Browns to the fore as golden anniversary of the Ford Escort is celebrated
Billericay’s Sean Brown has raced fast Fords for donkeys’ years, and sons Daniel and Robert share his passion for their stunningly-prepared Brown & Geeson Escorts. Having finished 1-2-3 on Brands Hatch’s GP circuit earlier this year they repeated on the Indy layout when the Escort’s 50th Anniversary was celebrated close to home and Ford’s Dagenham factory.
Presided over by factory drivers of the early ’70s Belgian Yvette Fontaine and Ford competition manager Stuart Turner’s protegee Gillian FortescueThomas, the Escort races attracted 21 entries. During demonstrations, Henry Mann, son of the late Alan, drove XOO 349F, Frank Gardner’s ’68 winner, alongside Jackie Oliver’s sister car XOO 347F with Paul Trotter up. An ex-works Mk1 rally car – victorious in Ove Andersson and Roger Clark’s hands – took to the track also, but an ex-hans Heyer Zakspeed Mk2 ended in the gravel.
Current GT racer Dan Brown grabbed pole position for race one in the B&G team’s 2.5-litre Mk2, but it was as much about the homologated RS1800S, RS1600S and lower-specced Mexicos and RS2000S. Dutchmen Jan Willem Oosterhagen and Marcel Frijlink were welcome visitors, the former’s orange RS2000 Mk1 sounding glorious with its straight through exhaust.
Young Brown won both races, cutting a 57.395s best in the damp opener, in which he beat his dad and brother. “The Michelin tyres we use are just unbelievable, [it’s] like driving in the dry at times,” he said. He improved to 51.585s (84.30mph) later on an almost dry surface. “We’ve done low 50s on a warmer day, but just being here was important to us.”
Dan Minton charged to second then, splitting the Browns in the RS2000 Special Saloon which father Steve and uncle Dale built in 1979 – originally with a droop-snoot but now flat-fronted – sold in ’98 and bought back. The race-long battle for fifth between Tony Paxman (Mk1) and Malcolm Harding (Castrol Zakspeed Mk2 clone), with Ben Gill’s Jolly Club/martino Finotto Broadspeed Mk1 in pursuit entertained spectators.
Mark Freemantle – who switched horses from Zakspeed Mk2 to Mk1 between races – and Classic Touring Car Racing Club racer Stephen Primett ran strongly in the chase, which featured Oosterhagen in the initial outing. Daniel Ryan just beat Iain Rowley for Class D honours in their Mexico versus RS2000 tussle.