Magnificent Sevens star at Brands Hatch
BRANDS HATCH CSCC JULY 14-15
Triple TVR Challenge champion Tim Davis played a starring role at Brands Hatch, claiming a win in a thrilling Magnificent Sevens race on Saturday before coming close to another in the Open Series contest.
At the start of the Sevens event, former category champion Peter Ratcliff made a demon start from second on the grid to lead poleman Colin Watson and the rest of the 33-strong Caterham field on the opening lap. Gary Bate and Jonathan Mitchell gave chase in third and fourth respectively, with Orpington-based Davis recovering from a five-place grid success penalty to run fifth.
Following a brief caution period, an attempt to snatch the lead on the approach to Druids cost Watson time and positions. Conversely, Davis worked his way into third before the mandatory-pitstop phase. Ratcliff maintained his lead after the stops, but Davis jumped Bate to snatch second and began to apply pressure to the leader.
Despite the growing presence of Davis in his mirrors and having to thread his way through a host of backmarkers, Ratcliff continued to look composed in front. But that all changed on lap 31 of 43 when he spun at Graham Hill Bend, dropping him out of the top five. Davis picked up the pieces to claim the win, despite the close attentions of Bate. Mitchell finished third behind Bate, with Christian Pittard salvaging fourth after an earlier excursion.
Davis was also in the hunt for victory in the Open Series race aboard his Caterham CSR, having rapidly closed on leader Pittard after the pitstops. A trip into the Paddock gravel to avoid a slow-moving tailender, combined with fading tyres, ultimately blunted Davis’s challenge. Pittard gained the breathing space his drive merited to seal victory thereafter, while Mitchell edged second on the run to the flag.
Graham Charman, a class winner in the Open event, claimed his second overall
New Millennium race win of the season in his Ginetta G55 despite having to serve a 30-second success penalty. Peter Challis had looked set to benefit most from Charman’s handicap until “something broke on the front end” on his Porsche 997, forcing his retirement. Alistair Scott initially claimed second in his BMW M3 E46 following a late tussle with David Kempton’s E36 model, but both would receive time penalties for violating Code 60 flag regulations.
One BMW driver to enjoy better fortune was Gavin Dunn in the Modern Classics encounter. After early pacesetter Stuart Daburn (TVR Tuscan) spun into the Paddock gravel and Piers Masarati (sharing with brother Miles) spun his Porsche avoiding errant backmarkers, Dunn worked his way to the front. Aided by a late safety car, he was able to withstand a late charge from the recovering Masarati to seal his first career win.
There was an emotional triumph for the father-and-son pairing of Martyn and Matt Ellis in the Future Classics contest. Competing together for the first time in their Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, the duo claimed victory by over half a minute. Anthony Mcevoy returned from a year out of competition to take a fine second in his Porsche 944, while David Burke (911) recorded his best result to date by finishing a close third.
Helped by two different team-mates, Richard Wheeler enjoyed a superb weekend.
Teaming up with Ross Curnow in a Lotus Elan, Wheeler claimed his first success of the weekend in the Swinging Sixties race, despite being handed a time penalty for an unsafe pit release post-race. Jon Wolfe overcame starter-motor problems with his TVR
Tuscan in qualifying to take second ahead of Steve Hodges (Lotus 7).
Curnow and Wheeler later steered their Elan to a crushing three-lap win in the
Classic K event ahead of John Hutchinson/ David Moran’s Ford Lotus Cortina. Wheeler then rounded off his weekend by claiming victory in the Tin Tops event after teaming up with guest driver and current BTCC star Mike Bushell in a Fiesta ST. Gearbox gremlins in qualifying did little to stop Martin Addison’s Peugeot 106 GTI claiming second.
Another dominant performance came from James Ramm in the Jaguar Saloon and GT Championship double-header.
Two lights-to-flag wins over Colin Philpott maintained his unbeaten start to the year and strengthened his hopes of claiming a title he narrowly missed out on last year.
Nigel Tongue proved uncatchable in the
Tin Tops, Puma Cup and Smart 4Two event in his well-presented Renault Megane F1 R26.