Russell James Spence (born 3 January 1960 in Bradford, Yorkshire) is a British racing driver. He now runs a construction business in London. In 2011, Spence was jailed for 13 months for his part in a fraud scam involving a chain of car washes.
Early career Spence first started in Hill climb events and moved into single seater racing in 1981 when he entered Formula Three. After a single Formula Three race, in the 1981 British Grand Prix support race, finishing 27th, Spence dropped back to the junior ranks for the next season. In 1982, he was champion in the Donington Park Formula Ford 1600. His good form continued in 1983, winning the EFDA Townsend Thorsen European Formula Ford 2000 Championship. During 1983, he returned to Formula Three with Eddie Jordan Racing for a one-off outing in the European Championship.
Formula Three In 1984, Spence signed for Mint Engineering – Warmastyle Racing, for his first full season off British Formula Three, in their Ralt-Volkswagen RT3/84. By only the fourth round, his experience of racing in Europe paid dividends, by winning the Grote Prijs van Zolder, at Zolder. In a season dominated by Johnny Dumfries, Spence scored two more wins, with back-to-back races at Donington Park and Oulton Park. Although he was Dumfries closest rival for the title, Spence was pipped third place by Allen Berg.
Spence stayed in British Formula Three, in 1985 for another crack at the title with PMC Motorsport, abroad a Reynard-Volkswagen 853. He had a brilliant start to the season, winning four of the first six races, two at Thruxton, one at Silverstone as well as retaining the Grote Prijs van Zolder. By the mid-season break he led the standing by five points from Andy Wallace. However, the Reynard's early season advantage had vanished, as the Ralt RT30 came on strong, winning all the remaining rounds. During this period, his team, PMC Motorsport folded, leaving him to quickly build another team, now using a Ralt RT30. Despite this, he was only two points adrift of the championship lead going into the final two rounds. With a DNF in at Zandvoort, and an 11th place at Silverstone, this saw Spence drop to third in the end-of-year standings.
Formula 3000
Spence got a drive in the second year of the International Formula 3000 Series in 1986. This was very much thought of as the proving ground for drivers who wished to get a drive in Formula One, after replacing Formula Two. Driving for Eddie Jordan Racing part way of the season before switching to Onyx Racing, his first season was an unsuccessful one, with a best place finish of sixth at the Birmingham Superprix. In 1987, he drove for Murray Taylor Racing. After a poor start, he had a strong finish to the year, with two podiums in the final two races. A second place at Le Mans followed by a third-place finish at Jarama, saw him finish the season in tenth place.
1988 was a terrible season for Spence. He drove for three different teams through the year, Team Ralt, Madgwick Motorsport and Onyx Racing, in three different cars. Despite entering all the rounds he only finished one race, with an eleventh place at Le Mans, he finished the season with no points. At the end of 1988, he retired from racing.
Birmingham Superprix Protest
Spence is most famous in the Formula 3000 championship for an incident that took place during the 1988 Birmingham Superprix. During the first lap, German driver Volker Weidler spun his car, blocking the circuit and causing a traffic jam of other cars behind him. With the front of the field driving away, Spence was furious that the race was not being red flagged. When the marshalls tried to push his car round, he kept his foot on the brake pedal in protest. With the car unable to be pushed and Spence not getting out, a track side crane was used to hoist his car off the track. The crane lifted the car up in the air with him still inside, waving his arms around for the marshalls to put him back down.
Stateside
Spence made his racing comeback in 1992, in the SCCA Toyota Atlantic Championship. Abroad a Reynard-Toyota 92H, sponsored by Virgin Airways, Spence won his first two races in the United States; at Miami and Phoenix. Adding a further victory at Watkins Glen in the sixth round, helped Spence to finish fourth in the final standing, earning him a total of US$43,625. As this series supported CART, this should have assisted Spence upwards, however 1993 brought just two drives in Toyota Atlantics, not starting one nor finishing the other. 1984 was no better. In two outings for Euromotorsport, Spence at least finished; 4th place in the Monterey Sports Car Grand Prix, at Laguna Seca and 14th in an IMSA Supercar race in Phoenix.
BTCC After five-year break, Spence returned to racing as an independent in the 1999 British Touring Car Championship in an ex-works Renault Laguna for Arena International. His time in the BTCC did not go well. The first part of the season was full of incidents, ending at the fifth meeting of the season at Oulton Park when he crashed the car over the catch fence at Lodge corner. After the Croft rounds, he was replaced in the team by 1991 champion Will Hoy. He ended the season eighteenth with three points.
