WHEN JOHN WEBB BROUGHT THE THUNDER TO UK MOTORSPORT

As the British Formula 1 scene faded at the turn of the 1980s, the fertile mind of circuit operator and championship creator John Webb started to work overtime. If single-seater racing was no longer working, and he was on record as never feeling the British Saloon Car Championship could be a headline category, there was only one way to turn: sportscar racing.

In 1983, Webb launched Thundersports, a category that ticked many a box: it was well-promoted, had big prize money, brought all sorts of cars to the grid, became a headline category instantly and allowed costs to be shared by having longer races with pitstops.And he managed to get it on to the support bill for grands prix…and gain BBC coverage as well! Small wonder it was a hit, albeit for a relatively short period of time.

Webb had dabbled with longer-distance mini-enduro sportscar racing two years earlier by running a series of 200-mile races for Sports 2000 cars. They were popular with drivers because of the extra time, although they were a bit