November 15, 1987
Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Japan
It was a year that had exceeded all expectations....even if it hadn't always been smooth. Bathurst had been chaotic, for example. But the first season for Group A Touring Cars in their own world Championship, no longer playing second fiddle to the World Sports Car Championship or the massive-money Formula One World Championship, could hardly not be called a success. It was clear that some cars had been born for this - the Ford Sierra Cosworth had spawned the even-more-scary-powerful Sierra RS500, The BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo had proven competitive and there was more on the horizon with cars like the Mercedes-Benz 190 Cosworth on deck and the monstrous Australian Holden Commodores, with their five-liter V8 engines and road movie exhaust notes, were obvious fan favorites everywhere they went.
The FIA was not liking the championship from the start, though - and so, their outrageous formula of silhouette cars with F1 engines hadn't gotten anywhere. But there was about to be a surprise which a lot of people hadn't seen coming, and it was simple. A lot of people had seen the championship as being worthy of adding to, especially with the struggles in the WSC. And when big automakers start to complain, the FIA usually listened to them....
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterrey, California, USA
The picturesque hills of California were usually alive with the sound of engines when there was a race at Laguna Seca, but today, there was no racing. Just testing. Not that the hundred or so engineers in the paddock saw in that way, of course. They were all watching data for the three cars on the track, which were circulating rather more quickly than they had at first expected....and they were very happy about that indeed.
The cars were Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z models, each one powered by the same 5.7-liter V8 as the Corvette and with the Corvette's new-for-1988 six-speed manual gearbox, which would also now be a IROC option. They also had beefed-up rear suspensions, big disc brakes on all four corners, fat tires, a rear spoiler and big front air dam which in both cases were able to be used on both road and track. After all, the rules of the race series the cars were being built for demanded it. The fact that these three Camaros were fast in a straight line was no surprise, but the suspension modifications they used seemed to work pretty well, and they really did work well on the brakes. Indeed, the Camaro looked like a proper racing car for a touring car series, aside from its throaty NASCAR bark, of course.
One of the cars dropped into the pits, this one having IMSA racer Chip Robinson at the controls. He slid in, stopping the car in exactly the right spot and waiting as its air jacks picked the car off the ground. Mechanics swarmed over it, and Robinson opened up the driver door before one of the engineers did it for him.
"Well?" One of the senior GM engineers, a man who had worked the last two years on the IMSA Corvette GTP program, asked into the car.
"It handles like a go-kart, and it puts its power down really well, especially for a car with a solid rear end."
"That's what that diff is for." The engineer smiled. "The brakes?"
"Like running into a brick wall." Robinson confirmed. He was smiling now. "Everything about the thing feels surprisingly good."
"Excellent. That's the way we want it to be. We'll need it later on."
That got Robinson's attention. "Hey, uh, I wonder if I can ask this, but what is this all for?" He had a good idea, but wanted confirmation. "It's clearly based on a Camaro chassis, no tube-frame car here, and its been honed really well, but there isn't a series in North America for cars like this." He paused. "It would never be competitive in IMSA, it's not legal for World Challenge."
"We're not going to either." The engineer smiled. "We're taking these cars to Europe."
"I thought so." Robinson smiled. "Am I to guess that we'll be headed to Argentina in March?"
"You got it."
"Nice." He smiled. "You think this can take on the Sierra Cosworth? I've driven one, man, and you have no idea how fast that sumbitch is a straight line. It's big money, and they take this stuff seriously."
"There's also expected to be rounds in Canada and the United States next year, not to mention the fact that the Renaissance Center wants to use this program to train their engineers."
"By taking a car they make and tuning it to the greatest extent possible without being able to change a lot of the parts."
"You got it."
