Tag Archives: Historic Racing

Motor Racing Legends

Motor Racing Legends – Silverstone – October 2026

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The Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit would once again provide the setting for the final event of the Motor Racing Legends season with day 1 arguably dual headlined by a 1 hour combined race for the Woodcote Trophy, Stirling Moss Trophy and Pre 63 GT runners and the 2 hour Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup.

Both events however would be preceded by the first Historic Grand Prix Cars Association race of the weekend where Tim Child would follow up his domination of qualifying with a sublime drive to race 1 victory; the Brabham BT3/4 man crossing the line 7.4 seconds ahead of what turned out to be a close fight for second between the Cooper T53 machines of Will Nuthall and Tom Waterfield.

Nuthall had earlier predicted Child would be tough to beat and instead would spend the latter half of the race focused on events behind. Indeed, had Waterfield not been embroiled in an early scrap with Rudi Friedrichs (aboard Michael Gan’s Cooper T79) he may well have snatched second from Nuthall late on. As it was Waterfield, despite becoming a growing image in Nuthall’s rear view mirror, would cross the line just over 1 second in arrears and have to settle for the final step of the podium.

A whole host of stunning 50’s and 60’s sports cars would line up for the combined Woodcote / Stirling Moss Trophy and Pre 63 GT 1 hour mandatory pit stop race which featured a fabulous battle between the powerful Jaguar and Chevy engined Listers and the nimble, lightweight Lotus’ at the head of the field.

Gary Pearson, aboard his Jaguar powered Lister Knobbly would lead the early stages but have an almighty challenge on his hands to keep the Lotus XV of Kyle Tilley behind. Both however would pit at the first opportunity with Tilley remaining behind the wheel of his Lotus and soon to be caught up in another brilliant battle, this time with the Lotus XI of Spencer Shinner with the aforementioned duo swapping positions on more than one occasion.

Pearson meanwhile had handed over the reigns of the Lister Knobbly to Alex Brundle who was doing an admirable job of making up for his Elite Driver pit stop penalty; lapping over 2 seconds quicker than the leading cars and providing the mouth watering prospect of a late challenge for victory.

Live snatch was unfortunately not in operation on the day however and a late safety car, closing up the gaps, somewhat ruined the spectacle as Brundle’s challenge for victory was made much more straightforward. Indeed the FIA Gold rated driver was past both Shinner and Tilley in little more than a lap after the track returned to green and would go on to record an excellent 4.8 second victory for he and Pearson.

The Lotus battle would continue over the remaining laps but Tilley seemed to just have enough in hand, the extra horsepower from his 2 litre Coventry Climax powered Lotus XV proving vital as the ERA Motorsport front man racked up another excellent result in the car. Shinner meanwhile had driven the wheels off the 1500cc Lotus XI Le Mans and was rewarded with an excellent 3rd, defeating a whole host of Listers in the process.

Elsewhere Lukas Halusa put in a stellar performance aboard the gorgeous family owned Jaguar D Type Shortnose to claim Woodcote Trophy victory with 5th place overall whilst Gary Pearson managed to win 2 races in one as the Jaguar E-Type he shared with brother John came home 9th to claim Pre 63 GT victory.

The 2 hour Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup would round out the track activity for day 1 with Lukas Halusa, fresh from Woodcote Trophy victory, looking to make it a hat trick of major Royal Automobile Club victories in 2026 after Pall Mall Cup glory at Donington in May and TT Celebration victory just 1 month ago at Goodwood.

Safety cars would again dampen the strategic spectacle somewhat as the vast majority of the field were able to complete both their required 1 and 5 minute stops during the caution period. It did however provide a dramatic chase to the flag with Connor Kay (Lotus Elan), once again in giant killing performance mode, finding himself leading from the Jaguar E Type of John and Gary Pearson, Shelby Daytona Cobra of James Littlejohn and the E Type lightweight ‘Low Drag’ of Lukas Halusa.

Littlejohn, having taken over from Jeremy Cottingham, was however the star of the closing stages as a sequence of rapid lap times saw the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe pilot soon past both the Pearson Jaguar and Kay’s Elan to take the lead of the race. And, not content with cruising to victory, the stalwart of historic racing continued to set the timing sheets alight as he and Cottingham went on to record a near 20 second victory.

Having lead for much of the first stint, the pitstops did not work out well for Halusa who found himself down in 4th as the green flag was finally thrown. The super fast Austrian would not give up the chance of a historic RAC hat trick lightly though and, once past Pearson, set about chasing down the second placed Elan.

Kay however was in defiant mood, setting mega lap times himself over the closing stages to just hold off the rare Jaguar E Type to claim a fantastic second, matching the excellent result achieved at the Donington historic meeting in early May.

Earlier in the day Andy and Chris Middlehurst would claim Historic Touring Car Challenge race victory aboard their Nissan Skyline. In a disappointing field of just 8 cars (possibly impacted by the Peter Auto event at Imola) Andy Middlehurst managed to keep the similar machine of Jonathan Bailey behind over the opening stint before son Chris was able to build a margin of some 28 seconds by the time of the chequered flag.

Sunday’s events would see Tim Child claim a second HGPCA victory of the weekend whilst Jonathan Bailey would take the second Historic Touring Car Challenge race victory. The Generations Trophy produced another strong field where Nick and Harry Whale would record a relatively comfortable win after 1 hour of racing. Meanwhile HRDC victories would go the way of Mike Whitaker / Ed Brand (Rover SD1), Sam Tordoff (Ford Mustang) and John Margalies (Alfa Romeo GTV6)

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Historic Sports Car Club

HSCC 60th Summer Historic Weekend – Castle Combe

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Celebrating the organisation’s diamond jubilee, the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) would return to Castle Combe for a mid summer weekend of racing; the track where it all began some 60 years ago with the mid May running of the Griffiths Formula race.

Leading directly to the creation of the HSCC, The Griffiths Formula race had been organised to encourage 50s Sports Cars to continue racing and fittingly an excellent grid of these machines had been gathered for the headline event of the weekend, the 50 minute Griffiths Haig Trophy.

Indeed, not one but three fabulously turned out D Type Jaguars would head a high quality 24 car field into Folly on lap 1 with Christian Albrecht soon getting the better of pole sitter Gary Pearson to lead for the majority of the opening stint in the very same Jaguar D Type that claimed Griffiths Formula Race victory all those years ago!

However, Gary Pearson would deliver an excellent middle part of the race and find himself well clear of Kyle Tilley (taking over from Albrecht) once the pit stops had unwound; the long time Jaguar associate immaculate in traffic throughout the closing stages to claim a well earned 33 second victory.

Perhaps putting in drive of the day, David Alexander would spoil a potential big cat strangle hold of the podium positions with an fine drive to third. Managing to stay on the lead lap throughout the Lotus Elite man would quickly find a way past the 3rd D Type of Ben Eastick on lap 1 and never look back, comfortably defeating much more powerful machinery in the process.

