John Cleland (racing driver)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Cleland | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| BTCC record | |
| Nationality |  |
| Teams | Vauxhall |
| Drivers championships | 2 |
| Wins | 17 outright, plus 15 more in class |
| Podium finishes | 98 |
| Poles | 19 |
| Fastest laps | 11 |
| Debut season | 1989 |
| First win | 1999 |
| Best championship position | 1st (1989, 1995) |
| Final season (1999) position | 13th |
| edit | |
John Cleland (born July 15, 1952 in Wishaw, Scotland). is a retired Scottish auto racing driver. He raced autocross and hillclimb in the 1970s, before achieving success in British Production Car and Thundersaloon championships, before joining Vauxhall for the 1989 British Touring Car Championship.
John adapted quickly and won the title at his first attempt, in the days when the championship consisted of four separate classes, each in their own races but scoring points for the same title. John won 11 of his 13 races in class C for 1.5l cars. The 2-litre Cavalier was introduced the next year, in readiness for the single 2-litre format in 1991, and John finished 2nd with it in both those seasons. He won the title again in 1995, the car's final year, having never finished outside the championship top 5. Volvo and Renault had intermittently faster cars, but neither were fully reliable, allowing John to beat Alain Menu and Rickard Rydell to the title.
For 1996 the Vectra was introduced, and John won twice with it, often teamed with Derek Warwick. He retired at the end of 1999, but has done several guest drives since, including appearances in a Dodge Viper in the British GT series, an ASCAR race at Rockingham, three Bathurst 1000s, and the BTCC Masters Race in 2004.
[edit] References
| Preceded by Gabriele Tarquini |
British Touring Car Championship champion 1995 |
Succeeded by Frank Biela |
| Preceded by Frank Sytner |
British Touring Car Championship champion 1989 |
Succeeded by Robb Gravett |
