The "I can't believe they raced it!" Thread.

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If anyone can remember any other instance of the Chrysler/Dodge Shadow taking part in a motor race then I am all ears.

In February 1989, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City played host to the Challenge of Nations. Intended to launch the then-new Chrysler Shadow and appeal to the Mexican market, 26 cars were entered with 2 each assigned to a competing nation, although Team France didn't make the start. The winner was Team Italy representative Gianni Morbidelli with the Team Germany pair of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Frank Biela completing the podium. Points were awarded for each position so Team Germany were the overall winners with 146 points with Italy 2nd and Argentina 3rd.

The event was never repeated but, in hindsight, could arguably be seen as a forerunner to A1GP.

www.v8sleuth.com.au

Richards and Grice's bizarre 'World Cup' race in Mexico

ONE of the funniest stories told so far on the V8 Sleuth Podcast came courtesy of Jim Richards and Allan Grice. In addition to nine Bathurst 1000 wins and
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forums.autosport.com

Nations Cup 1989? - TNF's Archive

Nations Cup 1989? - posted in TNFs Archive: I have heard that in between 1989 or 1992, there was a Nations Cup in the Autodromo Hermanod Rodriguez with Phantom Cars and was a succesful event...Does someone know more?
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This Subaru BRZ recently contested the Anglesey 12 Hour Race of Remembrance.
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What is so unbelievable about why it raced?

Well, the car was a write-off when the team running it (Mission Motorsport) acquired it!

The car finished 42nd overall and 11th in its class.
 
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The Top Gear BMW 330d in the 2007 Britcar 24 Hours. It was already 4 years old when TG got their hands on it. Also the fact that it finished and scored a podium in its class after all that was sent to try it!

This synopsis of the episode in question says it all!
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Top Gear: 24 Hour Endurance Race

Tonight we take part in our first ever motor race. James tests the new Fiat 500 near some youths on bicycles, and the Ascari A10: just how fast is this thing? Hello! Hello and welcome. (Tonight the…
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Har1MAS1415
The Top Gear BMW 330d in the 2007 Britcar 24 Hours. It was already 4 years old when TG got their hands on it. Also the fact that it finished and scored a podium in its class after all that was sent to try it!
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It's not really an unusual car for it's class, in fact, I think most of the cars in it's class were 330d's and I doubt they had the budget Top Gear put into their car. As I recall, they pissed off quite a few people. I was at the 2007 race and Top Gear being there didn't really add much, closed off garage for the most part - which sucks since the accessibility of the Britcar 24 was a real highlight. Being next to a Pit stop for the Duller Z4M taking place during the 2006 event is one of the things that got me into motorsport, sadly at that point, I wasn't into photography, so these were digital stills taken on my camcorder at the time (hence the laughable resolution - but they did have to fit on an 8mb memory card), and I didn't have any way of taking photos in 2007.

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.. anyhow, E46's (albeit M3s) were still running in the 2018 race.
 
MatskiMonk
It's not really an unusual car for it's class, in fact, I think most of the cars in it's class were 330d's and I doubt they had the budget Top Gear put into their car. As I recall, they pissed off quite a few people. I was at the 2007 race and Top Gear being there didn't really add much, closed off garage for the most part - which sucks since the accessibility of the Britcar 24 was a real highlight. Being next to a Pit stop for the Duller Z4M taking place during the 2006 event is one of the things that got me into motorsport, sadly at that point, I wasn't into photography, so these were digital stills taken on my camcorder at the time (hence the laughable resolution - but they did have to fit on an 8mb memory card), and I didn't have any way of taking photos in 2007.

View attachment 1408197View attachment 1408196View attachment 1408198View attachment 1408205

.. anyhow, E46's (albeit M3s) were still running in the 2018 race.
Click to expand...

It wasn't the "unusual" aspect that made me bring it up.

More the circumstances behind the car being entered in the race and being prepared in only 10 days.

My recollection of the episode in question is that the class that Team TG were in was a mix of 3 Series and 1 Series.
 
Speaking of the BMW 1 Series.
unnamed (2).jpg

It was unusual to see one in the British Touring Car Championship when Rick Kerry entered one in the 2007 Season as the series' first ever diesel entry.

Like the LPG Honda Civic 3 years earlier, it was generally uncompetitive, although Kerry was just out of the points in 11th at Rockingham.

After sitting out the 2008 Season, the car returned in 2009 with Nick Leason driving, but disappeared after 3 meetings.

WSR would later run an NGTC 2nd-generation 1 Series, starting in 2013, and would go on to win the 2014 and 2018 titles with Colin Turkington.
 
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MatskiMonk
It's not really an unusual car for it's class, in fact, I think most of the cars in it's class were 330d's and I doubt they had the budget Top Gear put into their car. As I recall, they pissed off quite a few people. I was at the 2007 race and Top Gear being there didn't really add much, closed off garage for the most part - which sucks since the accessibility of the Britcar 24 was a real highlight. Being next to a Pit stop for the Duller Z4M taking place during the 2006 event is one of the things that got me into motorsport, sadly at that point, I wasn't into photography, so these were digital stills taken on my camcorder at the time (hence the laughable resolution - but they did have to fit on an 8mb memory card), and I didn't have any way of taking photos in 2007.

View attachment 1408197View attachment 1408196View attachment 1408198View attachment 1408205

.. anyhow, E46's (albeit M3s) were still running in the 2018 race.
Click to expand...
Team Top Gear's class only actually had 5 entries in all, including them.
 
