CMS Team Sweden

At the beginning of the 1988 season, Swedish team owner Christer Mikael Simonsen – hence why the C-M-S letters - had to resign himself: the Volvo 240 Turbo was no longer competitive on the group A touring car scene.

The little touring car team from Gothenburg, in south-west Sweden, where Volvo had its base, was only in its third season as a Group A team.

After some hesitation, Christer and his father Kurt finally decided that they would build a Ford Sierra RS500 group A from a kit supplied by Andy Rouse in the UK. The car would not be ready until the end of the summer…

Before switching to a Sierra and exploring more intensively the international scene, CMS Team had been quite successful with the Volvo in the Swedish and Nordic Touring Car Championships.

4th Sept 1988 – RAC Tourist Trophy Silverstone, FIA European Touring Car Championship (round 10)

The car made its debut at Silverstone with Christer Simonsen, his son Kurt and famous Swedish ace Ulf Granberg. They qualified a distant 27th and retired early because of a water pump or generator (according to the source) problem. It went back to Andy Rouse Engineering to be finally prepared for the next ETCC race at Nogaro.

11th Sept 1988 – Nogaro, FIA European Touring Car Championship (round 11)

At Nogaro (France), the car made it to the finish. After qualifying 8th in race tires just behind their Swedish fellow countrymen Bornebusch and Larsson, they finished the race in the same order – albeit a few positions down in the ranking (15th and 16th), but a 5th place in one of the two heats at some point proved promising until a bad wheel vibration sidelined it.

2nd Oct 1988 – Tooheys 1000 Bathurst, FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (round 1)

After just 2 outings in Europe, the Swedish squad was brave enough to ship the car to Australia for the famous race at Mount Panorama. The team had once raced their Volvo in Macau so were not completely new to this part of the world. One of the few teams doing the low-key FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship, the ambition was to make CMS Team a power on the international touring car scene and Bathurst was a significant step along the path.

Ulf Granberg and Christer Simonsen were paired with the New Zealand driver Ian Tulloch who had competed at Bathurst 1987.

Despite the kiwi helping the Swedish team with logistic and freight, the car arrived late in Sydney and missed the first practice sessions! It was only on Thursday morning (start of the qualifying) that the CMS Sierra arrived at Bathurst – only to pass scrutineering.

The tall blond-haired Ulf Granberg, the bulky Christer Simonsen, son of the family, and the cheeky Kiwi Inky Tulloch had to start dialing it into the circuit, the task that so far had taken the experts two whole days. At least Tulloch had been around here before. The silver Husqvarna-sponsored RS500 had been loaded for its flight to Australia just after the Nogaro race but somehow the team got the wrong bomber, and it was routed through everywhere except Baluchistan, to arrive in Sidney Wednesday morning.

While Simonsen was unknown to Australians, Granberg had the credentials, having spent 1985 and 1986 with the works Volvo team and winning Brno for them both years. Accountant Tulloch had finished 11th here last year with Trevor Crowe in an M3 but the car had been disqualified for having the wrong spoiler. He had got this year’s drive mainly because of his hard work in handling the complex logistics of setting up transportation, support crew, tires and the rest with very little notice – the CMS Sierra hadn’t even made the original entry deadline…

Christer Simonsen was first out, which seemed a bit strange, but after all, he was the boss’ son. At 10:55, he came in to give the car to Ian Tulloch. Ulf Granberg still hadn’t been out there, and they were really just touring around in the high 2:30s, getting the feel of the place. It was the first time Tulloch had driven the car. “It’s a bit like a delayed rocket ship. The turbo lag is worse than that on the Volvo”. He had met Simonsen through running a Volvo Turbo team in Japanese racing the year before.

At 11:26, Granberg slipped the Husqvarna Sierra away down pit lane for his first look at the place. That he would be no faster than Tulloch had been on 2:28s was no disgrace, in view of what was about to happen. In the afternoon session, Granberg amazingly pulled the CMS Sierra down to 25:76.

The last qualifying sessions was to be run on Friday morning. The CMS Swedish team had just one set of D2 Pirelli qualifiers, although they had got 4 Yokohamas on the basis that they would run the Swedish 1989 season on Yokos. Three other sets of Pirelli stickies were still in Singapore, as far as they knew, because the spares and equipment had been split into two flights.

Christer Simonsen took the first qualifying stint but at 10:48, Ulf Granberg got his turn but got a puncture after a few laps. Inky Tulloch took out the car this time with D2 Pirellis on the front and D3s on the rear, so some of their lost tires had turned up, evidently.

At 11:35, he brought the car back for Granberg to have a big go, the Pirelli D2s and D3s making way for E Yokohamas. This proved a good move as Granberg did a fantastic 22:22s – placing the RS500 on the fifth row (10th) just behind the Fury/Skaife Nissan Skyline.

During the Tooheys Top Ten (not counting for the first five rows of the grid as the Hardies Heroes), Granberg was the only one to improve his qualifying time with a 2:21:82 on race tires!

The half-hour warmup session on race day produced huge drama for the CMS Swedish Team… At 08:21, Christer Simonsen came hurrying in with the silver Sierra. They had cracked a clutch plate, and with just over 90 minutes to go to the race start, the mechanics hurled themselves at the car. There was much shouting in Swedish; after all, they had changed the gearbox the day before after only six laps of practice and the clutch was OK then.

