Thundersports and Aurora Trophy headline popular Superprix meeting
BRANDS HATCH
HSCC
9-11 JULY
Audacious passes in Thundersports and the Aurora Trophy finale wowed spectators as the Historic Sports Car Club’s annual Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix spanned both circuit layouts over three days.
Lola T290 stalwart Mark Richardson’s committed dive inside James Claridge’s Chevron B23 into Clearways didn’t stick in the former, but Martin Stretton’s jaw-dropper on fellow Formula 2 March driver Matt Wrigley at Paddock Hill Bend deservedly left honours even.
Saturday’s sportscar mini-enduro was a thriller. After a short caution, Richardson ambushed Claridge and staved him off until the pitstops, which is where Claridge got the upper hand as Richardson rejoined four seconds adrift. He hounded his rival down and was 0.401 seconds shy when the chequered flag flew 20s early…
Wrigley (March 782) and Stretton (March 712) blitzed the Aurora opener, clear of Mark Charteris’s 742 and Geoff Lees Trophy contenders Rory Smith (Ralt RT4) and Sam Harrison (Dallara 389). Stretton redoubled his efforts later, cunningly boxing Wrigley behind Judy Lyons on the last lap.
“It’s great racing wheel-to-wheel with Matt, but I saw the situation unfold, dropped it down another gear and floored it,” said Stretton, whose smaller chassis, designed for 1600cc F2, lacks downforce in comparison with the wide-nosed 782 but was fractionally quicker in each speed trap. Teenager Harrison finished third.
Historic Formula Ford 2000 kicked off on Friday as 31 combatants provided half the six Indy circuit races. Royale racer
Ian Pearson won the first qualifier from poleman Adrian Reynard and father and daughter Graham and Jennifer Ridgway, all in Reynards.
Points leader Graham Fennymore led the second heat until his oil pressure “went to zero” and he nursed his steed home in fourth only to discover a faulty gauge. Molly Dodd (Royale RP27) won brilliantly on the road, only for a transponder glitch to earn her a 30s post-race penalty, which dropped her to fifth as Jon Finch won.
Pearson’s four-second lead in the final was expunged by a safety car interlude, after which Fennymore snatched the advantage decisively as the track went green. “Without the caution I wouldn’t have caught Ian,” said Fennymore. Reynard, Andy Storer, Finch and Dodd led the chase.
Moving to the GP layout on Saturday, Pearson qualified on pole from Fennymore, Storer and Dodd in wet conditions. Fennymore and Pearson scrapped race-long, ahead of Storer, with Dodd fourth.
Saturday’s excellent Historic Formula
Ford race was red-flagged for a second time when Over 50s division leader Ross
Drybrough’s Merlyn Mk20 rolled nastily after clipping Simon Toyne’s Lola T200 at Druids. No result was declared (see News).
Sunday’s race finished prematurely too, with Alan Schmidt’s Merlyn in the barrier on the GP loop. Donington Park victor
Tom Mcarthur (Titan Mk3) rounded Cam Jackson at Paddock to lead mid-race but the Winkelmann driver was ahead as they took the chequered flag with Horatio Fitz-simon (Merlyn) in tow.
Jackson also won the Classic FF1600 rounds, neither over the full distance. On a treacherously slippery track, Saturday’s was stopped when the spinning James Fettiplace collected Simon Clews at Paddock.
Henry Chart (Van Diemen RF81) led on Sunday until a red flag, which reprieved Jackson. He’d traversed the gravel at Paddock under yellows, behind Simon Armer’s beached March 703, and thus could restart towards the front. Jackson duly jumped Chart at the lights. Jeremey Timms (ex-reine Wisell Chevron B15) dominated the concurrent 1000cc Historic F3 contests.
Andy Newall completed his Guards Trophy hat-trick in 2021, distancing Simon and Cam Jackson (Lenham P70) and 2020 winners Westie and Ben Mitchell (Chevron B8), who served a drivethrough for stopping 1.3s before the window opened.
John Spiers and Peter Thompson (TVR Griffiths) traded places as their pre-1966 GT battle raged throughout. Spiers, seventh overall, prevailed by just 0.348s.
Chris Goodwin – whose father Tony raced Newall’s Chevron contemporarily – aced Formula Junior in a Lotus 22 from Richard Wilson (Brabham BT6). It finished under yellows when Trevor Griffiths (Emeryson) tagged Crispian Besley (Cooper T56) while disputing class C2.
An engine problem stopped runaway Classic F3 leader Andy Smith on the Indy circuit, promoting Benn Tilley (March 743) and Keith White (Ralt RT1). Smith made amends on Sunday, chased by Classic FF2000 standout Murray Shepherd – on new Avon radial wets – and Tilley, experiencing wets for the first time.
The HGPCA trifecta’s climax reflected the Silver City Trophy F1 feature that opened the Grand Prix circuit in August 1960 – except Jim Clark’s Lotus 18 didn’t retire while leading in Sam Wilson’s skilled hands, but Jack Brabham’s Cooper T53, with Rudi Fredrichs up, did.
Peter Horsman (18/21) outlasted the German for second in race three, ahead of Miles Griffiths, who bellowed Julian Bronson’s Scarab from 25th to third. John Spiers defeated Rod Jolley (Lister-jaguar Monza) in Saturday’s front-engined counter.
Cobra charmer Kevin Kivlochan couldn’t shake off Historic Road Sports points leader John Davison (Elan S1) who set fastest lap. Behind Rupert Ashdown, Jonathan Rose and Frazer Gibney – all Elans – Mark Godfrey wriggled his 1500cc Ginetta G4 through a Morgan +8 trio for sixth.
The Malvern marque’s reps retaliated in the 70s set, but Jim Dean (Europa) split winner Will Plant and father Richard each side of a caution.
Dan Williamson (Ford Falcon) did well to lead Historic Touring Car poleman Steve Soper for two laps but, after a safety car, he clouted the barrier at Druids, having ceded second to Rob Fenn. Mark Martin repelled Paddy Shovlin among the Cortinas for third.
Spencer Mccarthy screamed from the back of Friday’s Classic Clubmans grid, ousting Mike Lane for third behind John Harrison on the Indy circuit. All lapped within 0.71s of winner Mark Charteris’s best. Tom Muirhead outran Stephen Littler among the larger Ff1600-engined entry.