Super touring

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Discussion

vinnie01

Original Poster:

863 posts

118 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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I dont know if you're like me and look back at the supertouring era with rose tinted spectacles. I love them even now 15 years after they died. my question to you is just How Good Were They? or is it a case of Rose tints

MG CHRIS

9,077 posts

166 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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vinnie01 said:
I dont know if you're like me and look back at the supertouring era with rose tinted spectacles. I love them even now 15 years after they died. my question to you is just How Good Were They? or is it a case of Rose tints
For the time they were technically advanced cars specially the last years of it was it actually better racing I don't know, many of the years were dominated by just one car alfa 94, audi 96, Nissan 99 and ford 2000. There was some dull races back then too.
I only started really watching it post super touring era with the x-power/hot wheels mg a favourite if mine would be when your 10 but did constently play the toca1 1/2 games on the ps1 brilliant time to be a kid.

Maybe the people that were around at the time will see it differently but from looking back there was a massive change pre 94 and post 94 mainly with the alfa.

rscott

14,690 posts

190 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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MG CHRIS said:
vinnie01 said:
I dont know if you're like me and look back at the supertouring era with rose tinted spectacles. I love them even now 15 years after they died. my question to you is just How Good Were They? or is it a case of Rose tints
For the time they were technically advanced cars specially the last years of it was it actually better racing I don't know, many of the years were dominated by just one car alfa 94, audi 96, Nissan 99 and ford 2000. There was some dull races back then too.
I only started really watching it post super touring era with the x-power/hot wheels mg a favourite if mine would be when your 10 but did constently play the toca1 1/2 games on the ps1 brilliant time to be a kid.

Maybe the people that were around at the time will see it differently but from looking back there was a massive change pre 94 and post 94 mainly with the alfa.
Certainly some of the racing was great (went to a few at Snetterton & Brands from 94-98) , but driving standards weren't much better than today. Costs got stupidly out of control too, which nearly killed the series altogether.

Speed Badger

2,667 posts

116 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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No rose-tints required, it was that good. The things I felt spoiled it in latter years were as mentioned above, rising costs forcing manufacturers out and the introduction of pitstops.

I attended my first BTCC event in 1996 at Brands Hatch, the programme was free, the atmosphere electric and the sheer amount and scale of manufacturer displays, stands and mocked-up touring cars was amazing. It's kind of getting back to that now, certainly what we have now is the closest it's ever been to the super touring era.




There used to be driver parades whereby the BTCC stars would be driven around the track in a road going version of their BTCC cars, usually sitting on the roof with legs dangling through the sunroofs, waving to the crowds as the airhorns filled the heavy summer air.



The other good thing is because 99% of the entries were manufacturer backed, they didn't mind knocking many bells of doodoo out of each other smile. It was the best touring car series in the world at that time and many other countries series' adopted ST regs. The drivers were a truly international mix and there was hardly anyone who didn't deserve to be there - a legacy of manufacturers being able to pick and choose.



I'm not saying all of the races were classics, but it's the same with everything really, more often than not they would be entertaining.

So yeah, it was alright driving

DanielSan

18,748 posts

166 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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Bar the last year or two when a lot of manufacturers pulled out it really was as good as your remember. The racing was close week in week out, the cars looked and sounded epic and everyone had a favourite car or driver they followed with a genuine passion. I had 2, Matt Neal as the true underdog, and Rickard Rydell for being and out and out racer every single lap of every race

F1GTRUeno

6,335 posts

217 months

Saturday 29th August 2015
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My favourite class of racing cars.

Grew up watching them being a 90's child and every car they had looked great, sounded great and went great.

Racing was brilliant, liveries were great, some truly world class drivers and lots of drama plus Murray Walker on commentary, what more could you want?

The HSCC series is great btw, even some ex racers (Cleland and Watts) get out in their old cars.

I'm gonna type great one more time.

Edited by F1GTRUeno on Saturday 29th August 23:21

ajprice

27,321 posts

195 months

Saturday 5th September 2015
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Oulton Park 1994, Murray Walker commentary, it doesn't show the end of the race but its still good stuff. Oh and anyone who says the modern BTCC is banger racing and push to pass, umm, yeah hehe

https://youtu.be/rfmwdrDiAQw

DirrieMore

902 posts

141 months

Tuesday 15th September 2015
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Ha ha - it had to be Julian Bailey!! Was it him or another ex GP driver who incurred the wrath of Nettan Lindgren?

That video is a fine example of why it was so good at that time though for me, as alluded to above, Alfa spoiled it (pardon the pun). Ok, at this point the cars are easy to identify with compared to those of a few years later with dramatically cut arches and all sorts of aero and changes to appearance but for me the "Cleland says he wants to be number one" year was the series' zenith.

Started watching on tv in the Cosworth era with my first meeting being Knockhill in foul conditions with Colin McRae being black flagged for over exhuberance..

Was it really that good? It was off the proverbial scale.

yes

Nath1790

39 posts

129 months

Wednesday 16th September 2015
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For the above poster, it was Johnathan Palmer who took Nettan out. Murray in typical fashion summarised by saying "hell hath no fury like a woman rammed" (if I remember correctly). Whenever he is shown in the review he is out of control on the brakes, hopeless but entertaining.

McRae decided to push someone (Matt Neal?) off at a very wet Knockhill in 92, I assume this is why he got told off lol.

