June 1990

14.06.90 - John Watson comments on the Le Mans 24 hour race
The main battle in the Le Mans 24-Hour race will, I believe, be between cars from three of the factory teams. These are the Silk Cut Jaguars, the Joest Porsche team and maybe one of the five Nissan Motorsport entries. The Silverstone-based Spice Engineering team, who went so well in their recent home event to earn World Championship points, have only entered one car. In reality, this is one race where their superb little car does not stand any chance of winning. Let's look at the Jaguars first.

As is now always the case, Jaguar will be relying on the proven and trusted V12 engine and not the V6 turbo unit used in the World Championship which is wholly unsuited to the 24-Hour race. The V12 package has been further refined and tested and really should make a superb Le Mans vehicle. The team have entered four cars while the drivers are headed by Martin Brundle. Scotsman David Leslie makes his Jaguar debut at Le Mans alongside Brundle and Alain Ferte.

Only two of the four Joest Porsches are serious contenders at Le Mans. Hans Stuck heads up one of them along with former partner Derek Bell while Jonathan Palmer and Bob Wollek are the leading drivers in the other one. The strength of the Porsche attack lies in the superb Le Mans package Porsche have evolved for their venerable 962. In my experience, this is the easiest Le Mans car I have ever driven - an important factor if the race evolves into a 24-hour sprint as it did in 1988.

Nissan are preparing the largest single make factory team of all at Le Mans this year with five works entries, plus two 1989 factory cars in private teams. This is a truly mammoth undertaking but the importance of the event in the eyes of the Japanese manufacturers can be judged by the scale of this attack. All their regular World Sportscar Championship and American IMSA drivers are involved plus Nissan's regular Japanese team drivers. They are looking to employ 21 drivers in total for the seven cars - some logistics!

Toyota are running three of their 90CV cars in the Le Mans 24-Hour race and these are all being prepared in Japan. As these cars have not yet been seen in Europe, it is difficult to predict how they will go. The TOM's GB entries are not being raced at Le Mans but are being prepared to send to the next World Sportscar Championship event in Spain. This, the fifth round of the series, takes place inconveniently just one week after Le Mans.

A third Japanese factory entry that has increased its profile is Mazdaspeed. This team is running in the IMSA GTP category because they use their unique rotary engine which is no longer eligible for the C-One category. One famous name in the team is former five times Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx who has been engaged as team manager. Among his leading drivers are former Monteverdi Onyx team-mates Stefan Johannson and Betrand Gachot. I think you can assume Mazda are paying a lot of money on their drivers in this race.

Outside the factory teams, the rest of the entry in C-One is completed by the regular World Championship field plus a couple of strangers from Japan. There is also a surprise entry from the United States with driver Paul Canary using a 10.2 litre V8 Chevrolet engine in a Lola chassis - without doubt the biggest engine ever raced at Le Mans. I imagine there will be a lot of bemused interest in this entry. C-Two cars will once again be competing with Le Mans creating a category for these cars, popular with the less well-financed non-factory entries.

This year's 58th Le Mans 24-Hour race once again finds itself out of favour with motor sport's governing body and is a non-Championship event. Despite that, the quality of the entry is as high as ever with Mercedes being the only World Sportscar Championship factory team choosing not to compete. Obviously the marketing department of Mercedes-Benz have decided that, after winning the race last year as well as the world title, there is little to be gained by taking part this time.

Brinkmanship between the FIA and the ACO, who organise Le Mans, has resulted in the installation of two chicanes on the famous three-mile Mulsanne Straight. This was only one of a number of bitterly fought issues surrounding the future of the circuit. To many competitors and fans, these chicanes will forever change the face of Le Mans and the magic it provided. The elimination of sustained high speeds along the straight should result in better safety for everyone but emotionally it is the biggest change ever to occur on the historic circuit. I do not favour chicanes and would have preferred to have seen proper corners installed on the Mulsanne Straight. At least they should achieve their objective - breaking the straight into three segments and thereby avoiding the sustained high speed along its entire three-mile length.

The lead cars have, until now, charged down the Mulsanne Straight day and night at speeds in excess of 230mph. Now they will have to brake and change gear, dropping to around 80mph for the chicanes. This in turn may create different problems for the drivers. Changes on the Mulsanne Straight will effect mechanical reliability where it has not been a problem in the past. The new chicanes mean more braking and gear-changing. Basic car set-ups will not be of such a low drag factor as we have come to expect at Le Mans. There will be more emphasis on lap speed, rather than on top speed. Cars just fast down the straight may not have the advantage they once enjoyed. Fuel consumption will also be affected with cars now slowing down and speeding up three times. Fuel is already tight and this will make things a lot worse.

Many of the teams face problems finding suitable drivers as a clashing F3000 event has robbed them of many choices. I hope teams will refrain from calling up competitors from F3 or lower as the third driver since there is too much difference between the performance of their cars and those of Le Mans spec. The event falls between two F1 GPs and I'm sure we can expect a fair number of these drivers to take part - tempted by a fat pay packet too good to resist. If I was an F1 team manager I would not let my stars jet off to Le Mans between Canada and Mexico GPs, but then I'm not!




