Zolder Historic GP – Lurani Trophy Round 3

2^nd – 3^rd July 2022

It was Australia on top again, with mixed fortunes amongst the others.

Friday’s rain cleared and the sun broke through for a scorching weekend in Zolder.

Qualifying on Saturday morning saw Adrian Russell in his Lotus 22 as clear poleman, with Red Bull winner Marty Bullock second in his yellow Wren and Martin Aubert, with his best ever Lurani position, starting the race in third.

Unfortunately it was a short weekend (on track) once again for Lars-Goran Sjoberg, this time the camshaft snapped, and also for Gunther Leidig, who suffered engine failure.

An hour prior to the afternoon race Adrian discovered a broken donut ring, but managed to get a replacement on in time to line up on pole. However it was short lived, as a new driveshaft rotoflex joint only lasted 4 laps.

Marty took a resounding win from there on in, with a delighted Martin Aubert taking his first even Lurani podium in second place in his Lotus 20, and a heat exhausted Pierre Guichard joined them on the third step.

There was still some great racing in the pack between the front-engined cars of Erik Justesen (U2 Mk2) and Tom De Gres (Stanguellini), which ran until the last lap, with Tom taking it at the flag after Erik had a moment ahead of the finish.

Sunday’s Race 2 was a second chance for Adrian, back on pole again, and it looked like he was going to come good, until he was called in for a drive through penalty for jumping the start, as were Guichard and Justesen, leaving him to play catch up until the flag, finishing 12 seconds adrift of Marty at the end. Aubert was once again on the podium, in third this time.

Unfortunately for local man Tom De Gres, an error call from race control had him sidelined by a marshal at the start, and the race was 10 laps in by the time it was resolved, so he sadly watched from the pits.

A small grid by Lurani standards but still full of the usual friendship, camaraderie, hospitality and help over the weekend, and with over 30 entries already for the Oldtimer GP at the Nurburgring next month, there’s lots more to look forward too!

Lurani Trophy Round 2 – Red Bull Ring; 11^th – 12^th June

You could not write the script; but the covid lockdowns are over, the World has reopened, and the Australian Formula Junior gypsies are back on track in Europe; that is all real World, but what happened next was as unlikely as a platypus having triplets. 

The Lurani Trophy, with twelve different nationalities, moved to Spielberg this weekend amongst the Styrian ski slopes, but now bathed in glorious summer sunshine.

Philipp Buhofer’s Lotus 27 set the pace, while Phil Keene had a quick test in Lee Mowle’s 20/22 before Lee bagged the second front row spot, Chris Dinnage regretting that he had not stuck the spare Hethel based 27 in the truck for Phil to actually race.

Race One on Saturday saw Nogaro Doctor, Stephane Rey (Lola 5A) comfortably out front after an incredible series of largely minor mechanical failures sidelined almost all the other disc brakes front runners in the course of the opening laps, but the jinx was about to strike Stephane too, and he rolled to a halt with gearbox failure, leaving Marty Bullock in the drum braked Australian Wren, without a clutch, to claim a resounding victory, from the two Australian Lynx Mk’s of Dane, Pierre Guichard, and Sydney based, David Kent.

Not only did the Red Bull Ring find the modern Australian national anthem for the podium ceremony, but TWO Australian flags to boot!!

Some semblance of the old order was restored for Race 2, after a great battle between Lee Mowle and Philipp Buhofer was frustrated when Philipp was forced into the pits for a drive-through for jumping the start, leaving Italian Gianluigi Candiani (Branca) and Britain’s Adrian Russell (Lotus 22) to challenge Lee, and to take the remaining podium spots, from a recovered Philipp, and the remarkable Marty, who had personally changed the clutch release bearing overnight.

Aggregate winner was an ecstatic Marty, from Pierrre Guichard, and a consistent, but very surprised Stefan Joebstl in his Hall and Hall prepared Lotus 20.

Front engined honours went again convincingly to Erik Justesen in the actual ex Arthur Mallock U2 Mk2, but the battle of the weekend, in both races, was behind him, between Malcolm Wishart in the red Faranda, Floris-Jan Hekker’s Rayberg and Duncan R’s orange Alexis, with honours shared all round in the races, on aggregate, and fastest laps!!

