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Lewis Smith took a major step towards his first Intermarque title with a double victory at the championship’s penultimate round.
Nearest challenger Steve Burrows is still well in touch, though, and finished runner-up in both of Sunday’s races after starting the day level on points.
Past seasons have been dominated by Matt Simpson and latterly Malcolm Blackman, with Smith a rapid but irregular threat since he joined the championship.
Last weekend he was in imperious form, leading throughout a damp first race. Burrows was delayed in traffic, helping Blackman to snatch second only to spin moments later. He recovered to take third, overtaking Ray Harris in traffic.
Smith started eighth on a part-reversed race two grid, but in a breathtaking three abreast move went from third to first at Paddock Hill at the start of lap two. Blackman held second until his car died at Graham Hill, promoting Burrows. Harris reached the front of a closely matched group to take third.
A successful debut in a Vauxhall Astra VXR in the South Eastern Tin Tops earned Rod Birley victory ahead of Bradley Lane’s Honda Civic Type R in race one. He followed the Sussex man home in race two but still secured a class win. Chris Bassett (Peugeot 205 GTI) twice joined them on the podium.
A pair of Monoposto races brought victories for Zachary Anderton’s Jedi. Alex Fores’ F3 Dallara led more than half of race one before finishing second, but retired in race two. This ended in confusion after a muddled safety car intervention, which also indirectly prompted a shunt when some drivers were unsighted as those ahead braked.
Four-time winner Ian Bower (BMW M3) plunged off at Paddock while chasing Ray West’s M3 in pursuit of another Pre ’93 victory in the first of eight Classic Touring Car races. West missed Sunday’s wet race with a lack of suitable tyres, leaving Alexander Owen (Honda Civic Type R) to win by more than 40s.
A broken clutch on Alan Greenhalgh’s Ford Falcon after claiming Pre ’66 pole left Barry Sime (Mini) to a comfortable win on Saturday. Paul Inch (Mini) and Michael Sheraton (Ford Anglia) battled mightily for second despite Inch grappling with clutch problems. After overnight repairs, Inch mastered the wet conditions to win on Sunday.
Dave Cockell’s Ford Escort broke an auxiliary drive belt in Classic Thunder qualifying leaving him 12th on the grid, but he charged into the lead before half distance. Balginder Sidhu (BMW M6), Andrew Wilson (Holden Monaro) and Adam Hatfield (Toyota Avensis) finished next, but Lee Gillard’s Subaru had hotly contested second when he tangled with a backmarker and crashed opposite the pits. Cockell won again on Sunday, but only just from a closing Ilsa Cox (SEAT Leon).
Highlight of the first day’s action was a five-way contest for Pre ’83 honours. David Howard’s getaway from fourth on the grid took him into an immediate lead in his Jaguar XJ12, which he defended for 16 laps against Mark Osborne’s more nimble but outpowered Triumph Dolomite, Stephen Primett’s Escort, Tom Burgess’s Fiesta and Stephen Cripps’s Escort. Sunday’s encounter was disappointing as Howard couldn’t get the start he needed to bottle up the others on a still slippery surface.
Howard chased Mark Cholerton’s Escort for third, and Primett passed Burgess to secure the win.