Fitting tribute to Jim Russell as Historic FF1600 stages epic fight
SNETTERTON HSCC 23-24 APRIL
The Jim Russell Trophy meeting at Snetterton fittingly produced two stunning Historic Formula Ford 1600 races last weekend, with Tom Mcarthur’s Titan Mk4 triumphant in both.
An early three-way battle enlivened the opening encounter. Mcarthur and the Merlyn Mk20s of Callum Grant and Samuel Harrison all led, before the top two pulled away in the latter stages. Mcarthur positioned himself perfectly to lead on the final lap but nearly tripped up with a slow exit from Murrays, holding off Grant’s lunge to the line by just 0.063 seconds.
The sequel produced an even closer finish. Mcarthur and Harrison quickly dropped Grant, but Harrison’s lap-seven challenge looked to have ruined his chances after he ran wide at Nelson. Slowly, he closed in on Mcarthur and snatched the lead on the final lap at Brundle, but the Titan popped out of the Merlyn’s slipstream to grab victory by 0.041s. Grant finished a lonely third, suffering with understeer.
A three-way battle raged behind the Lola T540 of Jordan Harrison in the opening Classic FF1600 race, with Richard Tarling (Royale RP26) drafting past Mcarthur (now in a Merlyn Mk20) into Brundle on the last lap. But Mcarthur squeezed back in front through Nelson and kept the position to the line. Ben Tinkler (Van Diemen RF80) shadowed the pair in fourth.
Seven cars disputed the lead of race two, with a slick move at Riches putting Tarling in command, after pushing Mcarthur down the order. But, in the closing laps, Harrison stamped his authority upon proceedings again and won at a canter, with Tarling having left Tinkler to fend off Joseph Ahrens’s similar RF80 for third.
Benn Simms (Reynard SF77) clinched victory in the opening Historic FF2000 race after leading from pole, but was harried constantly by reigning champion Graham Fennymore, before his Reynard SF81 faded away with a snapped suspension wishbone. This elevated series newcomer Cam Jackson (Delta T80) to second, with Ben Glasswell completing the podium – he’d started from 11th after his SF77 lost a wheel in qualifying.
Simms’s grip on the series tightened further with another comfortable victory in race two. Jackson’s retirement on lap one promoted Glasswell, who gave chase before he retired with ignition issues. Fennymore, who had started ninth, therefore took over the position, with Greg Robertson’s SF79 completing the podium.
A broken fuel rail at Coram for Ashley Dibden’s Dallara F301 allowed Tony Bishop (Dallara F307) to slip through and claim victory in the F3 Monoposto race, after Dibden had powered past on lap one.
Dibden and Bishop clashed going into Agostini on the opening lap of race two, allowing Chris Davison to lead before Dibden reclaimed the position on the Bentley Straight. Bishop recovered to third after his spin, behind Davison’s F301.
Bishop was triumphant again in the third encounter after Dibden retired with a flat sounding engine mid-race, leaving Davison and Moto 1400 class winner Jason Timms to complete the podium.
Mark Betts had to repair the front suspension of his Jedi Mk6 after qualifying fourth for the first Monoposto Group 2 race. He soon made his way into the lead, however, dispatching Karl O’brien’s Leastone into Riches to secure victory.
And he did the same in race two, this time powering past on the start/finish straight. O’brien faded, leaving Nigel Davers in second until he was tripped up at Wilson on the last lap, leaving Morgan Mccourt as a surprised runner-up.
Betts completed the perfect hat-trick later on Sunday, declaring the weekend “couldn’t have gone any better”. Happy to see the chequered flag for the first time during the weekend was David Heavey, who finished second, with Mccourt’s similar Leastone completing the podium.
Try as he might, Morgan +8-mounted Richard Plant was unable to pressure Kevin Kivlochan into an error, and had to settle for second to the AC Cobra in both Road Sports races, including the handicap contest.
Series debutant Samuel Harrison (Chevron B15) had no opposition in the opening Historic F3 race as Ian Bankhurst messed up his start. “I couldn’t see the lights,” said the poleman, who salvaged second. It was Harrison’s turn for a tardy getaway in race two, which allowed Bankhurst to lead early on, but Harrison eventually blew past to complete a double.
Jack Moody slipped inside of Mike Gardiner at Oggies on the opening lap of the first Historic Touring Car thrash and
pulled a gap that reigning champion Gardiner couldn’t close. But a late race gearbox issue forced Moody to retire his Lotus Cortina, which handed victory to Gardiner’s similar car. Neil Wood’s Ford Anglia, which in the earlier laps had pushed the race winner briefly back to third, would have taken second but the car cut out on the last tour, gifting Bob Bullen’s Cortina the spot.
Moody flew through the pack in race two and, when Gardiner faded mid-race, he coasted to victory. Kivlochan picked his way through to take second in his new Ford Mustang, with Sam Attard’s Cortina emerging out of a large dust storm at Turn 3 on the final lap for third.
A scintillating start by Howard Payne allowed the Lotus Europa driver to lead away from fourth on the grid in 70s Road Sports, but poleman Jeremy Clark soon slipped back ahead in his Lotus Elan S4 before disappearing into the distance. Charles Barter also demoted Payne on the opening lap at Agostini, but the Datsun 240Z was pushed back to third once more at Murrays. Barter had another taste of second before Payne was able to repass and pull decisively away. The best battle was for Class E between Gary Thomas (Lotus 7) and David Tomkinson (TVR Vixen S2), with the Lotus prevailing.
The Jaguar Mk1 of Darren Mcwhirter held off early Ecurie Classic leader Martin Stowe (TVR Grantura) to clinch the win, while Nic Strong powered his Marcos GT past the entire Classic Challenge grid to claim victory.