Grant Deltas in on FF2000 Wolds Trophy
CADWELL PARK HSCC 19-20 SEPTEMBER
Historic Formula Ford 2000 took centre stage in a magical Wolds Trophy event, the 35-strong entry – the best 1975-81 Pinto posse in years – meriting twin qualifying heats and finals, all hotly contested.
Just as the movement started at Cadwell Park in 2007, when Iain Rowley triumphed in a Delta, Callum Grant won in one of Patrick Head’s designs. Grant withstood enormous pressure from Benn Simms (Reynard), who survived a hairy spin at the Gooseneck second time out, to ace both Sunday features, the latter at record pace.
From object lessons in rolling-start discipline, with the colourful field in close company, Grant and Simms dropped Ian Pearson (Royale RP30) and Peter Drennan (Reynard) in the finals. Sunday morning’s contest included a safety car period while Brian Morris’s Reynard was plucked from The Mountain’s barriers. Among a record turnout of Pre-’79 cars, Stuart Pearson (Lola T580) earned direct entry to the finals and bagged a stellar fifth in the first.
The heats – for competitors outside the top five in each practice group – were superb. In Saturday’s, Classic F3 convert Adrian Langridge repassed novice Ben Glasswell, with dad Stephen’s similar Reynard in tow. Circuit neighbour Lee Bankhurst (RP30) snatched Sunday’s win, diving past Greg Robertson’s oily
Reynard at the Hairpin on the final lap.
Both Historic Sports Car Club Road Sports staples delivered big grids and fine racing. Jeremy Clark twice outran Kevin Kivlochan (Morgan +8) in the
70s set, in which Dave Karaskas (TVR 3000M) and John Williams (Porsche 911SC) enjoyed mega scraps, but Charles Barter’s Datsun 240Z overheated again. In Class D, Antony Ross (Alfa Romeo
1750 Spider) and Pip Hammond (Porsche 924) each beat the other by fractions.
Kivlochan put Will Plant in the Moggie to bolster Class A in the Historic field, then watched him win Saturday’s race from the pits after his AC Cobra’s throttle return spring broke. ‘Keki’ was passing the Cafe when the field was released for Sunday’s rolling start, thus was almost 30 seconds down at the timing line. Plant pulled-up at the summit of The Mountain when the Rover V8 engine’s oil pressure flagged and, as Paul Tooms took the chequer from Jonathan Rose (in Tooms’ old Elan), Kivlochan was 4.7s adrift of class winner Peter Garland (+8)!
Hotfoot from his Oulton Park Historic Formula Ford double – and with the non-championship Kentagon Cup win over Ross Drybrough and Tim Brise for confidence – top qualifier Pierre Livingston stretched his slender points advantage over Cameron Jackson with another pair and a lap record. Despite tweaking his March 709’s nose in the tussle for second with Linton Stutely, Jackson led the opener mid-race, before Livingston retaliated. The second rolling start was poorly executed, and pivotal, for Livingston shot clear immediately. Jackson spun through 720 degrees at Charlies, but salvaged third behind Stutely.
Jackson dominated the Classic FF1600 rounds in his Van Diemen. He had Rick Morris beaten before the defending champ spun at Charlies on Saturday, leaving Jordan Harrison second, fending off Craig Currie and Mike Gardner’s noseless Crossle 32F.
On Sunday, Gardner planed another nose off in muscling through to second, ahead of Currie, Jordan Harrison and Samuel Harrison, from the back. Gardner traded the lead with Harrison S in the Old Hall Trophy ‘fun race’ finale until they collided entering The Mountain abreast. Gardner’s car, on the outside, flew into the barrier. Harrison J, with a grandstand view, gratefully accepted victory from Currie.
There were new winners on both sides of the Classic Clubmans equation. Behind two A-sport cars, the Ff1600-engined duels between Tom Dunstan in the Ken Harrisonoriginated Penfold and ex-motorcycle racer Tommy Eustace (Mallock Mk18) were tight. Dunstan repassed Eustace with a last-ditch lunge on Saturday, but the latter turned the tables in race two for his maiden win. Out front, Yorkshireman Adrian Holey pulled away from stalwart Mike Lane on day one. Once Holey released a bag of Pontefract cakes from his belts, he caught Lane in the sequel but Lane spun at Chris Curve.
After Roger Stanford’s Lotus Cortina had retired on Saturday, Peter Smith repeated his Oulton Touring Car double relatively easily, chased by Mark Watts’ Ford Mustang, which had half the field in tow. David
Lloyd’s 6.3-litre Chrysler-engined Jensen CV8 set a class record before gearbox maladies intervened in the opener.