Silverstone’s 1.64-mile National Circuit is challenging to master consistently. High-speed Copse corner and Woodcote reward the brave, but Becketts hairpin - with exit speed onto the Wellington Straight crucial - Brooklands and Luffield compress packs, often undoing hard work, particularly in traffic. With 315 entries across 23 races, last weekend’s Historic Sports Car Club Championship Finals event featured remaining title winners being crowned and ultra-close finishes. Epic Formula Ford action is a given, but a brilliant Historic One-Litre F3 finale, in which outgoing champion Peter de la Roche aced fellow Cheshire man Ollie Musgrave by 0.042 seconds, was sensational.
De la Roche arrived buoyed by his Castle Combe double in the ex-Ken Sedgley Alexis Mk17, but Donington Park meister Jason Timms (Brabham BT21) was favourite to be his successor, with Musgrave - rookie of the year - an outside bet with the ex-Rene Ligonnet Chevron B15. Honda Civic graduate Musgrave landed pole, but de la Roche beat him to Saturday’s chequer in drizzle. Ross Drybrough (ex-Patrick Champin Merlyn Mk14A) led but finished third ahead of a conservative Timms, Jason becoming champion five years after cousin Jeremy Timms in his ex-Reine Wisell B15.
De la Roche, Drybrough and Musgrave led Sunday’s first three laps respectively in a train also embroiling Timms and Brands victor Richard Trott (ex-Erkki Salminen BT28), meaning it was wide open throughout. But de la Roche’s experience paid off and he prevailed over Musgrave, Timms and Drybrough, with Trott observing. Previous champion Leif Bosson (ex-Sten Gunnarsson BT28) enjoyed a great duel with novice Paul Durban (ex-Mo Nunn Lotus 41), the Swede landing sixth by 0.033s!
The Historic and Classic Formula Ford contests had already been settled by Benn Simms (Jomo JMR7) - now a 10-time HSCC champ - and Tom Gadd (Van Diemen RF81), but the double-headers were barnstormers. Jacques Jensen claimed Historic pole on Saturday, when barely a second split the top nine. Jensen, triple champion Callum Grant and Simms led the slipstreamer. Simms, with a clutch issue, couldn’t prevent Graham Fennymore - making his first FF1600 start since 1994 - from jostling past to join Jensen and Grant in a Merlyn 1-2-3.
Sunday’s race finished dramatically, with Jensen getting a run on Ollie Chapman (Lola T200) and Grant out of Luffield. The trio triggered TSL’s timing stripe abreast, with Jensen, beyond the kerbs, 0.032s ahead of Grant (on them) and Chapman 0.012s adrift. With a broken valve spring cap Simms was fourth, before presenting father Paul’s memorial trophy.
Grant (l) and Jensen had some tremendous Historic FF1600 scraps as Merlyns led the way
Photo by: Mick Walker
Airline pilot Neil Hose (Titan Mk6) lost Over 50s honours to Swiss caterer Gislain Genecand (Crossle 16F) by 0.120s in the opener, but reversed the order on Sunday. John Milicevic III (Merlyn Mk20) and Ian Fernihough (Titan Mk6) earned Novice and Over 65 Legends awards.
Rick Morris, 79, bounced back from torrid Brands and Combe Classic FF1600 events, bubbling that his Lifetime Racing and Don Hardman rebuilt Royale RP29 “had seldom felt so good”. Morris led Sunday’s first race before a broken driveshaft coupling as he downshifted for Luffield during lappery ended his fun. Grant, Gadd, Chapman, Cal Bennett and Adriano Medeiros scrapped to the line. Later Gadd shaded Grant by 0.176s for the eighth win of his family campaign, with Chapman, Medeiros and Nigel Smyth (Royale RP24) in furious pursuit.
The United Formula Ford Championship deciders were on Saturday, useful practice for the Walter Hayes Trophy later this month. Tom Mills (Spectrum) and Jason Smyth (Van Diemen) won the races. A point ahead on arrival, Kent’s Anthony Amato (Ray) beat Irishman Ronan Doherty (Van Diemen) to the title. Sadly race two was curtailed when suspension failure sent Ben Powney’s Jamun rolling into Copse.
Formula Junior, the F1 training ground of 1958-63, still had Formula Junior Historic Racing Association’s UK championship to resolve, with protagonists Nathan Metcalfe (Lotus 20) and Adrian Russell (Condor S2) in different Saturday races ahead of Sunday’s combined decider. Beaten to ‘front-engined’ pole by Ray Mallock, Russell’s quest was eased when Mallock’s U2 jammed in top gear.
Silverstone ace Sam Wilson (Lotus 20/22) was beyond reach in the 1961-63 bouts, pursued by Andrew Hibberd in Lotus 22 and drum-braked 20, both of which he qualified. Stuart Roach (Alexis Mk3) beat Metcalfe to Saturday’s class win, thus the title permutations became fascinating. Hibberd bagged Sunday’s D2 maximum, denying Metcalfe after Roach pitted, but Russell - after a mega start to monster Mallock - pounced into Brooklands on the penultimate lap for glory. “The race of my life,” enthused the 67-year-old, whose racing journey began in the Caterham Academy’s class of 2001.
Broome's 4C swept to opening Alfa victory
Photo by: Mick Walker
Thriving under the HSCC’s umbrella, the Alfa Romeo & Italian Intermarque Championship arrived with Turismo division rivals George Warren (GTV) and Dave Pickup (147), and Power Trophy leader Stacey Dennis (Giulietta turbo) chasing the overall title. Favourite Warren secured it with a class win in the opener, then doubled up in races dominated by Toby Broome’s voluptuous Revs Italia 4C and Mike Hilton’s Brands-winning Maserati, chased by Mark Skeggs’ PT class GTV turbocar, the diff of which was fixed as qualifying was called.
Andy Page in his venerable Giulietta 116 turbo landed the Modified title, overhauling faller Jack Berry’s 4C score, while Dennis overcame gearbox issues and her Giulietta turbo lapsing into limp mode to be crowned PT champion, third overall. Ian Fenwick and Marcus Robinson shared Twin Spark honours, already won for the year by Paul Plant.
James Hadfield’s virtuoso performance in the ex-John Watson Hexagon Trojan T101 saw off American Gary Lapidus (ex-John Morton Lola T400) and Neil Glover (ex-Bruce Allison Chevron B37) as F5000 cars ruled the Derek Bell Trophy roost. Hadfield retired from the sequel when fourth gear failed, leaving Glover to beat Lapidus, with Chris Porritt (F2 Chevron B40) third. Jonty Hair took Historic FF2000 pole, but champion Ben Glasswell in his Reynard SF77 won both races from Andrew Storer. Four-time champ Andy Park led his comeback race until his engine blew.
Guards Trophy champion Elliot Paterson (Ginetta G16) and Samuel Harrison (Lotus 23B) added to their CVs, with 70s Road Sports conqueror John Williams (Porsche 911SC) a fine third in the combined grid’s damp finale. Historic Road Sports champ Mark Godfrey (Lotus 7) trumped Frazer Gibney (Elan) in another mixed double in which the Alfa 105 Cup was compelling. Nigel Musto and Ben Brain led the raucous Italians back.
There was nothing between Intermarque Silhouette duellists Ray Harris (Ginetta G40) and Warren Farazmand (Vauxhall Tigra) in the Classic and Modern Motorsport Club races, in which 91-year-old Tony Skelton’s Renault Clio was quickest through the finish line speed trap!
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There was little to choose between Harris and Farazmand all event
Photo by: Mick Walker