Shelsley Walsh – June 4-5

June 9th, 2016

With a BBC forecast for light showers early afternoon on the Saturday practice day and bright skies for the Sunday timed runs, your author arrived early at the wonderful Shelsley Hill. His cunning plan to have the only dry practices in our group seemed to work with two runs put in well before lunch and no other Ferrari company until near lunchtime – in fact, most of the morning I felt like ‘Billy no mates’ with others in my class having a lie-in or just travelling from afar. It will be no surprise to hear that after all this planning the weather forecast failed me and the day stayed dry with all entrants putting in practice times on a good track, irrespective of their arrival time.

The track at Shelsley has undergone some changes over the past year or so – primarily to the kink on the main straight where there is now an earthen rise to the track side rather than the familiar narrow grass strip that could tempt some to disaster down the steep hill to the left. A more recent additional change is to the left kerb as one enters the ‘esses’ – once a low ‘rideable’ kerb this is now a high kerb that seems to threaten any curve hugging wheels and can pitch the nearside wheels off the ground if attacked too aggressively.

Practice runs ran apace on the day with no incidents and not much to mar things for our entrants. Taylor lost not one, but two, door number plates and considered instant glue over his usual bubblegum. Mark Wibberley modified his usual starting technique which worked well on his first run but then showed itself to be inconsistent on the second. It should be noted that rapid 0-64ft times at Shelsley are difficult as the start is on a considerable slope but Spicer took all this in his stride and banged in a 2.49s closely followed by Prior with a 2.62 on their first runs. All competitors improved their times in second practice but for the Attwoods who were suffering a loss of power and a misfire at revs in their pretty GT4. Mike Spicer, in his beautiful yellow 328, put in a storming second practice of 35.35 giving him the fastest time ever achieved in our classic section. Prior responded with a very tidy 34.43s and Taylor only a hundredth slower – Phil Whitehead was a second down followed by Richard Preece who had been away from this track for a year or so. Wibberley and Juan Moreno were in the 37s and Tony and Iwan Atwood in the 41s, their GT4’s horsepower feeling the strain on this steep hill. If PEPs were applied (theoretical of course for these practice times) then Spicer’s best run was the fastest with Richard Prior only one hundredth behind and Nick Taylor a close third – all a warning of the close competition awaiting us for the Sunday.

Our Club’s hillclimbing series is a very social sport and on fine days a group of chairs are usually found in our pit area occupied by drivers, partners and friends spending the waiting times between runs swapping tips and gossip. The main subject this weekend being some of the more notable snippets from the excellent commentators at the track describing cars and their attempts up the hill – some of these will be called upon later in this article. I’ll leave you to decide your favourite but for now the Saturday practices were over and entrants packed up and left ready for the promised sunny Sunday. Socialising was not over though, as our group got together for a meal at the Talbot Hotel at Knightwick which commenced with drinks in the garden observing the 0-64ft times of some very active piglets in the adjoining field.

Sunday morning arrived and the early sun highlighted the beautiful countryside in this part of England. Competitors were prompt in arrival this day, some camping at Shelsley, some using local B&Bs and just a few taking the ‘close enough to home to drive’ option. After preparing our cars for competition there is plenty of time to watch the other classes – everything from early Cooper 500s and classic Lolas to modern bespoke Imprezas. Most morning runs in these other classes went with only a few small incidents and despite our group being last on the program our first runs started mid-day.

Moreno’s lovely light blue 360 put in a banker at 38.05 followed by Wibberley (Commentator – I could live with the sound of that car for ever!) who shaved well over a second off his practice time to achieve a creditable 35.99s. Taylor (Comm. – A little tight in the kink) steamed up on 35 dead followed by Prior who corrected massive oversteer in the second left, called Crossing, and kept his foot down despite edging closer and closer to the right banking. His efforts gave him a fine 34.44 and the shakes for 20 minutes! Preece put in a solid 36.24 eclipsed comfortably by Mr Spicer at 35.85 – proving that experience matters over the age of car you drive. Whitehead put in a 34.96 and the commentator noted his car ‘stepped out at top ess’ – mind you Phil had the company of many other drivers in this comment. Both the Attwoods put in solid runs with Tony breaking into the 40s. Back safely to the pits and all done for the first timed runs – time for the chairs and more gossip, or maybe just a kip! Most had some lunch whilst temperatures climbed well up in the 20s.

Second runs for our batch suffered a little as a result of delays due to driver mishaps but before too long our cars were lining up ready to take advantage of a warm track. Juan Moreno was first away and managed to improve his time despite finding the esses slippery and another ‘stepped out on the exit’ comment. Time for the 360 Spider of Wibberley was down a little on his first run but still fast whilst Taylor improved to 34.26 closely followed by Prior who put in a neat-lined run to give 34.29. Preece set off with the second fastest start, tidy lines through Kennel and Crossing but lost some control on the entry to the esses – his correcting losing him time he still finished with a reasonable 36.11. Spicer stormed up the track but a distraction at the start line had upset his concentration and after giving the esses kerb a clout good enough to launch the nearside of his car off the track he was unable to beat his first timed run.

The esses seemed to catch out a few of our people on this run and Philip Whitehead had a massive moment there – such a moment, in fact, that the commentator failed to give out any of the regular one-liners. Phil grazed the barriers but luckily came away without damage to his well turned out 355 – Phew! Tony Attwood followed and put in a tidy and controlled 38.95, almost a second off his personal best. The field closed with Iwan, who despite suffering stomach problems earlier in the day, held it all together to put in a sub 40 second run.

Everyone filtered back to the pit area and a nervous wait for the summary of times and associated calculations. The results of our class – Taylor, Prior and Whitehead took scratch 1, 2 & 3 but after the equalising percentage was applied Prior deservedly snatched the maximum 20 points followed by Spicer (17) and then Taylor (15). Wibberley’s drive took the handicap award by exactly 1 second. Congratulations to all – a lovely weekend in the countryside and all cars back in one piece. Time to pack up and drive home.

Thanks to Richard Preece for the report, official results now added thanks to Anne Swift.

Next round, the infamous Doune Hillclimb in Scotland.

Brands Hatch Sprint – August 14

June 8th, 2016

Prescott – May 28

June 1st, 2016

The premier hillclimb event on our calendar took place on 28th May, over the weekend of ‘La Vie en Bleu’.

The Bugatti Owners Club had taken the superb decision to include an Italian Fest on the Saturday (when the PFHC were there) and had enviable displays of classic Lamborghini, Alfas, Ferrari and much more.

The La Ferrari and Enzo were very popular with the photographers and wide eyed small (and older) boys as they took to the track for regular demonstration runs, and of course 13 Ferraris in the Hillclimb championship also trying their hardest on the legendary tarmac.

The weather was spring-like rather than summery, race suits were soon the preferred attire a long time before the start of practice runs, but we did have our best paddock position yet, on the hardstanding in the Orchard near the BOC office.

Juan Moreno was first to arrive at the track so he could walk the hill, he’d never been here before and tried to get into a hillclimb school but they were fully booked. He drove carefully on the first practice in 57.94, but a few helpful opponents gave him some pointers and explained the late apex theory of Prescott Hill’s various corners. Tony Attwood had the confidence of many hillclimbs here under his belt and powered the 308 GT4 up in 61.08. It was brilliant to see Brian Jackson and ‘BoB’ back on the hills again. This is their first event since a recent overhaul of lots of oily and shiny bits to get the 308 GTB back in stunning condition. 56.02scs was his first practice run, just a shade behind Mark Wibberley in the 360 Spider on 55.89.