Open wheel racing from the past would also feature heavily on day 1 of the meet with a special grid celebrating the 40th anniversary of Classic F3 coinciding with Saturday’s excellent free to the general public lunch time grid walk; thus providing a fabulous opportunity to get up close an personal with these fabulous cars from the 70s and 80s.

Chasing the Marcus Pye Trophy, so named after the popular journalist’s heavy involvement in the creation of Classic F3 back in 1986, Chris Hodgen would line up on pole (Chevron B38) with the March’s of James Hadfield and Ben Tilley second and third respectively. But, despite setting the pace in qualifying and indeed the early stages, Hodgen would soon start to suffer with what appeared to be a loose rear wing allowing Tilley to slip into the lead at Quarry on lap 6. Tilley had earlier picked off Hadfield (March 743) and despite the Leicestershire man also getting past Hodgen the victory never really looked in doubt as Tilley put in a brilliant debut drive aboard the March 803B.

Earlier Ben Simms starred in the Historic Formula Ford race with the Jomo JMR 7 pilot just coming out on top of a thrilling battle with Oliver Chapman and Robert Wainwright. Plagued by an underpower cylinder following a quick rebuild after Brands Hatch Simms would frequently lose position on the straights. Inventive lines and massive commitment would however give the man from Melton Mowbray the edge, taking victory by a mere 0.368 seconds in what turned out to be a red flag shortened encounter.

If possible the Classic Formula Ford race for slightly newer machinery was even more entertaining as Tom Gadd (Van Diemen RF81) showed why he tops the championship points table with an excellent drive to claim victory. Only 4th on the grid, the Lincoln man would take a back seat as Oliver Chapman and Cal Bennett battled for the lead early on. This proved exactly the right tactic however as the lead tussle would allow Gadd to first get the run on Chapman and then find a way past Bennett one lap later. In fact Chapman and Bennett would go at it hammer and tongs for the majority of the race with Bennett finally getting the better of Chapman before the latter suffered a late spin allowing a great drive by Grace Parkington to be rewarded with a debut podium.

2025 champion Peter De La Roche would once again prove to be the man to beat in Saturday’s Historic 1 litre Formula 3 encounter. Starting on pole the Alexis MK17 man was never really troubled as Jeremy Timms got the better of the inter cousin battle to claim second in his Chevron B15 whilst Jason Timms rounded out the podium positions aboard his Brabham BT21.

Ben Glasswell’s undefeated start to the Historic Formula Ford 2000 championship would come to a dramatic end with the 2025 championship runner up the cause of a race shortening red flag. Already up against it following the one off appearance of pole sitter Jordan Harrison (Lola T580) and a slow start, the Suffolk man was inching closer to the long time leader before perhaps pushing too hard and ending the day in the Gooch’s TECPRO. Harrison was however in a league of his own and would go on to claim victory by more than 11 seconds from the Reynard SF79 of Andrew Storer with the similar machine of Greg Robertson rounding out the podium positions.

Elsewhere Luke Cooper and Tom Hawkins would take a Castle Combe Racing Club FF1600 victory apiece. This after Cooper looked to be on for double victory after slipping past Hawkins in race 2 only to be forced into retirement shortly after. Meanwhile Dave Scaramanga (Ferrari 488) and Sacha Kakad would each take a CCRC Avon Tuning GT Championship victory.

Sunday’s HSCC action would see repeat victories for Jordan Harrison, Ben Simms, Ben Tilley and Peter De La Roche whilst Cal Bennett would buck the trend to claim Classic Formula Ford victory aboard his Van Diemen RF80, just defeating series leader Gadd by the narrowest of margins. Meanwhile Mark Godfrey (Lotus 7) and John Shaw (Morgan Plus 8) would share the Road Sports honours as Elliot Paterson topped a relatively poor Guards Trophy turnout aboard his Ginetta G16.

After a quite brilliant celebratory weekend in Wiltshire attention now turns to the Oulton Park Gold Cup, which, now back in it’s traditional August bank holiday weekend slot, looks set to be a cracker.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Historic Sports Car Club

HSCC Spring Trophy – Donington Park – May 2026

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The Historic Sports Car Club’s annual trip to Donington Park would this year feature events on both the National and Grand Prix circuit, a rather ingenious idea that provided the fastest machinery on display with additional overtaking opportunities whilst allowing the less powerful cars to take advantage of the National Circuit’s more natural flow.

The Derek Bell Trophy, featuring largely Formula 2, 5000 and Atlantic machines, was one such series that benefitted from the Grand Prix loop with the racing excellent on both occasions. Mark Dwyer, aboard his March 742, would prove the man to beat but it was far from easy. Indeed after a rain shower delayed the start of race 1 Dwyer would drop back from his 3rd place starting position before expertly charging through the field and slipping past the March 772 of Mark Harrison 2 laps before a red flag prematurely ended proceedings.

Race 2 would be a little more straightforward for the Bang & Olufsen backed machine but race 1 runner up, Chris Porritt (chevron B40), would keep the March man honest and briefly take the lead before being forced into retirement late on. Mark Mercer (March 78B) meanwhile would follow up an earlier 4th with an excellent second in race 2 by getting the better of Mark Harrison late on, thus leaving the March 772 pilot having to settle for a pair of 3rd place finishes on the day when qualifying perhaps promised so much more.

The Thundersports Series was another grid to make use of the Melbourne loop, but this proved less of a spectacle mainly due to the rate of attrition. Indeed just 8 cars would take the chequered flag at the end of the thirty minute encounter as Mark Richardson aboard his gorgeous Lola T290 claimed top spot. Frank Bradley, once up-to speed, had charged through the field to lead in his March 717 but would sadly retire in the second half of the race. Meanwhile the fellow front running machines of Julian Stokes (Vogue SP2) and Adam Sykes (Harrier LR5) would hit trouble early on leaving Gary Furst to claim the runners up spot (Lola T212) and Dave Karaskas (Harrier LR4) to complete the podium.

The final grid to make use of the Grand Prix circuit were the guesting pre 66 machines from the Dutch organised Super Sixties Racing League. However, despite many a competitor from the Netherlands, it was British drivers in the form of Graham Moss (Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe) and David Methley (Marcos 1800GT) who would claim the spoils in the two forty minute encounters.

In Sunday’s race 2, long time Marcos racer, Methley briefly lost the lead to the Lotus Elan 26R of Jan Van Der Kooi but the win never really seemed in doubt. Behind, Roelant De Waard would top the battle of the V8s to claim third aboard his Shelby Mustang GT350, just keeping the Ford Falcon of 1991 Le Mans winner Volker Weidler at bay.

On the National circuit meanwhile, relatively recent Lotus Elan convert John Davison would star in both Roadsport encounters with the Londoner claiming a 9 second race 1 victory over the Lotus 7 of Mark Godfrey and Porsche 911SC of John Williams. Race 2 would be a little less clearcut but still no-one was able to topple the former Olympic Skeet Shooter as Frazer Gibney made it an Elan S1 1-2 with Williams once again rounding out the podium positions.

