New Zealander Radisich competed in the BTCC between 1993 and 1998, driving for the factory Ford and Peugeot squads. He won six races and twice finished third in the standings.
Now he is due to be reunited with the Ford Mondeo he raced in 1994, and took to Touring Car World Cup glory at Donington Park, at the 1-2 July Brands Hatch event.
The car is one of several Super Tourers owned by Kiwi businessman Scott O’Donnell, who lived in London in the 1990s, and Radisich has driven it a handful of times in recent years.
“There are four or five cars coming from New Zealand to Brands and the Mondeo was one of them, and Scott was scheduled to drive it,” Radisich told Autosport.
“But he’s just had shoulder surgery, so he called me and said he can’t do it and would I drive it, and I said I’ve love to.
“I know the car and I’ve driven it lately – I raced it last month in the George Begg Festival at Teretonga.
“It’s not going to be competitive compared to a lot of cars, but it will be nice to get back to Brands Hatch.
“It’s quite ironic, because Scott as a young guy was watching me from the outside of the track in 1993 and 1994, and that’s part of the reason why he bought the cars.
“I want him to stand in the same place as he did in 1993 and 1994 and this time I’ll wave to him!”
Radisich will campaign his car acquired and raced in recent years by O’Donnell
Photo by: JEP
Radisich – who regularly contests historic and endurance races in his home country – is looking forward to a reunion with some of his old Super Touring rivals, including John Cleland and Anthony Reid, at Brands.
“It’s not about the competition – it’s a weekend to see a few familiar faces and I’m looking forward to being part of it,” he said.
“I might be doing it in an older car, but I’ll be driving it as hard as it will go!
“Scott prepares these cars extremely well and it’ll be as good as it ever was.”
Radisich is not the only Kiwi tin-top star on the entry list – multiple Bathurst winners Greg Murphy (Nissan Primera) and Steve Richards (Volvo S40) are also due to compete.
Meanwhile, a star of the BTCC’s modern era is also due to contest the Super Tourers races that headline the Kent fixture, with Jake Hill set to join Reid and Richard Wheeler in a fleet of Primeras.
Hill is slated to drive the car Laurent Aiello took to the 1999 BTCC title and it will be the first time he has raced a Super Touring machine.
“I’m just buzzing to be honest with you!” Hill told Autosport.
“It’s arguably one of the best Super Tourers ever, especially in BTCC history, and I’m a very lucky boy.
Hill will race ex-Laurent Aiello Nissan Primera
Photo by: Motorsport Images
“A huge thank you to Richard Wheeler and John Danby Racing for letting me drive it.”
Hill has shared cars with Wheeler in Classic Sports Car Club events, and says Wheeler “is the reason why I have a career in historic racing now”.
It is the second new racing experience confirmed for Hill in recent days, following news of him joining the British GT grid for two rounds this year in a Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.
Alongside the Super Touring action, the Brands event is also due to feature races for the rest of the Classic Touring Car Racing Club’s plethora of tin-top series – which cater for cars from the 1960s up to those from the early 2000s.