Richard Preece also made another welcome return to the fold; his 355 sprang a water leak in the last few days, but all was back together just in time for his first Prescott hillclimb in 2 years. 53.05 was a decent run for Richard, with the fastest 0-64ft so far of 2.54 seconds. That was until our new start supremo Peter Rogerson followed, a cracking 2.45 away from the line got the 360 Modena up in 57.65, which was just a gnat’s ahead of Mark Hargreaves 308 GT4 on 57.70.

Young Jack Hargreaves was ahead of both of them with 57.32 in his 308 GTB, John Swift in the black 355 tripped the speed trap at 58 mph under bridge (possibly explaining why the left hand Pirelli door panel flew off with such reckless speed) and finished in 55.36, while Iwan Attwood in the shared 308 GT4 crossed the line in 61.70.

The top 4 finished quite close together (and all in the 51’s), championship leader Mike Spicer on a very credible 51.97 after the 328 GTB made a lightning start of 2.39 seconds, Nick Taylor (430) on the other hand had a terrible getaway in 2.96 but made it to the top a shade faster on 51.79. Current champ Phil Whitehead (355) was nearly half a second ahead of Nick on 51.31, but Richard Prior (355) was the early leader, throwing down the gauntlet with 51.02.

Amongst the usual strolling entertainment expected here at ‘La Vie en Bleu’ such as accordion players and Gendarmerie, were the new additions of live Italian Opera duets and dancers on stage (who were definitely not Can-Can girls this time) but refreshingly had some Latin flavoured moves going on.

Soon it was back to the other action, on the track. Before 2nd practice, one of the vintage cars had spilt some fluid on the left side of the startline, but cement dust didn’t put our drivers off too much as there were improvements by almost everyone, except Richard Preece and Mike Spicer. Richard had reached the startline and found the 355 was running a bit lumpy, almost refusing to idle. But like the trooper he is, managed to get going when the light changed to green and the car picked up again and was just half a second off his P1 time.

Mike Spicer shot off the startline in 2.37 and was ahead on his previous split times, until the ‘Mid-Way’ split which showed he had backed off a little to be the same as P1, by the top of the hill he was 3 hundredths slower with 52.00 exactly, a ‘scruffy’ run was to blame, no particular incidents.

Back in the paddock Richard Preece eventually found the problem, part of the 355’s intake system had come apart and was sucking too much air. Some bright yellow gaffer tape from Spicer’s mobile garage soon had it back together and running normally for the afternoon runs.

There were more demonstration cars going up the hill during the lunchbreak, and then an announcement from the clerk of the course for all drivers to come for a compulsory briefing. Were we in trouble again.? I’m sure our boys hadn’t put a foot wrong today.

Assembling by the paddock office we were told there had been a problem with the timing gear and a replacement part was being rushed to Prescott from Malvern. There would be a delay of a couple of hours, which meant only one guaranteed run for everyone. A bit like a penalty shootout, and really anyone could have won. The pressure was on, do you take a calm run and get a time in the bag, or go for it? There’s nothing worse than ending up in the gravel trap while your nearest rival gets the glory by being sensible.

While pondering this problem, our drivers had the bright idea to sign up to join in the convoy runs taking passengers up the track. Not for the unofficial practice of course..! At least it kept something moving in front of the public spectators who paid to get in to watch cars do what they do best.

So after a few runs, and then a few more runs (seeing the same dozen or so cars go round) the marshals told us to get ready for the event to restart. The new clock had arrived and it was time to get serious once again.

On the first and only competitive run of the day Tony Attwood had beaten his PB with 56.70, but when son Iwan took over the driving seat all was going well until he approached Pardon Hairpin a little too quick after a good exit from Ettores, hitting the brakes hard he lost momentum on the sharp left hander and a slow exit saw him finish the day down on 61.85. Similarly Mark Hargreaves had got the better of his son too. Mark’s 55.61 time had thrashed his long standing personal best time by over a second and took the first place handicap award, while Jack still put in a good performance with 55.75 but not quite matching his May 2012 time here.

Peter Rogerson managed to sneak ahead of Hargreaves senior by just 1/100th of a second, but the start made Peter smile the most, 2.37 second for the 0-64ft, easily the best one so far. Brian Jackson’s progress was continuing with a 54.13, and with the PEP factor applied gave him 12 points in his return to the PFHC.

The next two drivers were in the 53s, both in 360 cars. Mark Wibberley had backed off a little and just lost out to Juan Moreno who knocked another 1.26 seconds off for his best performance of the day, while in the 355s Richard Preece pipped John Swift by 0.01 of a second on scratch, and as they were both in identical tipo the PEP scores were exactly the same, giving 11 points to Ricardo and 10 to Swifty.

First of the big guns in the queue was Nick Taylor in the 430, a better start this time put him in the mid 49’s, I couldn’t see his time from 2 spaces behind, so being in the dark added extra pressure. I got to the line after the usual tyre warming, but fluffed the start, almost having two bites at it when the wheels eventually gripped, and was surprised to see any improvement by the end, a low 49 this time and into a slim lead.

Phil Whitehead and Mike Spicer were the last ones left of the Ferrari class. Phil was up first. His start was good, 2.54 his best of the day but by the first split he was 0.19 down on P2. At the second split he had recovered the lost time, but must have had a problem on the last half of the run as he dropped back 1/4 of a second again to finish down on 50.22. When asked if there was an issue, Phil said not really, only due to the delays and the leisurely convoy runs he forgot to switch back from picnic mode into reigning champion mode.

All eyes were on Spicer, if he managed to get near his PB it would be 20 points to him for sure, he was trying hard as his family of supporters were all here today (only Mark Hargeaves, Peter Rogerson and Tony Attwood had beaten their PB’s so far today & most hadn’t got near). Mike’s 51.53 wasn’t quite there either, but it was close.

Calculators and laptops were out straight away, on scratch Mike was in 4th place but minus 3% gave him 49.98. By adding 1% to Richard Prior’s time it changed to 49.71, so by just over 1/4 of a second Prior had got the 20 points, finally braking Mike Spicer’s run of three consecutive maximums this year.
Nick Taylor took 15 points, and Phil Whitehead with his champion’s PEP got 13 points.

The final scratch result was 1st Richard Prior, 2nd Nick Taylor and 3rd Phil Whitehead.

Only 1 week to recover until the next event at historic Shelsley Walsh for the British Championship meeting, where most of the Ferrari class get to do it all over again.

Harewood – May 8

May 25th, 2016

After a fine and filling dinner in a superb room at the new venue of the Hazlewood Castle Hotel, which included a toast to our absent colleague RA, the competitors were somewhat surprised to be off as the very first batch at 9am. This caught out some who’d been expecting the long waits of the previous day.

Track conditions were much better than first practice on Saturday too, so most competitors put in times reflecting those posted in competition, some albeit a little slower after a hearty breakfast. Our ranks were also swelled to 17 by Jeff Cooper, the 6th driver in a 360. It wasn’t without incident though – Swifty put two wheels on the grass out of Farmhouse, which is an unwelcome shock to the system and Lorraine had a wiggle coming out of Willow. Nick Taylor was hampered by a roll of tape circulating in the footwell, and the other leading contenders started well, though Phil Whiteheads run was a little untidy for him. Early honours though to Peter Rogerson with a stunning start of 2.44, good for a manual car, fantastic for a paddle shift. Early fastest time was Richard Prior’s 67.68.

As temperatures rose on a largely (and rarely for Harewood) wind-free day, track conditions improved. Second practice was off by 10am, packed with tension after runs were complete, to see if Mike Spicer was again going to be the man to beat for the points. Sporting non-regulation headgear in the paddock he described his 69.42 as ‘sensible’, whilst Nick Taylor, faster at 67.58 felt Richard Prior was the man to keep an eye on after his first ever foray into the 66s (66.62) with a typical relaxed run, perhaps reflecting his new tyres scrubbing in.

