Evans above the rest in New Millennium
THRUXTON CSCC AUGUST 18-19
A surprise first win for bold BMW E46 M3 driver Matty Evans over the vastly experienced Peter Challis (Porsche 997
Cup), having traded places in Saturday’s 40-minute New Millennium finale, was among many highlights of the Classic
Sports Car Club’s third Thruxton Thriller.
Race sponsor Evans shot his car into the lead from P4 at the start. An “elevenquid” plywood splitter bolted to its nose to counteract understeer after the original was damaged in qualifying was almost his undoing, though, with the car’s handling becoming ever lairier as its left corner was ground away.
Challis locked up into the Complex, but was homing in on the BMW again when another E46 driver inadvertently let Evans off the hook. Bal Sidhu’s erratic adventure ended in a crash at Noble, thus the chequer flew five minutes early, as Challis prepared to pounce. As Evans stopped, the last piece of splitter fell off and was presented to pitlane commentator Andy Mcewan. Alistair Scott (E46) robbed James Moultonsmith (E36 M3) of third on the final lap.
Freshly rebuilt by Mike Johnston in Northern Ireland following a prang, Andy Southcott planted his 2.3-litre Vauxhallpowered ‘silhouette’ MG Midget on pole for the Special Saloon and Modsports feature with a staggering 1m18.062s (108.65mph) shot and won all three bouts, from 10-place winners’ grid drops on Sunday. Tom Carey (Honda CRX-BDG) almost caught him napping on Saturday, though.
Fifty years after his Thruxton debut, Ian Hall – double winner in 2016 and ’17 in his six-litre Darrian Wildcat – had Southcott on the ropes on Sunday morning when the profusely apologetic Craig Percy failed to see him while being lapped at Allard. The clash with Percy’s Morris Minor-chevrolet broke the Darrian’s left-rear suspension, sending it spinning into the barrier. Following an overnight gearbox rebuild Ricky Parkermorris (Peugeot 309-Cosworth YB turbo) repaid his crew with second.
Carey’s early exit gifted Southcott an easy finale victory over Danny Morris in the Peugeot and Special Saloons veteran Steve Minton in the immaculate Escort
Mk2 he built in 1981, after a spirited allbdg-powered battle with Tony Paxman’s Escort Mk1 and Neil Duke’s Anglia 105E.
Paul Tooms arrived from Texas overnight and won the Classic K showcase in his Lotus Elan. Following a gripping scrap for silver, the Marcos-volvos of Peter Thompson and Allen Tice/chris Conoley were split by David Garrett’s ex-karl Foitek Elan 26R at the chequered flag. Tice/conoley were promoted to second when Thompson had 30 seconds added to his time for failing to serve his Silverstone win penalty at the stop, and speeding in the pitlane cost Garrett 60s.
Renault Meganes finished one-two in Turbo Tin Tops, Nigel Tongue’s F1 R26 five seconds clear of Charles Hyde-andrewsbird’s earlier version. Carl Chambers (Peugeot 208) was the other unlapped runner. Jon Attard aced the Puma Cup split with Luke Johnson and Harry Hardy in tow.
David Marcussen (BMW E36 M3 Evo) won Modern Classics from Alan Thompson, who charged his iridescent-green 328i from the back after an oil line detached in qualifying. Stuart Daburn (TVR Tuscan) and Tim Bates
(Porsche 911SC) chased them in. Daburn repeated last year’s Future Classics victory, although Aston Blake (911 RSR clone, carrying a 30s winner’s penalty) kept him honest initially. After the stops, Aston’s father
Tony drove the race of his life to win a mighty and photogenic tussle with Bates for second. Tom Brenton’s rare Ford Sierra XR8 headed the saloons in fourth.
Peter Ratcliff won a breathless Open Series race in his Caterham C400 by 0.422s from polesitter Jonathan Mitchell (CSR), pursued by the CSRS of Christian Pittard and Mike Aikens with Jamie Sturges (SEAT Leon Eurocup) a gallant fifth. ‘Ratters’ was out within seconds of the Magnificent Sevens start, however, his car jammed in first gear.
Mitchell, Tim Davis and Pittard slugged it out until Davis’s front suspension collapsed and Pittard’s throttle cable snapped. Mitchell thus finished clear of Jonathan Pittard’s Rover K Series-powered Superlite R. “I’ve been trying to retire this car but it won’t go gracefully,” he said. Richard Carter bagged third after Aikens, with whom he’d been grappling all race, crashed approaching Church.
XJS dicers Colin Philpott and James
Ramm won the entertaining Jaguar races, the latter having locked horns with Patrick Doyle after squeezing into the lead from row two at Sunday’s start. Tom Robinson (XJR) separated them in second on
Saturday, but champion Rodney Frost filled Philpott’s mirrors in the sequel.