Holden Special Vehicles Workshops, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
It wasn't as if nobody knew this was coming, Larry Perkins thought to himself, studying the VL Commodore he was looking at, noting the massive rear wing that Holden was willing to make 500 cars with. The "Evolution" car rules meant that there was expected to be some crazy cars coming onto the grids in the years to come, and HSV wanted to be involved early, namely knowing that the competitor Ford Sierras had the advantage of turbocharged power. Holden had also told Perkins and the squad that Detroit was working on some help for them in the engine and drivetrain department - though Holden had no idea that GM was using the same engine and drivetrain from the Commodore SS Group A in the Camaro IROC. They would soon find out, but there was clearly more going on in the WTCC. The FIA's plan to effectively shut out the series hadn't lasted the angry onslaught from Ford, BMW, Alfa Romeo and General Motors, and rumors abounded that the plan had also given a shove to Mercedes-Benz and Toyota as well, and there were some big rumors for 1988.
The big news for this was the fact that several of the series sponsors, including holden, wanted the teams of the ATCC to do their season, which only ran until mid-July, and then join the World Touring Car Circuit for the rest of 1988 - which did include two rounds in Australia and one in New Zealand at the end of the season. As insane as it sounded, the teams had in most cases told the sponsors that they didn't have the funds, and they would if they could get the money. HSV would be one of the ones that went, and Perkins knew it. It would mean nine ATCC rounds and seven WTCC ones, but in his mind, if HSV wanted to pay up, he would certainly assist them in spending their money. Looking at the new Commodore SS Evolution, with its fatter arches and massive rear wing, he wondered just what it would be able to do against the agile BMW M3 and the lighting-quick Sierra RS500. He didn't have any expectations of being unable to be the Alfa 75s that had made up much of the grid in 1987, but Perkins didn't want to beat them. Holden wanted success in both championships, and in Australia they really wanted to be beat Brock back to the stone age - though he now had M3s, which meant particularly in the WTCC, that could be hard. But I've got the car to do it, Perkins' mind told him. They had tested a week before at Sandown, and that had proved it - he had run within a hair of the lap record for a touring car there. The thought of that, and the thought of Brock driving an M3 chasing the big Commodore's taillights, made Perkins smile broadly.
You better be ready, Peter. And to the guys in Europe with your M3s and Sierras, we'll get to show you guys what an Aussie with a five and a half liter V8 can do. Perkins thought of that and headed back to the office. He had more work to do that day, but he wouldn't soon forget the thought. It was the first such thought, and it would not be the last....
Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Japan
It was a year that had exceeded all expectations....even if it hadn't always been smooth. Bathurst had been chaotic, for example. But the first season for Group A Touring Cars in their own world Championship, no longer playing second fiddle to the World Sports Car Championship or the massive-money Formula One World Championship, could hardly not be called a success. It was clear that some cars had been born for this - the Ford Sierra Cosworth had spawned the even-more-scary-powerful Sierra RS500, The BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo had proven competitive and there was more on the horizon with cars like the Mercedes-Benz 190 Cosworth on deck and the monstrous Australian Holden Commodores, with their five-liter V8 engines and road movie exhaust notes, were obvious fan favorites everywhere they went.
The FIA was not liking the championship from the start, though - and so, their outrageous formula of silhouette cars with F1 engines hadn't gotten anywhere. But there was about to be a surprise which a lot of people hadn't seen coming, and it was simple. A lot of people had seen the championship as being worthy of adding to, especially with the struggles in the WSC. And when big automakers start to complain, the FIA usually listened to them....
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterrey, California, USA
The picturesque hills of California were usually alive with the sound of engines when there was a race at Laguna Seca, but today, there was no racing. Just testing. Not that the hundred or so engineers in the paddock saw in that way, of course. They were all watching data for the three cars on the track, which were circulating rather more quickly than they had at first expected....and they were very happy about that indeed.
The cars were Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z models, each one powered by the same 5.7-liter V8 as the Corvette and with the Corvette's new-for-1988 six-speed manual gearbox, which would also now be a IROC option. They also had beefed-up rear suspensions, big disc brakes on all four corners, fat tires, a rear spoiler and big front air dam which in both cases were able to be used on both road and track. After all, the rules of the race series the cars were being built for demanded it. The fact that these three Camaros were fast in a straight line was no surprise, but the suspension modifications they used seemed to work pretty well, and they really did work well on the brakes. Indeed, the Camaro looked like a proper racing car for a touring car series, aside from its throaty NASCAR bark, of course.
