RE: Reid vs. Rydell, 20 years on: Time For Coffee

[DanielSan]

BricktopST205 said:

How much faster over a lap? Not much if any. I do not really have a comparison but at the Goodwood FOS they had a touring car shootout this year and 2016. Most were around mid 50's up the hill. Anthony Reid did it in 50 seconds in his Primera Super Tourer years earlier.

Super tourers were 900kg all motor 320 ish BHP. NGTC is what 400kg's heavier with a turbo motor only putting out around 30-40BHP more. Aero was more impressive on the super tourers as well. Also please do not forget we are talking about a 20 year gap as well!

Edited by BricktopST205 on Friday 21st September 13:37

There were also 5-10 million quid a year budgets, endless aero and testing work and the biggest factor unlimited, highly expensive and mega grippy qualifying tyres that lasted 3 laps if you were lucky. That’s where most of the pace came from.

Watch the season reviews back and the last few years weren’t as close as those rose tinted specs let you believe, the aero became enough of an issue the cars couldn’t get close and the costs so insane it was never going to be sustainable as a national series.

The racing is even closer now, grids bigger and the costs massively less. Yes the super tourers were great, I’m a massive fan, but it wasn’t perfect.

[ChevronB19]

We first met David Leslie when he was pumping fuel as a kid at his dads garage in Carlisle. Many years later he drove our 100E in the St Mary’s trophy, just before his untimely death.

We have in car footage of him driving the 100E in the wet. Make no mistake, both my dad and I are considered ‘quick’ in that car, but he was as fast as us in the wet as we were in the dry. The video is an education to watch.

[slipstream 1985]

If I were thompson id have dropped back and punted reid into the middle of next week for that suicidal move

[Prinny]

Seb27 said:

Fantastic! I was there, as an 8 year old, the first race meeting I remember going to. I remember driving down in my dads Triumph Acclaim and leaving 3 cans of coke on the passenger seat, which when we returned had exploded all over the headlining and the beige velour seats as it was so hot that day.

My favourite driver was Mr Cleland and I had made a cardboard sign with 'Go Go Go Cleland' in black marker pen, covered in pictures of his car that I had cut out of Autosport magazines and PVA glued on. I queued up in the pit lane to meet the drivers, and John took his time to look at my sign, ask if I had made it myself, and wrote a little message on it and signed it. I remember holding it up every time his car went past. It is still hidden away in my parents loft somewhere. The circuit was so busy with spectators, it seemed like an absolutely massive event especially to an 8 year old.

It was the day that made me decide whatever type of life was ahead of me, I was going to race something myself at Brands one day myself and I told my dad that on the way home. 11 years later I found myself sitting on the grid in a very rotten Toyota MR2 mk1 race car which promptly blew its head gasket 4 laps in.

Please, more comments. More posts. I’m here for sts, giggles and the 1-5 barge threads mainly, but your post is why I’m here. 10/10 would read again. You encapsulated the thrill of the spectator watching something beyond normal, and then walked the walk. If you’ve any more detail on your MR2 exploits, I for one, would be glad to read it.

[Maldini35]

Seb27 said:

Fantastic! I was there, as an 8 year old, the first race meeting I remember going to. I remember driving down in my dads Triumph Acclaim and leaving 3 cans of coke on the passenger seat, which when we returned had exploded all over the headlining and the beige velour seats as it was so hot that day.

My favourite driver was Mr Cleland and I had made a cardboard sign with 'Go Go Go Cleland' in black marker pen, covered in pictures of his car that I had cut out of Autosport magazines and PVA glued on. I queued up in the pit lane to meet the drivers, and John took his time to look at my sign, ask if I had made it myself, and wrote a little message on it and signed it. I remember holding it up every time his car went past. It is still hidden away in my parents loft somewhere. The circuit was so busy with spectators, it seemed like an absolutely massive event especially to an 8 year old.

It was the day that made me decide whatever type of life was ahead of me, I was going to race something myself at Brands one day myself and I told my dad that on the way home. 11 years later I found myself sitting on the grid in a very rotten Toyota MR2 mk1 race car which promptly blew its head gasket 4 laps in.

Brilliant!

The same reason I too found myself at the back of the grid at Brands in a rotten E30 320i (I was a Steve Soper fan) some 20 years later. The car lasted the race and I managed one overtake to finish 2nd last.

[morgrp]

VTECMFR said:

I think simple reason I've felt out of love with Touring Cars, is because they don't just look like your next door neighbours car with some alloys and stickers, they look bloody mental, but not in a good way, they are too far fetched, the wide body kits etc.

If they made the cars more simple, but still stripped out and with the power, I think it would be a great watch and would get more back into it.

To be fair the super touring era cars had MASSIVE investment in them so were very trick- Just one example - The amazing 2.0 Volvo 5pot was a classic example of rule bending and each head for the engine was reputed to have been hand fabricated by TWR and cost £15,000 each! -

The biggest problem with them now is a lack of factory backed teams, and Awful, overly busy paint schemes - that and the fact no manufacturers really make road going versions of the Touring car models these days like these:







I also think the other problem is, back then your dad or you yourself prob drove one of the cars found on the track so they had massive street appeal. These days everyone drives fking SUVs and they don't race those do they?