Hammersley eager to get chance to race turbo Megane as Tongue wins again
Classic Sports Car Club (CSCC) chairman John Hammersley admitted he is desperate to get back behind wheel again and build on the success stepson and co-driver Nigel Tongue has enjoyed driving their recently acquired Renault Megane F1 R26 in the latest Turbo Tin Tops encounters.
After entering the impressivelooking Megane at Brands Hatch a month ago, Tongue has steered the former Production Saloon Car to two impressive wins; his victory at Thruxton last weekend replicating the success he achieved at Brands back in July.
Hammersley had been due to share driving duties with Tongue at the corresponding meetings, but a heart attack leading up to the Brands meeting put his plans on hold.
Now on the road to recovery and hoping to be passed fit and race ready to partner Tongue in time for the Mallory Park race in October, Hammersley confirmed that, despite Tongue’s unblemished record, development plans for the Megane are on the agenda.
“We bought this car from Matt Turner and we are aiming to add more aero to it over the winter,” Hammersley confirmed. “The standard car can reach about 300bhp and Nigel has been touching 130mph up Woodham Hill this weekend, but we are planning to reduce the weight and possibly add a wing during our development programme, which should help again.
“Modifying the car too much could cause problems too though, so we have to be careful just how far we do go.”
Before his illness struck, Hammersley was able to take the Megane for a handful of laps post-purchase. “The turbo in the Megane means the car is heavier and less nimble to drive compared to say, the Vauxhall Astra I’ve been used to, but it only took me about five or six laps to get used to how to handle it,” he said.
Still in its maiden year, less than 10 cars lined up in the Turbo Tin Tops class at Thruxton as the series combined its grid with entries from the Puma Cup and Smart 4Two categories, but Hammersley is buoyant about the future of the series. “This is why our aero programme is so important because I know there are at least six cars in build, mainly Ford Focus RS machines and Minis, so the grid is certain to grow in numbers,” he explained. “I really want to be part of that grid too, so I hope I get the OK from the cardiologist and the MSA to race again.”
Despite carrying over a 30 second success penalty for his Brands win, Tongue defeated the similar car of Charles Hyde-andrews-bird at to confirm his second successive victory. “I was able to manage the gap successfully and it paid off,” the delighted winner said post-race.
Behind the top two, the BMW Mini Cooper S of Jamie Sturges and Ian Knight looked set to take claim third until gearbox gremlins intervened, forcing their retirement. Their misfortune enabled Oulton Park winner Carl Chambers, the last driver to taste victory in the series before the Tongue/megane combination entered, to seal the final spot on the podium in his Peugeot 208 GTI despite a late spin at the Club Chicane.
In the Puma Cup class, Jon Attard snatched victory from Harry Hardy on the final tour as the latter’s car slowed. Luke Johnson also took second from the ailing Hardy before the flag. David Nash was the victor in the Smart 4Two class.