 NO TEAM           CAR AND DRIVERS

  1 Silk Cut       Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar         Brundle/Ferte/Leslie



  2 Silk Cut       Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar         Lammers/Wallace/Konrad



  3 Silk Cut       Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar         Nielsen/Cobb/Salazar



  4 Silk Cut       Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar         Jones/Perez-Sala/Ferte



  6 Joest Racing   Porsche 962 C

                   Pescarolo/Laffite/Ricci



  7 Joest Racing   Porsche 962 C

                   Stuck/Bell/Jelinski



  8 Joest Racing   Porsche 962 C

                   Wollek/Palmer/Alliot



  9 Joest Racing   Porsche 962 C

                   Dickens/Winter/Hoy



 10 Porsche        Porsche 962 C

    Kremer Racing  Van der Merwe/Takahashi/Okada



 11 Porsche        Porsche 962 C
    Kremer Racing  Gonin/De Dryver/Salvador



 12 Courage        Cougar C2 4S

    Competition    Thuner/Ianetta/Pessiot



 13 Courage        Cougar C2 4S

    Competition    Fabre/Trolle/Robert



 15 Repsol Brun    Porsche 962 C

    Motorsport     Huysman/Sigala/Santal



 16 Repsol Brun    Porsche 962 C

    Motorsport     Larraurio/Pareja/Brun



 19 Team Davey     Porsche 962 C

                   Iketani/Lavaggi



 20 Team Davey     Porsche 962 C

                   Lee Davey/Cohen Olivar



 21 Spice          Spice SE 90 C

    Engineering    Harvey/Hodgetts/Velez



 23 Nissan         Nissan R90 CK

    Motorsports    Hasemi/Hoshino/Suzuki



 24 Nissan         Nissan R90 CK

    Motorsports    Bailey/Blundell/Brancatelli



 25 Nissan         Porsche 962

    Motorsports    Acheson/Donnelly/Grouillard



 26 Primagaz       Porsche 962

    Competition    Opperman/Grohs/Duez



 27 Primagaz       Porsche 962

    Competition    Lassig/Yver/Altenbach



 30 GP             Spice SE 90 C

    Motorsport     Bovy/Egozkue/De Thoisy



 33 Omron Racing   Porsche 962

    Team           Haywood/Taylor/Rydell/Schuppan



 36 Toyota Team    Toyota 90 CV

    TOM's          Lees/Sekiya/Ogawa



 37 Toyota Team    Toyota 90 CV

    TOM's          Suzuki/Dumfries/Ravaglia



 38 Toyota Team    Toyota 90 CV

    Sard           Raphanel/Ratzenberger/Nagasaka



 43 Italya         Porsche 962 C

    Sports/RLR     Reuter/Lehto/Weaver



 44 Italya         Porsche 962 C

    Sports/RLR     Watson/Giacomelli/Berg



 45 Alpha Racing   Porsche 962 C

    Team           Needell/Sears/Reid



 54 Mussato        Lancia Ferrari SP 90

    Action Team    Monti/Hepworth/Magnani



 55 Omron Racing   Porsche 962

    Team           Elgh/Danielsson/Mezera



 59 Paul Canary    Eagle

                   Canary/Kazmerowski



 61 ASA Armagnac   Norma M 6

    Bigorre        Del Bello/Santos



 63 Trust Racing   Porsche 962

    Team           Fouche/Andskar/Kasuya



 82 Courage        Nissan R 89C

    Competition    Regout/Cudini



 83 Nissan         Nissan R 90 CK

    Motorsports    Brabham/Robinson/Daly



 84 Nissan         Nissan R 90 CK

    Motorsports    Earl/Roe/Millen



 85 Team           Nissan R 89 C

    Le Mans        Wada/Olfsson/Sala



102 Graff  (C2)    Spice SE C 002

    Racing         Grand/Maisonneuve/Lapeyre



103 Team Mako      Spice SE 88 C

           (C2)    Shead/Stirling/Hyett



104 ADA    (C2)    ADA

    Engineering    Harrower/Mahony/Sheldon



106 Louis          Ald C 289

    Descartes      Migault/Heuclin/Tremblay



107 Pierre-Alain   Spice SE 87 C

    Lombardi       Lombardi/Morin/De Lesseps



110 Argo           Argo JM 19 C

    Cars Ltd       Beverey/Dow



113 Etablissements Cougar C 20 B

    Chereau        Farjon/Kahn/Messaoudi



116 PC Automotive  Spice SE 89 C

    Limited        Piper/Iacobellio/Youles



128 Chamberlain    Spice

    Engineering    Donovan/De Henning



131 GP Motorsport  Spice SE 87 C

                   Wood/Jones/Hynes



132 GP Motorsport  Tiga GC 288 368

                   Fenwick/Simmiss/Postan



201 Mazdaspeed     Mazda 787

    Co Ltd  (GTP)  Johansson/Kennedy/Dieudonne



202 Mazdaspeed     Mazda 787

    Co Ltd  (GTP)  Gachot/Herbert/Weidler



203 Mazdaspeed     Mazda 767B

    Co Ltd  (GTP)  Katayama/Yorino/Terada



230 Momo Gebhardt  Porsche 962

    Racing  (GTP)  Moretti/Adams/Gebhardt



Qualifying News

Mark Blundell produced a sparkling lap to clinch pole spot for Nissan in front of an enthusiastic crowd at final qualifying for Saturday's 24-hour race. Blundell, using qualifying tyres and high engine boost on the factory car, lapped in 3 mins 27.02 secs, an average of 147.8mph and an amazing six seconds faster than Oscar Larrauri's Porsche. Former F1 driver Larrauri in the Repsol Brun Motorsport entry spoilt Nissan's bid to dominate the front of the grid, recording the second best time overall to line up ahead of a trio of the striking blue, red and white cars.

Mark Blundell returned from setting the fastest lap of qualifying saying: "I'm not sure I would want to do it again." Blundell's time of 3 mins 27.02 secs was just 12 seconds off Mercedes' 1989 pole time when the Mulsanne Straight had no chicanes. It was set using a special qualifying engine on the Nissan. "There was a little traffic but I wouldn't have got much more out of it," said Blundell.

"I would allow only one flying lap with this engine," said Nissan Motorsports planning manager, Sam Machida. "Nissan is now on the attack."

American Davy Jones set the fastest time of the Silk Cut Jaguar drivers, taking the no 4 car to seventh place on the grid for Saturday's marathon event. The team concentrated on race set-up rather than fast qualifying laps and race director Roger Silman said they were happy with places 7,8,9 and 17. "We could not have hoped for anything better," he said after final qualifying. "We're all looking forward to the race". The no 1 car was run for just five laps in the final session by Alain Ferte to set up the headlights.

Londoner Will Hoy was dropped from the Joest Porsche line-up just before he was due to practise for the first time. Hoy, the newest member of the team, was left out in favour of the experienced Bob Wollek. The decision followed Jonathan Palmer's crash on Wednesday which badly destroyed one of the cars. "It's a big disappointment. It would have been a fantastic chance to prove myself in a good competitive car," said 36-year-old Hoy who has made four previous appearances at Le Mans. "Now I'll have to play golf all weekend - I can't bear to watch the race."

Jonathan Palmer, flown home to England on Wednesday night after a high speed crash in a Joest Porsche car, was found to have a badly fractured thumb. Checks were made on the other three factory cars and slight modifications made to the suspension although the cause of the accident is not known. It is understood Palmer's car veered left on the Mulsanne Straight and went off the road.

One of the Silk Cut Jaguars, the no 4 car, stopped with electrical trouble early in Thursday's first session but was repaired in time for final practice.

Silverstone's Spice Engineering team were delighted with the set-up of their 3.5-litre Spice SE90C car and skipped the final qualifying session. "The car has gone like a dream," said team manager Jeff Hazell. "We sorted out tyres and brakes and that was it. I only hope the race goes that well."

Paul Canary's unusual entry, the Eagle with its massive 10-litre engine brought from the United States, made a lot of noise and smoke but failed to make the qualifying time for Saturday's race. It completed only one full lap, recording a time of 5 mins 39.02 secs. Fastest of the C2 cars in qualifying was the Spice SE88C of Team Mako, due to be driven by Britons James Shead and Ross Hyett and Canadian Robbie Stirling which finished 36th overall.

West German Otto Altenbach spun across the track into the barrier after losing control just after leaving the pits in his Primagaz Competition Porsche 962. Costas Los also faced a nasty moment when his Nissan Courage R89C suffered a left rear puncture just before he entered the pits. "The car started to slip but I managed to keep it in a straight line and didn't touch anything," reported the Greek driver.

Six times Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx faces a new challenge as he re turns to the circuit for the first time in years. Ickx has been signed up by Mazda as consultant team manager as they bid to improve on a seventh place in 1989, the best ever result for a Japanese car in the world's most famous endurance race. "I am supposed to be the specialist giving advice but Mazda have been here before and have lots of experience. I don't know who will learn the most, me or them," laughed the modest Belgian. Mazda, with three factory cars to run, know his advice will be invaluable. Jacky Ickx, the most successful driver ever at Le Mans, knows what a big task he faces in his new role this weekend.

