5 December 2013

Continuing the "Where are they now?" thread 1980-82 Rovers

This picture popped up on the Group A Facebook page.  It is Charles Sawyer-Hoare following James Weaver's BMW, apparently driving the ex Yogi Muir Patrick Motorsport Rover. Posted by Scott Brownlee.

If this is the Ex Muir car then it was originally a Group 1 Rover 3500S which was converted to Group A specification.  Apparently the car is now in Australia and being restored to its former (I assume Group A) glory.

But working from memory there were two Group 1 Rovers in 1980, five, at some races, in 1981 and five in 1982.

So, where are they now?  well, not too sure really however based on the current knowledge, we know the Group 2 DPR Rover is alive and well somewhere in the UK.  Likewise the second DPR/TWR works Group 1 Rover (Lovett) is under restoration.  The 1981 Patrick Motorsport (PMS) Group 1 cars were Yogi Muir, Rex Greenslade and Rad Dougall.  The Yogi car described above, is in Australia as a Group A car, the Dougall car was bought earlier this year at Bonhams and we expect that to be out next season.

This picture was posted by Richard Melvin in the Facebook Group 1 page.  It shows the rear of Dennis Leech's Group 1 Rover at one of the 1982 Silverstone rounds of the BSCC.

If my logic is correct the Leech car was the ex PMS Rex Greenslade car.  Rex had a coming together with the Woodcote wall on the first or second lap of the last race of 1981.  That means, in terms of the current whereabouts, we have certainty of one PMS Group 1 car (Dougall) and one DPR/TWR Group 1 car (Lovett).  Then subject to confirmation the ex Muir PMS car is in Australia.  The Group 2  DPR Rover was racing with the CTCRC up until a couple of years ago, I don't know where it is right now.  And finally where is the Allam DPR/TWR Group 1 car and what happened to Dennis Leech's car?

Notwithstanding the lack of location it seems that things can be narrowed down a little.  Would be good to get some feedback to see if anyone can confirm or revise the above.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Peter, I bought the DPR Group 2 car from Tony Dickinson (of special saloon fame) in 1999, restored it to it's original look and raced it in CTCRC Classic Thunder for 5 or 6 years. I then sold it to an Italian gentleman racer who wanted to campaign it in a new European series for Group 2 Touring Cars, however after a couple of years he moved onto Group C racing and eventually sold it back into the UK in 2012, I have not seen it race since it's return.

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