Next round, Zolder 

DCPR

Silverline Championships Rounds 4 & 5

Duncan’s collective of Global gypsies convened at Cadwell Park on Jubilee weekend in celebratory mood. The entry whilst predominantly from the UK, encompassed representatives from Spain, Belgium and America. That net broadens further when you consider the heritage of the cars being raced, then you have to look to the organising team. With Duncan’s daughter Sarah Mitrike— coming across from Lithuania to join the summer party making this a truly International event.

Well, it was almost summer for one day of the weekend, the Friday, but after that conditions deteriorated to feeling like winter on Saturday, and rain finally trying to spoil the fun on Sunday. From tee shirts to thermals all in the matter of three days. Oh the joys of English summer. A true initiation for Rich Spritz who with his wife Diane were having their first visit to race in the UK coming in from Colorado. I am sure he was questioning his plans as the rest of Europe was reporting a heat wave that weekend with temperatures up into the 30 degrees Celsius.

The woes of the weather were nothing compared to the trip that John and Jonathan Fyda faced, when their tow truck lost its clutch by the time they reached Scotch Corner. The question was do they turn around and go back to Dundee or press on and hope to get the parts to repair the clutch before going home? The answer was Cadwell here we come and in the early hours the weary pair arrived at the circuit.

The reason for everyone heading to the circuit early Friday, was not to test their cars but to get everything ready for the Friday night Fish and Chip Supper organised by Tony Pearson. This was probably why Sarah flew in. They are reputed to be the best Fish and Chips money can buy and a great way to welcome Rich and his wife to these shores, with a sample of our great gourmet delicacy. At least the chips were guaranteed to be hot even if the evening was cooling down in preparation for the following morning.

Friday testing did claim two of the entries from the rear engine grid, with Clive Richards having a broken crank shaft and Syd Fraser picking up damage as the innocent victim of a tangle with a Formula Ford 2000 on track. Otherwise however we had two representative grids from both the fronts plus class C, and the rear engines. Ned Spieker’s Brabham BT6, now in the ownership of preparer Mike O’Brien and raced by his son Michael, was out again this weekend, after victory at the Brands Indy opener, which had followed a two year layoff for the car. The Brabham was fielding new body work, with no final thoughts on the colours it would be finished in, the car was sporting primer grey. The colour scheme meeting with a lot of approval as those offering opinions felt it was closer to how cars would have been raced in period.

Mike’s Speedsport team were fielding a number of cars at the meeting, including three Formula Ford Merlyns, but also Geoff Underwood’s Brabham BT2. Geoff is something of a Brabham enthusiast also having a Tasman Brabham and a very pretty BT5 sports car.

Saturday qualifying whilst dry, was very cold. A keen north wind swept across the paddock and many were looking to blank off their radiators to keep the engines warm, whilst Duncan was reporting overheating, an issue which was to hinder him over the weekend.

Tony Pearson was another of the front engine runners to experience problems in qualifying when his Fire Extinguisher broke loose in the car and set itself off. Syd Fraser kindly lent his to Tony and it was mounted in time for him to go racing. Bernard Brock had made a number of changes to his car since its last appearance and now had his quick engine in. Minor problems in qualifying were being rectified and a good race was anticipated.

Adrian Holey came in at the end of the session with a lack of clutch, an issue that would finally rule him out of the event for the weekend. Pete de la Roche was a little disappointed with his time and the team set about changing the ratios to give him a longer second gear.

As we waited to get the racing underway consideration was given to lighting the candles a day early on Robin Longdon’s birthday cake, to help warm up the gathered entrants. With one unkind soul suggesting it would have too great an impact on global warming igniting that many candles at once.

The Front engine grid, which included the pre-61 rear engine drum brake cars from Class C, was the first group to race. Nic Carlton-Smith in the Kieft had a lights out to Chequered Flag untroubled win. Nic is very much at ease with this rare car, but Trevor Griffiths in the Emeryson and Keith Pickering in the Britannia gave fair chase and kept him honest around the demanding track. 4^th place was held for most of the race by Justin Fleming in the blue Lola Mk2 but he slipped down the order late in the race.

All of the excitement was further down the ranks. Jeremy Bouckley, in his Cooper, demonstrated how to perform a standing start by blitzing past the opposition to move from 8^th to 5^th in the course of a lap, following in Jeremy’s wheel tracks, Duncan in the flying carrot zipped past Richard Bishop-Miller to engage in an entertaining fight that would last almost all race.

