KING AND SIMMS STAR AT SNETTERTON
A tremendous Road Sports victory for Simon King in a battle of the Morgans and notable single-seater successes for Benn Simms and Samuel Harrison marked the opening weekend of the Historic Sports Car Club season on the Snetterton 200 circuit.
Typically at Snetterton Formula Fords finish separated by fractions of a second, but this time two mighty Morgan Plus 8s in Road Sports burst over the finish line with King 15 hundredths of a second ahead after a race-long battle with
Richard Plant’s similar car.
Across 14 laps the Morgans were never far apart as King narrowly outpaced his more experienced rival. Antony Ross in his TVR 3000M chased hard and was less than a second adrift at the flag, and he then won on Sunday with the Morgans absent.
Simms drew first blood in Classic Formula Fords in a race that featured both a safety car and a red flag. Simms’s Jomo, the oldest car on the grid, exploited its slippery shape to go clear both times as his rivals battled and tripped over each other.
Eventually, Simon Toyne wriggled through to second from Andy Gosling and Rick Morris, though both had been delayed in the first part when Gosling spun at the Esses. Simms won again on Sunday to complete his weekend.
Later Toyne took his Lola T200 to victory in the opening Historic Formula Ford counter when he was able to wriggle clear while his rivals battled mightily. Spencer Shinner, series-newcomer Neil Hose and friends and rivals Cormac Flanagan and Ross Drybrough had a fantastic battle for second and only in the final stages did Shinner edge a few yards clear. Hose starred with victory in a blanket finish on Sunday.
Samuel Harrison put a marker down in Historic FF2000 by winning the opener at a ferocious pace. Reigning champion Graham Fennymore chased hard but was 1.6s adrift at the flag. Fennymore was on top in race two as a holed radiator hampered Harrison.
Nick Fennell took control of the single Formula Junior race in his Lotus 27 and was able to pull comfortably clear of Andrew Hibberd’s Lotus 20.
RACE WINNERS
Classic FF1600
Races 1 & 2: Benn Simms (Jomo JMR7)
70s and Historic Road Sports
Race 1: Simon King (Morgan Plus 8) Race 2: Antony Ross (TVR 3000M)
Historic FF2000
Race 1: Samuel Harrison (Reynard SF79) Race 2:
Graham Fennymore (Reynard SF81)
Historic Formula Junior Nick Fennell (Lotus 27)
Monoposto – F3/M1400 Races 1 & 3: George Line (Dallara F308)
Race 2: Tony Bishop (Dallara F308/11)
Historic FF1600 Race 1: Simon Toyne (Lola T200)
Race 2: Neil Hose (Merlyn Mk20A)
Monoposto – M1000/2000/ Classic/1800
Race 1: Chris Woodhouse (Jedi Mk6)
Races 2 & 3: Matthew Haughton (Jedi Mk7)
Northern Sports/ Saloons
Races 1 & 2: Stephen James (Caterham 7)
Historic Modsports and Special Saloons
Races 1 & 2: Joe Ward (Vauxhall Firenza)
Guards Trophy
Dan Balfour (Chevron B8)