Motorsport: Classic racecars fight it out

Jim Richards is a familiar face to Kiwis. Photo / Supplied

For next year's New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing at Hampton Downs the organisers will put the spotlight on German manufacturer BMW.

The event, held over two weekends (January 20-22 and January 27-29), will feature some amazing cars from BMW's racing history, many of which have raced in New Zealand.

Legendary BMW racers Jim Richards and more big names are already set to join the action.

A feature class will be the Group A and Invited Touring Car Challenge where classic BMW 635CSi and BMW M3s of the 1980s will once again battle other touring cars such as the Ford Sierra Cosworth, Jaguar XJS, Holden Commodore, Rover SD1, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Corona cars.

Driven caught up with the Kiwi racing icon and V8 Supercars and Australian Motorsport Hall of Famer Richards, as he looks forward to racing back in New Zealand.

Driven: What made you decide to come back to New Zealand to have a play?

Richards: I actually own one of the BMWs I raced back in the 1980s and I was hoping to have it going to bring it over for the festival. Unfortunately it won't be going in time, though. It's a 1987 E30 M3 that I won the 1987 Australian championship in.

D: So what will you be racing instead?

R: Festival organiser Jim Barclay has arranged for me to race a 635 (Frank Gardner-built JPS BMW Group A 635CS) that I used to race in Australia, which belongs to Peter Sturgeon and he's really keen to bring it up from Christchurch and race it at Hampton Downs.

D: How much seat time did you have in that car?

R: I used it in the 1985 Australian Touring car championship, which I won that year. I didn't use it totally but I drove that car in one of the weekends.

D: What was it like to race in?

R: Things have changed a lot over the years and cars have got better but at the time I remember it being absolutely brilliant. It was one of the best cars I've ever driven. It just did everything so well and we had just gone to the Group A regulations and BMW had a ready-made car for that series, whereas a lot of the other guys had to homologate or build Holdens or old Mustangs, Alfas and others we had over there. It was a brilliant car to have at the time.

D: What did BMW originally build the car for?

R: The car was built as a sports car back in the early 1980s and it continued on as the 635 that they raced and that was the premium BMW that Germany raced in Europe at the time. It won many, many championships throughout the world.

It won long-distance races like the Spa 24 Hour. It did everything; it was a brilliant car just right for the new regulations. I had driven for BMW since 1983 and so in 1985 it was bang - we had a ready-made car.

D: When was the last time you drove a 635?

R: I last drove the same car at the rebirth of the Dunedin street race about five years ago. I also was able to drive another 635 at the Gold Coast last year as well in a demonstration of the old Group A cars. It still felt great and went well.

D: How does it compare with the Ford you're racing in the Touring Car Masters series this year?

R: They're totally different, of course. The one I'm driving now (a 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint) has nearly twice the horsepower but the BMW is a much better handling car. However, my Ford will lap faster as it's got a lot more horsepower and as good brakes and suspension as the BMW.

D: Have you been around Hampton Downs?

R: No. I love the Kiwi circuits, though, and love coming back and being able to have a drive.

I plan to come over more often next year and bring one of my cars with me and try to do a few races over there.

If there was a series any of my cars were eligible for I'd be over and racing.

For more information and ticketing for the January event go to www.nzfmr.co.nz.