Alan Gow
Octane|October 2022
Meet the BTCC boss who turned unknown drivers of souped-up repmobiles into household-name heroes of the racetrack
Ben Barry
Alan Gow

DISTIL THE 1990s British Touring Car Championship to its essence and it's a hard sell: four-door saloons usually driven by sales reps were thrashed around the racetracks of Britain by men that most of the population - at least initially had never heard of.

In reality, '90s BTCC became unmissably exciting. Humble Cavalier, Laguna and Primera bodyshells were among others dropped low over monster slick-shod 19-inch alloys, behind which you'd find sophisticated suspension, sequential transmissions, extensive carbonfibre and highly tuned 2.0-litre four-, five- or six-cylinder engines eventually pushed right back to the bulkheads and lowered to improve weight distribution. Every boy racer wanted the wheels, the single wiper, the sunstrip.

More than anything the racing was epic, helping BTCC drivers become household names (well, my mum can't reel them off, but you get the point), and they were soon joined by guest Formula 1 drivers. Even Nigel Mansell, who was reigning F1 World Champion when he suffered one of the biggest shunts of his career driving a Mondeo around Donington Park, surely an impossible scenario today.

Eight-figure budgets, huge crowds, big TV figures, the TOCA Touring Car Championship computer game, Murray Walker's frenzied delivery struggling to keep pace with the action and the offs... it was 'Go, go, go!' as the man himself would have said.

Alan Gow steered the championship from behind the scenes, and for fans the straight-talking boss remains as synonymous with the series as championship winners Harvey, Tarquini, Menu, Biela and Cleland.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2022 من Octane.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2022 من Octane.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من OCTANE مشاهدة الكل
The Pro route to faster lap times
Octane

The Pro route to faster lap times

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
The power to corrupt
Octane

The power to corrupt

2024 Aston Martin Vanquish

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Hyperactivate!
Octane

Hyperactivate!

1967 Austin-Cooper MkII 998 by Crafted Classics Tuning Glen Waddington

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood
Octane

De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood

IF THE MARQUE De Tomaso is mainly familiar to you through cars such as the Mangusta, the Pantera, maybe the Longchamps and, if you're next-level classic car geek, racers such as the P70, then the sheer variety to be found in this mammoth tome is going to come as something of a shock. There are literally dozens profiled here, and one or two will probably be news to even the most seasoned enthusiast.

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
The best watch in the world
Octane

The best watch in the world

We've been here, but it bears repeating these gems will soon be cheaper than a 1st class stamp

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
A star is reborn
Octane

A star is reborn

This recently revived coachbuilt beauty made the final four at the Pebble Beach concours in August

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Octane

REINVENTING THE WHEEL

The gyroscopically stabilised Gyro-X blurred the line between reality and science fiction. Sam Glover takes the prototype for a spin

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
SAYONARA GT-R
Octane

SAYONARA GT-R

After a remarkable 17-year career, the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R bows out on a high

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Shiro Nakamura
Octane

Shiro Nakamura

Nissan’s long-standing Chief Creative Officer became architect of the marque’s style-led revival… and is also known as ‘Mr GT-R’

time-read
7 mins  |
January 2025
LIGHT SPARKS
Octane

LIGHT SPARKS

How does the electric Tesla Roadster compare today?

time-read
7 mins  |
January 2025