Career
Dance has been racing since he was 21 and has worked his way through different formulas winning championships along the way.
Initially he began in the Super Rod formula racing with the locally based Spedeworth International racing at Wimbledon and Aldershot. These cars were 3 litre Ford Capris. He built his own cars from scratch with a loyal group of friends. He soon made a name for himself as a respected innovative driver. He travelled from one end of the Country to the other competing for points to qualify for Championships. In 1980 he moved to the 1600cc Hot Rods and for a short period of time he raced both achieving London Champion title in both cars. After this title he became the English Champion in the Hot Rods.
In 1989 a new formula was introduced, the Intersaloons. These were similar to the Hot Rods but the engine could be as large as 2 litres. One of the main challenges that Dance was looking forward to in this series was the move from small ovals to circuits. This progression suited Dance's driving skills. He particularly enjoyed racing at Lydden Hill and in 1991 he won the Championship. When in 1994 the Eurocar package was brought in it introduced a whole new concept in racing in this country. It promoted showmanship and family entertainment allowing the spectators access to the pits, the cars and the race teams. The cars were 2900cc Ford Mondeo’s and as with previous formulas Dance learnt about and then built his own cars. This time it was with added help of his two nephews, Dean and Adam who had been supporting him over the seasons. Due to being involved from a young age they are as skilled as any other mechanics on the circuit. Eurocar racing introduced Dance to more new tracks like Donnington, Castle Combe, Mallory Park and Brands Hatch.
In his first year he raced a V6 Eurocar under the Sponsorship of Tulip Computers and came 6th in the Championship. Dance then had to leave the racing to concentrate on his business. After successfully building up a Grab Hire firm he returned to the V6’s a season or two later and came 4th overall. The season after was his best Season ever, the Team worked consistently hard and achieved good results. Dance won the Eurocar V6 Championship with a meeting in hand, the first time that has been achieved in its 5 years history.
In 2002, a new formula came to light and after winning the V6 Championship three times in a row he was after a fresh new challenge. Dance had a test drive around Brands Hatch in a Truck and he enjoyed the experience so much that he got himself a Truck and started competing in the Championship whilst also racing in the V6.
The season was a learning curve for him and the Team and they gained valuable information into the running of the Truck and although it was only their first season, they came 7th overall. After such a great start, he decided to leave the V6 Championship and concentrate on the Pickup Trucks. The team decided on a name for them: Draft Racing, a colour scheme for the Pickup, a logo and all of the team clothes. They chose a brand new engine builder and decided to start from scratch and do things right, this proved a sensible idea as after all of the effort and support he won the title in 2003.
The Team decided to experiment with the Truck in 2004 after winning the Championship to take the series on further. They learnt new things, good and bad and finished the season 4th. The 2005 season brought new faces and new styles of racing into the formula which upped the tempo of the racing and it made the Drivers want to push their Trucks further. Again he finished the season in 4th position, but he did not give up. The Truck was the best it had ever been but it still wasn’t good enough. So during the off season, the Truck was taken to different tracks and to its engine builder for progress work and the Team were in a positive frame of mind for the 2006 Season. In 2010, he clinched his third championship title after fending off Pete Stevens by 68 points, and became the second driver to have won the championship three times, the other driver being Gavin Seager. At the 2011 season finale, he won the championship a record fourth time, and went on to win his fifth championship in 2012.
Read more about this topic: Steve Dance
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—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
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—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)