How the Dolomite became an unlikely Capri-slayer
The Dolomite Sprint was a potent giantkilling weapon during the 1970s in the British Saloon Car Championship, now known as the BTCC. Tin-top legend Andy Rouse explains how it became such a force
This was a time for Britain’s touring car championship to go insular, to move away from the high-cost international regulations of the time towards an indigenous new ruleset. It led to an explosion in the number of manufacturers and car models on the grid, albeit with little in the way of factory representation, and a lot of drivers who were hardly household names.
No, we’re not talking about the switch from Super 2000 to NGTC rules in the early 2010s. We’re harking back, instead, to the rejection of Group 2 regulations in favour of Group 1½ for 1974.
Share Or Save This Story
Marcus Simmons is the Deputy Editor of Autosport magazine. As a child he was a regular on the chalk banks of Thruxton – hence his unhealthy obsession with 1970s Formula 2 and F3 – before he became an MSA timekeeper at the age of 17. At 19, his reporting debut for Motoring News arguably overshadowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal as the sporting moment of June 1986, and he joined the staff in 1990 after graduating from his degree course in Plymouth. A parallel Formula First career – which was as incident-packed as his childhood exploits in show-jumping and hunter trials – finished when he wrote off his car and put himself in hospital in 1991.
Marcus moved to Autosport in the summer of 1996. Since then he has had two stints as a freelancer and a brief spell as editor of Motor Sport magazine, during which the revered green cover was revived, before he rejoined Autosport in 2008. He lives in Teddington with his wife (who, gratifyingly, grew up within earshot of Castle Combe), daughter, stepson, dog, cat and guitars, and additionally has an adult daughter and stepson.
More from Marcus Simmons
Why the BTCC isn't concerned by its smaller 2024 grid
Magazine: Saudi Arabian GP review
Hard stays in BTCC after all in surprise U-turn
One Motorsport takes ‘pause’ from BTCC
How Red Bull's next British star earned a fast-track to F3
Alliance further develops Focus for Sutton record-breaking BTCC bid
BTCC race winner Moffat joins Speedworks Toyota line-up
Why F1's junior logjam isn't entirely a product of current issues
Latest news
Everything you need to know about the pitwall in F1 - who sits there and what does it do?
Alpine: "Shock" of having slowest F1 car triggered tech revamp
How Bruce McLaren's death shaped more than just his F1 team
Both DS Penske in the points in São Paulo
Autosport Plus
How a BTCC Alliance swept the field away in 2023
How a top-down overhaul formed the basis of Sutton's 2023 BTCC dominance
A BTCC star tests the cars that transformed tin-top racing
Can the BTCC's underrated Toyota ace stake his claim to a title?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.