1988 BARC Wendy Wools class winner

For 1988 Tony was back in the John Leek-built chassis #1 but it was all change. The Lotus Esprit bodywork had been removed and a new Skoda Coupe body fitted instead. The 2 bodies use very close wheelbases about 96 inches. The reason for the switch was the decline of the Donington GT Championship as Tony reasoned on going back into Saloon racing and returning to the long running BARC national championship still sponsored by Wendy Wools.

Having seen Tony race the Esprit in 1987 I hadnt realised at the time in 1988 that he was still in the same car when that lovely sporty wedge Esprit body had gone and the rather dated, boxy Skoda shape was his 'new' car .

Having missed the 2 opening rounds the Skoda made its debut at Silvestone on April 17th ( photo below ). Between BARC rounds Tony did some BRSCC Sports GT rounds too and the combination got off to a fantastic start by winning the first 6 races contested , 4 Barc and 2 BRSCC races.

The outright Wendy Wools title was out of reach as the 1000cc class king and reigning Champion Ginger Marshall already had a head start and raked up 66 points to retain it. Tony though took the 'big' class with 50 points and second overall behind Marshall , beating class rival Brian Chatfield ( BMW ) by 15 points. Chris Maries won some of the mid-season rounds in his XR3 V8 to add to the mix. Along the way Tony broke the Donington lap record for special saloons with a 1 minute 14.52 ( 94.54 mph ) as indeed did smaller class winners Enderby and Marshall on the day I witnessed the racing.

18 starts in the 1988 season saw 17 finishes with 7 outright wins.