GROUP C RACING (1982-1992) - Part I

The long way to a fantastic 1989 edition with 7 works teams

October 31, 2008 - History of modern sports car racing starts in 1963 and goes until 1993 over five important eras. I start with a short survey of the four earliest eras.

ERA 1: THE FORD-FERRARI COMBAT (1963-1967)
In 1963 FoMoCo of Dearborn (USA) decides to enter European style endurance racing with the victory at Le Mans as ultimate goal. After a trial to merger its competition division with Ferrari, Ford decides to manufacture its own prototype, the famous Ford GT40. Already in 1963 they enter competition with a Ford powered Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster. The obtained results overseas are certainly not so conclusive as those obtained with the Cobras on American soil, but at Dearborn they decide to continue in 1964 their efforts in two classes:  in GT Ford will try to win the FIA Manufacturers World Championship  with the new 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona and at the prototypes they'll try to beat the unbeatable 3.0 Ferrari 275 P. The new 4.2 Ford GT40 shows for its first outing at the Nürburgring 1000-kms before a crowd of more than 450,000 people, an attendance never seen before in autosport, even not in F1. The brand new computer designed car, derived from Eric Broadley's 4.2 Lola GT Mk6, can go out at the lead, but will not reach the finish. The complete  history of Ford's first year in endurance racing can be found at this web site [Part 2,  Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]. Same story at Le Mans where none of the three entered Fords GT 40 can reach the finish. The new car appears no longer in competition, until the end of the season, where, with a new 4.7-litre engine, it fails again to reach the finish and is humiliated by the 6.2 Corvette Grand Sport of its direct concurrent GM. In the struggle for the FIA Manufacturers World Championship, however, the Ford Cobra has winning chances until the 17th of 20 round, the Tour de France Automobile, a legendary race over 17 stages, with nightly hill-climbs, with road sections and with sprint races on closed circuits. During the three first stages the Shelby Cobras Daytona can hold off the famous 3.0 Ferraris 250 GTO, but eventually all three have to retire and Ferrari wins without problems the race and the World Championship. Consolation for Ford is that it wins the Touring class with its Mustangs prepared by Alan Mann.
In 1965 the FIA helps Ford winning the Manufacturer Worlds for GT cars with its Shelby Cobras as the faster 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM is not homologated as a grand touring car. Ford will win at the Daytona 2,000-kms, but despite its new 7.0 Ford MkII Le Mans will be lost from the 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM.
The year 1966 will be a turn point for Ford. Much better organised than at the two preceding years Ford will eventually win the Le Mans 24 hours with its 7.0 Ford MkIIB, although it's sure that Ferrari's defeat could be explained by the social problems and the strikes which made that the 4.0 Ferrari 330 P3 was not as well prepared as it should be. More info about the famous racing year 1966 can be found at Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Part 4,  Part 5,  and  Part 6.
In 1967 however, Ferrari had no longer excuses. It still won the FIA Manufacturers World Championship, but was beaten by the faster Ford Mk IV at the Le Mans 24 hours. The complete story of the thrilling combat between Ford and Ferrari at that year can be found at Part 1,  Part 2 and  Part 3. Never before in history of motoring public attendance was that high. But then, at once, the French mandarins of FIA's CSI decided to banish all those fantastic race cars from the circuit, even without consulting its manufacturers. It was the end for the Ford MkIV, for the Ferrari P4 and for the Chaparral 2F. Up from 1968 only 3-liter prototypes were allowed to enter, together with 5-liter sports-cars manufactured at 25 copies at least. In a year plenty of revolts, where the modern society started its way to postmodernity, public attendance at endurance races shrivelled up to less than one quarter of what it was during the four previous years.
PICTURE: FIRST RACE OUTING FOR THE FORD ADVANCED VEHICLES #140 FORD GT at the Nürburgring 1000-kms. Here we see the American challenger in the pit lane together with the #78 Ferrari 250 GTO of Peter Clarke. SOURCE: Anthony Pritchard (2004), Scarlet Passion. Ferrari's famed sports prototype and competition sports cars 1962-1973, Sparkford,Yovil, Sommerset: Haynes Publishing, p.67.

ERA 2: THE PORSCHE-FERRARI COMBAT (1970-1971)
The students revolts of 1968 changed the face of the western societies. An anti-authoritarian society started its developing towards hedonism. The influence of the church sharply diminished, divorces increased, criminality rose up, globalisation replaced nationalism, soft drugs - later followed by hard drugs - were largely accepted by sub-cultural groups  and despite an increasing prosperity life was at once less secure than in the former modern society. In a developing postmodern society autosport seemed at once a heritage of the former society: youngsters were at once no longer interested and withdrew massively from the circuits. After Ferrari withdrew from endurance racing Ford won again Le Mans in 1968 and in 1969. Its direct opponent was now Porsche. In 1969 Stuttgart realised its 25 copies of the new 5.0 Porsche 917K., just as was the case for Eric Broadley's 5.0 Lola T70 Mk3B GT. After having won Le Mans four consecutive times at Dearborn they understood that they had to retire from endurance racing. The old Ford GT40 had no longer winning chances against the much faster Porsche 917. But at Maranello they decided to follow Porsche's example. So the Prancing Horse released in 1970 25 copies of its 5.0 Ferrari 512S. Being no Group 6 prototypes (restricted to a 3-litre engine capacity) the 917 and the 512S were Group 5 sports cars, letting the 3-litre prototypes (except for the twisty Targa Florio and the Nürburgring 1000-kms) not the smallest chances to win. In 1970 Porsche and Ferrari entered a restricted number of works cars, and let race their clients with the other copies. Porsche and Ferrari had both their own fans, but it were no longer the massive crowds of era 1. Apart from their 917 and 512 Porsche and Ferrari had still some competitive cars to back-up their 5-liter entries. That were res. the Porsche 908 and the Ferrari 312P, 3-liter prototypes. Stuttgart wins in 1970 for the first time the Le Mans 24 hours with a JWA Porsche 917K. Except once Porsche won all rounds of the FIA Worlds, and one had to wait the last round at Zeltweg to see that the works Ferraris - now the 512 M - were faster than the fastest Porsches. But then, Enzo Ferrari decided at once to send no longer works cars to the 1971 Worlds. So 1971 was a rather boring year in endurance racing as the Ferrari privateers had really no chances to beat with their 512 M the Porsches 917K and 917 LH. Only Penske White Racing was a valid competitor. The Matra-Simca MS 660 and Alfa Romeo TT33/3 works 3-liter prototypes lacked horse power to beat the Porsches on fast circuits. Only at the Targa Fliorio, where the 917 was not well-suited to the 720 curbs in the Sicilian mountains, Alfa Romeo could beat Porsche, showing with its 908-3 prototype, but at the Nürburgring the 908-3s took fully revenge. The Le Mans 24 hours were again won by Porsche, now by the Martini International Racing Porsche 917K, a full works car. The first Ferraris 512 M - entered by N.A.R.T. and by David Piper, thus by privateers, finish third and fourth.    

ERA 3: THE MATRA-FERRARI COMBAT (1972-1973)
The group 4 sports car races of 1970-1971 were the most killing in the history of motoring. Several racers,  among them such top racers as Ignazio Giunti, Jo Siffert, Pedro Rodriguez, Piers Courage, and so many others were killed behind the wheel of their car. So the CSI decided to banish the "group 4" 5-litre sports cars from the track. Up from now the new World Championship for Makes was only open for 3-liter prototypes (now called group 5 cars). Exit the Porsche 917, exit the Ferrari 512. At Modena they tried the 3-litre F1 engine in the new 3.0 Ferrari 312PB. At several occasions the lighter car was faster than the new 5-litre Porsches. Only unbelievable bad luck could prevent Ferrari winning several rounds with its new prototype.
But also SpA Autodelta prepared the new season, using F1 techniques in its 3.0 Alfa Romeo T33/3 and 3.0 Alfa Romeo 33TT3. It succeeded even beating Porsche at 3 occasions during the season. And even Lola, with the financial help of Karl von Wendt and with Joachim Bonnier as main force behind the program, develops a competitive 3-litre prototype, the 3.0 Lola T280 Ford. In France Bernard Boyer & Cie develop a new 3.0 Matra-Simca MS670, exclusively in function of the Le Mans 24 hours.
Even before having won its second Le Mans Porsche informs in May the rest of the world that it will withdraw from endurance racing. Indeed, its only weapon for 1972 is the 3.0 Porsche 908-03 created by Ferdinand Piech, the nephew of Ferdinand Porsche himself. Continuous tensions between the two clans made Piech withdrawing, so that the development of the 908-03 is aborted. Another reason for Porsche's withdrawal from competition is that its close link with VW defends the factory to use other engines than air cooled ones in its 3-litre machine. So in the 3-litre competition Zuffenhausen has not the smallest chance to continue winning. John Wyer is thus free. In co-operation with Ford he'll develop for 1972 his new 3.0 Mirage Gulf M6 Ford. We'll have to wait Sebring to see the car a first time in competition. At once endurance racing completely changed as the struggle to win the new Worlds (over 10 rounds) went now with nothing less ... than exclusively F1 engines. Ferrari won all rounds, except for Le Mans where they didn't show, judging that F1 engines are not compatible with 24 hour races. So Matra won the 1972 Le Mans. More on the 1972 season can be found here.
In 1972 Matra restricted its efforts on winning Le Mans. For 1973 they decided to go into an open confrontation with the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB which won the year before all rounds it entered. Such cars as the 3.0 JWA Mirage M6, 3.0 Alfa Romeo 33TT12 and 3.0 Lola T282 are rather sparring partners than candidate winners. At the first round Ferrari is not ready, due to social strikes, and the lonely entered Matra MS670B leads after nine hours the Daytona 24 hours with more than eleven laps when its motor explodes. So a 2.8 Porsche 911 RSR can win by surprise. Eventually Ferrari will only win two rounds out of ten, Matra five. A 3.0 Porsche RSR will win the Targa Florio and the 3.0 Mirage M6 wins surprisingly the Spa 1000-kms. The 1973 Le Mans 24 hours are the most thrilling in history and after a gruelling combat Matra can defeat Ferrari, winning now its second consecutive Le Mans. More on the 1973 season can be found here.

ERA 4: THE GROUP 5 WCM (1976-1981)
in 1974, Ferrari decided to show no longer at the World Championship for Makes (WCM) and Matra was the lonely factory team to continue. They won their third consecutive Le Mans without serious resistance. After this solo slim of 1974 endurance racing went through a deep crisis. No major automobile manufacturer continued to release prototypes and in 1975 FIA didn't find a prompt answer how to continue. 
The (relative) success of the European Touring Car Champion-ship (with Group 2 cars) and of the DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) brought a provisional solution. End 1975 FIA made new rules for Group 4 and Group 5 Grand Touring Cars, allowing very liberal transformations of street cars. BMW (with its 3.5 CSL, later with its 320i Turbo) and Porsche (with its 934, later with its new 935) were interested in the new formula, having had a difficult take-off in 1976. However, the traditional WCM (World Championship for Makes) was no longer what it al-ways had been, since such traditional rounds as the Daytona 24 hours (1976), the Sebring 12 hours (1973-1981) and the Le Mans 24 hours (1975-1979) were no longer WCM races. For the organising ACO it were the poorest years in history. They had to accept all kind of cars to fill the grid. In 1975 a hybrid Mirage Gulf GR8 won, in 1976 and 1977 victory went to a Porsche 936, again an open prototype. For Zuffenhausen it were their third and fourth Le Mans win. After a Sabbath-year in 1978, where the lonely French works team won Le Mans with its Renault-Alpine A442B, Porsche won its fifth Le Mans with a client's Porsche 935K3 Group 5 car. It were the poor years that the public was no longer interested in Le Mans racing without great inter-make fights. The crisis continued in the two following years with a victory for Rondeau in 1980 and a new and sixth Porsche win in 1981 with old Porsche 936.   
Much more interesting than the prototype races without opposition are the rounds of the WCM where the boosted silhouettes with their extremely widened wheel arches impress the public. In 1976 Porsche won four rounds out of seven, BMW - with its 3.5 CSL - three rounds. In 1977 BMW entered no longer its 3.5 CSL, but its new 320i, what resulted in a 9/9 for Porsche. The domination of Porsche was so pulverising that the German TV refused to broadcast only the Div 2 (under two litres) of the 200 miles at the Norisring. In 1978 there was no longer a confrontation Porsche/BMW since Porsche won all rounds in the over two-litre class, BMW all rounds in the under two litre class. In 1979 BMW retired from endurance racing and focused on a much more commercial series, that of the Procar races with its BMW M1. So Porsche won again all rounds. A new comer was Lancia with their Beta Montecarlo. In 1980 they caused a stir by winning the WCM. At round #2, the Brands Hatch 6 hours, and despite the presence of eight sport-prototypes and thirteen Group 5 Div 1 cars, the twin turbocharged Div 2 works Lancias finished as first and second, followed by Jolly Club's as fourth. The next round, at the Mugello 6 hours, the Lancias did their 1-2-4 over, beating the up to then "unbeatable" (sic) Porsches 935 a consecutive second time. At the Watkins Glen 6 hours the Lancia Beta Montecarlo realises the best performance of its racing career: it beats the eleven best American Porsches 935, realising a new 1-2, whilst the Jolly Club car finishes sixth. For the first time since 1976 the monotony of Porsche victories in the WCM was broken. In 1981 Lancia did it over, but with less brio. Having won five rounds in the two litre class - just as Porsche in the big class - they collected more points than Porsche.
The success of the spectacular overpowered Group 5 cars was thus not the fruit of FIA's WCM, where the prototypes were again allowed from 1977 on, but of the extremely well covered rounds of the DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) where the Porsches 935 were regularly beaten by the 1.7 t2 Ford Capri Zakspeed (not seen at the WCM) and later by the BMW M1 Group 5. 1981 was the last season where only Group 5 silhouettes could win the WCM. Meanwhile the WCM was restricted to only six rounds, but for the driver's championship seven other rounds in the States (under IMSA rules) were to be contested. The too late born BMW M1 Group 5 caused a stir by beating all open prototypes and the fastest Porsches 935 at the 1981 Nürburgring 1000-kms. Contrarily to what happened in Europe - where the WCM rounds were as boring as the DRM rounds were thrilling - IMSA's approach of Group 5 racing in the States was much more successful than FIA's in Europe. The venue of the Lola T600 Chevrolet and the Ford Mustang Turbo - both never seen in Europe - boosted in the States the IMSA championship. A good survey of all Group 5 silhouette cars of era 4 can be found here.

in 1982 FIA's CSI decided to change thoroughly the rules for endurance racing, having been in a deep crisis since 1975. Although Group 5 cars could be entered with success in endurance racing - the victory of Kremer's Porsche 935K at the 1979 Le Mans 24 hours was the best example - they were better suited for sprint races as at the DRM. In Group 5 racing everything turned around the boosted engines, consuming up  to one litre of fuel per kilometre (!!!). Reduction of fuel consumption was thus the new strategy of the CSI. Cars were divided in three groups. In Group A we found improved production touring cars, in Group B the highly improved GT cars (the former Group 5 cars, but now with several restrictions) and in Group C roofed prototypes with a minimum weight of 800 kg where not the engine capacity but the fuel consumption was limited: maximum 60 litres for 100 kilometres. Engines of Group C cars had to be from a recognised manufacturer which had cars homologated in the FIA's Group A Touring Car or Group B GT Car categories. For those new classified cars FIA created up from 1982 the FIA Endurance World Championship. The new rules came under pressure of the ACO trying to overcome the deep crisis in endurance racing - a crisis which persisted already since seven years after most automobile manufacturers all withdrew from Le Mans racing.