"First we must do as well as last year and that means making sure all three cars are there at the finish. Then we have to improve their placing," he says. "I will be present throughout the race and will be in touch with the drivers. I hope I'll be able to help the team tackle any problems that occur. In the past I've always just driven and looked after myself, now I have to take care of the others." Jacky Ickx has already been sharing his knowledge acquired over many years with the nine drivers in the Mazda team, some of whom are new to Le Mans.

"Diet is important, so both Japanese and European menus are available at Mazda. Each car has its own mobile home and after his stint a driver must report to his co-driver and to the engineer, then eat, drink and rest. I have told all the drivers to do this," he says. Ickx insists he has no desire to return to the cockpit. "I can see a car with no regrets. I love new experiences - this will be most enjoyable I'm sure."

Among the Le Mans 'new boys' in the Mazda team are former Formula One men Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot. Team consultant Jacky Ickx says they will need to learn some new driving skills for the 24-Hour race. "They are used to going flat out but this race runs around fuel consumption. They must watch the indications in the car which show a bonus mark if they are within the limit or a minus if not." Herbert admitted there was quite an art to saving fuel. "You need to be either hard on the throttle or right off it and avoid changing through every gear."



Final qualifying times:


Car No                         mins secs

 1  24  M Blundell  Nissan       3:27.02

 2  16  O Larrauri  Porsche 962  3:33.06

 3  23  K Hasemi    Nissan       3:33.17

 4  83  G Brabham   Nissan       3:33.28

 5  25  K Acheson   Nissan       3:35.76

 6   7  H Stuck     Porsche 962  3:36.08

 7   4  D Jones     Jaguar XJR12 3:36.10

 8   1  M Brundle   Jaguar XJR12 3:36.55

 9   3  J Nielsen   Jaguar XJR12 3:37.00

10  36  G Lees      Toyota 90 CV 3:37.13

11  63  G Fouche    Porsche 962  3:38:28

12  10  S vd Merve  Porsche 962  3:38:39

13  43  M Reuter    Porsche 962  3:38.72

14  37  A Suzuki    Toyota 90 CV 3:38.74

15  26  H Grohs     Porsche 962  3:39.38

16  38  P Raphanel  Toyota 90 CV 3:39.76

17   2  J Lammers   Jaguar XJR12 3:39.78

18   9  B Wollek    Porsche 962  3:40.01

19  11  P Alliot    Porsche 962  3:40.27

20  45  T Needell   Porsche 962  3:41.32

21  44  B Giaco'lli Porsche 962  3:42.73

22 202  V Weidler   Mazda 787    3:43.04

23 201  S Johansson Mazda 787    3:43:35

24  85  T Wada      Nissan       3:43:40

25  84  M Roe       Nissan       3:44:28


47 cars qualified for Saturday's race
Fastest driver named - three to
 compete.



RACE INCIDENTS - RUNNING COMMENTARY

Leading Nissan in collision

Aguri Suzuki has been injured in a horrific collision with the leading Nissan driven by Gianfranco Brancatelli. Suzuki's Toyota was crushed into the barrier and the little Japanese driver was lifted from the wreckage and taken away in an ambulance, his condition described as "not serious". Brancatelli limped back to the pits with the front bodywork missing from his Nissan but the team say the damage is just superficial.

There has been controversy over how the collision occured - Brancatelli said the Japanese "just turned on me before the corner" but observers have said the Japanese driver was not at fault. The Toyota was destroyed but the Nissan rejoined the race after a four-minute pit stop replacing bodywork and a wheel. The accident left Geoff Brabham in the lead in another Nissan, hotly pursued by two of the Silk Cut Jaguars.

Kent driver Tim Lee-Davey produced panic in the pit lane when he shed a wheel from his Porsche at the entrance. He cruised to a halt by his pit on three tyres while the wheel bounced away knocking over a sign.

Jurgen Laessig spun his Primagaz Porsche 962 on one of the new chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight - he continued but slipped well down the field. Bob Wollek brought his Joest Porsche in after a few laps for an adjustment to the rear wing. Pierre-Henri Raphanel brought his Toyota into the pits minus its front bodywork after hitting the barrier in an incident along the Mulsanne Straight.

Bob Earl drove a nervous, slow lap in his Nissan knowing one of the wheel nuts was missing. "The wheel was kept on by the retaining pin. I was just glad it did," said the American. Frank Jelinski drove more than a double stint - for 1.75 hours - before Derek Bell took over in the Joest Porsche. Meanwhile their third driver, Hans Stuck, was still on his way back from the Nurburgring where he competed in another race this morning.

Belgian Bertrand Gachot, making his Le Mans debut, struggled to restart his Mazda after a big spin that left him stranded at the Ford Curves. He was surrounded by mechanics allowed to give no more than advice and eventually made it back to the pits for repairs. The Graff Racing Spice, which has been leading Group C2 since the start of the race, was spotted in the pits for what appeared to be more than a routine stop with four hours of the race completed.

More drama in the pits as the no 83 Nissan left dragging an airline across its rear wing which struck one of the mechanics. He was not badly hurt. Two Porsches nearly came together at the Dunlop chicane when the best-placed 962, driven by Oscar Larrauri, took to the grass to avoid Primagaz driver Harald Grohs who was in a 360 degree spin. Grohs' car damaged its front end but Larrauri's 962 escaped unscathed. Three Jaguar drivers have been fined 30,000 francs each for driving too fast while yellow warning flags were out. The incident happened when flags were shown in the fourth hour of the race at the Indianapolis part of the course. The trio - David Leslie, Franz Konrad and Davy Jones - have been told that a second such infringement could result in their disqualification. Team manager Tom Walkinshaw is reported to have seen course officials but it is not known if there will be an appeal.

Jaguar look set to take another Le Mans victory after the demise of the Nissan threat at breakfast time this morning. The leading Silk Cut Jaguar - the no 3 car but with Martin Brundle bolstering the driving team after the retirement of his own - has some two laps on the Brun Porsche 962, consistently quick thanks to the work of Oscar Larrauri.

Long time front-runner Geoff Brabham's Nissan R90C is having a long pit stop to drain and change a leaking fuel cell.

Two other Jaguars remain; Jan Lammers is fourth but Davy Jones has slipped down to 13th. Mazda's hopes of repeating their 1989 100 per cent finish faded in the early hours when Pierre Dieudonne stopped with engine problems. "It is only my second retirement in 10 Le Mans races," said the Belgian. "We are going away with a lot of lessons learnt - one is that this car has the potential to be among the very best." Team-mate Bertrand Gachot was suddenly without headlights. "I put my car behind another and played with the throttle to make flashes from the exhaust so I would be seen," he said. The car also retired a short time later.

Gear selector problems dogged the no 24 Nissan which had led twice early in the race. Julian Bailey was at the wheel when the car stalled 20 metres up the pitlane, requiring new gearbox ratios. Bailey then stopped on the circuit on his first lap afterwards and, despite vocal encouragement from the crew, was eventually forced to retire.

