1985 All-Japan Touring Car Championship

[chunterer]

Re Sears, your further info about SARD Group C links perhaps suggests that the Supra was also a SARD related entry rather than a UK? I've just got a feeling I read something about a UK car going out there, just don't know.

Yes, re the second part about 'Brode' I hadn't realised he'd been participating in a Japanese or Australian car. I bet it proved a useful comparison for both drivers and entrants though!

[Jesper OH]

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108461

..or post 15, if the link don't work, suggest the same. Deliberately I didn't mentioned the various sponsor or team names, as I'm still in the wilderness regarding the "nature" of various teams - the Mitsubishis beeing a good excample.

Jesper

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Re Sears, your further info about SARD Group C links perhaps suggests that the Supra was also a SARD related entry rather than a UK? I've just got a feeling I read something about a UK car going out there, just don't know.

Australian Peter Williamson of Liverpool (NSW?) raced a British souched MA61, but at some stage switched to a Japanese build car. This is from memory only, but a nice reason to re-reading the '85 edition of Australian Motor Racing.

My gut feeling is that very few foreing cars raced in Japan in 1985. The championship winning BMW 635 CSi was likely an ex-Hartge car, and the various Volkswagen Golf and Sciroccos were likely european in origin. Pictorial evidendce (thanks to PZR) suggest that both Oettinger and Abt delivered cars to Japan as well.

Why someone like SARD would import a British build Supra MA61 to Japan for one race as it happened, is beyond me. Especialy as it happened late in the season, and that they build their own group C chassis for 1986.

Jesper

Jesper

[ian beckett]

Hello Jesper,the Japanese 635 was ex-Schnitzer,chassis #74 bought by Yoshimi Enterprises.The Hartge sponsorship deal was I think simply to get Hartge's name into Japan as the car still ran Schnitzer engines.The team ran it in '86 in a different colour scheme of white with red/blue panels.For '87 two 635's ran,one for the Autobureaux/Autotech in yellow with red,race#20and a second car in white with red/green/blue stripes and race number 33.I would really like to know anthing more about these last two cars.Anything anybody?

[Jesper OH]

Thanks for the imput, Ian. Can't help you much regarding the two '87 635s except that the #33 was running as an Advan Samurai entry.

Jesper

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Australian Peter Williamson of Liverpool (NSW?) raced a British souched MA61, but at some stage switched to a Japanese build car. This is from memory only, but a nice reason to re-reading the '85 edition of Australian Motor Racing.

My gut feeling is that very few foreing cars raced in Japan in 1985. The championship winning BMW 635 CSi was likely an ex-Hartge car, and the various Volkswagen Golf and Sciroccos were likely european in origin. Pictorial evidendce (thanks to PZR) suggest that both Oettinger and Abt delivered cars to Japan as well.

Why someone like SARD would import a British build Supra MA61 to Japan for one race as it happened, is beyond me. Especialy as it happened late in the season, and that they build their own group C chassis for 1986.

Jesper

Jesper

SARD definitely rings a bell with me for the David Sears entry- I'd assume it was a locally-prepared car though.

The Williamson car in Australia has been discussed on here before (think we did a Supra thread?) and was definitely an ex-Hughes of Beaconsfield/Toyota GB car, which went to Australia in 1984- though bearing in mind that Williamson campaigned the car until at least 1987/8 and had a couple of VERY big shunts in the car, I suspect there wasn't very much left of the original UK car in it by then...I don't recall reading any mention of a Japanese car in any of the Bathurst annuals I've got from the period, but he could well have sourced a replacement shell from Japan at some point?

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by KA

The Williamson car in Australia has been discussed on here before (think we did a Supra thread?) and was definitely an ex-Hughes of Beaconsfield/Toyota GB car, which went to Australia in 1984- though bearing in mind that Williamson campaigned the car until at least 1987/8 and had a couple of VERY big shunts in the car, I suspect there wasn't very much left of the original UK car in it by then...I don't recall reading any mention of a Japanese car in any of the Bathurst annuals I've got from the period, but he could well have sourced a replacement shell from Japan at some point?

What I remembered was a paragraf from Australian Motor Racing Year 1985/86 page 196 - The Adelaide ATCC round in late April: The newcomers were led by Peter Williamson's new Toyota Supra, fresh from Japan to replace his previous British version;

But considering that the Bathurst annual says the '85 Bathurst Supra was an extensively reworked version of the British '84 Bathurst Supra, I think you're probably right, KA. The text says the "Supra was in reality a new shell with only some components saved from the 1984 wreck.