1982: LANCIA VIRTUAL BUT PORSCHE EFFECTIVE CHAMPION
Starting the 1982 season number of homologated Group C cars was limited. From IMSA racing the Lola T600 Chevrolet, the Ford Mustang Turbo and the March G met the new rules, in Europe the Rondeau M382 having won Le Mans in 1980. Three major automobile manufacturers were immediately interested in the new formula. Porsche AG transformed its 936, having won twice Le Mans, in a roofed version, the Porsche 956, using as engine the F6 2649cc DOHC twin turbocharged KKK26 motor of the former Group 5 Porsche 935/76A, sold to its clients. At Ford Zakspeed Racing showed with the new Ford C100 using a 90° V8 4v DOHC 3955cc normally aspired Cosworth engine. And the all-British Nimrod showed with its Nimrod NRA/2C powered by a Thickford 90° V8 2v DOHC 5340 normally aspired Aston Martin engine. Cesare Florio of the reigning FIA world champion, Lancia thus, had no Group C car at all, since the Lancia Beta Montecarlo was a Group 5 car and the brand new Lancia LC1 was an open prototype of the former Group 6. The splendid new car, sponsored by Martini, using a single turbo version of the 1425cc L4 engine of the Beta Montecarlo, was allowed to start, but could win no points for the new Endurance World Championship.
That championship went over eight rounds, but as the number of entries of Group C cars was rather low the first year - at the Nürburgring 1000-kms only 8 of the 71 cars having started were of Group C - only the five first rounds were considered for points. Not handicapped by fuel restriction rules the new Lancia LC1, with its turbocharged tiny 1425cc engine, but racing in an apart class, not eligible for points, Lancia gave the works Porsches three times a clear beat: at the Silverstone 6 hours, the Nürburgring 1000-kms and the Mugello 1000-kms.  Porsche won four times with its new Rothmans Porsche 956: the Le Mans 24 hours (their seventh victory where they took 1-2-3 followed by two American IMSA-GTX Porsches 935), the Fuji 6 hours and the Brands Hatch 1000-kilometres. Although the Rondeau M382 won only once overall, at the Monza 1000-kms, it finished as second of the new FIA Endurance World Championship, only 5 points down to Porsche.
The Nimrod NRA/2C Aston-Martin finished as third, They finished sixth at Spa, ninth at Brands Hatch and eleventh at Spa. The Zakspeed Ford C100 reached a third and fourth place at Brands Hatch  and a seventh at Silverstone. The Lola T610 Ford, a Group C version of the IMSA T600, only finished once in the top-10: seventh at Brands Hatch.
With the venue of works Porsches, works Lancias and works Fords at endurance racing, the broad public, having deserted endurance racing during seven years, came back. If we were far away from the massive crowds of the golden sixties, even far away from the crowds in the early seventies, European spectators were thanks to Group C again interested in autosport than alone in F1 racing and rally sport during the previous years.

With its 720bhp engine the Lancia LC2 was the most powerful of all Group C cars having seen in competition from 1982 to 1985. It won most pole positions, but was handicapped by the new fuel consumption rules. The roofed car was only ready for the 1983 season what implied that Lancia could not defend it's title of world champion in 1982 where they had to rely upon the open Lancia LC1 Barquetta, which could score no points for the new FIA Endurance World Championship.

1983: FOR LANCIA THE PROBLEMS AND FOR PORSCHE THE TITLE
1982 was a year of transition, where former Group 6 cars were allowed at the start of important endurance races. Up from 1983 such cars were banished from the tracks. For Lancia that implied that they have to build a roofed Group C version of their LC1. Works on the new car started already half 1982. A major problem was the replacement of the motor Following the Group C rules it had to be one used by a Lancia Group B car. But the Beta Montecarlo's engine developed not enough hp to counter the 600 bhp of the Porsches 956.
"Lancia thus lacked a production engine large enough to base a racing engine on, leaving the company to turn to outside sources. Since Lancia were owned by the Fiat Group, they were able to seek the assistance of fellow Fiat company Ferrari. Ferrari allowed Lancia to adapt the new naturally-aspirated 3.0 litres four valve V8 which had been introduced in the Ferrari 308 GTBi in 1982. The engine was reduced in capacity to 2.6 litres and two KKK turbochargers were added to help the engine provide the fuel economy and power necessary. The specific engine displacement was chosen because of the possibility of using the same engine in the North American CART series. The engine, initially 650 bhp strong, was initially connected to a Hewland five-speed manual gearbox, which was replaced by an Abarth-cased unit in 1984.
Design work on the chassis was split between Italian specialist racing car manufacturers Abarth and Dallara, the latter of which built the aluminium monocoque and the kevlar and carbon fibre bodywork in their factory. The LC2 featured a large intake for the radiators in the center of the nose of the car just as the LC1 had, unlike the contemporary Porsche 956s which drew all their air from behind and to the sides of the cockpit. This air was also directed through the side bodywork to feed the intercoolers for the turbochargers. Inlets for the rear brake cooling ducts were also integrated onto the side bodywork of the car, immediately behind the doors. At the rear, a pontoon-style design was adapted to the fenders with the large wing bridging across the pontoons. The rear diffusers exited between the pontoons and underneath the wing.
The new car, suffering from all kinds of child's diseases, was ready before the first round of the 1983 FIA Endurance World Championship. The fact that Zakspeed sold its Ford C100 to a private group (Peer Racing), that Rondeau - the second at the previous year's Worlds - was only interested in Le Mans, that the Lola T610 Ford was no longer interested to continue and that Aston Martin insisted no longer, caused serious headaches for the FIA, fearing that the new championship should be completely monopolised by Porsche and that the public should withdraw after a couple of races.
So FIA tried to boost its series artificially by creating at the same time an Endurance World Championship for Group B cars (say a fight between a series of private BMW M1s and private Porsches 930). In the course of the season no less than 22 different Group B cars will show: 11 Porsches 930, 5 BMW M1s, 3 Porsches 924 Carrera GTS, two front engined Porsches 928S, one Opel Ascona 400 and one De Tomaso Pantera. Of them the Porsches 930 of Georg Memminger and Edgar Dören were entered at five of the six rounds and the one owned by Charles Ivey Racing at four rounds. The BMW M1s were entered four times by Jürgensen GmbH and by Jens Winther. In absence of other popular race cars than the Porsches 956 and the Lancias, FIA hoped that the former Group 5 supporters should show at some rounds of its Endurance World Championship. [At the Japanese round in Fuji the Group B cars were absent.]
In their fear they went even a step further creating a third Endurance World Championship for so-called "Group C junior" cars, the later C2. It concerned cars weighting at least 700 kg, but consuming no more than 330 litres of fuel over 1000 kilometres. Several arts and crafts manufacturers were won for the new formula, among them the former Lancia interested Jolly Club, now opting - just as Vesuvio Racing - for the 1.8 L4 1800cc turbocharged Alba AR2, Manns Racing opting for the 1.3 Mazda rotary engined Harrier RX83C, Mazdaspeed showing with its incredible ugly 1.3 rotary Mazda 717C, Hubert Striebig present with his 2.2 Stehmo SM01 BMW and Japan's Alfa Cubic Racing showing at the Fuji 1000-kms with its March 83G Nissan. The Group C junior formula didn't interest at all the broad public having not the smallest affinity with those for them totally unknown machinery.
Of course the Porsches 956 trusted the 1983 Endurance Worlds. One can speak of a real armada. Apart of the two (at Le Mans three) works Rothmans Porsches using five cars with chassis 003 (used twice), 004 (used once in racing and three times at the qualifications), 005 (used in the seven rounds by Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass), 008 (used once) and 009 (used four times by Stefan Bellof and Derek Bell), no less than eleven private Porsches 956 were entered: four times the one with chassis 101 by Kremer Racing, seven times chassis 102 and twice chassis 110 by John Fitzpatrick, three times chassis 103 by Preston Henns', six times chassis 104 and six times chassis 105 by Joest Racing (sometimes in combination with Sorga), seven times chassis 106 by Richard Lloyd Racing, once chassis 108 by Japan's Trust Racing Team, five times chassis 109 by Obermaier Racing, twice chassis 111 by Brun Motorsport and once chassis 112 by Japan's Matsuada Collection.
This armada of Porsches 956 - even bigger than the armada of Porsches 917 in 1970-71 - was backed up by two Kremer Porsches CK5 (to Group C transformed former Group 5 Porsches) having been entered five times in total, and by Joest Racing's Porsche 936C (an old 936, now roofed) having been entered four times. Such armada of Porsches, having only two works Lancias LC2 and one roofed Lancia LC1 as direct opponents was at no moment an equal combat, nothing to compare with the Ford-Ferrari combat of the sixties, of the Porsche Ferrari combat of the early seventies or of the Matra-Ferrari combat of 1972-73. Then both parties started with an equal number of potential winners, now Porsche seemed on its way to strangle all its opponents.

In 1982 Lancia could not defend their title of world champion as they had no roofed Group C car ready. Although they won the Silverstone 6 hours, the Nürburgring 1000-kms and the Mugello 1000-kms, and although they finished as runner-up the Fuji 6 hours, the Brands Hatch 1000-kms and the Mugello 1000-kms, thus although they should have collected more points as Porsche AG with its works 956 Rothmans, the 1982 title went to Porsche. Lancia was only the virtual winner of the 1982 Lancia-Porsche combat.

Zakspeed's Ford C100 failed to confirm in 1982. In 1983 the cars were sold to Peer Racing, entering them at two rounds, but without finishing once.

The seven rounds of the 1983 Endurance Worlds were one long parade of the Porsches 956. At Monza they trusted the seven first places, at Silverstone the six first places, at the Nürburgring the four first places, at Le Mans even the eight first places plus the tenth (for Porsche it was already their eighth LM win), at Spa the five first places, at Fuji the six first places and at Kyalami the seven first places, except for the second going to the Lancia LC2. Of the seven rounds the works Rothman Porsches 956 won all rounds except the first: Derek Bell/Al Holbert won three rounds and finished once as runner up; Jacky Ickx/Jochen Mass won two rounds, finishing three times as runner-up and once as third; Vern Schuppan/Al Holbert won with the third works Porsche the Le Mans 24 hours. Of the privateers Joest Racing won the first round and collected three podium places; the Lloyd Porsche finished six of the seven rounds it entered at the nine first places and collected one podium; the Fitzpatrick Porsches finished five times in the top six with one podium place; the Obermaier Porsche finished three times as fourth, once as seventh; the Japanese TRT Porsche with chassis 108 finished its lonely race as third; Kremer Racing was third at Le Mans and fifth at Silverstone; Brun Motorsport entered only two races and finished fourth and sixth.
The new Lancia LC2 TQ-ed at the Monza 1000-kilometres but suffered from two major problems: its Pirelli tyres didn't fit well at the suspension and the fuel consumption was too high. Cesare Fiore's cars finished once second (at Kyalami), once sixth, seventh and eleventh at Spa and once ninth at Monza. The roofed Lancia LC1 of the Scuderia Vesuvio was fifth at the Nürburgring and eighth at Monza. Of the other Group C cars having finished in the top-10 there was only the Nimrod Aston-Martin (having finished seventh at Spa), the Sauber C7 BMW (with two top-10 places), the March 83G Nissan (once seventh) and the URD C81 BMW (finishing once tenth). All other top-10 places went to Group B cars: four times to a BMW M1 (once eighth, once ninth and twice tenth), four times to a Porsche 930 (once seventh, once ninth and twice tenth), and once to a Porsche 924 (eighth). Of the Group C junior cars only the Alba AR2 and a Japanese car finished once in the top-10.
Of course Porsche won the 19836 Endurance Worlds, 68 points ahead over Lancia and 96 ahead over Nimrod and March having won only 4 points. In Group C junior the Alba AR2 Giannini won with three class victories, nut Le Mans went to the unbelievable ugly Mazdaspeed Mazda 717C. In Group B BMW won four of the six rounds, but Porsche, having won only twice, collected two points more than BMW and won the title in Group B.

The Rondeau M382, having still won one round in 1982, and having finished second at the Worlds, only five points down to Porsche, entered in 1983 only the Le Mans 24 hours, collecting no points at all.

In 1983 there was also a European Endurance Championship over eight rounds. The first five were the five European rounds of the FIA Endurance World Championship. The three last were the Brands-Hatch 1000-kms, the Imola 1000-kms and the Mugello 1000-kms. The Rothmans works Porsches entered only the British round where they finished second and third, beaten by John Fitzpatrick's Porsche 956 with chassis 110. Here one of the three Lancias LC2 could be brought home in fourth position, heading three other Porsches 956 and the Porsche 936C of Joest Racing.
At the Imola 1000-kms Alessandro Nannini realised the pole, was leading until the last lap, when his car was victim of technical problems. As he needed more than 15 minutes to achieve its last lap with an ill-fated car he was disqualified (despite the fact that he still arrived as fourth). Fortunately for Cesare Florio, his other works Lancia LC2, shared by Teo Fabi and Hans Heyer finished ahead over five private Porsches 956 (Fitzpatrick, Joest, Lloyd and Obermaier in that order) so that the Lancia LC2 - much better towards the end of the season - won a first time. The Sivana Team roofed Lancia LC1 finished as eighth.
At the last round of the European Championship, the Mugello 1000-kms, Riccardo Patrese/Alessandro Nanini finished with the works Lancia LC2 as runner-up to the Joest Racing Porsche 956 of Bob Wollek and Stefan Johansson, heading four other private Porsches 956 (Lloyd, Fitzpatrick, Obermaier and new comer Schornstein - having bought one of the former Joest Racing Porsches, the one with chassis 105 - in that order). Sivana's roofed Lancia LC1 was now seventh overall.
Without the works Lancias LC2 1983 Group C racing should have been of an unbelievable monotony. It were the lonely cars saving the public from an endless row of German machines fighting among themselves. But the public is not interested at all if the winner is a Kremer Porsche, a Joest Porsche, a Fitzpatrick Porsche, a Richard Lloyd Porsche, an Obermaier Porsche, a Brun Motorsport Porsche or a works Porsche. For the crowds that are all the same cars. But the crowds wish to see a combat of David against all that Goliaths. So Lancia had the nice (but impossible) role to play, and without the Lancias Group C could have died in its second year.