Mechanical issues dogged the 308GT4 of the Attwoods, with the car not running right and slowing Ewan, with Tony copied John Swifts grasstrack racing efforts. Swifty himself suffered from a sticky throttle which frightened the life out of him, though a few years of experience prevented any major issues and he posted an identical time to P1. Pauline Goodwin put in a personal best, I improved in a ragged and aggressive run which I actually thought was poor, though the Hargreaves were off yesterdays pace and Lorraine’s start was compromised which ruined concentration on her domestic battle with Chris, hence a slower time than P1. Jeff Cooper reported that the track had somehow shrunk in width with the winter rains around Farmhouse, which always looks the most intimidating sector on Youtube videos. Nevertheless, grip kept him on the black stuff for a best practice time of 78.08. First timer Juan Moreno felt his 70.91 of yesterday may have been unrepeatable, but as conditions were improving further, maybe more was to come from him and others ?

So, all poised for keenly awaited competition runs in the sun before lunch, and which were to see personal and class records tumble across ours and other classes. Pauline’s 70.01 was her second of the day, Lorraine was only 3/100ths off hers, after 2 PBS the previous day, and Richard Prior scored his second PB too, pushing his time down to 66.26. This put the pressure on the other Championship leaders, with Phil posting 67.39 despite manhandling his 355 round the final bend to avoid hitting the posts and Nick Taylors 66.77 a little off his best of 65.98. But it was once again Mike Spicer who was in pole position for the points, his PB 68.56 giving him the advantage on PEP. Amongst other runners, Swifty clocked an improved 71.36 despite a feeling that many also had that there was time to be gained on the tricky final bends, and was left marginally behind myself on a pleasing PB of 71.30 after a frustratingly consistent but too slow day yesterday. The Attwood GT4 ran well for The Doc, taking 2 seconds off yesterday, but didn’t favour a slower Ewan. Scuderia Hitchman Capo, Peter, finally got going halfway round for an improved 77.99 whilst son Chris put in a storming 69.28, easily the best of the 360s.

Lunch and a long delay for the single seaters run-offs, who do this hill in around 50 seconds, meant we had time to kill before our final run. Track conditions were still perfect, so many hoped for improvement, and indeed a couple of personal bests were recorded (myself and Peter Hitchman), but only around half the field posted improvements, as is often the case for final runs.

The battle of top time honours went to Richard Prior, on sparkling form yet relaxed as ever, with 66.31 (down a modest 5/100ths on T1), then Nick Taylor 19/100ths behind, and Philip Whitehead on 67.24, 15/100ths faster than T1. So, the expected contenders were fastest, but who would get the points ? All eyes on the yellow 328 of Mike Spicer, who was around a second down this time but nevertheless, once the calculator had come out, walked off with his third successive maximum points.

Chris Hitchman put in a 68.40 for 4th fastest overall, though commented he didn’t think the car will ever go any faster, and a mixed set of results from the others in the unofficial 360 Class saw myself, Juan and Jeff Cooper all improve, with Lorraine and Peter Rogerson having peaked on T1. PG was a little off her T1 with a still impressive 70.55 and was very happy with her weekends work, both Hargreaves Snr and Jnr were also off previous pace though Peter Hitchman took a huge 3.5 seconds off his T1 time with a 74.44. Maybe the hearty dinner had finally worn off. Sadly the Attwodds GT4 developed a rev limiting issue which destroyed Ewans run, though Tony seemed to manage with a marginally slower second run. My apologies to John Swift, as having posted a 71.25, just inside my 71.30, I improved further to 71.12. I enjoyed the battle John – it’s not always about the points for the top runners, there’s plenty of competition further down the order.

Harewood – May 7

May 23rd, 2016

It was a mixture of weather on the way up the M1 from the crack of dawn. A picturesque sunrise at the start, then patches of fog, more sun near Sheffield, which lasted until arriving at the hill, then misty again. But it promised to be a beautiful weekend ahead, heatwaves down south and we all hoped some of it would filter through here.

There were 16 of us present and traditionally we are the first class in the program, meaning an early start for nearly all the Ferrari drivers. Mike Spicer was apparently up at 4am, but we suspect that’s an age thing.

We had the usual rushing around, timing struts on, door numbers attached, signed on and scrutineered, then… 9am came and went, but we weren’t in the first batch as usual. It seems the single seaters were here for two days (instead of Barbon Manor on the Saturday, and Harewood Sunday) so the timetable was changed completely. Still nothing at 10am, and it was after 11am before we got our first practice.

We took out place in the queue for the start line, I’m sure we were told there was no wheel spinning or tyre warming before the start, and there were big signs as we approached the assembly area. But John Swift let rip in the 355 and generated some nice blue/black smoke. Immediately the fine upstanding marshals in orange suits descended on him to point out the error of his ways and told him “don’t try that again sonny or you’re out.” We’re not sure whether he forgot, or was trying a Jon Goodwin to blag an extra advantage. They kept an eye on us all after that.

Fastest starter was Pauline Goodwin in the California (2.48 seconds), not her favourite car for the hills, but the 328 is still being prepared for later in the year. Slowest start was Peter Rogerson (360) in 3.26 second 0-64 feet (I only mention that as he ended up being the fastest starter at the end of the weekend, see tomorrow’s results!)

Reigning champion Phil Whitehead in the 355 turned in the best time in P1, 68.84, which was over 1 second ahead of next man Richard Prior in another 355. Favourite for the win Nick Taylor (430) was in 3rd, and star of the previous sprint meeting at 3 Sisters, Mike Spicer, was exactly 1 second behind Nick in 4th place. Tony Attwood (308 GT4) went off at ‘Country’ corner, but continued on the grass for approx 100 yards until he re-joined the tarmac. Despite being nearly lunchtime the mist was taking it’s time to clear and was still a bit chilly.

It wasn’t too long before 2nd practice was called, and the sun made an appearance at last. Almost without exception the times came tumbling down. The only one who didn’t was Mark Hargreaves (308 GT4) who had slowed by just 1/100th of a second despite being 2mph faster through the speed trap. Juan Moreno in the 360 had made the longest trip from Plymouth to Yorkshire for his first ever visit to Harewood, and also made the biggest gain of nearly 7 seconds from his first practice run. Prior was narrowly ahead of Whitehead now by just ¼ of a second.

We were warned it would be another long wait until the official runs begin, with the single seater cars sorting themselves out and the upcoming lunchbreak, so we made use of the ice cream van and splendid catering in the marquee at the edge of the spectator area. Lasagne and salad, jacket potatoes, and numerous combinations of baps and sandwiches were eaten while watching the remaining classes take to the hill.

We were promised 1:30 start, but again we slipped down the pecking order and didn’t get back into the cars until after 3:30pm. Would we need headlights before the last run.?

Juan Moreno led the pack to the startline, his 1st official run was 1 second slower than his earlier practice, Peter Hitchman (430) was next, his best start and splits gave him 75.60 and his best time of the day, while Chris Hitchman was up to 70.44 in the shared 360. Jack Hargreaves’ times were tumbling with every run, he was on the scoreboard with 74.71 in the 308 GTB, but Dad Mark Hargreaves in the GT4 version was down slightly on 76.45. Both were to go faster in the final session.
Peter Rogerson was now getting into the zone when the lights changed to green, progressively better 0-64ft times, this time 2.66, helped him to his fastest time of the day on 76.27.

Pauline Goodwin still held the fastest start, now on 2.45 seconds and a finish of 71.74, her usual 328 rival Mike Spicer followed her up and was just a fraction slower from the beginning with 2.46 but the nimble 328 made it to the top in 69.61.

