[monaroCountry]

The public got angry, and ratings dropped. Then from 1992 onwards, every foreign car was banned and the race consisted of only Ford and Holden; V8s.

Where the hell do you get your information from? That story is nothing more than a myth, there were far more things happening behind the scenes than the GTR dominating. Look back to previous years and notice the dominance of one make over another, even the Ford GTHO phase IV was canned because of their advancement and stock showroom performance (around 400hp in the 70's). The GTR was simply another chapter nothing more and nothing less.

At that stage 1990-1993 the real touring car force was not Holdens and Fords but the 2L British super tourers. Holdens were downgraded and slowed down to compete.

PLEASE READ THE REAL STORY BELOW!!!

Effectively the BMW and GTR were left out in the cold, since both used non compliance engines (3L and 2.6L). Holdens were hobbled and eventually the 2L based on the British super tourers and the 5L aussie cars had a falling out. The 5L (on shown on channel 10) set up their own category and the 2L (shown on channel 7) continued with theirs. The 5L category proved to be more popular and have thrived to what it is today. It had nothing to do with the GTR.

Holden and Ford V8s will take on the best of the British two-litre cars under the formula to replace the current Group A rules in 1993. After months of indecision, CAMS have announced that the 1993 Touring Car rules will have two classes - five-litre V8s, and two-litre cars complying to the current British Touring Car Championship regulations.

The new rules, announced by CAMS Motor Racing Manager Tim Schenken at a function in Melbourne, will maintain the "Group A" label, and will apply for three years commencing in 1993.

Class A will be for five litre, push-rod, V8 engines producing approximatly 450bhp, with chassis and suspension rules broadly based on the current Group A rules, without the need for manufacturer homologation.

The smaller class - Class B - will have similiar body, chassis and suspension rules, and will be based on the current two-litre British rules with engines reportedly producing around 285bhp.

"Class A prescribes regulations for five-litre pushrod V8 engines, effectively being the Falcon and the Commodore" Schenken said. "The aim of the regulations is to provide a car producing approximatly 450bhp controlled by a rev-limiter and a maximium compression ratio".

The need for manufacturers to homologate special cars or models has been abolished; they will only have to homologate an additional front air dam and rear wing.

"Class B, at this point in time, is based on the British Touring Car Championship." Schenken said, "which uses a two-litre engine with a rev-limiter and a weight differential for front wheel drive and rear wheel drive cars to balance their performance."

Under the new rules, Class A cars will have a minimum weight of 1300kg, a rev limiter restricting the engine speed to 7500rpm, and a maximum tyre width of 12in.

Class B will have a minimum weight of 1050kg for rear wheel drive cars, and 950kg for front wheel drive. The rev limiter will be set at 8500rpm, and tyres will be limited to a maximum of 9in.

Like the rules for 1992, CAMS has included a provision for review of the rules to maintain the competitiveness of the racing. Any changes thought necessary will bedecided on by a committee made up of representitives of CAMS and the involved manufacturers.

"Our objective is to maximise the number of makes and models participating Schenken said. "To ensure that we meet this criteria adjustments will occur on a needs basis and be subject of a review committee made up of CAMS and manufacturer representitives."

Despite the apparent decision, CAMS has left the door open to change the rules should more suitable international rules be formulated in the coming months.

Schenken claimed that FISA was looking at a new international formula, possibly even as soon as December, and CAMS would consider dropping the British rules in favour of the FISA alternative for Class B should it be more suitable.

"It is important to point out that at this time there is no international compatibility because FISA has not yet determined which regulations it wishes to introduce" said Schenken. "We do know that FISA is considering the British and German Touring Car Championship regulations and may adopt either or both.

"One thing we are clear on is that the German Touring Car Championship regulations envisioned for 1993 are not acceptable for Australian road-racing, so at this time the British rules are more attractive.

"However, should they change, or should other countries adopt the FISA formula which meets our requirements, CAMS will review it's position."

The decision to adopt the two-litre British rules has already met with the disapproval of the companies most likely to run cars in the small-car class.

BMW, in particular, flagged it's desire for CAMS to adopt internationally- recognised rules, and has signalled it's intention to lobby CAMS to follow the yet-to-be defined FISA rules.

"I'm very confident that there will be a 2.5-litre international class and i think it will be introduced this year, so we're working towards that." said BMW's Managing Director, Ron Meatchem.

"We'll put the Japanese and European philophosy to CAMS, so far there has only been my own view as BMW so far.

"Now we're working with the manufacturers group and there'll be a view from the Japanese and European manufacturers that 2.5-litres is what we want."

While BMW is one of the leading lights in the British championship, Meatchem believes the two-litre cars would not be competitive against the local V8s.

"A two-litre M3 would be about 20 percent off our curent M3, which would put us on about 2m 26s at Bathurst, which means we haven't got a hope in hell," said Meatchem at the '93 rules lauch.

"The two-litre formula is fine if everybody is running two-litre cars, and it works in England because everybody is running two-litre cars, but it can't work when you've got five-litres or whatever, and that's the problem for CAMS."



*A picture accompanying the article was of the late Keith Odor's Nissan Primera and Gary Ayles' Toyota Carina from the 1991 BTCC, the caption reading:- "CAMS formula for Touring Cars after 1992 calls for British Tourers like the Nissan Primera and Toyota Carina to race against locally-built Holden and Falcon V8s"