for all the world like an ex-race car.


Now, our Andy's got one, Dick still has one, the Bowdens have got one (but which one): where have all the rest of them gone?

[pete60]

I recall Trevor Hine bought one in the early nineties to run in the street car series at Barbagallo Raceway.

[racer2_uk]

Hi WD jnr, I have been told that DJR 2 , the 2nd Trakstar sierra that mike smith drove is still here as a shell only, in the north west UK.

Andy Lloyd

[Henry]

I believe someone said that DJR3 might be the Bowden car... certainly a sigificant-enough car to merit a spot in their shed...

[EddieS]

Bowden purchased his sierra from Trevor Hines!!! that may help. I always thought that Bowdens was Bowe's car but which one???

[Nivola]

pete60 you are correct and I still think it is in the state and own by trevor to. But here is the ver sad part about it. One Tuning day it was almost a total write off after a huge accident. Came out of the las corner put the foot flat to the floor and hit the curbing. The back came around and he went backwards in to the tyres in pit entry just below the flag point. If I can I will scan a pic this week. She was a mess but I think Trevor tried to rebuilt the chasis. It was a huge hit and the chasis had to of twisted. Looked abit like when RobGravit wrote his one off in the BTCC all those years ago at silverstone.

[kmchow]

Originally Posted by racer2_uk

Hi, at Donington last weekend saw an amazing collection of Sierra RS500's, several of which came from or raced in Australia and New Zealand, along with many original drivers.
Many photo's of the day can be found on www.passionford.com , forums pages.

Can you provide some more direct links or forum pages/subject lines? There's too many threads going on? Thanks ahead.

[racer2_uk]

Hi Nivola, it was Gravett's big accident at Thruxton, hitting a smaller class car, that I remember, and you could see the repair when the shell was repainted, I own the car and have just retored it to the Shell Ultra-Hi livery.
It was great to drive again at Donington.

Andy Lloyd

[Nivola]

Good work andy you got a nice bit of sheet metal!!!!!!!

Surprised they ever rebuilt it since the fuel tank was out of the car!

[cavvy]

Originally Posted by Henry

I believe someone said that DJR3 might be the Bowden car... certainly a sigificant-enough car to merit a spot in their shed...

I believe this car was a part of the Pat Burke collection & sold at public auction after Burkes financial problems - anyone know what dollars it brought?

[Moza]

I helped with this show I got Karl Jones and Alan Curnow to attend, Alan gave his old race suit as a thank you !!!!!

[Gaz170]

I'm sure there's a DJR car in the Motorsport Museum at the Norwell Driving Centre. At least, there was when I last visited here.
From memory, it had the 3 piece wheels, not the later 1 piece DJR design ones.

[Conrod Kieron]

Originally Posted by EddieS

Bowden purchased his sierra from Trevor Hines!!! that may help. I always thought that Bowdens was Bowe's car but which one???

I thought Hines owned a Brock Sierra?

[racer76]

Hi all, as of two years ago the Valvoline Sierra lived in a shed in Toowoomba still painted in Valvoline colours complete with all pit booms and about 40 wheels and tyres. It's been there since it's Lintott run at Bathurst

[Group'C']

.
Just thinking about were these cars are now, don't know the chassis No but this were I think a few cars are

Andy Lloyd - UK - DJR 1

Chris Hinton - QLD

Bowden - QLD

Dick Johnson - QLD

National Motor Museum of Tasmania - Tas

[William Dale Jr]

I'm pretty sure that DJR has DJR5; the '89 Bathurst-winner and the car that came 2nd at Bathurst in '92.