The Nimrod Aston-Martin could only finish once in the top-10 at the 1983 Worlds. An EMKA Aston-Martin even failed to do so. So it was waiting that Aston should show with a proper car.

1984: SOME POLES FOR LANCIA BUT POINTS & TITLE FOR PORSCHE
After Pirelli retired definitively from racing, Lancia had a problem to find the correct rims for the Dunlop tyres it had now to use. The solution seemed to be found in Speedline three-piece rims, specially made for the Dunlop tyres. During the winter the suspension was redesigned for the now required unique wheel-size.  Also redesigned were the gearboxes. The aerodynamics were updated. Ultimate goal of all that hard work was to increase the reliability of the LC2 and its nervous handling. However, already at the first round, trying to win the pole, on his way to Lesmo, Patrese was victim of a split rim. So the three-piece rims, having so much contributed to a better handling, could not be used, and most of the work during the winter had been at no avail.  Two private teams, Jolly Club and Résidence Malardeau Racing were allowed to use at some races, at their expenses, one of the 1983 Lancia works cars.
At Porsche the factory cars had now no less than ten chassis at their disposal. Six new cars, all called Porsche "956B" were sold to private clients: chassis 113 to Japan's Nova Engineering, chassis 114 to England's John Fitzpatrick Skoal Bandit Racing, chassis 115 to Germany's Kremer Racing, chassis 116 to Switzerland's Brun Motorsport, chassis 117 to Germany's Joest Racing, and chassis 118 to Japan's Trust Racing Team. Apart from the three Rothmans works cars there were now 13 private Porsches 956 in competition, three more than the previous year. Joest Racing had sold their chassis 105 already by the end of 1983 to Dieter Schornstein, whilst their 104 was sold to Preston Henn's after they had sold their own 956 with chassis 103 (having finished second at this year's Le Mans 24 hours) to Japan's Nova Engineering. In the course of the season two 956s - the chassis 104 ex-Joest Porsche 956 and the Schornstein/Fitzpatrich chassis 105 Porsche 956, also an ex-Joest, were transformed into the new Porsche 962 with a longer wheelbase so that the driver's feet were no longer ahead of the front axle and that they were compatible with the IMSA rules. One has, however, to wait half 1985 before the completely new Porsches 962C will be released. 
Of the Group C1 cars of last year the Sauber C7 BMW and the EMKA Aston Martin, did not return, whilst the URD C81 BMW, having been sold to Jens Winther, only entered the last round without finishing. Among the new C1 cars we note the Cougar C01B Ford of Alain de Cadenet, the Grid S2 Porsche of Charles Ivey Racing and a Zakspeed C1/8 Ford. In Group C2 there are such new comers as the Ecosse C284 Ford, Gebhardt JC842 and JC843, Alba AR Ford, ADA 01 Ford, Lotec C302 and Mazdaspeed 727C (even more ugly than the former 717C), etc.
The Group B Worlds, going over the seven European rounds, becomes a pure joke: at Silverstone we note only 6 entries, at Le Mans five, at Spa four, at Brands Hatch and Imola three. Five BMW M1s are seen in competition, nut only those of Hens Winther and Helmut Gall are entered at all rounds but one, whilst the Racing Team Jürgensen and Rolf Göring's are entered only three times. Of the ten Porsches 930 only three are entered more than two times: Strandell Racing's, Hobby Rally Ticino's and Michel Lateste's three times each. A Porsche 928S of Raymond Boutinau enters four times.

The FIA Endurance World Championship goes this year over eleven rounds instead of seven. Imola and Brand Hatch return (as the European Endurance Championship is nor re-edited, but Mugello disappears), Mosport (CDN) and Sandown Park (AU) are new. During the five first rounds the Lancias LC2 - being with their 660 bhp in race configuration and 680 bhp in qualification configuration faster than the Porsches 956, can keep the illusion high that they can beat the mighty Porsches. At Monza one of them finishes third, only preceded by the two works Porsches 956 with the one shared by Stefan Bellof and Derek Bell as winner. At Silverstone Riccardo Patrese can win the pole position but has to retire at a quarter of the race with ignition problems. The other works car finishes fourth and the Joly Club Lancia LC2 seventh, but the three first places go to the Porsches, with a new win for the works car, now the one driven by Jacky Ickx/Jochen Mass. At the Le Mans 24 hours - where the factory Porsches are absent, the two works Lancias qualify as first and second, more than nine full seconds faster than the Joest Porsche 956 on the third place. Both are leading the race until half way, but suffering from overheating one has to retire after 275 of the 360 laps, whilst the other has to slow down for fuel consumption reasons and finishes as eighth, preceded by ... seven Porsches 956 and another on the ninth place. Before the start there was even more hope that the Porsche hegemony could be broken, as Jaguar entered its two XJR-5s, coming from the IMSA series. Both, however, will be retired. Henri Pescarolo and Klaus Ludwig offer Porsche their ninth Le Mans victory at the wheel of the New-Man Joest Racing 956. At the Nürburgring , on the holy German home ground two Porsches can take a lap over the Lancia LC2 of Alessandro Nannini/Piero Barilla, finishing third. Victory goes to the Bellof/Bell works 956. Again no factory Porsches at Brands Hatch where the Richard Lloyds Canon Porsche of Jonathan Palmers/Jan Lammers win. Six Porsches are found at the six first places, with a works Lancia LC2 as seventh. Demoralised by Porsches superiority Cesare Fiore decide to take a brief hiatus. At Mosport, where only 17 cars start, Ickx/Mass win but at Spa they are headed by the other factory car of Bellof/Bell. Now Porsche collects the ... eight first places. Although no factory 956s start at Imola, they can do it over: eight first places with a win for the Brun Motorsports Porsche 956 of Hans-Joachim Stück and Stefan Bellof. The works Lancias LC2, having realised their third pole position, are retired and Jolly Club's is ninth ... behind eight Porsches. At Fuji Stefan Bellof, now paired with John Watson beats again the other factory 956 of Ickx/Mass, followed by three other Porsches and the surprising Lotec M1C BMW - a C2 car! - at the sixth place. Having been absent in Japan two works Lancias LC2 go to Kyalami, where they realise a fourth pole position on seven entries, and where they realise an easy 1-2 now that only one Porsche 956 - Dieter Schornstein's - started. At the last round at Sandown Park, where Lancia shows no longer, Porsche trusts the ... nine first places with Bellof/Bell beating once more Ickx/Mass. Porsche wins its third consecutive FIA Endurance World Championship, now with 12  points against 57 for Lancia.
In C2 the title goes to the Alba AR2 having won twice with 82 points. The Lola T616 Mazda and the Tiga GC84 Cosworth, having also won twice, finish as second and third with res. 67 and 50 pioints. In Group B BMW M1 won all rounds, good for 100 points against 52 for Porsche (with the 930 and the 928S.

Fom 1982 to 1984 the Rothmans works Porsches 956 won 17 of the 19 rounds it entered. They were beaten at Silverstone in 1982 by a Lancia LC1 and in 1983 by a Joest Racing Porsche 956. Derek Bell won 9 times, Stefan Bellof and Jacky Ickx eight times, Jochen Mass six times, Vern Schuppan and Al Holbert only once. Contrarily to Ickx (who won four races in 1982), Bellof only started in 1983 to drive factory Porsches at FIA's Endurance World Championship.

Group C racing had a great need on other cars with winning chances than just Porsche and Lancia. The venue of Jaguar was received under loud applause. Unfortunately Jaguar's appearance at the Endurance Championship was restricted to one round.

1985: LANCIA INSISTS, BUT PORSCHE CONTINUES WINNING
After three years of difficult growth, 1985 is the first year full of hope in Group C racing. Before the start of the season it's said that Lancia will no longer be the sole opponent of the mighty Porsches, but that during the year Jaguar - what a legendary name in motoring! - will join the series, one year later unofficially followed by Mercedes - that other great name! At Lancia they improve the LC2 by opting for another version of the Ferrari engine. The 2.6 litre turbocharged Ferrari engine will be replaced by the 90° V8 4v DOHC 3014cc Ferrari 308C engine, allowing more horse power. There is little doubt that on qualifying for the 1984 Le Mans 24 hours one of the works cars already used that engine, although Cesare Florio denied it openly. During the winter of 1984/1985 Marinelli electronics, as used at the F Ferrari, were fitted to the 3-litre turbocharged engine. New camshafts were installed and despite more horsepower - 828 bhp for the qualification engine, 750 bhp for the race version - fuel consumption could be lowered. The Lancia LC2/85 was literally a bomb on wheels, faster than any other Group C car of that period. A switch from Dunlop to Michelin tyres implied that the suspension was once more modified, whilst the car was widened to make full use of the regulatory dimensions.
At Porsche the first entirely new 962C cars with a longer wheelbase and a full steel roll cage were released before the start of the season. Main reason to do so was that Porsche had financial troubles, and that they wished to sell their successful 956 to American customers which could use it at the IMSA series as a GTP car. However, safety rules overseas were more stringent than in Europe, and the Group C Porsche didn't fit the IMSA rule that the pedal box had to be behind the front wheel axle. The factory cars with chassis 002, 003, 004 and 007 were all transformed in Porsches 962C, compatible with the IMSA rules as well as with the Group C rules. It was certainly a safer car than the 956. Contrarily to the IMSA GTP version, where only one turbocharger was used, the FIA version used a twin KKK turbocharger, developing in 1985 some 750 bhp in the qualification version. Also new was that Stefan Bellof, too much busy in F1 was replaced at the wheel of the second works Porsche by Hans-Joachim Stuck. No longer obliged to do time absorbing tests, he switched to Brun Motorsport where Thierry Boutsen was his team mate.
The 1985 version of the FIA Endurance World Championship went over 10 rounds. The Nürburgring 1000-kms were replaced by the Hockenheim 1000-kms, Imola went out and Mugello came again in, Sandown Park in Australia was replaced by the Selangor 800-kms in Malaysia, and the Kyalami 1000-kms were struck off. New was that it was no longer a makes Worlds, but a teams Worlds. Porsche had now  seven teams: Rothmans using the 002, 003, 004, 007, 009 and 010 chassis; Joest Racing using the 104 and 117 chassis; Kremer Porsche Racing using the 105, 110 and 115 chassis; Brun Motorsport using the 106, 107 and 111 chassis; Richard Lloyd Racing using the ex-works 004 chassis and the new own 106B chassis; John Fitzpatrick Racing using the 102 and 104 chassis; and Obermaier Team using the 109 chassis. Of all those cars only the 002, 003 and 004 of the Rothmans factory team were Porsches 962C, together by the 107 chassis of Brun Motorsport and the 110 of Kremer Porsche racing. All others were 956s or 956Bs. Also new was that the Group B championship, in 1984 still a joke, was definitively abolished.
At the three first rounds it became more than obvious that the Lancia LC2/85 was the fasted car on the track. At Mugello, Monza and Silverstone the 828 bhp LC2 realised three consecutive times the pole position, far ahead over the Rothmans works Porsche s 962C. At Mugello the LC2/85 was 1"660 faster than the fastest Porsche (a Rothmans); at Monza the LC2/85 (taking the front row) was a full seven seconds faster than its best time of the previous year and 3"710 faster than the Lloyd Porsche 956 GTi (being faster than the works Porsches); and at Silverstone, where the Lancias realised again the 1-2, the fastest among them was 2"280 ahead over the Rothmans Porsche on the third place. However, none of those three rounds could be won by the Martini Racing Lancias, although exogenous factors made them loose the round at Monza. At Mugello Porsche could make it a 1-2-3 with the Ickx/Mass Rothmans Porsche as winner. At the Monza 1000-kms the Patrese/Nannini Lancia had managed their fuel consumption in such a way that they could go flat out for the last stages. They followed the Kremer Porsche of Surer/Winkelhock and the Rothmans Porsche of Bell/Stuck, ready to attack, when at once a tree fell across the track, so that the race was stopped before their attack could start. At Silverstone Nannini is leading the race when in the closing laps a wheel bearing failure forces him to pit so that the two works Porsches can pass the Lancia which finishes only third.
Having boycotted Le Mans last year, after a dispute with the ACO, this year the Porsche works team shows with three works cars. Bob Tullius shows again with his two Group 44 IMSA Jaguars, one of them having won earlier Road Atlanta. Of his two cars one will reach the finish, winning the apart IMSA-GTP class. Even more interesting seems the new Sauber C8 Mercedes as it is known that Peter Sauber and the illustrious Mercedes are co-operating in a long time project to win again Le Mans after more than three decades of absence. Unfortunately the white mystery car will only be seen in practice and will be withdrawn after the qualifications. First at those qualification is Derek Bell's Rothmans Porsche. This year, however, the three works Porsches run all in problems. One of them will not reach the finish, the Ickx/Mass 962C will loose several laps in the pits and will be brought home as tenth, and the Bell/Stuck machinery will loose eight laps in the pits, finishing not higher than third. It is the New Man Joest Racing Porsche, driven by Klaus Ludwig/Paolo Barilla/"John Winter", which will offer Porsche its fourth consecutive Le Mans win, already the eleventh in Porsche's history. Two Lancias will be brought home, but only as sixth and seventh.
At the two following rounds, the Hockenheim 1000-kms and the Mosport 1000-kms, Bell/Stuck will take revenge for their defeat, winning both races. At Hockenheim one of the Lancias is fourth, at Mosport they will not show. Mosport, however, is the race of the hope: the hope that one day another Group C car than again a Porsche will be fast enough and reliable enough to beat the German armada. Indeed Tom Walkingshaw shows at Mosport with his two new Jaguars TWR-6. Although they used the same 60° V12 2v SOHC 6219cc engine as Tullius' Group 44 Jaguars, the XJR-6 had less else in common with the XJR-5. Tony Southgate, one of the engineers behind the abandoned Ford C100 laid out a carbon fibre monocoque and a highly advanced aerodynamics package with very large ground effects tunnels. It was quite a departure from the norm and would form the mould of all subsequently designed Group C racers. In conjunction with Zytek, TWR developed a fuel injection system of their own for the V12 engine. Their goal was to draw as much power from the engine with enough efficiency to meet the strict Group C fuel restrictions. The naturally aspirated engine produced around 650 bhp in endurance trim. One of those new cars will finish as third at Mosport, only headed by two works Porsches. However, there was not only hope, but also drama at Mosport as Manfred Winkelhock was killed at the wheel of a Kremer Porsche.
At the  two following rounds, the Spa 1000-kms and Brand-Hatch 1000-kms the Lancia LC2/85 realises again twice the pole, bring their season's total up to five out of seven entries. The car shared by Bob Wollek and Mauro Baldi will win the race, having been stopped after the fatal accident of Stefan Baldi, proving evidently how unsafe the Porsche 956 was. One of the TWR Jaguars finished as fifth at Spa. At Brands Hatch Lancia seemed on its way to a second consecutive win, when, leading the race and on their way to victory lane, the two LC2s hit one another so that the two Rothmans Porsches could pass, leaving them on ranks 3 and 4.
At Fuji Porsche showed with two works cars, backed up by the Skoal Bandit Fitzgerald 956, the two New Man 956s, by Richard Lloyd's 956 GTi, and by three Japanese 956s. Jaguar was present with two XJR-6s and there was a privately entered Lancia LC2/84, but except for one Japanese 956 all those cars were withdrawn during the ten first laps, due to the monsoon hit weather conditions. So victory went to the all-Japanese March G85 Nissan, entered by Hoshino Racing.
Venue for the last round at Selangor was low. There were three works Porsches, backed up by three client versions, and the two Jaguars. Victory went to the Ickx/Mass Rothmans Porsche 962C with the Thackwell/Nielsen TWR Jaguar XJR-6 finishing as runner-up. That was the end of the eventful 1985 season, with the Rothmans Porsches winning the FIA Endurance World Championship with 107 points against 57 for Martini Lancia, and 50 for New Man Joest Racing Porsche. In C2 several machineries realised top-10 places. Best of them was the Spice Engineering Spice-Tiga GC85 Cosworth, having finished five times in the top-10 (once as fifth, twice as seventh and twice as ninth). They won the C2 Worlds with 110 points against 50 for the Ecurie Ecosse C285 Cosworth having realised four top-10s (once sixth, once eight, once ninth and once tenth). The Gebhardt JC843 Cosworth of ADA Engineering and the new factory Gebhardt JC853 Cosworth finished each once sixth overall, but were headed in the standings by the Ceekar 83J-1 Cosworth of ARK racing having been eighth at Mosport and tenth at Selangor. Compared to the previous years the C2 cars were more competitive and no longer the back benchers they initially were.