John Davison – Historic Roadsports

Perhaps suffering from the absence of 2025 champion Graham Fennymore, Sunday’s Formula Ford 2000 race was not quite as exciting as we have come to expect. Indeed 2025 series runner up, Ben Glasswell, was in a league of his own, following up victory on Saturday with another dominant display in race 2 aboard his Reynard SF77. Behind, Andrew Storer would claim a pair of second places across the weekend whilst Adrian Reynard and Greg Robertson each took a turn on the final step of the podium; Reynard actually second across the line in race 2 but dropping back after a 5 second penalty for track limits was applied.

Ben Glasswell – Historic Formula Ford 2000

Close entertaining racing is almost guaranteed when Historic Formula F3 and Historic Formula Ford machinery is on the bill and whilst the second Formula Ford encounter was brought to a premature end by yet another red flag with Ben Simms claiming a second race win of the weekend (Jomo JMR 7) the second Historic F3 race proved a pulsating watch from lights to flag.

Ben Simms – Historic Formula Ford

Jeremy Timms had looked a dead cert for victory having broken away from the lead pack by half distance but all was clearly not well with the Chevron B15 allowing the Alexix MK17 of Peter De La Roche, Alexis MK8 of Ian Bankhurst and Brabham BT21 of Jason Timms to catch up, with the latter taking over the lead of the race on lap 9.

All 3 remaining front runners were in with a shout of victory with De La Roche perhaps looking most likely having snatched the lead on the penultimate lap. It was not to be for the 2025 champion on this occasion however as Timms reclaimed the lead on the final lap and just managed to keep the Alexis man at bay to claim a second victory of the weekend, this time by the narrowest of margins (0.013 seconds)!

Historic Formula 3

The Guards Trophy for 60s Sports Racing and GT cars has on more than one occasion been a little light on numbers but this was not the case at Donington. Indeed, following the HSCC’s excellent idea to combine it with the new for 2026 Alfa Romeo 105-cup, some 28 machines would line up for the 50 minute encounter.

As it was Ben Tusting, this time without father Rob, would produce a dominant display aboard the family Lenham P69 Spider, leading from pole and never really looking troubled. Adam Sykes (McLaren M1A) and Elliot Paterson (Ginetta G16) would keep the Bedford man in sight before the stops but that was as close as it got; the big McLaren never re-emerging from pit lane following it’s scheduled stop and a slower turn around for the Ginetta ensuring Tusting would go on to wrap up a 51 second victory! Hugh and Mark Colman meanwhile would top the Chevron B8 runners and claim the final step of the podium whilst Paul Wallis and Jon Wagstaff would be first of the 105-cup runners home aboard their Alfa Romeo Sprint GT.

Completing the run down of the Sunday’s action, Jamie Thwaites would record a second Alfa Romeo & Italian Intermarque victory of the weekend aboard his Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR, with Jack Berry (Alfa Romeo 4c) and Barry McMahon (Alfra Romeo Giulia) completing the podium. Meanwhile Jas Sapra and Paul Cook each claimed a 750 Motor Club BMW Car Club Racing victory apiece in their respective M3 F80 and M3 E46 machines; races that proved incredibly popular as some 39 cars lined up for race 1.

The Classic Formula Ford runners would this time find themselves confined to the opening day of the meeting where Tom Gadd (Van Diemen RF81) claimed double victory, impressively getting the better of 2025 champion Jordan Harrison (Van Diemen RF79) on both occassions. Saturday’s action would also include 2 races for another of 750 Motor Club’s series, the All Porsche Trophy, where Warren Allen (Porsche Cayman S) twice came out on top of a 29 car field to claim victory.

The HSCC had admirably taken on the gargantuan task of attempting to fit 22 races into the Spring Trophy Weekend’s schedule which in retrospect was probably a couple of events too many! Indeed the rain shower enforced delay to the first Derek Bell Trophy race on day 2 caused havoc with a schedule that already lacked wriggle room causing the days remaining racing to be shortened or red flagged at the first opportunity. There were a lot of positives to take from the weekend though, the switch between the circuit configurations a great success as were the level of entries. Perhaps one fewer guest series would be the perfect balance.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

CSCC

CSCC – Mallory Park – April 2026

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Branded as the Mallory Mix meeting, the Classic Sports Car Club’s (CSCC) early season visit to the Leicestershire circuit would, as the name suggests, feature a bit of everything; Turbo Tintops and their normally aspirated siblings providing more of a modern feel with grids for the Midget and Sprite Challenge, Special Saloons and Modsports as well as the very well represented Swinging 60’s catering nicely for the historic enthusiast.

With local noise restrictions limiting races to 30 minutes the CSCC had come up with the ingenious idea of 15 minute pitstops to ensure the longer format races would still feature 40 minutes of track time. This unfortunately would all go out the window after a nasty crash in Turbo Tintop qualifying however.

Indeed, following an accidental clash at the exit of Devil’s Elbow the Audi TT of Wayne Shorney and Ford Puma of Thomas Reid would end up heavily entangled in the pit entry tyre Wall. With so little time and space to decelerate the impact was enormous, entirely flattening the first row of catch fencing and rendering the pits completely inaccessible! Thankfully both drivers were able to walk away but there was real concern as to whether we would see any racing action with a strict 6pm curfew also in force.

Some 3 hours later however the tyre wall and catch fencing were back in place (arguably more substantially than before) after great work by a small maintenance team with very limited resources; and miraculously we were set for a full race schedule in the 3 hours that remained, albeit with slightly shorter events planned.

First up were the extravagant machines that formed the R-Werks Special Saloons & Modsports grid where Thomas Carey would dominate the 12 minute first encounter aboard his space-framed CRX. The Honda man was in a class of his own (literally) and it showed as he also claimed victory in race 2 despite starting towards the back of the grid. Behind, Darren Owen claimed double second place finishes aboard his immaculate 2.4 litre Ford Escort MK1 whilst Robert Frost rounded out the podium positions on both occasions aboard his Dax Tojiero (Cobra) after great battles with the Jaguar XJS of Melvin Hooker.

The Lackford Engineering Midget & Sprite Challenge events proved highly attritional with 4 cars, including both provisional front row starters, failing to make race 1 after qualifying. Furthermore just 7 of the remaining 13 machines would take the chequered flag. As it was Hugh Simpson would dominate both races aboard his MG Midget with leading Sprite challenger, Robin Lackford, second on both occasions. Behind, Ian Burgin (MG Midget MK3) would be penalised for false starts in both races but still claim the final step of the podium in race 1 after 3rd place finisher in race 2, Gordon Elwell (Frogeye Sprite) was also adjudged to have been too eager off the line!

