FIVE-TIME Bathurst 1000 winner Steve Richards is set to race an Eggenberger Motorsport-built Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth Group A car.
Richards is flying out to Germany this week to compete in this weekend’s BELMOT Oldtimer Grand Prix historic event at the Nurburgring on its GP circuit.
The event is one of the most well-known historic racing festivals in Europe and will be held later this week, across August 7 to 9.
STORIES EVERYWHERE! A huge three-part episode with Steve Richards available here on the V8 Sleuth Podcast
Richards will step behind the wheel of one of the famous Texaco Sierras that has been owned for some years by Kiwi Bruce Miles.
The car has been back to Switzerland since it appeared in the Historic touring car support races at the Ruapuna Supercars round, where it has had a new engine fitted by one of Eggenberger’s former mechanics who will also be on-site for this weekend’s event.
“I’ve done one race in New Zealand in a B&H Sierra, Andy Greenslade’s car; he was kind enough when my Atlantic dropped its engine he felt sorry for me and got me into his car for a race, it was bloody hard work!” Richards told V8 Sleuth this week.
“It was exactly as everyone had explained a Sierra to be – light switch power and something you wouldn’t want to be in on a set of slicks in the wet!
“I’ll get into Germany on Wednesday morning and take it from there. I’ve had a few chats with Bruce over time, he’s been around the sport for a long time, even back in the two litre days he had the Carina that Murph (Greg Murphy) drove. He’s a lovely guy, I’m really looking forward to it.
“When you grow up in racing and you see these iconic cars that my dad raced and all those guys he raced against, it’s great to drive one now.”
The Sierra spent time in Australia in Allan Moffat’s hands and won the 1988 Sandown 500 in ANZ colours with Moffat and Gregg Hansford behind the wheel.
Moffat, Hansford and Klaus Niedwiedz famously came close to winning that year’s Bathurst 1000 until the white Sierra expired late in the race.
The car was retained by Moffat as his team’s #9 car for the remainder of the Group A era in Australia; it made another three starts at Bathurst across 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Richards’ first time behind the wheel of the Sierra will be in an open test day at the Nurburgring on Thursday before the event starts proper on Friday.
Last weekend he was in Perth at Wanneroo on double duty, running son Clay’s Trans Am car as well as continuing in a mentor role for Blanchard Racing Team Supercar pilot Aaron Cameron.