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 | a hot-rod version prepared by Burton's Engine Developments and driven by
Barry Lee,
| a rallycross machine (PNO 613R) driven by John Taylor, prepared by Haynes
of Maidstone,
| and John Young in a race car. | |
Later other examples appeared on the racing circuits, such as the Richard Longman developed Datapost sponsored 1300 and 1600 Group One cars, which competed in the British Saloon Car Championship.
However, it wasn't really until the Boreham "works" team developed a rallying Fiesta, within the framework of the prevailing fairly liberal Group 2 regulations, that a really serious attempt to comprehensively develop the Fiesta for competition appeared to have succeeded.
Ford Competitions Manager, Peter Ashcroft explained: "We wanted to try
and get a Group 5 Fiesta prepared and suitable to rally around June 1978. We had
started exploratory development during the early part of '78 with development
cars being run by John Young in racing, Barry Lee in the hot-rod area through
Burton's, and of course John Taylor's rallycross car."
"When it became obvious that we weren't going to have a car ready for the
middle of 1978, because for one reason or another development hadn't been able
to progress as quickly as we'd hoped, we changed our target around October time
to try and aim to have a car on the Monte."
"Then of course we had our eight weeks strike which put our chances even
further back, but we still decided to press on and debut the car as we'd
planned. A lot of the original development work was carried out by John
Griffiths and Len Bailey, but as we got nearer to the Monte, Bill Meade stepped
in as well. We were extremely fortunate to have the co-operation of Haynes,
because through the lessons that they'd learned with John Taylor's rallycross
car we were able to take a few short cuts in testing, as well as using John to
do most of our development driving."
Fiesta was sold in 1600cc 'Federal' form in the United States using a five
main bearing Kent crossflow engine all but identical to that used in the Escort.
Modifying it within the regulations was thus no problem at all, utilising old
tuning equipment, which had been tried and tested on hundreds of performance
engines in the past.
Main modifications were an extra engine mounting stay on the side of the block
and different mountings on the front cross member.
"During development", said Bill Meade, "we found that it was
essential to make sure that the engine was well tied in, otherwise it tended to
crash down and bend the steering rack as well as altering the suspension
geometry. So we modified a standard crossmember and redesigned the bottom engine
mountings". The engine project was thus delegated to the capable care of
Brian Hart.
Pushing out a quoted 155bhp (DIN), the Hart engine used Cosworth pistons, an A6 Cosworth camshaft, electronic ignition and breathed through twin dual-choke Weber 45DCOE carburettors. Using the standard cast iron block and much modified but still cast iron head, a tuftrided iron crankshaft (on which no doubt more money was spent than if steel were allowed), rolled journals, shot peened connecting rods, and Cosworth rocker gear these essentially "old hat" engines presented no engineering imponderables. Act One was thus a simple matter of commissioning the hard pressed Brian Hart to complete the necessary work to the letter of the regulations.
Being dry-sumped, there were no problems with oil surge despite changing the block from north-south to east-west. However, an oil cooler is essential, even for anyone only mildly tuning the ordinary Fiesta. Bill Meade explains "With the arrangement of the exhaust system on the Fiesta, air entering the engine compartment through the radiator is not only heated by the manifold before it passes over the block, but the exhaust pipes passing under the engine, the oil tends to get rather warm." The oil cooler itself shares a place behind the grille next to the ordinary radiator which for the Group 2 cars had been enlarged. Looking akin to an Escort radiator, it is made up from what were originally Cortina Mk2 top and bottom tanks, with a four-row cooler in between. Boreham designed the exhaust system although they were manufactured by Bernie Freeman at his Speedbend premises in Park Royal.
The shells were built by Maurice Gomm, and apart from the usual seam welding were remarkably standard, limited bodywork modifications included widened wheelarches and a full 14 point Safety Devices roll-cage. At one stage, it even ran with a second, internal rear window to seal off the luggage area from the cockpit and safely contain the fuel cell, twin electric fuel pumps, and oil tank for the dry-sump lubrication system. The twin fuel pumps drew from each end of the tank, so obviating any chance of fuel starvation under heavy cornering, only one being used for road driving with the driver flicking on the second pump for stage driving. The cars featured extensively modified suspension, including new triangulated lower arms at the front. A large steel sump-guard protects the whole front underside.
The story of how the 1979 G2 Monte Carlo rally Fiestas evolved is a story of sporadic high pressure development rather than continuous year-long work. There were many who felt that Fiesta was not the right way to go in competition, many who were openly critical, even in the department. Besides, Ford were at the time running a major programme in Britain and an occasional World Championship sortie in Europe with the Escort, so resources in terms of time and manpower were simply not available in the sort of quantities that would have allowed them to tackle the project alone. That the venture proved to be encouragingly successful is due in no small measure to the painstaking and patient detail design work of Len Bailey, the direction of John Griffiths (upon whose shoulders responsibility for the project eventually came to rest), the unquenchable enthusiasm of John Taylor who carried out almost all testing and development work on the car, the support of Haynes of Maidstone who undertook much of the initial workload; and to the research and development information readily available via Dunton, from whence throughout the project's gestation, came a continual flow of co-operation, encouragement and interest.
Knowing comparatively little about front wheel drive, it was logical to take
the advice of a number of competitors, engineers, etc., with experience of
trying to make the layout successful in competition.
Three Fiestas were lent to Barry Lee, John Young and John Taylor with a view to
accumulating data on the car in various different guises (none of which
appeared, or were ever intended to appear, in competition) and at the outset,
work started on development of the transmission.
The essential problem of FWD in competition, and specifically rallying,
surrounds the transmission. How do you make the car easy to drive and handle,
light on the steering and with the minimum of "fight" while combining
such desirable qualities with a suitably business-like Limited Slip Differential
to endow the car with grip and traction in extremes??
It was expected that gearbox and driveshaft failures would also intervene at an
early stage. Thus, Hewland were commissioned to develop a series of heavy duty
close ratio gear-sets to fit the standard casing, and after a number of
singularly unsuccessful test sessions with Hewland pawl-type differentials and
the usual plate types (John Taylor: "I grew horns overnight!"),
Ferguson, the company responsible for major strides in four wheel drive
(including the Capri) and notably the commercially unsuccessful but technically
impressive Jensen FF., were commissioned to develop a totally new differential
which Boreham were most reluctant to discuss in detail and which no doubt was
one of the major keys to the vice-less behaviour of the competition car.
A unit was required which did not lock-in and lock-out violently according to
engine load. The unit also had to be very compact since the Fiesta differential
fits inside the gearbox casing, in-line with the east/west engine - it is
scarcely bigger than an average size cup and saucer.
From a blank sheet of paper Ferguson designed a totally novel unit, described
as a speed-sensitive rather than torque-sensitive device related to the speed
differential between two output shafts. Two were made initially, being tested at
the end of July 1978; six more arrived in time for the Monte Carlo Rally in
January 1979. However, while all these various developments were taking place,
John Taylor had begun testing with a car that was basically standard aside from
the substitution of a 1700cc push-rod engine and the new Hewland gear-set.
With no prior experience of the car, spring and shock absorber settings were
based on information gleaned (by hook or by crook) from Saab, Leyland, and
Dunlop. Thirteen inch wheels were adopted immediately to enable the car to make
use of all Dunlop's existing tyre moulds for this wheel size and also to aid
cooling of the much bigger brakes that would obviously be required.
From the outset it was obvious, in John Taylor's own words, that the thing
"went round corners like sh**t off a shovel" and it became equally
obvious that the tiny brakes were totally inadequate for competition. Secure
location of the engine also proved to be vital (subsequently further modified),
and the lower ball joints on the front suspension required immediate
strengthening.
John Taylor's patient and objective assessments of the car began to reveal the critical nature of ride height, the need for negative camber on the front wheels and the favourable response to the use of convex tyres (i.e.: the rallycross A4 type as opposed to the flat tread and vertical side wall of the A2).