Jeremy, despite his 59 years of experience on the Cadwell circuit, had to relinquish 5^th place to Simon Hewes in the Lotus 18, but he was able to stave off the very close race-long attentions of Graham Barron in his Gemini MkII. With the late excursion by Justin Fleming, Simon eventually finished 4^th with Jeremy 5^th from Graham Barron, Richard Bishop-Miller and Duncan Rabagliati who eventually slowed when his overheating returned late in the race. Rich Spritz completed his first race at Cadwell in a creditable 10^th place only a lap down on the leaders. Throughout the field there were friendly duels, with Peter Edbrooke keeping a watching brief on Roger Woodbridge towards the rear of the field. Bernard Brock retired early in the race with Clutch problems and was the sole non finisher.

The Formula Junior classes D-E Rear Engine race winner was never to be in doubt, Michael O’Brien like Nic Carlton-Smith was in a league of his own with the Brabham. He put in some quick laps early in the race to throttle back so he could pick the right spot to pass slower cars during the lappery without impeding his or his fellow competitors’ enjoyment of the event. On the Friday evening he was asked what his plan for the weekend was, he said simply to enjoy the pleasure of driving this car.

Benn Simms in Jim Blockley’s Caravelle, proved once again how quick this car can be in the right hands. The Richard Utley designed, Bob Hicks built, car has often shown its true pedigree not reflected in its period history. Benn got the jump on Tim Child from the start to move into second with Tim having to hold off the BMC Mk2 of Pete de la Roche. As the race progressed steady gaps opened up. After a good start Geoff Underwood slipped down the order, being passed first by Robin Longdon, then James Hicks, with Hicks, Underwood and Chisholm forming a tight train. Underwood finally getting past James in the Caravelle MkIII.

Events would shortly start taking a dramatic turn, first Tim Child retired with gearbox problems, which would have elevated Pete de la Roche to third place. Unfortunately though Peter was then parked on the mountain rise at the side of the track when his rear wishbone broke. Component fatigue rather than anything worse. This briefly elevated Robin Longdon to third place, but this was to be short lived when he was black flagged for a loose fastening on his FHR device. Whilst Robin returned to the track, the race was Red Flagged, because Peter’s car was in a dangerous position and would need lifting to move it. A disappointing end to what had been a splendid race.

Two drivers had encountered problems in the assembly area, Jonathan Fyda in his U2 had an oil spillage and had to leave to get the problem resolved not returning until after all cars had left on their formation lap. Jonathan managed two laps before pulling off the circuit, after wrongly thinking he was being flagged in. Adrian Holey, despite the team’s best efforts, drove down to the assembly area, before the clutch failed again and the car was towed out of the assembly area prior to the start.

Peter Anstiss had a narrow miss in his immaculate Lotus 20/22 when he found his brakes suddenly going very spongy on him pitching him into a spin on lap 3. His front brakes had disappeared and he only had rear brakes. The spin taking him from 9^th position to 12^th. Peter continued to finish the race with a lot of early braking into the corners.

The final result was a well deserved win for Michael O’Brien who set a new lap record with his well judged run in class E1 1’34.855 bettering the previous fastest lap set by Cam Jackson of 1’35.124 in 2018. An equally well earned second place for Benn Simms also established a new lap in class D2 of 1’38.180 previously held by Chris Drake with a 1’38.778 from 2015. Geoff Underwood made up for his earlier slip down the order to achieve his first ever podium finishing third, with Robin having a rotten end to his day being accredited with a DNF due to the lap count back from the red flag stoppage.

The evening prize giving as always hosted by the irrepressible Duncan, aided expertly by both Mair and Sarah, was full of fun as ever. There were poignant references to Barry Westmoreland whose widow Margaret sent a lovely message thanking everyone for remembering her husband, sadly she could not attend as she was hosting a Jubilee party at home. The more recent loss of Simon Diffey was also mentioned as Duncan recalled the race in which Barry Westmoreland passed away linking in the drivers and cars who took part in that event 14 years ago, Simon being one of them.

Whilst Saturday had been cold, Sunday was a real dampener. The threatened rain arrived at 7.00 a.m. on Sunday morning delaying the start to any racing until 10.30 which was halted after an hour to finally recommence at 12.15.

