Win Percy

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Winston Percy
Win Percy Jaguar Heritage Racing 2012.jpg
Win Percy in 2012
NationalityEnglish
Born (1943-09-28) 28 September 1943 (age 77)
Tolpuddle, Dorset
BTCC record
TeamsToyota
Mazda
Jaguar
Rover
Nissan
Drivers'
championships
3
Debut season1975
Best championship position1st
(1980, 1981, 1982)

Winston "Win" Percy (born 28 September 1943, near Tolpuddle, Dorset) is a former motor racing driver from England. Percy was British Touring Car Champion three times, and at the time of his retirement was the most successful non-Antipodean driver ever to compete in Australia's premier national motorsport event, the Bathurst 1000km.[1] Joe Saward of Autosport magazine said he was "often regarded as the World's Number One Touring Car Driver".[1]

Early years[]

Percy found his way into motor sport through his first employment as a motor mechanic at his local garage. His first race was in 1964, in a local time-trial event driving his own road-going Ford Anglia 1200. He won, beating drivers of far more powerful cars in the process. While he initially pursued competitive driving as a hobby, his innate talent quickly resulted in many high-placed finishes in national-level races, including taking all three victories in the 1973 televised rallycross races at Cadwell Park. On the back of these results he turned professional in 1974, driving Spike Andersons Samuri Datsun 240Z in the . Once again, he won.[2]

British Touring Car Championship[]

The following year saw Percy enter the British Touring Car Championship for the first time, a race series that he would come to dominate in the years ahead. His first race in the BTCC would also be the first time he encountered Tom Walkinshaw, after Percy won his class driving a Toyota, and also attacked Walkinshaw's Ford Escort in the class above. In 1983, Percy won the Willhire 24 Hour in a Porsche 928S.

He stuck with Toyota for the next four years, until Walkinshaw offered Percy a drive in his Tom Walkinshaw Racing-run Mazda RX-7 for the 1980 season. Percy won the 1980 Championship for TWR, and then went on to repeat the feat in the following year. Owing to a misunderstanding of Walkinshaw's off-beat sense of humour, Percy agreed to move back to Toyota for 1982.[clarification needed][citation needed] He once again won the BTCC crown for the 1982 season in the Toyota Corolla.[3]

European and World Touring Car Championships[]

The Rover Vitesse of Tom Walkinshaw and Win Percy at the Nürburgring in 1985.

Despite remaining with Toyota during the 1983 BTCC season, Percy maintained his links to TWR with occasional drives in their V12 powered Jaguar XJS coupé which was proving the car to beat in Group A racing, and Walkinshaw managed to tempt him back full-time in 1984. However, rather than a return to the BTCC, TWR entered three of the big Jaguars in the European Touring Car Championship with Percy co-driving the lead car with Walkinshaw. The team won the 1984 ETCC with Walkinshaw also taking the drivers' title while the Walkinshaw, Percy and Hans Heyer Jaguar won the ETCC's blue riband event, the Spa 24 Hours. The following year after Jaguar shelved its touring car program to concentrate on racing Sportscars which saw TWR switch to works-backed Rover Vitesse V8s, again competing for the ETCC title. Walkinshaw and Percy this time took joint third in the drivers' championship. Along the way they scored victories in seven of the 500 km rounds: Donington; Silverstone; Monza; Vallelunga; Nogaro; the Österreichring; and Salzburg. 1985 also saw the Walkinshaw-Percy partnership in Australia for the first time, in an XJS, for the 1985 Bathurst 1000 where they finished third (the team's third car driven by Australia's John Goss and West German Armin Hahne won the race).

Once again, the TWR Vitesse cars were entered for the ETCC in 1986 where Percy finished 2nd in the Drivers' Championship. He had been declared the champion until a month after the championship, when the FIA belatedly applied a rule that each driver's lowest scoring result would be dropped. This gave the championship to BMW driver Roberto Ravaglia. However, 1986 also saw TWR running Jaguar's works Group C1 entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race; Percy was given one of the driving slots. His Jaguar XJR-6 lasted for 10 of the 24 hours, partnered by Gianfranco Brancatelli and Hurley Haywood at the wheel, before a drive-shaft failure dropped the car out of the race from second place. Percy entered Le Mans again the following year, but suffered a major crash when a tyre exploded at approximately 240 mph (386 km/h) on the long Mulsanne Straight, tearing off the rear bodywork and flipping the car into the air.[4] The wreckage finally came to a halt 600 metres down the road but, despite almost obliterating the vehicle, Percy walked away from the crash with nothing more than a badly battered helmet.

With TWR not racing in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship, Percy only drove selected rounds of the series as a driver for hire. This saw him team with fellow Englishman Andy Rouse in a turbo Ford Sierra as well as Australian team Roadways Racing driving a V8 Holden Commodore with Allan Grice, though in his five WTCC races Percy failed to finish each time.

Percy contested the 1988 European Touring Car Championship driving a factory backed Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R with Allan Grice. The pair, along with Sweden's Anders Olofsson finished 6th in the Spa 24 Hours. In October, Percy and Grice again drove a Roadways Racing Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV in the Bathurst 1000, though electrical trouble through the race saw them finish in 15th place.

He continued to race in national and international competitions with a variety of teams until the end of the decade, winning the 1989 Spa 24 Hours race in an Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierra RS500.[5]

Australia[]

Percy managed and drove for the Holden Racing Team in 1990

Percy co-drove in the Australasian rounds of the 1987 World Touring Car Championship with Allan Grice in a Holden Commodore VL, and again at the 1988 Bathurst 1000. In 1989, he contested the Australian endurance races with Perkins Engineering under the Holden Racing Team name.

In 1990, at the behest of Holden Special Vehicles owner Tom Walkinshaw, Percy officially formed the works Holden Racing Team to contest the Australian Touring Car Championship. Racing on the largely unfamiliar Australian race tracks, Percy as both team manager and lead driver put in a strong showing against the faster and lighter Ford Sierra RS500s and Nissan Skyline turbos to be the highest placed Commodore driver, finishing 8th in the series with a best finish being 3rd in at the Lakeside round. This was despite being forced to miss Round 6 of the series at Mallala when he and his wife returned to England following the death of their son in a car accident.

Percy and Allan Grice were surprise winners of the 1990 Bathurst 1000 in a Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV, before finished second in 1991 driving the newer Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV. As a team manager and lead driver, Percy would claim that his hardest decision was to let Grice drive the final stint of the 1990 Bathurst 1000. Percy, who had injured his shoulder a few weeks prior to Bathurst and felt that veteran Grice was the better choice to drive the final stint. While Percy wanted Grice as his co-driver, team owner Walkinshaw was initially against the idea due to memories of Grice giving the TWR Rovers hell[clarification needed] during the 1986 ETCC and only reluctantly let Percy chose his own co-driver.[citation needed] At the end of the 1991 Australian Touring Car season after two years in charge of the Holden Racing Team, Percy and his wife returned to England. After a relatively quiet year in which he did little racing, Percy returned to Australia and the HRT in 1992 to drive the new 1993 spec Holden VP Commodore alongside Grice at both the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000, finishing 5th outright and first in Class C for the new spec cars at Bathurst.[6]

Percy continued to contest the Australian endurance events, driving for the Holden Racing Team in 1993, Wayne Gardner Racing in 1994 and 1995, and John Faulkner Racing in 1997.

After 1991 he drove in many series around the world. He contested the 1993 British Touring Car Championship season in a Nissan Primera. While acting as team manager in the Mazda entry for the 1994 BTCC, and chief tester and latterly team manager for Harrier between 1995 and 1997, as a driver he took the Jaguar XJ220's first race win.

In the late 1990s he became active on the historic motorsport stage, often driving his Jaguar D-type XKD 505 in historic sports car races. In 2002, driving XKD 505, he won all four races at the Le Mans Classic meeting.

Accident[]

In the summer of 2003, Percy suffered a serious accident in his garden. He was taken to hospital, where a medical error led to him being paralysed from the waist down. He sued the West Dorset General Hospital National Health Service Trust and received an out of court settlement of £1.55 million in April 2008.[7] No longer able to compete, he is still a regular visitor to motor racing events around Britain.

Career results[]

Results sourced from Driver Database.[8]

Season Series Position Car Team
1975 British Saloon Car Championship 2nd Toyota Celica GT Samuri Racing with Toyota GB
1976 British Saloon Car Championship 2nd Toyota Celica GT Samuri Racing with Toyota GB
1979 British Saloon Car Championship 5th Toyota Celica GT Hughes of Beaconsfield
1980 British Saloon Car Championship 1st Mazda RX-7 Tom Walkinshaw Racing
1981 World Championship for Drivers and Makes 157th Mazda RX-7 Mazdaspeed
British Saloon Car Championship 1st Mazda RX-7 Tom Walkinshaw Racing
1982 British Saloon Car Championship 1st Toyota Celica GT Toyota GB
1983 British Saloon Car Championship 16th Toyota Celica GT Toyota GB
1984 European Touring Car Championship 7th Jaguar XJS Tom Walkinshaw Racing
British Saloon Car Championship 12th Toyota Celica Supra Toyota GB
1985 European Touring Car Championship 3rd Rover Vitesse Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Australian Endurance Championship 23rd Jaguar XJS JRA Ltd
1986 Nissan Mobil 500 Series 6th Rover Vitesse Tom Walkinshaw Racing
European Touring Car Championship 2nd Rover Vitesse Tom Walkinshaw Racing
1987 British Touring Car Championship 22nd Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Ford Sierra RS500
Industrial Control Services Ltd.
Nissan Mobil 500 Series 4th Jaguar XJS Tom Walkinshaw Racing
World Touring Car Championship NC Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A
Andy Rouse Engineering
Roadways Racing
World Sportscar Championship NC Jaguar XJR-8
Ecosse C286 Ford
TWR Silk Cut Jaguar
Ecurie Ecosse
1988 European Touring Car Championship 40th Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Nissan Europe
British Touring Car Championship 45th Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Nissan Europe
World Sportscar Championship NC Nissan R88C Nissan Motorsports
Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship NC Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV ICL Racing
1989 Nissan Mobil 500 Series 9th Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Nissan Motorsport Australia
1990 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Holden Racing Team
Australian Endurance Championship 8th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Holden Racing Team
1991 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV Holden Racing Team
Australian Endurance Championship 8th Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV Holden Racing Team
1993 British Touring Car Championship 12th Nissan Primera eGT Nissan Castrol Racing
1996 Eurocar V8 Championship 11th

Complete British Saloon / Touring Car Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1973–1990 in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded ?–1989 in class)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 DC Pts Class
1975 Samuri Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT D MAL
6†
BRH
DNS
OUL
3†
THR
12
SIL
17
BRH
10†
THR
?
SIL
?†
MAL
4†
SNE
Ret
SIL
?

1†
BRH
?†
OUL
Ret
BRH
Ret
2nd 78 1st
1976 Samuri Racing with Toyota GB Toyota Celica GT B BRH
7
SIL
10
OUL
?†
THR
7
THR
?
SIL
?
BRH
Ret
MAL
1†
SNE
1†
BRH
9
2nd 81 1st
1977 Samuri Racing with Bradshaw Plant Hire Ford Capri II 3.0s D SIL
DNS
BRH
Ret
OUL
7†
THR
4
SIL
7
THR
Ret
DON
11†
SIL
Ret
DON
4†
BRH THR BRH
?
? ? ?
1978 Way Valley Racing / Bradshaw Plant Hire Toyota Celica GT B SIL OUL THR BRH
2†
SIL
2†
DON
3†
MAL
2†
BRH
12
DON
2†
BRH
?
THR
?
OUL
2†
6th 56 ?
Triumph Dolomite Sprint C MAL
8†
OUL
10†
? ?
Toleman Group Motorsport BMW 530i D DON
Ret†
? ?
1979 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Celica GT B SIL
?
OUL
Ret
THR
15
SIL
14
DON
?
SIL
DSQ
MAL
1
DON
?
BRH
?
THR
?
SNE
6
OUL
2
5th 70 2nd
1980 TWR Pentax Mazda RX-7 C MAL
4†
OUL
6†
THR
3
SIL
7
SIL
3
BRH
7
MAL
7†
BRH
7
THR
6
SIL
6
1st 90 1st
1981 Mazda Motorsport Mazda RX-7 C MAL
2†
SIL
Ret
OUL
1†
THR
4
BRH
2†
SIL
4
SIL
4
DON
1†
BRH
2
THR
2
SIL 1st 78 1st
1982 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Corolla GT C SIL
7
MAL
1†
OUL
1†
THR
7
THR
8
SIL
10
DON
6
BRH
8
DON
6
BRH
4
SIL
9
1st 90 1st
1983 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Corolla GT C SIL
6
OUL THR 17th 9 9th
Toyota Celica Supra A BRH
8
THR
DNS
SIL DON SIL
6
DON
3
BRH
Ret
SIL
Ret
21st 5 6th
1984 Team Toyota GB / Hughes of Beaconsfield Toyota Celica Supra A DON
6
SIL OUL
4
THR
Ret
THR
Ret
SIL SNE BRH
Ret
BRH
1
DON
2
SIL
2
12th 27 3rd
1987 ICS plc Ford Sierra RS Cosworth A SIL OUL THR THR SIL SIL
1
BRH SNE DON 22nd 10 10th
Listerine Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500 OUL
Ret‡
DON SIL
1988 Nissan Motorsport Europe Nissan HR31 Skyline GTS-R A SIL OUL THR DON
4
THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SIL 43rd 4 17th
1989 Kaliber Racing Ford Sierra RS500 A OUL SIL THR DON
Ret‡
THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SIL NC 0 NC
1993 Nissan Castrol Racing Nissan Primera eGT SIL
7
DON
Ret
SNE
8
DON
11
OUL BRH
1

5
BRH
2

4
PEM
9
SIL
2
KNO
1

DNS
KNO
2

DNS
OUL
18
BRH
11
THR
Ret
DON
1

10
DON
2

7
SIL
Ret
12th 38

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

‡ Endurance driver.

Complete World Touring Car Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1987 United Kingdom Andy Rouse Engineering Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MNZ JAR DIJ NUR SPA
Ret
BNO NC 0
Ford Sierra RS500 SIL
Ret
Australia Roadways Racing Holden VL Commodore SS Group A BAT
Ret
CLD
Ret
WEL
Ret
FJI

Complete European Touring Car Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)[9]

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
1979 United Kingdom The Akai Golf Volkswagen Golf Mk1 MNZ VAL MUG BRA
DNS
JAR ZEL BRN NUR ZAN SAL PER NC 10
United Kingdom Browne & Day Ford Capri III 3.0S SIL
6
ZOL
1982 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJS MNZ VAL DON PER MUG BRN SAL NUR SPA
Ret
NC NA
United Kingdom Patrick Motorsport with Duckhams Oil Rover Vitesse SIL
15
ZOL
1983 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJS MNZ
DNS
VAL DON PER MUG BRN ZEL NUR SAL SPA
Ret
ZOL
8
NC NA
United Kingdom Team Toyota GB Toyota Celica Supra SIL
16
1984 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJS MNZ
Ret
VAL
11
DON
1
PER
3
BRN
2
ZEL
2
SAL
1
NUR
Ret
SPA
1
SIL
Ret
ZOL
4
MUG
Ret
7th 145
1985 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Rover Vitesse MNZ
1
VAL
1
DON
1
AND
Ret
BRN
8
ZEL
Ret
SAL
2
NUR
Ret
SPA
Ret
SIL
1
NOG
1
ZOL
Ret
EST
Ret
JAR
1
3rd 198
1986 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Rover Vitesse MNZ
1
DON
1
HOC
4
MIS
3
AND
2
BRN
2
ZEL
1
NUR
4
SPA
Ret
SIL
2
NOG
16
ZOL
3
EST
2
JAR
2
2nd 203
1988 United Kingdom Nissan Europe Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R MNZ DON
Ret
EST JAR DIJ
Ret
VAL NUR
19
SPA
6
ZOL
Ret
SIL
Ret
NOG
11
40th 45

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
1990 Australia Holden Racing Team Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV AMA
14
SYM
9
PHI
7
WIN
Ret
LAK
3
MAL WAN
5
ORA
6
8th 32
1991 Australia Holden Racing Team Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV SAN
5
SYM
Ret
WAN
Ret
LAK
11
WIN
6
AMA
8
MAL
4
LAK ORA
8
8th 30