The Adam’s and Page Swinging 60s competitors were a very welcome addition to the Mallory Park schedule, rounding out the day’s proceedings with the largest grid of the day (22). Not able to qualify following the earlier accident the grid was formed based on anticipated performance and Stephen Pickering, aboard his Sunbeam Tiger, took full advantage to claim a lights to flag victory with a winning margin of almost 1 lap. Claire Norman and Charles Tippet meanwhile would put in a solid performance to claim class SD victory with second aboard their BMW 2002 Ti, with class SA victor John Moon keeping them honest throughout to round out the podium positions aboard his Austin Healey Lenham GT.

The Fox Transport Turbo Tin tops would form the penultimate grid of the day where another nasty collision in the early stages between the Fiesta of Ian and Bradley Horton and Mini of Sean Wortley would cause the latter to roll and the red flag to be thrown. Thankfully again neither crew were seriously injured leaving Matthew Jackson (Ford Fiesta ST180) to claim victory after pole sitter and early leader Nigel Tongue (VW Scirocco) hit trouble. Sam Haywood (Renault Megane RS) and Clive Seagers / Andrew Grimm (Mini Cooper S R56) would complete the podium as Michael Wheeler would top the Puma Cup runners in fifth.

Earlier, the Co-ordsport Tin Tops produced possibly the best racing of the day as an enthralling battle between the Ford Fiesta of Adam Brown and Honda Civic of Alfie Jones ensued following the mandatory pitstops. Brown would however eventually manage to break free in traffic and go on to claim victory by just over 5 seconds. Jon and Tom Dee meanwhile would round out the podium positions aboard their Honda Integra.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Gt & Sports Car Cup

Castle Combe Autumn Classic – September 2025

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Kyle Tilley delivered a star performance at the 2025 Castle Combe Autumn Classic as the Era Motorsport front man snatched GT & Sports Car Cup glory with just 2 laps remaining aboard his recently acquired Lotus 15.

The mandated 2 pitstop, 1 hour 30 minute GT & Sports Car Cup would headline day 1 of the 2025 Castle Combe Autumn Classic and feature one of the finest pre-66 grids of the year so far.  Indeed some 42 cars would make the start of the race with a vast array of marques on display that included seemingly everything from Broadspeed Mini to Lister Knobbly!

Chris Chiles Junior had earlier taken pole position aboard the family Shelby Cobra with an incredible 1.16.086, a whopping 1.8 seconds quicker than anyone else!  And, after a steady start in damp conditions would hit the front on lap 2 after fellow front row starter Kyle Tilley (Lotus 15) had been quicker out of the blocks.  John Spiers (Lister Knobbly) and Christian Albrecht (Jaguar E-Type) also started the race well with the latter soon past Spiers and Tilley to lie second before a safety car after just fifteen minutes of running would cause several crews to head to pit road.

Both Spiers and Albrecht would in fact take the opportunity for a cheap pitstop with Nigel Greensall and Gary Pearson taking the respective hotseats.  Chiles Junior meanwhile would continue to lead the opening stint but he and Chris Chiles Senior would lose their chance of victory when Chiles Senior misinterpreted a warning flag for a pitstop infringement and pitted for a second time in as many laps.  This left Pearson in the lead of the race with Greensall second and Tilley rounding out the top 3 as the pitstops unwound.

Greensall has proven rapid in most things 4 wheeled and during a heavy shower, which blighted the middle part of the race, put his skills to the fore as the renowned driver coach quickly reeled in the E-type of Pearson to hit the front before the unofficial opening of the final pitstop window with 40 minutes remaining (Maximum driver time).

Spiers would emerge from the Lister Knobbly’s final stop in the lead but with Albrecht closing as the track began to dry.  As it turned out all was not well with the big Lister and Spiers’ attempts to claim a second victory in as many years would be brought to a halt after a spin with just over 25 minutes remaining; a battery issue leaving Spiers unable to restart the immaculately turned out machine.

This left Albrecht on course for what appeared a certain victory only for a misfire to slow the E-type dramatically over the final stages and allow Tilley, in a car only purchased during the week, to claim a quite remarkable victory; incidentally repeating the success of the very same car some eight years earlier when in the hands of Miles Griffiths and Philip Walker.

Albrecht and Pearson would however finish the event in 2nd whilst Chris Chiles Junior put in a storming final stint to climb back upto third in the Shely Cobra.  Meanwhile class wins would go the way of William Garrett & Tim Crighton with a brilliant 6th overall in their GT3 spec Jaguar E-Type, Mike Thorne and Sarah Bennett-Baggs with 15th (despite a 20 second penalty for a yellow flag infringement) in the GT2 class Austin Healey 100M, Doug Muirhead and Jeremy Welch with 17th in their Lotus 11 (SP1) and Alice Locke and Matt Green with 27th in the Broadspeed Mini (TC1).

Running just one week on from the Goodwood Revival you could be forgiven for expecting entrants hard to come by but in addition to the excellent turn out for the GT & Sports Car Cup some 27 cars would line up for the 30 minute FISCAR encounter whilst 38 would take the start of the combined CSCC Classic K, Jaguar and Ecurie Classic racing event.

Conditions were in danger of becoming relatively pleasant by the time the 50s Sports Cars (FISCAR) emerged and a great battle would ensue over the first part of the race between the front row starting duo of Jonathan Abercassis (Healey 100/4) and David Alexander (Lotus Elite). Scott Quattlebaum in his Leco Sports would soon join the lead battle and would run as high as second after a grassy moment on the approach to Tower for Abercassis.

Alexander had qualified on pole by a fair margin however and after the stops the 2024 victor was really able to stretch the nimble Elite’s legs as conditions continued to improve. So much so in fact that the Lotus pilot would go on to claim victory by a whopping 25 seconds! Behind, Glenn and Rory Tolley would cross the line second in their Healey 100M only to be relegated 5 positions to 7th after missing the pit window, thus promoting Abecassis and Quattlebaum to the remaining steps of the podium.

Fresh from success in the FISCAR encounter David Alexander would then round out a successful day with 3rd position, alongside Richard Fores, in the combined Classic K, Jaguar and Ecurie Classic Racing 40 minute race in what turned out to be the best conditions of the day.

But whilst Fores was able to keep pace with early leader Mike Thorne (Austin Healey 3000) over the opening stint there was no catching CSCC regular Paul Tooms in his Lotus Elan during the second half of the race. Indeed, once Tooms was in clear air after the stops the Elan pilot would set about building a healthy lead and go on to record a near 22 second victory in a red flag shortened encounter.

Mike Thorne would complement class victory in the GT & Sports Car Cup with second in what proved to be the final event of the day after a scary collision between the Mustang of Jerry Bailey and Gilbern GT of Mary Bell and David Smith. Bailey had been hunting down the final podium position in the closing stages before his charge was cut short. Thankfully both drivers were able to walk away from the scene but the subsequent barrier damage was enough to bring an early end to the day’s proceedings and push the planned Mini Miglia race back to the morning of day 2.