With conflicting weather apps giving different variations of the forecasts, many competitors decided to break camp and head home early. For others their cars had cried enough for the weekend, Adrian Holey’s clutch could not be repaired on circuit, neither could the Tim Child gearbox, or Peter de la Roch’s rear upright. Peter Anstiss whilst having repaired his braking problem was not too keen to test it in the slippery conditions on track. Sarah took an early decision on arrival at the circuit to propose a combined grid for the day, and with all in agreement, this concluded the Formula Junior programme for the weekend. Eventually 17 cars took to the grid on what was now a damp track with a drying line in parts of the circuit.

For this race, because of the conditions, the race would have a rolling start rather than a standing start, with two formation laps behind the safety car. The second lap would be part of the final race time. Being a rolling start Jeremy Bouckley was not able to leap through as he had before but was able to get the jump on Richard Bishop-Miller, in front of him on the grid. Benn Simms did give Michael O’Brien a race into Coppice corner but after that they settled into an orderly pattern as Michael eased a comfortable margin between himself and the remaining pack. Benn settled into second with Geoff Underwood looking comfortable in third to possibly take his second career podium.

However, Geoff had not taken into account Nic Carlton-Smith who had been behind James Hicks in 5^th on Lap 1 but was through into 4^th on the following lap. Geoff appeared to be safe with a 5 second gap, but as the race progressed Geoff eased off as Nic consistently lapped 3 seconds faster. On lap 7 Nic made his challenge and sped through into 3^rd place. Extending his lead to three seconds Geoff made a final lap charge setting his fastest lap to reduce the gap to just over two seconds at the end.

Further down the order Sir John Chisholm slipped past James Hicks into 5^th place on lap 5, which brought James into the range of Keith Pickering and Martin Aubert who had swapped positions on lap 2, on lap 7 Pickering slipped past James Hicks, potentially whilst passing Bernard Brock. James certainly put in a slower lap. On lap 9 James attempted to close the gap and lap times were see sawing across the group of four cars, which also included Martin Aubert and Trevor Griffiths.

Down the order Duncan Rabagliati had renewed his fight with Richard Bishop-Miller, with Duncan passing Richard at Coppice on lap 5 holding the position on lap 6 before retiring towards the end of the lap.

Despite the long wait and the wet, it was another superb clean race throughout the order. Michael O’Brien won the race, his two excellent wins awarding him the Barry Westmoreland Trophy for the aggregate win.

Who would you award the driver of the day to? Benn Simms really does get the best out of the cars he drives. Some of the scraps lower down the order certainly merited comment, my personal shortlist would share it amongst two drivers. Nic Carlton-Smith for taking a podium with the Kieft and Duncan for sheer determination in his fight with Richard Bishop-Miller. I regret I will not be around for the Gold Cup, but I will be at the Classic and look forward to seeing everyone then.

By Alan Jones

Pau Classic Grand Prix 2022: Jim Clark Anniversary Meeting – 20^th – 22^nd May

Pau certainly has its own climate; and this time it was sweltering heat under a low cloud cover, the Pyrenees obscured from view for the whole weekend.

The return of the Historic GP, run this year by Laurent Vallery-Masson and HVM, was well publicised, and if the speeches at the mayor’s party at the Beaumont are a guide, the event’s future will be assured; all the participants certainly hope so.

This year, a major exhibition celebrated Jim Clark and the anniversary of his Formula One victory at Pau, with old Pathe films of the 1961-1966 Formula Junior, F1 and F2 races being shown on the big screen.

Certainly Formula Junior were there to relive the day, and yet again it was nose to tail racing at the front. With Manfredo Rossi sidelined after free practice and McLaren GT racer Chris Goodwin slow off the start, it was past Caterham Champion Clive Richards ex-Tommy Reid 22 into the lead, with Mark Shaw (BT6) in his wheel tracks. Chris made up ground to make a three car train, but Pau is no easy place to pass, and despite a brief safety car period, all so well managed by the French organisers and marshals, Clive deservedly took the flag.

Race two, and once again Clive made the best start but Chris was right on his tail for the whole race: first Clive broke Richard Bradley’s 2019 FJ lap record, then Chris broke that and it was lining up for a photo finish, but at the last chicane, Clive managed to lap Gianluigi Candiani’s 6th place Branca but Chis could not quite manage to squeeze by safely, so there was still just over a second apart at the line. Mark Shaw was a distant third with a failing engine, but just holding off both Roberto Tonetti and Richard Wilson, also in BT6s.

