Page 13 - On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team

ON THE PROWL
1985-1986: Return to the World Championship
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Thackwell was on hand in his final race for the team before heading
for up-and-comers Sauber-Mercedes in 1986. Lammers returned after a
promising showing at Brands Hatch, and John Nielsen would actually
get a race start after the abortive attempt in Japan. For a fourth driver,
another member of the TWR touring car outfit was drafted, Italian
Gianfranco Brancatelli.
Just like at Fuji, torrential rain hit the paddock, but this time after
qualifying. Once again, the storm caused misery for the mechanics.
According to Scott, the downpour “flooded the pit garages. While bailing
out and cleaning up, a very large toad appeared from nowhere and took
up residence on top of our mechanic Taff’s toolbox.”
Race day started dry, albeit oppressively hot and humid, the
thermometer hitting upwards of 95°F.
Nielsen was concerned with the heat. “It was extremely hot. Jochen
Mass and Hans Stuck in the Rothmans Porsche were sitting there in the
pits, with their hands in pockets stuffed with ice. It was unbelievable.
And the Jaguars were physically very hard to drive. No power steering,
steel brakes, and air conditioning was not a thing then. It was quite a
shock to me in the way that you needed so much physical strength to
drive this car.”
The Jaguars gridded in fourth and fifth positions, and Jan Lammers
ran third in the #52 until a tire blowout threw him off the track and out
of the race. He was quickly re-assigned to the #51 to take Thackwell’s
second stint, who was suffering massively from the heat and was
unable to get back in. Lammers settled into a comfortable third position in
his “new” car and was cruising to Jaguar’s second podium when Hans
It was extremely hot. Jochen Mass
and Hans Stuck … were sitting
there in the pits, with their hands
in pockets stuffed with ice. It was
unbelievable. And the Jaguars were
physically very hard to drive. No
power steering, steel brakes, and air
conditioning was not a thing then. It
was quite a shock to me in the way
that you needed so much physical
strength to drive this car.
–John Nielsen
††
‡‡
vFuture TWR Jaguar driver
Raul Boesel failed to qualify the
Rothmans-sponsored March 821 of
the RAM F1 team at Brands Hatch
in 1982. This had been motorsport
sponsorship guru Guy Edwards’
first deal with tobacco marketer
Peter Gilpin, and he returned to
Gilpin when looking for a title
sponsor for TWR’s new program.
(James Claydon/Alamy)
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