Tim Harvey lost 25 minutes in the pits in the early hours while the Spice Engineering team bled the cooling system after over heating. The 3.5-litre car rejoined the race in 31st spot and made up a further three places within the next hour. James Weaver made a dramatic entry into the pits with his Richard Lloyd Racing Porsche 962 in flames after a punctured tyre tore off the turbo. Weaver, who was unhurt, joked: "I could have driven into the pits of someone I didn't like, I suppose." Austrian Franz Konrad needed repairs to the door and windscreen on the no 2 Silk Cut Jaguar following an incident on the first chicane at Mulsanne. Martin Brundle had to make a "flash" stop to check how secure a wheel was on his Silk Cut Jaguar - he was stationary for under 20 seconds.

Former front running Nissan of Geoff Brabham is undergoing a long pit stop to have a fuel cell changed after a leak into the cockpit. The fuel had to be pumped out by hand - enough already to take the car out of the top 10.

Frenzied activity greeted the leading Silk Cut Jaguar when a routine stop for fuel and new brakes turned into a repair job against the clock. John Nielsen brought the car in with a two-lap lead over the Brun Porsche 962 but the minutes ticked away as the crew sorted out a problem with the brakes. A similar but shorter delay greeted Martin Brundle at the next routine stop. The only other Jaguar running, the Jan Lammers/Andy Wallace XJR12, vanquished a challenge from the Stuck/Bell Porsche 962.

Former front running Nissan of Geoff Brabham had an abortive 90-minute stop to replace a leaking fuel cell. The team eventually retired the car without the job being finished.

A crowd of 240,000 has been estimated by organisers - five per cent above last year despite the 1990 race not being part of the World Championship.

Eliseo Salazar in the slowest Jaguar wanted to call at his pit with some 3 hours, 40 minutes to go but the team refused to agree until the leading Silk Cut car made its routine stop. Salazar toured round to the starting straight, where he drove it into the paddock. Rain may be the only thing which can come between Jaguar and victory at the Le Mans race. A shower, which began a few minutes ago over some parts of the circuit, has not yet forced drivers to change tyres. If they do go from slicks to wet tyres, team work will determine the result, as the Martin Brundle/John Nielsen Jaguar has only a lap in hand over the Brun Porsche 962 driven by Jesus Pareja. The second surviving Jaguar, driven by 1988 Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and Oxford driver Andy Wallace, is in an unthreatened third spot.

Overheating caused problems for the two remaining Courage Competition cars, the Cougar-Porsche 962 and Nissan R89C and drivers were told to nurse the engines. Team Mako took desperate measures when their Spice lost its clutch in the closing stages, starting the car by dropping it off a jack in the pits on to washing-up liquid. They will now try and complete the remaining 80 minutes without stopping for fuel. Oscar Larrauri battled on bravely into the early morning before taking a back seat, still recovering from the effects of a nasty accident in a saloon car race on Saturday morning.

Jaguar took a hugely popular 1-2 at Le Mans in a year marking 40 years of the marque competing in the 24-hour race. The XJR12, driven by Briton Martin Brundle, the US's Price Cobb and Dane John Neilsen, had a lap in hand over a Brun Porsche which ran perfectly until breaking down with just 14 minutes left. Brundle joined the winning car today, when his own XJR12 retired and after Nielsen had done most of the night driving in the victorious entry. Dutchman Jan Lammers and Oxford driver Andy Wallace in the other surviving XJR12 inherited second spot.

JAGUAR WIN

Former GP star Martin Brundle gave the 240,000 enthusiasts a display of sprint racing as he shook off his charging rival Oscar Larrauri in the final hours. A lengthy pit stop after brake problems left Brundle with only a one-lap 13.6km lead in his Silk Cut Jaguar over the ill-fated Repsol Brun Porsche but the Norfolk driver relished the challenge. He and John Nielsen shared the final stints to clinch Jaguar's seventh win.

Andy Wallace, in Jaguar's second-placed car, said it was a hard race. "It's the toughest race I've ever done," he said. "Even harder now than at Daytona." The expected challenge from Nissan was real enough in terms of speed but fell apart when it came to reliability. The Nissan works cars had a poor start, losing one when its brakes failed on the warm up lap; two others set the pace for much of the first 15 hours but developed a series of major problems in the fuel and water cooling departments. Even the best-placed surviving works car with an all-Japanese driving team led by Kazuyoshi Hoshini finished fifth but not without late difficulties. The IMSA category Mazda challenge was similarly disappointing.

Team manager Tom Walkinshaw guided the Silk Cut Jaguars to a brilliant 1-2 and then handed the victory to chairman Sir John Egan as a farewell gift. "Sir John leaves at the end of June and we wanted to give him a good send-off," said Walkinshaw. "I think this is the result we came to try to achieve." Walkinshaw said the team's tactics were simple. "We knew we would have to grind the opposition into the ground and break them and that's what we did." He added: "All we need now is for England or Scotland to win the World Cup and that will round off the year."

American Price Cobb thanked co-drivers Martin Brundle and John Nielsen for a victory "beyond my wildest dreams". "I have always had a problem with the heat and these guys carried us through. When we had a brake problem they nursed the car to the end," he said. Nielsen said it had been a hard-earned victory - they did not even have fourth gear after this morning."

"This is probably the best result I've ever had. It was a particularly tough race this year with the chicanes. To win for the Jaguar team is really special."




Provisional result after 24 hours:
 

Drivers                    Car    Laps

 1 Nielsen/Cobb/Brundle    Jaguar   358

 2 Lammers/Wallace/Konrad  Jaguar   354

 3 Needell/Sears/Reid      Porsche  351

 4 Stuck/Bell/Jelinski     Porsche  349

 5 Hasemi/Hoshino/Suzuki   Nissan   347

 6 Lees/Sekiya/Ogawa       Toyota   346

 7 Fabre/Trolle/Robert     Cougar   346

 8 Winter/Dickens/Wollek   Porsche  345

 9 Laessig/Yver/Altenbach  Porsche  340

10 Huysman/Sigala/Santal   Porsche  334

11 Watson//Giacomelli/Berg Porsche  334

12 Haywood/Taylor/Rydell   Porsche  331

13 Fouche/Andskar/Kasuya   Porsche  329

14 Ricci/Pescarolo/Laffi   Porsche  327

15 Elgh/Danielsson/Mezera  Porsche  325

16 Gonin/Alliot/Dryver     Porsche  318

17 Earl/Roe/Millen         Nissan   310

18 Harvey/Hodgetts/Velez   Spice    307

19 Cohen/Olivar/Lavaggi    Porsche  305

20 Katayama/Yorino/Terada  Mazda    303

21 Piper/Iacobelli/Youles  Spice    303

22 Regout/Cudini/Los       Cougar   299

23 Grand/Maisonneuve       Spice    290

24 Takahashi/vanderPherwe  Porsche  278

25 Shead/Stirling/Hyett    Spice    273

26 Iketani/Lee Davey       Porsche  259

27 Wood/Jones/Hynes        Spice    258

28 Hausmann/Donovan/deHenn Spice    254

29 Fenwick/Simmiss/Postan  Tiga     253






HOUR BY HOUR

HOUR ONE: Kenny Acheson's Nissan R90C breaks gearbox on pace lap. Tim Lee-Davey's Porsche 962 loses a wheel in the pit lane. Oscar Larrauri's Porsche and Julian Bailey's Nissan contest lead.

