THE RACING FORDS

Within the 50-plus car grids and 20 fiercely-fought races, Fords made up 60 per cent of the field across the two saloon and touring car races. For many, the highlight of Saturday’s packed programme was the Tony Dron Memorial Trophy for historic touring cars. No fewer than seven Sierra Cosworth RS500s gathered to tackle the Nissans and BMWs in the post ’85 class.

SIERRA COSWORTH RS500S

The RS500s were a mix of period restorations, like the ex-Rousebuilt Kaliber car currently run by Denis Welch Motorsport and the original Brodie Brittain car used in 1989. That car last ran in 2017 and had been left under a dust sheet until being fired up for this year’s Classic. The recreated NettCom RS500 was presented by Premier Motorsport for Paul Mensley to drive.

Pete Hallford was joined by British GT ace Phil Keen to uphold the Ford V8 big-banger honours in his Boss GTX 302 Mustang. Immaculately prepared by Moore Racing, this car originally ran in the Seventies’ SCCA Trans-Am Series as a Canadian dealer-entry, where it was driven by John Hall.

COLOGNE CAPRI

In the end, it was not the Sierras that brought home the Ford honours, after the RS500s were largely sidelined by a first corner coming-together of multiple cars. It was Alex Brundle – son of ex-F1 driver turned TV pundit Martin – who brought his Cosworth GAA V6-engined Cologne Capri home for a class win after battling with the second of two Skylines.

Alex said: “Despite having less power, the Capri is quicker in the corners than the RS500s due to its better grip. It’s very physical to drive with no power steering and a heavy front end.”

FALCONS & MUSTANGS

Alex Brundle also raced with Gary Pearson in the Transatlantic Pre ’66 Touring Car race in his newly completed 4.7-litre Mustang notchback. Alex is a hands-on kind of a guy when it comes to car building, as is touring car ace Steve Soper, who arrived with his own new-build Mustang in the same colour. Before their arrival in the assembly area for qualifying on Friday, neither knew that the other had built such a similar car for this year’s Classic. Brundle’s car had racing stripes, which eased identification. Soper shared the driving with Henry Mann of eponymous Alan Mann Racing, who himself was doing double-duty with Kevin Kivlochan in the No 6 Mustang.

Multiple touring car champion and Le Mans Ford GT driver Andy Priaulx was racing in the yellow Rassler-prepared Mustang with Alex Taylor. A long-time business connection in Guernsey brought the racing Priaulx and Taylor families together. The relationship carries on to this day, with Trevor Taylor setting up the Mustang. Andy told Fast Ford that even not having driven that car since last year’s Classic, he turned up on Friday and managed a single qualifying lap. According to Priaulx the car just gets faster and faster every time he drives it.

A friendly rivalry between Soper and Priaulx, which goes back to their works BMW drives, was bound to surface as a race within a race. Andy pointed out that due to age seniority, Steve no longer has to serve the platinum-pro pit stop penalty that he has to endure.

Making up 74 per cent of the transatlantic grid, it was no wonder that the race turned into a Ford tin-top tribute. The bulk of the Class A entry was made up of Mustangs and its predecessor Falcon. Mechanically almost identical, the Falcon enjoys a weight advantage due to some creative (Monte Carlo rally) homologation engineering back in the day by Alan Mann.

Things equal up in the corners as the Falcon still must run on its original-spec narrow tyres, while the Mustang enjoys better handling on wider wheels and tyres. For spectators, the morepower-than-grip nature of the Transatlantic Touring Car race makes it the highlight race of the weekend.

GT40S

Due to the high value and previously punishing on-track lives, many of the fastest racing Fords at the Classic are new-build, recreations or restorations. For example, the only GT40 racing in the most varied class of the Masters Sports Car Legends was a Blakeney Motorsport-prepared 4.7-litre peddled by American gentlemen racers Frederic Wakeman and Mike Grant Peterkin. This 2018 Gelscoe Motorsport replica has never been registered for the road and has previously raced in the UK and the Spa 6-hours. Mike described the car as very easy to drive, with benign handling and almost unlimited torque.

Visitors following the GT40s and RS500s beyond the track would have found themselves in the International Paddock for the supercar display and the National Paddock car club stands, where road-going versions of the models doing battle on track were being pampered by owners and admired by the adoring crowds.