The Best Touring Car Race Ever

[Eurotech]

My opinion although most of you will disagree was the 2006 race 2 at Knockhill due to sheer talent shown from Gio to stay ahead of much faster cars to secure Vauxhalls 100th win.

I imagine most of you think it was actually the Donington Race 2 1998 with Nigel mansell but that wasnt really talented driving because the man was from F1 so he did know a fair bit about driving in the wet....

Feel Free to disagree. ;)

[Rollo]

The 1986 Jarama 4 Hours.

After four hours of thumping around the circuit, Ravaglia and Pirro in their Schnitzer BMW 635i, held out Walkinshaw and Percy's TWR Rover 3500 by 24 seconds.

Ok, maybe the gap isn't very small but after the last stop, Percy managed to squeeze the Rover out in front of the Bimmer and for about the last twenty minutes the lead must have changed about 2 dozen times. On lap 150, Ravaglia cut across Percy at Pegio and Percy's front right tyre blew out.

That 24 second gap barring pitstops was pretty well much the furthest they'd been apart all day save for when that Nordica Volvo shat itself on the line and Ravaglia has to go around it.

[SEATFreak]

In the BTCC the best race I know of since I have started following the series would have to be race 2 at Oulton Park on Sunday for me. Battles and overtaking everywhere for all positions.

Brilliant.

[VXRDartford]

The one in the wet at Donington with Mansell not sure of the year. 1999 I think

[Eurotech]

1998

[Eurotech]

what other action was at Oulton - I was standing at the chicane dunno what happened to Plato but there was loads of Team RAC supporters next to me and when Jase drove past at 4mph the noise was incredible. The Irish commentator seemed to like it!

[SEATFreak]

what other action was at Oulton - I was standing at the chicane dunno what happened to Plato but there was loads of Team RAC supporters next to me and when Jase drove past at 4mph the noise was incredible. The Irish commentator seemed to like it!

Were these Team RAC supporters wearing SEAT gear when you got to the chicane? Just they might have bought the RAC gear in the event SEAT yet again fail on reliability. :p :

I am obviously only able to get to Croft and I would say the best race I have seen at Croft since 2001 (when I first stated going to Croft) has to be the 2004 meeting. That was the era when WSR was really competitive in their MG's. Unless I am mistaken it is their competitiveness that helped make the 2004 season as competitive as I think it was.

[Iain]

I was going to try and pick out the best I have actually seen in person, but I've seen 183 BTCC races in person and can't remember. :p : There are a lot of races that are memorable for me because of personal achievements by drivers in those races, but maybe not outstanding races overall.

The 1998 Donington one with Mansell leading, then the best driver winning at the end was a classic.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

The feature race at Donington 1998 with Mansell is a classic. As is Neal's first win there in 1999, after stalling in the pits and then coming from 5th or 6th to win £250,000.

More recent stand out races have been Knockhill 2004 (can't remember which race, the entire meeting was fantastic). Or Brands Hatch 2004 where Huff won on that manic last lap.

This season I think race 2 at Croft has been the best with Jacksons heroics.

[racer69]

Race 1 from Snetterton in 1996 was very good

Soper/Rouse at Brands in 1988 anyone??

[jackmarsh]

1992 silverstone finale!

[jackmarsh]

this year i would go for Rockingham race 3, all the confusion with the rain, then one of the most incident packed races of the year.

[Eurotech]

Brands Race 3 2004 Last lap was the best LAP ever :D

the whole 04 season was great. I remember watching Thommo go round the outside of Chilton at Duffus Dip in race 1 and the crowd was ooing and aaaing like mad then when Chilton nearly put it on the roof!.

The donington finale was brilliant especially when Muller went off down the crainer curves and Old Hairpin!

the 04 season was won by the best guy in my opinion but that may be because Ive always bee a James Thompson fan......

[agp]

Soper/Rouse at Brands in 1988 anyone??

Couldn't agree more, it was one of the best ever touring car races that I watched. Almost twenty laps of door handle to door handle racing and they didn't touch once!!!!!!!!! It also rained at one point as well but the tyres and drivers were hot so it hardly seemed to make a difference.

