13

[Alfa Fan]

Rob Austin is going to race for his own team in the Audi A4 next week at Donington Park. He'll be racing under number 13.

Historically the number 13 is avoided by drivers, but it has been used in the BTCC before. Who was the last driver to use it and when?

(It's no fun if you just wiki/google it!)

[BDunnell]

Crikey, good question. I seem to remember a bit of Murray Walker commentary referring to 'Unlucky 13 indeed!' as the car with that number was involved in a shunt, some time around 1992-93, but I cannot remember for the life of me who it was.

[Alfa Fan]

That's the clip that sprung to mind for me too. Couldn't remember the driver either. Remembered it was in a Peugeot if that isn't too big a clue!

[Iain]

Alan Morrison in 2000 ran with 13, with which he had a fairly substantial shunt on the Brands GP circuit. Before that it was Eugene O'Brien in 94 who also had a fair few big crashes with it. Matthew Neal used it in 93 for half a season to try and beat his superstitions, but things got worse. So he switched back to 77 after the midway point in his new car.

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[Alfa Fan]

Well remembered about Morrison in 2000! I was really thinking about the main class. Eugene is indeed the driver I had in mind, and yes he did have rather a lot of incidents that year!!

[Eurotech]

My Uncle races in the Ford Fiesta Championship with number 13... always has done, he obviously thinks its lucky but I wouldn't be quite so sure...

[Iain]

Well remembered about Morrison in 2000! I was really thinking about the main class. Eugene is indeed the driver I had in mind, and yes he did have rather a lot of incidents that year!!

Apparently his nickname around the paddock was General Accident.....says it all really!

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[inimitablestoo]

As I recall Austin did carry the number 13 in British F3 when he was a race winner (which is presumably why he's having it now). And there is a further touring car connection as he was driving for Alain Menu's team at the time.

[Eurotech]

Interestingly, Last year Phoenix Racing ran a pair of Corvettes in the FIA GT1 World Championship, numbers 13 & 14. And it was number 14 that caught fire at Silverstone and was unable to compete in the series after its owner fell out with Phoenix. The number 13 car meanwhile had no such problems...

[racer69]

13 isn't always abad luck, Bob Holden and Rauno Aaltonen won the 1966 Bathurst 'Great Race' in a #13 Mini Cooper, and Holden continued to use that number for much of the rest of his career.