Earlier in the day Nic Carlton-Smith, aboard his Lotus 20 lead from start to finish in the Silverline Formula Junior race to claim a 5.7 second victory after pole sitter Paul Boulton retired early. The highlight of the race however was the incredible battle for front-engined glory between Stuart Roach and Adrian Russell.

Roach would hold the upper hand early on with Russell following closely behind. However the Alexis MK2 pilot would be hampered by traffic at Camp corner during the second half of the race and Russell would not miss his opportunity to pounce. Indeed the Condor Sii man slid into the class lead and despite pressure throughout the remaining laps would hold on to claim a well earned second overall with Roach ruing his luck and having to settle for third.

The Superperformance Ferrari Club Classic Series and Mini Se7en’s also featured on day 1 of the Castle Combe Autumn Classic and Tim Mogridge (F355 Challenge) and Ross Billison would claim the respective victories. Billison really having to work for his winner’s trophy as the predicted heavy showers made a first appearance of the day.

Now a true highlight of the historic racing calendar the Castle Combe Autumn Classic has become one of my favourite events of the year. It is obviously a hit with competitors too given the incredible entry levels achieved. The fact it is independently organised makes this event so unique and as grids are supplied by multiple clubs is probably the reason for the high numbers in the first place. A blue print for others to follow maybe? …

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Historic Sports Car Club

HSCC – Donington Park – June 2025

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Dan Pickett and Dan Eagling land thrilling Guards Trophy victory in their Chevron B16 whilst Sam Mitchell and Jordan Harrison claim respective double Historic and Classic Formula Ford victories and Graham Fennymore and Ben Glasswell share Formula Ford 2000 spoils at the HSCC Summer 2025 Donington Park meeting.

Headlining day 2 of the meeting were the Pre 72 GT and Pre 70 Sports Prototypes of the Guards Trophy which although a little light on numbers (Possibly impacted by running on the same weekend as the Thruxton Retro) saw an eclectic starting grid that was full to the brim with quality.

Indeed just 14 cars would head into Redgate on lap 1 of the scheduled 50 minute pitstop race headed by Murray Shepherd after a storming start from 6th on the grid in his GT40! A trip through the Old Hairpin gravel trap for the Ford man would however leave Andrew Hibberd to lead the early running in his Lotus 23B with the Lenham P69 Spider of Rob Tusting and Chevron B16 of Dan Pickett in hot pursuit.

The race action would really heat up on the opening of the pit window 15 minutes in however as Pickett and Tusting headed to pitlane at the first opportunity to allow their quicker co-pilots the largest possible amount of seat time. And having entered the pits nose to tail the two machines would exit almost alongside with Ben Tusting just keeping the Lenham in front of the now Dan Eagling driven Chevron.  

Meanwhile Murray Shepherd was clearly getting to grips with the Stephenson family Ford GT40 and was making his way back towards the front.  In fact Shepherd was past Hibberd and back in the lead of the race as the pit window drew to a close. But, having been lapping much quicker through the middle part of the race, it would be Tusting and Eagling that would hold a large lead as the pitstops unwound, with absolutely nothing to separate the very rapid duo.  

Following an excellent first half of the race, Rob and Ben Tusting’s race would soon start to fall apart though as Eagling eventually found a way past Ben Tusting’s defences on lap 26 just as the Lenham P69 was also hit with a time penalty for track limits. And things would get worse still as, possibly unaware of his time penalty and with just a couple of laps remaining, Tusting junior would mis-judge his braking at the Roberts chicane and collide with the back of Eagling’s Chevron, forcing the P69 Spider into instant retirement.

Thankfully Eagling escaped relatively unscathed and was able to bring the stunning Chevron B16 home to claim a hard fought and well deserved victory.  Hibberd meanwhile would cross the line second in his Lotus 23B after a consistent drive whilst Chris and Freddie Lillingston-Price would top the Chevron B6/8 runners to round out the podium positions in their B8 as the Ford GT40 of Henry Stephenson dropped back after the stops.

As always there was single seater action aplenty and the second Historic Formula Ford race of the weekend would prove to be a cracker as Sam Mitchell aboard his Merlyn MK20 claimed a second victory in as many days. 

It was far from plain sailing for the Merlyn man however as fellow front row starter Ben Simms made a great start and held a relatively comfortable lead at one point before his Jomo JMR 7 developed a misfire in the closing stages.  This allowed Mitchell, who had dropped back to third early on, to close in on the erstwhile leader and snatch victory on the penultimate lap.  Frenchman Gislain Genecand meanwhile was well in the lead battle throughout and came home a very close third, in turn taking top spot in the over 50s class in his Crossle 16F.

Sunday’s Classic Formula Ford encounter (for Pre 82 machinery) would prove a little more straightforward as Jordan Harrison dominated proceedings aboard his Lola T540E to claim his second victory of the weekend.  The battle for the remaining podium positions was less clear cut however as Tom Gadd, Rick Morris and Roy Alderslade fought it out with Gadd, aboard his Van Diemen RF81, eventually claiming second and Roy Alderslade (Merlyn MK20) completing the podium as Morris dropped back before being forced into retirement.    

Rainfall and delays would push the Formula Ford 2000 race back to after lunch where on a drying track Graham Fennymore looked to be heading for a second victory of the weekend before being the cause of a red flag as a result of his Reynard SF81 expiring on the exit of Redgate.  This resulted in a re-grid for a final 5 minute blast that saw Ben Glasswell (Reynard SF77) claim a fine victory having originally lined up 9th!  Behind, Adrian Reynard (the man responsible for designing ¾ of the grid) would claim an excellent second after a delightful last lap pass at Redgate whilst Paul Allen aboard his Delta T78 would have to make do with third.

The combined 70s and Historic Roadsport races produced the largest grids of the weekend and it would be John Williams aboard his Porsche 911 SC who would top a fine field of 30 plus 60s and 70s machinery during Sunday morning qualifying. The pole sitter largely had things his own way in race 1 too as Williams went on to claim a relatively comfortable victory.

Race 2 would be a different story altogether though as Mark Godfrey, aboard his Lotus 7, seemed to find pace as the day progressed and, along with Race 1 winner Williams, put on a great show in race 2. Indeed the duo would swap positions on multiple occasions before the Lotus 7 man went on to claim a 2.6 second victory to go with his earlier podium. Meanwhile George Daws (Datsun 240z) looked to be heading for a double podium after claiming the race 1 runner up spot only to be denied by a late charge from Anthony Ross aboard his TVR 3000M.

Earlier in the day Jack Berry claimed a second Alfa Romeo and Italian Intermarque victory of the weekend after an action packed, red flag shortened, race 2. Starting third Jamie Thwaites claimed victory on the road in his Alfa Romeo Giuilietta after passing the MiTo 404 of Berry mid way through the event; but, after being hit with 15 seconds of time penalties for multiple track limit violations would find himself back behind the race 1 winner on the final time sheets. Barry McMahon meanwhile would claim an excellent third in his Alfa Romeo Giulia after starting from the back row of the grid.

