Sharp in historic switch with BMW
HISTORIC TOURING CARS
Porsche Supercup racer Tom Sharp is switching to historic racing this season with a pre-1966 BMW 1800 TISA touring car.
Sharp, 27, progressed through Ginettas and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and then spent the past two seasons in the Formula 1-supporting Porsche Supercup.
“We thought we’d try something a little bit different,” said Sharp. “I’ve visited the Silverstone Classic a few times as a spectator and wanted to have a go. The last couple of years have been really good fun travelling the world and racing in the Porsche Supercup.
“The time was right for me to move away from the Supercup and maybe do something a bit less full-on and more focused on just the fun of racing. This is back to basics and a totally different experience.”
The BMW was previously owned by Adrian van Hooydonk from BMW and has raced at Goodwood. Like the Porsches, it will be run by the family-based IDL team and Sharp plans to contest the Masters Pre-66 series, starting at Brands Hatch on 25-26 May.
While Sharp is planning his debut, a car with an impressive history returned to action at the Donington Historic Festival last weekend.
A Lotus Cortina Mk2 used by Graham Hill and Jacky Ickx for Team Lotus in 1967 raced for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Now owned and raced by John Miles and his son Adrian, the car is thought to have last raced in 1971 and is one of only two built for the 1967 British Saloon Car Championship. For 1968, it moved to Alan Mann Racing and was raced in Europe by Frank Gardner and Richard Attwood.
Miles acquired the car at auction last year and entrusted it to Henry Mann at Alan Mann Racing for restoration to exact period specification.
“We wanted it back to just how it was in
1968 and we plan to do some of the bigger races,” said Miles, who has competed in events such as Tour Auto and Tour Britannia. “It is one of only two and the other one is in Switzerland.”
The car was tested at Silverstone last
Thursday but hit gearbox problems. A fresh
’box was installed overnight ahead of qualifying for the Historic Touring Car Challenge event at Donington Park, but did not finish the race.