Races to relish at Tom Pryce meet
THE Historic Sports Car Club’s inaugural race meeting at the spectacular Anglesey Circuit delivered a fabulous weekend of racing as drivers loved the track and its coastal setting.
The first Tom Pryce Memorial Meeting featured 20 races, a total entry of more than 170 cars and a very special tribute to the life of Welsh racing driver Tom Pryce. The weekend also included the first stand-alone races for Formula Atlantic since the 1980s and the whole event was run in warm and sunny conditions.
Such was the overwhelmingly positive response from competitors that the club is already planning to return.
Running his Van Diemen RF82 with his dad, and seasoned Formula Ford racer, Trevor on second-hand tyres, young Ben Stiles was mighty in the Classic and Historic FF2000 races to take a double win as Ian Pearson headed the Historics in his Royale RP30.
Kevin Kivlochan came close to scoring four wins as he dominated the twin Road Sports categories. In his AC Cobra, Kivlochan extended the car’s winning sequence to seven this season in Historic Road Sports as Neil Merry (Sunbeam Tiger) and Larry Tucker (Ford Mustang) had two great battles for second. Like Kivlochan, both drivers loved the track and enjoyed two sporting contests.
Matt Wrigley was a threetime winner in his March 79B, having twice headed the mighty Formula 5000s to win both XL Aurora races. On Saturday, Frank Lyons moved up to second in his Gurney Eagle while on Sunday Gislain Genecand (Surtees TS5A) charged from the back of the grid to take second place. Wrigley’s double win earned him the Tom Pryce Memorial Trophy and a stunning Andrew Kitson original artwork of Pryce racing a Shadow Formula 1 car.
Wrigley then added another win in the inaugural Formula Atlantic race but elected to miss the second Atlantic race when damaged gearbox bolts gave cause for concern. Richard Ellingworth (ex-Alan Jones March 74B) took second after Iain Rowley (March 79B) retired with a loose wheel.
Richard Wilson (Brabham BT6) and Chris Drake (Terrier Mk4) both won twice in Formula Junior. Drake, who went to school at Llanfair PG on Anglesey, was able to out-pace Peter de la Roche (Lola Mk2) while Australian visitor Marty Bullock in his drum-braked Wren challenged Wilson until his brakes faded. Bullock held on for second on Saturday but was edged back to third on Sunday by John Fyda’s Brabham.
Simon Armer (March 703) took two fine wins in Historic Formula 3 as Mike Scott (Brabham BT28) led the chase. Richard Belcher claimed a straightforward Historic Touring Cars double win once his early sparring partner Mark Jones was sidelined in the first race by electrical problem that developed into a small fire in his Lotus Cortina.
Peter Smith, father of Le Mans winner Guy, was on only his second weekend of racing but bagged an impressive pair of second places in his Lotus Cortina.
The Classic Sports Car Club returns to Anglesey Circuit this coming weekend for two superb days of racing.
Last visiting in 2016, this time the club will be racing on two different circuit configurations. As a result, grid numbers are at a club record for their Anglesey meeting. Series in action include seven different CSCC series, Swinging 60s, Tin Tops, Future Classics, Magnificent Sevens, Modern Classics, New Millennium, Turbo Tin Tops and Jaguar Saloon and GT Championship, plus a welcome few guests from the Puma Cup and Smart 4Two Cup.