 announcing the launch of the Touring Car Database, featuring one of the internet’s most comprehensive sources of tin-top history and information.){kind=link}
TouringCars.Net is today (14 March) announcing the launch of the Touring Car Database, featuring one of the internet’s most comprehensive sources of tin-top history and information.
Data spanning more than four decades, 263 seasons, 4,066 races, 3,477 drivers, 2,438 qualifying sessions and over 30,000 photographs (and counting) is included in the comprehensive dataset.
As well as this, contextual information on 216 individual circuits and venues is presented, along with graphical representations and historical configurations of each track.
Utilising this data, detailed statistical lists and comparisons are able to be presented. Whilst for some series (such as the British Touring Car Championship), a currently incomplete list of race winners is presented, for others, detailed comprehensive lists can be assessed.
The announcement follows many years of research from TouringCars.Net into the history of the sport at a national and international level. This research remains an ongoing project, with the intention of pulling together as much of a complete dataset as possible.
The interface for the database has been designed to be the best in the business, with a clean and easy to navigate front-end.
“Collating, researching and maintaining the history of the sport of touring car racing is something very important to me,” said TouringCars.Net Editor-in-Chief and Database Administrator Andrew Abbott.
“To this end, over a number of years, not only has contemporary touring car race information been collated, but also an active effort made to research the history of the sport.
“As a result, I believe TouringCars.Net now contains one of the most comprehensive – although still incomplete – touring car datasets on the internet.
“Much consideration has gone in to when to officially ‘launch’ such a dataset. Given the effort and complexity involved in getting to where we are, it was felt now was the best time to mark the occasion – even though there is much more data to continue to research.
“My thanks must go in particular to the team at the Silverstone Interactive Museum and British Racing Drivers’ Club, including Stephanie Sykes-Dugmore and David Freestone, and Trevor Swettenham at the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC).
“I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the late Frank de Jong, whose invaluable resource at www.touringcarracing.net was regularly cross-referenced when researching the database.”
Historical and archive data contributions
If any TouringCars.Net readers are interested in contributing materials, data or other information to this archive project, please do get in touch by email at [email protected].
A note regarding the statistical collation
All statistical lists contain important information about the relevant date ranges. For example, at the time of launch, the BTCC dataset goes back to 1982 and as such does not represent a complete list of race winners, but does accurately reflect statistics after that year to the present day.
However, an important methodology has been utilised: that only unbroken chronological sequences of races are included in the database for each respective series.