On 26th June 1978 the development car, incorporating some of the lessons learnt so far, plus a prototype of the G2 front suspension put together by Len Bailey, took its first bow courtesy of John Taylor. Front suspension arrangements along with transmission modifications were obviously the critical areas, the secret of ease of control being provided by correct geometry; exactly the right wheel offset combined with "negative scrub steering". To achieve the correct solution, a specially reinforced wide-based triangulated wishbone assembly was designed. These tubular "wheel location arms" which replaced the standard bottom arms, together with new aluminium uprights, front hubs, uprated bearing assemblies, and carriers plus a new front anti-roll bar with revised support brackets are a pleasure for an engineer, or anyone with some appreciation of mechanical finesse, to behold. Heavy duty ventilated disc brakes of 266.7mm diameter and 20.6mm width with four pot calipers complete the picture at the front; while at the rear, smaller sized ventilated discs adorn the dead axle, accompanied by a hydraulic / mechanical handbrake caliper - all G2, of course!
Fiesta rear suspension is comprehensive, even in standard form, employing radius arms and a Panhard rod. G2 modifications have included reinforcement of the axle, uprated wheel bearings and hubs, additional brackets for the disc brake calipers (two pot variety) and tubular radius rods located by the familiar rose joint / heavy duty bush arrangement seen on Escorts for many years.
This then was the basis of Ford's G2 Fiesta chassis package for the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally. Hitherto, the car had used the standard (!) short but equal length drive-shafts without trouble (until the ride height was raised) but the advent of Len Bailey's new suspension package called for the substitution of the short auxiliary shaft and its attendant steady bearing with one long driveshaft, giving vastly unequal driveshaft lengths. No one knew whether such an arrangement would pose problems, but it certainly saved weight and complication. Testing proved the sceptics wrong once again.
By August 1978, John Taylor in the hack development car had already succeeded in lapping a one-mile quarry near Maidstone within one second of his Burmah Rally RS1800's best time. Bumpsteer was providing him with plenty of work at the wheel, but since at that time the car was shod with six inch rim Escort wheels of incorrect offset, there seemed little cause for panic. However, the triangulated wishbone arrangement was redesigned and just prior to Ford's shutdown strike, the revised wishbones and correct offset wheels met on the same chassis for the first time. Roger Clark was then introduced to Fiesta at a testing venue near Grantham. He brought with him his ex-Cyprus rally-winning RS1800 and failed to approach John's Fiesta stage time in the Escort, albeit in very bad weather. However, the former was now suffering severe bumpsteer and the new high ratio rack was thought to be the cause. Time was running out ... a decision on Monte Carlo was looming.
John's hard worked hack was summarily cannibalised and rebuilt into a Monte
specification car in order that testing miles could be accumulated on a full G2
package. Bumpsteer was once again proving to be a major stumbling block,
although in other respects the little car was showing enormous potential. The
problem was eventually solved thanks to a decision taken back in April 1978 (and
not completely implemented until the beginning of December) to build a FWD
Cosworth BDA Twin Cam powered Fiesta as a
test bed in order to deliberately overtax components and discover weak links in
the power train. The car was completed using a 1700cc iron block/alloy head
arrangement (primarily to save time) and produced a creditable 225bhp.
This ferocious beast, equipped with the G2 "kit", was taken to MIRA
and in the course of setting some tarmac lap times which some other British
rally teams would be truly horrified to discover, the trouble was pinpointed.
Raising the ride height, which was required anyway, transformed a niggling fault
with which it was possible to live, into a 225bhp driver's nightmare. The car
became virtually uncontrollable and the new high ratio steering rack plus
insufficiently rigid engine mountings (the latter allowing the BDA to move about
in the chassis giving rise to "torque steer") contributed to the
situation. This car was tested by John himself on the
Raylor York MC National Forest rally but retired after ten stages when an engine
mounting broke, causing a holed radiator. The works backed car showed some
potential but demonstrated a lack of grip out of slow corners. After
an all-night session back at Boreham, Ari and Roger drove the car the following
day, the former on his first acquaintance with it - both were highly impressed,
describing the effort required to drive it (this with 225bhp remember) as no
more than that of a 1300cc road car!
John Taylor described the machine as an F1 car compared with an Escort:
"It's very sensitive to change in all departments; either springs, shock
absorbers, roll bars, toe in, toe out...... 10 pounds on the spring rate changes
the handling characteristics completely, but it's comparatively easy to tell
what's happening and your diagnosis is more often than not confirmed on the stop
watch."
"If you wind on too much lock, you simply kill the car's speed; you can't
drive it like an Escort; chucking it about doesn't help at all. You must drive
it round corners, get it to turn in early - very unspectacular really, but very
quick!"
"Yes, I've learnt to left foot brake ..." a wry smile ...."it
certainly helps!"
What in fact had been achieved was this: in the space of six months since the first near-standard prototype had turned a wheel, Boreham and friends had succeeded in developing a 1600cc pushrod Fiesta to the point where it was as quick on loose or tarmac surfaces as a forest specification G4 RS1800 - a feat which even the men involved initially found hard to believe.
The Ford "works" team entered two Motorcraft sponsored G2 versions of the car in the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally, for Ari Vatanen and Roger Clark to drive. Ari Vatanen's Fiesta (9543 GR 92 - Car No.17) was LHD and he was co-driven by David Richards (what ever happened to him????), whilst Roger Clark's car (DHJ 500T - Car No.15) was RHD and he was co-driven by Jim Porter. The Fiestas finished 10th and 13th overall (2nd and 3rd in their class) with Ari actually setting a third and fourth fastest stage time where the snow was very thick on the ground.
The Faberge Fiesta Ladies Challenge
Also in 1979, (during the week commencing 8th January) Ford announced
that it was to run a championship to "Find a Lady Rally Driver".
This championship was to include dual disciplines of rallying and circuit
racing, involving 6 of each and would be sponsored by Faberge who were to use
their "Kiku" product as the title for the series. The 15 cars were to
be 1300S Fiestas blueprinted, all painted in the yellow and brown livery of
"Kiku" and fitted with the Ghia style alloy wheels, each would be
looked after by different Ford Dealerships and crewed by "chosen" lady
driver (and for the rallies, navigator) crews.
Points would be awarded based on; 1st = 20 points, 2nd = 16 points, 3rd = 13
points etc.
The dates / locations for the races were:
| April 16th - Mallory Park
| April 29th - Silverstone
| July 15th - Donington Park
| July 29th - Brands Hatch
| September 29th - Oulton Park
| November 3rd - Thruxton | |
The rallies were all run as part of the Esso BTRDA Championship and dates / locations were:
| March 10th - Dukeries
| March 24th - Lakeland Stages
| May 19th - Centurion
| June 23rd - Bro Myrddin
| August 19th - Halewood Stages
| October 21st - Scarborough Stages | |
So to the races:
Race 1: Lesley Cowcill won the race from Jayne Neate. Autosport, 26th
April 1979, Easter Monday at Mallory. "Cheshire coach driver, Lesley
Cowcill, whose name and occupation give lie to her undoubted femininity, won the
Faberge Ladies Fiesta race narrowly after WPC Lynn Jenson 'copped' a broken half
shaft while leading comfortably. A memorable performance form the midlands
policewoman, who was contesting her first race, but had nevertheless established
pole position".
Race 2: Edna Eagleton won from Vivien Ayres with Fiona Butterfield finishing third due to a last lap mistake which allowed Ayres through to second. Fiona Butterfield did however establish a new class lap record of 1min23.6sec (69.24 mph).
Race 3: Guenda Eadie won from Anne King in second, Edna Eagleton finished third from Fiona Butterfield fourth and Jayne Neate fifth. (That same day Clay Regazzoni won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in a Ford powered Williams.)
Race 4:
Run as part of the "Saloon Festival" the race was won by Guenda Eadie from Jane Neate in second, with Fiona Butterfield finishing third ahead of Vivien Ayres in fourth. Fastest lap was established by the winner Guenda Eadie with a time of 1min04sec. (67.7 mph).Race 5:
Guenda Eadie wins again! This time Vivien Ayres came in second, Lesley Cowcill was third and Anne King fourth. The race was originally stopped after 2 laps as the cars driven by Sarah Cohen and Mary Fullerton rammed the barriers at Old Hall corner - cuts and bruises being the extent of the injuries. The fastest lap was established by winner Guenda Eadie in a time of 1min26.3sec (68.99 mph). This meeting also heralded Richard Longman winning the 1979 Tricentrol British Saloon Car Championship in his Patrick Motors Group Mini 1275GT after winning the up to 1300cc class of the race. The race was won outright by Stuart Graham in a 3 litre Capri from Jeff Allam, with Dave Brodie third and Gordon Spice fourth also in Capris (during 1979 Ford Capris won every round).Race 6:
Once again Guenda Eadie won the race, this time from Anne King in second place. The race was run in appallingly wet conditions with many of the competitors indulging in spins and "grass cutting" excursions, however, following the winner and second place through the rain came, Jayne Neate finishing third, Lynn Jensen fourth, Vivien Ayres fifth and Lesley Cowcill finishing sixth. Anne King established the fastest race lap on the wet track with a time of 1min55.24sec (73.60 mph).So ended the first Fiesta based "race" series (of course rallies were also part of the series) with Guenda Eadie winning the series overall in her "English of Bournemouth" entered car.
