Spin and win for Smith on first Lotus outing
Fans of historic and MG Car Club racing in recent years will know that Tom Smith is no stranger to success at the wheel of an MGB Roadster, but the twin triumph he achieved in the Equipe Libre doubleheader at Brands Hatch last weekend came as a surprise to even himself as the Equipe Classic Racing season got under way.
Driving a newly built Lotus Elan that he first tested only two weeks ago, Smith came out on top in a memorable battle with David Methley’s 4.7-litre AC Cobra to take victory in an opening race where mixed weather conditions contributed to the excitement. Poleman Methley initially held the advantage from Smith before a hailstorm soaked the track and Smith spun backwards at Clearways. Having avoided digging his rear wheels into the gravel, Smith was able to rejoin, albeit 11 seconds in arrears.
Despite the lack of a working windscreen wiper, Smith was able to carve back the deficit and pass Methley at Druids on lap 18 of 28 before going on to claim victory. In an equally tight battle for third, Richard Hodson came out on top in his Lotus Mk6 after holding off the Austin-healey 3000 of Richard Hywel Evans. “I don’t know quite what to say after that,” said Smith. “My expectation was never to win here first time out. The car has literally just been built.”
The second contest proved to be a rather calmer affair, both in terms of action and weather conditions. Smith was victorious once again after relieving Brian Caudwell’s Cobra of the lead early on, while Paul Kennelly brought his Shelby Mustang GT350 R home third.
In the first BCV8 encounter, the drama began even before the race had got going. With the track damp following an earlier shower, front-row man Neil Fowler spun his MGB GTV8 into the barriers at Druids on the green-flag lap. That helped James Wheeler claim an unchallenged win in his similar car, while former Ginetta Junior racer Jack Rawles (GTV8) recovered from a tardy start on his series debut to claim second after he usurped the MGB Roadster of Babak Farsian three laps from home.
After another untidy first lap in race two, Rawles charged back to hound Wheeler for the race lead. An exciting battle between the pair followed, and Rawles emerged victorious after Wheeler ran wide at Graham Hill Bend. Fowler bounced back from his first-race frustration to take third. “The noise of the car is just the best thing and it’s an absolute rocketship to drive,” said Rawles. “I have to stop making mistakes at the start, though!”
Joe Willmott also made an error at the start of the opening Equipe Pre-’63/50s race that ultimately proved costly in his battle with Charles Angrave’s Lotus Mk6. After powering his Austin-healey 3000 into an immediate lead, Willmott then spun away his advantage moments later, promoting Angrave and Marc Campfield’s Healey. By lap three, Willmott was back up to third before Campfield slid off at Paddock, leading to a safety car. Willmott
moved back to the front shortly after the resumption, but his start was deemed to be false and the resultant 10s penalty ensured Angrave was declared the victor.
Willmott was at the centre of the action again in the early stages of race two when he indulged in a lead tussle with Andrew Wenman’s Morgan +4. A decisive move at Druids on lap nine of 31 helped Wenman prevail.
Wenman also claimed the glory in the sole Equipe 70s event when he teamed up with his father, David, to take a dominant win at the wheel of their Morgan +8. The battle for the runner-up spot looked set to go the way of the Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000 of Mark Lucock after he had broken clear of Tom Pead’s BMW 1600Ti, but a penalty for a pitlane speeding infringement demoted Lucock to seventh, while third was taken by Martin Reynolds in his Ford Mustang Mach 1.
Only five cars appeared on the grid for both Equipe F2 Atlantic races after damage sustained during Saturday qualifying forced historic racing ace Martin Stretton to withdraw his March 742. Glenn Eagling, driving his ex-reine Wisell GRD 273, eased to a double success, while Martin Wood claimed a pair of seconds in his March 73B.