Super Touring back at Silverstone in 2009

The old Super Touring cars will get a revival race during the Silverstone Classic-weekend next year. The organisers are targeting at least 30 cars on the grid with as many original drivers as possible for the annual David Leslie Memorial Trophy. The meeting will be held July 24-26 on the Silverstone GP circuit.

This year 57.000 spectators visited the race and the organisers expect around 65.000 next year. Motors TV are confirmed to provide for the TV coverage.

The Super Touring-rules officially began in 1995 when the previous Class 2-cars were fitted with a front splitter and a rear wing. Alfa Romeo started the debate to make the splitters and wings mandatory as the Italian manufacturer ran its cars in the British Touring Car Championship with a big front splitter and rear wing. The street cars were sold with the splitter and wing, but in a retracted position while the BTCC team ran with them extracted.

The Super Touring-cars then thrived in many different countries, but with the BTCC as the most successful championship with a huge number of factory entries.

The end of Super Touring came at the end of the nineties. The BTCC dropped the rules at the end of the 2000 season while the Australian, European and Swedish championships continued with it a couple of more years. The main reason for the demise of the rules was the cost of the development and production of the cars.

In 1990 a Vauxhall Cavalier would cost around 75.000 € – at the end of the nineties a similar car would cost around 310.000 €.

But the racing during the Super Touring-era is being considered by many to have been the best ever of Touring Car racing. If the grid for the Silverstone Classic Super Touring-race gets close enough remains to be seen.

Any teams or drivers interested in taking part are requested to contact Dave Jarman.

Details about the 2008 event can be found on the Silverstone Classic website.

A good resource for keeping track of Super Touring-cars: http://www.supertouringregister.com