Description
“The Spice of Life” (The Spice of Life) 1992 Spice SE92P Prototype IMSA GTP equipped with a Chevrolet V8 engine Built by the renowned Spice Engineering constructor It is often said that endurance prototype racing, such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, is currently in a golden age, with well-filled grids and strong manufacturer involvement. If this statement is correct, many motorsport fans can also rightly claim that this current enthusiasm recalls the previous “golden era” of endurance racing. In the 1980s and 1990s, the introduction of the Group C regulations in the FIA World Sports Car Championship propelled the series to heights never before reached. A simple and flexible set of rules, mainly based on energy efficiency but with few other restrictions, encouraged manufacturers to enter in numbers. Porsche, Jaguar, Lancia, Peugeot, Toyota, Mazda and Nissan all wanted a piece of the action. In the United States, the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) took notice and introduced the GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) category. This regulation was virtually identical to Group C, with one difference: IMSA did not emphasise fuel economy. As Derek Bell said: “Motorsport fans don’t come to races to see an economical race.” One of the most revered and cherished names of this golden age of endurance racing was Spice Engineering, founded by Gordon Spice and Raymond Bellm. Spice, himself a prolific racer with six consecutive titles in the British Saloon Car Championship between 1975 and 1980, began by driving Tiga cars in the C2 class of the World Sports Car Championship. Spice Engineering eventually became a top constructor in the Group C/ GTP era, boldly taking on the major constructors in the category and culminating in factory status by becoming Honda’s official team. The SE90P powered by an Acura engine, driven by Parker Johnstone and run by Comptech Racing, won three consecutive IMSA Camel Lights championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. That was only a small part of Spice Engineering’s success during that period, as the team also claimed four World Championship titles in C2, four class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and five class wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona, shared between the factory squad and the leading privateer Chamberlain Engineering. This particular car, the SE92P (the P denoting the IMSA GTP specification as opposed to the C suffix for Spice’s Group C cars), was one of the last cars built for the IMSA GTP regulations, as prototype racing entered a downturn and the golden age was drawing to a close. That did not stop Spice from producing a powerful car, equipped with a 6. 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine capable of producing up to 800 horsepower. The dry-sump aluminium block developed by Katech was paired with the ubiquitous Hewland five-speed gearbox. As was common at the time, large Venturi tunnels in the car’s floor produced a ground effect and, with it, an enormous amount of downforce. A clever Spice engineering trick of routing the exhaust directly into the tunnels to free up space for suspension upgrades further increased the downforce. Drivers claimed they could actually feel the grip rising as the engine revs climbed. After making its debut in fifth place at the Miami 2 Hours, the second race of the 1992 IMSA GTP season, the car was driven throughout the season by David Tennyson, whose team David Tennyson Racing was backed by Spice USA and Denon America. The Canadian only contested the regular two-hour championship races, while seeking opportunities with other teams for Daytona and Sebring, the Florida classics that framed the Miami race at the start of the season. Tennyson really took off with the car at Road Atlanta in the fourth round, sharing the driving stint with Wayne Taylor once again before tackling the remaining events as a solo driver. Born in South Africa, Taylor would become a multiple IMSA WSC champion and Daytona and Sebring winner before forming WTR in 2006 to become one of the most successful team owners of the 21st century, currently representing Cadillac in the fresh IMSA GTP era. Carrying the number 19 at every event, Tennyson merely finished races at...
