It had been 4 years since the Club’s race series competed on the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, a layout rarely used due to local planning restrictions, so when the opportunity arose to feature on the bill of the Historic Sports Car Club’s annual ‘Superprix’ event, we were understandably keen to accept.  15 cars assembled in the Paddock amidst the sweltering temperatures of the heatwave that was currently affecting much of southern England, which made for some hot and tiring track sessions.

After Saturday mornings 20 minute qualifying session, the Group 5 F355 Challenge of Tris Simpson topped the time sheets just 3 tenths of a second faster than the similar car of Tim Mogride, with Colin Sowter’s Spider version a further 8 tenths adrift.  Completing the second row would be the fastest of the two Group 6 cars, Chris Compton-Goddard’s F355 Challenge.  Row 3 consisted of the Group 4 ‘polesitter’ Myles Poulton (328 GTB) and Philip Connell’s Group 5 F355 Challenge.  Group 3 would be headed by Peter Everingham (328 GTB) in 9^th position with Peter Fisk (308 GT4) leading the Group 2 runners in 12^th overall.  Completing only 4 laps before a loss of engine compression was Jago Keen, debuting the Group 6 V12 powered Testarossa, sadly this would be the last we would see of this iconic car for the time being.

Race 1, which was shortened to 17 minutes due to delays in the earlier support race and the impending noise curfew, turned out to be an unusually processional affair with the cars becoming a little spread out over the swoops and crests of the Brands Hatch ‘Grand Prix loop’.  Chris Compton-Goddard was an early retirement, coasting into the pitlane from 4^th position at the end of lap 4 when the alternator lead became detached.  Further back a 3-car battle was developing for 6^th place, headed by Lewis Sharman (Group 4 348 Challenge), from the similar machine of Robin Biesbroek who was defending from the slower starting F355 Challenge of Philip Connell.  Keen to regain 6^th place Connell attempted a tighter line at Surtees on the 4^th tour heading into the woods, but this unsettled the rear of the car, and following much arm twirling the car eventually spun making light contact with the safety barrier.  Connell was able to continue but only as far as the pitlane where his team set about restoring the distinctive bright yellow car to its former glory in time for Sunday’s race.  Sharman’s tenure at the front of the battle for 6^th place was also short lived as he pitted on the 7^th lap with fuel issues, rejoining the track a minute or so later, one lap down in 11^th position.  At the chequered flag, Tris Simpson was victorious, closely followed but never really challenged by Tim Mogridge ahead of Colin Sowter in 3^rd.  Myles Poulton enjoyed a lonely race in 4^th overall taking the Group 4 win with Robin Biesbroek elevated to 5^th overall and 2^nd in class ahead of Group 3 winner Peter Everingham.  Peter Fisk took the Group 2 honours in 8^th overall.

Race 2, and as the lights went out, Tim Mogridge starting from 2^nd on the grid leapt away like a scalded cat to take the lead into Paddock Hill Bend, and began to pull out an early lead from Tris Simpson, who had begun defending from Colin Sowter.  Simpson commenting that the addition of the success ballast was compromising the performance of his car along the long straights and uphill sections of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix track.  On lap 5 Sowter found a way past Simpson and with minimal success ballast began to chase down Mogridge.  Behind the leading trio, Myles Poulton was again in 4^th position but this time was having to defend from the fast starting Chris Compton-Goddard who had sprinted through from the back of the grid following his Race 1 retirement.  There was an anxious moment for the Compton-Goddard family at the start as Harrison failed to pull away from his grid box immediately in front of Father Chris, causing Chris to have to swerve to avoid the stricken 308.  Philip Connell, who shared the back row with Chris Compton-Goddard, had made a good start and moved to the centre of the track to pass Richard Fenny’s 308 GT4 ahead, which put him on a converging trajectory with Compton-Goddard Senior, at one point the mirrors of the two F355 Challenge cars overlapped as they squeezed through the gap between Fenny and Compton Goddard Junior but thankfully no paint was exchanged!  Peter Everingham came home in 8^th position to win Group 3, one place ahead of the Group 2 winner Peter Fisk.  Lewis Sharman’s fuel problems continued which unfortunately saw him retire into the pitlane via the back entrance at Surtees on lap 9.

Nigel Sayles’ 328 GTB caught the eye of Series Scrutineer Kevin Moore, who awarded Nigel the Superformance Scrutineer’s choice award for his attention to detail, while Commentator Marcus Pye chose Chris Compton-Goddard to receive the RNR Performance Cars Driver of the Day award.