Phil Whitehead had to start to reel in the others, but too quick into the left kink before Orchard saw him run out of braking room & he took to the grass, Prior was next up and saw the fresh tyre marks disappearing across the inside of the corner, his time of 68.12 made him temporary leader, until Nick Taylor came up next and was the first into the 67’s.

The important 20 points were provisionally going to Mike Spicer yet again, unless the others get their act together.

2nd run time came, and conditions were at their best.

Juan took another 2/100ths off his time and 83 mph was his fastest speed trap of the day, Chris Hitchman was very close to his handicap target and finished in the low 69’s. Jack and Mark Hargreaves had both nibbled away at their time all day, and ended on 73.05 & 74.02 respectively. Tony Attwood carved 1.35 seconds off his earlier climb, his 76.70 was just enough to stay ahead of son Iwan in the shared 308 GT4 who also improved to 76.88.

John Swift and Mark Wibberley were almost even on the first run, just a fag paper between them, but Swifty found over a second on his final ascent, while Mark reduced by just 5 hundredths, putting the Competition director up into 7th place ahead of Juan Moreno in the table. Pauline took another half second off with 71.27 & moved up to 6th place on scratch, while Lorraine Hitchman blasted up in 72.25 which slotted her into 9th place between Moreno and Wibberley.

Now the top 4 took to the track. Despite a slower start Mike Spicer knocked 0.54 off his potential points winning time, 69.07 was a new PB for him, reinforcing his return to hillclimbing this year on excellent form.

Phil Whitehead matched Spicer speed trap of 76 mph, but had improved enough to get ahead of him with 68.33 knocking the 328 maestro off the podium but not enough to trouble him for the points.
Prior threw the 355 hard into every corner, trying to stop Spicer’s winning streak he shot up the straight at 83mph & saw the clock at the top of the hill read 66.98 and into the lead, not quite a PB, but a good attempt he thought.

Until the final runner in the class Nick Taylor followed him up 30 seconds later. Nick hit 87 through the speed trap and stole the lead back with 66.93, just 5/100ths ahead of Prior but a fantastic drive to take the top silverware (or glassware in the case of Harewood).

Calculators were out straight away to see how this affected the championship scores. There was no catching Spicer for the 20 points, with PEP factors applied his 69.07 became 67.00, Prior’s changed to 67.65, and Taylor’s + 2% increased his to 68.27. Mike was now on a run of maximum points in the championship.

Could they stop him tomorrow? Maybe if he has one too many G&Ts at the dinner tonight held in the superb Hazelwood Castle.

Silverstone – Sep 23-24

May 16th, 2016

We have all enjoyed some outstanding events this year, but the icing on the cake was always going to be the season finale at Passione Ferrari Silverstone. We hoped for a big grid and got it. We hoped for good weather and got it. We hoped for good, close and safe racing with nicely presented cars, and got it. With so many Club members present, not to mention more Ferrari North Europe and Ferrari Italy dignitaries than have ever witnessed our racing series, this was an important week-end.

Twenty-five drivers in twenty-four cars (Vance Kearney and Lee Moulden sharing) took to the 3.66 mile track for the single qualifying session. Amongst these were old friends Len Watson in his 308 GTB and Andy Christopher. Andy’s racing 308 GTB was not quite ready in time so he took the chance to race Ben Cartwright’s 328 that has been raced in recent times by Paul Daniels in Group 3. Chris Compton-Goddard was racing his 355 Challenge car for the first time, his 308 not being quite ready for the meeting.

With high speed corners and two decent straights maybe this was a 355 or even a 550 track. Indeed it was the 355 of Tris Simpson that took pole position, but Dave Tomlin’s 308 GTB was close behind. Lee Moulden (race 2 only) and Gary Culver (328) were next up. The Peter Fisk 550 was 7th. Chris Butler headed the competitive Group 3 class.

Race 1

Tris Simpson made an excellent start and led Tomlin into the first corner with Mogridge, Culver, Jim Cartwright and Fisk all chasing. In group 3 Everingham had a storming start leading his class and settling into 8th overall.

By the end of lap 1 however, with Tris in front from Tomlin, it was Peter Fisk in 3rd, the 550 clearly enjoying the big track. Having made a small mistake Jim Cartwright had dropped back to 7th. These positions remained pretty static for a few laps with Tris stretching his lead to some 5 seconds as others diced. Peter Fisk actually got the 550 into P2 ahead of Tomlin on lap 5 but thereafter his tyres were crying enough and he was also experiencing some fuel surge. By the end of the race he had dropped to 6th overall but it was a commendable effort and a measure of how far the car has come in one season.

In Group 3 Peter Everingham’s lead was lost to Chris Butler on lap 3 after he found a patch of oil on the exit of Village corner. After a spectacular save Peter lost momentum and dropped from 8th overall, 1st in class, to 12th overall 2nd in class.

At 8 laps the race was fairly short but that was long enough to settle things. With no big screens and barely audible commentary it was hard to engage the spectators fully on such a long track, but most seemed to really enjoy seeing the older cars out racing. Tris Simpson took the easy win from Dave Tomlin (Group 2 winner) with Tim Mogridge taking the final podium position. Chris Butler took Group 3 with Gary Culver taking Group 4 and 4th overall.

Race 2

Another excellent start ensured the lead for pole-man Tris Simpson into the first corner from Mogridge, Culver, Moulden (making two places from the start), Cook and Tomlin. Evers again lead group 3.

A dream double victory was however not to be for Tris as his 355 dropped a cylinder and was retired on lap 4. Gary Culver had been in second position but after Simpson retired he lost this place to Dave Tomlin on lap 5 as Lee Moulden came through to lead the race. He was then further demoted by Peter Fisk on lap 6 and finished just off the podium in 4th place.

In Group 3 Peter Everingham led initially from Andy Christopher who was making an excellent job of getting used to a strange car. By lap 6 though Chris Butler had made his way through to lead the class. On the next lap Tim Walker got past Christopher so the class ended Butler, Everingham, Walker, Christopher.

Overall the race finished in the order Moulden, Tomlin, Fisk and Culver, or to look at it another way 355, 308, 550 & 328. Had we been offered that mix of tipos when agreeing the regulations for 2016 we would have taken it with pleasure. Fastest laps of the meeting were Tris Simpson in qualy – 2.28.526 and Dave Tomlin – 2.28.938 in race 2. Fastest Group 3 lap was Chris Butler on a 2.33.672 in race 2. The RnR driver of the meeting was Jim Cartwright following his great drive from the pit lane (a technical issue related to fuel – I will say no more!) to finish 7th overall in race 2.

So everyone packs up for another year. A quite remarkable year of club racing in so many ways with several true highlights. Judging by the smiling faces at Silverstone our formula classic series has a strong future. The need for special events where the marque Ferrari is celebrated, rather than being just another 10 lapper on a mixed card, is fully appreciated by those running the series. Finding the right dates and venues is a real challenge, but particularly with the end of season dinner being held at the Italian Embassy in London I do get the feeling that Gary Culver and his team are up to the task.

Apologies to the many who have not been mentioned. I know that you will all have your stories of daring do but there is only so much space and time available. Do check out our video section which is building into an excellent way to spend some time. Many thanks from William, Christian and myself to those who have contributed these videos and of course to Simon Cooke and others for the excellent photos. See you next year.

Castle Combe – Aug 29

May 16th, 2016

Our club has been racing at Castle Combe for more years than many of us can remember. From Maranello Challenge days, through to Ferrari Open and formula classic. The traditional August Bank holiday date draws a big crowd and there have been many great races.

In recent years we have had some rotten weather and some frankly scary racing. This year however we had a dry track under very warm blue skies. Tucked between the high-profile  Brands Hatch Italia Festival and the Silverstone Passione Ferrari events though many racers chose to stay at home for this one, which was a great shame.

