Castle Combe Special GTs
Thundersaloon Cars
The Cars
The BRSCC's THUNDERSALOON series ran from 1984-1995 and offered long(ish)-distance racing for seriously modified steel shelled saloons cars , initially with a mid race pit stop to change drivers. In Later years this sometimes became a two race format, especially at Combe where there wasn't even a pit lane for many years!
Several runners from the series doubled up and appeared in the Special GTs and , equally, a couple of drivers progressed into THUNDERSALOONS from the Combe series .
Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
Nigel Mustill
Replaced Mustill's familiar and similarly powered Ford Escort Mk1 in 1991 , taking him into Thundersaloon series as a regular competitor until that series imploded in 1995.
At Combe the car was initially competetive (2nd on it's debut in April, 2nd again in June) and quickly sported wider arches and fatter tyres. But Brian Fisher's Maguire Skoda was always that bit qucker and as the Group B, C and sport-prototype cars started to arrive (and the pace dramatically increased) steel-shelled 2wd cars no longer featured regularly at the sharp end.
Tower Corner May 1991
Camp corner 6th July 91
May 1993
Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
Brian Chatfield
This ex BTCC car had been run by Lawrence Bristow in Labatt's livery in 1989-90, rebuilt to Thundersaloon spec by Andy Rouse in 1991 when the BTCC rules changed and was a front runner all season with Bristow and Mahoney at the wheel. Then it disappeared from the scene for a year or so, reappearing in this rather curious livery in 1994, Bristow driving, before Brian acquired it for 1995 to add to his ever changing roster of cars. By this time steel shelled saloons were midfield runners at best.
Right - Tower corner March 1995
Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
Stuart Donnan
The ex JQF/Fina/Van Kouwen BTCC car was a regular runner in THUNDERSALOONS for several years and appeared at Combe in 1992 alongside the similar car of Mustill.
Right - Quarry corner May 1992
Escort - Jaguar "Escat"
Derek Tyndall
Former rally driver Tyndall replaced his 6R4 with the most manic of all Thundersaloons, shoehorning a Jaguar XJ220 engine (a Turbocharged MG 6R4 unit in other words) into an Escort Cosworth shell. It was bold, it was powerfull.,t was........unreliable... Over the course of the 94 and 95 season the initially quite modest looking car grew more winglets spats and spoilers so that by the end it looks about as mad a device as it sounds. It's a real shame it never really held together long enough to show it's huge potential, but it did notch up a 4th at one race. If only....
Right. At Brands 8th August 1993
Below. Combe May 4th 1993 Tyndall on the left, long time navigator/mechanic Dave Motterham on the right
Vauxhall Senator V8
Pete Stephens
The most successful of all Thundersaloons, the many time series champion and winner of probabaly more races than all the other cars combined.
Stephens ex Cleland/Woodman GM Dealer Sport car with it's Holden 6 litre engine was a truly 'sorted' race car.
It appeared at least once in the Specal GT's gaining a 6th in October 1995
Right. At Combe in May 30 1994 in the Thundersaloon race
Mazda RX7-Cosworth GAA
Jeff Wilson
Wilson's Mazda boasted a F5000 Ford Cosworth GAA V6 Twin Cam under the hood. A front runner in Thundersaloons for several years it reappeared in the Special GT's just one gaining a 4th in October 1995
Right. At Brands, October 1993 Thundersaloon race
(I don't have a usable shot of the car at Combe - can anyone help?)
