Russell Spence


Russell Spence is an English racing driver. He now runs a construction business in London. In 2011, Spence was jailed for 13 weeks for his part in a fraud scam involving a chain of car washes.

Early career

He 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

Come 1984, Spence had 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

He 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 him. 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

He 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 supporting the Champ Cars, 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 this, he was replaced in the team by 1991 champion Will Hoy. He ended the season eighteenth with three points.

Racing record

Career highlights

International Race Victories

Complete International Formula 3000 results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011Pts
1986Eddie Jordan RacingMarch 86BCosworthSIL
18†		VAL
DNQ		PAU
Ret		SPA
15		IMO
Ret		MUG
DNQ		PER
Ret		23rd0.5
1986Onyx Race EngineeringMarch 86BCosworthÖST
11		BIR
6		BUG
10		JAR
Ret		23rd0.5
1987Murray Taylor RacingMarch 87BCosworthSIL
Ret		VAL
Ret		SPA
9		PAU
Ret		DON
DNQ		PER
Ret		10th10
1987Mountleigh MotorsportMarch 87BCosworthBRH
7		BIR
8		IMO
DNQ		BUG
2		JAR
3		10th10
1988Team RaltRalt RT22JuddJER
Ret		VAL
Ret		NC0
1988Madgwick InternationalReynard 88DCosworthPAU
Ret		SIL
Ret		MNZ
DNQ		PER
DNS		BRH
Ret		BIR
Ret		NC0
1988Onyx RacingMarch 88BCosworthBUG
11		ZOL
DNQ		DIJ
Ret		NC0

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526Pts
1999Arena InternationalRenault LagunaDON
1
15		DON
2
8		SIL
1
Ret		SIL
2
Ret		THR
1
13		THR
2
14		BRH
1
11		BRH
2
Ret		OUL
1
DNS		OUL
2
DNS		DON
1
14		DON
2
Ret		CRO
1
15		CRO
2
11		SNE
1		SNE
2		THR
1		THR
2		KNO
1		KNO
2		BRH
1		BRH
2		OUL
1		OUL
2		SIL
1		SIL
2		18th3