Qualifying for our thirteen starters was dominated by a very much on-form Gary Culver. His 328 GTB was visibly quicker through Camp corner for example than anyone else. It is not long ago that any lap under 1.20 in a 328 was good going. Gary posted a 1.16.105 to take pole position. It was pretty close though with the first five cars being under 1.17. Clearly this was a quick day.

Race 1.

The grid at Combe is always packed very tight and if any car has a poor start it tends to affect others. So it was that when welcome series returnee Wayne Marrs failed to launch his 355/Ch.  Chris Compton Goddard swerved in avoidance, which put Peter Everingham on the grass etc. etc. No damage done though so the chase was on. Mr. Culver however was not in a mood to be chased and he proceeded to build an impressive lead.

Trying to keep him honest were Richard Cook (355/Ch) and initially Jim Cartwright (328). Tim Mogridge (355/Ch) took third position on lap 3 and Wayne Marrs was recovering from his bad start. This recovery however didn’t last long as Wayne struggled with a failing ABS sensor. This is not a nice failure on a 355 and it can make the car hard to manage. Wayne wisely retired the car on lap 6. By lap 5 Dave Tomlin was flying and his 308 GTB posted the fastest lap of the race at 1.15.988. This pace however proved to be a little too much for the old girl and thereafter David was coping with deteriorating handling. Post race this was quickly diagnosed as a broken wishbone, so David was fortunate to finish as he did.

As at every circuit we have a fair speed differential between the leaders and the tail enders. At Combe this year in qualifying we had a spread of 1.16.1 (Culver) to 1.28.1 (Fenny). In this gentleman’s series all do their best to accommodate each other when lapping. Most of the time this works fine, but on occasion there can be issues. So it was when Jim Cartwright came up to lap Richard Fenny. A split second decision on Jim’s part, that with the benefit of hindsight proved to be wrong, resulted in contact and damage to both cars. Fenny retired on the spot, Cartwright continued at reduced pace with both drivers I’m sure wishing that they could rewind events. Post-race Jim was excluded from the results.

So with Culver up the road and the 355s of Cook and Mogridge putting on a very decent show for the podium positions (Mogridge just coming out on top) that was that. Tomlin limped home in 4th and Pete Fisk, finding the big 550 a little stiff for the bumps of Combe, finished in 5th position.   Chris Butler took Group 3 honours whilst Chris Compton-Goddard and Peter Everingham had fun a little behind. Laps records in Group 2 were Tomlin, Group 3 Butler, and Group 4 Culver. Fastest laps for 308, 328 & 355 were covered by under 0.3 of a second.

Race 2

The day’s racing was continually interrupted by red flags and incidents in other races. Delays mounted and by the time our cars took to the grid for race 2 at 16:45 hrs we were a very long way behind schedule. To make matters worse our race was cut to half length – just 10 minutes.

With the loss of Tomlin (suspension), Fenny (damage) and Compton-Goddard (overheating) we were down to ten on the grid. Wayne Marrs had his brakes back and Pete Fisk had softened the 550. Whilst lap times were quite close this was another Culver demonstration. We try and limit our praise for Gary as he is both a Club director and a close friend, but it has to be stated sometimes. Gary bought his 328 back from Stuart Bowler in 2004. He missed the Castle Combe races in 2011 and 2012 and he was a DNF in 2013. Apart from that I think he has won every Ferrari race at Combe since – every race! The funny thing is that he won’t know this and has no idea of laps times at all, he doesn’t care about records, he just loves the racing.

In the very short race there were some decent scraps. In particular Peter Fisk and Wayne Marrs were great fun to watch. The dice earned Marrs the RNR ‘Driver of the Meeting’ award. The podium featured Culver, Mogridge and Marrs. Chris Butler took Group 3 but Evers was right on his bumper throughout.

From the heady days of 25 car grids at Combe this was a disappointing turn out. It’s a great date at a great venue with big crowds, but if it is not drawing entries then its future has to be considered.

Brands Hatch Indy – Aug 14

May 16th, 2016

We have indeed been fortunate this year to have three Ferrari, or at least Italian focused events at which to race – Val de Vienne in France, Passione Ferrari at Silverstone in September and Festival Italia at Brands Hatch. These are just the kind of events that make our club racing scene just that little bit more special.

The initiative for Festival Italia came from Jonathan Palmer’s Motor Sport Vision organisation who own and operate Brands, Oulton and Snetterton circuits. This one day event packed a lot in and certainly delivered; from Tricolore fireworks over race control and coloured fluorescent lights in the pedestrian tunnel, through to Italian national flags flying, Italian food and music, Italian opera on the grid, public grid walks and interviews with the drivers. Take a bow MSV for a job well done. There was also the largest turn out of members cars seen this year – even surpassing Silverstone Classic! For our racing web site we will concentrate on the formula classic races only.

A pleasing twenty one cars took to the track for the morning free practice session. Included in this number were five 355/Chs and the Fisk 550, all of which are of course new to the series this year. Honours have been pretty even so far between the 355s and the older cars, and it has been impossible to tell which would have the advantage. If any circuit was going to suit the older cars then surely Brands Indy, with no really long straights, would be it. Well we all guessed wrong as it was 355s that dominated in a way not previously seen.

It was to be a day of some attrition. After free practice we lost John Swift with various engine maladies, and Nick Cartwright with a blown clutch. After qualifying we lost Miles Poulton with a misbehaving engine and Gary Culver with a slipping clutch. Motor racing can be like that.

The first four cars home in qualifying were 355s – Richard Cook on pole, from Tris Simpson, Tim Mogridge and Vance Kearney. Next up, even with a slipping clutch was Gary Culver from Chris Butler and Jim Cartwright. It was great to see Peter and Richard Moseley back with us, both quite understandably a bit ring rusty.

Our cars assembled on the grid early for a full access grid walk. This proved to be really popular with the public and initially was likely a bit daunting for the drivers not used to such attention. There was autograph signing, interviews, selfies galore, kids sitting in cars and a sea of people – just fabulous.

Race 1.

Brands is a hard track to make a good start on. There is a slope which will slew the car sideways if there is too much wheel spin, and depending on where you are on the grid you could roll forwards or backwards without a brake on.

Nevertheless our four 355s got away cleanly. The black car of Tris Simpson lead up to Druids from Richard Cook and Tim Mogridge. Jim Cartwright’s 328 was 4th from Vance Kearney. Experienced hill climbers like Chris Butler normally storm off the line, but Chris has yet to make a decent start this year and Brands continued this trend. It was Tim Walker who lead the group 3 boys at first. Behind Tim were Peter Fisk (550), Peter Everingham and a recovering Chris Butler. Unfortunately at the end of lap 1 Tim’s crankshaft sensor failed and that, as they say, was that. On lap 4 Chris Butler got past Peter Everingham to take the group 3 lead.

The first few laps were pretty static at the front. Vance got past Jim Cartwright on lap 7 but it was lap 9 that saw a change at the front. Tris Simpson was coming up to lap William Moorwood coming into Druids. Tris went up the inside but the gap closed, there was some contact and Tris ended his race in the gravel. This presented the lead to Richard Cook which he was to hold to the flag. Our only other non finisher was Ray Ferguson who managed to find the gravel at Paddock in his quite stunning 328 GTB.

Race win then to Cook with class wins to Jim C (Grp 4), Chris Butler (Grp 3), Richard Fenny (Grp2) and Charlie Ugo (Grp 1). Vance Kearney took the fastest lap at 54.779. Interestingly Nigel Jenkins had posted a 54.866 in his 328 in 2014 so the tipos are actually really close.

Race 2.

At lights out it was Tris Simpson who got the best launch, but by Druids Richard Cook had once again got in front. Charging hard was Jim Cartwright (328) who was in P2 at the end of the first lap. Vance Kearney had dropped back as he struggled to find a right gear at the bottom of Paddock, so in P3 & P4 it was Tris Simpson and Tim Mogridge. Chris Butler made his second bad start of the day, and it was a repaired Tim Walker leading group 3 from Peter Everingham and Butler. Peter Fisk was hanging on gamely in the 550.

By lap 4 a recovering Vance Kearney (355) was having fun with the Fisk 550 as the pair went around Paddock side by side. The 550 maybe even having the edge on the drag up to Druids only to be out-braked and passed by the 355 – great stuff. Getting too close for comfort where the group 3 328s of Peter Everingham and Chris Butler. Coming into Clearways Butler went for a closing gap, there was contact and both cars spun. Chris continued but Evers retired with suspected rear wheel and tyre damage.

At the front Jim Cartwright was trying his hardest to keep with leader Cook, but was ever so slowly dropping into the clutches of the other two 355s of Simpson and Mogridge. The change came on lap 11 with Simpson demoting Cartwright and taking second slot. Mogridge in turn also got past. Our leader Richard Cook meantime was driving like a pro, making seemingly easy work of back markers, and setting the fastest lap of the race along the way.

With just a few minutes to go Charlie Ugo stopped on Cooper Straight with a sky high oil temp. This brought out a safety car which of course brought the field back together. It looked very much as the race would end under yellow flags, but the marshals and safety car team did an excellent job of clearing the hazard, and we were treated to a last two laps of thrilling action.

At the chequered flag it was an imperious Richard Cook from Mogridge, Simpson and Cartwright (group 4 winner). Group 3 winner was a thrilled Tim Walker, group 2 was won by Richard Fenny with William Moorwood taking group 1.

Racing is so often a tale of what might have been. With front runner David Tomlin being absent, and Gary Culver retiring from the races we were deprived of what could have been an epic. Nevertheless this was a superb event which surely will be repeated in 2017.

The RnR driver of the meeting was Richard Cook. Two pole positions, two race wins and a fastest lap. Not a bad week-end.

Spa-Francorchamps – Jul 22-24

May 16th, 2016

Spa Francorchamps is a truly fantastic circuit and the July race weekend organised by ADAC provided for some top quality Classic racing, but not all of it is perfect. The weather can be fickle and the pre-race briefing has over the years been a triumph of obscurification, and this year we had it in spades. The briefing was even more confusing than ususal, this would have been a problem if any of the classic racers and our invited guests had never raced at the circuit before, but we all knew what to do and where to go if we had the time. Frustratingly the briefing ended 15 minutes before we were due to go out on track for the first qualifying session. We had been warned in the briefing this could start early, and sure enough it did such that when the gates opened to enter the track there were just 4 cars ready and waiting! For the first qualifying session there were just 17 cars with 12 PFfc racers and 5 invited guests. Two of these ‘guests’ were Paul Ugo and Richard Fenny who had chosen not to enter their GT4’s but to run in 360 Challenge cars. In the first qualifying session Paul Ugo would head the times of the Invited Guests and Gary Culver would have the best time of the Classic racers. In the second qualifying session Walter Doerrenberg in his 458 Challenge would head the times with Gary Culver again the best of the Classic racers. 

Race 1

On Friday evening we had the traditional pre-race dinner organised by John and Anne Swift complete with a thunderstorm and heavy overnight rain. The outlook for the first race did not look good but the weather began to clear and the track to dry out in time for the race. In damp conditions Paul Ugo set a good slow pace allowing all the cars to be lined up on the pit straight to see the red lights go out at the start of the race. All successfully made it round the La Source hairpin and the exhilarating ride up through Eau Rouge and Radillon. Paul Daniels had the clutch fail in his 328GTB before the first lap ended. As would be expected the Invitation cars were much the quickest and Paul Ugo in his 360 Challenge and would lead for the first 3 laps. After problems in qualifying Peter Rowbottom, 458 Challenge and Nicky Paul-Barron, 430 Challenge, would start at the back of the grid but they made up a lot of time with Rowbottom taking the lead after 3 laps and Paul-Barron finishing in 3rd place. With his various car troubles at Donington well behind him Gary Culver was in top form all weekend easily leading the Classic race. Vance Kearney, 355 Challenge, was second and an unusually subdued Jim Cartwright was third. He later reported he was struggling with a poor brake balance. With the demise of Paul Daniels, Peter Everingham, 328GTB, was the only runner in Group 3 and he finished behind Myles Paulton in his Group 4 328GTB. Group 2 had no entries for the weekend and William Moorwood as the sole Group 1 entry had a lonely time at the back of the field.

Race 2

The second race was early on Sunday morning and again the weather did not look good, but by the time we were in the assembly area the track appeared to be close to being dry and our invited guests were all on slick tyres. Unlike the previous day the race was declared a ‘wet’ race and the pace car lead the cars round the track at a very cautious pace and we all hoped that the cars at the front would be able to get some heat into their tyres. Once the lights went out and the cars entered the La Source hairpin there were some immediate waved yellow flag as Nicky Paul–Barron had spun at the apex of the corner. Worse was to come as Richard Fenny went wide and coming back onto the track he made contact with Paul Daniels in his 328 GTB causing both cars to retire and bring out the safety car. The good news is that both drivers escaped unharmed. Very soon the yellow flags were out everywhere and the safety car took over for two full laps whilst the track was cleared. When the lights went out it was a 4 lap sprint on a still damp circuit. Peter Rowbottom and Paul Ugo would finish first and second of the invitation racers but would be joined on the podium by Gary Culver who finished third overall. This time round it was not as easy for Culver as Jim Cartwright would finish less than a second behind him. Pete Fisk had an impressive race weekend keeping his 550 safely on the track the whole time and in finishing 3rd in the Classic race. He was awarded the RnR Driver of the Weekend award. Peter Everingham who had also had a harmless spin on the first corner again won Group 3 and this time round finished narrowly ahead of Myles Paulton. Rob Pulleyn, 328 GTB, did well in the tricky conditions finishing ahead of David Edge in his 355 Challenge. Unlike 2015 which was hot and dry there was a complete contrast this year with uncertain conditions all the time only adding to the challenge of this unique circuit.

Bev Burns has proved to be our only source of photographs and we thank her very much for her pictures. She could only take a few trackside shots from La Source hence the lack of track shots this year.

Donington Park – Jul 2-3

May 16th, 2016

For the third race meeting of 2016 the Pirelli Ferrari formula classic races were held on the full GP circuit at Donington Park. Probably for all the competitors this was a new experience as opportunities to race on the full circuit are hard to come by. We were able to run on the full circuit as we were part of the Masters race weekend which included their FIA GP and Sports Car races so were able to watch some exceptional classic racing – and there are few better places than the Craner Curves to watch.

Qualifying

The single 20 minute qualifying session would determine the grid for the two races with the fastest time counting for the first race and the second fastest for the second race. Before we even started Gary Culver withdrew his 328 GTB and despite rushing home to collect his 308GT4 rally car he decided that this car was also not race ready. But we still had 21 cars lined up and running for qualifying. As ever at Donington initially there did not seem to be too much grip but times quickly started coming down. David Tomlin ( 308GTB) started out late and put in three quick laps to be on pole for the first race but then put himself in the gravel trap at McCleans to bring out red flags and the end of the session.

Richard Dougal in Wayne Marrs’ 355 Challenge was on pole for the second race. Tris Simpson (355 Challenge) put in some consistent laps to be second on the grid for both races. Jim Cartwright headed the Group 4 cars in his 328 GTB, Chris Butler impressed in his first drive in his newly acquired ex-Richard Allen 328 GTB to be 5th on the grid for race 1. At the back of the grid Tim Mogridge encountered problems with his 355 Challenge and failed to put in a time, so too did Charlie Ugo who was called in with noise issues.

