HILL MAN IMPS DEFY THE ODDS TO TAKE THE SPOILS IN THE RAIN
Hillman Imp derivatives ruled the roost on Brands Hatch’s Indy circuit as Saturday’s rain changed the Historic Touring Car championship’s dynamic. Gunning for a fourth title, points leader Adrian Oliver and reigning champ Steve Platts (Singer Chamois) capitalised on their rear-engined cars’ traction, winning once apiece as more powerful opposition was blunted.
When the forecast rain came Oliver and Mike Gardiner (Lotus Cortina) shot past front row qualifiers Rick Belcher (Cortina) and Bob Bullen (Anglia 105E) at the start of the opener and stayed there, with Platts awarded third when Larry Warr (Cooper S) was among three Mini men excluded for technical infringements.
Oliver fell off at Surtees on lap one of the sequel, advantaging Platts, but hurtled back to second behind Steve, retrieving his car from extravagant angles as he passed Gardiner. “Those two guys are so good, they deserved to win,” said Gardiner. Bullen –with two wins in a more populous class, thus scoring higher than Oliver – is now favourite to land a first crown.
URS Formula Ford 2000 stalwart Chris Lord’s torquier Pinto-powered Van Diemen RF82 outsprinted the Classic F3s from P9 in Saturday’s wet conditions, returning ’17 champion Gaius Ghinn (Ralt RT3) and early leader Richard Trott (Chevron B43) running the Devonian closest having shuffled impressive March 803 debutant Adrian Langridge back to fourth.
On Sunday’s almost dry track, a stripe of damp asphalt after Clearways caught out Trott and Hugh Price (Chevron B38), spinning them into the pitwall. Paul Smith was on top form though. He steamed his Ralt RT3 through from fifth, passing Langridge on the outside at Paddock then blitzed Ghinn for victory. After fraught weekends, title protagonists Keith White and Pat Gormley’s status quo remained.
Sunday’s Historic Road Sports double-header featured Kevin Kivlochan growling his Morgan +8 away from John Davison’s Lotus Elan in the wet morning race. It dried for the second stanza, however, thus Davison re-shod his car with Yokohamas and raced to both victory and the previously elusive title a round early. The Witchampton Garage Elans of Larry Kennedy and Robert Rowe had kept Davison on his toes in the opener.
Outdragged by second row starters Jim Dean (Lotus Europa) and John Williams (Porsche 911SC) at the start, Will Leverett (Europa) still won the ’70s Road Sports opener in which outgoing champ Charles Barter – from the back in his Datsun 240Z – smote the tyre wall at Graham Hill Bend. Leverett’s engine cut out at the start race two, but once under way he rocketed up the order only to spin at Clark Curve when his electrics failed again. Up front, Jeremy Clark was mortified to tap leader Dean into a spin at Clearways, then win from Williams and Dean.
On elderly wets, double Historic FF2000 champion Andy Park rotated approaching race one’s grid. Gripless, the Cumbrian was passed by ex-caterham racer Paul Allen – second to him in the table, but not yet a podium finisher – and Jason Redding long before a safety car, deployed when Ian Pearson spun off at Clearways while pursuing meritorious winner Allen. Redding grabbed second from Park at the green. On new rubber, Park won Sunday’s opener from Allen and Steve Glasswell whose rise from 20th to third was scintillating.
Cameron Jackson annexed the Historic FF1600 points lead with another double victory, matching Ben Mitchell’s tally of six wins in tricky conditions, although shadow Mitchell was aggrieved when Jackson’s lapping of Rudolf Ernst’s Titan under waved yellow flags on Saturday went unpunished. Mitchell spun out at the foot of Paddock on Sunday, his first non-finish, leaving Jackson – who had spun at Clearways on the warmup laps – to beat Caterham ace Clive Richards, who marked his HFF debut with a brilliant second, Ben Tusting and top qualifier Callum Grant.
Classic Clubmans was the usual two-horse race in which Mark Charteris broke the 49 second barrier in overcoming John Harrison and Ff1600-engined star Clive Wood kept the other A-sport man Alan Cook busy. Sunday’s outing on a drying track – watched by ’70s champion Noel Stanbury – was hugely entertaining as the leaders carved through a train embroiling Barry Webb, Dave Facer, Adam Patterson, Brian Hunter and Philip Hart. Webb and Patterson were Wood’s runners-up.
Guesting in Jamun boss Tony Mundy’s M92, current HFF champion Richard Tarling worked hard to repel Oliver White (Van Diemen RF88) in Walter Hayes Trophy founder James Beckett’s soggy Pre-’93 Heritage Formula Ford seasonal finale.
Pipped to pole in the wet by ELVA-BMC 100-mounted Robin Lackford, Alex Morton (Condor S2) dominated the dry seven-car front-engined Formula Junior bout, beating Robin Longdon who joined-in post-practice with his New Zealand-bound Lola Mk2.