Luckily, the RS500 was ready in time for the race. The start was a total anti-climax with no real drama at the front. By lap five, Johnson was leading Niedzwiedz, who was under very sincere attack from by Longhurst, then Bowe, Hahne, Dieudonne, Bond, Smith and Granberg who had moved to 9th.

Ulf Granberg had been one of the most forceful figures in the early laps. 11th on the first lap, he latched onto John Smith for the next four laps and moved ahead with him. Smith then put Furry between himself and the Swede for one lap. But Ulf was wild-eyed and backfilling mirrors through a daring bit of thievery down the inside of Fury in the contest for Murray’s. Furry had been too polite: Granberg thrusted aggressively at the right moment and forced him wide to make eight Sierras in a row at the front.

The Skyline lost considerable momentum and before Fury could get the turbo spinning again, the Commodore of Perkins and Grice convoyed through. The Nissan man had his revenge quickly when he enlisted turbo power to surge by the Holdens and further on, gallop through the remains on a smokescreen left by Granberg.

The silver Sierra exploded violently in the manner that Sierras often do. The Swede aborted the race immediately, pulling off onto the grass, parking. The retaining nut had spun off the turbine on full song. The amount of white he generated hinted at the extent of the damage done at such engine speed…

24th Oct 1988 – Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington, FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (round 2)

After a stunning start at Bathurst but a disappointing early DNF, the CMS team was in New Zealand with the same three drivers: Simonsen, Granberg and local Kiwi, Ian “Inky” Tulloch.

Despite a minor crash during the rainy practice session, the silver Sierra finished 12th.

30th Oct 1988 – Promo Touring Car 500 Pukekohe, FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (round 3)

At Pukekohe, Ulf Granberg and Christer Simonsen drove without Tulloch but they had to retire after 21 laps.

1989, Swedish Touring Car Championship

Ulf Granberg raced the car at various events in Sweden. Records can be found of races at Falkenberg, Ring Knutstorp, Anderstop and Mantrop Park. He would finish 4th in the Swedish Touring Car Championship.

1990, Swedish Touring Car Championship

Christer Simonsen raced the car in the 1990 Swedish Touring Car Championship and finished 6th in the standings. He scored points at Kinnekulle and Mantrop Park, did a podium (3rd) at Anderstorp and won the race at Falkenberg.

1990, Finnish Touring Car Championship

That year, the CMS team also raced the car in at least one of the Finnish Touring Car Championship races. Here, the car is seen at the Ahvenisto track for the Hämeenlinna Race held on the 5th May with Christer Simonsen at the wheel.

11th Nov 1990 – Fuji Inter-Tec 500, FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (round 6)

At the end of the season, the car was shipped to Japan for father and son Simonsen (Christer and Kurt). After being qualified 13th, the scored a very good 6th at the end of the race.

25th Nov 1990 – Macau Guia Race

After Fuji, the car was shipped to Macau for the famous Guia Race in the twisty track built in the own town. Kurt Simonsen qualified the car 9th but after 11 laps, the engine blew.

1991, Swedish Touring Car Championship

Christer Simonsen would again race the car in 4 of the 6 rounds of the STCC. His best result will be a podium (3rd) at Anderstorp and a 4th place at Falkenberg.

He would finish 6th in the championship ranking.

1991, Finnish Touring Car Championship

The CMS RS500 was entered at the Finnish Kemora 500 race for Christer Simonsen, Heikki Salmenautio and Olli Haapalainen. They finished 4th.

A record can also be found at the Alastaro Circuit in Finland in September. The CMS RS500 was not the star of the weekend but Mika Häkkinen (Lotus F1 driver at that time) racing a BMW M3.

10th Nov 1991 – Fuji Inter-Tec 500, FIA Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (round 6)

After last year good result at the Fuji Inter-Tec 500, the team decided to give it another go. This time, Heikki Salmenoutio joined Kurt and Christer Simonsen. They qualified a promising 7th on the grid but after problems with a wheel nut in the race, they finished at a disappointing 26th.

1992, Swedish Touring Car Championship

Christer Simonsen raced the car at Falkenberg.

1993, Swedish Touring Car Championship

The last race of the car under CMS Team Sweden ownership was Christer Simonsen at Falkenberg.

1994, Bought by Pentti Piispanen (Finland)

Pentti Piispanen bought it directly from the Simonsen family. It’s not sure if he has raced it in 1994.

1995, Finnish Super Saloon Championship

Pentti Piispanen did 4 races in the Finnish Super Saloon Championship.

1996, Finnish Super Saloon Championship

Pentti Piispanen did 7 races in the Finnish Super Saloon Championship. He’d be classified 6th in the standings with 2 podium finishes.

After the 1996 season, Piispanen started to convert the car into a proper Special Saloon with a wide body kit. He stripped the arches and then found out the whole championship was cancelled. The car was parked up for almost 10 years.

2005, Bought by Pasi Blomström (Finland)

In 2005, Pasi Blomström bought the car from Pentti Piispanen. As the car was still in the exact same state Piispanen parked it, he carried the work to build the car with the wide body kit.

2009, Bought by Dave Holland (England & Lithuania)

Somewhere in 2009, Pasi Blomström sold the car to Dave Holland who raced it with his sons Drew and Michael in Lithuania.

2012, Bought by Paul Knapfield (England)

In 2012, Paul Knapfield acquired the car. He had it restored back to original RS500 group A specification at no expense spared and stickered it up as raced at the 1991 Inter-Tec Fuji 500.