Interestingly other ladies who would make their name later in the field of motorsport in following years were Louise Aitken (entered by "McBains of Berwick") and Ellen Morgan (co-driver to Mary Fullerton in the "Cowies of Sunderland" entry on the rallies), who in later years would team up to become one of the most successful lady rally teams for both Vauxhall and later Ford with the Q8 Sierra Cosworth.
The Faberge Fiesta Ladies Challenge showed that the cars were solid and nimble enough, but that they lacked the power to be competitive.
Roger Clark's 1979 British Rally Campaign
Roger Clark also drove a Fiesta 1600 in British rallies during 1979, but without success however, as there was little knowledge at Boreham of this little front wheel drive model and Ford was never able to come to real terms with developing a front wheel drive car, particularly as at that time they also had to continue running Escorts in World Championship events and were winning with them. The problem was always one of getting the traction on the road and John Taylor is attributed with a quote with which he has no doubt come to regret, that "it is impossible to use more than 150 horsepower in a front wheel drive car"!!
Fiesta's year with Roger Clark in 1979 did nothing for either of them. Whether Roger was actually getting the 'right' bits is not 100% clear, but for whatever reasons, the car became the subject of some ill-concealed mirth in rally circles - hardly a great British G2 debut, or an impressive public relations gamble. In March of that year Roger tested the G2 spec ex-Monte car (DHJ 500T) on the West Cork Rally, there were no major mechanical problems and the car came home ninth. In round three of the Esso/BTRDA Championship set in Mid Wales Roger Clark & Jim Porter took the car out on the Esso Plains Rally. Great interest surrounded the works backed car but it was unfortunate to retire on only the second stage with a sticking valve and a bent pushrod. There were reports in September of 1979 that Ford Motorsport had carried out work on a mid engined Fiesta but this had stopped suddenly during the summer. In October Ford had entered Ari Vatenen in another round of the Esso/BTRDA Championship driving his ex-Monte Fiesta. Unnfortunatley Vatanen crashed the car into a bridge after being blinded by dust on the second stage.
However, following her success in winning the Faberge Ladies Championship, Guenda Eadie and her co-driver Felicity Kerr were entered in the RAC Rally of 1979 by the Ford Motor Co. in a 1300S Fiesta (car no.73), also Louise Aitken and her co-driver Jan Williamson entered the event in another Fiesta (car no.167). Unfortunately neither car was amongst the 74 finishers out of the 175 starters, but the event was once again a success for Ford as Escorts dominated with Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz winning from Russell Brookes / Phil White.
Whilst Ford never actually achieved much with the Fiesta in rallying, they did at one stage have a very good Group 2 Clubmans programme running and made a lot of components which were subsequently scrapped.
Co-opting Len Bailey, for many years one of the Boreham contract designers, a full range of suspension equipment and chassis packages were actually produced. Right down to a Formula 2 peg-drive clutch, centre lock wheels, beautiful little cast magnesium wheels that looked like they should be on a Formula 3 car, and a very neat front suspension package consisting of specially reinforced, wide based triangulated wishbones. These tubular 'wheel location arms' replaced the standard bottom arms together with new aluminium uprights, front hubs, uprated bearing assemblies and carriers, plus a new front anti-roll bar with revised supporting brackets. Heavy duty 10" ventilated AP discs with four pot callipers complete the picture at the front; while at the rear there were marginally smaller vented discs with two pot callipers and an additional mechanical / hydraulic calliper for the handbrake - all G2!
Modifications to the rear suspension included reinforcement of the axle, uprated bearings and hubs, additional brackets for the disc brake callipers, and tubular radius rods located by the familiar rose joint / heavy duty bush arrangement seen on Escorts for many years. A heavy duty Panhard rod completes the picture. Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO), which was at that time the main source of retail competition parts for the clubman, had all these parts in stock (part of the Series X programme), but with little commitment from the factory, private entrants were few and far between. In fact one of the most significant efforts put into this project was when Louise Aitken and Ellen Morgan took the ex-Boreham car that had been presented to M C D Services, the forerunner of Geoff Fielding's RED Team, to Madeira for the rally in 1980. With a whole raft of problems to overcome, they put up a most determined performance which included co-driver Morgan having to drive the car herself during the latter stages of the rally, as Louise had picked up a fever and was virtually unconscious in the passenger seat!! The Aitken / Morgan duo campaigned the car on several tarmac rallies in Europe during 1980 and proved that it was a worthwhile exercise for the aspiring clubman.
It is interesting to see that the design chosen for the front suspension included a major aluminium hub casting which is so similar to the RS200 derived aluminium castings fitted to the rally and race Sierras, this has to be more than coincidental. Coil spring damper units using 2.25" springs and adjustable ride height abutments with rose jointed top mounts made it a very sophisticated little package. Rallye Sport Parts offered an attractive RS handling kit which included an extra front suspension system with straight tie bars and very useful big disc brake conversion with stand off calliper mounting bracket that in fact was chosen for the specification for the early Fiesta Championship race cars.
There have been few participants who have used the Fiesta in rallying. Remember that even the XR2 was at a disadvantage to other 1600cc class cars that had twin cams and 16v, often with fuel injection, you can see the potential was sorely limited from the start. The days of the FWD giant-killer, Mini-Cooper S style, would not return. It might provide class-winners, but Ford's rallying effort had always been directed at overall victory - class wins often cost as much but were of much less certain publicity value.
The Fiesta shell continued to receive attention for a time, a Brian Hart developed BDA Twin Cam Cosworth powered rear-wheel-drive prototype (the Fi-Escort) being built in 1979, before work switched to the Escort Mk3 based RS1700T. The subsequent abandonment of that project and its replacement by the mid-engined, four-wheel-drive RS200, itself short lived because of factors outside Ford's control, is another story. The Ford rally team was plunged into the doldrums from which it only really began to emerge in 1990.
So while the XR2 no doubt benefited from technical lessons learnt in competition, the Fiesta would not feature in the front line of Ford's motorsport programme. There were, and still are, Fiesta based competition machines, in rallycross for example, and club racing, but they often have only very tenuous links with the road-going specification. In branches of the sport calling for closer-to-production specifications, the Escort Mk3 and Sierra soon largely took over.
There is one area, though, where the XR2 and it's successors have had a long
and keenly-followed competition career, and many competitors over the years have
chosen the Fiesta Championship as their style of motor sport.
Economic, reliable and simple to install modifications have meant that Fiesta
Championship competitors had a relatively easy maintenance programme.
Formula Ford has proved time and time again to be the training ground for F1 stars of the future, and the Fiesta Championship can claim to be the prep school for Touring Car stars. Names include Steve Soper, Matt Neal, Richard & James Kaye, John Bintcliffe, and Alan Morrison.
In 1971 after the successful London to Mexico Marathon rally, Ford introduced
the now famous and very collectable Escort Mexico. This popular 1600cc Mk. 1
Escort was immediately seen by Ford as having the potential for a one-make
Championship for both race and rally enthusiasts. In fact the Escort race
championship got under way in '71 and it was not until the winter of '72 that
the rally programme started to build in profile and generate such stars as
Russell Brookes and Barrie Williams.
The Escort Mexico race championship followed a technical specification that is
today known as Group 'N'. Limited mods, close policing and a stable programme
meant that grids full of Mexico's provided entertaining motor racing around the
UK. Amongst the people who immediately committed to participate in the Mexico
Championship were Stan Clark (brother of rally star Roger), and Stuart McCrudden.
