The month in Motor Sport
November
17: Porsche unveils its new GT racer, the 450 bhp Turbo GT2, at the Essen Motor Show.
18: Ford Grand Prix applies for an official F1 entry with the FIA. It is the only new team to have done so by the deadline.
20: The Network RAC Rally starts in Chester. Colin McRae takes his now customary early lead. Father Jim heads the concurrent RAC International Historic Rally, but is eventually overhauled by fellow Porsche 911 driver Ake Andersson. The National Rally Britannia falls to Richard Tyzack’s Alpine-Renault Al110.
20: Giancarlo Fisichella and Jan Magnussen win the two heats of the Macau F3 GP, but aggregate victory goes to Sascha Maaβen, ahead of Kelvin Burt and Magnussen.
21: Super Nova F3000 team boss confirms that Glenn Waters will run an affiliated F3 team on his behalf in 1995.
21: Veteran race car designer Ron Tauranac admits that he is working on a new project. The Ronta will compete in the new Formula Renault Sport category.
22: Having completed its studies of all the available evidence, the FIA quashes the need for further speculation about whether Michael Schumacher might be deprived of the World Championship title. The German will not be penalised for his part in the Adelaide accident. Neither he nor Hill will be required to attend the next meeting of the World Motor Sports Council, on December 9.
22: The FIA announces an F1 calendar for 1995. Argentina appears at the top of the 17-race list; Hungary is listed as a reserve; the Nurburgring is slated to host the European GP. All other venues are as per 1994.
22: It becomes public knowledge that Tyrrell has not renewed its option on Mark Blundell, though the Englishman hopes to retain his place alongside Ukyo Katayama.
23: Having retained his lead since day one, Colin McRae becomes the first Briton to win the RAC Rally since 1976. Gwyndaf Evans wins the Formula Two section. Carlos Sainz’s accident on the final morning makes it certain that Didier Auriol will be France’s first world rally champion.
23: FIA F3000 champion Jules Bouillon impresses Williams with his pace at Paul Ricard.
25: Eddie Irvine gives the interim Jordan-Peugeot a shakedown at Silverstone.
26: A Johnny Herbert Fan Club-organised kart race in Acton earns £11.000 for SPARKS, the charity which uses sport to raise funds for needy children. Herbert and fellow racing stars David Coulthard, Mark Blundell, Dario Franchitti and Allan McNish are amongst the participating cast, which also includes Olympians Adrian Moorhouse, Du’ane Ladejo and Greg and Johnny Searle.
27: A first corner shunt between All-Japan F3000 title pretenders Andrew Gilbert-Scott and Marco Apicella decides the issue in the Italian’s favour. His chassis supplier. Dome, is said to be gearing up for F1 in 1996.
27: The seventh round of the Brazilian F3 series ends acrimoniously with the crews of -the two leading drivers, Cristiana da Matta and Hello Castro Neves, indulging in a mass pit lane brawl.
28: Reynard reveals its updated F3000 chassis, the 95D.
28: Honda’s BTCC Accords will be driven by David Leslie and lames Kaye in 1995. The team will be run by MSD.
28: Gulf announces that it will back Ray Bellm’s McLaren F1 at Le Mans.
28: Piero Liatti is tipped to join the Subaru WRC team, as third driver.
29: Jordan confirms that Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine will team up once again in 1995. Backer Sasol, however, will not be staying. Total is tipped to assume title sponsorship.
29: The FIA announces that Gregoire de Mevius has been excluded from the Rally Australia for fuel irregularities. When GM’s subsequent appeal fails, it hands the Two Litre Cup title to Skoda.
30: Jan Magnussen impresses Mercedes with his handling of a DTM car at Hockenheim. The Dane is slated to dovetail a DTM programme with Formula 3000.
December
1: Pacific confirms that it has clinched a Ford engine deal for 1995.
1: Derek Warwick signs for Alfa Romeo’s BTCC team, as partner to Giampiero Simoni. Michele Alboreto, meanwhile, will drive for Alfa in the DTM.
1: Renault confirms its BTCC line-up. Will Hoy will join Alain Menu. Elsewhere, Johnny Cecotto will head the Warthofer-run works BMW team.
2: Lawyers representing Williams and McLaren meet with the Contract Recognition Board in Geneva, as legal tangles cloud David Coulthard’s future. The Scot acknowledges that he has signed an agreement with McLaren. Its validity remains in doubt, however. The matter had still not been concluded as we closed for press.
2: Lola says that it won’t return to F1 until 1996, although the Ford-powered 195/30 is ready to shake down. Allan McNish will commence the evaluation programme.
3: Yoshio Nakamura dies (see Delirium Tremens).
4: Kenneth Hansen wins the Autoglass British Rallycross Grand Prix at Brands Hatch.
5: Ligier is thought to have secured a supply of Mugen-Honda engines for 1995.
5: Ford is said to be on the brink of changing its mind about closing its Boreham rally HQ.
5: Carlos Sainz finally signs for Subaru again, albeit for just one season.
7: Team Lotus’s new owner David Hunt advises staff that they are to be laid off, hopefully on a temporary basis. Hunt remains optimistic that funds will be raised to restart the 112 build programme in time for the start of the 1995 season.
7: Eddie Irvine tries Peugeot’s 3.0 F1 engine at Barcelona, and laps faster than he does with the 3.5. Jordan also gives Peugeot touring car star Laurent Aiello a run. The other team present is Sauber, for whom Karl Wendlinger, Kris Nissen, Pedro Lamy and Norberto Fontana all drive. Peter Sauber says he wants Karl to race in 1995, if he’s fit.
8: Lola shows the first public photographs of its F1 test chassis, the 195/30.
9: The FIA presents its annual awards at the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club.
9: The FIA confirms that F3000 will be replaced by a monotype formula in 1996.
9: Racing Ahead is launched, to change the face of national motorsport (see pages 26/27).
9: Having just lost his appeal against a six-month rally ban, following a chase car infringement in August, Dom Buckley falls on a glass bottle at home and is rushed to intensive care having lost five pints of blood. Mercifully, doctors are able to stabilise him and he makes a full recovery.
10: BMW says Steve Soper will contest both the Japanese and German touring car series in 1995, when time permits…
11: The sport is deeply saddened by the death of nine year-old Cadet kart racer Daniel Spence in a race at Kimbolton.
11: Damon Hill is voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
12: Reynard acquires a stake in Venson Motorsport, which will run a one-make British F2 series for Reynard 95D-DFYs in 1995. The aim is to make F2 a direct stepping-stone to F1.
12:Andrea Aghini signs a three-rally deal with Mitsubishi’s WRC team.