Birmingham Superprix
Encyclopedia
The Halfords
Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit
at the heart of Birmingham
, England
, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000
Championship, but support races included BTCC
and Formula Ford 1600
rounds, as well as sports car racing
.
obtained permission from Birmingham City Council
to hold a race in 1972, but the event never materialised. Although there was a demo run by Patrick Neve
in his Brabham BT45 around the Bullring in 1976.
It was not until the 6th November in 1984 that the council forwarded the Birmingham Road Race Bill to Parliament
on the 29th November in 1984, the members of the Parliament approved the Birmingham Road Race Bill in April 1985 and where it was passed and received Royal Assent
in October 1985. This allowed preparations for the Birmingham SuperPrix to begin. The event was to be centred around a race for Formula 3000
cars, at that time the last step up the career ladder before Formula One
. The circuit was laid out on closed streets near the city centre, and the meeting was scheduled for two days during the August Bank Holiday.
. Being laid out on public roads the circuit was bumpy, and the cars were thrown around badly. Pierluigi Martini
and Luis-Perez Sala qualified on the front row, followed by Andrew Gilbert Scott. The championship leader Ivan Capelli
span early on, in his March
86B Cosworth
powered car. Because of long delays, the first race was run at a shorter distance. At every corner there seemed to be someone crashing. The race was red flagged when Andrew Gilbert Scott was experiencing handling problems after an earlier spin. When he exited the Bristol Street Motors Bend on the 21st lap, he lost it and crashed into Alain Ferté
's stationary car, blocking part of the track, with Sala still fighting for the win from a fast catching up Martini. Luis Perez-Sala
was given the win, and Pierluigi Martini
given second, with Michel Ferté
taking third. The top six drivers was awarded half points as the race was red-flagged on the 24th lap, just before the halfway point of the 51 lap race.
was on pole, alongside Stefano Modena
. Later on, Pierluigi Martini was forced to pit with electrical problems, while Roberto Moreno
had a tremendous race, having started from the pits after stalling before the warm-up lap. Modena made it his second win of the season, while Moreno took second after his pressure had caused Wallace to make a driving error at the Ferodo Corner. After his pole, Guglemin took third place.
(brother of former F1 champion, James Hunt
) was involved in a massive shunt, clipping Claudio Langes
' car as the cars front of them slowed down due to the Bertrand Gachot
/Andy Wallace accident at the Zenith Turn (Hunt's car managed to punch a massive hole into a wholesalers' shop wall at the fast Loctite Corner). The second stoppage was due to an incident involving Russell Spence
. After his car spun, blocking the road, a crane came to move his car. Spence was still in the car, and frantically waving at the crane driver to put his car down facing the right way. The car was lowered, but not in the right place and Spence got out of his car, and then the leaders got caught up in the incident. Roberto Moreno
took the chequered flag after the 2nd restart, with Martin Donnelly and Martini in second and third respectively.
As a result of the delayed F3000 race, the BTCC race (British Touring Car Championship) and other support races were cancelled due to the time limit imposed by the Road Race Bill.
fought throughout the race with Marco Apicella
. It stayed that way at the end, with Alesi beating Apicella by a slender margin. Donnelly came back to finish third.
. Slightly unusually the circuit ran anticlockwise.
Halfords
Halfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland, although it is currently pulling out of the latter two countries...
Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit
Street circuit
A street circuit is a racing circuit composed by temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Facilities such as the paddock, pit boxes, fences and grandstands are usually placed temporarily and removed soon after the race is over but in modern times the...
at the heart of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000
Formula 3000
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...
Championship, but support races included BTCC
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
and Formula Ford 1600
Formula Ford 1600
Formula Ford 1600 is a number of championships which cater to 1600cc, Ford Kent powered Formula Ford racing cars. These are cars which were disbanded when the UK national Formula Ford category adopted the 1800cc Zetec engines in 1993...
rounds, as well as sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
.
Early days
The idea of a motor race in the centre of England's second city was mooted in local council meetings as far back as 1966. A councillor from the Birmingham City Council asked Martin Hone to create a White Paper of proposing a street race to be presented to the City Council. Stirling MossStirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
obtained permission from Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
to hold a race in 1972, but the event never materialised. Although there was a demo run by Patrick Neve
Patrick Nève
Patrick Marie Ghislain Pierre Simon Stanislas Nève de Mévergnies is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 14 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 16 May 1976. He scored no championship points....
in his Brabham BT45 around the Bullring in 1976.
It was not until the 6th November in 1984 that the council forwarded the Birmingham Road Race Bill to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
on the 29th November in 1984, the members of the Parliament approved the Birmingham Road Race Bill in April 1985 and where it was passed and received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
in October 1985. This allowed preparations for the Birmingham SuperPrix to begin. The event was to be centred around a race for Formula 3000
Formula 3000
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...
cars, at that time the last step up the career ladder before Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. The circuit was laid out on closed streets near the city centre, and the meeting was scheduled for two days during the August Bank Holiday.
1986
In 1986, the first SuperPrix was held. The circuit was drenched by torrential downpours from the tail end of Hurricane CharleyHurricane Charley (1986)
Hurricane Charley was the costliest tropical cyclone of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season. The third tropical storm and second hurricane of the season, Charley formed as a subtropical low on August 13 along the Florida panhandle. After moving off the coast of South Carolina, the system...
