Brands Hatch’s centenary celebrations continued with the annual Historic Sports Car Club Superprix event last weekend, at which 500cc and 1000cc Formula 3, Formula Ford and F5000’s contribution to the Kentish venue from 1950-81 presented a rich pageant.
A bumper crop of 500s contested the Lewis-Evans Trophy races, won by Alex Wilson and Hamish Cameron-Eveleigh. There was synergy in the one-litre screamer class too, 1980 FF2000 champion Richard Trott – a winner here 46 years ago – victorious for the first time. The legends behind the Cooper and Brabham cars they drove are of course immortalised in the names of the straights that sandwich the pits.
The waft of methanol fuel heralded the Grand Prix circuit debut of a remarkable 30 500s from a joyous social paddock enclave. As ever, Surbiton-built Coopers were numerically strongest, but the field included Cousy (French), Dastle, Emeryson, Flash Special, Effyh (Swedish), Heizer (American), IOTA, Kieft, Larkens (Dutch), Mackson, Martin, Petty, Staride, and South African Waye and Wishart marques, motivated by JAP, Norton and Triumph engines.
Defending champion Wilson and rising star Cameron-Eveleigh, 23, picked up where they left off at Cadwell Park last month. Cameron-Eveleigh (Cooper-JAP Mk8) seized pole by 0.027 seconds from Wilson (Cooper-Norton Mk10), shadowed by Hamish’s 17-year-old cousin Fergus Cameron (Cooper-JAP Mk9).
Ollie Leston, grandson of 1954 National champion Les, did well to grid Tim Ross’ Cooper-Norton fourth, but the ex-Arthur Gill Mackson of father Nick Leston was among a handful of recalcitrant bolides.
Wilson and Cameron-Eveleigh duelled mightily for Saturday’s lead, trading places repeatedly. In the end it was Wilson who crossed TSL’s timing stripe 0.347s ahead. Third-placed Leston Jr kept them in sight, clear of George Shackleton’s Cooper, Simon Frost’s Martin, Darrell Woods’ Staride and Jimmy May in the 1955 Petty built by grandfather Ray Petty, in the pantheon of Norton engine gurus alongside Francis Beart and Steve Lancefield.
Cameron-Eveleigh aced Sunday’s bout as Kentishman Wilson’s steed faded, but he kept second ahead of Leston and Shackleton, who pipped Cameron – having weathered a gravelly excursion at the foot of Paddock Hill Bend at the start – on the line. Frost finished sixth again, but 70 years after Jim Russell won the second of three successive Autosport National titles in it, Richard Kelly stormed his Cooper-Norton Mk10 from the back to seventh.
He was the FF2000 benchmark 46 years ago, now Trott is celebrating Historic F3 success
Photo by: Gary Hawkins
Elsewhere, set-up changes to his ex-Erkki Salminen Brabham BT28 translated to one-litre F3 pole for Trott, who won 19 FF2000 races in 1980, but only one at Brands. “There’s life in the old dog yet, at 73,” he grinned afterwards. Unfazed by safety car interludes, he converted his 0.436s advantage into victories over Donington Park double winner Jason Timms (Brabham BT21), Ross Drybrough (Merlyn Mk14A) and Enrico Spaggiari (ex-John Miles Lotus 41X). Class rookie Ollie Musgrave (Chevron B15) was fifth on Sunday.
Formula Ford, rooted in Ray Allen’s category debut victory here in July 1967, was showcased by superlative Historic (pre-1972) and Classic (pre-1982) fields, including four visiting American racers, reflecting championship chairs Chris Sharples and Stuart Kestenbaum’s tireless efforts to attract competitors and find sponsorship to underwrite part of their entry fees. Triple champion Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk20A) and Tom Gadd (Van Diemen RF81) landed respective doubles. Recent Historic F1 graduate Ollie Chapman (Lola T200) was the metaphorical bridesmaid in all four races, having led one.
