The AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring was the very first of the Historic race meetings and has long been a favourite for the British to sample the flavour of Continental Racing. This year has however seen popularity across the whole of the FIA Lurani Trophy programme for Formula Junior, and this 47th OGP rendering had over 65 entrants for the 41 starting positions, with 20 different makes and 15 different nationalities on the grid, including 15 Brits and 4 Scots!!
Both races produced an incredible display at the front, with Manfredo Rossi di Montelera and past Lurani champion, Bruno Weibel, both in Lotus 22s, separated by less than 0.2 secs on both occasions, the lead having changed twice in the last lap in Race one.
Race one also saw an equally close and fair battle between the Brabham BT6s of Mark Shaw and Pierre Tonetti, while in Race 2, poor Mark Shaw’s borrowed engine, fitted over Saturday night, burst an oil seal on the opening lap, unwittingly triggering a safety car incident, and four cars hors de combat, leaving multi times Le Mans winner, Marco Werner (22) an excellent fourth, after fastest man on track Richard Bradley, also a Le Mans winner, succumbed to a broken gearbox in his Brabham BT2.
The four car T56 Cooper team led by Crispian Besley, took the early drummed brake class after reigning Lurani champion Colin Nursey again broke his Lotus 18 gearbox on the race two grid, while popular Perth based Aussie, Marty Bullock, on tour in the yellow Wren FJ was a good winner of Class D. Unfortunately, the current Lurani leader Ivo Göckmann was having VW gearbox problems in his, also Australian built, Jolus.
Winner of the first ever Historic FJ race back in 1975, Alan Baillie, was on the grid again for race two in his recently rebuilt Lola Mk2, and a very satisfied second in class, ahead of FJ Chairman, Duncan Rabagliati, recording his fastest ever lap time in 25 years at Nürburgring in his faithful Alexis, still with long stroke BMC motor assembled by Iain Rowley.
DCPR