The TWR (Tom Walkingshaw Racing) Jaguar XJR-6 used a normally aspirated 6.2 litre Jaguar V12 engine, equipped with an own injection system. Contrarily to all existing Group C cars, the XJR-6 enjoyed from a superior ground effect, giving the car a superior road holding. There was little doubt that Tom Walkingshaw received - just as Bob Tullius in the States - structural help of the factory. "With five victories in seven years Jaguar's reigned supreme at Le Mans in the 1950s, but rule changes left the highly successful D-Type obsolete after the 1957 season. Although the Works team would not field a racing car for many years, the racing department did develop the Lightweight competition version of the E-Type and the V12 engined XJ 13. After a heavy accident the XJ 13 project was halted, but the V12 engine was further developed and used in Jaguar's road cars. In the 1970s racing was left to privateers, although some did receive factory support through the proverbial backdoor." Having been successful with his Jaguars in the European Touring Championship, and having won the Spa 24 hours with his Jaguars, Walkingshaw seemed the right man to conduct Jaguar, thirty years after its last success to a new victory at the Le Mans 24 hours. For the evolution of Group C racing, the venue of Jaguar, as third major constructor, next to Porsche and Lancia, was very important, especially as rumours went that Lancia had plans to quit endurance racing in 1986.

The Sauber C8 Mercedes was certainly not ready for competition in 1985, but insiders already knew that the project of Peter Sauber was backed by factory help from Mercedes. The car came to the Le Mans 24 hours  It recorded the second highest top speed, but also flipped on the Hunaudieres in practice. Although the car landed on its wheels, it was damaged too much to start the race. Peter Sauber wanted to improve the car for the following season, rather than wasting valuable time at the remaining rounds of the 1985 Endurance World Championship.

1986: JAGUAR & SAUBER COME, BUT PORSCHE STAYS
In 1986 the FIA speaks no longer about the "Endurance World Championship" but about the World Sports-Prototype Championship, shortly the WSPC. Number of rounds has been reduced from ten to nine. The Mosport 1000-kms and the Selangor 800-kms are no longer maintained. The Nürburgring 1000-kms comes back and replaces the Hockenheim 1000-kms. The Monza 1000-kms are reduced to a 360-kms race. Mugello is no longer maintained on the calendar, and a pure sprint race, the Norisring 100-miles is added together with a 360-kms race at Jerez. With no more rounds on the American continent, and all but one in Europe, the term "world championship" sounded a bit false, what may explain why FIA opted at once for WSPC. The reality was that such important races as the Daytona 24 hours, the Sebring 12 hours and the Watkins Glen 12 hours - having been during years fixed rounds of FIA's world championship - were now all part of the IMSA (International Motor Sport Association) championship. As long as the superior Porsches 956 were only raced in Europe and in Japan, in the JSPC (Japan Sports Prototype Championship) FIA could believe that they organised the best endurance races. But in the spring of 1984 the first Porsches 962 were eligible for IMSA racing and went in large numbers to the States, where they dominated endurance racing as well as in Europe. The same year Al Holbert and Derek Bell finished in May second at the Riverside 6 hours, winning the same year the Mid-Ohio 500-kms, the Watkins Glen 6 hours (ahead over the Porsche 962 pf Bayside Disposal Racing), Road America, the Pocono 500-kms, and - ahead over the Bob Tullius Jaguar XJR-5 - the Daytone 3 hours Finale. In 1985 the Porsche 962 (they were already six in IMSA racing) won fourteen rounds at the IMSA, letting Jaguar only a victory in the Road Atlanta 500-kms. Owners of IMSA GTP Porsches 962 or other GTP machinery were no longer interested in FIA endurance racing; some of them showed only at Le Mans. In fact, there were three distinct series where Group C cars were raced: the WSPC, IMSA and the JSPC. At a lower level there was also the Interserie where former Group 6 cars were also allowed.
At the two first rounds the Porsches - now nearly all 962C units - are attacked from three sides together: by the powerful Lancia LC, by the two Silk Cut TWR Jaguars XJR-6 and by the Kouros Sauber C8 Mercedes, even by four sides if we consider the March 84G Porsche of Cosmic Racing. Twice the Lancia is fasted qualifier. At the first round, the Monza 360 kms, the Lancia LC2 of Nannini/De Cesaris is beaten by 49 seconds by the works Rothmans Porsche 962C of Bell/Stuck, with the Sauber C8 finishing as ninth and the two Jaguars having retired. At the second round, the Silverstone 1000-kms however, the works Porsches are beaten by the Jaguar XJR-12 of Derek Warwick/Eddie Cheever. The Sauber C8 is eighth, just behind the other Jaguar. The Lancia retired. So Cesare Florio decides to stop his efforts and decides to quit the WSPC, turning his full attention in the World Rally Championship. At the Le Mans 24 hours we find three factory Porsches at the start. Two of them will have to retire, but the Stuck/Bell/Holbert 962C will win, Porsches fifth consecutive win at La Sarthe and already the twelfth time. In the top-10 we find exclusively Porsches, except for the A.D.A. Engineering C2 Gebhardt JC843 Cosworth, finishing eighth at 50 laps. A Porsche 961 - which will be entered later at ... Paris-Dakar - finishes as seventh. The two Jaguars are eliminated, one with a broken drive shaft, the other after a puncture ruining the complete suspension. The two Saubers C8 are retired with engine and gearbox problems before the night fell.
Having won two of the three first rounds, Porsche decides to send no more works cars to the WSPC until the end of the year, letting its client defend the interests of Zuffenhausen. At the 100-mi sprint race of Norisring Tom Walkingshaw enters three Jaguars XJR-6. Victory however goes to the Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 956B of Klaus Ludwig, ahead over two Jaguars. No Sauber at the Brands Hatch 1000-kms where Porsche realises the top-3 with the 956 GTi of Lloyd Racing, shared by Bob Wollek and Mauro Baldi (ex-Lancia), as winner. The Jaguars finish fourth and sixth, the Cosmic Racing March 84G Porsche as ninth. Three Jaguars and still no Kouros Sauber C8 at the Jerez 360-kms where the Brun Motorsport Porsches realises the two first places, with the lonely surviving Jaguar XJR-6 of Warwick and Lammers as third and the Cosmic Racing March 84G Porsche again as ninth. The Spice SE86C Cosworth is fifth, winning C2. At the Nürburgring 1000-kms, disputed over two heats, the Kouros Sauber C8 is back, and how! The car wins the first heat two laps ahead over the Liqui Molly Porsche of Richard Lloyds Racing, whilst the two Jaguars were retired. Thackwell/ Pescarolo maintain their position at the second heat and win the race, ahead over three Porsches with the C2 Ecosse C286 Rover finishing as fifth.
At the Spa 1000-kms the factory Porsches are, unexpectedly, back. At the qualifications the Jägermeister Brun Motorsport Porsche 962C of Thierry Boutsen and Frank Jelinski is faster than the Rothmans Porsches. They will win the race ahead over a Jaguar XJR-6 and the Bell/Stuck factory Porsche 962C. Another Jaguar XJR-12 will be fifth, the Kouros C8 Mercedes sixth. At the last round in Japan the European Porsches are faster than the Japanese ones. Paolo Barilla/Piercarlo Ghinzani will win with the Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 956, with one of the Jaguars as third. The Tom's Toyota 86C disappoints with a ninth and fourteenth place. The beautiful Nissan March 86G Nissans, earlier seen at Le Mans finish tenth and eleventh, the new Mazda 757 - no longer the ugly duck - is thirteenth.
The 1986 WSPC is won by the Porsches of Brun Motorsport, four points ahead over the Joest Racing Porsches and five points ahead over the TWR Jaguars and the Rothmans Porsches. The might of the Porsches has certainly not be broken, as they won seven of the nine rounds, but by winning each one round the Jaguar XJR-6 and the Sauber C8 Mercedes show that they are more reliable than the Lancias LC2 were and that they are a real treat for the future.

In IMSA racing the Porsches 962 collected the three first places at the Daytona 24 hours, where Bob Tullius' Jaguar XJR-7 finished sixth. At the Miami 3 hours we find again three Porsches 962 in top with the Jaguar XJR-7 as fourth. At the Sebring 12 hours we find again three Porsches 962 at the three first places, whilst the Group 44 Jaguars were retired. We have to wait the Road Atlanta 500-kms to see the Porsches be beaten by the new Chevrolet Corvette GTP and the March G85 Buick. Jaguar is fourth. At Riverside it's again Porsche 962, now at the four first places, but the Laguna Seca 300-kms go to the Zakspeed Ford Mustang Probe beating the Jaguar XJR-7 by 30 seconds. Charlotte, Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio are also won by a Porsche 962, with the Jaguar XJR-7 being runner-up at Mid-Ohio. At the West Palm Beach 3 hours the Corvette STP scores its second win, Jaguar its second podium. The Watkins Glen 500-mi and Portland 300-kms are again won by Porsche with a second place for Jaguar at Portland. At Sears Point we find again two Porsches 962 at the two first places, but Jaguar scores its fourth podium. Road America is for Porsche but at the Watkins Glen 500-km the BMW GTP beats the Porsches. At Colombus Porsche scores its twelfth victory, but the Daytona 3 hours Finale is won by the Jaguar XJR-7. In IMSA racing diversity of the cars is certainly greater than as the WSPC, but the domination of the Porsche 962 in the States is at least so overwhelming as that of the Porsches 962C, 956B and 956 in Europe.

From top to bottom the 2.8t Jägermeister Porsche 962C of Brun Motorsport, the 6.5 TWR Jaguar XJR-6 having won the Silverstone 1000-kms, the 5.0t Sauber C8 Mercedes having won the Nürburgring 1000-kms and the Cosmic Racing 2.6t March 84G Porsche having won two top-10 places in 1986.

During the first years the C2 cars were rather a curiosity and only considered as less competitive field fillers. Consuming only 55 per cent of fuel of the C1 cars the development in C2, always done with small budgets, bore its fruits. In 1986 there was a hot competition between the two Rover powered 3.0 Ecosses C286 and the Cosworth DFL powered 3.3 Spice of Gordon Spice (in fact a transformed former Tiga). Their most dangerous opponent seemed to be the 1.8 turbocharged Argo JM19 using the Zakspeed engine also used by the Zakspeeds C1/8 at the Interserie. That Argo was designed by the Swiss engineer Jo Marquardt, coming from Modus which went bankrupt, and the British engineer Nick Jordan. The car's main problem was its reliability. The Ecosse C286, named to the former Ecurie Ecosse from Scotland (having ceased its activities in 1971, but having been revived in 1985 by driver Hugh McCaig), tried to do better than the previous year, where they finished as runner-up of the C2 Endurance World Championship. For 1989 they changed the Cosworth motor for the Rover ARG 3-litre competition engine. However, at Le Mans, the car having finished 15th OA used again the 3.3 Cosworth DFL motor. The 3.3 Gebhardt JC853 - there was also the JC843 version of the previous year, entered by A.D.A. engineering - had a remarkable long fin, placed horizontally in the middle of the car, and going from the end of the cockpit to the rear end of the car. Tiga was present with several cars, among them the two of RBR and one of Kelmar Racing.
On fast circuits the C2 cars were absolutely no challengers for their bigger C1 brothers, but on a twisty circuit as the Nürburgring they could compete high in the ranking. Here the Ecosse C286 was fifth, the works Gebhardt JC853 sixth, the Spice CE86C seventh, the A.D.A. Gebhardt JC843 eight and the old Castrol URD C83 BMW (having finished eleventh at the Le Mans 24 hours!) tenth. At another twisty track as Jerez we found again four C2 cars in the top-10. Now the Spice SE86C was fifth, the A.D.A. Gebhardth JC843 sixth and the Tigas seventh and tenth. At Brands Hatch the Ecosse C286 was eighth.
That C2 cars were reliable over long distances was proven at the Le Mans 24 hours were the A.D.A. Gebhardt JC843 was the lonely non-Porsche in the top-10. The car finished as eighth. Seven other C2 cars could be brought home: the Castrol URD C83 BMW as eleventh, the WM P85 Peugeot as twelfth, the Ecosse C285 Ford as fifteenth, the Spice SE86C as nineteenth. The Bardon DB1 Ford and the Sauber SHS C6 BMW reached also the finish but were not classified for insufficient distance.
Although the two Gebhardts were the most impressive over the season, the title went surprisingly to the Ecurie Ecosse, having flown over its cars to Fuji, where the works Gebhardt was absent. Having won its class in the three last rounds the Ecurie Ecosse won two points ahead over the Spice and six over the A.D.A. Gebhardt JC843. Should the points still have gone to makes instead of to teams Gebhardt should have finished exactly one point behind the Ecosses. The old URD C83 finished as fourth. The new Argo JM19 finished only once in the points, at Fuji in Japan, where it was third in C2 but only 26th OA.  