. Being laid out on public roads the circuit was bumpy, and the cars were thrown around badly. Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team...
and Luis-Perez Sala qualified on the front row, followed by Andrew Gilbert Scott. The championship leader Ivan Capelli
Ivan Capelli
Ivan Franco Capelli is an Italian former Formula One driver. He participated in 98 Grands Prix, debuting on October 6, 1985. He achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 31 championship points...
span early on, in his March
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
86B Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
powered car. Because of long delays, the first race was run at a shorter distance. At every corner there seemed to be someone crashing. The race was red flagged when Andrew Gilbert Scott was experiencing handling problems after an earlier spin. When he exited the Bristol Street Motors Bend on the 21st lap, he lost it and crashed into Alain Ferté
Alain Ferté
Alain Ferté is a professional racing driver. He is the elder brother of Michel Ferté, who is also a professional racing driver.Alain Ferté competed five seasons in Formula 3000 1985-1989...
's stationary car, blocking part of the track, with Sala still fighting for the win from a fast catching up Martini. Luis Perez-Sala
Luis Perez-Sala
Luis Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner is a Spanish former racing driver who competed in Formula One, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Touring Cars....
was given the win, and Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team...
given second, with Michel Ferté
Michel Ferté
Michel Ferté is a professional racing driver. He is the younger brother of Alain Ferté, who is also a professional racing driver.Michel Ferté competed five seasons in Formula 3000 1985-1989....
taking third. The top six drivers was awarded half points as the race was red-flagged on the 24th lap, just before the halfway point of the 51 lap race.
1987
The 1987 race was a complete contrast to the 1986 race. Instead of the track being rain-drenched, it was sun-drenched. Maurício GugelminMauricio Gugelmin
Maurício Gugelmin is a former racing driver from Brazil. He took part in both Formula One and the Champ Car World Series. He participated in 80 Formula One grands prix, debuting in 1988 for the March team. He achieved one top-three finish and scored a total of ten championship points in the series...
was on pole, alongside Stefano Modena
Stefano Modena
Stefano Modena is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 81 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on November 15, 1987. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 17 championship points....
. Later on, Pierluigi Martini was forced to pit with electrical problems, while Roberto Moreno
Roberto Moreno
Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining...
had a tremendous race, having started from the pits after stalling before the warm-up lap. Modena made it his second win of the season, while Moreno took second after his pressure had caused Wallace to make a driving error at the Ferodo Corner. After his pole, Guglemin took third place.
1988
The 1988 race was also sunny, but had two restarts. The first one was because of a huge accident involving David HuntDavid Hunt (racer)
David Hunt , is former British racing driver and younger brother of 1976 Formula One world champion James Hunt....
(brother of former F1 champion, James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
) was involved in a massive shunt, clipping Claudio Langes
Claudio Langes
Claudio Langes is a racing driver from Italy.In 1978 he won the Italian 125 cc go-kart championship. In subsequent years he competed in Formula 3 and in Formula 3000, where his best result was a third place at the Curaçao Grand Prix, achieved in 1985 with a March Formula 3000.Reaching Formula...
' car as the cars front of them slowed down due to the Bertrand Gachot
Bertrand Gachot
Bertrand Gachot is a French-Belgian former racing driver.-Career:Gachot is the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing...
/Andy Wallace accident at the Zenith Turn (Hunt's car managed to punch a massive hole into a wholesalers' shop wall at the fast Loctite Corner). The second stoppage was due to an incident involving Russell Spence
Russell Spence
Russell Spence was a British auto racing driver. He now runs a construction business in London.-Early career:...
. After his car spun, blocking the road, a crane came to move his car. Spence was still in the car, and frantically waving at the crane driver to put his car down facing the right way. The car was lowered, but not in the right place and Spence got out of his car, and then the leaders got caught up in the incident. Roberto Moreno
Roberto Moreno
Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining...
took the chequered flag after the 2nd restart, with Martin Donnelly and Martini in second and third respectively.
As a result of the delayed F3000 race, the BTCC race (British Touring Car Championship) and other support races were cancelled due to the time limit imposed by the Road Race Bill.
1989
The F3000 race at the Birmingham Superprix was just as sunny as the two previous ones, there was a carnival atmosphere. But not certainly for Martin Donnelly as he got a lot of attention for wrong reasons. During the qualifying session after a spin at the Holts Corner, he abandoned his car, and watched with horror as Erico Cheli t-boned his car. His Eddie Jordan Racing team worked very hard to get the Reynard car repaired, and thankfully he started the race with an incomplete livery. His team mate Jean AlesiJean Alesi
Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...
fought throughout the race with Marco Apicella
Marco Apicella
Marco Apicella is an Italian racing driver. He competed in only one Formula One Grand Prix for the Jordan team in the 1993 Italian Grand Prix...
. It stayed that way at the end, with Alesi beating Apicella by a slender margin. Donnelly came back to finish third.
Circuit
The Birmingham SuperPrix circuit was laid down on public roads, just to the south-east of Birmingham City CentreBirmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
. Slightly unusually the circuit ran anticlockwise.