John Cleland Video

[GroupB]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsz8WscOMTo

Small amounts of Astra footage at beggining

[Ronin]

Re: John Cleland Video

That jostle he has with the BMW is quality lol

[teej]

Re: John Cleland Video

Great stuff. In one of the '89 BTCC races there's some good in-car footage from John's Astra, you can see him working the pedals, and getting rather frustrated with a Maserati BiTurbo.

I've promised myself his ST Cavalier one day.

[DarrenH]

Re: John Cleland Video

is that steve soper in the green bmw ? one that took clelands rear out after the 2 wheel bit ? pretty sure that race was silverstone, and the first year of the cav gsi outting, and he would have won the championship if not for that off

[Simon]

Re: John Cleland Video

Superb video

[teej]

Re: John Cleland Video

is that steve soper in the green bmw ? one that took clelands rear out after the 2 wheel bit ? pretty sure that race was silverstone, and the first year of the cav gsi outting, and he would have won the championship if not for that off

Yep, '92, final round at Silverstone. Cleland, Hoy and Harvey were all in title contention. Soper handed Harvey, his BMW team-mate, the title after wiping Cleland out in a rather optimistic manouevre.

Cleland was racing with very sore back and ribs after crashing heavily at a test session a few days beforehand.

There were Cavaliers in the BTCC from it's first 2l "Supertouring" year in 1990.

[DarrenH]

Re: John Cleland Video

ok, yeah makes sense now. were still on the E30 M3 when the cav was introduced. i just couldnt work out how i could have remembered the 1992 season when i'm, only up to 1990 on the review dvd's lol !

[teej]

Re: John Cleland Video

I've only got '88, and some selected '89 races. I'd love to get hold of some earlier group A stuff, or (the holy grail) early Thundersaloon races.

I've heard tell there was a Mk2 running in '86 or '87, I've chatted to the fella who ran it, but haven't been able to find out any more than he told me. 'Twas an 8v.

[DarrenH]

Re: John Cleland Video

theres a few stragglers from the thunder saloons on the 1988 dvd. just the commodore and the SD1 rovers, getting whooped by the front running rs500's though to be honest. from memory there was a belmont too !

[teej]

Re: John Cleland Video

Jeff Wilson, entered a Belmont in some '91 rounds - wrote it off rolling it at Silverstone.

The Commodore and SD1 were Group A cars, just out-dated compared to the Merkurs / Sierras. The Sierra really came to prominence in '88, going from a handful of cars to well over a dozen, all running above anything else.

Thundersaloons were a different proposition altogether - steel bodyshell, but any engine you like in it. 6litre Chevy Carlton, 7.1l Pontiac powered Manta, some really crazy stuff. Very little left now, unfortunately, and there's not much footage or photos of them on the tinternet. Some of the RS500s went to Thundersaloons after the BTCC went fully to Supertouring rules (notably Mahoney's Arquati car).

[CraigGreen]

Re: John Cleland Video

Ahh the good ole days.
The Astra looks awesome on those gold BBS cross spokes. Cavalier looked to handle so well alongside the RWd beemers too.

Such nostalgia. well found.