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Oulton Park

Oulton Park, Cheshire, Great-Britain

Date: 7/10/1978
Track length: 2.662 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters: 16 (race 1);
Finishers:

Pole position: Walkinshaw in 1.08,7 (race 1); Lloyd
Fastest lap: Walkinshaw in 1.09,1 (race 1); Lloyd in 1.14,4 (race 2)

Distance: 25 laps
Average speed: 136,21 kmh (race 1); 126,12 kmh (race 2)
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1978 Cars

Pictures

Three years after being pronounced clinically dead, Richard Longman has bounced right back to win the RAC Tricentrol British Saloon Car Championship - but for the second successive season the series has been decided in a committee room at the RAC, and not out on the track.
For with the championship set for a dramatic climax in the final round at Oulton Park this Saturday, the RAC Technical Committee have announced that the cars of Gordon Spice, Tony Dron and Richard Lloyd were all ineligible after being sealed and examined at the August 6 Donington Park meeting. Longman's Mini GT was also sealed and examined, but found to be totally legal.

Still, there was a last race to be held.
Race 1.
It was going to be interesting to see how well the heavy BMW left the starting line and, as it happened, it was left behind in the rush for Old Hall, which was led by Gordon Spice. At the end of a very hectic first lap, the BMW was fourth, behind the leader Spice, Buncombe and Rouse. The next lap saw the BMW move into second place with remarkably little effort, its straight line speed looking to be almost unreal in comparison to that of the Capris. Rouse led until the third lap, when, inevitably, the black BMW powered its way into the lead.
By lap five the leading order was Walkinshaw, Rouse, a flying Stuart Graham, Spice, Buncombe, Woodman and a really on form Win Percy, who had the Hermetite Dolly miles ahead of Dron's sister car. Three laps later Spice edged ahead of a reluctant Graham and began a race long haul up to the race leaders Walkinshaw and Rouse. The last named was managing to keep the Scot within his sights, but there never seemed any possibility of him challenging the black car. Spice, however, eventually caught Rouse and was moving closer to Walkinshaw when the chequered flag was hung out. After 25 laps he was just three seconds adrift.
Rouse was a commendable third, while fourth eventually fell to a steady Stuart Graham from Woodman, whose engine seized on the last lap and Brodie, who in company with Craft, until the latter retired with a suspected blown head gasket, had been driving up through the field very well from his poor starting position.
The B class was resolved in favour of a delighted Barrie Williams who, never able to match the speed of the works Dolomites with his shoestring run Vauxhall Magnum, plodded onto the end and was amply rewarded when both Percy and Dron hit difficulties.

Race 2
The up to 1600 regulars were joined for the last race of the season by the Belgian driver Michel de Deyne, who had brought his immaculate VW Golf GTI over to challenge the likes of Richard Lloyd and Win Percy. After the practice times had been released it transpired that Lloyd had made pole with his Britool and that the recently confirmed 1978 Touring Car Champion, Richard Longman, had gone quicker than the foreign visitor, who found himself on the outside of the front row.
Richard Longman had his glory at the start of the twenty five lap race when he led for the first two laps from Lloyd who had made a rather too leisurely start. But Lloyd grasped the lead on lap three and promptly stayed there for the rest of the race, setting a new lap record on the way too. Percy's progress from the rear of the field was rapid, although entirely expected, and he was soon in second behind the Lloyd VW. Richard Longman's race nearly turned sour on lap ten when he pitted to check that his front near side tyre wasn't rubbing against the rim, rejoining well back. He soon disposed of Rex Greenslade's Alfasud, but he had a lot of difficulty staying ahead of Tom Pitcher's well driven Mini to the end to win the tiddler class.
Ahead of Longman there was a battle between the Golfs of de Deyne and Grant-Peterkin, but this sadly came to an end when the Brit who had been locking-up his brakes on most laps at Lodge finally overdid things and clobbered the sleepers after having charged into the unfortunate de Deyne, who was lucky to be able to continue in third spot.

Touring Cars class C-D
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine		 Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)		 Engine
Type		 Group Distance,
time		 Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 1 BMW (GB)
BMW 530i		 Tom Walkinshaw, GB
 2985 L6 D 25 laps, 29.18,6 1 1.08,7 1.09,1  
2 2   Gordon Spice Group
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Gordon Spice, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 29.21,7 3 1.09,3    
3 3 5 Carrier Properties Ltd.
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Andy Rouse, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 29.25,0 2 1.08,9    
4 4   FabergĂ© Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Stuart Graham, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 29.47,6 4 1.09,5    
5 5   Equipe Esso
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Vince Woodman, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 29.52,3       Engine
6 6 18  
Ford Capri II 3.0S		 Dave Brodie, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 29.53,1        
7 1    
Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300		 Barrie Williams, GB
 2279 L4 C 24 laps, 29.35,7        
8 2   Dick Lovett Specialist Cars
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Pete Lovett, GB
 1998 L4 C 24        
9 3   Wadham Stringer Equipe Esso
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Roger Saunders, GB
 1998 L4 C 24        
10 4   Hermetite Products
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Win Percy, GB
 1998 L4 C 22 9   1.11,1 Pit stop
DNF     Equipe Esso
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Jonathan Buncombe, GB
 2993 V6 D   5 1.09,5   Overheating
DNF      
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Arne Riis, DK
 1998 L4 C         Engine
DNF     Gordon Spice Group
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Chris Craft, GB
 2993 V6 D   6     Head gasket
DNF   21 Leyland Cars
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Tony Dron, GB
 1998 L4 C   10     Spin, half shaft
DNF   14 Triplex Safety Glass
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Gerry Marshall, GB
 2993 V6 D   8     Oil cooler pipe
DNF     Allam Motor Services Ltd. Racing with Nu-Luxe Foam
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Jeff Allam, GB
 2993 V6 D   7 1.09,8   Oil cooler

Touring Cars class A-B
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine		 Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)		 Engine
Type		 Group Distance,
time		 Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1   Richard Lloyd Racing Ltd.
VW Golf GTI		 Richard Lloyd, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 31.39,3 1   1.14,4  
2 2   Way Valley Racing / Bradshaw Plant Hire
Toyota Celica GT		 Win Percy, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 31.41,9        
3 3    
VW Golf GTI		 Michel De Deyne, B
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 31.59,0 3      
4 1   Patrick Motorsport
Mini 1275 GT		 Richard Longman, GB
 1275 L4 A 25 laps, 32.30,5 2   1.15,4 Pit stop
5 2   Patrick Motorsport
Mini 1275 GT		 Tom Pitcher, GB
 1275 L4 A 25 laps, 32.31,0        
6 3   Napolina Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti		 Rex Greenslade, GB
 1286 B4 A 25 laps, 32.57,4        
7 4   Stanfield and White (Caravan Hire) Ltd.
Chrysler Avenger 1300 GT		 John Spiller, GB
 1295 L4 A 24        
8 4    
Chrysler Avenger		 Terry Watts, GB
 1594 L4 B 24        
9 5    
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti		 Malcolm Wayne, GB
 1286 B4 A 24        
10      
Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior		 John Myerscough, GB
 1290 L4 A          
DNF      
VW Golf GTI		 Martin Grant-Peterkin, GB
 1588 L4 B   4     Accident
DNF      
Mini 1275 GT		 Jon Mowatt, GB
 1275 L4 A   5     Suspected broken crankshaft
DNS     John Brundle Motors Ltd.
Toyota Celica GT		 Martin Brundle, GB
 1588 L4 B         Oil leak