McCrudden came to be identified with the Ford one-make series and in later years
took ever increasing responsibility for the success of Ford's Clubman on-track
activities with the management contract of the Fiesta Championship in 1981.
During the 70's the Escort Championship developed through the model range. The Championship maintained its popularity as a close form of clubman's racing and attracted the backing in later years of Debenhams department stores. At the end of the decade Ford had already launched the Fiesta and was determined it would switch to a Fiesta series for the 1980 motor racing season.
1980: The Emergence of a New Class Challenger and the Beginning of the "Fiesta Challenge".
At about this time the RAC was trying to encourage new cars in the British Saloon Car Championship by rejigging the rules to aid competitiveness. That is, certain modifications, such as a free choice of inlet manifolds and the retention of the original number of carburettor chokes, would be allowed which should make new cars competitive without the need for large numbers of homologated bits.
Reigning double British Saloon Car Champion Richard Longman began to think that a Fiesta might make an interesting replacement for his Mini, bearing in mind all his FWD experience, and a preliminary chat with John Griffiths of Ford revealed that Boreham had been disappointed that there had been no sustained attempts to race a Fiesta.
Ironically, the reason was that Longman's 1275 Mini GT. and the Datapost Fiesta, driven by Alan Curnow and prepared by Longman, were so strong in the 1300 class of the 1979 championship that no one was inclined to take them on, especially in a new and untried car. At the end of the 1979 season, when Longman became aware that a 1600 Fiesta would become available, he decided that the car presented an ideal opportunity to move up a class since he had competed in the 1300 class for some time. During the week commencing 6th January 1980 the official announcement was made that Richard Longman would forsake BL and join the "Blue Oval" for his attack on the Tricentrol British Saloon Car Championship.
Longman was to run a 1600 Group 1 Fiesta in Class C and following successful testing at Goodwood he commented that the development of the car would be "an exciting challenge", that the road holding was fine, but he saw the single carburettor configuration as a disadvantage, and hoped that homologated extras could overcome any power disadvantages. By a happy coincidence, Datapost wanted to increase its motor racing involvement, the company being pleased with Richard's methodical and fastidious race preparation, and so a deal was eventually struck for the 1980 season, whereby Richard and Alan would pool their resources and run a two car team of Fiestas, with Alan driving the 1300 Group 1 Fiesta in Class D.
On Sunday 17th February 1980 at Brands Hatch, Richard Longman, Alan Curnow and Guenda Eadie all had test drives in Longman's first 1300 Fiesta. All professed themselves pleased with the car, Curnow commenting "The car is far easier to drive than a Mini and there's plenty of development to come". At this test session it was announced that Guenda Eadie would run in a "works" prepared 1300 Fiesta in the Tricentrol Championship following her race successes in the Faberge Ladies series during 1979.
The cars would race in all rounds of the Tricentrol RAC British Saloon Car Championship, which at the time was run in 4 separate capacity classes based on the engine size:
| Class A = 2301cc - 3500cc
| Class B = 1601cc - 2300cc
| Class C = 1301cc - 1600cc
| Class D = up to 1300cc | |
The overall champion being the class winner with the most points at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Ford Competitions at Boreham determined the specification for a package deal that was offered to existing Escort competitors and new entrants to the 1980 Debenhams Ford Fiesta Challenge Championship, which took over where the Escorts had left off. In the same week as the final round of the Faberge Fiesta Ladies Challenge, the prototype 1.6 litre car, reg no. GNO 878T was seen in testing at a wet Brands Hatch in the hands of Gordon Bruce. One young man who was doing rather well in Mini's, by the name of Steve Soper, was interested enough to join the series. Soper's Mk.1 Fiesta, backed by Silvershield Windscreens, became the standard to which all other competitors had to rise and he won the 1980 championship. Steve Soper creditably admits that this was the start of his professional career and the Fiesta was the first rung on the ladder to success in a variety of fully sponsored rides.
The Fiesta kit offered by Boreham was essentially Ford Advanced Vehicle
Operations (AVO) "X-pack"
derived and consisted of a glazed, wired and partially trimmed Fiesta 1300
Supersport bodyshell, a package of running gear and components, and the already
homologated for motor sport 1600 Federal spec engine that had been in production
for the American Fiesta.
Unfortunately one of the major elements necessary to put the kit on the track
was the hardware package, i.e. the nuts and bolts, which regrettably were not
available with the major components. As the Fiesta was still early in its
competition life, it proved virtually impossible for competitors to obtain the
appropriate Ford nuts and bolts through the dealer network and this meant that
at the first race there were only 11 cars on the grid!!
Similarly, a random specification appears to have been chosen in terms of
recommended spring and shock absorber combinations to suit the car and the
Dunlop race tires that were a carry over from the Escort programme. It very soon
became obvious that cars were quite liable to end their race days on their
roofs.
These sorts of pressures meant that there was little growth in enthusiasm for
the Debenhams Ford Fiesta Championship during 1980 and at the end of the year
Ford seriously considered dropping the Championship from the '81 calendar.
However, Ford had identified that this "grass roots" activity was of
particular value in building their motor sport image and loyalty, and thus hired
Stuart McCrudden to examine and prepare a "How To" plan to expand both
the Championship and its public awareness. McCrudden visited the last two events
of the '80 season, speaking to the drivers, and at the last round he called a
meeting to identify the competitors' interests, needs, demands, and ambitions.
It was clear from this analysis that some form of start money was necessary as
well as a better set of technical specifications, making the cars competitive,
but more reliable and more stable. The powers that be thought this a worthwhile
exercise and sanctioned the re-styling of the Fiesta Championship. Stuart
McCrudden's agency was hired to co-ordinate the entire Championship and find
some sponsorship money and / or exposure value.
So here begins the story of the Fiesta Championship in all its various guises.
Race 1 Snetterton (Good Friday) April 4: Throughout the 10 lap race Jim Edwards, Roger Jones and Steve Soper disputed the lead, with Edwards eventually breaking away at mid distance to win. This left Jones and Soper to fight with Chris Knight who came up to join the leaders and in doing so set the fastest race lap of 1min26.5sec (79.78 mph). At the end Edwards won in a time of 14min 45.8sec (77.91 mph), with Roger Jones second, Chris Knight third and Steve Soper fourth.
Round 2 Castle Combe (Easter Monday) April 7: In a 10 lap race that Motoring News called "a thriller", 3 drivers fought for the lead throughout. Steve Soper, Dave Loundon and Steve Taylor were covered by only one second as the flag fell! As they finished, Soper's winning time was 13 mins 44.6sec (80.32 mph), with Loundon second and Taylor third. Soper shared the fastest race lap with Taylor, 1min 20.1sec (79.78 mph).
Round 3 Brands Hatch May 5: The Brands short circuit provided Jim Edwards with win number 2 in a race time of 9min 17.3 sec (71.25 mph) for the 9 lap race. David Grimshaw finished second with G. Marshall third and Chris Knight fourth. Winner Edwards shared the fastest lap with Chris Knight and D. Hulme, 59.8sec (72.46 mph).
Round 4 Oulton Park May 25: Steve Soper scored a "flag to flag" race win when the Debenhams Championship visited the Cheshire circuit.
Round 5 Oulton Park June 28:
Round 6 Brands Hatch July 27:
Round 7
Round 8
The 1980 Debenhams Ford Fiesta Championship Positions: 1st: Steve Soper 2nd: Jim Edwards 3rd: Chris Knight
1981 was the year that Renault first launched the start money battle, and in a blaze of PR, their own one-make series which started to attract enormous publicity. Popular Motoring, the successful magazine from EMAP group, agreed to get involved with the Fiesta Championship, guaranteeing publicity and putting up a decent prize fund. A new set of technical specifications were established, with Boreham's Bill Mead and Terry Bradley working out and testing a decent suspension package which the series had lacked from the start. A limited level of start money for the second season saw somewhat more interest being shown by the clubman with a dozen regular runners taking to the track and there were also several 2-car teams.
In fact this period was the rebirth of the Fiesta Championship and established a level of growth that was to culminate some six or seven years later with upwards of 60 registered competitors participating in the 1988 season providing two races at most meetings.