HOUR TWO: Bob Earl's Nissan did a lap with a wheel held on by a retaining pin only. Mark Blundell took Nissan no 24's lead to 35 seconds, but Martin Brundle moved his Silk Cut Jaguar into second.

HOUR THREE: Le Mans debutant Bertrand Gachot spun and had to wait to restart his Mazda, losing 30 minutes overall. Jaguars were temporarily 1-2-3.

HOUR FOUR: Nissans and Jaguars continued to fight for the lead. One of the Nissans mechanic was struck in the face by an airline which caught the back of the car. Messaoudi's Cougar-Porsche became only the second retirement of the race, after hitting a barrier.

HOUR FIVE: Leading Nissan collided with Aguri Suzuki's Toyota; the Japanese was hurt but not seriously. The Nissan lost the lead, and a lap, as a result.

HOUR SIX: Three of the Jaguar drivers - David Leslie, Franz Konrad and Davy Jones - were fined for driving too fast while the yellow flags were out.

HOUR SEVEN: A water leak cost Alain Ferte the lead and gave it to his Silk Cut Jaguar team-mate and brother Michel who kept it until he came in to hand over to Davy Jones.

HOUR EIGHT: The water problem for the number one Jaguar continued, was cured after two pit stops but dropped the car to 11th by midnight.

HOUR NINE: After a relatively uneventful 60 minutes, the pace car came out as 1am approached with the Mussato Action Car's Lancia-Ferrari LC2 on fire along the Mulsanne Straight.

HOUR 10: Nissan's fine efforts suffered a major setback when the no 24 car, once the overall leader, lost about 30 minutes with gearbox trouble. Another of the factory cars still led the race.

HOUR 11: Price Cobb took the lead in his Jaguar, while Chip Robinson (Nissan) challenged Walter Brun (Repsol Brun Porsche) for second place. A GP-style battle and less than half the race run.

HOUR 12: Julian Bailey's much-troubled Nissan, once leader of the race, came to a halt after Arnage and retired. Also out was the Mazda being driven by Pierre Dieudonne who said: "This car has the potential to be among the best."

HOUR 13: Pit lane excitement as James Weaver brought the Richard Lloyd Racing Porsche 926 in with a flat. It burst into flames without causing any injury, but was pushed away to the paddock.

HOUR 14: Daylight saw the demise of the second of the three factory Mazdas with Johnny Herbert retiring with electrical trouble. The no 1 Jaguar, which had been moving up the leaderboard, started to slip back down again.

HOUR 15: Martin Brundle switched from the no 1 Jaguar to the no 3 car in the lead, leaving Luis Perez-Sala without a drive. Within minutes the no 1 car had been retired with engine trouble.

HOUR 16: Three remaining Jaguars report problems with the low clearance at new chicanes, wearing away chassis ducts which divert air to the radiators.

HOUR 17: Front running Nissan of Geoff Brabham suffers oil leak beneath the cockpit - a fuel cell split which forces an extremely long pit stop.

HOUR 18: A bad time for Porsches - the seventh placed Joest car glances a barrier, has to pit and then suffers an oil spillage in the pit lane. The Alpha Porsche of Le Mans debutant Anthony Reid takes to the grass in the Ford curves, slamming over kerbs twice.

HOUR 19: The tussle for third between experienced Porsche chargers Stuck and Bell and the Jaguar duo of Lammers and Wallace dominated the hour. Brundle, meanwhile, carved out a two-lap lead.

HOUR 20: Pit lane frustration (1)...the leading Jaguar lost a lap when a brake caliper jammed during a routine stop. Pit lane frustration (2)...Nissan staff worked for 90 minutes on a new fuel cell for their best-placed car, but the team retired it before the job was done.

HOUR 21: Mixed fortunes for the Jaguars with Martin Brundle continuing to lead but Eliseo Salazar, the man he replaced in the no 3 car, retiring in car no 4.

HOUR 22: The close battle for third was defused when the turbo on the Stuck/Bell Joest Porsche blew, leaving the Briton to tour round. The car lost four laps while a new one was fitted.

HOUR 23: The top 10 remained unchanged as interest switched to fuel - would the thirstier cars, such as the Brun Porsches, have enough within the rules to go the distance?

HOUR 24: Orchestrated moves saw the two surviving Jaguars circulating in tandem - then the 1-2 became real 14 minutes from the end when the second-place Brun Porsche driven by Jesus Pareja broke down and was not classified.

