FJHRA “Silverline” Championship Rounds 2 & 3
The UK Championship resumed at Mallory Park for the John Taylor Memorial Trophy and it was certainly a memorable one! Formula Junior had four races, two each for Classes A-C and D-E, which, together with a pair of 500cc F3 events, constituted the historic element of the Classic & Modern Motorsports Festival, celebrating 70 years of racing at Mallory Park. Both classes were always a staple of the period Mallory Park meetings and, indeed for many years in the historic era, so this was highly appropriate, as was the use of the John Taylor name, who had many victories at the Leicestershire venue.
Huge congratulations to Rufus Flann on winning the John Taylor Memorial Trophy on aggregate results, and grateful thanks to Jeremy Bouckley for the presentation, dedicated to his friend John. It was only Rufus’ second ever FJ race weekend, but with previous Mallory experience to help, it was his maiden (and second) FJ wins this weekend.
The class A-C grouping, which produced a much more period-authentic grid than front and rears, enabled Keith Pickering to earn his first ever win too in his Britannia.
We also bid a sad farewell to Kim Shearn, who completed his last race with us this weekend before his European retirement, over a decade since his first trip over from Australia.
As for the rest of the weekend, it had its ups and downs, (literally- on the grid and in the lake!), and possibly challenged for most number of race (re)starts, but some super racing, contact free and what could beat a post-race dip in the lake during a heatwave!
Grid 1 (classes A – C).
Due out second on Saturday morning, the lack of a circuit doctor reduced the session to three laps behind the safety car. This was, clearly, not satisfactory for a championship event that uses qualifying to set both race grids so some negotiating with the clerk of the course saw the planned afternoon race converted to qualifying and race one slotted in early on Sunday morning where a paid practice session had been scheduled.
Adrian Russell (Condor SII) set the qualifying pace with a lap of 56.560” on lap 2 but Robin Longdon (Lola Mk2) pipped this with 56.041” on lap 4, trimming a further .007” on lap 5, but Adrian made sure of pole by bettering this on lap six and finally setting 54.835” on lap 8. Robin was second but destined to non-start both races after his drive shaft broke, puncturing the fuel tank. Row two was made up of Keith Pickering (Britannia) and Alex Morton (Condor).
Race 1 early Sunday morning saw two “false” starts; firstly due to gridding chaos so they were sent off for another green flag lap to avoiding getting even hotter on what was a very warm day, which saw Alex Morton’s Condor leaving a trail of liquid as he went, so he was then pulled off the start line ahead of another green flag lap. Keith Pickering’s Brittania FJ led from the eventual start, with Duncan Ross’ Lotus 18 a close second, before pulling into the lead very briefly (and having the moment caught on camera for posterity), but Ross was soon in gearbox trouble and retired after two laps, leaving Adrian Russell’s Condor to close on the lead.
On lap five they were nose to tail, with Russell ahead a lap later, going on to take a convincing 17.1” win over Pickering, with Andrea Guarino’s Elva 100 third, after Nick Taylor’s similar car retired with braking issues. Trevor Griffiths’ Emeryson, Justin Fleming’s Lola Mk2 and Neil Hodges’ Gemini Mk II rounded off the top six.
Race 2 had a rather depleted field with Morton, Longdon, Ross and Taff Smith all missing. Pickering made a very rapid getaway to lead from Russell and Taylor. On lap 2 Russell took the lead but the red flag came out when Guarino’s Elva broke something at the rear-end and pirouetted off three wheeled at Gerards.
The race restarted over the full 15 minutes after a short delay for recovery, without Gary Thomas who had a driveshaft failure at the first time of asking and, of course, Guarino. Unfortunately, Russell’s race was brief as he went out on lap 1 due to transmission failure so Pickering was able to cruise to a comfortable win, being 4.4” clear on second-placed Nick Taylor after three laps, which had extended marginally to 4.5” at the flag. Griffiths ran third, ending some 25” behind Taylor but well clear of Justin Fleming’s pale blue Lola Mk2. By far the best tussle in the race raged for sixth between Neil Hodges’ Gemini and Simon Jones’ Elva 100. The official lap chart shows Hodges ahead throughout but those of us watching at Shaw’s hairpin saw Simon repeatedly trying to find a way by, often alongside, but never quite enough to hold it at the line. Adrian Stevens (Hillwood) won class A unopposed whilst in B1 only Bernard Brock reached the chequered flag. In both races Giuseppe Felet had great difficulty pulling away from the hairpin in his Elva 200, the car spluttering & banging until it started to clear when it got to Devil’s Elbow.
Grid 2 (classes D-E)
Group 2 (classes D-E)
There were thirteen cars out for qualifying (with a doctor had now arrived from Silverstone) and Rufus Flann came off best, 0.653” faster than Spencer Shinner (Lola 5A) with row two made up of Iain Rowley (Lotus 22) and Nathan Metcalfe (Lotus 20), the latter again being quickest in class D with Nic Carlton-Smith 0.063” down. Very much a day for the “young guns”!
Rufus proved unbeatable and was soon clear of any opposition, with Metcalfe and Carlton-Smith settling in second and third. Flann took the win by 11.1”, but Carlton-Smith closed in on Metcalfe in the final laps, with both still well clear of George Diffey’s Lotus 20/22. The Lotus 22s of Stuart Monument and Iain Rowley completed the top six in what was a rather processional race. Spencer Shinner could not repeat his practice times and was a poor eighth, hampered by continuing issues since Donington.
While Flann and Metcalfe made an early escape in race two, there was a very entertaining five-car battle for third by lap three, with Carlton-Smith challenging Rowley and closely followed by Monument and Diffey. Carlton-Smith was through a lap later as the top three then held station to the flag, with Flann victorious again by six seconds. Monument got the better of Rowley on lap eight for fourth with Diffey following a lap later, leaving Rowley to round off the top six. Shinner did not start but thankfully, Kim’s last race, although a few laps down due to pitting to fix an issue, did allow him to see the chequered flag one last time with us.
Thanks to all who were there – both racing and supporting, especially Jen and Tony Lees for hosting a scrummy “Leicester” paddock social yesterday – FJ truly is about the people (and maybe the cars have a special place too :))
Roll on the Nürburgring and Brands Hatch!