A delighted Robin Lackford (Elva 100) topped the front engined Podium on Saturday, while on Sunday, order was restored with a delighted Ray Mallock (U2 Mk 2) on the Front engine top step, not having raced at Pau for some 40 years, after an all night engine change by his dedicated team. FJ history was made with a Triumph engined FJ taking a top three class position with Richard Bishop-Miller’s Canadian Autosport third in B2 Class.

Other class winners were Debutante Marco Coppini (Elva 100) [B1], Stuart Tizzard in the ex Peter Revson Cooper T56-BMC [C2], James Hicks (Caravelle III)[D2] and the amazing DB Panhard of Phillipe Boutevein, the actual car which his father had raced in the Pau Formula Junior race in 1959! [G8]

by DCPR

Rounds 2 & 3 HSCC/FJHRA Silverline Historic Formula Junior Championships

Front Engined Race Qualifying

An early start on a chilly bright morning heard the Donington Race Circuit brought to life by the sound of the Historic Formula Junior Front Engined grid taking to the tarmac. No one could have predicted such a sunny start to the Easter weekend which as the day progressed felt more like the South of France rather than Derbyshire. At times it even looked like the Mediterranean with shorts being sported around the paddock, suiting some better than others.

A welcome crowd of enthusiasts had begun arriving before 8.00 am to plot their laps of the circuit armed with cameras, flasks and camping stools all strapped to their backs. This was supported by a very encouraging collection of Marshals all sporting their orange Proban overalls at all the marshalling points.

Qualifying was eventful for some, Peter Edbrooke had problems locating the Assembly Area in his Lotus 18, the single C1 class entry. He proceeded onto the track without having been noise tested. Unfortunately, his unfamiliarity with the circuit and a low morning sun made the pit wall the signs difficult to see, resulting in Peter finding himself with an unscheduled visit to the Clerk of the Course. All was however concluded amicably.

Richard Bishop-Miller was one of the first to play in one of the Donington gravel traps, after he developed gearbox problems. As Richard shovelled out the gravel in the paddock following qualifying his wife Karen set to work on sorting out the gearbox issue and the Autosport was ready to take part in the 1^st Race.

Tom Waterfield in the unique Hillwood was another to leave the circuit in qualifying when he spun on his own water when a head gasket failed.

At the end of qualifying, it was Chris Drake who headed the time sheets in the very effective Terrier T4 “silver Torpedo”, by 0.263 seconds from a very relaxed and content Ray Mallock in the family U2. Ray being very satisfied with his time, having matched his personal best for the circuit. Third on the grid was Alex Morton in the Condor SII, and alongside him was Simon Goodliff in the Nike.

Martin Astley in Niall McFadden’s Elva 100 qualified on row 3, his time almost matched by Nick Taylor’s similar Elva which was 1/1000^th of a second slower. Some close racing looked to be in prospect, but Martin did admit he was not going to fight Nick into Redgate. He was loving the loaned car, saying it was one the most responsive race cars he had driven. His aim for the races was enjoy the racing but bring the car home in one piece. His wife loved the car as Martin was able to unload it on his own without having to call her to the trailer to help him when he returned home from race meetings.

Tom Waterfield, despite only getting in 6 laps before the head gasket blew, headed the class A runners in 7^th with Tom De Gres 10^th in his Stanguellini, and Roger Woodbridge having a weekend out with his brother Ian, completing the Italian class line up.

Front Engined Race 1

Unfortunately for Tom Waterfield, his head gasket issues necessitated a withdrawal from the race leaving 14 cars to set off into Redgate on the 1^st lap. Ray Mallock got off to a flying start taking the lead which he held until lap 4. Behind him Martin Astley made a slow start whilst Nick Taylor spun out at Redgate on lap 2 when his fan belt broke allowing the water to boil and spray everywhere.

Having taken the lead on lap 4 Chris Drake started to pull away, by lap 8 establishing a lead of almost 3 seconds. Early lappery had helped him gain the advantage. Being the lead man as you work through traffic can often hinder rather than help you especially when racing against someone with Ray Mallock’s experience.

Further down the order a great race was developing for third place between Simon Goodliff in the Nike and Alex Morton in the Condor. Off the line Simon had made a good getaway and at by lap 3 had gained an advantage of 8 tenths of a second, but by lap 5 Alex was hunting the white Nike down, and on lap 6 he took third place only to lose it the following lap. This was shaping up to be a thrilling scrap. Unfortunately, it came to an end on lap 9 when Alex’s diff drained all of its oil. Some into the body of the car and the rest onto the circuit.

