FEATURE : RIC WOOD
Taming the
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Ric Wood is one of the leading contenders in the Dunlop Saloon Car Cup in his mighty Nissan Skyline . But he doesn ’ t just race them , he builds them as well . Paul Lawrence talked to this talented racer and engineer .
Over recent seasons , the firebreathing four-wheel-drive Skylines have made a real name for themselves as rivals to the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworths form the late 1980s and the final years of the Group A touring car regulations . They were notably successful in their native Japan but Wood recognised that the R32 Skyline could be the car to take on the RS500s in the Dunlop Saloon Car Cup . However , it took all of his engineering expertise and determination to make them fast and reliable . Now 56-year-old and based in Stockport near Manchester , Ric has been racing since he was 21 and it has pretty much always been in touring cars of one sort or another . “ Obviously , I ’ d followed racing as a youngster and my dad used to take me racing . I left home at 15 and when I was 21 I bought my first race car . It was a Capri and I finished second to last at Oulton Park , but I had some fun with it . That was maybe 1986 .” Meanwhile , he built his CNC Heads business up from scratch and that operation has evolved alongside Ric Wood Motorsport . “ Nowadays , we prepare and build racing cars from scratch . We do a lot of engine work and we do cylinder heads for a lot of historic race cars .” Ford Capri engines are a particular speciality and Ric has also built several
stunning ‘ Cologne ’ Capris for racing customers . He has also successfully shared his 3-litre Group 1 car with BTCC racer Adam Morgan .
“ We ’ ve just grown and grown by hard work and reinvestment in new equipment and having good lads . We ’ ve got a team of 26 people . We do a tiny bit of fast road work but at least 20 people are on the motor sport . It ’ s a lot of machining and we ’ ve got 12 CNC machines as well as an engine dyno and a rolling road . We do engines , cylinder heads and engine development on anything from Minis to V8s and we supply a lot of the engine builders in the UK .”
Inevitably , Ric ’ s own racing has to fit in around the business . “ It ’ s just in my blood . What else would I do ? There ’ s not many people that can say they go to work and enjoy every day . But I do . I still get my hands dirty and I build every engine .”
Over the years he ’ s raced some pretty exotic or unusual cars , usually with considerable success , including Australian-built Holdens . “ Yes , I like my Holdens . I like something a little bit different and I like a challenge . When someone says you can ’ t do that . Well , that ’ s just a red rag to a bull .” And that is really where the Skyline project started .
“ Someone said I couldn ’ t build a Skyline as they are awkward to build . But there we are . I ’ m on number four now . That ’ s the two that are racing , one that is for sale and we ’ ve started