CULL AND WENMAN SHARE GTS SPOILS
Rob Cull and Andrew Wenman were among the stars of the Equipe Classic Racing season opener at Brands Hatch after sharing the Equipe GTS race wins.
Cull was never headed in the first contest as he steered his TVR Grantura MK III to a dominant win ahead of Neil Fisher’s MG B Roadster, despite a late hailstorm sweeping the circuit. Entry numbers were smaller for race two as Wenman claimed victory in his Morgan Plus 4 after usurping Cull at Surtees early on.
Wenman also steered his
Morgan to glory in the second Equipe Pre-’63/50s contest after a memorable lead battle with Joe Willmott’s Austin Healey 3000. Charles Angrave won the first event in his Lotus MK VI after Willmott received a false-start penalty.
There was further success for Wenman in the sole Equipe 70s race as he teamed with father David to claim a lights-to-flag win in their Plus 8. Tom Pead inherited second in his BMW 1600Ti after Mark Lucock in his Ford Escort exceeded the pitlane speed limit at his mandatory stop.
Mark Wright cantered to victory in both MG Cup races in his F Cup car, despite “running on two-yearold slicks” in the opening race. Ian Boulton inherited second in his ZR 170 after Jack Sandle-Brownlie’s Rover 216 GTi was penalised for exceeding track limits, but he made amends by taking second in race two.
James Wheeler won the first BCV8 race in his MG B GT V8 after Neil Fowler in his similar car spun out at Druids on the warm-up lap. Series debutant and former Ginetta Junior racer Jack Rawles – also in a MG B GT V8 – recovered from a poor start to snatch second late on. Wheeler and Rawles’ lead battle provided plenty of entertainment in race two, and Rawles emerged the winner after Wheeler ran wide at Graham Hill Bend at three-quarters’ distance.
Tom Smith steered his new Lotus Elan to both wins in Equipe Libre’s double-header despite spinning off at Clearways on a treacherous surface in the opener, as David Methley and Brian Caudwell claimed a second apiece in their respective AC Cobras.