Three-time Historic FF1600 champ Benn Simms’ all-conquering Jomo wasn’t quite au point on Saturday, when he finished fourth behind Sam Mitchell’s Merlyn. When Simms’ car jumped out of gear, flat in third through Sheene Curve on Sunday, he got first, locked the rear wheels and half spun. “I was very lucky to get away with that, but heard the valves bounce,” Simms reflected.
Less fortunate was Danny Stanzl, whose newly rebuilt Elden Mk8 clipped the Jomo and rotated, sending followers everywhere in avoidance. Alas, as they parted, revealing the stricken Elden, Stanzl was hit by father Kevin’s Merlyn Mk20. Both escaped serious injury, but their cars were a sorry mess. The race was one of several stopped and restarted.
What should have been a Sunday celebration of Rick Morris beating Ayrton Senna at Brands precisely 45 years on, was denied when the perennial frontrunner’s Royale RP29 – a clone of his 1981 works car – was launched into a series of rolls at Druids following contact with Simon Toyne’s Winkelmann during qualifying. Morris, 79, walked away.
Glasswell continued his run at the head of the Historic FF2000 pack
Photo by: Gary Hawkins
Ben Glasswell’s apparently Senna-esque ability to go flat out from the start, enabled him to extend his Historic FF2000 winning streak to eight from eight, despite having started Saturday’s contest sixth, alongside dad Stephen’s similar Reynard. Reece Wood – son of Senna’s 1983 F3 contemporary Martin – and Jonty Hair, whose car is prepared by Jim Yardley, 87, of Beagle Clubmans fame, landed a second and a third apiece, having battled with Andrew Storer.
Martin Stretton was peerless in the Derek Bell Trophy, screaming his F2 March 742 clear of Neil Glover’s unique ex-Team VDS F5000 Chevron B37 – in subsequent owner Bruce Allison’s Australian Bill Patterson Ford livery – on Saturday and Marc Mercer’s ex-Bill Brack FAtlantic March 78B on Sunday. Race two was restarted when Mark Dwyer, sitting backwards in his 742 in the gravel at Druids, brought out reds.
Handling trumped power in the HSCC Roadsports races, Lotus men Rupert Ashdown (Elan) and Mark Godfrey (Seven) delighted with a win apiece. Scot Elliot Paterson (Ginetta G16) reprised his Snetterton Guards Trophy victory after dominant leader Ben Tusting’s locally-built Lenham broke. Another Lenham, Mark Dwyer’s finished by Matt Wrigley, displaced Andrew Hibberd’s Lotus 23B from second in the final phase. Seven seconds clear in qualifying, nobody saw David Alexander’s Lotus Elite in the FISCAR finale.
Extreme temperatures hit Saturday’s Alfa Romeo and Italian Intermarque race, won by Mike Hilton’s Maserati Gransport Trofeo, the sole interloper. Of three 4Cs, only Jack Berry’s started, top qualifier Toby Broome’s having succumbed to engine failure. Andy Page’s stoic Giulietta 116 turbocar sat on pole on Sunday for the first time in 20 years. It finished a gallant third, having led, behind Barry McMahon’s mighty Giulietta turbo T-car – up from the back – and the resurgent Scott Austin’s 156.
Tristan Simpson pranced to Ferrari victory on Saturday, but Tim Mogridge howled past at Sunday’s start and repelled Colin Sowter’s air-conditioned 355 Spider. The rapid Christian Walker was heading for CALM All Porsche Trophy victory when his Cayman expired in a steamy haze on the final lap. Early spinner Warren Allen took the chequer, but a 60s penalty for missing the pit window left him seventh. Local men Paul Simpson (Cayman) and Colin Tester (Boxster) were delighted to prevail over Daniel Crego (968).
Simpson (r) and Mogridge shared the Ferrari honours
Photo by: Gary Hawkins
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– The Autosport.com Team
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