One of the most spectacular accidents of the season happened at Snetterton on the first lap of the first meeting, when George Turton attempted to get over both track fences at the Russell Chicane, spinning first into the pit barrier and then finally into the banking on the outside of the track. Shocked, but unhurt, Turton re-built his car and went on to have an enjoyable season's racing.
'81 Popular Motoring Fiesta Championship Positions: 1st: Rob Hall 2nd: Charles Tippett 3rd: Jim Edwards 4th: David Grimshaw
Overseas races had been a highlight in the Escort Championships of the '70s, and in 1982 the Fiesta's visited Zolder in Belgium, Zandvoort in The Netherlands, and the new Nurburgring in Germany.
For the 1982 season, the Daily Mirror was co-opted to bring publicity to the Championship on a national basis, with the Champion receiving a brand new XR2. There was also backing from Kamasa Tools for the best-prepared car, in theory at each round the entrant with the best-prepared car won a box of Kamasa tools. These incentives immediately uplifted the club championship into the realms of a money-earning proposition, and as such the season had 46 registered competitors.
The "quick list" included a young man called Lionel Abbott. In his
first season in motorsport, he entered the series in a brand new XR2, the first
new ex-showroom car to be used, prepared by his brother Ed, who was a
development engineer at Jaguar. Lionel worked for Whitley Garage Ford Main
Dealer in Coventry, and they agreed to sponsor the car for the brothers. Formula
Ford specialist Minister built the engine, and Ed reckons it "was a good
engine throughout the year".
Their first victory came in round 6 at the new Nurburgring in Germany and they
outscored all competitors thereafter, finishing as runners up in the
Championship.
Also committed to the series and in the reckoning were Graham Churchill from Silverstone, Martin Sharpe, Dave Londoun, Stuart Cole, Richard Stoodley and Rob Hall from Stafford in his Supersport. Churchill and Sharpe bought a new XR2 each and delivered them to Gerry Marshall Racing and Roger Dowson, who ran them both for the season. Tyres were Pirelli.
1982 Daily Mirror Ford Fiesta Challenge Positions: 1st: Rob Hall 2nd: Lionel Abbott 3rd: Charles Tippett
For 1983 it was clearly evident that to match the competition from Renault and Metros, the Ford series would need a major sponsor to put up an adequate fiscal budget to support start money campaigns. Various potential sources were investigated and a finance house confirmed that they wished to participate in the series and really put a strong marketing effort behind the event. However, when Ford was notified of this proposal it was determined that this entity clashed with Ford Credit, the Ford finance operation that provides funds for dealer stocking and hire purchase clients. Ford Credit was looking at ways of raising its profile, particularly through the dealer network and at the same time providing a national publicity opportunity for dealers. Ford Credit had an astute Marketing Manager in David Button, who immediately realised the potential of this association, thus Ford Credit agreed to enhance the Motorsport budget and this brought start money and adequate funding to the series for the first time. The series was very popular and grids of 30-35 cars were not uncommon. Ford Credit also developed a vehicle livery kit, with windscreen strip and liveried number panels, which brought about professional styling for the cars, the simple logo legend carrying the message tidily through with excellent results in national, regional, and local press. This relationship with Ford Credit also encouraged features in point of sale and general promotional activities, thus bringing the much needed national exposure and recognition for the Championship. The Fiesta Challenge featured in a support race for the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. The Shell Oils Saloon Car Pursuit Race featured 4 teams made up from Fiesta Challenge, Renault 5 Challenge, Toyota Corollas, and Minis. Star names included Sir Jack Brabham in a Fiesta XR2, and Tony Pond & Richard Longman in Minis.
Graham Churchill's early results: Brands Hatch 6th place, Thruxton 2nd, Zolder 4th, Castle Combe 2nd.
For the '83 season Dave Loundon bought the Abbott's '82 car and he went on to win the Championship.
1983 Ford Motor Credit Fiesta Challenge Positions: 1st: Dave Loundon 2nd: Stuart Cole 3rd: Charles Tippett
With grids growing year on year, the stability of the formula was clearly evident in 1984 with 38 registered competitors. This was also the year the Championship was introduced to the Mk 2 Fiesta body style with the CVH engine and a 5 speed gearbox, although the exterior body trim, wheelarch extensions and mouldings unique to the XR2 could not be fitted until it was released for sale in Britain. These cars raced alongside the original version before taking over completely in 1985.
The change to the Mk 2 bodyshell also brought slight suspension changes which all needed a certain amount of dialling in and Ed and Lionel Abbott spent a lot of time at Snetterton setting the car up so that Ford could offer a good package for competitors to ensure there would be no grumbling between the entrants of the old Kent engined cars and the new CVH engined cars. Eventually some ballasting was employed to equalise the performance of the two types of Fiesta.
The high profile of the '84 season was probably due to the commitment by Radio 1 DJ Mike Smith who had been enticed back into motor sport with the backing of Ilford Photos. Smithy's car ran with an engine prepared by Minister and was owned by Stuart McCrudden who brought in Ed and Lionel Abbott (who were not at that time competing themselves) to test drive and develop the car to make it competitive for Mike. Smith's season brought national press for the Fiesta Championship, with his car featuring on the stand at the Racing Car Show, Motorfair, and in extensive Ilford inspired publicity. Ilford ran a best photo competition, and at each race track created an exclusive area for photographers to snap Mike Smith in the Ilford Photos sponsored Fiesta. The best photograph of the season won the lucky snapper a brand new car. All the major competitors in the photo competition were assembled to receive their prizes at a dinner dance in December at the Royal Kensington Gardens Hotel. This was a very popular event, and of course one where Mike Smith could rise to his true claim to fame, that being an entertainer and speaker!
First race of season at Brands Hatch saw
Donington Park April 8th: A dull day with a slightly damp track. Graham Churchill wins the round in his Aldon engined car, closely followed into second place by Ian Briggs, with Mike Smith coming home in eighth.
A battle royale took place at Zolder between Smith and Ian Briggs, resulting in a win for the Reading Newsagent.
At the Nurburgring Smith came home clearly ahead of the field, and emotional scenes followed when the popular DJ received an enormous cup with the British National Anthem playing in front of a crowd of 40,000.
Smith won five rounds outright and ended up 5th overall in the Championship despite not being able to contest all rounds due to a heavy broadcast schedule. However Lionel Abbott, having been a front runner in '83, won two of the '84 rounds and teamed up for the sprint and long distance races with Mike Smith and they won all of those.
1984 Ford Credit Fiesta Challenge Positions: 1st: Ian Briggs 2nd: Robin Parsons 3rd: Brian Farminer 4th: Mike McInerney 5th: Mike Smith 6th: Stuart Cole
For 1985 Motorcraft, the Ford-brand parts operation, sponsored an XR2 to
be driven by several media celebrities, one of the ways in which publicity for
the series was stimulated.
Former single seater and rally driver Barrie (Whizzo) Williams is well known
throughout the motorsport world
'85 Championship Positions: 1st: Barrie (Whizzo) Williams 2nd:
Graham Hathaway 3rd: Ian Briggs
In 1986 the Championship saw
'86 Championship Positions: 1st: Barrie Williams 2nd: Robin
Parsons 3rd: Matt Johnson.
In 1987 the Championship featured a race at the Halfords Birmingham Super
Prix meeting running on the city centre streets and televised live on TV.
Graham Churchill remembers that "The Birmingham Super Prix Meeting was
difficult as there was no testing available, and we went straight out to
qualify. There were a lot of blind corners with Armco everywhere, and
advertising banners tied to the Armco on the faster corners were being shredded
with cars passing so close. Interesting!!".
Brian Farminer won the Super Prix, with 2nd place going to
This season also featured a 100-mile event at Oulton Park, which was won by
Graham Churchill with Paul Taft as the second driver. Brian Farminer was not so
lucky, breaking his gear lever on the first lap!
In 1987 Martin Sharpe, Dick Richards and Graham Churchill bought a new Fiesta
shell from Ford. The building and running of this car started off Mardi Gras
Motorsport (a combination of their three Christian names!) and they went on to
win the 1987 Fiesta Championship.
The battle for the Championship went literally to the wire and was eventually
won by Churchill in his Komatsu sponsored XR2, after a season long battle with
Brian Farminer in the Hendy Lennox sponsored car from Southampton.
