ST RE T TON AND PAD MORE SECURE THE MASTERS HISTORIC F 1 WINS
A hard-fought win apiece by FIA Historic Formula 1 champions Nick Padmore and Martin Stretton wowed Whitsun weekend audiences as the wail of Ford Cosworth DFV engines rent the air above Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix Circuit at the Masters Historic Festival. Pre-’78 honours were also split, between Greg Thornton (Lotus 77) and Max Smith-hilliard (Fittipaldi F5A).
Poleman Padmore (ex-carlos Reutemann Williams FW07C) controlled Saturday’s race, but Stretton ragged Martin Adams’ ex-stefan Bellof/martin Brundle Tyrrell 012-5, holding it in lurid powerslides as he pressured Padmore to the chequered flag. With Michael Cantillon (Williams FW07), Simon Fish (Ensign N180) and Thornton chasing them, the race was red-flagged when behind Thornton a lunge by Steve Boultbee Brooks (Lotus 81-1) turned team-mate Katsu Kubota (91-7) over at Druids. The Japanese driver escaped injury. Earlier Steve Hartley (Arrows A4) had tripped over Joaquin Folch (Brabham BT49C) at Surtees.
With Saturday’s top eight finishers reversed, Stretton made lighter work of Sunday’s race than Padmore, screaming past Smith-hilliard at Druids on lap two and staying there as Padmore joined him next time round. “I got a couple of lucky breaks,” admitted Stretton. Fish ambushed Smith-hilliard for third after Cantillon spun Thornton round at Druids, putting himself out and triggering the full-course caution under which the race finished. Hartley and Boultbee Brooks completed the top six.
Back where Formula 2’s European championship ended in 1984, the first Historic F2 race was a fascinating tribute. Poleman Mark Charteris and new leader Mark Dwyer (March 742s) were opportunistically passed by Dean Forward (782) at Surtees but “two into one didn’t go” on the exit. As Forward and Dwyer touched, spinning the latter out, Charteris retook the initiative only for his gearbox to jam in fourth seconds later. Forward thus won from Chris Lillingston-price (Chevron B40) and Matt Wrigley, first time out in dad Mike’s Fatlantic March 79B. From the back, Richard Evans (742) was fifth when his BDG’S drive belt jumped a tooth.
Minus Forward, the unwell Lillingston-price and Dwyer, Evans (valves replaced by Dave Gathercole) shot through to lead the second contest before parking at Dingle Dell with an oil leak. Wrigley capitalised, repelling Mike Bletsoe-brown (Chevron B27). American James King (March 712) inflicted a rare Pre-’72 1600cc defeat on quintuple champion and race one victor Robert Simac to finish third, and had the surreal experience of staving off Frazer Gibney’s March 76B, his car 42 years previously!
Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield celebrated their racing partnership’s 10th anniversary by winning the FIA Sportscar round in the Greek’s ex-emerson Fittipaldi Lola T70 MK3B, but it was a huge team effort. Gareth Hayes heard a noise as he ran its Chevrolet V8 engine up for qualifying, and found its oil pump to be seized, thus they installed the spare overnight. While two-litre standouts Henry Fletcher (Chevron B19), poleman Manfredo Rossi di Montelera (Abarth Osella PA1, before its fuel metering unit belt broke) and Goncalo Gomes (Lola T212) squabbled over the lead and Mike Whitaker’s ex-john Surtees T70 Spyder’s engine punched a rod through its sump, triggering a caution period, as Voyazides climbed to fourth before installing Hadfield.
Fletcher picked up a rear puncture just before his scheduled stop, but not even a third safety car could stop Hadfield. Despite having being passed by fast invitee Fletcher, Jason Wright (T70) was returned to second on countback when Paul Allen – who had hit him as he stopped at the adjacent pit – spun his T212 into the Sheene Curve gravel bed bringing out an early red. This hiatus also changed the Chevron B8 fight, reprieving Callum Lockie whose moment (in Julian Thomas’ car) had let Mark and Andrew Owen back ahead, and defused a gripping Hulme class fight between the Cooper T61MS of Keith Ahlers (Ford) and Steve Farthing (Chevrolet), which was building to a crescendo.
Portuguese veteran Rui Aguas aced both Masters Endurance Legends prototype races in Kriton Lendoudis’ 2008 Peugeot 908X. Setting the event’s fastest race lap at 1m19.420s (110.29mph), Aguas overcame hefty pro-driver penalties to oust 1999 Ffirst champion Alex Kapadia (ORECA 03 LMP2) in Saturday’s opener and then the impressively combative Steve Tandy (Lola-mazda B12/60), circulating ever quicker on Sunday.
The first race was fragmented, following a second lap clash at Hawthorns between David Porter’s stout Peugeot 908 and Niki Leutwiler’s ORECA 03, thus Kapadia’s car owner Martin Rich finished his stint behind the pace car. The ORECA returned to the pits in kit form. Rich went well on Sunday, clear of Martin Short’s gloriously shrill Dallara-judd V10, embroiled with Nigel Greensall in Rick Carlino’s bellowing Riley & Scott Mk3.
Andy Wolfe repeated last year’s Gentlemen Drivers victory, albeit with Shaun Balfe subbing for Michael Gans in the AC Cobra. GT racer Balfe raised his game, keeping Mike Whitaker (TVR Griffith) honest and handing Wolfe “a mint car” for the final push. Whitaker built a decisive-looking lead before his brakes faded and he slid off at Westfield, dislodging a brake duct. ‘Meatball’ flagged for it to be sorted, Whitaker growled back past John Spiers’ similar but brakeless car to regain second as four ‘Griffs’ finished in the top six, Peter Thompson/mark Hales and Jamie Boot shaded by Rob Fenn’s class-winning Lotus Elan. David Grace/jack Rawles (AustinHealey 3000) and Rick Bourne/ Malcolm Paul (TVR Grantura) won the other competitive divisions.
The Masters Pre-’66 Touring Car contest was thrown wide open when Craig Davies’ Ford Mustang retired early with broken suspension. Mark Sumpter and Steve Soper (Lotus Cortinas) were left battling it out, pursued by Mike Gardiner and Julian Thomas (Falcons), with Andrew Haddon and Geoff Letts (Cortinas) in the thick of it and Nick Swift as best of the Minis.
Soper led briefly before his car’s handling went awry. “After three or four offs I called it a day,” he said, having left Sumpter to complete a fine victory. Having acclimatised to Gardiner’s car, Andy Wolfe scrapped with Callum Lockie (in for Thomas), earning a classwinning second when the Scot had to serve a drivethrough penalty for a pit infringement. “Running side-by-side through Sheene Curve was a bit awkward, but we gave each other just enough room,” said Wolfe.
Thomas/lockie were still third, ahead of the remarkable Swift, clutchless Letts and Rob Fenn (Mustang) who overpowered ‘Ralphie’ Haddon/mark Martin (Cortina). Rarely separated, the Minis of Tom Bell/joe Ferguson and Chris Middlehurst were next in, monstered by Mark Burton’s Mustang.