Elsewhere, Jas Sapra and Paul Cook would share BMW Car Club Racing Championship victories whilst disappointingly the Griffiths Haig Trophy races turned into more of a demonstration as just 4 cars made the start of both races! A real shame as the 4 cars that did enter were of the highest quality and included Graham Moss’ original Lister Jaguar Knobbly. But with FISCAR included on the Thruxton Retro schedule numbers were always going to be a problem.

Numbers hopefully won’t be a problem for the inaugural running of the Equipe 6 hours at the Leicestershire circuit in just under 1 weeks time. What a prospect, would wall to wall sunshine be too much to ask? I CAN-NOT WAIT!

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Masters Historic Racing

Masters Historic Festival – Brands Hatch – June 2025

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Yutaka Toriba and Warren Briggs share Masters Racing Legends spoils as Pre-85 Formula One cars take centre stage at the 2025 Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival.

With no visit to Donington planned for the Masters Series in 2025 it seemed like a sensible decision to make a return to Brands Hatch for the first time in 9 years, especially as Sunday’s action would see 2 races for the Pre-85 F1 cars, a 40 minute race for the Sports Car Legends and a 1 hour blast for the Pre-66 Touring Cars to round out the day.  Not to mention twin races for both the excellent F2 and F3 Classic InterSeries machines.

Operating as a joint venture between the UK based Historic Sports Car Club and French based HVM Racing the F2 and F3 Classic InterSeries events have gone from strength to strength and the initial Brands Hatch entry lists looked a mouth watering prospect. 

Entries were a little lower on the day however as a pair of Italian drivers in the form of Davide Leone and Manfredo Rossi Di Montelera shared the front row of the F3 Classic grid for the first race of the day. Pole sitter Leone would prove to be the man to beat with Rossi Di Montelera forced to spend the majority of both races trying to find a way past the older March 783 of his compatriot with the latter ultimately coming up short in both events as Leone put in a great drive to secure double victory.

Behind, Chris Hodgen had initially crossed the line third in race 1 but was later hit with a 30 second penalty for overtaking under a safety car leaving Frederic Lajoux aboard his March 793 to claim the final step of the podium.  Race 2 meanwhile would see the excitement of Hodgen and Alex Ames (who finished race 1 in the Stirling’s gravel trap) come through the field with the grid based on race 1 finishing positions.  Both would make great progress with Hodgen just missing out on a race 2 podium as Eric Martin, aboard his Martini MK39, just had enough in hand.

In the Classic F2 races, 2024 Interseries Champion and poles sitter, Mark Charteris, would put in a controlled drive to claim race 1 victory. Martin Stretton and James Lay would keep the multiple Classic Clubmans Champion honest for the early part of the race with Stretton even claiming fastest lap before being forced into retirement. This instead would leave the March 762’s of James Lay and Manfredo Rossi Di Montelera to claim the respective final steps of the podium.

Charteris could not make it a double victory on the day however as the March 782 man dropped back early on in race 2 before retiring.  Stretton (March 742) meanwhile had made great progress from the back of the grid, climbing as high as 4th before unfortuately suffering a second retirement of the day.  This left James Lay to follow up his earlier second with a dominant race 2 victory whilst Rossi Di Montelera would claim his 4th podium of the day with second and Greg Caton would take an excellent third aboard his March 742.

Entries were unfortunately a little of the low side throughout with the Masters Sports Car Legends race seeing just 7 cars make the start and 5 take the flag; this in addition to only 8 cars lining up for the second Masters GT Trophy race that saw Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott claim a dominant second victory of the weekend aboard their 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo GT3.

The Masters Sports Car Legends race did however feature a great opening stint battle between the McLaren M1B of John Spiers and Lola T70 MK2 Spyder of Andy Newall.  Spiers was just about able to keep Newall at bay but Greensall would soon disappear up the road once stepping into the hot seat of the Chevrolet powered brute.  Car owner Steve Seaman meanwhile was not able to match the speed of Newall and would soon drop back in the Lola T70, leaving Georg Kjallgren aboard the Daren MK2 to claim 2nd and Keith Ahlers and James Billy Bellinger to round out the podium in their glorious Cooper Monaco King Cobra.

By far the highlight of the day though were two fantastic races for the Pre-85 Formula One cars. 2024 Champion Matthew Wrigley had qualified his 1982 Tyrrell 011 on pole position and would have been hot favourite for race 1 victory had it not been for losing third gear.  Yutaka Toriba, in his Williams FW07C, would take full advantage of the Tyrrell’s ailment and find himself in the lead by the end of lap 1 with Mike Cantillon following suit after a mid-race safety car. 

The latter pass proving pivotal as, courtesy of a 5 second penalty (unsafe release from pit lane) for Toriba, it looked as though Cantillon (Williams FW08) would go on to take victory having remained a close second throughout the closing stages.  Indeed Cantillon was even handed the winners trophy before a stewards review revoked the Japanese drivers penalty leaving an amended podium of Toriba, Cantillon and the McLaren M29 of Warren Briggs.

Whilst race 1 was eventful enough, the partially reversed grid for race 2 upped the anti further still!  Courtesy of a 4th place finish in race 1 Steve Hartley lead the early stages from pole before a coming together at Graham Hill Bend saw Hartley and Wrigley drop back and Toriba given a 5 second penalty as a result.

This left fellow front row starter Warren Briggs in the lead from the Williams duo of Cantillon and Toriba.  Briggs however was nursing a braking issue but was doing a fine job of keeping the other leading crews at bay which in turn had allowed Wrigley to bring himself back into contention and was lying fourth before another coming together.

This time, in an attempt to get passed Briggs at Paddock Hill Bend, Cantillon would catch the rear end of the New Zealander’s machine, damaging his front wing.  Thankfully Briggs was unaffected but Cantillon would soon fall behind both Toriba and a recovering Wrigley before receiving a 5 second penalty himself for the collision. 

This would leave Wrigley as the main rival to Briggs’ victory ambitions given Toriba’s collision penalty but with time running out Toriba would bring about a slightly earlier end to proceedings as he found himself in the Clearways gravel; thus denying Wrigley a chance to end the day on the top step of the podium but allowing Briggs to claim a well deserved second victory of the season.    

Whilst the F1 cars may have provided the major highlight, the Pre-66 Touring Car race to round out the days proceedings was a close second.  It’s not too often these days that such a varied Pre-66 Touring Car grid is assembled but on this occasion we were treated to the almost perfect mix of Ford V8 powered muscle, 2litre Lotus Cortina and of course a fine sprinkling of the mighty Mini.  A number of recent Touring Cars stars were also set to appear in the second half of the race, including Matt Neal, Tom Ingram and Colin Turkington, to add extra spice to the 1 hour event.

