KIVLOCHAN KEEPS HIS COOL TO WIN ... JUST
The opening Historic Road Sports race, which delivered a hard-won victory for Kevin Kivlochan, was one of the highlights of an enjoyable programme in the Snetterton sunshine.
If Kivlochan thought that the qualifying demise of Donington rival Richard Plant – with a fuel regulator problem – was going to give him an easier time, he was sorely mistaken. Not only did John Davison’s Lotus Elan take the fight to Kivlochan’s Morgan Plus 8, but fellow Morganeers Jonathan Edwards and Robin Pearce helped make sure Kivlochan had to fight all the way.
Davison went after Kivlochan over the first half of the race, trying to bait the leader into overheating his tyres. Davison got his chance and squeezed by under braking for the Esses, but two corners later had a big moment at Murray’s and ran wide.
“I’d worked the brakes hard into the Esses and I hadn’t pumped the pedal back up,” said Davison.
The Elan was despatched to the back of the quartet as series newcomer Edwards had his shot at Kivlochan. The gap was less than 0.2s over the line with the recovering Davison in hot pursuit. Kivlochan then dedicated his win to the memory of his old rival Gerry Marshall on the 13th anniversary of Marshall’s death.
Davison jumped ahead early in the second race and was able to keep Kivlochan at arm’s length to bag his second win of the season. Davison also scored GT spoils in the hour-long Guards Trophy with his Elan 26R in a race of ever-changing fortunes.
Charles Allison and Philip Nelson finally took overall victory in Allison’s Chevron B8 but they were under major attack with a lap to run after John Waggett and Peter Needham pushed Waggett’s Lenham into contention from the back of the grid. Sadly, Needham was out with a lap to go after it finally ran out of fuel. At the time, Nelson was nursing the B8 on the last drops in the tank. Jeremy Deeley and Guy Sheppard deserved a podium place after a stirring drive, but their Rawlson misfired out of the race with two laps to run and so it was the Chevron B8 of Nick Thompson/sean Mclurg that took second from the Elva MK7S of Nick Pancisi.
Before Saturday, Ford Mustang racer Mark Watts had never been to the podium, but he ended the day with a double Historic Touring Car win. In both races Bob Bullen snapped at the heels of the Mustang in the corners, only to be left for dead on the two long straights. To his great credit, Bullen never stopped chasing the Mustang and the combined deficit was less than five seconds after 40 minutes of racing.
Local ace Jeremy Clark made his mark in 70s Road Sports with a double win in his Lotus Elan, but his task was eased when Charles Barter hit gearbox trauma in the Datsun 240Z and limped home third in race one behind Will Leverett’s Lotus Europa. Barter missed the second race as Clark went clear of Leverett’s dad, Mark, in another Elan.
John Harrison (Mallock Mk21) took a Classic Clubmans double in what proved a torrid day for pacesetter Mark Charteris. A broken halfshaft in race one left Charteris at the back of the grid for race two, but he duly tigered into the lead, only to have his engine grenade after six laps.