1987: JAGUAR PULVERISES THE PORSCHE HEGEMONY
At the 1987 WSPC there were again ten rounds. New was a 360-km round at Jarama in Spain as curtain raiser, whilst Monza and Jerez went (again as concerns Monza) over 1000-kms instead of 360. There was no return to points per make instead of points per make, as asked by Gebhardt. Their works team worked on a JC873 powered by a turbocharged Audi motor, but the new car was only ready towards the end of the season. All Porsches now were 962Cs, some of them having been seriously modified as the Liqui Moly Porsches of Richard Lloyd Racing, using a glass-fibre body with a modified rear section. The factory Porsches were sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by Rothmans. Hope than some of the IMSA GTP cars having won in IMSA, such as the Chevrolet Corvette GTP, Zakspeed Ford Mustang Probe or Jaguar XJR-7 should come over to do some rounds in the WSPC was vain. The gap between FIA and IMSA had widened and both had created their own racing world. Number of Porsches was a bit down as John Fitzpatrick Racing, Obermaier Racing and Schuster Porsche didn't come back, but new was the Primagaz Porsche. Cosmic Racing had changed its March G84 for a Tiga GC286 Ford. Number of teams using a Tiga had increased now Roy Baker, Charles Ivey and Tiga Ford Denmark all had opted for such machinery.
Tom Walkingshaw has replaced his Jaguar XJR-6 from the previous year by a new XJR-8. The difference lays at the first place in the engine bay, now housing a seven litre long stroke V12 engine, developing 720 bhp at 8000rpm in race configuration. The front and rear suspension are modified.
At Sauber one of the 1986 C8s has been sold to the French textile baron Noel del Bello. During the winter, with more help from Mercedes AG than before, Peter Sauber prepares his new Mercedes C9. Motor is the same as on the C8, thus the all-alloy five litre V8 engine, known internally as the M117, turned by Mader into a full Group C powerplant by adding two KKK turbochargers, but now more refined to reduce the fuel consumption. "The engine was not only developed for outright performance, but also to get sufficient mileage. In qualifying trim the engine easily produced 700 to 800 bhp, but in racing spec 650 bhp was the more sensible output." The body of the C9 is brand new, more massive as the one of the C8. Sponsor is Yves Laurent's Kouros, just as last year.
At the first round at Jarama the two TWR Jaguars XJR-8 start from the first row, heading a Rothmans works Porsche and the Richard Lloyd Racing Liqui Moly Porsche 962C GTi. The C2 Argo JC19 Zakspeed causes a stir by realising the ninth best time. The two Jaguars will be involved in a merciless combat with the lonely works Porsche until the finish. Eventually Jan Lammers/John Watson and their Jaguar XJR-9 will win, hardly ... one second faster than the Porsche of Bell/Stick. The other Jaguar of Eddie Cheever/Raul Boesel will finish as third at then seconds. Those three cars will lap the rest of the field at least three times. At the Jerez 1000-kms, where there are hardly 6000 spectators, the Bell/Stuck Porsche 962C qualifies as first but will see how the Cheever/Boesel Jaguar XJR-9 lap it six times, winning for Jaguar the second consecutive time. The Argo is again fastest qualifier in C2 (eleventh OA) but will once more not arrive. It's the Spice SE87C Cosworth, finishing at a fabulous fourth place, which will win C2, ahead over an Ecosse C286 Cosworth as fifth, heading three Porsches 962C having consumed twice as much fuel.
At the Monza 1000-kms there are only 8000 spectators now that Lancia is no longer there (that's half of two years earlier, not 5 per cent of what it was at the golden sixties). The Bell/Stuck Rothmans Porsche is again fastest qualifier - the Argo JM19 again fastest in C2, now twelfth OA - but Lammers/Watson will take two laps over the Porsche, winning again., now ahead over five Porsches. The Argo JM19 finishes as eleventh, however preceded by the Spice SE86C, Ecosse C286 and the URD C81/2 BMW finishing all three in the op-10, despite the speedy track. At the Silverstone 1000-kms the new Kouros Sauber C9 at least shows, qualifying as second behind Bell/Stuck, realising their third consecutive pole. But in the race the two Jaguars XJR-9 can pull away from the rest of the field, trusting the two first places with Cheever/Boesel making it 2-2 with Lammers/Watson, having arrived as second. The two works Porsches 962C are third and fourth. A Swiftair Ecosse C286 finishes as sixth OA, ahead over the Spice, another Ecosse and a Kelmar Racing Tiga GC85, all finishing in the top-10. Richard Cleare's March G85 Porsche is ninth, the Kouros Sauber C9 was retired.
This year's Le Mans is presented as the clash among the giants. Indeed with Porsche, Jaguar and Mercedes we find three major automobile constructors at the start; The two Rothmans works Porsches 962C qualify at the first row, followed by the three Jaguars qualifying from third to fifth. The two Saubers C9 Mercedes qualify as seventh and eighth. Yves Courage, himself from Le Mans, causes a stir as his Cougar C20 Porsche - rather pale the previous years - qualifies as sixth, mid among the giants. Having won the four first rounds, Jaguar is the favourite to stop Porsche's series of six consecutive Le Mans wins. A third Rothmans Porsche 962C cannot start due to an accident at practice. After less than a half hour Joest - still winner in 1985 looses both his cars, Kremer one. Things seem hopeless for Porsche when shortly after the end of the first hour Bob Wollek falls out with a broken engine. The lonely surviving works Porsche of Bell/Stuck/Holbert leads the race, followed by two Jaguars and the first Sauber C9 Mercedes. But after two hours, driven by Johnny Dumfries, the Sauber on rank 4, having realised the fastest race lap, is abandoned with a broken gearbox.  Before night falls Brun Motorsport, the reigning champion, has none of his three Porsches 962C still in the race. And just before midnight Mercedes looses its second Kouros Sauber C9. It seems that Walkingshaw, still with his three Jags, is on his way to victory lane. However, after ten hours he looses the XJR-9 of Jan Lammers in an accident. And just before dawn is raising his second Jag - the Nielsen/Brundle one, is out with a blown head gasket. Although Porsche has only three machines left in the race - the surviving works car, the new Primagaz and Kremer's last one - Jaguar fails to win. A long row of minor woes make their last car loose so many laps in the pits that the works Porsche of Bell/Stuck/Holbert wins - Porsche's sixth consecutive win and the thirteenth in history - whilst the new Primagaz 962C is second. Stupefaction to see Yves Courage's Cougar finishing as third, whilst the lonely surviving Jaguar XJR-9 is only fifth. The Group C2 cars give again full evidence of their reliability as we find the Spice (6th), an Ecosse (8th) and two Tigas (9th and 10th) in the top-10. Only 12 cars are classified. One of the Mazdaspeed Mazdas 757 is eighth.
After Le Mans the works Porsche will no more been seen in competition until the end of the year. Contested before 80,000 spectators the Liqui Moly Porsche of Richard Lloyd Racing will win the Norisring 200-mi, where the Jaguar of Cheever/Boesel is fourth, the two work Spice cars sixth and eighth, one of the Ecosses seventh, two Tigas tenth and eleventh, the Argo twelfth.
The four last rounds - Brands Hatch, the Nürburgring 1000-kms, Spa and Fuji - are all four won by a Jaguar XJR-9: Boesel/Nielsen at Brands Hatch (ahead over the Lloyds Porsche and another Jaguar), Boesel/Cheever at the Nürburgring (ahead over seven Porsches 962C), Brundle/Dumfries at Spa (one lap clear to the Lammers/Watson Jaguar, two to a Brun Motorsport Porsche 962C and a third Jaguar), and Fuji to Lammers/Watson, followed by the Boesel/Dumfries sister car and four Porsches 962C. At the Ring one Kouros Mercedes is eliminated before the start after an accident, whilst the second one is retired after 138 laps with a broken gearbox. At Spa the Kouros finishes seventh - its lonely arrival of the year.
With eight wins on ten rounds TWR Jaguar wins the 1987 WSPC with 178 points, against 91 for Brun Motorsport (last year's winner) and 74 for Rothmans Porsche (the factory team, having contested only half of the rounds). One thing is clear: Jaguar has ended in WSPC the hegemony of the Porsches, having won this year only two of the ten rounds.

At the IMSA Camel GTP Series things are not the same. Here the Group 44 Jaguar XJR-7 will enter only eight of the sixteen rounds, winning two of them (the Riverside 500 and the West-Palm Beach 3h). A fourth place at the Laguna Seca 300-kms and a fifth place at the Lime Rock 150-kms are the only other top-5 places won by the Jaguar. The Chevrolet Corvette GTP, having won last year still two rounds, comes now not further tan to one second place, two third places and one fourth place. The Nissan GTP ZX-J wins the second round at the Miami 3 hours, realises three pole positions, but finishes only twice times more in the top-10: fifth at Laguna Seca and sixth at the Del Mar 2 hours. Thirteen of the sixteen other rounds are all won by a Porsche 962: five by the Bayside Disposal 962, four by the Holbert Racing 962 and four by the Dyson Racing 962. At the Colombus 3 hours we find eight Porsches 962 at the eight first places, At the Daytona 24 hours and the Road America 500-mi we find six Porsches 962 at the six first places. At Road Atlanta and the Delmar 2 hours five first are all Porsches 962. At the Sebring 12 hours four first are Porsches 962. At the Portland 300-kms top-3 is for the Porsche 962. At four other occasions the Porsche 962 realises the double: Mid-Ohio 500-kms, Watkins Glen 500-kms, Sears Point 300-kms and San Antonio 3 hours. Here nothing as the pulverising TWR Revolution in Europe. Porsche wins the Camel GTP Championship with 305 points, against 79 for Chevrolet and 76 for Jaguar. Not Al Holbert - in 1985 and 1986 still the best IMSA Camel GT driver - but Chip Robinson is now the best driver (Al Holbert finishes fourth). At the Lights (to compare with C2 in the WSPC) the Argo JM19 Mazda, having finished as high as fourth at Watkins Glen, is the second best car, only preceded by the Spice SE87L Pontiac Fiero.

From top to bottom the 7.0 TWR Jaguar XJR-8 having won the championship and eight of the ten WSPC rounds, the 3.0t works Porsche 962C having won Le Mans, the highly modified 2.85t Liqui Moly Lloyd Porsche 962 GTi having won the Norisring 200-mi, the 5.0t Sauber C9 Mercedes having only once finished and the 2.8t Cougar C20 Porsche of Yves Courage, having finished third at the Le Mans 24 hours.

At the All-Japan Endurance Championship (JSPC) the Porsche domination was smashing in 1985 when Porsche won five of the six rounds (against one for Dome Toyota and one for March Nissan) and in 1986 when Porsche won all six rounds. At the JSPC there are five important Porsche 962C teams: the Trust Racing Team having won the championship in 1984 and having Vern Schuppan and Keiichi Suzuki as drivers; the black Advan Sport Nova 962C with the red stripes better known from the later Taisan Porsches, having won the championship in 1985 and 1986, and having Kunimitsu Takahashi and Kenji Takahashi as drivers; the Leyton House 962C (in strange light blue) with Erik Nielsen and Volker Weidler as drivers; the yellow From A Racing 962C having Mike Thackwell and Hideki Okada as drivers; and Alpha Cubic Racing Team, having Naoki Nagasaki and Chiyomi Totani as drivers. In 1987 there strongest opposition comes from the two Tom's Team Toyotas 87C, the two Mazdaspeed Mazdas 757 and the Hasemi Motorsport March 86S Nissan. After having finished second to the From A Porsche  962C at the first round in Suzuka, the Advan Sport Nova Porsche 962C will win the 500-mi at Fuji (round #3) and the 500-kms at Fuji (round #6). Two other rounds, however are won by the new Tom's Toyota C87, nl. the All-Japan Fuji 1000-kms (round #2) and the International Suzuki 1000-kms. The remaining round is the Fuji 1000-kms, counting also for the WSPC and having been won by a Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9. That implies that one year after having won all rounds, the Porsche 962C wins only half of the rounds. Sure, Porsche's hegemony has not been broken in Japan as in Europe, but started to stagger in 1987.

Back to C2 at the 1987 WSPC. Winner of the championship was the Spice works team. They won no less than seven times their class, but even more remarkable is that Firmin Velez and Gordon Spice could bring their car home at all ten rounds they entered, and that, except at the Nürburgring, they finished always in the top-10: once fourth, twice sixth, three times seventh, once eighth, once ninth and once tenth. Of course their best performance was the sixth OA at the Le Mans 24 hours. A second works car, raced by Ray Bellm and Nick Adams, finished eighth at the Norisring. The Spice SE86C Hart entered by Chamberlain could finish Le Mans, however without being classified and won points at the three last rounds. The Spice SE86C Ford of America's Olindo Iacobelli won points at Spa.
Last year's champion, and the vice champion of one year earlier, having had always at least one car and at five occasions two cars at the start, the Ecurie Ecosse thus, won twice its class by finishing sixth (plus eighth) at Silverstone and seventh (plus tenth) at Brands Hatch. Ray Mallock and David Leslie brought their car home at nine of the ten outings and finished six times in the top-10 (once fifth, once sixth, three times seventh and once eighth: at Le Mans). Their team mates realised once the eighth spot, once eleventh, once twelfth and two DNFs.
Of the seven Tigas seen in competition those of Kelmar Racing and Tiga Denmark scored the best, although Cosmic Racing was the only Tiga team having realised a class win by finishing ninth OA at the Nürburgring. They finished already once ninth, at the first round at Jarama, but were not classified for insufficient distance.  But their best performance was surely the ninth place overall at Le Mans. The Kelmar Tiga GC285 Ford was ninth at the Norisring, tenth at Silverstone and the Nürburgring, finishing five times in the points. The Danish Tiga GC287 Ford Turbo was tenth at Le Mans and finished four times in the points. The Tiga GC287 Porsche turbo of Charles Ivey was eleventh at Silverstone and finished twice in the points, just as the Dune Motorsport Tiga GC287 Rover. The Tiga of Roy Baker and the one of CEE Sport finished once in the points, whilst the Tiga of Tim-Lee Davey scored never points.
At several the Argo JM19 Zakspeed of Norway's Martin Schance was undoubtedly the fastest qualifier in its class, finishing twice as eleventh, once as twelfth and once as fourteenth, but was less successful than the Argo Mazda version at the IMSA Camel Light. The URD C81/2 BMW finished four times with a tenth place at Monza. Most disappointing - and last year still third - was the A.D.A. Engineering Gebhardt JC843, finishing only once, whilst the works Gebhardt JC873 finished none of the two races it entered.

Gordon Spice and Firmin Velez had to wait the Brands Hatch 1000-kms before they could race the new 3.3 Spice SE87C Cosworth DFL. Nevertheless they were spectacular during the whole season. Consuming only half of the fuel consumed by its bigger brothers of C1, the car (SE86C as well as SE87C) finished all races but one and always in the top-10, being a true nightmare for most Porsches 962C.