It was John Spiers who would start the event from pole in his Mustang however courtesy of a stunning lap from Nigel Greensall at the start of the day.  Tom Sharp, aboard his Ford Falcon, would soon find himself in the lead though with another Mustang in the hands of Alex Taylor soon upto second before Spiers’ event was ruined courtesy of a nudge from behind which would see the pole sitter lose a significant amount of time in the Paddock Hill Bend gravel.   

Robert Ross and Jimmy Broadbent also made great progress through the opening stint with the latter up to third in his Mustang prior to the stops and Ross getting past Sharp to take the lead of the race on lap 8 in his similar machine.

As the pitstops unwound however Sharp would find himself back in the lead with Matthew Johnson (taking over from Robert Ross) and Alex Taylor completing the top three before a safety car closed up the entire field; thus appearing the give the current and ex BTCC stars a shot at the podium as their elite drive pitstop penalties were wiped out.

It was not to be however as another safety car period shortly after, this time for Colin Turkington himself who was beached in the Westfield gravel, put pay to any comeback. This left Sharp, Johnson and Taylor to fight it out for glory, with Sharp looking odds on for victory before a mistake at Druids on the final lap allowed Johnson to sneak through. But whilst Johnson was first to take the flag, the Mustang man was carrying a 5 second penalty for track limits which dropped he and Ross to third, leaving a relieved Sharp standing on the top step of the podium and Taylor to claim an excellent second.

Whilst numbers may have been a little on the low side throughout the racing was top drawer. I had genuinely forgotten what a great track Brands Hatch is, especially when the weather is playing ball. The long lasting memory however will be the sound of the 3 litre DFV engines bouncing off the Grand Prix Loop trees. WHAT A NOISE! And well worth the near 6 hour round trip.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Motor Racing Legends

Donington Historic Festival – Day 2 – May 2025

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In an exciting new dawn for Motor Racing Legends, Shaun & Max Lynn rounded off a brilliant Day 2 of the Donington Historic Festival by coming out on top of a fantastic Pre-66, David vs Goliath battle to take Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup victory aboard their Lotus Elan.

Although Shaun Lynn’s Aythorpe Promotions business acquired Motor Racing Legends in Mid 2024 the 2025 Donington Historic Festival was the first event to really show the vision of the new owners.  On track, new rules ensuring car owners take up a greater share of the driving duties combined with significant time penalties for elite drivers has really levelled up the playing field whilst trackside the show seams to have been taken up a notch for the spectators. 

Indeed, accessibility was second to none and the individually allocated awnings for each competing car was a great touch, shades of Goodwood and some of the big European events. The demonstration runs for the Super Tourers and Williams FW22 in the very capable hands of James Davison were great additions too;  Watching the latter through the Craner Curves and Old Hairpin was simply breathtaking! That noise!

Grid sizes seemed to have improved also, especially regarding the pre-war machinery where a mammoth 36 cars lined up for the first race of the day.  Not bad for cars approaching 100 years old (ignoring the debate on continuation models)!  And the quality of racing proved equally impressive as, after a great battle with the Alvis Firefly Special of Rudi Friedrichs, Gareth Burnett eventually claimed victory aboard his Alta Sports. 

The first half of the race saw the duo swap positions on numerous occasions as Friedrichs was faster down the straights but the Alta of Burnett was stronger under braking.  2nd gear would however prove to be a problem for the Alvis in the second half of the race leaving Burnett to pull out a relatively healthy margin of 16 seconds at the flag.  Meanwhile Rob and Josh Beebee couldn’t quite keep in touch with the 2 leading machines as they rounded out the podium positions in their Frazer Nash TT Replica.

After a successful pilot event at Silverstone last year, the new for 2025 GT3 Legends series made a welcome debut at this years festival. Catering for GT3 machinery homologated between 2006 and 2012 a very healthy grid of 24 cars, across many a brand, had been assembled for the first of two races over the weekend.

But whilst GT3 is all about balance of performance, Aston Martin V12 Vantage pilot, Jonathan Mitchell, would prove to be in a league of his own. Up against the likes of former BTCC champ Andrew Jordan, Mitchell put in a stellar drive which not only saw the Aston man claim victory by more than 57 seconds but perhaps even more impressively set fastest lap of the race!

The battle for the remaining podium positions was far less clear cut however as Andrew Jordan fought back from his 30 second elite driver time penalty (after taking over the Matt Holme Corvette). Finding himself in fifth after the stops the long time touring car pilot was able to slip past the Nissan GTR of Max Lynn, BMW z4 of Andy Willis and McLaren of Christian Albrecht over the remainder of the 50 minute race to claim a fine 2nd. Albrecht meanwhile would complete the podium positions having gotten the better of Willis during the closing stages.

The Historic Motor Racing News Pre 63 GT race can always be relied upon to provide a stunning grid and this occasion was no exception as Dario Franchitti leapt into an early lead aboard Gregor Fisken’s Shelby Cobra 260. John Spiers and Matt Holme in similar machines would keep the multiple IndyCar champion honest but Franchitti had built a healthy lead by the time the car was handed over to Fisken. Healthy enough that even the traditional Nigel Greensall late charge (taking over from Spiers) would not be enough as American Muscle would lock out the podium positions.

The highlight of the festival for many in recent times however is the Saturday evening Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup and a mouth watering grid of 24 Pre-66 largely GT machines would line up for the 2025 edition, a race where strategy is often just as important as outright pace.

Fresh from a strong performance in the Pre-63 GT race it was pole-sitter John Spiers who would lead the early stages of the 2 hour race aboard his Jaguar E-Type Lightweight with another E-Type in the hands of Mark Donnor soon upto second and the Rudi Friedrichs Cobra 3rd. But with the requirement for 2 pitstops, (of both 1 and 5 minutes in length) it was all to play for.

Indeed, after choosing to make their short stop first, it would be Max Lynn (taking over from father Shaun) who would emerge in the lead aboard the nimble Lotus Elan at the half way point with the Gary Pearson Cobra (having taken over from Friedrichs) close behind. Surely just a temporary stint in the lead given the horsepower deficit?

Not so, in fact Max Lynn was driving he and Shaun right into contention with consistently fast lap times, so much so that by the time Shaun Lynn emerged from his longer stop with just under 15 minutes remaining they were still in the lead. And with the demise of both the Mark Donnor / Alex Brundle and John Spiers / Nigel Greensall E-Types it was a comfortable one at that as the father and son pairing would go on to take a memorable 23 second victory.

Marcus Oeynhausen, aboard his Jaguar E-Type, had put in a strong drive over the first half of the race which left Andy Newall in a strong second of those who had elected to take their long stop first. But whilst they gained a position through the demise of the Donnor / Brundle machine, their combined pace was no match for Max Lynn leaving them having to settle for second as the pitstops unwound.

Gary Pearson meanwhile carried on the great early work of Rudi Friedrichs to claim the final step of the podium in the AC Cobra; thankful i’m sure that the race distance had been shortened by an hour for 2025 with the Lotus Elan of Miles Griffiths closing at a fair rate of knots over the final stages.