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Overall
Position
Class
Position
1981 Japan Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. Japan Yojiro Terada
Japan Hiroshi Fushida
Mazda RX-7 IMSA GTO 25 DNF DNF
1986 United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Italy Gianfranco Brancatelli
United States Hurley Haywood
Jaguar XJR-6 C1 154 DNF DNF
1987 United Kingdom Silk Cut Jaguar
United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Netherlands Jan Lammers
United Kingdom John Watson
Jaguar XJR-8LM C1 158 DNF DNF
1988 Japan Nissan Motorsports Australia Allan Grice
United Kingdom Mike Wilds
Nissan R88C C1 344 14th 13th
1993 United Kingdom TWR Jaguar Racing Germany Armin Hahne
United Kingdom David Leslie
Jaguar XJ220 GT 6 DNF DNF
1995 United Kingdom Jaguar Switzerland
France
Jaguar XJ220 GT1 123 DNF DNF

Complete Spa 24 Hour results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Overall
Position
Class
Position
1979 United Kingdom Equipe Esso United Kingdom Vince Woodman
United Kingdom
Ford Capri III 3.0S +2500 NA DNF DNF
1980 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Pete Lovett Mazda RX-7 -2500 347 DNF DNF
1981 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing Belgium Marc Duez
United Kingdom Jeff Allam
United Kingdom
Mazda RX-7 -2500 445 4th 1st
1982 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw
United Kingdom
Jaguar XJS Div. 3 NA DNF DNF
1983 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Martin Brundle
Switzerland
Jaguar XJS Div. 3 NA DNF DNF
1984 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw
West Germany Hans Heyer
Jaguar XJS Div. 3 453 1st 1st
1985 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw
West Germany Hans Heyer
Rover Vitesse Div. 3 86 DNF DNF
1986 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Racing United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw
Belgium
Rover Vitesse Div. 3 383 DNF DNF
1987 United Kingdom Andy Rouse Engineering United Kingdom Andy Rouse
Belgium Thierry Tassin
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth Div. 3 252 DNF DNF
1988 United Kingdom Nissan Motorsports Europe Australia Allan Grice
Sweden Anders Olofsson
Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Div. 3 482 6th 4th
1989 Switzerland Eggenberger Motorsport Italy Gianfranco Brancatelli
West Germany Bernd Schneider
Ford Sierra RS500 Div. 3 481 1st 1st

Complete Bathurst 1000 results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Overall
Position
Class
Position
1985 United Kingdom JRA Ltd United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw Jaguar XJS C 160 3rd 3rd
1987 Australia Roadways Racing Australia Allan Grice Holden VL Commodore SS Group A 1 96 DNF DNF
1988 Australia ICL Racing Australia Allan Grice Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV A 139 15th 11th
1989 Australia Holden Racing Team Australia Neil Crompton Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV A 158 7th 7th
1990 Australia Holden Racing Team Australia Allan Grice Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV A 161 1st 1st
1991 Australia Holden Racing Team Australia Allan Grice Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV A 160 2nd 2nd
1992 Australia Holden Racing Team Australia Allan Grice Holden VP Commodore C 141 5th 1st
1993 Australia Holden Racing Team Australia Tomas Mezera Holden VP Commodore A 107 DNF DNF
1994 Australia Coca-Cola Racing Australia Russell Ingall Holden VP Commodore A 161 5th 5th
1995 Australia Coca-Cola Racing Australia Brad Jones Holden VR Commodore 161 5th 5th
1997 Australia John Faulkner Racing New Zealand John Faulkner Holden VS Commodore L1 154 5th 5th

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "BRDC Archive: Percy, Win". BRDC.co.uk. British Racing Drivers' Club. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006.
  2. ^ http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-2013/94/lunch-win-percy
  3. ^ http://www.mycargossip.com/blog.php?pid=411&name=win-percy039s-story
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ http://www.jdclassics.co.uk/news/2013/Breakfast-morning-with-Win-Percy-and-Steve-Soper/2823.htm
  6. ^ http://www.supercars.com/news/championship/saturday-sleuthing-hrt-s-first-bathurst-winner/
  7. ^ Janet Sayers and Mary Menjou (17 April 2008). "Win Percy v. West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust". Lexology - Kennedys Law LLP.
  8. ^ Win Percy - Driver Database
  9. ^ European Touring Car Championship at History of Touring Car Racing

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Richard Longman
British Touring Car Champion
1980-1982
Succeeded by
Andy Rouse
Preceded by
Dick Johnson
John Bowe
Winner of the Bathurst 1000
1990
(with Allan Grice)
Succeeded by
Jim Richards
Mark Skaife

Retrieved from ""