What happened to each set-up


NO TEAM           CAR AND DRIVERS


 1  Silk Cut      Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar        Brundle/Ferte/Leslie

    retired - electrical problem



 2  Silk Cut      Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar        Lammers/Wallace/Konrad

    2nd



 3  Silk Cut      Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar        Nielsen/Cobb/Brundle

    1st



 4  Silk Cut      Jaguar XJR12

    Jaguar        Jones/Perez-Sala/Ferte

    retired



 6  Joest Racing  Porsche 962 C

    14th          Pescarolo/Laffite/Ricci



 7  Joest Racing  Porsche 962 C

    4th           Stuck/Bell/Jelinski



 8  Joest Racing  Porsche 962 C

                  Wollek/Palmer/Alliot

    damaged in practice - out of race



 9  Joest Racing  Porsche 962 C

    8th           Dickens/Winter/Wollek



10  Porsche       Porsche 962 C

    Kremer Racing Van der Merwe/Takahashi/Okada

    24th



11  Porsche       Porsche 962 C

    Kremer Racing Gonin/De Dryver/Alliot

    16th



12  Courage       Cougar C2 4S

    Competition   Thuner/Ianetta/Pessiot

    retired - engine failure



13  Courage       Cougar C2 4S

    Competition   Fabre/Trolle/Robert

    7th



15  Repsol Brun   Porsche 962 C

    Motorsport    Huysman/Sigala/Santal

    10th



16  Repsol Brun   Porsche 962 C

    Motorsport    Larrauri/Pareja/Brun

    Retired 14 minutes from end



19  Team Davey    Porsche 962 C

    26th          Iketani/Lavaggi



20  Team Davey    Porsche 962 C

    19th          Lee Davey/Cohen-Olivar



21  Spice         Spice SE 90 C

    Engineering   Harvey/Hodgetts/Velez

    18th



23  Nissan        Nissan R90 CP

    Motorsports   Hasemi/Hoshino/Suzuki

    5th



24  Nissan        Nissan R90 CK

    Motorsports   Bailey/Blundell/Brancatelli

    retired - engine failure



25  Nissan        Porsche 962

    Motorsports   Acheson/Donnelly/Grouillard

    retired - transmission



26  Primagaz      Porsche 962

    Competition   Opperman/Grohs/Duez

    retired - gearbox problems



27  Primagaz      Porsche 962

    Competition   Lassig/Yver/Altenbach

    9th



30  GP            Spice SE 90 C

    Motorsport    Bovy/Egozkue/De Thoisy

    failed to qualify



33  Omron Racing  Porsche 962

    Team          Haywood/Taylor/Rydell

    12th



36  Toyota Team   Toyota 90 CV

    TOM's         Lees/Sekiya/Ogawa

    6th



37  Toyota Team   Toyota 90 CV

    TOM's         Suzuki/Dumfries/Ravaglia

    destroyed in collision



38  Toyota Team   Toyota 90 CV

    Sard          Raphanel/Ratzenberger/Nagasaki

    retired


43  Italya        Porsche 962 C

    Sports/RLR    Reuter/Lehto/Weaver

    retired after pit lane fire



44  Italya        Porsche 962 C

    Sports/RLR    Watson/Giacomelli/Berg

    11th



45  Alpha Racing  Porsche 962 C

    Team          Needell/Sears/Reid

    3rd



54  Mussato       Lancia Ferrari SP 90

    Action Team   Monti/Hepworth/Magnani

    retired after a fire



55  Omron Racing  Porsche 962

    Team          Elgh/Danielsson/Mezera

    15th



59  Paul Canary   Eagle

                  Canary/Kazmerowski

    failed to qualify



61  ASA Armagnac  Norma M 6

    Bigorre       Del Bello/Santos/Boccard

    retired



63  Trust Racing  Porsche 962

    Team          Fouche/Andskar/Kasuya

    13th



82  Courage       Nissan R 89C

    Competition   Regout/Cudini/Los

    22nd



83  Nissan        Nissan R 90 CK

    Motorsports   Brabham/Robinson/Daly

    retired



84  Nissan        Nissan R 90 CK

    Motorsports   Earl/Roe/Millen

    17th



85  Team          Nissan R 89 C

    Le Mans       Wada/Olofsson/Sala

    retired - ignition failure



102 Graff  (C2)   Spice SE C 002

    Racing        Grand/Maisonneuve/Lapeyre

    23rd



103 Team Mako     Spice SE 88 C

    retired  (C2) Shead/Stirling/Hyett



105 ADA    (C2)   ADA

    Engineering   Harrower/Mahony/Sheldon

    retired - suspension failure



106 Louis         Ald C 289

    Descartes     Migault/Heuclin/Tremblay

    out - transmission failure



107 Pierre-Alain  Spice SE 87 C

    Lombardi      Lombardi/Morin/De Lesseps

    retired after accident



110 Argo          Argo JM 19 C

    Cars Ltd      Bevery/Dow/Khan

    failed to qualify



113 Etablissements Cougar C 20 B

    Chereau        Farjon/Messaoudi/Andruet

    Messaoudi crashed out unhurt



116 PC Automotive Spice SE 89 C

    Limited       Piper/Iacobelli/Youles

    21st



128 Chamberlain   Spice

    Engineering   Donovan/De Henning/Hausmann

    28th



131 GP Motorsport Spice SE 87 C

    27th          Wood/Jones/Hynes



132 Fenwick       Tiga GC 288 368

    Motorsport    Fenwick/Simmiss/Postan

    29th



201 Mazdaspeed    Mazda 787

    Co Ltd  (GTP) Johansson/Kennedy/Dieudonne

    retired - engine oil leak



202 Mazdaspeed    Mazda 787

    Co Ltd  (GTP) Gachot/Herbert/Weidler

    retired - electrical trouble



203 Mazdaspeed    Mazda 767B

    Co Ltd  (GTP) Katayama/Yorino/Terada

    20th



230 Momo Gebhardt Porsche 962

    Racing  (GTP) Moretti/Adams/Gebhardt

    retired - broken gearbox



GERMAN TOURING CARS:- The Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II makes its debut in the heats of the German Touring Car Championship at the Nurburgring on June 16. Mercedes motor sport management have axed 22-year-old driver Thomas Winkelhock. He will not be replaced at the Nurburgring next week.




15.06.90 - RALLYING


EARS/MOTORING NEWS RALLY:- Oulton Park sees the fourth round of the EARS/Motoring News Stage Rally Championship with points leader Geoff Kitney fielding a brand new Darrian T90.

MINTEX NATIONAL RALLY:- The fifth round of the Mintex National Championship takes place on Saturday in the forests of Mid-Wales. Championship leader John Weatherley starts the event with new co-driver Mike Corner in his Mazda 323, and a 25-point lead over nearest rival Jim Bothwell who drives a Toyota Celica GT4. The course covers 80 miles of forestry tracks around Llandrindod Wells.

DUNLOP TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP



Leaderboard after stage 5 of 23:


						  Penalties


 1 Bonner/Boyle     Opel Manta    27:56

 2 Fisher/Kennedy   BMW M3        27:57

 3 McHale/O'Gorman  BMW M3        28:09

 4 Smyth/Reid       Sierra Cos    29:01

 5 McKinstry/P'pott Sierra Cos    29:45

 6 Price/Evans      MG Metro 6R4  30:06

 7 Nesbitt/Murphy   Opel Manta    30:06

 8 Fennell/Millar   Sierra Cos    30:08

 9 Cullen/Morgan    Sierra Cos    30:14

10 MacHugh/MacHugh  Vaux Chevette 31:05





Pace notes

Vincent Bonner overshot on stage nine and lost about 20 seconds. Austin McHale had a huge spin on at stage nine at the flying finish. Bertie Fisher set the fastest time on stage 12, despite a broken differential bracket on his BMW. James McDaid was forced to pull out of the event with a fractured prop shaft.



Leaderboard after stage 12 of 23:


						 penalties


 1 Fisher/Kennedy   BMW M3      1:11.24

 2 McHale/O'Gorman  BMW M3      1:11.29

 3 Bonner/Boyle     Opel Manta  1:11.37

 4 Cullen/Morgan    Sierra Cos  1:13.33

 5 Nesbitt/Murphy   Opel Manta  1:14.25

 6 McKinstry/P'pott Sierra Cos  1:14.47

 7 Price/Evans      Metro 6R4   1:14.56

 8 Emerson/Mc'land  Opel Manta  1:15.38

 9 Fennell/Millar   Sierra Cos  1:16.39

10 Clark/Cathers    Sierra Cos  1:16.50



NEW ZEALAND RALLY

Spaniard Carlos Sainz is favourite to win the New Zealand Rally - and with it his second major victory of the season. But he will have to contend with last year's winner, Ingvar Carlsson, in a Mazda 323, making its last appearance before being replaced by the GT-X. Louise Aitken-Walker has been down under for three weeks preparing for the event in her 16 valve Vauxhall Astra. "We have driven all 43 special stages at least five times. The roads are just like Scotland's, but much more slippery", said Scot Aitken-Walker.





World Championship Points.