This may have been the oil that Richard Bishop Miller encountered on lap 6 when he misread Bernard Brock’s braking point and he reacted swiftly to avoid contact and found himself collecting more gravel for his stone collection.

The pattern for the race at the front looked settled with Drake leading from Mallock and Goodliff now in a secure 3^rd place, however further down the order the race was hotting up between John Arnold and Graham Barron. They got closer and closer as they had the complex issue of negotiating traffic ahead whilst looking out for faster cars catching them from behind. As attention remained on this fight for eventual 6^th and 7^th place, Tom De Gres had put in a sterling drive in the beautiful Stanguellini to place himself 5^th .

On lap 12 it became noticeable that Ray Mallock was mounting a renewed effort to catch Chris Drake in the lead. The gap was back to within a second, on lap 15 Ray put in the fastest lap of the race and with a couple of slower cars to negotiate, Ray made his move to lead by just over 2 tenths of a second on lap 16. In the commentary box Ian Titchmarsh was very excited wondering how many laps there were to go. The same feeling was felt within the cockpit of the leading pair of drivers too. With 5 seconds left on the clock of this 25 minute race the two raced onto that final lap. Would Ray be able to hold off Chris on the quicker sections where the Terrier held the slipstream advantage? In a nail-biting finish with Chris slipping wide onto the grass, Ray took the flag with a final advantage of a 6^th of a second. Simon Goodliff finished 3^rd the only other driver to remain on the lead lap with a very happy Martin Astley 4^th. Further down the order John Arnold was successful in keeping a hard charging Graham Barron at bay. 

A great race, making a great start to the weekend. Could the other races match that for close racing?

Front Engined Race 2

As is customary with Formula Junior, the grid for the second Front Engined race formed up in the qualifying order of the previous day. Nick Taylor had repaired his car. Alex Morton had changed his diff overnight but Tom Waterfield became a confirmed retirement, a scored piston cancelling any opportunity for him to race the Hillwood this weekend. Chris Drake having experienced some problems in the 1^st race was another to change the diff hoping to stave off the challenge from Ray Mallock.

Not everyone was able to return to the grid following the green flag formation lap, Bernard Brock stopping out on circuit with no final drive. Thankfully he was able to coast into a service entrance and was safely pushed away by the marshals before the start.

Martin Astley was able to limp into the pits when his car developed a misfire. Luckily this was easily remedied as a plug lead had dropped off. His son together with additional help from Gelscoe soon had the bonnet off and the problem fixed with Martin being able to rejoin just one lap down on the leaders.

In this rematch from the previous day, it was Chris Drake who led into Redgate but there was no getting away from Ray Mallock. He leapt back into the lead for the following two laps before Chris Drake retook the lead on lap 4. On lap 7 Ray took the lead back at Redgate but by the time they crossed the line Chris Drake was back in charge.

Richard Bishop-Miller made a slow get away at the start repassing Roger Woodbridge and Peter Edbrooke within 2 laps. Martin Astley was starting to make up for lost time and began the process of unlapping himself from the slower cars in front. A very contented Martin made a joke of it all saying he wanted to find out what the race was like from the back. Then going on to say he felt he had a more enjoyable race having to move through the pack and certainly felt it was better than his race the day before.

With Chris Drake maintaining his lap 4 lead it looked like this time he had the measure of any moves that Ray Mallock could make to reclaim the place. On lap 15, Ray had a good close look but Chris closed the door and extended his lead on the following lap. A concerted effort by Ray saw him cross the line with just over a tenth advantage on Chris Drake. Ray was able to extend this over the remaining laps to take the win with an almost 8 tenths advantage at the end.

Alex Morton’s efforts overnight were rewarded with a third place finish from Simon Goodliff in 4^th, but not without a very enjoyable close race with Simon, this quartet all being on the same lap. A lap down in 5^th place came Nick Taylor following the repair to his car.  

Tom De Gres was a worthy Class A winner in 6^th place followed home by John Arnold who had managed to lose the attention of Graham Barron. A fantastic two races contested in fine spirit by Ray and Chris.

