Sad farewell 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 V8 GT race car 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.
Thanks also to everyone who supported us over the years - entering a TVR into a multi-marque GT race meant that there was always a band of enthusiastic TVR owners present to lend support. I'm not sure the Porsche or Ferrari boys have ever had that and it made a real difference to every race.
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).
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.
Thanks also to everyone who supported us over the years - entering a TVR into a multi-marque GT race meant that there was always a band of enthusiastic TVR owners present to lend support. I'm not sure the Porsche or Ferrari boys have ever had that and it made a real difference to every race.
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).
Cheers
Andy
End of an era as you say but life goes on and things & circumstances change and now indeed does seem to be a good time to move on. I hope the racing you're moving on to gives you as much enjoyment and warrants the expensive new race suit you bought this year at Autosports 
Hopefully see you around soon.
Hopefully see you around soon.
V8 GRF said:
End of an era as you say but life goes on and things & circumstances change and now indeed does seem to be a good time to move on. I hope the racing you're moving on to gives you as much enjoyment and warrants the expensive new race suit you bought this year at Autosports
Hopefully see you around soon.
Ha! Even I baulked at the race suit quote when it came through. It was some way North of the ball park the chap gave me at the show!! Hopefully see you around soon.
I still have my 2003 vintage OMP duvet...
Sorry to hear you are quitting with the Sag; it was an awesome car and very neatly done and well presented. Someone got a bargain. Hopefully not leaving the TVR fold completely though, as advice on Tuscans and LSs always gratefully accepted.
Good luck with whatever you do next on track.
If you happen to be on a track day when the Tuscan's out (once its running again) more than happy to give you a hurl to remind you of Blackpool chassis and big American engines
Good luck with whatever you do next on track.
If you happen to be on a track day when the Tuscan's out (once its running again) more than happy to give you a hurl to remind you of Blackpool chassis and big American engines
teamHOLDENracing said:
Ha! Even I baulked at the race suit quote when it came through. It was some way North of the ball park the chap gave me at the show!!
I still have my 2003 vintage OMP duvet...
Really? I remember you saying the ballpark quote was a bit higher than you thought so he must have really gone for it.I still have my 2003 vintage OMP duvet...
Make sure you let us all know where we'll be able to see you racing again though.
Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff