STYRIN FIGHTS THROUGH FIELD TO GRAB BOXSTER TRIPLE VICTORY
Former champion and current points leader Rick Styrin took another step towards taking this year’s Toyo Tires Porsche title, with a triple victory in his Boxster.
It was a lights-to-flag win in the first race, having shaken off all but James Coleman early on, as Garry Lawrence, Richard Avery and Kevin Molyneaux disputed third.
But Molyneaux spun at Gerards on the fourth lap, which left the lead quartet to pair off. Avery took the opportunity to press Lawrence and nosed alongside a couple of times.
During lappery Avery briefly edged ahead, before being boxed in at Gerards. Lawrence therefore completed the podium behind Styrin and Coleman, while Avery had to settle for fourth, over 30 seconds clear of fifth placed Angus Archer.
With Lawrence and Coleman duelling for second at the start of race two, Styrin was able to get away again. But soon it was four for second, with Lawrence fending off Coleman, Avery and Molyneaux again. Avery managed to squeeze up the inside at the Esses on lap seven to head Coleman into Shaws Hairpin, but it continued to stay close between all four.
With a backmarker spinning exiting the Esses, Avery backed off and both Coleman and Molyneaux surged past. It took two laps for Avery to recover
MALLORY PARK: VSCC BY MARCUS PYE
Handicappers underestimated Ben Collings’ prowess in ancient motor cars, for on its oldest machine – a thumping 9.2litre four-cylinder engined 1903 Mercedes 60hp – he trounced 15 rivals in the Vintage Sports-car Club’s annual Edwardian jamboree for Pre-1918 cars.
Hunched over its lofty perch, Collings wrestled the 113-year-old car round the 1.35-mile circuit, cutting a remarkable 1m12.96s (66.61mph) best lap as he scythed past five bolides to build a sizeable lead.
Eclipsed only by previous winners Tony Lees (11.8 Vauxhall Viper Special) and Richard Scaldwell (16.4 De Dietrich Course), plus Duncan Pittaway (8.2 Monarch Special), all in the 69s, Collings took the chequer almost 12 seconds clear of Peter Wilson’s Brasier.
Scaldwell was third, heading a quartet bookended by Pittaway and blanketed by 2.54s. Lees had been among them but was grateful for eighth having survived a scary gravelly ride when forced wide exiting Devil’s Elbow in the scramble for the line.
Earlier Lees – aboard his beloved ex-freddie Giles AC/GN Cognac Special – had won a Vintage Racing Cars photo-finish with Charles Gillett (Frazer Nash Super Sports). Tom Walker’s glorious Amilcar-hispano Special led initially, having blasted off from seventh.
Sue Darbyshire’s Morgan Super Aero was fourth when the three-wheeler got out of shape on the descent from Devil’s Elbow, shot right into the gravel and rolled, ejecting her. Tended painstakingly at the scene, as marshals treated a telltale line of oil, Sue was hospitalised but to universal relief was discharged.
Outgunned as the Union flag fell by Marcus Black’s Talbot-lago and Simon Blakeney-edwards’ FN Super Sports, poleman Andrew Mitchell jostled his HRG back to win the Mallory Mug race – part of John Guyatt’s magical Owner-driverMechanic series – from Black.
Mark Brett galloped his Ballamy-ford V8 up to third, leaving SB-E to stave off Steve Smith’s extraordinary road-driven Hotchkiss streamliner and Mark Groves’ Nash. The effervescent Dougal Cawley’s Gn/ford Piglet was too strong for Mitchell in their Mallory Trophy encounter.
Nick Topliss won the thin Bob Gerard Memorial Trophy race in ERA R4A. The car was Pat Fairfield’s 1935-’37 mount which Leicester garagiste ‘Mr Bob’ owned from ’45-’55. Last year’s victor Duncan Ricketts, in David Baldock’s Alta, chased Topliss home.
Nick won the closing Sprint race too, although Julian Grimwade set best lap in the imposing 3.5-litre Alvis-engined FN Norris Special he debuted in 2014.
Harry Painter won the Novice Scratch race in the MG Kayne Special.
Eddie Williams (Austin 7 Rolt Ulster) romped the first Handicap and Burghley Trophy prize. Feisty octogenarian Norman Pemberton led the second for five laps before his Talbot 95/105 was gobbled up. With Tony Seber’s rasping Wolseley closing fast, Douglas Martin’s Hillegass Sprint Car won from Steve Riddington’s delightful Riley 12/4 Special.
