1993 British Touring Car Championship
Template:BTCC season The 1993 British Touring Car Championship was fought over 17 races taking place on 14 weekends. Nissan, Renault, Ford, BMW, Peugeot, Toyota, Mazda and Vauxhall all took part making the season the most unpredictable for years. Ultimately the Championship would not be decided until the very last race of the season, with BTCC rookie Joachim Winkelhock emerging victorious.
Rounds 1 - 12: BMW Domination
It all started at Silverstone and the first race was a taster for the season ahead, with BMW dominating, taking a 1-2 finish with Steve Soper leading home his new team mate Jo Winkelhock.
The second round was hit by torrential rain, but the race went ahead as it was a support race to the European Grand Prix at Donington Park. Soper led early on but was soon passed by 1992 champion Tim Harvey in his Renault 19, who came through from 14th on the grid. Harvey won ahead of team mate Alain Menu. Soper went off the cicuit late in the race but still managed to take 3rd place.
Soper won the next round, at Snetterton, having survived a start line crash which involved many cars. Julian Bailey and David Leslie were the other podium finishers. Round 4 and round 5 were won by Jo Winkelhock, which put him ahead of Soper in the Championship by 2 points.
Rounds 6 and 7 were both at Brands Hatch, allowing the spectators to see double the action. Round 6 was very close and it looked set to see Leslie in the Vauxhall Cavalier win his first race of the season, but 7 laps from the end Leslie collided with Winkelhock's BMW, pushing the Scot well down the order. This enabled Winkelhock to win his third race and extend his Championship lead. Will Hoy's Toyota and Keith O'Dor's Nissan were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Round 7 looked very much as though it would go to round 6 winner Winkelhock, but the German made an error on a downchange whilst being pressured by Soper, sending the German off into the barriers and out of the race. Soper then led but was in turn pushed by Hoy and O'Dor, until Hoy went off just like Winkelhock and in exactly the same place. This left O'dor to attack Soper, but Soper resisted and won, moving back into the Championship lead.
Round 8 saw the series move to Wales, at the Pembrey circuit. It also saw the arrival of the Ford team with their Mondeo, which was now competitive. The race was again a disappointment for Leslie, who led from pole, but retired with a mechanical problem. This gave the lead to Winkelhock, who had a great start from 6th to lead by the 1st corner. He went on to win his 4th race of the 8 so far, with Hoy achieving a good result for Toyota in 2nd.
Round 9 was a support race for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Nissan showed great form and took a 1-2 finish, with O'dor leading home Win Percy. However, the race was best remembered for some spectacular crashes. Toyota driver Hoy was leading until team-mate Bailey tried to overtake. Unfortunately Bailey locked a wheel under braking and tipped Hoy upside-down in front of the grandstands. Bailey damaged his car and also retired. Later in the race Soper, whilst behind O'dor, went off and hit the barriers hard, putting him out too. Winkelhock managed to keep on the track and extended his Championship lead.
Rounds 10 and 11 were in Scotland, at the [[Knockhill] circuit. Round 10 got off to a bad start when Percy’s Nissan collided with Ian Khan at the chicane, putting both out of the meeting. The restarted race was much better and was a battle all the way between Bailey and John Cleland, with the latter ultimately winning. Further back, Soper lost valuable points as he was pushed off the circuit by Paul Radisich in the Mondeo. However, Winkelhock didn’t start round 11 as his clutch had been destroyed in the first race, allowing Soper to close the gap in Championship points. Up front, Bailey won this time with Cleland 2nd. Despite this good weekend for both men, they were still a long way behing the BMW’s.
Round 12 was the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park. Winkelhock led from start to finish, with Soper second and Cleland 3rd. Menu in 4th showed that Renault were improving too.
Rounds 13 - 16: Ford Fights Back
Round 13 took the BTCC back to Brands Hatch. Leslie took his 3rd pole and hoped to win. Radisich took the lead early on though, with Winkelhock also barging past Leslie on the opening lap. Leslie tryed to re-pass Winkelhock, but in the process knocked them both off the track and they each lost many places. This allowed Andy Rouse into 2nd to give Ford a 1-2 lead, with Rob Gravet’s Peugeot 3rd and Soper 4th. Then Rouse dropped back with tyre trouble and this allowed Radisich to win his 1st BTCC race and Ford’s 200th touring car win. Gravet was given 2nd after the stewards penalised Soper one place for an unfair overtaking manoeuvre. Despite this, Soper still closed on Winkelhock in the championship.
Round 14 was at Thruxton and Leslie took his 4th pole position. He led away from the start, with Radisich and Rouse in pursuit. At the flag, Leslie finally got a win with the 2 Ford’s in 2nd and 3rd. Gravet took 4th with his team-mate 5th. Winkelhock struggled though, and finished 13th, out of the points. Soper took 6th, once again closing the Championship gap to Winkelhock. Only 12 points now separated them.
Even so, at the next double-header rounds at Donington, Winkelhock could potentially have won the Championship. The weekend was wet but the racing still went on. Round 15 was dominated by Radisich in the Mondeo, who won by over 10 seconds. The Renaults showed their wet-weather form by finishing 2nd and 3rd. Winkelhock was 5th, and with Soper not finishing the race due to a puncture, it meant the German was in with a good chance of winning the championship in race two. Round 16 was led off by Radisich again, but Menu soon passed the Ford to take the lead. Radisich then re-passed Menu, only to slide wide on a kerb and lose the lead again. Despite a last lap lunge at the hairpin, Radisich had to settle for second as Menu won his first BTCC race. Winkelhock was 3rd, but with Soper managing to finish 5th it meant that the Championship would not be decided until the final round.
Round 17: The Championship Decider
So the Championship came down to the final race, Round 17 at the Silverstone National Circuit. Winkelhock had an 18 point lead and so was favourite. Radisich and Hoy led away until Gravet had a nasty crash, bringing out the red flags. Hoy led again at the restart, but Radisich soon took the lead and scampered off into the distance, for his 3rd win of the year. Rouse passed Hoy as the Toyota struggled later on, giving Ford a 1-2 victory. Hoy held on to 3rd. Soper did not get the win he needed, however, and even tough he finished 5th and Winkelhock 9th, it wasn’t enough. Winkelhock took the title. A big surprise was that Radisich took 3rd in the championship, ahead of Cleland, O’dor and Hoy, despite not competing in the 1st seven races of the season. What might have been the result if he had participated in all seventeen rounds?
1993 was a very competitive season with 10 different winners driving 6 different cars, the figures speak for themselves.
Teams and drivers
M = Manufacturer team
I = Independent team