Ecurie Ecosse was from 1985 to 1987 very competitive in its class, having won once the C2 World Championship and finishing twice as runner up. Here twice the Ecosse C286 Cosworth DFL. Having won only two times its class, against seven times for Spice, the cars will no more be entered in 1988.

1988: HELPED BY MERCEDES, JAGUAR SLAUGHTERS PORSCHE
This year one round is added to the WSPC, the Sandown Park 360-kms in Australia. The Norisring 200-mi has been replaced by the Brno 360-km, despite the fact that last year it had the highest attendance after Le Mans. Brno organisers, however, ensure the FIA that they are able to do better than the 60,000 spectators of last year at the Norisring. The point's system is changed: at Le Mans one can win triple points, at races of 750-kms or more one can win double points and at races of 360-kms one wins single points.
During the winter Tony Southgate of TWR has slightly reworked the body of the Jaguar XJR-8 by some aerodynamically improvements, what results in the XJR-9. For Le Mans a special XJR9 LM version is built as the requirement for high straight line speeds on the Mulsanne straight necessitates a low-drag aerody-namic package. At Sauber the co-operation with Mercedes is now official. Mercedes' own AEG replaces now Kouros as Sponsor. Except for Le Mans no works Porsches are expected. Rothmans is no longer the sponsor of the works Porsches 962C, but Shell. After the withdrawal of the Victor Dauer Porsche 962C, there are the four traditional teams: Brun Motorsport with three cars, Joest Racing with two cars, Kremer with this year only one car and Lloyd Racing having changed the original 962C most of them all. New is the Swiss Porsche of Antoine Salamin. At some rounds two teams will enter an ex-works Lancia LC2: Dollop Racing and Mussato. In C2 Kelmar Racing, Charles Ivey Racing, Roy Baker Racing and Tom Davey stay with Tiga. Tiga Denmark and Cosmic Racing have withdrawn, but FAI Automotive and Patrick Oudet Vetir come in as new comers with Tiga. A.D.A. Engineering has quit their Gebhardt JC843 and show now with their own ADA 03 Ford. The works Gebhardt JC873 Audi Turbo is still there, but not for long. Spice Engineering has now two works cars. Chamberlain stays with Spice and G.P. Motorsport and Pierre-Alain Lombardi join the WSPC both with a Spice. The Argo JC19 is now not only raced by Lucky Strike Racing, but also by such new comers as Dollop Racing, MT Sport Racing and PC Automotive. The ALD cars of Automobiles Louis Descartes stay.
At the first round, the Jerez 800-kms the lonesome #61 AEG Sauber C9 Mercedes takes the pole, followed by the three Silk Cut Jaguars XJR-9. In C2 the Spice/Bellm Spice SE88C Cosworth qualifies as first, ninth overall. Two Jaguars, having qualified as second and third are abandoned towards the end of the race with a broken gearbox. The Sauber C9 Mercedes of Jean-Louis Schlesser/Mauro Baldi/Jochen Mass wins 24 seconds clear on the surviving #3 Jaguar XJR-C of Nielsen/Watson/Andy Wallace, followed by four of the five surviving Porsches. In C2 the three first places go to a Spice ahead over the Lucky Strike Argo JM19.
Next up is the Jarama 360-kms where the lone Sauber C9 Mercedes takes again the pole, followed by the three Jaguars. This time the Jaguar XJR-9 of Cheever/Brundle beats the Schlesser/Baldi Sauber C9 by 20 seconds. Two laps down we find the Nielsen/Watson Jaguar, heading the #5 Porsche 962C of Brun Motorsport. Spice takes the four first places in C2, twice the works cars, twice those of Chamberlain.
After Jarama and its 50,000 spectators we go to an empty Monza for the 1000-kms. Without Italian cars only 10,000 people show. Mercedes wins its third consecutive pole, followed by the #7 Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C and the white #6 Repsol Porsche 962C of Walti Brun. There are only two Jaguars, qualified as fourth and fifth. The obsolete Mussato Lancia LC2 qualifies as tenth. Brundle/Cheever will win with the #1 Jaguar XJR-9, one lap clear over the Sauber C9 Mercedes. Then follow four Porsches 962C and the famous Cougar C20B Porsche, tuned by Courage. Only three C2 cars finish: three times a Spice SE88C.
At Silverstone Jaguar and Mercedes have each two cars on the grid against only five Porsches, now that Walti Brun doesn't show with his three cars. There is again a Lancia LC2, but now Dollop's. Again at the start we find Noel del Bello's Sauber C8. Mercedes wins its fourth pole, followed by a Jaguar as second, the sister car as third and the first Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C. The Lacia qualifies as 14th, the Sauber C8 as 19th. In C2 Spice realises its fourth consecutive pole. The race resumes as a trio - the two Jaguars and the #61 AEG Mercedes - fighting for victory, followed ar respectable distance by the second Sauber C9 Mercedes, and even further by the two Joest Porsches 962C. With six laps to go Jan Lammers in the #2 Jaguar will run out of fuel  and Cheever/Brundle go for the final combat with Schlesser/Mass Jaguar wins before 35,000 enthusiast supporters its third race of the season, 36 seconds clear of the Sauber C9 Mercedes. The second Sauber C9 is third at two laps, followed three laps further by the two Blaupunkt Joest Porsches 962C. The two works Spices SE88C Cosworth finish as sixth and eight, followed by  two Tigas, another Spice and the P.C. Automotive Argo on ranks 10 to 13. The Lancia and Sauber C! don't finish.
Next round is Le Mans. For Jaguar the fifth and last LM win dates from 1957. Mercedes has no more been officially at Le Mans since the 1955 tragedy. Porsche has won the eight last editions and sends three hyper fast works machines to counter Jaguar and Mercedes. There are eleven Porsches 962C at the start (two Brun, twwo Joest, two Kremer, one Takefuji Schuppan and one Primagaz. After his disqualification for an oversized fuel tank at Silverstone Richard Lloyd Racing cannot show with its two cars and the Swiss Salamin 962C doesn't come. TWR Jaguar has not three but five XJR-9 LM cars at the start: the traditional British plus two IMSA Jags having been flown over from IMSA but painted in the Silk Cut colours instead of the Castrol ones used at the Camel GTP Championship. Mercedes is here with its two Saubers C9. This will be the best Le Mans since 1973, since the famous combat between the three Ferraris 312PB and the four Matras MS670B. Attendance is up to 260,000 people, 110,000 more than two years ago, 140,000 less than 15 years ago. At Weissach the three works Porsches have been wonderful well prepared: they realise the three first places on the grid. Drama for Mercedes when, at practice the combination of higher speeds and higher downforce increased the loads on the tyres too much, causing the rear tyres to burst on one of the C9s at very high speed. Starting the race is considered too dangerous and LM88 goes without Mercedes. On the grid we find the Jaguars as fourth (#1), sixth (#2), ninth (#21 IMSA), eleventh (#22 IMSA) and twelfth (#3). The Joest Blaupunkt #7 Porsche 962C is fifth, the #11 Leyton House 962C from the JSPC is devent, the Toyotas 88C-L - also from the JSPC - are eighth and tenth. First C2 is the Chamberlain #127 Spice SE86C Hart.
During the race, the five Jaguars gradually fight their way to the top until the first car retires with transmission problems eight hours in the race. Eleven hours later a head gasket on the second car fails. All is not lost as Jan Lammers leads the race in one of the three surviving examples. Tragedy almost strikes when the car suffers from the same transmission problems as the first retiree, but Lammers notices it in time and lets the car in fourth gear to complete the race two minutes ahead of the fastest Porsche. If he had only changed gears once, the transmission would have died and with it the dream of Jaguar's sixth Le Mans win. Lammers takes the win together with Andy Wallace and John Dumfries.
The two Blaupunkt Joest Porsches are brought home as third and fifth, split by the #22 American Jaguar XJR-9C LM. Ranks 6 to 11 go all to Porsches 962C with the first Toyota 88C-L as twelfth, the first Nissan R88C as fourteenth and the first Mazda 757 as fifteenth. C2 victory goes to the works Spice SE88C Cosworth of Bellm/Spice/Pierre de Thoisy. Second C2 on rank 18 is surprisingly the ADA 03 Cosworth. The third Jaguar having finished is the American #21  on rank 16, 63 laps down to the winners.
At the sixth round, the Brno 360-kms organisers hold their word: there are 78,000 spectators. They see the #61 winning its fifth pole of the year and the sister car #62 of Mass/Schlesser win the race 20 seconds ahead over the Nielsen/Brundle Jaguar and 1'08" over the Lammers/Dumfries Jaguar. The second Sauber C9 Mercedes is fourth 30" further. The Joest Porsches collect ranks 5 and 6. In C2 three Spice SE88Cs trust the three first places, followed by the Tigas of Kelmar Racing and Roy Baker Racing.
At Brands Hatch, before 30,000 spectators, Nielsen/Brundle/Wallace win the fifth time for Jaguar, heading the Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C and the Baldi/Schlesser Sauber C9 Mercedes having realised its sixth TQ. Four Spices finish as fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth with the Lucky Strike Argo JM19 winning its first top-10 place of the year, just behind the Kelmar Racing Tiga and ahead over the PC Automotive Argo.
It's already half September when we go to Francorchamps for the Spa 1000-kms, the last European round of the 1988 WSPC. Fastest car at the qualifications is once more the Sauber C8 Mercedes, now the Baldi/Johansson one. Before only 10,000 spectators (200,000 less than in the mid 1960s!) they will win the race, 24 seconds over the Lammers/Brundle Jaguar and three laps over the other Sauber C9. Fastest Porsche is the Brun Motorsport 962C of Laurrari/Reuter, finishing fourth. The two works Spice SE88s are fifth and sixth, the fastest Chamberlain Spice ninth and the Lucky Strike Argo JM19 for the second time this season tenth.
It's the second week of October when we move to Japan for the Fuji 1000-kms. Curious to see what the new Japanese machinery - the Toyotas C88-L, the Mazdas 676 and the Nissans 88C, plus the traditional local Porsches 962C - can do against the new European stars, the Jaguars and the Saubers Mercedes? At the qualifications the local machinery does extremely well as the #27 From A Porsche 962C of Hideki Okada and Stanley Dickens TQs, followed by the Nissan R88C of Masahiro Hasemi/Aguri Suzuki, the #62 Sauber C9 Mercedes of Baldi/Philippe Streiff and the semi-works Omron Porsche of Klaus Ludwig/Price Cobb. A spin after 175 out of 224 laps makes the Baldi/Streff Sauber C9 Mercedes loosing the lead to the Brundle/Cheever Jaguar XJR-9, winning for TWR for the sixth time on ten outings. The Omron Porsche is second at one lap, followed by the #8 Blaupunkt Joest Porsche, the From A Racing Porsche  and the #61 Sauber C9 Mercedes. First Nissan is ninth. Spice wins the two first places in C2, followed by the Kelmar Racing Tiga GC288 Cosworth.
On going end November to Australia for the Sandown Park 360-kms, everything has already been decided. TWR Jaguar is for the second consecutive time world champion, with Sauber Mercedes as runner-up and Joest Porsche as third. In C2 the BP Spice Engineering works team is so outstanding that they collected more than the double of the points won by the Chamberlain Spice Team. Kemar Tiga is third, heading GP Motorsport Spice and Charles Ivey Tiga. At Sandow Park Sauber C9 Mercedes realises the double, followed by the two Jaguars and the Spice/Bellm SE88C Cosworth, winning once more C2. Having switched his Tiga for a Porsche 962C Tim Lee-David is sixth, ahead over the ADA 03 Cosworth and the Kelmar Racing Tiga GC288 Cosworth. This year Porsche even not once won, Jaguar six times, Mercedes five times.

From top to bottom the 7.0 TWR Jaguar XJR-9 having won the championship and six of the eleven WSPC rounds including the Le Mans 24 hours, the 5.0t Sauber C9 Mercedes having won five rounds and eight poles; the the 3.0t works Porsche 962C having lost Le Mans for two minutes; the 3.3 Spice SE88C Cosworth DFL having won in C2 all rounds except for the Nürburgring 1000-kmd having been won by the Kelmar Tiga: the 3.3 ADA 03 Cosworth DFL having finished as second C2 car at Le Mans and second C2 car at Sandown Park;  one of the two Kelmar Racing Tigas, having finished third at the WSPC 1988 for C2 cars.

At the IMSA Camel GTP Championship the period 1985-1987 was one of a never ending procession of Porsches 962 winning more than 80 per cent of all rounds. This year, however, things changed thoroughly. Indeed TWR built three Jaguars XJR-9 for IMSA racing having Castrol as main sponsor. It begins already at the Daytona 24 hours where Brundle/Boesel/Nielsen and their Castrol Jaguar XJR-9 D defeat the Wollek/Baldi/Redman Uniroyal Goodrich Porsche 962 by one lap, with the other Jaguar finishing as third. At the Miami 3 hours the Castrol Jaguars are second and sixth behind the Cobb/Weaver Dyson Racing Porsche 962. The Sebring 12 hours are convincingly won by the Porsches trusting the five first places with a victory for the Stuck/Ludwig Bayside Disposal Porsche 962. But up from then a new car, the #83 3.0 Garrett turbocharged Nissan GTP ZX-T will cause a true revolution in American motoring. Indeed the car, driven by Geoff Brabham - all or not with John Morton or Tom Gloy (only once) as team mate - will win the eight following rounds: at Lime Rock 150-kms, Mid-Ohio 500-kms and Sears Point 300-kms that will be ahead over a Castrol Jaguar XJR-9 as second and another Castrol Jaguar XJR-9 as third; at the West Palm Beach 3 hours that will be with only one Castrol Jaguar as second; at Road Atlanta that will be with a Castrol Jaguar as second and the other as fourth; at the Portland 300-kms that will be with the #84 Nissan GTP ZX-T of John Morton as second; and at the Watkins Glen 500-kms and  the Road America 500-kms that will be with the Holbert Porsche 962 as second. 
After those eight consecutive wins there comes a break at the San Antonio 3 hours where the Dyson Porsche 962 of Price Cobb and James Weaver wins ahead over the Watson/Davy Jones Castrol Jaguar. At the Colombus 300-kms Geoff Brabham wins for the ninth time with his Nissan GTP ZX-T, now ahead over Klaus Ludwig in the Bayside/Leven Motorsport Porsche 962. At the last round at the Del Mar 2 hours it's enough that the Nissan GTP ZX-T can finish one rank higher than all Porsches to win the Make Championship. However, that last round is won by Jan Lammers and Martin Brundle in their Castrol Jaguar XJR-9, with Klaus Ludwig in the Bayside-Leven Motorsport Porsche 962 as second and Derek Daily in the #84 Nissan GTP ZX-T as fourth, so that Porsche - having won only three rounds out of the fourteen - wins the championship with 197points, against 196 for Nissan (having won nine rounds out of fourteen) with ... 196 points. Jaguar, having won two rounds, is third with 174 points. One has to keep in mind that Nissan and Jaguar had only two cars involved in the championship, against seven for Porsche. The Camel Light Championship goes to the Spice SE88L Pontiac Fiero.
In the individual GTP ranking Geoff Brabham wins of course with 186 points against 140 for Jaguar's John Nielsen and 137 for Porsche's Price Cobb. The Camel Lights individual championship is won by Tom Hesser of Tiga.

