Round 7, Sunday, July 26th, 1987
Great excitement and speculation surrounded the Shell Gemini 1000 kms race at Brands Hatch in England. The withdrawal of full factory support by Porsche had left Derek Bell and Hans Stuck wondering how to preserve their championship chances. Then came news that they had signed up with the Joest team and would be on the grid determined to challenge the Tom Walkinshaw Jaguars.
The British team was anxious to avenge their defeat by Porsche at Le Mans and naturally the 20,000 patriotic Britons in attendance would back the Big Cats.
This video tracks the drama of the five-hour race, with all its fervent excitement on the circuit and in the pits.
Could ex-Lotus Grand Prix driver Johnny Dumfries drive the 220 mph Liqui Moly Porsche 962 to glory? He set a new lap record in the kouros Mercedes at Le Mans, so was clearly in top form. His driver would be 1986 Brands winner Mauro Baldi of Italy. Baldi and Grand Prix driver Jonathon Palmer had won at Norisring to further boost their confidence - especially after their car had been re-built at very short notice after being burned-out in France. Jan Lammers and Raul Boesel would lead the Jaguar line-up with every home supporter willing them to victory.
So, on probably the most demanding track used by the WSC contenders, the scene was set for a spectacular ‘battle of the giants’.