Rear Engined Qualifying

The Formula Junior Rear Engined qualifying did set a challenge for some of the competitors having a busy weekend. The Masters weekend format had encouraged a number of drivers to bring a range of cars to enjoy. So Stephan Joebstl, Tim Child, and Hans Ciers all had other races planned for the weekend. Additionally for Katsu Kubota and Greg Thornton it was a major mental reset as they were jumping from a DFV powered Formula 1 car with slicks and wings in the previous qualifying session into a tiny Junior running on historic treaded tyres with very different braking and handling characteristics. It was also this qualifying session where 7 competitors had issues with the track limits, with a number of drivers being warned and sometimes penalised for testing the limit a little too often.

Following qualifying Peter Fenichel had his Ersa gearbox break. A simple component failure but it did leave him out of the first race. Tim Child also had a valve problem in his Lotus 22, but with the assistance of Sam Wilson who had a replacement available, Guy Sheppard, Tim’s engineering team, along with RM Wilson Engineering had it back to make the start. Alex Ames, was having an anxious time with his clutch not releasing and engaging properly. The SEMA team worked to resolve the problem which they hoped would be fixed in time for the race. However sitting on Pole Position in what would be a 20 car grid was not the most comfortable place to be for that first race. At the back Bob Birrell had some assistance from Iain Rowley in bleeding the brakes on his Lotus 20. We all eagerly anticipated Bob’s late braking manoeuvre into Redgate. Unfortunately Bob was not so keen.

Back to the grid, despite having had times deleted for Track Limit infringements, it was Alex Ames on Pole in the ex Hailwood Brabham BT6, with Clive Richards in the distinctive Red and Yellow Lotus 22  in second with the Green Lotus 22 of Tim Child, accompanied by James Murray in the silver Lola Mk5a, making up row 2. Katsu Kubota was 5^th in the HASU racing prepared Lotus 20/22 with Adrian Russell’s Blue Lotus 22 completing the top 6.

Further back Adrian Holey was having his second (he raced it at Brands) run out in the Rennmax BN1-2 previously owned by Roger Ealand. He was still learning the car and found that the ratios were wrong for the circuit as well as the car being overweight by around 20kgs. The car was getting a lot of interest in its Gold livery, and overall he was enjoying the experience. As the weekend progressed, he was able to speak to the man who sold the car. He explained the gearing in it would have been for Monza where it last raced previously, hence its problems at Donington. Following this meeting a day’s testing is planned so he and Derek Buckton who is engineering the car for him can get to better understand it and the set up.

At this meeting it was pleasing to welcome back a number of our overseas competitors, so aside from Katsu in from Japan, it was good to be joined by Stephan Joebstl, Martin Aubert and Hans Ciers, who was pleased to catch up with racing friends in the UK after not being able to meet for the last 2 years.

Rear Engined Race 1

For Alex Ames a second formation lap was not what he wanted to see, when the hapless John Chisholm suffered a clutch failure on the grid. The marshal team at Donington, efficient as ever, swiftly had John’s car cleared from the grid, but sadly that was the last we would see of the Gemini, John and the lovely Kitty Chisholm for the weekend.

Despite his initial concerns, Alex Ames was able to hook the Brabham up into 1^st Gear off the line and was able to take a lead which he would not lose finishing as the winner with a 10 second advantage at the end.

Tim Child made a poor start and at the end of the 1^st lap with Alex leading it was Clive Richards in second place with James Murray 3^rd Adrian Russell 4^th and Katsu Kubota holding station in 5^th with Tim shuffled back to 6^th.

Another to drop back from qualifying was Greg Thornton, coming through 8^th from his 7^th place grid slot with Robin Longdon’s Lola having taken the place. Chris Chilcott also made a poor start from 10^th on the grid in his Brabham BT2 completing the first lap in 13^th. On Lap 2 Greg went past Robin, and Hans Ciers slipped down to 18^th place. Chris Chilcott overcame his start problem moving up a further two places to 11^th.

On lap 4 James Murray came into the pits to retire with a flat battery, elevating Adrian Russell to third place. A lap later it was Greg’s turn to move up to claim 5^th place from Tim Child. On the next lap Adrian Russell retired on circuit when a drive shaft bolt failed. This promoted Katsu Kubota into 3^rd place with Katsu’s Formula 1 team mate Greg Thornton into 4^th place. On lap 13 Tim Child had a scary moment going down into the Craner Curves, when Greg Thornton found some oil possibly from Katsu’s car that had coated the lens of Tim’s in car camera. Greg executed a 360 degree spin missing the grass and the close following Tim. 