Farminer had won 5 events during the year, but his overall points tally was just
one adrift, with Churchill stealing the one point advantage on the last lap of
the last race at Donington to give him the title!
'87 Championship Positions: 1st: Graham Churchill 2nd: Brian
Farminer 3rd:
1988 and compensation for Portsmouth marine engineer Brian Farminer when
he won the series after five years of trying and took home the trophy, the
cheque and a brand new "Celebration" model XR2, provided by Ford
Credit to mark their 25th Anniversary. The car was collected at the Birmingham
Motor Show. Also in '88 Matthew Neal was to get his first taste of motor racing
starting out in the Fiesta Championship. With very large grids, some rounds had
to run qualifying races.
'88 Championship Positions: 1st: Brian Farminer 2nd: Ian Briggs
3rd: Colin Stancombe
For 1989, the new XR2i became the chosen vehicle, with backing from
another Ford subdivision, Ford Audio, and the series became known as the Ford
Audio Fiesta Trophy. Many regulars switched to the new car and the series
continued with unabated vigour with races televised on satellite TV for the
first time. Those who wanted to go on racing the older cars were catered for by
the St Helens XR2 championship, a good form of lower-budget competition.
'89 Championship Positions: 1st: James Kaye 2nd: Ian Briggs 3rd:
Jim Smith 4th: Matthew Neal
1990 Ford Audio Fiesta Trophy action continues and Norman Grimshaw had a
huge accident at Thruxton. Ian Briggs won the Zandvoort round with Brian
Farminer second (having started from the back of the grid).
'90 Championship Positions: 1st: Ian Briggs 2nd: Colin Stancombe
3rd: Brian Farminer
1991: Entering it's eleventh year the series was run by the BRSCC with
Ford Audio.
Round 1
Round 2 Round 6 Donington July 6/7: Brian Farminer forced his way up from
the third row of the grid to lead the race at Redgate. Ian Briggs slotted into
second, leaving Stancombe, May and Grimes fighting for third. May grabbed third
at McLeans on lap four, as it became obvious Stancombe had a problem. May's race
was soon run however, retiring to the pits at a drastically reduce pace. With
the laps running out, Briggs was all over Farminer but the door was kept shut.
Grimes was now heading the rest, with Glenn Eagling well in contention. On the
penultimate lap Briggs went into Redgate alongside the leader, as the leader
held his line Briggs went into the gravel and out of the race. Grimes held on to
second, with Mike Ireland in third following Eagling's mechanical failure at the
Old Hairpin. Marco Del Pizzo inherited fourth at the flag, from Tunney and
Thwaites.
Round 7 Ingliston July 20/21: This round looked quite promising, but most
of the real action took place in the lower half of the field. Up front, Ian
Briggs, Brian Farminer and Colin Stancombe were close together in the opening
laps, but the gaps between them gradually increased to the point where there
were eleven seconds covering them by the flag. Trevor Reeves and Kevin May, on
the other hand, finished almost together after May absolutely flew round Arena
and very nearly into Reeves' tailgate. Mike Ireland, third from the back after
lap one, had a merry time slicing his way through the field to complete the top
six.
Round 8 Lydden Hill August 4: Karl Jones made the best start but appeared
to miss a gear at the Elbow on lap five, which put Ian Briggs at the front where
he stayed throughout. Stancombe and Jones were next from Ray Tunney, but Ray
Grimes provided most of the interest. After being punted off at the first corner
he resumed last, to finally finish eighth out of sixteen, conducting nearly the
entire race's overtaking moves in the process. Ian Briggs crossed the line
first, though post race scrutineering revealed a problem over the legality of
Briggs' car. The matter of the winner's legality was being discussed long after
the last race of the day was over, but Briggs eventually lost his position and
was excluded from the results.
Round 9 Mallory Park September 1: The top four raced as they qualified.
Brian Farminer, Ray Grimes, Kelvin May and Colin Stancombe followed each other
round without ever looking like changing order. It was more exciting behind
though as Trevor Reeves spun out after contact with Karl Jones exiting the Esses
for the first time. Jones survived to spin in Gerards after which Marco Del
Pizzo established himself clear of a pack of five cars. Steven Phillips battled
his way to the head of the pack and took fifth ahead of Ian Guest when Del Pizzo
retired on lap eight.
Round 10 Silverstone September 7: Brian Farminer scored his second win in six days. Karl Jones led the early laps with Farminer, Paul Tarry and Stancombe tucked in behind. After some side by side motoring Farminer eventually slipped ahead of Jones as they braked for Copse on lap six. Jones looked set to re-challenge but a couple of grassy moments on the exit of Luffield lost him a few metres to Farminer. Jones then came under pressure in the closing laps from Tarry and Stancombe but the places remained unchanged. Michael Ireland dived inside Ray Grimes at Brooklands on the last lap for fifth while John Wadsworth did well to reach seventh after starting near the back of the grid.
Round 11 Cadwell Park October 6: The big upset in the race was that
neither Farminer nor Jones won. As was the norm, the pair monopolised the front
row and got off to a good start. However a coming together halfway round the
first lap saw Farminer down to fourth and Jones out of the top ten. Stancombe
took over at the front from John Wadsworth. Farminer made it up to third but
couldn't progress further; similarly Jones fought his way through to seventh
before running out of steam.
Round 12 Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival October 25/26/27: The Fiestas
went to Brands Hatch with a title to decide, Brian Farminer having a single
point advantage before the final. Stancombe was quickest away from the outside
of the front row, leaving Farminer and Jones to fight it out. They closed right
up together when Stancombe made a slight mistake at Druids on lap three, but the
championship could have been decided at Clark Curve on lap five when Jones
bundled Farminer onto the rough stuff. They lost touch with Stancombe, and
Farminer eventually gave up his pursuit of Jones, who was in any case shown the
black flag and disqualified. Behind the top trio, Steven Phillips won an intense
duel with Steve Mills, and Marco Del Pizzo won an equally close contest for
sixth against Neil Wood. Brian Farminer took the title, having got the one point
he needed by getting fastest lap.
'91 Championship Positions: 1st: Brian Farminer 2nd: Colin Stancombe 3rd:
1992: The Ford Fiesta XR2i series seemed to have fallen into the shade slightly as far as public awareness was concerned, and with only 16 cars on the entry list for the first round at Thruxton things looked unlikely to turn around with any great rapidity. Nevertheless, there were some good old Fiesta campaigners back for another year, including reigning champion Brian Farminer and Colin Stancombe. Hopefully these two can provide some more thrilling action, as the ash blonde Essex preparation maestro attempts to wrest the crown away.
Alvin Heaton is the St Helens champ for older XR2s, so he should be in the reckoning, as will Ray Grimes and former rallycross man Trevor Reeves. Ray Tunney and Stephen Phillips have also appeared near the pace from time to time in seasons past.
Thruxton
Brands Hatch March 22
Oulton Park April 16/17
Donington April 25/26
'92 Championship Positions: 1st: Colin Stancombe 2nd: 3rd:
1993: 130bhp 1800 Zetec engines in use, and the first year that the Ford Credit Fiesta Challenge Championship enjoys a place on the supporting programme for the RAC British Touring Car Championship. Richard Kaye returns to racing after a two-year sabbatical and joins the Fiesta Championship. Also regularly notching up top ten finishes in his first season of racing, was former rally driver Shaun Woffinden.
Dunlop slick tyres used for the first time.
Heather Bailey became the first woman driver to win a Fiesta Championship race by leading the boys home at Oulton Park.
May Donington: Stancombe sets lap record 2m00.76s, 74.62mph/120.09kmh
Farminer had a heavy accident during September at Donington.
'93 Championship Positions: 1st Trevor Reeves 2nd: Colin Stancombe 3rd: Brian Farminer 4th: Richard Kaye
1994: Matt Johnson first sprang to prominence when he finished third in the 1986 Fiesta Challenge, before winning the Renault Clio series and a promising single seater career faltered through lack of funds. Now Matt was back in the Fiesta that took Trevor Reeves to the '93 title, and he started his comeback in the best possible way, by winning the first race at Thruxton. However, the opposition were determined to stop him running away with the title, and class experts and former champions Colin Stancombe and Brian Farminer headed the challenge, with Farminer feeling his way back in after a heavy accident the previous September. Farminer's team mate in the Duckhams Hendy Ford team is Karl Jones. Jones has raced in the BTCC before, but steps back to the Fiesta Challenge and joins Rob Hall and Richard Kaye as probable title contenders. Kaye rocked the establishment with his performances in '93, and his Goodliff Superteam entry will be bang on the pace from the outset. New stars moving into the Challenge for '94 included Gary Burridge, Gareth Downing, Jason Minshaw (of Demon Tweeks fame), Graham Jennings and double Olympic Gold Medal winner Decathlete Daley Thompson. Daley stepped up to the Fiesta Challenge for his second season in motor racing. With 26 RS1800s on the grid the season was a cracking one.