Earlier in the day former Le Mans 24 hour winner Guy Smith claimed a second U2TC win of the weekend aboard his Ford Lotus Cortina as Harri Reynolds (son of Welsh rally legend Julian) and man of the weekend, Jonathan Mitchell rounded out the podium positions in similar machinery. Disappointingly only 13 cars made the start of Saturday’s race despite returning to standalone grids for 2025. Let’s hope numbers improve as the season progresses.

Sunday’s racing meanwhile would see Jonathan Bailey and Andy Middlehurst claim Historic Touring Car Challenge victory aboard their Nissan Skyline, Kyle Tilley and Olly Bryant (Lotus 15) first home in the combined Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy / Stirling Moss Trophy race and Jonathan Mitchell take a second dominant GT3 Legends victory of the weekend. Elsewhere victories in the HRDC Gerry Marshall Trophy, Jack Sears Trophy and Dunlop Allstars would go the way of Simon Lewis / Alex Brundle (Jaguar XJS), Peter Smith / Harri Reynolds (Lotus Cortina) and Mike Whittaker Snr (TVR Griffith) respectively.

Overall day 2 of the Donington Historic Festival had been one hell of a spectacle and possibly the best yet. I had my doubts about switching to the GP circuit and reducing the length of the Pall Mall Cup race but in the end both proved to be a success. Although I do yearn for a return of the 60’s and 70’s Sports Prototypes, it’s clear Motor Racing Legends is now in very good hands, and long may it continue.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Motor Racing Legends

MRL Silverstone GP Meeting – October 2024

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Harry Barton and Oliver Reuben retained their Silverstone GP Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup crown with a convincing win aboard the Nigel Reuben Racing prepared TVR Griffith.

Now the traditional curtain closer for the Motor Racing Legends Series, the Silverstone GP meet had attracted a healthy entry with over 30 cars lining up for the Pre-66 3 hour ‘into the evening’ enduro and possibly more impressively an almost similar number of entrants for the brand new GT3 Legends pilot event for 2006 to 2012 GT3 spec cars. Quite some achievement!

The opening day’s track activity would centre around the Pall Mall Cup however with a 50 minute qualifying session preceding a late afternoon start for the 3 hour main event. And it was a pair of Jaguar E-Types that made the most of the damp morning track conditions to form the front row of the grid, headed by the Marcus Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff / Andy Newall machine.

The pole-sitting Jaguar would however drop back early on and be forced into an early stop with Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff suffering from cramp. Conversely the TVR of Harry Barton had made great progress from it’s relatively lowly 6th position on the grid, with the young historic racer quickly hitting the front and building a comfortable lead over the other front row starting E-type of Richard Kent and Lotus Elan of Simon Evans.

Pall Mall Cup rules dictate a two stop race, one of 60 seconds and the other 5 minutes in duration (for re-fueling) and it is this niche set of rules that brings in-race strategy to the fore. As it was both the Griffiths of Barton and Elan of Evans opted to take their longer stop first, the former having no option courtesy of a faulty transponder, which left another Elan in the hands of Max Lynn in the lead of the race with the similar machine of Miles Griffiths in hot pursuit for much of the middle stint.

The Nigel Reuben Racing prepared TVR of Harry Barton and Oliver Reuben was however in a league of it’s own on the day and as the final pit stops unwound would find themselves with a healthy advantage entering the final third of the race. The class 4 competition may have been a little light on this occasion, with the stablemate TVR not able to enter following damage at Spa and the Alex Brundle E-type a non starter courtesy of timing chain issues, but the pairing hardly put a foot wrong; Barton (back in the car for the final stint) eventually crossing the line with a commanding winning margin of 1 minute and 42 seconds.

Simon Evans and James Littlejohn have formed a formidable partnership in recent years and put in possibly the performance of the day to claim second aboard their Lotus Elan. Whilst not able to compete with the 5 litre Ford powered TVR, Evans and Littlejohn were able to keep the eventual winners honest and it was quite some achievement to end the event on the same lap! Littlejohn was particularly rapid on the day and managed to set a lotus Elan lap record with a 2.23.944 on well used tyres!

In fact Lotus Elan’s would make up 1 third of the field with the nimble 1600cc machines featuring heavily in the battle for the remaining podium position. Miles Griffiths had starred throughout the race and seemed to be heading for that final step of the podium following a race long battle with Shaun and Max Lynn but tragically suffered a front end issue with only minutes remaining. This left Shaun Lynn (the man now in charge of Motor Racing Legends activities) and son Max to claim third with Andy Wolfe and Ben Tinkler fourth. Wolfe and Tinkler’s result, in yet another Elan, all the more remarkable having started from the pit lane!

A healthy contingent of Porsche 911s, usually found in their own stand alone Peter Auto races, had entered this years event and it was the David Danglard and Phil Quaife machine that proved the class of the field as they claimed class 3c honours with an excellent 11th. And talking of excellent performances Can Bitirim and Dave Gardener defeated many a more powerful machine to bring their MGB home in 13th to to register class 3b top spot. Meanwhile Pre-63 GT honours would go the way of Grant Williams and Ciprian Nistorica aboard their E-type with 17th overall.

Earlier in the day the GT3 Legends series made a successful track debut and it was British GT stalwart Jon Minshaw who found himself in an early lead before a collision with the similar BMW Z4 of Rob Hall put them both out of contention. Instead it was the Lamborghini Gallardo of Jack Tetley who lead for much of the opening stint but Nick Maton, having taken over for the second half of the race, could not keep Andrew Jordan at bay. The former BTCC champion, aboard the Chevrolet Corvette, appeared in top form however, producing sub 1m 58 second lap times on his way to record a 17 second victory for he and Matt Holme.

In fact it proved a good day for Jordan as Andy Middlehurst and Jonathan Bailey had earlier claimed Historic Touring Car Challenge victory aboard their JRT prepared Nissan Skyline. On a drying track Middlehurst swapped positions on more than one occasion with the similar machine of Ric Wood but had made the conscious effort to look after the tyres of his wet shod machine. This proved pivotal as Wood was forced into retirement having ‘destroyed’ his whilst Bailey (replacing Middlehurst for the second half of the race) just had enough rubber left to reel in Darren fielding (BMW M3) over the closing stages to claim victory.

Having driven through what can only be described as monsoon conditions on the way to the circuit we were treated to a fabulous golden hour to round out the day. And just like the weather the Motor Racing Legends season had also ended on a high with the GT3 Legends series a clear hit. Hopefully, under the guidance of Shaun Lynn, the series can go from strength to strength as it would be great to see grids such as the Historic Touring Car Challenge attract the numbers we were used to in seasons past.

RESULTS

GALLERY

Gt & Sports Car Cup

Castle Combe Autumn Classic – September 2024

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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.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY