Bernard Unett | ||
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Driver Details | ||
Nationality | {{{{{natflag}}}}} British | |
Date of Birth | 22/07/1936[1] | |
Date of Death | 2000 | |
Début | Peter England Trophy 1966 | |
Championships | 3 (1974, 1976, 1977) | |
Previous Teams | Alan Fraser Racing Team Chrysler Dealer Team Mopar | |
Career Statistics | ||
Total Entries | 0 (0 Starts) | |
Pole Positions | 0 | |
Fastest Laps | 0 | |
Wins | 0 (0 in Class) | |
Total Points | 0 |
Bernard Unett was a British Saloon Car Championship driver, who raced between 1966 and 1977, claiming three titles. Unett was the third driver to claim three titles (after Bill McGovern and Frank Gardner), and was famed for using Hillman cars including the Hillman Avenger that he drove to two of his three titles.[1]
Background[]
Unett began racing in 1961, having spent time as a development engineer for the Rootes Group, as well as playing understudy to Mike Parkes within the group.[1] He continued to work for the group, alongside his racing in club and rally competitions in the United Kingdom for them, with the Alan Fraser Racing Team taking over the racing aspects of the Rootes Group from 1966.[1] This gave Unett his first taste of national and international level motorsport, and saw him make his debut in the BSCC.[1]
BTCC History[]
Unett first drove in the BSCC at the Peter England Trophy meeting at Brands Hatch in 1966, using one of the Hillman Imps the Alan Fraser Racing Team had developed with the Rootes Group since 1964.[1] A lap record and second place convinced Alan Fraser to provide a car for Unett for the rest of the season, with another second place coming at the final race.[2] 1967 saw Unett continue with the team, using the same Imp to take his first class wins at Silverstone that he had used at the end of the previous year.[3] Seven podiums gave Unett a total of 54 points that year, enough for fourth overall and second in his class, although the would not return in 1968, instead focusing on single seaters and round-the-world rallies.[3][1]
The Avenger[]
Despite two brief appearences in 1971 in a Sunbeam Imp (claiming a victory and a podium in his two races), Unett would not be seen in the championship until 1974, when Chrysler took to running a factory team.[4][5] In 1974, Unett stood atop the podium eight times to take his first title, driving a Hillman Avenger 1600 GT in Class A.[5] He used the same Avenger again in 1975, although the aging car gradually fell behind the newer equipment, leaving Unett in sixth overall and second in his class.[6]
Mopar took over the running of the Chrysler teams in the BSCC in 1976, and gave Unett a brand new Hillman Avenger 1300 to race for the year.[7] Armed with a new car, and with the experience of having already won a title, Unett proved to be unstoppable, claiming victory at every race in his class, winning the championship with 90 (maximum) points.[7] He would use the Avenger 1300 again in 1977, although it would be rebranded as a Chrysler Avenger mid-way through the year (after Chrysler ceased their use of the Hillman name on their European cars).[8] External politics aside, Unett proved to be the best driver once more, claiming nine wins to take his third title, matching the record of Frank Gardner.[8] Unett would move on from the BSCC after this season, resuming his ambitions in rallying and car development.[1]
BTCC Record[]
A table containing Bernard Unett's best results in the BTCC. The figures after the information about the car used indicate Bernard Unett's best finish at that meeting in their class.
Bernard Unett's BTCC Record | ||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | Pos | Pts | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
1966 | Alan Fraser Racing | - | 14 | Hillman Imp | bgcolor="#E52525" rowspan="2" style="border-radius:5px; color:white;"|A | N | 2 | 4 | R | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
1967 | 4th | 54 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | |||
1971 | Jean Denton Racing | - | 15 | Sunbeam Imp | N | 2 | N | 1 | N | - | ||||||||
1974 | Chrysler Dealer Team | 1st | 69 | Hillman Avenger 1600 GT | 1 | R | 2 | 1 | N | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | R | |
1975 | Halesfield Motors | 6th | 63 | 4 | R | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | N | |||
1976 | Mopar | 1st | 90 | Hillman Avenger | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | |
1977 | 49 | R | 1 | 1* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
* Unett was registered as using a Chrysler Avenger from this point onwards
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Unett
- ↑ http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1966%20BSCC.html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1967%20BSCC.html
- ↑ http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1971%20BSCC.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1974%20BSCC.html
- ↑ http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1975%20BSCC.html
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1976%20BSCC.html
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1977%20BSCC.html