John Cleland

John Cleland (born 15 July 1952) is a retired Scottish racing driver who competed in the 1989 to 1999 seasons of the British Touring Car Championship.

BTCC Career
Cleland joined the BTCC in a Vauxhall Astra, finishing first in the 1989 season. He finished second in class in 1990 and 5th overall. The following year he won three races and finished second in the championship to Will Hoy, taking Vauxhall's first overall BTCC win. In 1992 John battled with Hoy and Tim Harvey for the title, but was denied at the last round of the year by a controversial collision with Steve Soper, the teammate of eventual champion Harvey. In 1993 and 1994, the championship was dominated by BMW and Alfa Romeo respectively, with John coming fourth overall in both years.

In 1995, the Cavalier had a breakthrough year, despite it's last year of competition. Cleland's consistent run of points finishes allied to a four-race winning streak in the middle of the season, allowing him to win the title. In 1996, the Cavalier was replaced with the Vauxhall Vectra, which turned out to be a problematic car. Cleland finished 8th in the first year driving a Vectra. The year after was even worse, with John finishing 12th in the standings and Vauxhall finishing bottom of the Constructors' title. In 1998, he had a better year, winning two races at Donington Park. He had a heavy crash at Snetterton, interrupting his season. In 1999 Cleland was outpaced by new teammate Yvan Muller and decided by mid-season to retire. He finished his last race at a wet Silverstone in tenth place, after being given a drive-through penalty.

Post BTCC
Cleland now runs a Volvo and Jaguar dealership. He is also a co-commentator for Eurosport on their coverage of the World Touring Car Championship. His son Jamie has started a racing career.