Classic Sports Car Club | Paul Commons Motorsport

Whilst delighted to fit the Classic Sports Car Club’s visit to Thruxton into my 2023 schedule, I was grinning like Cheshire Cat when the historic section of the entry list was released, thus setting in stone a second ever trip to the UK’s fastest circuit!

With so many historic racing events these days, the luxury of reserves appearing on an entry list is something of a rarity. But that is exactly what was required for the combined Group 1 and 2 40 minute Adams & Page Swinging Sixties race where a monumental 42 cars took the start with machinery ranging from MG midget to Mustang Mach 1 and almost everything in between!

After what seemed like an inevitable early Safety car period, the race soon developed into a two car battle for victory with the more nimble Lotus Elan 26R of Anthony Hancock keeping the V8 Ford powered TVR of Jon Wolfe at bay before the mandatory pit stops.

It was roll reversal after the aforementioned stops however as Callum Lockie (taking over the TVR Tuscan hot seat) emerged in the lead. But just as we were gearing up for an almighty battle to the flag an uncharacteristic mistake from the experienced historic racer saw the TVR spinning out of contention at the complex leaving the way clear for the ultra rapid Ollie Hancock (taking over from father Anthony) to stroll to a commanding 19 second victory aboard the Swedish flag coloured Lotus.

Behind, Alex Thistlethwayte entertained onlookers by sliding his Mustang around (what appeared to be) every corner of the Hampshire circuit and looked set for a well deserved second, only to be disqualified for a safety car infringement. This left the podium positions to be filled by the Datsun 240z of Dave Cobb and remarkably the MG Midget of Connor Kay!

In fact it turned out to be an excellent coronation weekend for the Hancock father and son team as they later claimed an even more dominant victory in the 1 hour Mintex Classic K race. The highlight was however the incredible battle for second which seemed to go on for most of the race! Initially Thistlethwayte (Ford Mustang) was able to keep the chasing smaller engined cars at bay but eventually Paul Tooms (Lotus Elan) and Fabio Randaccio (TVR Griffith) were able to find a way past. Tooms looked set to make it an Elan 1-2 but a spin at the chicane followed by a late drive through penalty condemned the Lotus pilot to the final step of the podium. Randaccio meanwhile will have been over the moon with second having fought back from last after a slow get away from the grid!

Matthew Ellis would put his stamp on the Advantage Motorsports Future Classics race by building an enormous lead aboard the family Talbot Sunbeam Lotus before handing over to father Martyn. A 1 minute penalty for speeding in pit lane would however land Alex Taylor in the rotary engined Mazda RX-7 the race victory; in itself an excellent achievement following a back row grid position courtesy of air duct issues in qualifying and then having to manage high temperatures in the final stages of the race!

Elsewhere Andy Southcott aboard the MG Lenham Midget set the fastest laps of the day on his way to double victory in the JMC Racing Special Saloons and Modsports races, whilst the guesting Morgan challenge victories would go the way of Shane Kelly and John Emberson.

Always a sucker for a sixties era endurance style event, the Mintex Classic K race in late afternoon glorious sunshine was an excellent way to end proceedings. The memory of Thystlethwayte’s Mustang taking on Allard sideways in an attempt to keep Elan, Griffith and Marcos behind will long stay in the memory bank. The close proximity of viewing Thruxton’s incredible corners (Allard in particular) is just not something that can be replicated at any other UK circuit! I’ll be trying hard not to leave it another 9 years before my next visit!

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Thruxton or Cadwell, Cadwell or Thruxton was the debate; an argument which Cadwell ultimately won due to MSV’s far superior ticketing system, a shorter commute and opportunity to see the highly entertaining Classic Sports Car Club crowd at one of the UK’s finest circuits.

With immediate family dropped off en route, and fortunately arriving at the scene of a lorry’s argument with an A46 roundabout before the queues developed, I was pleasantly surprised to park up at Charlies with still 15 minutes remaining of the day’s first qualifying session. Better still the early June heat-wave appeared to be continuing and I, on being instantly reminded of the exceptional spectator viewing on offer, had a feeling we were in for a good day.

