Time to say goodbye to TVR racing
Discussion
Well, the day has come when, sadly, I finally say goodbye to TVR racing. I have just taken a deposit on the sale of my Sagaris and the car is now sold. For me it really is the end of an era (well ok, a decade) and I am sure I will be emotional when I see the car head off with its new owner in a few weeks time.
I've had 10 fabulous years of TVR racing. In at the deep end for the first two years with the factory backed Tuscan Challenge, a few years with the subsequent more club-oriented TVR series and more recently Dutch Supercar and Britcar. Along the way I've owned three Tuscan Challenge cars and really enjoyed building and developing the Sagaris.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have raced in the factory series against Peter Wheeler and to get to know him a bit. I learned so much in those first two years, including that there are consequences to letting your competitive nature exceed your talent! With a limited budget I was forced to be hands on with repairs and that gave me the confidence to go my own way in later years, run my own cars and ultimately build the Sagaris.
The Sagaris build has been a huge focus for me. Challenging at times - an LS6 engine dropping a valve and destroying itself on the first lap at Spa was a low point - but incredibly rewarding at other times. Outbraking a Ferrari F430 into Paddock Hill bend and sweeping past in a Britcar race last year felt epic – not bad for a car built by an accountant in his garage.
I know many were surprised to see the Sagaris up for sale after all the effort that had gone into it. There was nothing terribly complicated about the reasons. Although the car is cheap to run in endurance racing terms, by every other measure it is still an awful lot of money. As I don’t have my own business racing has meant compromises and sacrifices in other areas. At the same time I’d become a little disillusioned with Britcar, but I’d enjoyed racing with a team of drivers sharing a car. This led to thoughts about alternatives which are more financially sustainable for me personally. Once I’d thought the unthinkable, selling the Sag, it didn't seem quite so unthinkable any more. So, it was time to move on….
The Sagaris is now better than ever and whilst that might seem an odd time to sell, I wouldn't want to pass it on in any other way. The new owner is from Belgium, a TVR fan, and intends spending this year getting used to the car then entering Dutch Supercar in 2014. I sense he has the budget to get the most out of the car and I will continue to follow its progress with interest.
The one element that has made the biggest impact on me in my 10 years of TVR racing has been the people I have met along the way. I've forged some amazing friendships through TVR racing – some I know will be friends for life. It really has been the most fantastic 10 years and thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to making it so. Far too many to list and if I tried I’d only forget some.
I’ll still be racing – not quite finalised yet and nothing remotely as quick as ‘the mighty Sagaris’ as one of my mechanics dubbed it (or ‘that thing’ as my wife affectionately christened it).
So farewell, stay safe and enjoy your TVR racing. Hopefully I’ll still see you all from time to time in a paddock somewhere.
Cheers
Andy
I've had 10 fabulous years of TVR racing. In at the deep end for the first two years with the factory backed Tuscan Challenge, a few years with the subsequent more club-oriented TVR series and more recently Dutch Supercar and Britcar. Along the way I've owned three Tuscan Challenge cars and really enjoyed building and developing the Sagaris.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have raced in the factory series against Peter Wheeler and to get to know him a bit. I learned so much in those first two years, including that there are consequences to letting your competitive nature exceed your talent! With a limited budget I was forced to be hands on with repairs and that gave me the confidence to go my own way in later years, run my own cars and ultimately build the Sagaris.
The Sagaris build has been a huge focus for me. Challenging at times - an LS6 engine dropping a valve and destroying itself on the first lap at Spa was a low point - but incredibly rewarding at other times. Outbraking a Ferrari F430 into Paddock Hill bend and sweeping past in a Britcar race last year felt epic – not bad for a car built by an accountant in his garage.
I know many were surprised to see the Sagaris up for sale after all the effort that had gone into it. There was nothing terribly complicated about the reasons. Although the car is cheap to run in endurance racing terms, by every other measure it is still an awful lot of money. As I don’t have my own business racing has meant compromises and sacrifices in other areas. At the same time I’d become a little disillusioned with Britcar, but I’d enjoyed racing with a team of drivers sharing a car. This led to thoughts about alternatives which are more financially sustainable for me personally. Once I’d thought the unthinkable, selling the Sag, it didn't seem quite so unthinkable any more. So, it was time to move on….
The Sagaris is now better than ever and whilst that might seem an odd time to sell, I wouldn't want to pass it on in any other way. The new owner is from Belgium, a TVR fan, and intends spending this year getting used to the car then entering Dutch Supercar in 2014. I sense he has the budget to get the most out of the car and I will continue to follow its progress with interest.
The one element that has made the biggest impact on me in my 10 years of TVR racing has been the people I have met along the way. I've forged some amazing friendships through TVR racing – some I know will be friends for life. It really has been the most fantastic 10 years and thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to making it so. Far too many to list and if I tried I’d only forget some.
I’ll still be racing – not quite finalised yet and nothing remotely as quick as ‘the mighty Sagaris’ as one of my mechanics dubbed it (or ‘that thing’ as my wife affectionately christened it).
So farewell, stay safe and enjoy your TVR racing. Hopefully I’ll still see you all from time to time in a paddock somewhere.
Cheers
Andy
) Its small consolation as a TVR fan that I can claim to be one of the last to have seen it in the flesh in the UK. 
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