John Holmes Racing was established in 1976 when John Holmes started
racing in the British Formula Vee Championship. Coming from an engineering background John decided to start out with his own
self built car christened the HAWK. John developed the car and engine over the following years and won the championship in
1978.
For 1979 we moved up to the National FF2000 championships armed with a Delta T78. The Delta was constantly
updated and with our own engine and gearbox rebuilds proved to be very competitive. Suitably encouraged we then purchased
a new Royale RP30 for 1981/2. During this time we also took part in some long distance S2000 events with Royale. We started
to take on customer work in the early 1980's. From general preparation/set up work through to more specialised car builds
and even converted LHD road cars to RHD spec.
We decided on a fresh challenge for 1983 and purchased an ex-works
March 772P chassis no. 2 to compete in the British Open and Formula Libre championships. To stretch ourselves further
we then installed a our own Twin Turbo 3.5L V8 engine which we developed ourselves from a Rover V8 block. Eventually
we managed to obtain a reliable 450bhp from this engine, a 2nd place finish behind Tony Trimmer's F5000 Lola
being the best result.
With the increasing interest in Historic Motorsport we have converted the March back to
F2 spec. with a Cosworth BDG engine. In this specification we have competed in the Derek Bell trophy and some Euro F2 events.
Following a shunt during the 2004 Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park we have now completely rebuilt the March, all work
carried out by ourselves. A third place finish at the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting in 2007 being testimony to our restoration
skills.
David Tuck joined JOHN HOLMES RACING in 1983 bringing his Motor Vehicle and Light Aircraft Engineering
skills to the team. David has competed in the Monoposto Kent Championship, armed with a Van Diemen RF82, in the early nineties.
Then taking time out from competing, completed the rebuild of a rare ex works Magnum 843 chassis number 1.
Over the
last 40 years we have been involved with Specialist Performance, Classic and Racing cars of all makes and types. Our combined
talents allow us to compete at the highest levels to the highest standards. From our workshop at Dragon Hall, Nr. Tattenhall
in Cheshire we have designed and developed cars and engines, rebuilt major components (Gearboxes etc) Monocoques and
fibreglass bodywork. We also have full machine shop facilities on the nearby Wrexham industrial estate.
We now
specialise in providing Historic Motorsport preparation and all Classic/Vintage motor vehicle renovation and component reconditioning. You can
find our contact details on the "Contact us" section or visit our Facebook page.