Round 1 Thruxton: While Matt Johnson romped to a lights-to-flag victory from pole position Rob Hall was extremely satisfied with his afternoon's work after a brilliant drive from 10th on the grid up to second place. The Goodliff Superteam cars of Kaye and Graham Jennings scooped 3rd overall and the first ever Young Driver Award respectively. Daley Thompson had a troubled time on his Fiesta debut, but put in an impressive performance aboard his DT Motorsport entry. After gearbox problems in qualifying left him in only 24th spot on the grid, Daley stormed up to 10th place by the second lap, but a clash with another car at the chicane left him with damaged suspension and no hope of continuing. Brian Farminer was also left on the side lines after a dramatic, and very destructive, roll out of the action.
Round 2 Brands Hatch: When Richard Kaye crossed the finish line first he ended an amazing five-year run of Fiesta Challenge victories at the Kent track by Colin Stancombe. "Well, I'm getting a bit old now, aren't I?!" joked runner-up Stancombe afterwards. "It won't happen again, though!" he added defiantly. After nearly clashing with Colin at the first corner, Kaye got his head down well to pull away from his pursuers bit by bit over the first half of the race, and also entertained the crowd by taking to the grass more often than the tarmac at the 100mph Surtees corner! Poor Daley Thompson, meanwhile, only managed to complete half a lap before being caught up in an incident which eliminated four cars from the fray: "My team mate Brian Ellis' car reared up onto two wheels and then slid along the track on its side," explained Daley. "We were all trying to take evasive action behind and I just caught the back of another car." Stancombe enjoyed close scraps with both Rob Hall and Matt Johnson during the course of his 18 laps, the latter following him home by just over a tenth of a second at the flag. Colin had to survive a wild ride over the infield at Surtees on his way to second, however: "There was so much junk and oil on the track after the first lap accident, and I slid off the track because of it. It was one of those '95% out of control mode' excursions, but I enjoyed it!" Scooping the Young Driver spoils was North West Motor Sport's Gareth Downing, the 22 year old coming home a fine seventh overall after shadowing the experienced Brian Farminer for most of the race.
Rounds 3 & 4 Snetterton: The top three results had a very similar feel to them, not only did they contain the same drivers, but in the end these men wound up in the same positions as well! The drivers concerned were, unsurprisingly, the three who now resided at the head of the points table - Matt Johnson, Richard Kaye and Rob Hall. Johnson's Soans of Leamington backed car was the one that scooped the top scores both times - a remarkable achievement considering an accident in practice had forced him to change the car's rear axle in double quick time. Whilst his first race victory was fairly straightforward, Monday's encounter actually saw Kaye cross the finish line ahead of Matt. Towards the end of what had been a classic scrap between these two, Richard dived down the inside of Matt into the tight Russell chicane and took the lead. Unfortunately, his manoeuvre had been so late, it meant that Kaye was forced to cut across the gravel on the inside of the corner. After a wild ride through the scenery, which bent his steering wheel, Kaye managed to keep control of the car and come back onto the circuit ahead of Johnson! The meeting officials had to dock him four seconds for missing out part of the track though and so Johnson was awarded the win. Young Driver Awards went to Downing in round 3 and Jennings in round 4.
Round 5 Silverstone National Circuit:
Round 6 Oulton Park: This round saw new season winners in both the overall results and the Young Drivers class, with The Tim Norton Motor Services backed car of Rob Hall finally making the winning breakthrough in the outright standings. The first win of the year in the Young Driver class for Minshaw came here at his home circuit, using his local knowledge to the full to finish fourth overall. Cornishman Graham Jennings was still leading the Young Driver series however, with his Goodliff Superteam car providing a very strong threat for Junior honours. The overall championship lead was also unaffected by the Oulton result, as Matt Johnson backed up his four wins with a strong second place, thus retaining his points advantage. The Ruislip driver was already showing the kind of consistency that leads to title wins, but he was not taking Hall's challenge lightly. Scoring his first podium finish of the year at Oulton was Ian Guest, a double celebration as this was his 30th birthday!! Also notching up his best result of the season to date was former rally driver Shaun Woffinden, who came home in 6th place.
Points after six rounds: 1. Matt Johnson 109 2. Rob Hall 82 3. Richard Kaye 78 4. Colin Stancombe 46 5. Brian Farminer 34 6. Karl Jones 30
Rounds 7 & 8 Donington:
Richard Kaye took 7 wins during the year, however by his own high standards, '92 champ Colin Stancombe had a disappointing year with new car problems giving a troubled year, and restricting him from posing a race-wining threat, the highlights being pole and 2nd place at Brands Hatch Indy in round 2.
Dunlop tyres.
'94 Championship Positions: 1st: Matt Johnson 2nd: Richard Kaye 3rd: Rob Hall 4th: Colin Stancombe
1995: With an average crowd attendance of over 30,000 per meeting as part of the TOCA package, making it one of the best-attended live-action events of the British sporting season, the Championship enjoyed good exposure. There were only FOUR different race winners in '94, three of whom have now moved up the saloon car racing ladder (Richard Kaye to BTCC in privateer Mondeo), however Rob Hall has stayed and a capacity entry of 35 cars meant this would be another classic year. Colin Stancombe was back for his 10th season, hopefully with the form that led to him winning the '92 Championship. Colin's team was running another three cars this year, and added an international flavour to the Challenge via the entry of 1994 Group N saloon car champion, Clas Esbjug. The young Norwegian set some highly impressive pre-season testing times. Clas' team mates were Fiesta returnees Tony Reeder and John Hartshorne. Another driver who tasted success in '94 was reigning Renault Clio Cup champion John Bintcliffe. The Yorkshire man was hoping to claim back-to-back saloon car titles, and was the class of the field through out the season in his Mobil 1 / Halfords sponsored car, giving Hall plenty to think about. Two men who also showed well during the later part of '94 were Jason Minshaw and Gary Burridge. Both were back for more and considered potential race winners from the outset. Another driver who can never be discounted is Fiesta stalwart and former champion Brian Farminer, whose Duckhams Team Hendy Ford entry will once again be in the thick of the action. Further likely front runners are Challenge regulars Mike Gorton, Pete Daniels, Mark Russell and Ray Tunney. Last year's Junior Award runner up, Downing, returns for another season in the division although he can expect stiff opposition from promising Cornishman Jennings, and Esbjug. The Ford Motorsport Celebrity Ladies' car was again a feature of the series, supporting the WOMAC and Macmillan Appeal charities. The driver for the opening two rounds at Donington was TV personality Jenny Hull from BBC's How Do They Do That?
Damon Hill's sister would also drive the car.
One of the most spectacular accidents of the season happened at Knockhill
when Matthew Gillard from Birmingham had a spectacular barrel-roll, but he
emerged unscathed.
1995 Championship Positions: 1st: John Bintcliffe 2nd: Rob Hall 3rd:
Gareth Downing
1996: As the only one-make saloon car series on the high-octane BTCC raceday bill, the fast and furious Fiesta Championship was a sure-fire hit with both spectators and drivers alike.
Packed grids of more than 30 evenly matched Fiesta Classics always delivered superb entertainment, while the competitive on-track environment is the ideal breeding ground for the touring car stars of tomorrow. For proof, look no further than last years champion, John Bintcliffe - he's now a fully fledged member of the Super Touring ranks with his step up to the "works" Audi squad for '96.
This year's bumper-to-bumper Fiesta grid featured a host of young chargers
all hoping to make a name for themselves in this fiercely-fought formula.
