The Spanish Touring Car Championship was one of the top series of its kind in the world. Repsol, in collaboration with Nissan and Audi, featured in this discipline with some success.
The Spanish Touring Car Championship went through many different incarnations during its active years, but it was not until the 1990s and the televising of the series that teams, manufacturers, sponsors and drivers could agree on a definitive push for the competition, turning it into a showcase event for Spanish car racing.
The arrival of Nissan in a shock move created a buzz in the Spanish series. Formula 1 driver and 1991 national champion Luis Perez–Sala was brought in to push the project forward, driving a Nissan Skyline 6cl 24 valve turbo.
Initially, the regulations were so complex that the race car had lower performance than the road version, but soon the rules became more permissive in order to level the playing field in the series. Nissan–Repsol won the second race on the 1992 calendar at Montmeló, with Perez–Sala leaving his rivals behind down the long main straight. The driver would finish fourth overall that year behind Juan Ignacio Villacieros and his BMW M3, with whom he had a fierce battle at Albacete and Jarama in the final rounds.
In 1993 Luis Perez–Sala and Nissan Skyline proved dominant. Two wins from the opening pair of races at Albacete and Montmeló enabled the Spaniard to conserve his lead over the course of the 11–round series. The powerful Ford factory team of Jesus Pareja and Carlos Palau, onboard Ford Escort Cosworths, the semi–privateer BMW M3 efforts used by Antonio Albacete and the speedy Alain Ferte and Pep Bassas could do little to stop Perez–Sala. The BMW team would win the constructors title but the Skyline was too strong –even at tracks like Alcañiz and Calafat, which in theory were not well suited to the Nissan.
In 1994, the Spanish Touring Car Championship adopted the FIA Class II regulations which were bringing so much success in the British Touring Car Championship.
Opel, Nissan, Ford and Alfa Romeo brought a new dimension to the new Super Touring championship. The cost of the new FIA Class II category could only be covered by factory teams, with those outfits using older material relegated to the Touring class or disappearing altogether. Only the Teo Martin team managed to make the step up and fight for the title with the BMW 318is, driven by Frenchman Alain Ferte.
Expectations were high and were subsequently justified by the spectacular nature of the cars and drivers, in addition to the resources dedicated to the promotion of the series. Nissan swapped the Skyline for the Primera GT, which involved a long development phase. In its debut at Jarama, Luis Perez–Sala was only able to place fifth with the new model, behind the Alfa Romeo 155 TS of Luis Villamil and Adrian Campos which led the way throughout the season. Nissan, following two fifth places at Albacete and Montmelo, took second place at the first Jerez race and repeated the position in Catalonia. The decision by Nissan and Ford to sit out the Alcañiz street circuit race on safety grounds and retirements at the final two rounds left Perez–Sala finishing the campaign in fifth. In those last two races, Nissan finally brought in a second Primera GT, used at Jarama by Eric van Poele to place second, and at Jerez by Tomás Saldaña to finish tenth.
The sales crisis of 1995 was no obstacle to the series, and in fact contributed to its continued success. Nissan –with Repsol’s support– decided to increase its participation with two Primera GT cars for Perez–Sala and Van de Poele. The season was one of the most fiercely contest ever, although fans were unable to follow it on TV. Van de Poele quickly established himself as one of the fastest drivers in the championship, eclipsing his teammate. He took four wins –two at the penultimate round at Montmeló–taking him to the final race of the year at Jarama with a 2–point advantage over Jordi Gene (Opel) and 10 over Luis Villamil (Alfa Romeo), albeit with a 40kg counterweight as a consequence. However, a big crash in practice which seriously damaged his car, plus subsequent disqualification for receiving outside assistance in his quest to get back to the pits, dropped him down to third overall. Perez–Sala was sixth after two wins at Estoril and Calafat, but did not take the start at either race held at Montmelo.
In the final season, a new manufacturer came in to replace the outgoing Alfa Romeo. World Cup winners Audi entered the series off the back of success in the Italian Super Touring series with their A4 machine, and were backed by Repsol as they fielded drivers Jordi Gene and Joan Vinyes. Not even an increase in the minimum weight limit by 30kg from round 3 onwards could stop the German manufacturer from sweeping up. They would even play around with allowing rivals past in order to avoid a weight disadvantage at the following race. Shortly afterwards, the rapid development of opposing teams and the superiority of Michelin tyres meant that Audi Racing Team España eventually needed an extra boost in engine and transmission from the BTCC project in order to give Gené the title.
The main rival to Audi was the Nissan team, with whom they shared Repsol sponsorship. Despite the non–existence of a preseason and the late arrival of the cars, Eric van de Poele managed to take his first win just two seasons into the campaign at Jarama. The Belgian and Luis Perez–Sala were extremely fast on many occasions, with a double victory for the Spaniard at Calafat. Audi and Nissan would occupy the top two spots in the series at the end of the year.
