FUEL SAVING KEY TO CLASSIC K WIN
Jeremy Cooke and Mike Dowd recorded an unlikely triumph in the final episode of the Classic K serial for 2016, taking the lead from Lotus Elan driver Paul Tooms, who had been ahead for almost the entire hour-long race, on the final lap.
“I fuelled for a wet race, and then it went on longer than an hour,” shrugged Tooms, who also picked the wrong tyres for the rapidly drying track. Indirectly Tooms had Neil Merry, whose Alfa stopped on the rolling lap, to blame for his defeat. The race was red-flagged and restarted, but the original distance plus the two extra laps Tooms had to complete proved decisive. He stumbled home third.
All of this takes nothing away from the remarkable drive by Dowd – in a freshly rebuilt Elan – in the second half of the race. He chased down Kallum Gray (who had taken over the Jaguar E-type from father Michael), flinging his car up the inside at the chicane to take second with four laps to go. That looked to be the extent of his ambitions until Tooms started limping, and Dowd seized the initiative at Schwantz on lap 41.
The Cooke/dowd combination had already shown form in the Swinging Sixties Group 2 race, Dowd
1 Jeremy Cooke/ Mike Dowd (Lotus Elan); 2 Michael Gray/ Kallum Gray (Jaguar E Type) +8.052s; 3 Paul Tooms (Lotus Elan GTS); 4 Jack Chatham/ Oliver Chatham (Austin Healey 3000); 5 David Thompson/jon Wolfe (TVR Grantura); 6 Mark Dunn (Austin Healey 3000). Class winners Gray/ Gray; Chatham/ Chatham; Thompson/ Wolfe; Brian Lambert (MG B); Peter van Smirren/tavis Kirk (Ford Lotus Cortina); Peter Aylett/ Steven Farrall (Diva GT); Tim Jarvis (Austin Healey 3000). Fastest lap Cooke/ Dowd 1m22.17s (86.76mph). Pole Tooms. Starters 21. Malcolm Johnson (Lotus Europa); 4 Daniel Williamson (Chevrolet Corvette); 5 John Muirhead (Lotus Super Seven); 6 Mel Taylor (Lotus Elan). CW Cooke/ Dowd; Chris Thompson (Ford Capri); Kevin O’brien/ Marcus Jewell (Jaguar XJ6); Mia Flewitt/ Michael O’brien (Lotus Elan). FL Cooke/ Dowd 1m41.253s (70.37mph). P Plant/ Plant. S 25.
1 Pantelis Christoforou (Ford Escort RS1800); 2 Aston Blake/tony Blake (Porsche 911) +24.133s; 3 Brian Lilley/aaron Tucker (Ford Sierra Cosworth); 4 Tony Maryon (Porsche 944); 5 Paul Dingle (Porsche 944); 6 Bill Lancashire/ Howard Lancashire (TVR Tuscan). CW Blake/ Blake; Lilley/tucker; Maryon; Lancashire/ Lancashire; Martyn Adams (Triumph TR7 V8); David Bryant (Toyota MR2); Terry van der Zee (Mazda MX-5). FL Christoforou 1m27.221s (81.68mph). P Lancashire/ Lancashire. S 37. Paul Nevill (Ford Escort RS2000); Chris Boardman/james MoultonSmith (BMW Compact); Terry van der Zee (Mazda MX-5). FL Bate 1m16.237s (93.45mph). P Anderson/ Grimsley. S 40.
1 Gary Bate (Caterham CSR); 2 Jonathan Mitchell (Caterham CSR) +1.745s; 3 Peter Ratcliff (Caterham C400); 4 Christian Pittard (Caterham CSR); 5 Richard Carter (Caterham R300); 6 Tim Davis/ Robert Singleton (Caterham C400). CW Carter; Davis/ Singleton; Andrew West/ Dominic Anstey (Caterham R300); Philip Horne (Caterham Blackbird). FL Ratcliff 1m13.293s (97.20mph). P Bate. S 23. 1 Robert Springate/ David Rowe (Caterham Supersport); 2 Andy Tidy/ Stephen Storey (Caterham Blackbird) +24.792s; 3 Michael Moss (Westfield SEIW); 4 Roy Gray (Caterham Supersport); 5 Alex Harbour (Caterham Supersport); 6 Alan Pegram/ Lawrence Barwick (Caterham 7). CW Tidy/ Storey; Moss; Bethun Halvey/ Philip Edwards (Aries Locotec). FL Tidy/ Storey 1m18.088s (91.23mph). P Tidy/ Storey. S 11.