Those to watch included promising Scot Peter McLaren, MG graduate Daniel Eaves
and regular front runner in '95 Jason Minshaw. In amongst the young "hot
shots" were Fiesta stalwarts Colin Stancombe and Brian Farminer. Last
season's top Junior, Downing, joined the BIM Motorsport team over the winter,
(the team which took Bintcliffe to the title), and should be a front runner
also. 22 year old Matthew Gillard is yet another of the "young guns"
contesting this year's series. Matthew was going well last year until his
spectacular barrel-roll at Knockhill shattered his confidence. "It was a
huge accident which knocked the stuffing out of me," he recalls.
"However, over the winter I sought some help and guidance from John
Bintcliffe and I now feel really confident for the battles ahead. It's my
ambition one day to be a touring car driver and without doubt the best way to
achieve my goal is via victory in this season's Ford Credit Fiesta
Championship."
One man setting his sights slightly lower was former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie who enjoyed a one-off outing in the Valvoline celebrity Fiesta in the Easter Monday season opener.
Round 1 Donington Park: The race was led from start to finish by Downing in the Mobil 1 / Halfords car, but this was no F1 walkover. The immediate pressure came from Mike Gorton in the MGA Motorsports car, who had a brilliant start to demote Ray Grimes to third. Grimes made a dramatic exit from the excitement on lap two, leaving Peter Sowerby and Mark Russell to pick up the pieces. Back at the front Downing was doing an impressive job pulling away from the pack, but in the end, the race was bought to a halt after a nasty collision between Daniel Eaves and Steven Stokoe.
Round 2:
Round 3 Brands Hatch: The race saw Downing and Russell squabbling for the lead through Paddock, with Downing emerging in front and quickly pulling away to lead the field home. It was further back that the fire-works began with a four-car battle, swelling to five with the arrival of Stancombe. Contact was inevitable, and on the last time round Druids the fighters clashed. Remarkably they all finished and made it out for the next race.
Round 4: was much the same as three, but this time the accidents were bigger, with a three car pile up stopping the race. The result was decided on an aggregate score and a re-started 12 lap event. After a long day a result was reached, and subsequently Downing was penalised for an incident at Clearways.
Round Thruxton: The championship witnessed a new winner when Graham Jennings took his maiden victory of the season. The race was aborted first time round when Samantha Wicks stacked her car in the Complex. The restart saw Minshaw take the bit between his teeth, and was followed by Jennings and Gary Burridge with pole man Downing in fourth. Minshaw soon had his lead quashed and Jennings squeezed passed to take his well-deserved first win of the year. This victory saw Jennings take the lead in the championship.
Round 6 Oulton Park: This race also saw another new winner, and the battles continued with the first corner claiming three of the front runners, Russell, Downing, and Minshaw. While this was going on Tim Hood found himself in front of the feuding pack, but was soon over hauled by Ray Grimes on lap two, and was sidelined with engine problems a lap later. Lap four saw eventual winner Mike Gorton take control of the pack while his pursuers battled it out behind for the remainder of the race. Downing's return to form came at the second of the two rounds at Snetterton. After crashing heavily at Corum in the first race he managed to finish third in race two behind the double winner Tony Reeder, and Mark Upton.
At the next round at Brands Hatch, Downing was back to winning ways, leading the field home on the Grand Prix circuit.
The next meeting was the double header at Knockhill in Scotland. This was the first time that Graham Jennings had bagged the quickest time in qualifying, allowing him to control the race from the front with only Jason Minshaw giving him any worries around the twisty highland track. The chasing pack, including Downing, Daniel Eaves and Peter Sowerby, battled with each other for the full 16 laps, with positions changing lap by lap and the eventual third place man, Downing, back in seventh at one point. With Jennings leading the field home and Minshaw in second, the chasing pack finished with Sowerby and Downing 3rd and 4th respectively and Ray Grimes and Tony Reeder completing the top six. The second race of the day saw the field start in their finishing positions from the first race, giving Jennings the opportunity to score a one-two for the weekend, but on lap 11 his Fiesta crawled to a halt and retirement, and with Downing leaving the action when he went straight on at the hairpin, Minshaw was given a trouble free race to victory, with Sowerby busy in second fending off challenges from Reeder. Mike Gorton finished in fourth with Mark Upton in fifth -who was later excluded from the results for a fire extinguisher infringement, promoting Stephen Stokoe to fifth.
Round Oulton Park: This was probably the closest round of the season yet. Eight cars were left looking for replacement panels after a first lap incident that saw the race red flagged. At the re-start, only 7 cars started. Downing was the man of the meeting with a qualifying lap that saw him a full half a second quicker than his rivals and was quickly converted into a race win that saw him close the gap to within 12 points of Championship leader Jennings who had followed him home in second. Rounds Thruxton: Once again it was Downing who led the way with a start to flag victory, made even better by Jennings having head gasket problems and dropping out of the points. The second race welcomed the eighth new winner this season, in the shape of Peter Sowerby who had driven superbly to pass Downing. Second place was enough though to move Downing to the top of the Championship table.
With the championship still to play for, the cars headed to Donington for the
final rounds. Proceedings were halted prematurely by BBC Top Gear presenter
Steve Berry; who managed to roll the Valvoline sponsored celebrity car through
the Craner curves. The red flag gave a second win of the year to Mike Gorton.
Meanwhile the two title leaders, Downing and Jennings, were inseparable but the
latter just got the upper hand to finish sixth, with Downing seventh. With two
points separating them, the final round was always going to be frantic and
Downing would have preferred not to have argued with the stewards before the
start. He eventually started from pole and promptly disappeared into the sunset.
Behind him Jennings was trying hard to keep up but collected Sowerby and
finished in the tyre wall. Downing went on to win the race and the Championship.
1996 Championship Positions: 1st: Gareth Downing
2nd: Graham Jennings
3rd: Jason Minshaw.
4th:
1979 Faberge Ladies Championship:1st: Guenda Eadie Points 2nd: 3rd:
The 1980 Championship:1st: Steve Soper Points 2nd: Jim Edwards 3rd: Chris Knight
'81 Championship: 1st: Rob Hall 122 Points 2nd: Charles Tippett 104 3rd: Jim Edwards 98 4th: David Grimshaw
'82 Championship: 1st: Rob Hall 130 2nd: Lionel Abbott 115 3rd: Charles Tippett 110
'83 Championship: 1st: Dave Loundon 147 2nd: Stuart Cole 76 3rd: Charles Tippett 76
'84 Championship: 1st: Ian Briggs 90 2nd: Robin Parsons 79 3rd: Brian Farminer 72 4th: Mike McInerney 69 5th: Mike Smith 68 6th: Stuart Cole 60
'85 Championship: 1st: Barrie (Whizzo) Williams 112 2nd: Graham Hathaway 101 3rd: Ian Briggs 99 4th:
'86 Championship: 1st: Barrie Williams 128 2nd: Robin Parsons 98 3rd: Matt Johnson 4th: 5th: 6th:
'87 Championship: 1st: Graham Churchill 2nd: Brian Farminer 3rd:
'88 Championship: 1st: Brian Farminer 126 2nd: Ian Briggs 105 3rd: Colin Stancombe 72
'89 Championship: 1st: James Kaye 135 2nd: Ian Briggs 105 3rd: Jim Smith 75 4th: Matthew Neal
'90 Championship: 1st: Ian Briggs 138 2nd: Colin Stancombe 135 3rd: Brian Farminer 121
'91 Championship: 1st: Brian Farminer 105 2nd: Colin Stancombe 104 3rd:
'92 Championship: 1st: Colin Stancombe 2nd: 3rd: Brian Farminer
'93 Championship: 1st: Trevor Reeves 227 2nd: Colin Stancombe 221 3rd: Brian Farminer 151 4th: Richard Kaye 130
'94 Championship: 1st: Matt Johnson 228 2nd: Richard Kaye 216 3rd: Rob Hall 169 4th: Colin Stancombe 104
'95 Championship: 1st: John Bintcliffe 119 2nd: Rob Hall 117 3rd: Gareth Downing 98
'96 Championship: 1st: Gareth Downing 124 2nd: Graham Jennings 110 3rd: Jason Minshaw 101
'97 Championship: 1st: Graham Jennings 221 points
2: Gareth Downing 209 3: Sowerby 174 4: Alan Morrison 154 5: Clarke 138
6: Colin Stancombe 137
