Colin Blower

21/3/1948 - 20/6/2017

Record updated 21-Mar-23

Colin Blower began his motor sport career in 1973 racing an MGB, a year later he completed a full season in the Production Sports Car Championship with a Lotus Europa, where after winning a number of races he finished runner-up in the Championship.

In 1975 Colin began a long and successful partnership with the Blackpool sports car manufacturer TVR. This continued to the end of 1982. During that time many races were won as well as two Championships.

1983 saw a switch to Porsche, and after another successful year in Production Sports he claimed another two Championships. Colin moved on to dominate Production Saloons with a works backed Mitsubishi Starion.

1984 brought further success for Colin when he recorded twelve wins and the class A Championship in the Uniroyal series. A year later he claimed both Unoroyal and Monroe Titles taking the chequered flag on 16 occasions.

Arguably 1986 was his best season in terms of victories. He took the class title with 22 wins in both the Uniroyal and Monroe series. This was a tremendous achievement against tough opposition. However the Ford Sierra arrived on the scene in 1987 thus rendering Colins Mitsubishi uncompetitive- giving away 50bhp. None the less he came away from the Championship with a top five placing.

Mitsubishi recognised Colin's acievements by presenting him with their driver of the year award, however, Mitsubishi were forced to withdraw a year later after the RAC failed to control turbo boost.

At the end of the 1989 season Colin renewed his aquantance with TVR, taking in three races before embarking on a full season that continues to this day. Taking part in over one hundred races in the TVR Tuscan Challenge, highlights have included finishing runner-up in 1991, 1993, 1994 and Champion in 1992.

One of his highlights was to have been in a race against Nigel Mansell who he beat in qualifying to snatch pole position from the former World Champion. However Nigel had a huge accident in the TOCA shoot out earlier in the day, withdrawing from the TVR race. Colin went on to win the race.

A down side to his career was at Silverstone in 1996 when he broke both his legs and some ribs in a qualifying accident. The throttle on his TVR had jammed open at over 150mph.

Interspersed amongst his decade of TVR Tuscan Challenge racing, Colin tried his hand at GT racing in both 1997 and1998 with a TVR Cerbera in GT2. Despite not being as successful as with the Tuscan he still managed outright victory at Donnington Park.

Colin competed in European Sports Prototype Championship for pre 1972 sports cars in an ex Denny Hulme Lola T70 spyder, winning races at the Nurburgring and Coys Historic Festival at Silverstone.

Colin passed at the all too young age of 69 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

BRDC