It was not until lap 17 that Greg was able to retake the place from Tim on the road, but with time penalties for track limit violations being applied to both Katsu and Greg, Tim took the final step on the podium. Unfortunately on his penultimate lap, Jeremy Deeley went off into the gravel and couldn’t get his Cooper T52 back out, having been left no track by the cars lapping on the inside coming into the chicance before the pit straight. The final result had Alex Ames the worthy winner with Clive Richards second, Tim Child 3^rd, Greg Thornton demoted to 4^th, Katsu Kubota 5^th, Robin Longdon 6^th with the Kieft of Nic Carlton-Smith 7^th wining Class C2, followed home by Chris Chilcott in 8^th.

Rear Engined Race 2

Following another thrilling Front Engined race we wondered what the Rear Engined boys could offer the crowd. An unexpected tussle at the front, some close racing through the field and we will let others decide which group ultimately produced the best racing. Suffice to say they managed to get Ian Titchmarsh pretty breathless in the commentary box by the end.

Alex Ames despite some more work in the paddock decided he could not trust the clutch to get him away cleanly and elected to start from the back of the grid. He was joined by Peter Fenichel who had his gearbox repaired and back together again. After some more sterling work by Iain Rowley, Adrian Russell was able to take up his place on the grid, with a replacement bolt fitted to the drive shaft donut. As mentioned from the Race 1 report John Chisholm had gone home. Joining him as a withdrawal were Katsu Kubota with engine problems, Chris Chilcott and Crispian Besley who listed a catalogue of woes. Crispian, having cured the misfire on his Cooper, then found the starter motor bolts had broken away from the Gearbox ring gear and he had a broken wishbone. On the bright side Jeremy Deeley was able to take the second start.

The top 6 on the grid now lined up as follows Clive Richards on Pole, Tim Child 2^nd, James Murray 3^rd, Adrian Russell 4^th, Greg Thornton 5^th, and Robin Longdon 6^th.

In the commentary box, Ian Titchmarsh was attempting to predict how long it would take Alex Ames to hit the front. His first prediction was a little out when he said top 6 at the end of lap 1 when Alex managed to scythe through to 4^th, but no one had foreseen what a tussle Clive Richards was going to give to the Brabham.

On lap 2 it was Richards leading Ames by 3.63 seconds with Murray almost a second further back from Ames. Greg Thornton had bogged down again off the start dropping him to 8^th place. He later explained he has a flat spot between 5500 rpm and 7000 rpm, releasing the clutch at 6000 there is a delay whilst the power kicks in. Third was Murray, then Child with Russell in 5^th place.

Lap 6 saw Alex close the gap to Clive to under a second but then he lost a further 2 tenths on the following lap. Lap 8 saw Alex close the gap again to 2 tenths as lappery took place and on the 9^th lap Alex took the lead.

Race over? No way. Clive was not going to let go and on lap 13 the gap was only 2 100ths of a second! Could Clive regain the lead? No: but the biggest gap only went out to 3 tenths with the winning margin being just over a tenth of a second, the lead pair trading fastest laps throughout the race.

An early scrap for third place between James Murray and Tim Child was resolved on lap 10 when Tim Child lost time in the chicane.

For many laps there was a super battle between Stephan Joebstl and Martin Aubert until Stephan had a spin at the chicane. Duncan reports over exuberance and certainly no contact in what had been a gripping battle for class D2 honours. Nic Carlton-Smith took class honours in C2 establishing a new fastest lap for the class. The final result for race 2 was a second win for Alex Ames, Clive Richards 2^nd, James Murray 3^rd, Tim Child 4^th, Adrian Russell 5^th and the recovering Greg Thornton 6^th. Jeremy Deeley was the only retirement for this race.

Being Easter all podium winners were presented with an Easter Egg to accompany their glass trophy. Unfortunately, James Murray was so excited he dropped his Trophy, but he did get to take the box home. Everyone was pleased with the post race prize giving and the generous support from Silverline for the prizes awarded to the class winners. Many of the drivers I spoke to were complimentary of the slower drivers who were very courteous when being passed. A big thumbs up to the Donington Marshals team too. Their mechanical sympathy for the cars they were handling, especially when retrieving them from a gravel trap was really appreciated. Hopefully everyone will reconvene at Cadwell in June for the next rounds of the Historic Formula Junior Championship.

by Alan Jones