John Cleland

From an early focus on rallying and hill climbs, to a long and successful career in saloon car racing, predominantly with Vauxhall in the British Touring Car Championship, John Cleland has an interesting story to tell.

Two Thundersaloon championships in 1986 & 1988, two British Touring Car Championship titles in 1989 & 1995, and some close run, down to the wire near misses made John Cleland a household name in motorsport circles. John’s reluctance to keep his thoughts to himself in the heat of the moment, a handful of infamous incidents and a pinch of controversy helped make the 90’s BTCC Super Touring era a spectacle to be relished.

On September 19th 1999, after 10 years of service, John retired from the British Touring Car Championship in spectacular style, only to promise to return to motorsport in the not too distant future.

The year 2000 saw John appear in a Chrysler Viper and a GT Porsche on a few occasions and in 2001, a brief dip into the then new to the U.K, American

style, ASCAR stock car racing.

John has been a regular visitor to the 1000Km Touring Car "Great Race" at Bathurst's spectacular Mount Panorama circuit in Australia, with a best finish of second place with Brad Jones in 2001.

2004's visit to the mountain saw John rolled onto his roof after a tangle with the Brock/Plato Commodore after just 30 laps. Take a look at the news pages to

see how John and the Brad Jones Racing Team BOC Ford Falcons fared in 2005.

Commuting to and from Australia between the Sandown & Bathurst enduro events, JC was also prominent in the BTCC Masters event at Donington in September 2004 and in the guest Porsche Carrera Cup car at his home circuit of Knockhill earlier in 2004.

In 2008, John was briefly reunited with a 1995 BTCC Cavalier at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Since 2013, John has been competing in the HSCC Super Touring Car Trophy in the same 1997 Vauxhall Vectra he originally drove in the BTCC.