MORRIS TAKES AN EMOTIONAL VICTORY
Danny Morris took his Cosworthpowered Peugeot 309 GTI to its fourth Special Saloons and Modsports victory of 2022. Racing in memory of his brother Ricky Parker-Morris, with whom he shared the car since its origins in Thundersaloons 30 years ago, Morris passed Andy Southcott’s ailing MG Midget after a quarter of the opening 16-lap race.
Southcott brought the car home second before a swift differential change, but onlookers were denied a rematch by gearbox failure on the Pug. Southcott instead had an easy run to late-afternoon victory ahead of Clive Anderson (BMW E30) and Jack
Gadd (Ford Escort RSR), who both limped home ahead of Abbie Eaton, the W Series racer having an outing in father Paul’s Holden Commodore.
Anderson had earlier beaten Gadd to third in race one, recovering from a poor start to charge past his rival, who promptly spun exiting Brooklands.
With most of the leading Swinging Sixties Group 1 runners serving success penalties (earned against previous wins) at their pitstops,
Tom Pead had a sniff of victory in his BMW 1600Ti. But a spin at Copse proved costly as Sam Polley took the honours ahead of Claire Norman/ Charles Tippet’s penalty-less BMW 2002. The overheating MGA of Steve and Jack Smith retired from the lead group after its fan belt failed.
Jon Wolfe took his V8-powered TVR Tuscan to Group 2 honours as his main opposition of Nigel Reuben (TVR Griffith) and Jamie Keevil (Lotus Elan S2) – both carrying success penalties – wilted. Partnered by his coach Scott Gillam, Dean Halsey (Datsun 240Z) and then Stephen Pickering (Sunbeam Tiger) completed the podium.
“That’s the first time it’s done an hour,” smiled Giles Dawson after winning in Classic K by more than a lap. Alex Thistlethwayte
(Ford Mustang), Tim Cousins/Mark Cousins (Lotus Elan) and Simon Ham (Jaguar E-type) could not get close to the pace of Dawson’s Elan 26R.
Alex Taylor was delighted to beat Piers Maserati’s potent Porsche 964 Turbo in Modern Classics. The next three home – Maserati, Stuart Daburn (TVR Tuscan) and Tom Mensley (BMW M3 E36 Evo) all received penalties for Code 60 violations but the order was not affected.
On his return from injury, Daburn showed the pace to win in Future Classics but was thwarted by success penalties leaving him a minute behind the Lancashire family Morgan +8. A lack of third gear removed Stephen ScottDunwoodie from the lead battle.