I, thanks to my dad, grew up attending a few races and have the VHS reviews from 88-00. DVDs after. I'm currently working my way through them for the millionth time! Although I'm unsure where the videos are currently and only managed to copy some onto DVD. Youtube has come to the rescue with a complete 93 season review and I've missed 90 out but I watched that most as a kid. Just started 94 with those darned Alfa's dominating from the outset! The 'watershed' part way through the year produced some fantastic looking cars though smile

I've watched the current historic championship a few times and lately as part of the BTCC package at Rockingham on TV but the turnout seemed very poor. I'm hoping for a much larger and still diverse grid in the coming years. I want multiple RS500's (actually at full chat please), old Volvo's, Alfa's and all sorts pretty please! At Silverstone Classic Mr Wrathall (he is back) was peddling an old DTM Audi thing? Looked and sounded cool and I think won?

Supertouring was and still is awesome! As I was so young though I don't remember seeing it much live, apparantly I was there when Soper took Cleland out in 92!? The reviews are great but offer no real in depth detail, I'd love to know more about the cars, politics, drivers and everything else going on through the era.

Coxyjunior

104 posts

183 months

Thursday 17th September 2015
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The super touring era was amazing. I was very lucky that my dad raced in the Clio Cup supporting the BTCC for a number of years whilst I was growing up so I went to nearly every race between 90&96.

Apart from the racing which was incredible I remember vividly how nice everyone was. One particular meeting at Donington involved a cricket match in the paddock.

I also managed to completely wallpaper my bedroom wall with posters that every team gave away.

Happy days

bigvanfan

378 posts

131 months

Friday 18th September 2015
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Regarding the McRae incident, I was standing at the hairpin and it happened in front of me, must have been in the first few laps as there were a lot of cars around, Colin picked someone up on the exit and it sat at the front of his car at an angle , Colin just kept it floored and pushed it up the track until it eventually spun round and off to the infield. Best era for me

cupofbeans

1,631 posts

174 months

Friday 18th September 2015
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bigvanfan said:
Regarding the McRae incident, I was standing at the hairpin and it happened in front of me, must have been in the first few laps as there were a lot of cars around, Colin picked someone up on the exit and it sat at the front of his car at an angle , Colin just kept it floored and pushed it up the track until it eventually spun round and off to the infield. Best era for me
Matt Neal was the victim. Steve Neal was on the warpath after that biggrin

Jimmm

2,500 posts

182 months

Friday 18th September 2015
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The graphic of the grid line up brings back all the memories for me. I was a kid during the super touring era, 13 when it ended. We lived close to Donington Park and I remember vividly every year going with my dad and parking his Austin Montego on the infield on the down slope overlooking the old hairpin so we could sit in the car and watch the races. Mansell in the wet in 1998 best race I've ever seen live I think.

TommoAE86

2,659 posts

126 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
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Speed Badger said:
No rose-tints required, it was that good. The things I felt spoiled it in latter years were as mentioned above, rising costs forcing manufacturers out and the introduction of pitstops.

That is an epic picture and was one of the reasons that I love(d) the BTCC, went to see them at one point when I was very young. I was a Rydell fan and had a model of that 850 smile

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
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Super Tourers were great, and i still enjoy watching them today when our paths cross.

On the other hand they were indeed the forerunner of today's BTCC and, just like today, it really is 'man on the street' racing, designed to appeal more to the occassional viewer rather than the fan. Yes it was great, but it is still bumper cars for people with big budgets.

Look at the GT racing we had in the mid 90's.

I realise that I am out of step here with the masses but give me 2 or 3 hours of GT cars at Donington over 3 BTCC races any day of the week.

coppice

8,564 posts

143 months

Wednesday 7th October 2015
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It was good and bad- good because of big grids, ultra professional teams and best touring car drivers in the world. Bad because it lacked diversity- 90% straight fours, a couple of sixes and of course a 2litre limit. Worse because it was mainly FWD which rarely makes for good watching .

I saw my first saloon (as it was then ) car championship races in early 70s and loved the diversity of big Camaros and Mustangs , screaming Escorts etc. Best era was Gp 2 stuff with things like Cologne Capris and Batmobile BMWs - looked amazing , sounded better and often driven by GP drivers . Sierra Cosworth era also superb- those cars were hugely powerful and infinitely better than current BTCC. Current car may lap quickly, but mainly because they stop and corner so well ; the current turbo engines are just hideous. God awful noise , not especially powerful but the pops and bangs keep the punters excited I suppose.Many attenders of BTCC races never attend anything else I suspect - certainly it was chav city the last time I attended one.

entropy

5,403 posts

202 months

Thursday 8th October 2015
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coppice said:
best touring car drivers in the world.
The Rydells, Thompsons, Aiellos, Yvann Mullers, came from F3. Now its back to glorified club racing - not that its a bad thing.

coppice

8,564 posts

143 months

Thursday 8th October 2015
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Yes indeed - I know; but I must admit that some of them - Aiello especially -were utterly sensational to watch . And this from someone whose liking for 2 litre fwd cars is very well in check !

hammo19

4,901 posts

195 months

Monday 12th October 2015
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Go see the historic super tourers next year - I can guarantee you will still get that tingling sensation when you see and hear them.....

I am very lucky that my friend Steve Dymoke races an Alfa in this series and get to spend time hanging around the garage with the cars that I loved and the drivers I worshipped.

Try the Silverstone Classic - pits are open to everyone including access to those superstars.

FourWheelDrift

88,382 posts

283 months

Monday 12th October 2015
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Nath1790 said:
For the above poster, it was Johnathan Palmer who took Nettan out. Murray in typical fashion summarised by saying "hell hath no fury like a woman rammed" (if I remember correctly). Whenever he is shown in the review he is out of control on the brakes, hopeless but entertaining.
https://youtu.be/FguPu09ug-s?t=304

biggrin