DRIVERS


 1  C Sainz          60

 2  D Auriol         55

 3  M Biasion        44

 4  J Kankkunen      42

 5  M Ericsson       26

 6  B Waldegaard     20




MANUFACTURERS


 1  Lancia           94

 2  Toyota           74

 3  Subaru           19

 4  BMW              14

 5  Mazda            12




NEW ZEALAND RALLY Standings after 31 stages of 43:


					   hrs mins secs


 1 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      4:25.40

 2 I Carlsson  Swe Mazda       4:27.57

 3 E Weber     WG  Volkswagen  4:32.50

 4 R Dunkerton Aus Mitsubishi  4:37.27

 5 P Bourne    NZ  Subaru      4:37.52

 6 G Trelles   Sp  Lancia      4:43:36

 7 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  4:43:36

 8 J Recalde   Arg Lancia      4:45.58

 9 G Carr      Aus Lancia      4:51.26

10 G P'ezzola  It  Toyota      4:52.20



World championship leader Carlos Sainz took a firm grip as he took the lead on a trouble-free third day through the winding Motu forest roads. He starts Tuesday's final day with a lead of 2 mins 17 secs over defending champion Ingvar Carlsson - knowing a win will open a 25-point gap at the top. Sainz, 20 seconds behind the Swede after the first two days, powered his way back in his Toyota Celica GT4.

American Rod Millen's Mazda blew its turbo and forced him to retire when third. Briton Louise Aitken-Walker was again top lady in 14th overall.

Carlos Sainz of Spain had to overcome a late puncture before storming to victory in the works Toyota Celica GT4. Sainz saw his two-minute lead over Sweden's Ingvar Carlsson cut by half with just three stages to go. The win gives Sainz a 25-point lead over Didier Auriol in the world championship. Auriol did not compete in New Zealand.

Britain's Louise Aitken-Walker and Christina Thorner re-took the lead in the FIA Ladies Cup after finishing 11th in the Opel Kadett/Vauxhall Astra.





NEW ZEALAND RALLY 
Result after 43 stages:


					    hrs mins secs


 1 C Sainz     Sp   Toyota      6:48.26

 2 I Carlsson  Swe  Mazda       6:49.57

 3 E Weber     WG   Volkswagen  6:56.24

 4 R Dunkerton Aus  Mitsubishi  7:00.28

 5 P Bourne    NZ   Subaru      7:05.48

 6 T Makinen   Fin  Mitsubishi  7:09:13

 7 G Trelles   Sp   Lancia      7:11:14

 8 J Recalde   Arg  Lancia      7:17.17

 9 G P'ezzola  It   Toyota      7:23.58

10 A Oreille   Fr   Renault     7:25.35

11 L A-Walker  GB   Vaux/Opel   7:27.38





WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS after round 7


 1 C Sainz     Sp   Toyota  80 points

 2 D Auriol    Fr   Lancia  55

 3 M Biasion   It   Lancia  44

 4 J Kankkunen Fin  Lancia  42

 5 M Ericsson  Swe  Toyota  26

 6 D Cerrato   It   Lancia  20

 = B Wald'grd  Swe  Toyota  20

 8 B Saby      Fr   Lancia  16

 9 I Carlsson  Swe  Mazda   15

10 E Weber     WG   VW      12

 = F Chatriot  Fr   BMW     12






F.RENAULT:- Brazilian Thomas Erdos led the way as six drivers were separated by just hundredths of a second in testing for Sunday's fifth round of the Formula Renault UK championship at Mallory Park.

F.VAUXHALL LOTUS:- Jackie Stewart protege David Coulthard goes for a second successive Formula Vauxhall Lotus victory at Thruxton this weekend. Rival Vincenzo Sospiri misses the race in favour of a Formula 3000 drive at Jerez.






17.06.90

F.VAUXHALL LOTUS:- Kurt Luby was the winner of the fourth race of the Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship at Silverstone. Scott Lakin was second with David Coulthard in third place.

F.RENAULT:- Chris Goodwin won the fifth round of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Mallory Park scoring his first victory in the 1700cc category for Renault-powered single-seaters.






19.06.90
BIRMINGHAM SUPER-PRIX:- McDonald's have agreed to be joint sponsors of this year's Birmingham Super Prix on August 26-27. The race was won last year by Jean Alesi, now starring in Formula One for Tyrrell.

F3:- Following his victory at Silverstone a fortnight ago, Steve Robertson was quickest during F3 testing at Donington for the ninth round of the series on July 1st. He lapped in 67.39 seconds.



20.06.90
CAMEL TROPHY:- UK team Andrew Dacey and Richard Tomlinson lay sixth after ten Special tasks in the Camel Trophy in Siberia. Holland led from West Germany and Yugoslavia.






21.6.90

SALOON CARS:- Dave Sears, third in the Le Mans 24 Hours in France, tackles Britain's only round-the-clock race when he competes in the Esso Willhires 24 Hours at Snetterton in Norfolk on June 23-24.

F3000:- British Formula 3000 Championship leader Pedro Chaves smashed the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit lap record in testing for the Sky-Track meeting on July 1st, lapping the 1.2 mile circuit in 38.2 seconds (113.43mph), a second under his own lap record.




22.6.90

F.RENAULT:- Chris Goodwin set himself up for a second successive Formula Renault UK Championship win by planting his Van Damien FR90/Renault on the front row of the grid for Saturday's sixth round of the series at Kirkistown in Ulster.

CITROEN 2CV RACING:- Forty Citroen 2CV's and a total of 150 drivers will be competing in a 24-hour race around the twisty Mondello Park circuit in Ireland this weekend. Sea sickness tablets are being provided!


18 - 23 June - The Pirelli Classic Rally
Rally ace Paddy Hopkirk leads the field in a Mini Cooper S after the first day of the Pirelli Classic Marathon. He finished the first two speed tests in Kent just one second ahead of Stirling Moss in an MGB GT. Jeremy Coulter also in a Mini Cooper S lies four seconds adrift. American Bobby Unser in an E-Type Jag was quickest around the circuit but was penalised for going the wrong way. They have now crossed to Europe for the majority of the 2000 mile route.

Leaderboard after 2 of 15 timed tests:


						mins:secs
 

1 P Hopkirk GB  Mini Cooper S   2:01

 2 S Moss    GB  MGB GT          2:02

 3 J Coulter GB  Mini Cooper S   2:05

 4 J Handley GB  Austin Mini     2:06

 = J Woolley GB  Triumph Vitesse 2:06

 = M Gammons GB  MG MGB          2:06



Stirling Moss, driving an MGB GT, had moved back into second place as the week-long 2000-mile race crossed into Italy on Tuesday. Briton Paddy Hopkirk managed to maintain his slender lead - despite an enforced stop to carry out emergency roadside repairs. Two time RAC Lombard champion Roger Clark, joint third overnight, careered off the Trier special test and was stranded for over an hour. The Ladies Award continues to be led by Julie Naylor in her Austin.