1 Kevin Doyle (XJ12 Coupe); 2 James Ramm (XZS) +1.326s; 3 Rodney Frost (XJS); 4 David
CADWELL PARK: MSVR BY PETER SCHERER
Max Bladon lost his unbeaten record last time out at Oulton Park. This time, he put that small blip behind him and returned to the top step, with a victory that crowned him the Mini Challenge Cooper Class champion.
Poleman Josh Gollin led the first race until he was caught out at the Hairpin on the second lap as rain increased – the whole field having started on slicks.
Bladon took charge from there with Michael Bamber ousting Martin Poole from second, who in turn had Brad Hutchison challenging him for third. Bamber crested the Mountain on the grass losing four places, which allowed Hutchison to snatch second from Poole approaching the Mountain a lap later.
Hutchison’s push continued and at the flag he was only 0.2s adrift of Bladon, while Poole held off enormous last lap pressure from Sam Weller to retain third.
It was still wet for race two, and having seen off a strong challenge from William Neal through Coppice on the opening lap, Gollin made amends with a straightforward victory. Neal had race-long pressure from Weller, but his defence held as he recorded his maiden podium place. Poole lost out to both Bladon and Hutchison on the first two laps, but fought back to challenge for fifth until he piled into the tyre wall at the Mountain and brought out the red flags.
The first Mini Cooper S and Open Class race was red-flagged on the second lap when leader Scott Adam went straight on at Park Corner. Neil Newstead led from the restart taking a comfortable win over Scott Jeffs and Tim Porter, while race-long Open Class leader Jonathan Davis was fourth when Carlito Miracco was black-flagged for having no rain light.
Newstead was pushed off the race two grid, suffering the same light issue Miracco had. Porter led initially before giving best to Miracco as they reached half distance. Jeffs started to challenge Porter for second, but as he dived inside onto the Mountain, they collided, and both spun. Jeffs rejoined while Porter was left in the tyre wall. This coincided with another car going off at Coppice as, handing a second class win to Davis as the race was red-flagged again.
The first attempt to start the Radical SR1 Cup ended when Rob Ellice made contact with Oliver Barker at the start and piled into barriers.
The restart behind the safety car ended as soon as the green flag was waved when third-placed Richard Baxter hit standing water and spun down the track backwards, as Sam Moores got airborne at the same spot and rode the barriers before rejoining the circuit where he was hit by Peter Brookes.
They finally got their race in at the very end of the race day programme with Barker heading Kye Wheatley and James Taylor
Howard (XJ12); 5 Thomas Butterfield (XJ40); 6 David Bye (XJ6 Coupe). CW Ramm; Butterfield; Adam Powderham (XJR). FL Kevin Doyle 1m21.743s (87.15mph). P Butterfield. S 21. Race 2 (15 laps) 1 Kevin Doyle; 2 James Ramm +1.350s; 3 Patrick Doyle (XJS); 4 Colin Philpott (XJS); 5 Frost; 6 Bye. CW Ramm; Bye; Steve Askham (XJ6). FL Kevin Doyle 1m22.007s (86.87mph). P Kevin Doyle. S 20.
1 Clive Bailye/ Paul Black (BMW M3 CSL); 2 Peter Challis (Porsche 997) +17.972s; 3 Rick Kerry/ Lee Spencer (BMW M3); 4 Thomas Houlbrook (BMW M3); 5 Mark Anderson/ Carl Grimsley (BMW M3); 6 Jamie Sturges (Seat Supercopa). CW Challis; Sturges; Darren Johnson (Renault Clio); James Grange/ Denis Hays (Ford Mondeo); Luke Johnson (Ford Puma); Gary Robinson (VW Golf); Stephen Paul Graham (Vauxhall Astra). FL Houlbrook 1m16.142s (93.57mph). P Bailye/ Black. S 36.
throughout a very cautious encounter.
The Track Attack Race Club had two non-championship races both comfortably won by Rich Hockley’s Honda Civic. Tony Hunter’s Toyota Celica and David Payling’s Honda Civic spread out from the start of the first race, following Hockley at a distance, but in race two Jason Jesse’s VW Bora pipped Hunter for second on the last lap of another red-flag shortened race.
Hayes; Edward Leigh/thomas Houlbrook (BMW M3); Paul Livesey (Porsche 944); Paul Calladine (Ginetta G20). FL Cattliff 1m19.424s (89.70mph). P Olson. S 25.