Back in 1986, the advent of Group A touring cars ensured for the first time all major championships were aligned with the same regulations allowing contenders from down under to take on the world.
Allan Grice first announced his plans to combine with local touring car championships best drivers taking in the European Touring Car Championship driving a Roadways-built Holden VK Commodore Group A SS sponsored by Fosters. Unfortunately, this didn’t occur and Grice used pay drivers to complete most of the season.
Brock was supposed to be one of these drivers to team with Grice, but instead the Holden Dealer Team went across to complete reconnaissance ahead of a planned tilt at the 1987 World Touring Car Championship.
Bringing John Harvey and Allan Moffat for the ride, it proved a defining trip for the squad as its agreement with Holden was slowly coming to an end.
Another to head across was Ron Dickson, who raced a Tom Walkinshaw Racing-prepared Rover Vitesse as part of the South Pacific Racing team, sister to the factory Bastos outfit. Denny Hulme also raced and won with the outfit.
It was the peak of the homologation wars as Volvo, BMW, Rover, Ford and Holden all unleashed the latest products.
Australia’s own was an unknown quantity for the Europeans until Grice’s performance at Monza put the field on notice.
Grice was the pure underdog like he was in Australia and played up to the fact, impressing many despite his poor run of luck.
Hockenheim proved a highlight as Grice battled the two RAS Volvo 240 Turbos throughout the opening stint until a stray lapped competitor in a Volkswagen Golf severely damaged the Commodore.
The crowning glory for the Holden in the ETCC was its King’s Cup victory at the 24 Hours of Spa when all Grice’s joined with the HDT’s two entries to take win the prestigious award.
As for Hulme, he performed superbly by winning the RAC Tourist Trophy alongside Jeff Allam and was frontrunner throughout the season. Dickson also impressed after receiving the drive following a cancelled campaign to enter two Rovers in the Australian Touring Car Championship.
This proved the peak of Group A touring cars as Volvo and Rover pulled out, Holden’s attack was heavily dented by its split with Brock, while turbocharging became a force culminating in the arrival of Nissan’s GT-R.
For 1987, the World Touring Car Championship proved a political schmozzle having been taken on by Bernie Ecclestone prior to the first round and was only run for a sole season, before being rejuvenated in 2005 to S2000 regulations.