I'm not too sure a Touring Car shaped car from a major company in a major Touring Car racing series really classes as "I can't believe they raced it". Yes, Lada is a bit unusual of a company for regular racing in the west, but for a World championship, Lada has a big enough market that it's fine.
 
Jimlaad43
I'm not too sure a Touring Car shaped car from a major company in a major Touring Car racing series really classes as "I can't believe they raced it". Yes, Lada is a bit unusual of a company for regular racing in the west, but for a World championship, Lada has a big enough market that it's fine.
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I just thought of the Priora because it only did half a season in the WTCC. Also can't find any other evidence of the Priora racing anywhere else at the moment.

I just have a different interpretation of the meaning of this thread because that's how my mind works.

Also, my perception is bound to be different, given I am 34 now.
 
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Har1MAS1415
Speaking of the BMW 1 Series.
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BMW offered a 120d customer racing car, not sure if that's what the Kerry car was or not, but I think the timing lines up. The cars were actually built by Schubert who had some success with it themselves, far more than the BTCC effort did anyway.

...


1732744998224.png


Ah, those were the days... factory endurance model, touring car, cup car, GT4 car and GT2 car.
 
MatskiMonk
BMW offered a 120d customer racing car, not sure if that's what the Kerry car was or not, but I think the timing lines up. The cars were actually built by Schubert who had some success with it themselves, far more than the BTCC effort did anyway.

...


View attachment 1408647

Ah, those were the days... factory endurance model, touring car, cup car, GT4 car and GT2 car.
Click to expand...
www.touringcarregister.com

S2000 : BMW 120d 007

Unlike most 120 BMW's built, the car was bought by Rick Kerry from BMW Motorsport in kit form in December 2006. It was built for the 2007 BTCC where it was raced by Rick. 2008 the car sat out ...
www.touringcarregister.com www.touringcarregister.com
 
MatskiMonk
BMW offered a 120d customer racing car, not sure if that's what the Kerry car was or not, but I think the timing lines up. The cars were actually built by Schubert who had some success with it themselves, far more than the BTCC effort did anyway.

...


View attachment 1408647

Ah, those were the days... factory endurance model, touring car, cup car, GT4 car and GT2 car.
Click to expand...
The Z4 Motorsport Coupé was a GT3 car before GT3-rules where really finalized. Sadly due to this circumstances it failed and only 8 cars were sold, 11 produced.
 
That's not a low-drag rear wing.THIS is a low-drag rear wing.
open-uri20120928-4752-qm7zve.jpg

The 2002 F3000 round at Monza, the Petrobras Lola team decided to run the race with the rear wing element mounted upside-down to creat some rear lift and this a lot more top speed. Antonio Pizzonia managed to get 2nd place in the race due to massive top speed making him difficult to overtake, even when struggling through the corners, but due to an appeal from another team, he was disqualified.

@Har1MAS1415 please remember that this is a forum not an Out of Context twitter feed. We are here for a discussion and would like information about interesting things that are posted, as it's not obvious most of the time. You're posting a lot of stuff and seem to be racing to be the last person to have posted something in each of the threads you are partaking in and it's getting tiring as you're sacrificing quality of posts for quantity. Try to tell us the story of what random video or photo you have found. I appreciate you have found an audience who are interested in the same things as you, but this scattergun approach of posting every thought or Google search is not quite working on a forum for discussion. Instead of double posting or sending one image in between multiple other people engaging in conversation, please try to combine similar stories into one. It'll allow us to enjoy them more and give you time to find interest in the process of crafting the story.
 

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Jimlaad43
That's not a low-drag rear wing.THIS is a low-drag rear wing.
View attachment 1408856
The 2002 F3000 round at Monza, the Petrobras Lola team decided to run the race with the rear wing element mounted upside-down to creat some rear lift and this a lot more top speed. Antonio Pizzonia managed to get 2nd place in the race due to massive top speed making him difficult to overtake, even when struggling through the corners, but due to an appeal from another team, he was disqualified.

@Har1MAS1415 please remember that this is a forum not an Out of Context twitter feed. We are here for a discussion and would like information about interesting things that are posted, as it's not obvious most of the time. You're posting a lot of stuff and seem to be racing to be the last person to have posted something in each of the threads you are partaking in and it's getting tiring as you're sacrificing quality of posts for quantity. Try to tell us the story of what random video or photo you have found. I appreciate you have found an audience who are interested in the same things as you, but this scattergun approach of posting every thought or Google search is not quite working on a forum for discussion. Instead of double posting or sending one image in between multiple other people engaging in conversation, please try to combine similar stories into one. It'll allow us to enjoy them more and give you time to find interest in the process of crafting the story.
Click to expand...
My apologies

I am just not very good at explaining things, not because I can't, I just struggle to put things into words even when I know perfectly well what I am trying to say.

I also misinterpret things easily and get carried away easily.

I didn't ask to have all these difficulties. I certainly did not ask to be neurologically disabled.

I just wish to be accepted but I always try too hard.

Anyway, Williams experimented with ultra-low drag rear wings in 1988 and 1997
egn12hosflc31.jpg




Also, ART in the 2009 F3 Euroseries.
upDallara-f3.jpg

At the 2009 Norisring round of the Formula 3 Euroseries the ART team cars appeared with no upper rear wing element. To the consternation of rival teams, they complained that the ART Dallara’s had not fitted the mandatory rear wing endplates, but the French team pointed out that it was not the endplates which were mandatory but the championship stickers attatched to them, and as these were fitted to the car it was legal. The stickers were folded over the top of the endplates and down the inside. A great piece of inventive thinking.
 
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