Racing record
Career highlights Season Series Position Car Team 1981 Marlboro British Formula 3 Championship NC Magnum-Toyota 813 Mike O'Brien 1982 Pace British Formula Ford 2000 Championship NC Van Diemen-Ford RF82 Donington Park Formula Ford 1600 Championship 1st Van Diemen-Ford RF82 1983 EFDA Townsend Thorsen Formula Ford 2000 Championship http://www.driversdb.com/standing/320-1983/ 1st Reynard-Ford 83SF European Formula 3 Championship NC Ralt-Toyota RT3 Eddie Jordan Racing 1984 Marlboro British Formula 3 Championship 3rd Ralt-Volkswagen RT3 Mint Engineering – Warmastyle Racing European Formula 3 Championship 12th Ralt-Volkswagen RT3 Mint Engineering – Warmastyle Racing 1985 Marlboro British Formula 3 Championship 3rd Reynard-Volkswagen 853Ralt-Volkswagen RT30 PMC Warmastyle RacingTeam Warmastyle Ltd. 1986 FIA International Formula 3000 Championship 24th March-Cosworth 86B Eddie Jordan RacingOnyx Race Engineering 1987 FIA Intercontinental Formula 3000 Championship 10th March-Cosworth 87B Murray Taylor Racing Lucas British Formula 3 Championship NC Reynard-Volkswagen 873 Swallow Racing 1988 FIA International Formula 3000 Championship NC Ralt-Judd RT22Reynard-Cosworth 88DMarch-Cosworth 88B Ralt RacingMadgwick MotorsportOnyx Race Engineering 1992 SCCA Toyota Atlantic Championship 4th Reynard-Toyota 92H Steadi Systems/Virgin Airways 1993 Player's Toyota Atlantic Championship 50th Reynard-Toyota 93H 1994 Exxon World Sports Cars Championship 40th Ferrari 333 SPEuromotorsport Bridgestone Supercar Championship NC Ferrari 348Euromotorsport 1999 Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship 18th Renault LagunaArena International
International Race Victories
Date Event Circuit Entrant Car – Engine 1984 15/04/84 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.4 Zolder Mint Engineering – Warmastyle Racing Ralt-Volkswagen RT30 08/07/84 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.10 Donington Park Mint Engineering / Warmastyle Racing Ralt-Volkswagen RT30 18/08/84 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.11 Oulton Park Mint Engineering / Warmastyle Racing Ralt-Volkswagen RT30 1985 10/03/85 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.2 Thruxton PMC Warmastyle Racing Reynard-Volkswagen 853 24/03/85 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.3 Silverstone PMC Warmastyle Racing Reynard-Volkswagen 853 08/04/85 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.4 Thruxton PMC Warmastyle Racing Reynard-Volkswagen 853 21/04/85 British Formula 3 Championship Rd.6 Zolder PMC Warmastyle Racing Reynard-Volkswagen 853 1992 22/03/92 Toyota Atlantic Championship Rd.1 Miami Reynard-Toyota Motorsport GmbH 92H 04/04/92 Toyota Atlantic Championship Rd.2 Phoenix Reynard-Toyota Motorsport GmbH 92H 27/06/92 Toyota Atlantic Championship Rd.6 Watkins Glen Reynard-Toyota Motorsport GmbH 92H
Complete International Formula 3000 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pts 1986 Eddie Jordan Racing March 86B Cosworth SIL18† VALDNQ PAURet SPA15 IMORet MUGDNQ PERRet 23rd 0.5 Onyx Race Engineering ÖST11 BIR6 BUG10 JARRet 1987 Murray Taylor Racing March 87B Cosworth SILRet VALRet SPA9 PAURet DONDNQ PERRet 10th 10 Mountleigh Motorsport BRH7 BIR8 IMODNQ BUG2 JAR3 1988 Team Ralt Ralt RT22 Judd JERRet VALRet NC 0 Madgwick International Reynard 88D Cosworth PAURet SILRet MNZDNQ PERDNS BRHRet BIRRet Onyx Racing March 88B Cosworth BUG11 ZOLDNQ DIJRet
Complete British Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position - 1 point awarded all races) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (* signifies that driver lead feature race for at least one lap - 1 point awarded) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Pts 1999 Arena International Renault Laguna DON115 DON28 SIL1Ret SIL2Ret THR113 THR214 BRH111 BRH2Ret OUL1DNS OUL2DNS DON114 DON2Ret CRO115 CRO211 SNE1 SNE2 THR1 THR2 KNO1 KNO2 BRH1 BRH2 OUL1 OUL2 SIL1 SIL2 18th 3
References
External links BTCC.net Official 1999 standings. BTCC Pages Profile.