The month in Motor Sport
December
9: The FIA gives Ayrton Senna a six-month ban for his post-Japanese GP fracas with Eddie Irvine. The good news for the Brazilian is that the sentence is suspended. The World Motor Sports Council also issues a revised F1 calendar and a paltry, eight-race F3000 schedule, which angers intending participants.
9: The ACO is warned by the sport’s governing body to improve crowd control during the Le Mans 24 Hours.
9: The future of rallying isn’t entirely clear, as the FIA approves what are loosely termed ‘kit car’ regulations. Manufacturers will be permitted to uprate cars providing a certain number of modification kits are produced to satisfy homologation. Four-wheel drive could be outlawed, but exact details behind the scheme have yet to be finalised.
9: F1 hopefuls Olivier Panis and Emmanuel Collard test for Ligier at Paul Ricard.
10: Early conjecture about the 1994 British F3 Championship tips Jan Magnussen and Dario Franchitti for berths at Paul Stewart Racing, while Warren Hughes and Jeremy Cotterill are favourites to drive works Ralts.
11: A new business consortium, Great North Motorsport, announces plans to launch a new facility in the north-east, an area sorely starved of motor racing.
12: Colin McRae wins the Attilio Bettega Memorial Rally at the Bologna Motor Show.
13: Footwork confirms that it will use Ford HB V8s in 1994. Pacific GP, which had been tipped to run Fords, confirms that it will after all use llmor’s VI0, as fitted to its prototype chassis.
13: Sauber’s new C13 runs for the first time in Barcelona, in Karl Wendlinger’s hands (above). Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren is quickest of those cars present. Heinz-Harald Frentzen stars in the outgoing Sauber. During the week JJ Lehto, Michele Alboreto and Jordi Gene test for Benetton, Yannick Dalmas for McLaren and Olivier Beretta for Larrousse. The latter is confirmed as Erik Comas’s new team-mate.
13: Schnitzer confirms that it will defend its BTCC title with Jo Winkelhock. Steve Soper will concentrate upon the Japanese touring car series, but will race in Britain when possible. At the same time, Nissan confirms that recent speculation to the effect that Eric van de Poele would race a Primera in the BTCC was accurate, and Toyota announces that it is to retain the services of Julian Bailey and Will Hoy.
14: Subaru officially introduces its 1994 WRC drivers, Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz.
14: Ligier owner Cyril de Rouvre is arrested near Paris, on allegations of embezzlement, misuse of company funds (before he joined Ligier) and deception.
15: Alfa Romeo confirms details of its anticipated BTCC programme. Gabriele Tarquini will be number one driver.
16: McLaren announces that it has long-term Land Speed Record aspirations. Its contender, the Maverick, is examined in detail elsewhere in this issue.
17: In a shock announcement, Adelaide loses the Australian GP to Melbourne’s Albert Park from 1997.
17: David Brabham shakes down the Simtek S941 at Silverstone (below).