1988 Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship

The 1988 Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship was a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) sanctioned motor racing series run for Group A Touring Cars. It was the first of only two times the championship was run, with the next not being held until 1994.

Trevor Crowe was the winner of the inaugural series driving a BMW M3 for fellow Kiwi John Sax. The M3 was a Division 2 car and gained more points for outright places. Second was veteran Australian racer Colin Bond in his Caltex sponsored Ford Sierra RS500, while third was taken by Italian driver Emanuele Pirro driving a BMW M3 for Schnitzer Motorsport.

With the championship generally ignored by most of the top teams from the stronger Group A championships (Australia, Europe and Japan), Crowe, Bond and Pirro were able to gain the top three placings despite each only running in two of the four rounds.

Schedule

edit

The championship was run over four rounds, starting on 2 October at the Tooheys 1000 in Bathurst, Australia, and finishing on 13 November with the Inter-tec 500 at the Fuji circuit in Japan.

Date Race Circuit winner car Results
2 October Bathurst 1000   Mount Panorama Circuit   Tony Longhurst
  Tomas Mezera
Ford Sierra RS500 Report
24 October Wellington 500   Wellington Street Circuit   Emanuele Pirro
  Roberto Ravaglia
BMW M3 Report
30 October Pukekohe Park 500   Pukekohe Park Raceway   Andrew Miedecke
  Steve Soper
Ford Sierra RS500 Report
13 November Fuji Inter-tec 500   Fuji Speedway   Klaus Niedzwiedz
  Hisashi Yokoshima
Ford Sierra RS500 Report

References

edit