At the 1988 All-Japan Endurance Championship (JSPC) the might of the Porsche 962C, however, is not broken as could have been expected last year when the new Tom's Toyota 87C gave the Japane'se Porsches twice a clear beat. Nothing of that all this year, as Porsche won five of the six rounds. At the Mount Fuji 500-kms of From A Racing and Trust Racing Team qualified on the first row, followed by the March 87S Nissan. The race was won by Hideki Okada/Stanley Dickens ant their #27 From A Racing Porsche 962C, followed by four other Porsches, and only then the two first Toyotas 88C. At the second round, the International Suzuka 500-kms three Porsches 962 qualify with faster times than the first Toyota 88C in rank 4. Victory is for the #25 Rothmans Team Schuppan Porsche 962C driven by Eje Elgh and Maurizio Sala. Now there are four Porsches at the four first places, with the first Toyota 88C only as fifth.  At the All-Japan Fuji 1000-kms the Schuppan Porsche sets the pole, but victory is for the Leyton House Porsche 962CK6 of Kris Nissen and Bruno Giacomelli letting four other Porsches behind and the first Toyota 88C and first Nissan R88C as sixth and seventh. At the JAF Grand Prix, a 500-mi race at Fuji the Nissan R88C of Aguri Suzuki can set the pole, but the Form A Racing Porsche 962C of Hideki Okada and Stanley Dickens score its second win, followed by the Omron Porsche 962C of Kenny Acheson/Price Cobb. The Nissans R88C are here third and fifth, a Mazda 767 fourth and the SARD MC88S Toyota sixth. Also at the fifth round the new Japanese machinery fails to beat the Porsches. Now we find two Porsches on the front row, heading a Tom's Toyota 88C-V but Okada/Dickens score their third win with the Advan Porsche 962C as runner-up. The Hasemi/Suzuki Nissan R88C is third at two laps, the first Tom's Team Toyota 88C is fifth. We have to wait the WSPC Fuji 1000-kmswon by the Brundle/Cheever Jaguar XJR-9 to see the Porsche 962C being defeated on Japanese soil. But Porsche wins the 1988 All-Japan Prototype Car Endurance Championship with 115 points against 36 for Nissan on rank 2 and 28 for Toyota on rank 3. In Japan the Porsche 962C thus continues ruling, just as if Jaguar and Mercedes didn't exist. 

TOP: the famous 3.0t Nissan GTP ZX-T of Geoff Brabham having caused a stir at the IMSA Camel GT Championship by winning nine of the fourteen rounds, among them eight on a row. The car lost the championship from Porsche for one single point. That was only possible since seven GTP Porsches could score points against only two Nissans.
BOTTOM: the famous Tom Walkingshaw 7.0 Castrol Jaguar XJR-9 which won the 1988 Daytona 24 hours.The Castrol Jaguars won two of the fourteen rounds at the IMSA Camel GTP Championship, finished seven times as runner-up and three times as third. They were third at the 1988 IMSA Makes Championship.

1989: ENGLAND - GERMANY 0-8 - COULD THAT BE  SOME DEFEAT?
This year the WSPC has come to full maturity. Bill boards, publicity and program books all follow a standard layout for each of the rounds. There is also a new logo used in all communication with the public and with the press. In an attempt to lure in TV coverage, the gentle FIA president Jean-Marie Ballestre - in fact a former Nazi, having always presented himself as a former resistance fighter - had obtained that the distance of all rounds of the WSPC was uniform and reduced to 480-kms. The Le Mans 24 hours, thus, were no longer part of it. Number of rounds was reduced from eleven to eight. Jarama (always a good public show), the Nürburgring, Spa Francorchamps and Brands Hatch were maintained on the calendar, but  such traditional rounds as Fuji and Silverstone were replaced res. by Suzuka (now the opening instead of the final round) and Donington. Having still no access to the States, where IMSA had sports car racing firmly in its hands, Ballestre insisted to have a round on the American continent and obtained that it was Mexico City at the end of the season. And of course there should be a French round. Surprisingly that was not Paul Ricard or Magny-Cours, but Dijon. Jerez, where public attendance had always been low - even under 5,000 - was struck from the list, just as Monza where attendance had  always been low, even in the days of the Lancia versus Porsche combat.
Legend builders have always written that towards the end of the WSPC popularity of Group C was that high that it could compete with F1, e.g. such nonsense as "By 1989, the Group C series popularity was nearly as great as Formula One."  That is one of the biggest lies in the history of motorsport. At Le Mans e.g. public attendance dropped from 250,000 in 1982 to 60,000 in 1983, obtained only 80,000 in 1985, became 150,000 in 1988 and reached its summit in 1989 with 260,000. Total attendance at all rounds together was except for 1988 and 1989 always lower than 500,000. But 500,000 that was the number of visitors the Targa Florio alone scored from the mid-sixties to the early seventies. When in 1964 Ford came with its famous GT40 to the old Nürburgring there were more than 400,000 visitors for one week-end; now the figures oscillated between 10,000 and 15,000. At Spa-Francorchamps e.g. public attendance for the 1000-kms was from 1964 thru 1973 year after year higher than 150,000, but at the high days of Group C it oscillated always between ... 3,000 to 8,000. When in 1963 Roy Salvadori came with John Wyer's Aston Martin DP215 to Monza to beat, after an unbelievable thrilling fight, Mike Parkes in the unbeatable Ferrari 250 GTO, there were 125,000 visitors. During the Group C days attendance at Monza oscillated between 5,000 and 10,000. Group C racing was not great as should it had been so popular among the crowds, it was great due to the cars it presented. In 1989 no less than seven major automobile manufacturers showed with works cars at the WSPC: Mercedes, Jaguar, Porsche, Aston Martin (finally have come back!), Toyota, Mazda and Nissan. In the post-war history of motoring it never happened that so many manufacturers were fighting in the same class for OA victory. In the sixties it was Ford versus Ferrari in the highest class, with Alfa Romeo versus Porsche, MG and Lotus in the under two-litre class with Renault in the under 1.3-litre class. But in 1989 they were indeed no less than seven to fight for the highest honours! That's what made Group C so popular among the die-hard autosport enthusiasts, not the public attendance. In Graph 1 one sees clearly that this attendance was far from spectacular. From 1982 to 1984 - at the days of the procession of exclusively Porsches 956 - attendance was decreasing. When Jaguar and Mercedes came in, attendance was growing steadily until 1989. Up from 1990 the decline was clearly visible, reaching in 1992 the lowest point with less than 100,000 spectators for all rounds (except Le Mans) together. And at Le Mans attendance was again under the 200,000 in 1992. Ballestre's attempt to transform Group C racing from endurance racing into sprint racing has never been appreciated by the fans. Moreover it never reached its goal. TV coverage of the new formula never happened. Striking off the fuel consumption rules in 1990 and striking off the C2 class was somewhere the beginning of the fall of Group C racing, a fall which was consumed in hardly three seasons.   

But back to 1989. Last year the Jaguar-Mercedes combat at the WSPC ended in a 6-5 win for the Britons. At TWR they are not blind, they know very well that at all rounds the Sauber C9 Mercedes was at the qualifications faster than their own Jaguar C-9. So they work on a lighter 90° V6 DOHC double turbocharged 3.5-litre engine which they can use both in IMSA Camel GT racing as at the WSPC. At IMSA the XJR-9 of last year will be replaced by the new Castrol Jaguar XJR-10, at the WSPC they'll use the old 7-litre XJR-9 during the four first rounds, the new 3.5-litr XJR-11 during the last round. On the new car the former three plate clutch AP has been replaced by a four plate AP clutch with straight cut gears. The suspension was redesigned using now magnesium uprights in the rear, titanium coil springs, and ventilated disc brakes housed within the wheels. The body design is also changed with the sides being lower at the cockpit area and climbing into a bow over the rear wheels. An additional air intake is placed as a periscope in front of the rear wheel section. 
One of the big sensations of the new season is that - thirty years after their last great season - Aston Martin comes back in racing. Earlier Nimrod, EMKA (the team of Pink Floyd manager Steve O'Rourke) and Cheetah used an Aston Martin engine in Group C racing, but that motor was so unreliable that all three stopped running it after 1985. A brand new quad cam version of the former 5.3-litre motor was developed in 1987 by Callaway in the States. The motor returned to England as a fully reliable 90°V8 DOHC 6.3-litre unit, developing 740 bhp at 7750rpm. Max Boxtrom - ex-Brabham - designed the coke-bottle shaped monocoque chassis with honeycomb floors, completely from composite materials as carbon fibre and kevlar. The car - officially the 6.3 Aston Martin AMR1 - is shown in October 1988 to the Newport Pagnell workers. A serious crash at the early season test will make the car missing the first round. Four more copies will be released in the course of the year, and towards the end of the season two cars will be seen in WSPC.
At Sauber they work on the reliability of the C9 without major changes except for the motor. They provide a complete new development of the allow V8 engine, known as M119. A full four valve head with DOHC was good for 780bhp in qualification configuration, 750 bhp in race configuration. At Porsche - now involved in American formula USAC racing - they have no more the financial means to develop a more competitive version of their 962C. So no more factory cars will be sent to the series. Their cars will be raced exclusively by privateers. Among them the Kremer Bros work on a revisited model, called the Porsche 962CK6, whilst Richard Lloyd, using an own carbon fibre chassis and a completely redesigned body goes further than all other privateers.
New is that three major automobile manufacturers - Toyota, Mazda and Nissan - decide to let race at least one works car at all rounds of the WSPC. Of them especially Nissan has made great impression after the row of successes obtained in IMSA Camel GTP racing with their GTP ZX-T (in fact an all-American car, a Lola T810 developed by Electramotive Engineering). For the WSPC they'll use another car than their GTP ZX-T serving exclusively the firm's commercial purposes on the American market.  Also new is that Spice has now three cars in C1, two raced by the factory, one having been sold to the France Prototeam. Mussato will do the complete season at the wheel of an old Lancia LC2. Noel Delbello comes not back with his Sauber C8 Mercedes.  In C2 we see no more Gebhardts, no more Argos, only Spice, Tiga and ALD.
The 1989 WSPC takes off on April 9 at Suzuka in Japan. The new Toyota 89C-V qualifies with two cars at the first row followed by the fastest Jaguar XJR-9 and fastest Sauber C9 Mercedes on the second row. The Nissans - still last year's version, thus R88Cs - are sixth and seventh. Obermaier Racing, having made its come-back surprises with a fifth place on the grid. The race is dominated by the two Saubers, finishing at the two first places. Jan Lammers try to follow them with the #1 Jaguar, but will run out of fuel two laps before the finish. The other Jaguar of Nielsen/Wallace finishes as fifth, headed by a Joest Porsche 962C and a Nissan R88C. The Toyota having realised the pole will loose seven laps in the pits, the other will be brought home as sixth. Of the four C2 cars at the start only Chamberlain's Spice SE86C Hart reaches the finish.
When we go to Dijon for the second row we are remembered by the Aston Martin team that John Wyer - the man who let the Astons score their best results in the late fifties and the early sixties, also the man behind the successes of Ford, Mirage and the JAW Gulf Porsche 917 - has passed away one month earlier. Indeed, the AMR1, making its maiden race, features a black band on the left wing. On the grid the two Saubers C8 Mercedes are split by the Toyota 89C-V of Lees/Dumfries. The highly modified Porsche of Lloyd Racing is fourth. This time the Suzuka winners, Schlesser/Baldi, finish again ahead over their Sauber Mercedes team mate Acheson , but both cars are beaten by the Blaupunkt Joest Porsche of Wollek/Jelinski. The Bell/Needell Toyota is fourth ahead over the Lloyd Porsche, the Cougar and the French C1 Spice SE88C. Chamberlain wins again C2, but now with its Spice SE89C, finishing eleventh.
Mid June we quit the WSPC and go to La Sarthe for the Le Mans 24 hours. Jaguar - having been purchased, just as Aston Martin, by Ford - is present with four cars, Mercedes - now true silver arrows - with three, Aston Martin with two, Toyota-Nissan-Mazda all with three, Spice with two factory C1 cars and another C1 for the French. There are sixteen Porsches 962C at the start, all entered by privateers. Front row goes to two Saubers C9 Mercedes, second row to two Jaguars XJR-9, third row to the pink #9 Joest Porsche 962C and a third Jaguar. At the long Hunaudières straight, still without chicanes, a 3.0 WM Secateva Peugeot - for the rest nearly unmanageable - reaches a top speed of  408 kph 254 mph), immediately followed by a Mercedes. Weather is cloudy but dry. It is Mercedes setting the pace, Jaguar, initially sandwiched between two Saubers, and the pink Joest Porsche are purchasing.  The Jaguars, having a registered a top speed of 389 kph, have problems to follow. Nevertheless France's Alain Ferté will realise the fastest race lap with the #4 Jaguar XJR-9. At several places I read that the young Michael Schumacher of the Mercedes Junior Team  was lapping at speeds which had the Mercedes team management furious, but still being able to eke out extra laps per stint. If this is true, why I find his name nowhere in the results? [if someone knows more about this he or she can always mail me to jppro@pandora.be].  Eventually Jochen Mass/Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens in the #63 Mercedes win the race, five laps ahead over Mauro Baldi/Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli in the #61. Thirty-three years after their tragic race in 1955 the Silver Arrows are back and realise the double.  The pink Joest Racing Porsche 962C of Wollek/Stuck is third. First Jaguar is the #1 XJR-9 of Lammers/Tambay/Andrew Scott-Smith, finishing fourth at nine laps. Mazda causes a stir: using their rotary engine their 767B finish as seventh and ninth, sandwiching the second Jaguar XJR-9. One of the Astons is brought home in rank 11. C2 doesn't go to one of the traditional Spices or Tigas, but to a Cougar C20LM Porsche, not earlier seen in competition.
Two weeks later we go to Spain for the Jarama 480-kms, where only 30,000 visitors show. Again Mercedes conquers the front row, the Jaguars - still XJR-9 - the second row. Again they are unable to follow Mercedes, finishing second and sixth. Victory goes to the Mercedes of Schlesser/Mass. The other Mercedes finishes fifth. Best Porsche, finishing third is the Repsol Brun Motorsport #6 of Laurrari/Pareja. At least one of the yellow C1 Spice cars runs in the top-10: Thorkild Thyrring (DK) and Wayne Taylor (ZA) and their #22 Spice SE89C Ford are fourth. Of the Japanese cars a Nissan R89C and a Toyota 89C-V finish res. as eighth and tenth. So shortly after Le Mans they decide at Aston Martin not to show in Spain, preparing their cars for the much more important Brands Hatch 480-kms.