Whilst some of the grids fell far short of the numbers witnessed at Donington some 2 weeks earlier the racing did not suffer. In fact some of the closest racing of the day took place in the 6 car Special Saloons and Modsports race where a slow starting Ian Everett (in Tim Cairn’s Midget) eventually found a way passed Neil Duke’s Anglia and the 2.6 litre MK2 Escort of Martin Reynolds to take the race 1 victory. Despite a close encounter with Duke at the Mountain section in the early stages, the MG Hexagon pilot was able to stretch his lead to over 3 seconds by the time the chequered flag was waved following a remarkable pass for the lead around the outside at Mansfield!

Two races for the AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge were a welcome addition to the timetable and whilst both races saw runaway victors; Oliver Pratt claiming a 47 second race 1 victory and Roger Whiteside finishing 17 seconds ahead of his nearest rival in race 2, the battles behind were far less clear cut. Class 4 was the highlight with Steve Lockett (5^th overall in both races) eventually claiming a double class victory with Simon Sherry and Tom Richards finishing a close second in each of the respective races.

Morgan Challenge race 1 victor Pratt was also due to start the Future Classics race from pole. However a fluid leak after the formation lap lead to the 4.6 litre Morgan being wheeled away from the grid. This ultimately left the way clear for an intriguing battle for victory between Sam Smith’s MX-5 and Martyn & Matthew Ellis’ Sunbeam Lotus. Whilst Martyn Ellis lead the early stages, a 30 second pitstop penalty for winning the previous round entered ensured Matthew Ellis would return to the track behind the pink MX-5 of Smith. Fastest lap after fastest lap ensued and remarkably the Sunbeam pilot appeared to have snatched victory in the closing stages, only to be landed with a 30 second post race penalty for a 0.9 second too short pit stop!

The Swinging Sixties Group 1 race (for smaller engine capacity cars) was perhaps the highlight of the day where Ian Staines worked his way to the front of the impressive 27 car field by the end of lap 1. And despite never relinquishing the top position, the MG Midget pilot was under pressure throughout the opening half of the race with Chris Watkinson’s Austin Mini and Tim Cairn’s pole sitting Turner in hot pursuit. The Mini challenge would sadly fade with troubles at the pitstop leaving Cairn’s to provide the main opposition. But whilst the Turner pilot seemed to be right up there on ultimate pace, the Midget seemed more at ease in the traffic, leaving Staines to claim a well deserved 9 second victory.

The more powerful Swinging Sixties machines would form the Group 2 grid, and having cemented pole by over 1 second, Jamie Keevil in his Lotus Elan would take an early lead. Any thoughts of a stroll to victory however were quickly dispelled as the Lotus 7 of John and Tom Muirhead was able to keep the Elan in sight. But despite setting fastest lap of the race, the Lotus 7 duo were not able to mount a serious challenge for victory and ultimately ended the event 9 seconds in arrears. Following the pitstops, Jonathan Crayston and David McDonald would find themselves locked in a battle for the final podium position and it would be the TR6 of McDonald that would come out on top following a late overtake, thus ending a Lotus class lockout of the podium positions.

And last but least (not in race order), disappointingly just 9 cars took the start of the Mintex Classic K race which even around the relatively short Cadwell park left plenty of quiet gaps. That aside the racing remained enjoyable with little to choose between the top 3 runners, Jon Wolfe’s Elan, the David Beresford / David Morrison MG B and the TR4 of Neil Howe. Pole sitter Wolfe just had the edge throughout though with his Elan taking the flag 6 seconds clear of Morrison’s MG. The battle of the race was for 4^th spot however, where for lap after lap Nick Jesty, in his 1293 Mini, tried his absolute best to find a way passed Steve Chapman’s TR4. After the pitstops it looked like the Austin pilot had finally cracked it only for the more powerful Triumph to find a way back through. Fabulous racing.

And in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the final Morgan had re-entered the paddock and the day was sadly over, 9 hours at the circuit gone in an instant! Whilst it would have been nice to see slightly fuller grids you couldn’t grumble with the quality of entry, which combined with the fabulous weather, the picturesque undulating nature of the circuit and the event running like clockwork (not a single safety car period) pleased the inner photographer (and Motorsport fan) in me! I won’t leave it as long to visit Cadwell again and next time hopefully the great unwashed will be allowed to traipse around the Paddock.

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