Race 1

There was a hectic start to the first race with David Tomlin failing to make a good start which allowed Tris Simpson and Jim Cartwright to get ahead. Further back Myles Paulton  (328GTS) had a gear selection issue causing him to lose ground and he set off near the back of the grid, by the time he reached Coppice he came up behind Richard Fenny who obliged by sliding off into the gravel but this did not stop him following Fenny into the same gravel trap, fortunately without contact. Under yellow flags the marshals were able to retrieve the cars without any hold up to the race. At the front of the race there was for a while a really close race between Simpson, Dougal, Tomlin and Jim Cartwright. Initially Simpson led but made an error and conceded the lead to Tomlin. Richard Dougal had a strong race running in second place before a sensor warned of a potential crankshaft problem so he promptly retired the car, always a wise move when driving a borrowed car.

Group 3 looks to be as competitive as last year with close competition between Chris Butler, Peter Everingham and Tim Walker in their 328 GTBs, Butler with his grid advantage had failed to make good use of it but by lap 7 was leading Group 3 and heading for a class win first time out in his new car. The race was be won by Tomlin, from Jim Cartwright and Tris Simpson. In 4th place was Richard Cook, 355 Challenge, who would go on to get a good result in race 2. Towards the back William Moorwood, 308GT4 headed Group 1 but was given plenty of pressure from Charlie Ugo in his first ever race.

Race 2

Prior to the start of the second race there was some tyre adjustments made. David Tomlin swopped his 16″ tyres for a well used set of 17″ tyres with no apparent change to his pace and Peter Everingham who had flat spotted his front tyres was able to borrow some replacements from Culver.

Race 2 was just as close as race 1 with Tris Simpson taking an early lead but with Tomlin and Jim Cartwright running close behind they soon took up the front two places with the lead changing places a number of times. Pete Fisk in his black Mondial QV started with concerns about oil pressure and soon thought better of continuing when he started to lay down a smokescreen so he wisely pulled off after one lap.

Peter Everingham liked his new tyres and had a storming race to head Group 3 for the whole race and Chris Butle, who made up a lot of time having started near the back of the grid, managed the fastest Group 3 lap of the weekend. Nick Cartwright (328 GTB) had two second places in Group 4 over the weekend and finished the second race 3 tenths of a second behind Paul Daniels who was driving his son’s 328 GTB.  Moorwood recorded his second Group 1 win of the weekend but was lucky to do it as Charlie Ugo, now in his second race, went easily past him but then had a big spin going down the Craner Curves. His performance over the two races impressed the race commentators so much that they gave him the RnR ‘Driver of the Weekend’.

At the end of the race it was Tomlin who finished 3 tenths of a second ahead of Cartwright with Tris Simpson 3rd and Tim Mogridge (355 Challenge) in 4th place. When the results came out Jim Cartwright was given a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits to drop to 4th place and Mogridge who had started at the back of the grid was promoted to the podium in 3rd place.

In all two really good races with plenty of close competition without any contact. Thanks to Simon Cooke for some really good photos, all of which can be found on his website.

 

Val de Vienne 500 Ferraris Against Cancer

May 16th, 2016

Our Pirelli formula classic series was indeed privileged to have been invited to race at the 22nd Sport & Collection “500 Ferraris against Cancer” event at Val de Vienne in France. This is principally a charity event benefiting the Cancer Research unit at Poitier University Hospital Centre. Some Euro 3.5m has been collected over 21 years. The late Didier Benaroya was instrumental in making this all happen for us. A memorial trophy was presented by Ferrari Club France during the Saturday evening cocktail party, and Didier was never far from our thoughts during the week-end. An event report is featured elsewhere so we will concentrate here just on our races.

In spite of threatened fuel shortages and poor weather our entry was excellent with 16 formula classics taking to the 3.729 Klm track for qualifying. One car was shared, so 17 drivers in all. It was excellent to see John Shirley racing his 355 and also Paul Daniels who was racing Ben Cartwright’s immaculate 328 GTB. This entry was bolstered by invited guests racing cars not compliant with the classic regulations. These were Nigel Jenkins’ 355 and Alberto Donati who was racing his lightweight (1050 Kgm) 308 GTB. A few of us oldies got quite excited about that car.

There were to be three races in all but with just one qualifying session. The grids being set as: best qualy time counting for race 1, 2nd best qualy time counting for race 2, and the finishing order of race 2 counting for the grid for race 3.

Top of the time sheets for formula classic was Lee Moulden’s 355 with Gary Culver’s 328 in close attendance. Next up was the stirring sight of Peter Fisk’s 550 Maranello ahead of Jim Cartwright’s 328. This was a remarkable turn around for the 550 after a troubled showing at the first race at Oulton Park. The pace was genuine and was consistently there all week-end. Peter was clearly having to try very hard indeed to achieve this performance, and was likely having a few frights along the way.

Off the line in race 1 it all went very still for Gary Culver as his stub axle broke bringing an immediate retirement. Peter Fisk stuggled to get traction in the 550 so into the first corner the order was Lee Moulden, Jim Cartwright and Chris Compton Goddard in his 308 GTB. Pete Fisk recovered from his poor start to take 3rd position. The best fun in race 1 was enjoyed by Chris Compton-Goddard, Peter Everingham and Nick Cartwright who where in close company. At the flag the order was Moulden (355), Jim Cartwright (328 GTB) Peter Fisk (550), Chris Compton Goddard (308 GTB). Peter Everingham took the Grp 3 win.

The Culver team, basically David Preston and support were now hard at work sorting the 328. Not only was there the broken stub axle but also an aggravating oil leak to find. The RnR team too were kept very busy looking after their many charges.

Race 2 on Saturday saw Peter Fisk on pole and wondering how he could get the 550 rolling in the best way possible. He actually did a decent job but missed out to Gary Culver into the first corner. Early on the order was Culver, Fisk, Kearney, Jim C & Chris CG. At race end Gary held on for the win from Jim C and Vance Kearney. Try as he might Pete Fisk dropped to a non-the-less respectable 4th over the line.

Race 3 on Sunday saw one of Vance Kearney’s best performances to take a deserved win from Jim Cartwright and Gary Culver. Next up were Chris Compton-Goddard, Peter Everingham and an improving Paul Daniels. Peter Fisk was actually challenging Culver but suffered total brake failure at the end of the long straight. 150 mph and no brakes! Most fortunately there was a large gravel trap and the big car was arrested before hitting the wall. Peter had a big scare and we were all so grateful that he and the car were safe. Post event the fault has been diagnosed as boiling brake fluid. Peter will race his Mondial at Donington whilst more work and testing of the 550 is completed. Let’s hope it re-appears at Spa where it could be epic.

Of our guests Nigel Jenkins in his 355 won all three races “on the road” pretty much as he pleased. The Donati 308 was fun to see and may join us again at Spa in July.

It had been an excellent week-end’s racing with no damage and a lot of good will was earned by our series. To be honest the racing was not as close or as exciting as at Oulton, but the various tipos do remain close in lap times which is excellent news.

Next on the calendar is Donington Park on Saturday and Sunday July 2nd & 3rd. A big entry is expected. Hopefully we will see the return of Wayne Marrs in his 355 and also Chris Butler in the ex. Richard Allen 328 GTB racing in group 3. See you there.

Oulton Park – May 7

May 16th, 2016

These were possibly the most anticipated races in recent years, as we finally got to see the effect of inviting slightly later cars into our formula classic series. Entry levels were considerably up on last year, and even after last minute withdrawals some 19 cars took to the track for the single qualifying session in bright and warm sunshine. Missing was the shared Kearney/Moulden 355 whose driveshaft came adrift at the last minute. They would start from the back of the grid in both races.