Leaderboard after 7 of 15 timed tests:


						  mins:secs


 1 Hopkirk    GB  Mini Cooper S   26:58

 2 Moss       GB  MGB GT          27:19

 3 Handley    GB  Austin Mini     27:21

 4 Gammons    GB  MG MGB          27:39

 5 Coulter    GB  Mini Cooper S   27:51

 6 Bourne     GB  Morgan plus 4   27:55

 7 Hall       GB  Austin Mini     27:58

 8 W'jenberg  Hol Peugeot 404     28:03

 9 Taylor         Morgan plus 4   28:06

10 Deacon         Morgan plus 4   28:12



Bobby Unser, three times winner of the Indianapolis 500, dominated the fourth day of the 2000-mile marathon up the 10,000 foot Stelvio Pass in Italy. The American was quickest by 48 seconds on an eight-mile special test, which included 48 hairpin bends. But he remains outside the top ten overall, with Paddy Hopkirk still out in front in his Mini Cooper S. Ron Gammons was third fastest up the Stelvio, moving ahead of Stirling Moss into second, while Roger Clark improved to eighth in his MG MGB.




Leaderboard after 8 of 15 timed tests:


						  mins:secs


 1 Hopkirk/Poole   Mini Cooper S  44:09

 2 Gammons/Easter  MG MGB         44:32

 3 Moss/Shields    MGB GT         44:32

 4 Handley/Moy     Austin Mini    44:58

 5 Coulter/Davies  Mini Cooper S  45:27

 6 Bourne/Bourne   Morgan plus 4  45:31

 = Hall/Dodge      Austin Mini    45:31

 8 Clark/Mason     MG MGB         46:00

 9 McDowell/Gall'r Austin Healey  46:22

10 Deacon/Stretto  Morgan plus 4  46:32



Paddy Hopkirk and Alec Poole maintained a 22-second lead over Ron Gammons and Paul Easter on day five of the week-long race in the Italian Dolomites. "We made a small mistake in the first regularity test but that cost us very little time. What worries me more is that the Mini has a small oil leak and smells worse than a Trabant from East Germany," said Hopkirk. Ron Gammons and Stirling Moss were swapping times through the day, with Moss just being held off at the end of the ninth test. The Marathon finishes in Cortina on Saturday.


Leaderboard after 9 of 15 timed tests:


						 mins:secs


 1 Hopkirk/Poole   Mini Cooper S 48:24

 2 Gammons/Easter  MGB           48:46

 3 Moss/Shields    MGB GT        48:54

 4 Handley/Moy     Austin Mini   49:07

 5 Bourne/Bourne   Morgan plus 4 49:52

 6 Hall/Dodge      Austin Mini   49:57

 7 Coulter/Davis   Mini Cooper S 49:58

 8 Clark/Mason     MGB           50:22

 9 Deacon/Stretton Morgan plus 4 50:51

10 Pither/Thomas   Sunbeam Tiger 50:58



American superstar Bobby Unser lost all chance of climbing back onto the leaderboard after hitting a bus in his E-type Jaguar in Cortina, Italy. The former Indianapolis winner's car was too badly damaged for him to carry on immediately. He said: "It was a very big bus. It was a shame for us as we were going faster on the first test. The bus made sure we didn't reach the second test". Paddy Hopkirk increased his lead as the rally, which finishes on Saturday, roared through the Dolomite Mountains.

Leaderboard after 12 of 15 timed tests:


							hrs mins secs


 1 Hopkirk/Poole    Mini Cooper S       59:27

 2 Gammons/Easter   MGB                 59:50

 3 Moss/Shields     MGB GT            1:00:02

 4 Handley/Moy      Austin Mini       1:00:24

 5 Bourne/Bourne    Morgan Plus 4     1:01:05

 6 Coulter/Davis    Mini Cooper       1:01:09

 7 Clark/Mason      MGB               1:01:35

 8 Hall/Dodge       Austin Mini       1:01:37

 9 Deakin/Stretton  Morgan Plus 4     1:02:07

10 Pirelli/Furlan   MGB               1:02:17





Mountain master Paddy Hopkirk reached Cortina at the end of the 2,000-mile marathon to clinch victory by 35 secs. He and co-driver Alec Poole completed the 15 timed tests with penalties of one hour 13 mins 43 secs, to beat Ron Gammons in an MGB by 35 seconds. "The marathon was a wonderful event and very competitive, just like the old days," said Hopkirk, whose victory evoked memories of his 1967 Coupe des Alpes triumph in France. Grand Prix veteran Stirling Moss took third in 1:14.21 in another MGB. A total of 104 cars completed the event.





Final result after 15 timed tests:


						hrs mins secs


 1 Hopkirk/Poole   Mini Cooper   1:13.43

 2 Gammons/Easter  MGB           1:14.18

 3 Moss/Shields    MGB GT        1:14:21

 4 Handley/Moy     Austin Mini   1:14:49

 5 Coulter/Davis   Mini Cooper   1:15:48

 6 Bourne/Bourne   Morgan +4     1:15:55

 7 Clark/Mason     MGB           1:16.15

 8 Hall/Dodge      Mini Cooper   1:16.22

 9 Pirelli/Furlan  MGB           1:17.08

10 Pither/Thomas   Sunbeam Tiger 1:18.15



23.6.90
F3000:- Damon Hill smashed the Monza lap record in the final minutes of practice to take pole position for Sunday's round of the International F3000 championship. Hill lapped the 3.6 mile circuit in 1 min 34.53 secs in his Lola T 90, after lying fifth with his morning time of 1:35.17. Gianni Morbidelli was second fastest after a lap of 1:34.96 with Frenchman Erik Comas (1:35.11) third. Gary Brabham, second after the first session, could not improve his time and will start ninth on the grid, alongside Allan McNish.

CAMEL TROPHY:- Andrew Dacey and Richard Tomlinson took an excellent third place behind Holland and West Germany after a superb effort in the final series of 'special tasks'. They overhauled Spain, Yugoslavia and Italy with second-place finishes in four of the exercises, involving driving and orienteering skills. The pair, defending the title won by Bob and Joe Ives last year, finished with 177 points, with Holland on 249 and West Germany 214. "What an event, a chance in a lifetime" said an exultant Dacey.

RENAULT 5:- Paul Taft of Redditch was disqualified for a technical infringement after crossing the line first in the Renault 5 Elf Turbo Cup round at Kirkistown in Northern Ireland on Saturday. Victory was awarded to second placed Mickey Allen, who now trails overall leader Jim Edwards jnr by 11 points.

F.RENAULT:- Thomas Erdos of Brazil benefitted from a series of retirements to win the 20 lap round of the Formula Renault UK championship at Kirkistown in 20 mins 45.73 secs. Chris Goodwin pulled out due to electrical failure when leading three laps from the finish.

SALOON CARS:- Veteran saloon racer Gerry Marshall held the lead in a Sierra Cosworth after two hours of the Esso Willhire 24-hour event at Snetterton. The lead changed hands several times in the early laps as cars found tyre selection a problem with the weather changing all the time.






28.6.90


F3:- Britain's leading Formula 3 driver, Steve Robertson, believes he can overcome the flying Finns at Donington. The 24 year old Jewson Ralt driver was quickest in testing for Saturday's race, lapping in 67.20s (104.5 mph). "Things are going well", said Robertson. "I believe I can win". He is currently third in the British Championship with 27 points, behind Mika Salo, who has 60 points and Mika Hakinnen, with 54.