Set free when challenger Stuart Roach’s Alexis shed a wheel at Gerards, Chris Drake (Terrier) retained his John Taylor Memorial Trophy Formula Junior crown. Points leader Mark Woodhouse pipped title rival Mike Walker to second.
The Morgan guest race rewarded Scottish raiders Russell and Elliot Paterson, the father-and-son combo netting a fine one-two. Andrew Thompson and Tony Lees kept junior honest.
1 Ben Collings (Mercedes 60hp); 2 Peter Wilson (Brasier Voiture de Course) +11.93s; 3 Richard Scaldwell (De Dietrich 130hp Course); 4 Tom Walker (HispanoSuiza Alfonso); 5 Leslie Murray (De Dion Bouton/ Curtiss Ox); 6 Duncan Pittaway (Monarch Special). FL Tony Lees (Vauxhall Viper Spl) 1m09.04s (70.39mph). P Rob Hubbard (Sunbeam 16/20). S 16.
1 Tony Lees (AC/ GN Cognac Spl); 2 Charles Gillett (Frazer Nash Super Sports) +0.56s; 3 Dougal Cawley (GN/ Ford Piglet); 4 Nick Leston (Lovell Elkhart Sprint Racer); 5 Chris Hudson (Bugatti T35B); 6 Bo Williams (Bugatti T35B). FL Lees 59.70s (81.41mph). P Gillett. S 11.
1 Andrew Mitchell (HRG 1½ litre); 2 Marcus Black (Talbot Lago T23) +1.53s; 3 Mark Brett (Ballamy-ford LMB V8 Special); 4 Simon Blakeney-edwards (Frazer Nash Super Sports); 5 Steve Smith (Hotchkiss AM80); 6 Mark Groves (Frazer Nash TT Rep Emeryson). FL Mitchell 1m03.69s (76.31mph). P Mitchell. S 23. 5 Jeffrey Edwards (Alvis Sports Spl); 6 Alex Peacop (Frazer Nash AC). FL Mitchell 1m01.99s (78.40mph). P Cawley. S 18.
1 Nick Topliss (ERA R4A); 2 Duncan Ricketts (Alta 2-litre) +13.23s; 3 Terry Crabb (ERA R12C); 4 Julian Grimwade (Frazer Nash Norris Special); 5 Matt Ricketts (Cooper T41); 6 Tim Greenhill (Wolseley Hornet Spl ‘Red Henry’). FL Topliss 56.29s (86.34mph). P Topliss. S 9.
1 Nick Topliss (ERA R4A); 2 Julian Grimwade (Frazer Nash Norris Special) +1.23s; 3 Charles Gillett (FN Super Sports); 4 Dougal Cawley (GN/ Ford Piglet); 5 Tony Seber (Wolseley Hornet Spl); 6 Christian Pedersen (Austin 7 Monoposto). FL Grimwade 58.70s (82.79mph). P Topliss. S 13.
1 Harry Painter (MG Kayne Spl); 2 Michael James (Riley 12/4 TT Sprite Rep) +10.89s; 3 Tom Waterfield (GN Spl); 4 Hughie Walker (GN Thunderbug); 5 Jo Blakeney-edwards (Austin 7 Spl); 6 Ralf Emmerling (Riley Brooklands). FL Painter 1m02.30s (78.01mph). P Painter. S 12. Ricketts (Austin 7 Monoposto); 4 Mike Painter (MG Kayne Spl); 5 Duncan Potter (MG Montlhery Midget); 6 Anne Boursot (MG PA). FL Painter 1m04.67s (75.15mph). P Robert Barbet (Riley Sports). S 18.
1 Douglas Martin (Hillegass Sprint Car); 2 Steve Riddington (Riley 12/4 Spl) +5.62s; 3 Jeffrey Edwards (Alvis Sports Spl); 4 Tony Seber (Wolseley Hornet Spl); 5 Nick Hayward-cook (Austin 7 Monoposto); 6 James Ricketts (Riley 9 Monoposto). FL Seber 1m03.19s (76.91mph). P John Briggs (Aston Martin Ulster). S 17.
1 Chris Drake (Terrier Mk4); 2 Mark Woodhouse (Elva 100) +13.71s; 3 Mike Walker (Bond); 4 Andrew Tart (Bond); 5 Ian Phillips (BMC Mk1); 6 John Arnold (Elva 100). CW Pat Barford (EFAC Stanguellini); Richard Utley (Caravelle Mk1). FL Drake 53.41s (90.99mph). P Drake. S 16.