What both titles agrees on, is that new engine parts, extended wheel arches and reworked aerodynamic front spoiler and rear wing was homologated from August 1st 1985. All three Japanese MA61s made their starts after this date.

Jesper

[Jesper OH]

Just heard that the blood type of a person tells of his or her personality in Japan. Blood group A is among the least decired, since it was a person who is selfish, which is seen as a bad quality in a contry where team work is all.

This leads to a question regarding the nature of the group A (and C) years in Japan. Both series were based on endurance racing and at least two drivers. Was this to emphasize the "team spirit"? Since both series were heavily supported by the Japanese car industry, I'm just speculating here, so if any one can shead some light on this, please do so.

Jesper

[PZR]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Just heard that the blood type of a person tells of his or her personality in Japan. Blood group A is among the least decired, since it was a person who is selfish, which is seen as a bad quality in a contry where team work is all.

This leads to a question regarding the nature of the group A (and C) years in Japan. Both series were based on endurance racing and at least two drivers. Was this to emphasize the "team spirit"? Since both series were heavily supported by the Japanese car industry, I'm just speculating here, so if any one can shead some light on this, please do so.

Jesper

Jesper,
Don't waste any time in even considering that blood group nonsense. It isn't really any more relevant than horoscopes.

As for the long-distance and multi-driver formats of Gr.A and Gr.C, I can tell you that Japanese racing grew into such formats long before Gr.A or Gr.C existed. You could cite many reasons for this, but the idea of "team spirit" and other such abstracts are not really anything you should bother yourself with. Don't let yourself get distracted - you are doing a fine job.

[Jesper OH]

Nice to hear from you PZR

Just heard about it and thought - what the heck

Jesper

[Jesper OH]

The JAF results database has obviously received an update and it answers some of the questions posted previously especially classes for the various Volkswagens and Toyota Starlets. A major surprise was that the #6 Nissan Skyline RS DR30 was in fact a normally aspirated 2 litre division 2 car (didn't realise it was homologated) rather than the expected 2 litre turbo division 3 car. I will have a thorough look at the 1985 and other seasons and post the likely updates to the current info on these pages - untill then, take a look for yourself:

http://www.jaf.or.jp/CGI/msports/res...earch-race.cgi

Jesper

[275 GTB-4]

The orange beast is all set to go round at Muscle Car Masters again...freshened gearbox, oiling fix and electrickery mods should see her producing the performance she is capable of...Good luck JA!



http://www.musclecarmasters.com.au/

[willofan]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

The orange beast is all set to go round at Muscle Car Masters again...freshened gearbox, oiling fix and electrickery mods should see her producing the performance she is capable of...Good luck JA!



http://www.musclecarmasters.com.au/

Yes, JA is looking forward to a good event at MCM in a few weeks time and I am looking forward to helping him with his trusty crew to make it a trouble free weekend.
It is 30 years since the first time I crewed for Peter Williamson on this Supra in National Technics livery at Bathurst in 1984 albiet it has gone through many rebuilds since then. I might even ring Willo to see if he is planning on dropping in.

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

The orange beast is all set to go round at Muscle Car Masters again...freshened gearbox, oiling fix and electrickery mods should see her producing the performance she is capable of...Good luck JA!

http://www.musclecarmasters.com.au/

Originally Posted by willofan

Yes, JA is looking forward to a good event at MCM in a few weeks time and I am looking forward to helping him with his trusty crew to make it a trouble free weekend.
It is 30 years since the first time I crewed for Peter Williamson on this Supra in National Technics livery at Bathurst in 1984 albiet it has gone through many rebuilds since then. I might even ring Willo to see if he is planning on dropping in.

Where's the 'like' button on this forum?

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by willofan

Yes, JA is looking forward to a good event at MCM in a few weeks time and I am looking forward to helping him with his trusty crew to make it a trouble free weekend.
It is 30 years since the first time I crewed for Peter Williamson on this Supra in National Technics livery at Bathurst in 1984 albiet it has gone through many rebuilds since then. I might even ring Willo to see if he is planning on dropping in.

"Crew" is an interesting word you have used there willofan

With any luck, Sydney will have turned off the rain taps by then...

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

Where's the 'like' button on this forum?

sadly none Dave...safe travels...

Luke Ear...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LikeThis/177804575600077

[nw94rs]

have you guys ever came across photos from the 1985 season. Bridgestone.jp used to have some beautiful photos on their website but has since taken them down. I'm looking for photos of any of the civics from the 1985 season.

thank you