Former Renault 5 GT Turbo Champion Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams, Renault 5 TS Champion Jim Edwards Snr and former series regular Dave Cox have all confirmed their participation in the last ever Renault 5 race which is to be held at Thruxton, Hampshire, on 29th/30th May.
The unique event, which has been organised to mark the 30th anniversary of Renault UK Motorsport, celebrates the first Renault 5 race in Britain and has already garnered much attention from the media and former competitors alike. It is expected to be a massive success when held as the centre-piece of the special Renault Festival at the end of May.
With triple Renault 5 TL Champion - and 1978 Renault 5 TS Champion - Neil McGrath having already confirmed he’ll be on the grid at Thruxton, an impressive line-up from the golden era of Renault 5 action is guaranteed.
Brian Goodwin, Steve Smith, Steve Melroy and Martin Howell – father of British Touring Car Championship competitor Gareth – will all take part in the race in Renault 5 TS cars as will 1985 Renault 5 TS Champion Mark Fish.
Meanwhile, current Super Coupe Cup competitor Edward Hope will bring the Renault 5 GT Turbo he still uses to this day and Richard Lawson is to dust-down the original Renault 5 GT Turbo which has remained untouched since he last raced it in 1989.
Russell Martin has also announced his intention to compete in the event while Maggie Anderson, winner of the first ever Renault 5 TL race at Brands Hatch, Kent, in 1974, has finally been located after weeks of appeals and is keen to be involved.
Special 65th Birthday Gift For ‘Whizzo’For ‘Whizzo’ Williams, the final Renault 5 race will be especially poignant because he has driven every single version of racing car from Renault UK Motorsport’s 30-year competition history including the Renault 5, Renault Clio, Renault Spider and even Formula Renault single-seaters. The only car he hasn’t driven is the current Clio Cup!
So, as a special 65th birthday present recognising Barrie’s long association with Renault, the manufacturer will enter him in a Renault 5 GT Turbo for the Thruxton race – an event the 1987 Renault ELF 5 GT Turbo Cup Champion is greatly looking forward to.
‘Whizzo’ commented: “When I started racing in the Renault 5 TL Championship in the mid - 1970s, Renault sold me a Press car that came complete with a roll cage, fire extinguisher and silencer. I used the car on the road constantly and when it came time to go racing we’d just pitch up at the track, put some numbers on the car, take the silencer off and race it!
“After the race it’d be a case of putting the silencer back on, removing the numbers and then driving home. I never once took the car on a trailer anywhere – it was always driven to and from events which is something you just couldn’t do today.”
He added: “I think we changed the brake pads once in all the years I had the car and hardly ever even had to change the oil. In fact in five years I only ever put two new tyres on it and that includes all the road and race mileage! The Renault 5 TL was a wonderful little car, as were the 5 TS and GT Turbos, and I’m really looking forward to this fantastic race.”
Renault’s modern-day saloon car championship, the ELF/BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup, will also form an integral part of the Renault Festival alongside the ‘slicks and wings’ Formula Renault UK Championship.
For all the latest ELF/BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup news visit the official Renault UK Motorsport website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