One of the cars dropped into the pits, this one having IMSA racer Chip Robinson at the controls. He slid in, stopping the car in exactly the right spot and waiting as its air jacks picked the car off the ground. Mechanics swarmed over it, and Robinson opened up the driver door before one of the engineers did it for him.
"Well?" One of the senior GM engineers, a man who had worked the last two years on the IMSA Corvette GTP program, asked into the car.
"It handles like a go-kart, and it puts its power down really well, especially for a car with a solid rear end."
"That's what that diff is for." The engineer smiled. "The brakes?"
"Like running into a brick wall." Robinson confirmed. He was smiling now. "Everything about the thing feels surprisingly good."
"Excellent. That's the way we want it to be. We'll need it later on."
That got Robinson's attention. "Hey, uh, I wonder if I can ask this, but what is this all for?" He had a good idea, but wanted confirmation. "It's clearly based on a Camaro chassis, no tube-frame car here, and its been honed really well, but there isn't a series in North America for cars like this." He paused. "It would never be competitive in IMSA, it's not legal for World Challenge."
"We're not going to either." The engineer smiled. "We're taking these cars to Europe."
"I thought so." Robinson smiled. "Am I to guess that we'll be headed to Argentina in March?"
"You got it."
"Nice." He smiled. "You think this can take on the Sierra Cosworth? I've driven one, man, and you have no idea how fast that sumbitch is a straight line. It's big money, and they take this stuff seriously."
"There's also expected to be rounds in Canada and the United States next year, not to mention the fact that the Renaissance Center wants to use this program to train their engineers."
"By taking a car they make and tuning it to the greatest extent possible without being able to change a lot of the parts."
"You got it."
Holden Special Vehicles Workshops, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
It wasn't as if nobody knew this was coming, Larry Perkins thought to himself, studying the VL Commodore he was looking at, noting the massive rear wing that Holden was willing to make 500 cars with. The "Evolution" car rules meant that there was expected to be some crazy cars coming onto the grids in the years to come, and HSV wanted to be involved early, namely knowing that the competitor Ford Sierras had the advantage of turbocharged power. Holden had also told Perkins and the squad that Detroit was working on some help for them in the engine and drivetrain department - though Holden had no idea that GM was using the same engine and drivetrain from the Commodore SS Group A in the Camaro IROC. They would soon find out, but there was clearly more going on in the WTCC. The FIA's plan to effectively shut out the series hadn't lasted the angry onslaught from Ford, BMW, Alfa Romeo and General Motors, and rumors abounded that the plan had also given a shove to Mercedes-Benz and Toyota as well, and there were some big rumors for 1988.
The big news for this was the fact that several of the series sponsors, including holden, wanted the teams of the ATCC to do their season, which only ran until mid-July, and then join the World Touring Car Circuit for the rest of 1988 - which did include two rounds in Australia and one in New Zealand at the end of the season. As insane as it sounded, the teams had in most cases told the sponsors that they didn't have the funds, and they would if they could get the money. HSV would be one of the ones that went, and Perkins knew it. It would mean nine ATCC rounds and seven WTCC ones, but in his mind, if HSV wanted to pay up, he would certainly assist them in spending their money. Looking at the new Commodore SS Evolution, with its fatter arches and massive rear wing, he wondered just what it would be able to do against the agile BMW M3 and the lighting-quick Sierra RS500. He didn't have any expectations of being unable to be the Alfa 75s that had made up much of the grid in 1987, but Perkins didn't want to beat them. Holden wanted success in both championships, and in Australia they really wanted to be beat Brock back to the stone age - though he now had M3s, which meant particularly in the WTCC, that could be hard. But I've got the car to do it, Perkins' mind told him. They had tested a week before at Sandown, and that had proved it - he had run within a hair of the lap record for a touring car there. The thought of that, and the thought of Brock driving an M3 chasing the big Commodore's taillights, made Perkins smile broadly.
You better be ready, Peter. And to the guys in Europe with your M3s and Sierras, we'll get to show you guys what an Aussie with a five and a half liter V8 can do. Perkins thought of that and headed back to the office. He had more work to do that day, but he wouldn't soon forget the thought. It was the first such thought, and it would not be the last....