Jump to content


Photo

Group A - the book?


  • Please log in to reply
6 replies to this topic

#1 Jesper O. Hansen

Jesper O. Hansen
  • Member

  • 582 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 02 April 2006 - 19:15

Wondering if there is a marked for this - a book about 1980's-early 1990's group A touring car racing? I have this "gap" in my book shelf waiting for the book, but since it's not written yet, I'm slowly getting used to the idea of writing it myself. A saloon car version of Janos Wimpffens "Time and Two Seats" or Frank de Jong's site on paper.

I intend to cover all races run to group A specifications in cronological order. Cars seems to have travelled over borders and continents in the decade+ that group A excisted - a community within the world of motorsport?. Currently I'm gathering results from around the world to establish who ran what at what date and in what context. Race reports will be a future study with pictures and following.

Currently I have given myself a 10 year time span to publication in what ever format - it might end up as the book, but could also end as a DVD or just another web adresse.

I have tons of questions regarding the subject, but will return with that when I learn about your comments regarding a book project.

Advertisement

#2 ianbeckett21

ianbeckett21
  • Member

  • 49 posts
  • Joined: December 04

Posted 02 April 2006 - 20:14

Hi Jesper,I will help in any way I can.I was a big fan of the racing in the era you described and have a pretty good collection of race reports. I really concentrated on my first love...BMW's,the 635's and afterwards the M3. I look forward to seeing your progress and would be more than happy for you to contact me. Ian.

#3 Herbert

Herbert
  • Member

  • 354 posts
  • Joined: March 03

Posted 02 April 2006 - 22:56

You can find DTM-results on www.dtm.de. I got access to the qualifying results from 1984 onwards.

#4 Jesper O. Hansen

Jesper O. Hansen
  • Member

  • 582 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 03 April 2006 - 01:57

I intend to cover the FIA series - the european ETCC 1982-1988 and the one off 1987 WTCC, but also the national series run around the world, like the German Deusche Produktionswagen Meistershaft 1984-1985, DTM Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterscaft 1986-1992 - after 1992 they went over hill as far as I'm concerned. Then there were the Deutsche Tourenwagen Trophäe, wich were run to Group A regulations beyond the DTM.

British Touring Car Championship from 1983-1990. Dennis Leech ran the odd 1991 event in a restricted RS500, but that is just outside the scope of my intensions.

Australia and Japan were late comers to group A, joining in in 1985, but were quite ardent supporters of the catagory. The ATCC were run to the group A regulations untill 1992, while Japan bowed out a year later. Dick Johnson developing an Escort RS Cosworth for the '93 ATCC?

The Italian CIVT left the planet around 1992 allowing the Alfa 75 Turbo Evoluzione (known as tbe 155 GTA), but catered for group A cars before that. Jacques Villeneuve got his racing debut in this series.

France had their Super Production Championship, but also a proper group A championship - at least for 1987-88. Strong ETCC privateers entries suggests to me that France had a group A championship before this (Garage du Bac-635CSi's in 1986).

Holland, Belgium and Luxenburg must have had their local and Benelux championships, but so far I've only got the occational endurance result.

Scandinavia allowed special consessions to run the Volvo 240 Turbo (and other cars) to run the 1986 regulations beyond 1987. Anders Lindberg was in fact quite a championship prospect during the 1989 STCC, but lost out. In Denmark Jørgen Poulsen was the dominant local figure with his Volvo. Finland and Norway are stlll beyond my knowledge.

Spain and Portugal: Belgian RAS Sport VWs were run by Spanish drivers during the mid-1980's, but otherwise I don't know. I do have links to races run to group A regulations during the later 1980's but not a great deal else.

New Zealand joined the curcuit aroud 1985, but disregarding the odd endurance event I know wery little about this championship.

#5 Clement

Clement
  • New Member

  • 20 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 03 April 2006 - 11:23

With or without vin numbers ?

#6 Jesper O. Hansen

Jesper O. Hansen
  • Member

  • 582 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 03 April 2006 - 13:05

With VIN numbers, chassis numbers the lot.

Jesper

#7 Jesper O. Hansen

Jesper O. Hansen
  • Member

  • 582 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 11 August 2007 - 18:19

Currently I'm doing some research of the pre-group A saloon car scene of Japan. By some strange ways (I will tell if requested) I wondered if group A ever existed in South America. Renault, Volkswagen, Ford and Fiat comes to mind as manufactures that homologated local products, but so far I have only heard of these wehicles in rallying.

Jesper