Cassar auto-crosses to Tin Tops Derby victory

DONINGTON PARK CSCC 10-11 SEPTEMBER

A heart-in-mouth trip over the grass amid the Craner Curves on the penultimate lap, having caught and sliced diagonally between long-time leaders Russell Hird and Andrew Windmill at Hollywood, and a phenomenal save as he rejoined the track, earned Danny Cassar victory in Sunday’s sensational Tin Tops race at the well-supported Classic Sports Car Club Donington Derby meeting. The event went ahead after poignant daily two-minute silences paying respects to HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Cassar’s 1m17.067s (92.44mph) shot had put Nigel Ainge’s Hillwood Motors Honda Integra Type R on pole, with Windmill (Civic) and Hird (Integra) within 1.157 seconds. Ainge slipped to seventh from the rolling start, but relayed Cassar from a steady sixth as the pit window opened eight laps into the 40 minutes. Windmill, who followed a lap later, and Ainge/cassar were obliged to remain stationary for 30s extra at the two-minute stops – for Brands Hatch Grand Prix and Snetterton wins respectively – thus the unfettered Hird eked out a gap with quick and consistent lappery.

When Manoj Patel (Civic) completed the stop sequence, he fell to third, behind Hird and Windmill, but Cassar was on a mission. With three laps remaining, a second split Hird, Windmill and Cassar. Windmill screamed ahead as he and Hird lapped Steven Routledge’s Ford Fiesta on either side past race control with two to go. Hird retaliated boldly into Redgate as Cassar joined them prior to the pivotal moment. Windmill slowed suddenly “when my dashboard lit up”, but Cassar took the chequer 4.566s before Hird. Windmill limped home third, ahead of Patel.

“A good day in sad times,” said BRDC member Piers Masarati having completed brother Miles’s job to win Saturday’s Modern Classics opener in their stunning Porsche turbo. Oulton Park victor Oliver Smith’s 20s success penalty was beyond negating, even before a safety car – covering Stephen Harrington’s Honda S2000 that smote the mid-chicane tyre stack backwards – and a Code 60 interlude. Smith finished 5.255s short, clear of Tom Mensley, debuting his similar BMW E36 M3 Evo.

Following wet qualifying, which favoured front-wheel-drivers and left a topsy-turvy grid, Ian Staines (MG Midget) patiently worked his way past Connor Kay (Midget), Clive Tonge and Ralph Budd (Minis) and Sam Polley (Mini Marcos) for Swinging Sixties Group 1 gold. After fire marshals had battled to extinguish Mike Henney’s blazing Turner Mk2 in the pits, Charlie

Budd relieved his dad and regained second from Polley, carrying a 30s penalty for his Snetterton win.

The Future Classics race was red-flagged when Anglesey double winner Mark Chilton’s Nissan Skyline careered headlong into the barrier at Redgate. Aston and

Tony Blake, whose Modern Classics challenge wilted when their TVR Tuscan’s gear lever pulled out, won from Stephen Scott-dunwoodie (Sierra RS500) and

Tim Bates’s Brumos tribute Porsche 911.

Ollie Reuben almost annulled his minute’s imposition in Swinging Sixties Group 2 before he relayed dad Nigel into their ‘non-fia’ five-litre TVR Griffith. After David Thompson (Tuscan) spun, Jamie Keevill (Lotus Elan) seized second from Malcolm Johnson (Europa) after a fine duel. An eye-catching Gp1 class battle featured Lewis Salmon and Francesca Roodhouse in immaculate Mini Cooper Ss reel in Simon Dawson’s Mini and Nick Watling’s Turner. Clive Tonge, in for Dawson, came out on top

from Shaun Haddrell, finishing the Turner.

Jamie Boot won Classic K’s contest in his Much Marcle Garage-prepared Griffith. Boot chased Rob Fenn’s Elan initially but, having passed its owner Paul Whight after the stops, Whight spun into the gravel at the Old Hairpin, promoting Greg Rumble and Nick Pancisi (Elans).

Sometime British GT racer Phiroze Bilimoria dominated Sunday’s Turbo Tin Tops race on his CSCC debut with a pretty VW Scirocco. Mini Cooper S drivers John Wyatt (R56 turbo) and Stephen Berry (supercharged R53) squabbled over second.

Following a tyre problem in practice, Simon Baker and Kevin Clarke borrowed rears and stormed through the Bmw-rich New Millennium field to win in Baker’s 3.2-litre 1 Series Coupe. Jasver Sapra/ Bryan Bransom (E46 M3) and Mark Smith (E36 M3) ran them closest.

Tin Tops race came to a dramatic conclusion involving Cassar (l), Windmill and Hird

Baker and Clarke (l) charged through for New Millennium glory

IN THE GENES Brothers Morgan (20) and Marcus (17) Short looked impressive taming father Martin’s Mosler-chevrolet MT900R. Chassis MTR GT3 0802 boasts strong period history. Germany’s Kenneth Heyer – son of Hans – and Czech Stepan Vojtech raced it in 2008, while Craig Baird won all three 2009 Clipsal 500 supporting races in Adelaide in it. Morgan was ahead in the Open/slicks Series race, when it was stopped for a heavy shunt from which Porsche 911 veteran Peter Challis walked away.

SELF-BUILTS REIGN Clive Anderson (BMW E30) beat Danny Morris’s Spirit of RPM Peugeot 309 after a heady duel in Saturday’s Special Saloon & Modsports opener. Series debutant Richard Rudd (Ford Escort RSR) was third. Rudd hurtled through Sunday’s depleted field to third by Redgate, where contact with Joe Ward’s Baby Bertha dispatched the celebrated Superloon into the barrier. Morris won the restart with Tom Carey’s Honda CRX in his mirrors after Anderson broke on the first lap.

SPIRE TOPS MAG SEVENS David Watson and John Cutmore fired their Hayabusa-powered Spire RB7S ahead in the Magnificent Sevens feature, which lost polesitter Jonny Pittard’s Caterham CSR to fuel pressure issues after a lap. When Watson spun out at the chicane, Cutmore – his engine sounding ghastly with broken exhaust headers – growled to victory over the Caterhams of Tim Davis (with a loaned 260bhp motor, 50bhp down on his regular one) and Colin Watson, who staved off Tim Davies.