Has there been a year in ATCC/Supercars history that promised so much and delivered so very little? Off the back of the most exciting series in a long time in 1987 we had the prospects of:
- Glenn Seton, a year older and much wiser, in a brand new 'better' Nissan Skyline ready to set the world on fire
- Peter Brock, back in a genuinely competitive car for the first time in four years, the car that had taken all before it in 1987.
- Larry Perkins, finally with a full budget and spear heading the Holden attack, running a car developing by the all-conquering TWR operation.
- Tony Longhurst, the young star who had developed under Jim for three seasons, taking remnants of the JPS BMW team into a fully funded Ford Sierra effort.
- Allan Moffat, back in a Ford and, coming into 1988 anyway, the best Ford Sierra there was, an Eggenberger literally with the lot
- DJR a year older and wiser into Ford Sierra development
- Andrew Miedecke, generally the best Sierra of 1987 fresh off leading the early stages of the 1987 JH1000 on merit, ready to roll that into an '88 ATCC campaign
We ended up with a DJR landslide with only Bondy, Longhurst and Miedecke giving chase. Nissan didn't show up with the new car until mid-year and spent the rest of the year developing it, while TWR's new Holden didn't show until after the ATCC ended, and Larry struggled with a little developed old model all season. Miedecke struggled with no budget, while Moffat was strangely sedate all season seeming to run in endurance mode. The BMW's had become uncompetitive over the off season, but it could also be argued that perhaps the Mobil 1 team wasn't getting as much out of them as the old JPS team could have?
A disappointing year in which Group A collapsed as an international formula.
What are some members memories?
I went to the Calder opening round.
It was a bore.
I agree with your post. One of the worst season in living memory.