PRIMETT TWINS THREE BATTLE SAT L YD DEN HILL
Reigning Classic Touring Car Racing Club Group One champion Stephen Primett managed to win three races on Sunday at Lydden. His two Pre ’83 victories were no surprise, but before that he had to win a race against time to repair his Ford Escort Mk1 after a highspeed crash during qualifying.
“Another car had dropped oil around the track and when I braked for Chesson’s Drift the car just snapped sideways, spun around and then spat me into the wall,” he explained. “Luckily we managed to pull the front wing out and tidy it up in time.”
But it was his fellow front-row starter, Mark Cholerton (Escort Mk2) who beat Primett to the first corner in the opener, while his similarly-mounted arch-rival, Steve Cripps, bogged down and could only get away in fifth place, behind Stuart Caie (Ford Capri) and David Howard (Jaguar XJ12). Nevertheless, Primett soon seized the lead and began to pull away. Meanwhile, Cripps dived past Howard down Hairy Hill and on the next lap made the same move at the same place to snatch third from Caie. He then set off after Cholerton, squeezed past at Paddock and went on to chase Primett home. Simon Jeffs made up a lot of ground to finish fourth behind Cholerton.
In race two, Cripps made the best start and held on for four laps until the champ seized the lead with some impressive late braking at the Devil’s Elbow. But Cripps refused to give up and tigered on tenaciously to finish just 1.2s adrift. Cholerton was third and Jeffs a fine fourth after passing Caie and Pete Winstone (Escort Mk1) in the last two laps.
A healthy entry for the combined Classic Thunder and Blue Oval Saloon Series was bolstered even further by the addition of two significant survivors from the sunken South East Motor Sport Enthusiasts Club era: Rod Birley (Escort WRC) and Bill Richards (Mini Clubman).
Birley led the opening race until his throttle attachment broke, so Richards went on to win and in the second race Richards led until his battery went flat which allowed Birley to win – despite starting from near the back due to his earlier retirement. A strong performance from Piers Grange (Escort Mk2) earned him second overall each time and a comfortable winner of the BOSS category. A similar car driven by Lydden regular Nigel Craig chased him home each time.
Alan Greenhalgh’s Ford Falcon was clearly the quickest car in the Pre ’66 races and he duly led the first one from start to finish, but in the second his car developed a misfire and he dropped down the order. Neil Bray in the ex-phil Manser Mini was next up with second place in race one followed by an inherited victory second time out. Andy Messham (Mini) claimed third place and was all set to go one better in race two until he took to the grass at Paddock and was pipped to second place by Jim Burrows’ Mini Cooper.
The Pre ’93/’03/’05 Touring Car runners were dealt a poor hand in their opening race when a lengthy safety car period left them with only three laps at racing speed. Luke Allen (Honda Civic Type R) was leading at the end from Birley in a borrowed Honda Integra and novice Ian Bower (BMW M3). Bower made a storming start to race two and led thereafter, chased by the Civics of Allen and Steve Barden.