Another one was also at Brands in 1972 when Frank Gardner was stuck with intermediates on a dry track and had to get to Paddock first to stand a chance of winning in his Camaro. Frank had to get almost the whole car onto the grass to keep first place (Muir and Birrell in Capris were in no mood to let Frank get away) but managed to hold it and also keep those pesky Capris at bay for the rest of the race.

agp

[agp]

Soper/Rouse at Brands in 1988 anyone??

Couldn't agree more racer69, it was one of the best ever touring car races that I watched. Almost twenty laps of door handle to door handle racing and they didn't touch once!!!!!!!!! It also rained at one point as well but the tyres and drivers were hot so it hardly seemed to make a difference.

Another one was also at Brands in 1972 when Frank Gardner was stuck with intermediates on a dry track and had to get to Paddock first to stand a chance of winning in his Camaro. Frank had to get almost the whole car onto the grass to keep first place (Muir and Birrell in Capris were in no mood to let Frank get away) but managed to hold it and also keep those pesky Capris at bay for the rest of the race.

agp[/QUOTE]

[Eurotech]

double post.

[VX_Rules]

this year i would go for Rockingham race 3, all the confusion with the rain, then one of the most incident packed races of the year.

Much better in person than on TV, ITV hadn't prepared themselves for darkness, water, mist, and headlights. Was awful highlighting but being there and watching!! It was immense. I think I stopped breathing alot. Didn't know where to look!

[MrJan]

Not the best ever Touring Car race, but certainly a fairly decent BTCC race in what I think of as one of the greatest eras of racing (that I'm old enough to have seen, and helped largely by playing lots of TOCA2 :D )

PART 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHk3D2XhuTc&feature=related)
PART 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldLuo_mo9E)

[VkmSpouge]

I think the best one was 1998 at Donington Park with Mansell. Great action.

Others that stick in my mind was the 1992 Silverstone finale with John Cleland being taken out by Steve Soper. Then there was the 2004 Knockhill meeting, good action there.

[Eurotech]

Were these Team RAC supporters wearing SEAT gear when you got to the chicane? Just they might have bought the RAC gear in the event SEAT yet again fail on reliability.

You probably wont believe it but they were wearing SEAT tops and strangely VXR caps.......

Maybe they couldnt decide so they just cheered for any old car!

[VX_Rules]

You probably wont believe it but they were wearing SEAT tops and strangely VXR caps.......

Maybe they couldnt decide so they just cheered for any old car!

At least they got it half right! :p :

[Rollo]

Soper/Rouse at Brands in 1988 anyone??


Soper's Texaco Sierra looked menacing and I think remains as one of the most purposeful looking tourers ever made. Andy Rouse had been working on the Sierras early on and initially like everyone else found them to be gut-wrenching when they blew up.

I remember this race well, it's almost a case of David beating Goliath, but not really - since by '88 Rouse had that car pretty well sorted.

[BDunnell]

It has to be that second race of the second Donington meeting in 1998 (which, as I always say, also featured the best commentary ever). Mansell's two passing moves on Cleland, the first round the outside at Macleans, the second round the outside at Redgate with a very exciting but potentially rather foolhardy chop across Cleland's bows at the top of the Craners, were both magnificent!

Other races that stand out for me are the 1990 two-driver race at Donington, at which Stig Blomqvist gradually frittered away the huge lead Robb Gravett had built up and then threw it all away with a spin right near the end; the 1992 Silverstone finale, as appallingly dirty as it may have been in parts; the same year's TOCA Shoot-out, which Cleland described as 'one of the cleanest, but most potentially dangerous' races he'd ever done; and Will Hoy's final victory at Silverstone in 1998. There are plenty of others, but those will do for now.

[BDunnell]

I imagine most of you think it was actually the Donington Race 2 1998 with Nigel mansell but that wasnt really talented driving because the man was from F1 so he did know a fair bit about driving in the wet....

Feel Free to disagree. ;)

I will, because Mansell was actually rather crap in a touring car, and having almost no front-wheel-drive experience meant that his F1 background was of very little help.