Back in the seventies and early eighties, the Thruxton Easter meeting was
the meeting to attend. The European F2 championship took over from the F5000 championship as the main attraction in about 1977. However the F5000 boys still raced at this meeting until about 1980.
Coincidentally I was talking to the BARC championship rep today who had never seen F2s before. She was surprised at how fast they were. I believe one of them broke the outright circuit record.
Apart from Warwick and Henton in the BP Tolemans (engines by Brian Hart), we got Roberto Moreno, Mark Thackwell in Ralts, Elio De Angelis, Marc Duez, Ricardo Patrese, plus many more. All of them racing as either up and coming drivers or F1 drivers on a day off.
BMW had the engine to beat. Marc Surer, in a March, was one of their drivers. Then along came Honda who tied up with Ralt and developed the V6 two litre engine which (I believe) was further developed into their F1 Turbo engine.
Then we'd get a BTCC round, with cars such as the Camaro, Capri, Dolomite and Martin and Robin Brundle pedalling Audi 80 Sports. Brundle M was partnered for one season by Stirling Moss!!!
I recall one meeting where they ran an all Ferrari sportscar race. That was the first time I saw the Ferrari Breadvan.
Another meeting had sports prototypes as a support race. Thats when I saw the Gulf Porsches race for the only time.
And to finish the day we got a round of the Wendy Wools Special Saloon Car Championship. That's when you could see the world's fastes racing Skoda.
What makes you think I liked those meetings?