From top to bottom the 5.0tt Sauber C9 Mercedes having won seven of the eight WSPC rounds plus Le Mans, the 3.0t Joest Porsche 962C having won surprisingly at Dijon; the 3.5 turbocharged Jaguar XJR-11 having made the four last rounds of the 1989 WSPC, but without the smallest victory; the 6.3 Callaway Aston Martin AMR1, having finished the six rounds it entered and the Le Mans 24 hours as eleventh.

At Brands Hatch 42,000 people show, a maximum since 1967 when nearly the double showed for the last round of the WCM, where Ferrari and Porsche could still win the title. Jaguar shows with two new XJR-11s and the old XJR-9. Aston Martin has only one car ready. Equipped with the more aggressive 3.5 turbocharged V6 the Jaguar XJR-11 of Jan Lammers conquers the pole, followed by the two Saubers C9 Mercedes. In the race, however, he cannot hold the lead and victory goes again to Mercedes with Baldi/Acheson, letting the Joest Porsche 962C 1'17" behind. The Schlesser/Mass Mercedes is third at one lap. Aston-Martin finishes as fourth, heading the Jan Lammers/Patrick Tambay Jaguar XJR-11, three Porsches, a Cougar and one of Chamberlain's C2 Spice cars (finishing eighth OA).
Half August we go to the Nürburgring for the 480-kms. The two Saubers C9 Mercedes qualify for the first row, followed by the two Jaguars, split by the fast Nissan R89C. Mercedes holds the lead from start to finish with Schlesser/Mass finishing two seconds earlier than Baldi/Acheson. The Jaguars finish as fifth and eleventh, even headed by the Kremer Porsche 962CK6 and the fastest of the Brun Repsol Porsches. The Toyota 89C-V, the Aston Marin AMR1 and the Cougar are found between the two Jaguars. For the first time the Chamberlain #101 Spice SE89C Cosworth - having won its class at the four previous rounds, cannot be brought home, so that class win goes to the MAKO Spice SE88C Cosworth, finishing as low as seventeenth. Attendance in the German Eifel is unbelievable low: only 12,000 spectators show, just as if the Germans are not interested in the brilliant performances of the Silver Arrows.
At Donington we see for the first time two Aston Martins AMR1 at the start. Attendance is up to 30,000 persons, hardly better than the former years at Silverstone. The two Saubers C9 Mercedes start again from the front row, followed by the Nissan R89C and the Toyota 89C-V. There are only two Jaguars, both a 3.5 twin turbocharged XJR-11. Lammers's car is already out at the end of the first hour with distribution problems, whilst Wallace/Alain Ferté run out of fuel with five laps to go. Mercedes scores a new double with Schlesser/Mass finishing 52" earlier than Acheson/Baldi. The Nissan R89C of Julian Bailey and Mark Blundell is third at 1'29". Then follows the fastest Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C - the one having won the second round - and the blue and yellow Hydro Aluminium #5 of Brun Motorsport. The two Aston Martins finish two laps down to both Silver Arrows as sixth and seventh. They are still to heavy, but the Callaway engine is remarkable reliable. What a difference with the motor as used in the days of Nimrod, EMKA and Cheetah.  The Cougar and the Toyota finish at the end of the top-10. Jari Nurminen (SF) wins C2 with the works Tiga.
It's half September when we go to Spa-Francorchamps for the 480-kms. Here too attendance is not high, only 15,000 visitors. Better than in former years, O.K. but miles away from what is noted in F1 racing. The two Jaguars qualify as second and third, of course behind a Mercedes, and both are withdrawn early in the race: Lammers with a failing turbocharger, Nielsen with deficient electrics in the wet. Victory is for the Baldi/Acheson Silver Arrow having started from the pole. The Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C of Bob Wollek and Frank Jelinski finishes as the lonely other car on the lead lap, however 2'16" later than the Mercedes. The Nissan R898C of Bailey/Blundell confirms its good series by finishing as third, one lap down to the winner. A factory C1 Spice finishes as fifth, one of the Astons as seventh.  The MAKO Spice SE88C Cosworth scores its second class win. Contrarily to the two Jaguars in the IMSA Camel GTP Series - where the old XJR-9 is much more reliable than the new XJR-10 with the 3.5 twin turbocharged new motor - are scoring endless better than the new XJR-11 in the 1989 WSPC. So, Tom Walkingshaw decides to send two XJR-9s to Mexico for the final round. He hopes to win at least one of the eight rounds, similar to what his Jaguars did at the IMSA Camel GTP Championship, where they won three of the four last rounds of the terrible Nissan GTP XZ-T, the last one week earlier than the Mexico City 480-kms.
In Mexico 80,000 people show for the final round of the 1989 WSPC. The Silver Arrows qualify again on the first row, followed by the Toyota 89C-V - the whole year fast at the qualifications, but not fully reliable during the race - and Wollek's Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C. With a sixth and a tenth position on the grid the Jaguars XCJR-9 are nowhere. One Silver Arrows - the Baldi/Acheson unit - is lost on a collision with a Spice. The track is dangerous as, at practice, we lost no less than three Porsches 962C on accidents. The surviving Mercedes of Schlesser/Mass is menaced until the finish by the Brun Motorsport Porsche 962C of Harald Huysman, now teamed with Oscar Laurrari. They'll finish 36 seconds down to the Mercedes with the Jelinski/Pescarolo Blaupunkt Joest Porsche 962C in the same lap. The two Jaguars finish as fifth and sixth at one lap. The Aston Martin AMR1 is ninth. C2 is won, already for the fifth time this year, by the #101 Spice SE89C Cosworth of Chamberlain Racing.
The defending champion, Jaguar thus, has been beaten this year seven times by a Mercedes, once by a Porsche. That brings the score England-Germany on 0 to 8. A defeat can be hardly more stringent than that. Having returned to the normal points system - thus no longer working with triple and double points, now all rounds go over the same length - Mercedes wins the 1989 WSPC with 155 points, against 84 for Joest Racing and 66 for Brun Motorsport. The double champion, Jaguar, is this year only fourth with a poor total of only 47 points. The drivers championship has been won by Jean-Louis Schlesser with 115 points, ahead over Jochen Mass and Mauro Baldi. First Jaguar driver, Jan Lammers, finishes not higher than eighth. The C2 championship has been won by the Spice cars of Chamberlain Racing with 120 points, against 100 for the MAKO Spice. Here Firmin Velez and Nick Adams finish (tied) as winners of the drivers ranking.

The three Japanese works cars in the 1989 WSPC. From top to bottom the we see the Toyota 89C-V, nearly always the fastest at the qualifications, but having finished never higher than fourth; the Nissan R89C having realised twice the podium; the Mazda 767B, having finished only twice in the (low) top-10. The team was much more interested in a goof performance at Le Mans (where they finished seventh, ninth and twelfth), and in the performances of their 1.3-litre rotary motor, used at the IMCA Camel Light Championship in the Argos JM19.

At least as interesting as the 1989 WSPC is the 1989 IMSA Camel GTP Championship, going over 15 rounds. Only at three of them - the Daytona 24 hours, the Sebring 12 hours and Road America - GTP cars and Lights are competing together with GTO and GTU cars. There are seriously more cars involved than at the WSPC but number of works teams is limited to Nissan - with their terrible Nissan GTP ZX-T having dominated the series last year, to Jaguar and to Mazda (being only present in the Light class with the Argos JM19 and the Tigas). No less than 67 will enter one or several rounds of the IMSA Camel GT. We find fourteen Porsches 962, three Jaguars (initially 6-litre XJR-9, later 3.5-litre twin turbocharged XJR-10), the two terrible Nissans GTP ZX-Ts, three Fords Mustang Probe, three GTP Spice cars, one Chevrolet Corvette GTP, the AAR Toyota 88C, the Eagle HF89 Toyota, etc. At Daytona the Mustangs are nowhere, and will not be seen again. Serious problems with the Corvette GTP which, even in hands of Jacques Villeneuve, refuses to behave properly. Of the fourteen Porsches only four do at least half of the rounds: Moretti's #30, Busby's #67 Miller, Bayside's #86 Texaco Havoline and Hotchkiss' #10. Their direct opponents, Nissan and Jaguar will do all rounds with two cars. The AAR Toyota and Eagle do the majority of the rounds.
At the Lights we find six Argos JM19 (five powered by Mazda and the #63 Argo as factory car), nine Spices, nine Tigas and two Albas. Four Spices, two Tigas and one Argo do the complete series. Of the seven first rounds five are won by the Nissans, two by the Busby Racing Miller Porsche 962 - among them the famous Daytona 24 hours won by one and a halve minute from the #61 Cobb/Nielsen Jaguar XJR-9. At those seven rounds that #61, only the second Jaguar, scores five consecutive times the second place, once the third place and then again the second place. The fastest Jaguar, the one driven by Jan Lammers, runs in problems at the five first rounds, before finishing second at round #6. Everybody expects that Jaguar, using its new 3.5tt XJR-10 only since round #6, will do better during the second half of the season, but the new #60 car remains unreliable. It will finish again twice far under the old #61 XJR-9. At round #9 - the famous Road America - it looks like Lammers will at least beat the reigning champion Geoff Brabham and his #83 Nissan, but Lammers comes no further than a second place, closely followed by John Nielsen and Davey Jones in the old XJR-9.  
After nine rounds the gap with the Nissan boys - Geoff Brabham in the #83 and Chip Robinson in the #84 - is too big that Lammers can still hope to win the championship. Only Price Cobb - after nine rounds 28 points down to Brabham - can still hope. At Portland (round #3) the team decides to let him race with Lammers the faster - but so unreliable - XJR-10. It's a good gamble as both win the race, not two full seconds ahead over Brabham. The gap between him and Price Cobb is now down to 18 points with still five rounds to go. At round #11, the Topeka 300-kms, it's again Lammers/Cobb in the 3.5 litre XJR-10 and Nielsen/Jones in the 6-litre XJR-9. Although those two cars finish with an equal number of laps as Brabham with the #83 Nissan and Robinson with the #84, top two goes to the Nissans, with the XJR-10 as third and the XJR-9 eventually as fifth (after it was in extremis passed by the very impressive Toyota 88C of Drake Olson). With four rounds to go the gap between Geoff Brabham and Price Cobb is again up, now to 26 points.
It's already September when we go to San Antonio for a two hour race on the street circuit. Price Cobb is again on the XJR-10. But as Jan Lammers has to do the WSPC Donington 480-kms the same day, his team mate is Alain Ferté. Poor Cowden will not drive one single lap, as the engine of the XJR-10 explodes after only 20 of the 94 laps. But less than one hour later Geoff Brabham's engine goes also up in smoke, so that with three last rounds to go (and 60 points to win) the difference remains 26 points. But as Chip Robinson wins the race, ahead over the AAR Toyota 88C , the two Busby Racing Porsches and Moretti's Momo Porsche, Chip jumps over Price in the provisional ranking. At round #13, the Sears Point 300-kms, Jaguar decides that Lammers and Cobb will start on the XJR-10, Nielsen and Jones on the XJR-9. The race is a walk-over for the Nissans, with Brabham beating Jones and the Jaguars as third and fourth, with the XJR-9 finishing higher than the XJR-10. For Nissan it is already their tenth victory. With two rounds to go Cobb is 40 points down to Brabham and Robinson, having both 209 points against 169 for Cobb. So, jaguar can no longer win the driver's championship, finishing as a combat among the two Nissan drivers with exactly the same number of points. As Brabham won two rounds more than Robinson, his qualified as first on going to Tampa for the one but last round, a 360-kms race. Brabham qualifies as first, 2/10ths of a second faster than Lammers in the XJR-10. Cobb starts in the XJR-9. By intelligent driving Cobb will win the race in a final sprint with the yellow #64 Spice SE89P of Jim Miller. Chip Robinson finishes fourth, Brabham sixth. With one last round to go Robinson leads Brabham by 4 points.

The final round, a two hour sprint race at Del Mar Fairgrounds in California, will decide who of the two Nissan GTP ZX-T racers - Geoff Brabham or Chip Robinson - will win the drivers championship. No Nissan and no Jaguar starts from the front row where we find the works Spice SE89P Pontiac of Scott Atchinson and Wayne Taylor (TQ) side to side with the Spice SE89P of Bob Earl. Brabham starts from the second row, Robinson from the third. On the short and twisty track the two Spice cars are continuously attacked by the two Nissans and the two Jaguars, this time two XJR-10s, with Price Cobb having started from rank 4 and Jan Lammers from rank 7. Shortly after the end of the first hour the works Spice has to retire with a blown engine. Brabham, Robinson and Lammers have now passed Bob Earl and his Spice. The Eagle HF89 Toyota and the Bayside Havoline Texaco Porsche 962C of Jochen Mass are all found in the same lap. Brabham and Robinson race nose to tail when at once, after 59 of 85 laps, Chip's Nissan passes no longer: broken drive shaft. It's enough that the defending champion, Brabham, can finish in the top-7 to win the championship. In the final stage of the race Lammers can pass the Nissan to offer Jaguar its third win of the season. Geoff Brabham finishes second and wins the championship. Eventually Nissan won ten of the fifteen rounds against three for Jaguar and two for Porsche. Among the Lights the red works Argo JM19 Mazda of Jim Downing and Howard Katz finished six times in the top-10 OA, against five times for the Spice SE88P of Scott Schubot, but the last named won eight times its class, so that Schubot is the new champion in the Camel Light.

At the JSPC Championship we see nothing of the motoring revolution observed in Europe and the States. Four of the five major teams - From A Racing, Omron Racing Team, Leyton House Racing Team and Advan Alpha Nova - win each one round with their Porsche 962C. Only Trust Racing Team fails to win a round. We have to wait the fifth and last round, the Inter-Challenge Fuji 1000-kms in October to see Hitoshi Ogawa and Piero Barilla win their first race with a Toyota 89C-V. Hideki Okada and Stanley Dickens, racing for Leyton House, win the drivers championship. That the motoring revolution stays away from Japan is due to the fact that Mercedes and Jaguar are not interested in the JSPC, and that Nissan International is exclusively focused upon the American market. Nevertheless the Japanese Group C rounds go for a larger public than the European rounds of the WSPC and the American rounds of the IMSA Camel GTP Championship. The last round, e.g. goes for a crowd of more than 100,000 spectators.

From top to bottom the 3.0t Nissan GTP ZX-T, winner of 10 out of 15 rounds at the IMSA Camel GTP championship; the 3.5t Jaguar XJR-10 having won two rounds (a third round was won by the XJR-9 of the previous year); the impressive Toyota 88C which failed reliability to be a real menace for the Nissans and the Jaguars.

APPENDIX I - 1989 IMSA CAMEL GTP CHAMPIONSHIP: MOST IMPORTANT CARS