Having stumbled across the opening day entry list on the run up to the event it was an absolute no brainer to trade in a planned visit to Snetterton for the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe. It appeared this event had developed nicely over the last 7 years since my last visit with an absolutely full to the brim schedule topped off by a 2 hour race for the brilliant GT & Sports Car Cup!
Encountering torrential rain on the approach to the Wiltshire circuit however it did cross my mind whether the correct decision had been made but thankfully only a handful of laps behind the safety car were required for the first qualifying session before normality returned. Panic Over!!
The tricky early morning conditions had though produced a rather mixed up grid for the Ecurie Jaguar competitors taking part in the first race of the day. In a grid of cars where essentially anything Pre-66 Sports and GT is permitted it was no real surprise to find the ultra rapid Grant Williams make the most of the limited grip on offer and put his Jaguar MK2 on pole, but in stark contrast the Jaguar D-type of Christian Albrec and Gary Pearson would find themselves starting from a lowly 14th.
By the scheduled race time however the circuit had dried somewhat and this seemed to suit the Austin Healey of Oliver and Jack Chatham and the powerful 3 litre machine would leap into an early lead. Tom Barclay, starting the pole sitting Jag on the other hand, was not able to match the pace of Williams and dropped back leaving the Butterfield’s to lead the Jaguar charge in a MK2 of their own whilst the Jaguar D-Type in the hands of Christian Albrec had made great progress and would find himself second before the mid race pitstops.
The Healey would have always been up against it to keep Gary Pearson behind in the second half of the race but that would in the end prove immaterial. Indeed, a sensationally quick stop for the D-Type crew would see Pearson emerge with a comfortable lead which the long time Jaguar racer duly maintained until the finish. The runners up spot was however just reward for Oliver and Jack Chatham after an excellent drive whilst Tom and Richard Butterfield rounded out the podium positions.
A 60th anniversary grid walk preceded an excellent Historic F3 race which was a nice touch by the organisers. Better still the race itself featured a fantastic duel at the head of the field between the Brabham BT18 of Andrew Hibberd and Alexis MK17 of Peter De La Roche. Hibberd may well have expected a more straightforward victory having qualified one pole but came across a gutsy De La Roche who, try as he might, could not quite find a way to squeeze passed the chequered flag liveried machine, leaving the Cheshire based pilot having to settle for second by a mere 0.127 seconds!
The GT & Sports Car Cup for Pre-66 GT cars and Pre-61 Sports Prototypes is often the headline grabbing event and this occasion was no exception. A 2 hour two pitstop race lay ahead of a fantastic 29 car grid which included everything from AC Cobra, E-type and Austin Healey to MG B and Broadspeed Mini; a mouth watering prospect if ever there was one especially as the early morning rain and heavy cloud had now been replaced by glorious late afternoon autumnal sunshine.
Chris Chiles Jnr had earlier qualified on pole aboard the family AC Cobra but whilst able to take an early lead was not able to pull away from a chasing trio of Jaguar E-types as the front row starting Lister-Jaguar of John Spiers dropped back. But by half distance all 3 Jaguar E-types had succumbed to the pace (2 of them terminally) and the Chiles’ Cobra had been forced into an early stop which left the Lola MK1 of Nick Finburgh and Ollie Crosthwaite at the head of the field with the Lister-Jaguar in pursuit. Could the little Lola claim an unlikely victory?
Had it not been for a safety car in the second half of the race they may well have had a chance, but a well timed stop by the Lister-Jaguar crew during the caution period saw the brute of a sports prototype emerge in the lead. In fact it proved of little consequence in the end as, in a race of attrition, the Lola MK1 crew ran into trouble themselves leaving the Spiers / Ward piloted machine a relatively comfortable cruise to the flag.
Meanwhile, recovering from an extra stop, Chris Chiles Jnr was back in the car and setting the track alight with strong lap times to claim second for he and Chris Chiles Snr whilst Steve Jones and Ben Tinkler would round out the podium positions after a strong drive aboard their Lotus Elan 26R.
GT3 proved to be an Austin-Healey 3000 battle royale as the glorious machines filled positions 4 to 7, however it was Doug Muirhead and Jeremy Welch who would claim class top spot. But perhaps the closest battle of all was for GT2 honours as Malcolm Paul and Rick Bourne, aboard their TVR Grantura, claimed class victory by just 1.721 seconds from the Lotus Elite of Marc Gordon, Guy Harman and Nick Finburgh.
Golden hour was at it’s peak as a mega grid of 31 Fifties Sports Cars took to the track for the final race of the day where David Alexander had qualified his nimble Lotus Elite at the head of the FISCAR field. And whilst the Coventry Climax engined machine fell behind a fast starting Jaguar XK150 in the hands of Marc Gordon over the opening laps, Alexander soon reeled the ‘big cat’ back in and found himself back in front prior to the pitstops.
Maintaining the lead as the stops unwound, Alexander then had a relatively steady run to the flag to claim a 12 second victory. Gordon meanwhile would bring the Jaguar XK150 home second whilst another Elite in the hands of Brian Arculus would round out the podium positions in what turned out to be a slightly shortened race courtesy of David Reed’s Aston Martin DB2 ending the day in the Tower corner Recticel.
The Mini 7 Racing Club brought plenty of entertainment to the Autumn Classic and the Miglia race in particular turned out to be an absolute classic as ex Touring Car racers Andrew Jordan and Jeff Smith locked horns. Changing positions on multiple occasions it looked as if Smith might steel the win with a late lunge at Quarry on the final lap. However Jordan was able to produce a better exit and go on to claim victory by just 0.311 seconds! Meanwhile earlier in the day Damien Harrington had claimed Mini Se7en victory by a similar margin from Joe Thompson whilst Matthew Ayres took class 7S honours with an excellent 4th.
The prancing horse was also well represented at the festival with 3 races over the weekend for the Superperformance Ferrari Club Classic. Battling a mid afternoon downpour Gary Culver would run out the winner of Saturday’s race in this 328 GTB whilst Wayne Marrs (F355 Challenge) and Colin Sowter (355 Spyder) would complete the podium positions.
In short I have nothing but praise for this event, absolutely packed to the rafters with entries from multiple clubs and unbelievably good value at £20 for the day which included a Historic F3 grid walk. It reminded me of how good the Donington Historic Festival used to be when a greater selection of clubs supplied the grids and also how improved the Oulton Park Gold Cup has become when following the same philosophy.
Discovering a route to the circuit through the Cotswolds instead of the dreaded M42 / M5 even made the long journey more bearable. What a great day’s racing and a fantastic effort by the organisers to ensure the event ran to time in, at times, trying conditions. If the entries are this good again in 2025 I’ll find it hard to stay away.
GALLERY
Paul Commons Motorsport 