Driver Line-Up 2007: Matt Allison | Andy Britnell | Sam Hancock | Gareth Howell | Steven Kane
* DAVE PINKNEY *
D.O.B.
Nationality
Place of Birth
Place of Residence
Marital Status
Hobbies
5 July 1957
British
Bridlington, East Yorkshire
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Single (two daughters)
Motorbikes, Golf, Motorboating
Dave Pinkney's history in tintop racing is a varied but successful one. He's raced some of the most powerful cars of their day and competed in (and won!) some of the most competitive one-make championships. He first took to the tracks in a Rover Vitesse in the 1987 Production Saloon Car Championship and then, in the same series the following year, switched to a Ford Sierra Cosworth and took four wins. And in 1989 he made his bow in the British Touring Car Championship in an RS500 Sierra Cosworth – the car to have in those days, though that season wasn't hugely rewarding for Dave.
So in the early '90s he created his own team, Pinkney Motorsport, and moved into the British Group N Saloon Championship where he took two wins and 15 podiums from just 23 finishes in his Sapphire Cosworth Sierra.
He returned to the BTCC in 1993 with his eponymous outfit, this time trying his hand behind the wheel of a BMW 318, but with the championship growing in strength with an influx of Manufacturer-backed teams, Dave's privateer effort was always up against it. So, he switched to the cut and thrust of one-make racing and entered the VW Vento VR6 Challenge – winning the title in 1996 (taking six wins) and finishing runner-up in 1997.
Then he moved to the Vauxhall Vectra Challenge, taking the Winter Series title in 1998 and the outright title in 1999 (beating the likes of Rob Collard on the way!). After a few years sabbatical (which included a brief appearance in the 2001 BTCC in an ill-fated Alfa Romeo 147) he returned full time in 2003 in the highly-professional Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain – his highlight in that period being a win at Thruxton, beating the extremely talented Porsche specialist Richard Westbrook.
Last season he competed in the SEAT Cupra Championship until engine problems forced him to look elsewhere so he contested rounds of both the British GT Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup.
For 2006 it's a return to Britain's premier motor racing series the BTCC for Dave and he's re-entered at exactly the right time. The car – a Team Dynamics Championship winning Honda Integra from 2005 – is just as capable of taking race victories as the big-budget manufacturer and top independent teams so expect some good results from the Pinkster!