Even with a late start to the season some drivers and cars were more prepared and up to speed than others. Clearly on top form was Dave Tomlin (308 GTB) who took pole position for race 1 with an excellent 1.55.996. His 2nd fastest lap would also secure pole for race 2. Next up for race 1 was Tim Mogridge (355/Ch), Gary Culver (328 GTB) and Tris Simpson (355/Ch). In Group 3 for standard cars over 3 litres it was Tim Walker who took the honours over rival Peter Everingham. Chris Butler is joining this class from Donington in the ex. Richard Allen 328. This will certainly give the Walker/Everingham duo something to think about.

Race 1

After a clean start it was Tim Mogridge who lead lap 1 followed by his old Inter-Marque rival Tris Simpson , both in 355s.  The chasers were the old school of Tomlin, Culver and Jim Cartwright. Lee Moulden’s 355 had made very light work of making places and went from the back of the grid to P6 on lap 1. His charge was aided by a poor lap 3 from Tomlin and Lee was P3 at the end of lap 5. So the mid race was dominated by the 355s, but Culver was hanging on gamely in his 328. During the race we lost William Moorwood’s GT4, Rob Pulleyn’s 328 and the fabulous Pete Fisk 550 Maranello – all with technical issues. Newcomers Richard Cook (355/Ch), Terry Simpson (308 GT4) and Steve Kirton (Mondial) were having solid races with Cook particularly impressing. Group 3 was lead all the way by Tim Walker. The chasing Evers got passed by Chris Compton-Goddard’s 308 on lap 4, which tended to halt his chase for Group 3 honours.

The charging Lee Moulden took the lead on lap 9 which impressed none more so than Tim Mogridge who must have thought his name was on the trophy. The expected all 355 podium was altered when Tris Simpson had a wobble on lap 9 letting Culver through. It had been an excellent clean race with encouraging parity between the various tipos.

Race 2

A lovely afternoon was passed in the Ferrari paddock whilst the VW Fun Cup 4 hour race staggered from one safety car to another. The best race (ours of course) got going at 17.52pm. The winning 355 from race 1 was now to be driven by owner Vance Kearney – no pressure then! As it turned out the late hour seemed to suit some, as will be seen. The grid for Race 2 was set on 2nd fastest laps in qualifying, and this together with several lost laps due to exceeding track limits did mix things up a little. The Rob Pulleyn 328 was now driven by Chris Butler and was back in rude health.

At the end of lap 1 it was a revitalised Jim Cartwright who enjoyed a 2 sec. lead over Mogridge, Tomlin, Simpson and Culver. Group 3 winner from race 1 Tim Walker retired with electrical issues. This was a cracking race at the front with the old school looking particularly on it. In fact by lap 5 it was Tomlin (308), Jim Cartwright (328) and Culver (328) leading, with chasing Mogridge and Simpson finding the pace a tad warm.

These front three put on a great show of on the limit clean racingc – one of the best I have seen. The 355s too were having a superb scrap themselves but were falling behind the front pack. At the flag it was Tomlin who just held on from Cartwright and Culver. These three covered by just over half a second. Tim Mogridge held on from Tris Simpson in P4 and P5. Driver of the day was awarded to Gary Culver who showed great skill and commitment over the two races.

So what did we learn? With 355s dominating race 1 and 308/328s dominating race 2 we clearly have a fascinating season ahead. Some circuits may suit the older cars and some the newer models. Right now it is impossible to say which, and that is excellent news. Entry levels too are looking good and a 25 car grid is very likely at some point in the season.

Next up is Val de Vienne in France, followed by Donington Park on July 2nd.

Curborough – Oct 9

May 16th, 2016

Shelsley Walsh – Sep 18

May 16th, 2016

Prescott – Sep 3

May 16th, 2016

Curborough – Aug 21

May 16th, 2016

Loton Park – July 17

May 16th, 2016

Loton Park – Jul 16

May 16th, 2016

Doune – Jun 18-19

May 16th, 2016

Three Sisters – Apr 10

April 28th, 2016

It seemed like a good idea when I put this event on the calendar, now the reality of driving up North for the first of this seasons three long distance weekends hit me. Staying overnight at a local hotel with Mike Spicer was a good idea, but waking on a beautiful sunny clear morning near Wigan we had to scrape the frost off the cars. In April?? Thankfully we avoided any rounds in March this year.

No-one had been to the 3 Sisters track before, only seeing it on YouTube to get an idea of the layout. We all thought it would be a tight twisty karting track, but in real life it was actually quite wide,  like a scaled down version of Brands Hatch or Cadwell Park. The only downside is the small amount of run-off (not a worry if you’ve driven Shelsley Walsh) and the tarmac surface was a little rough in places so I wouldn’t want to race a kart around here.

The natives were friendly and the organisers were laid back and helpful, happy to see 8 of Italy’s finest cars appear here for the first time. The drivers briefing included a roll call to make sure every driver attended, luckily for Dave Snelson (458) he arrived just in time. Apart from the usual flag reminders they also warned all the new drivers to the track that it will be slippery until it warms up. They weren’t joking!

In first practice we found understeer halfway around every corner. But we managed to control ourselves and made it back in one piece, although Tony Attwood found oversteer and had the Dino at 45 degrees to the normal direction at the first right hand corner.

There were no additional splits for us to ponder on the scoreboard, just a plain and simple finish time, which showed Dave Snelson at the top as predicted with 55.78 – he was way ahead of the pack. With this sort of margin he could get the 20 points too. Nick Taylor (430) was next on 59.38, Mike Spicer (328) 60.41, and Richard Prior (355) on 62.87.

Pauline Goodwin had bought along her California, quite good for tackling sprint courses, although this one had a bit more elevation than Curborough or Blyton. Pauline was only 0.16 behind Spicer with 60.57, followed by Juan Moreno (360) 64.84 seconds, then Tony and Iwan Attwood sharing the 308 GT4 on 63.60 and 71.94 respectively.

As is tradition, we went for bacon sarnies after this excitement. The onsite diner seemed to be doing a lot of trade despite a lack of staff behind the counter, but it was worth waiting for. We talked about the lively 1st practice and hoped for more grip on the next one.

It didn’t take long before we were back in the cars.

Times improved for everyone, Snelson by 1.3 seconds and Taylor by 2 seconds. Spicer was faster by 3 seconds and Prior improved by 5 to sneak ahead of him. Iwan Attwood was more familiar with the track now and moved up by 6.5 seconds.

The meeting was running smoothly and well ahead of time, so an official run was announced before lunch.

We all returned to the cars, but unfortunately Pauline had left the California ignition turned on while checking tyre pressures, but the friendly locals rallied around with a booster pack and got her going again and slotted her into the end of the class. After this rushing around and chatting blokes up (as usual) the adrenalin was flowing and did her some good as she clocked a quick 56.90, ahead of Juan Moreno’s 58.14. Dave Snelson took almost 2 seconds off such was the power of the 458, Nick Taylor was now over 3 seconds adrift, with Richard Prior snapping at his heels just 0.18 behind on 56.12. Mike Spicer also got into the 56’s, just ¼ second ahead of PG.

After lunch the 2nd run showed more improvements, except Dave Snelson who had peaked in the 1st run and couldn’t shave any more time off for the rest of the day. We heard the news that there would be at least 2 more official runs, great we thought, you certainly get your money’s worth up here.

Most of the class reached their optimum time during the 3rd run. Nick Taylor peaked on 53.91, Mike Spicer managed an incredible 54.99 in the 328, and Pauline squeezed another 0.66 out of the big Cali to record her best of 56.10. In this run and the last one, Juan was keeping up with Pauline, always within a couple of tenths. He topped out on 56.24, and Iwan was happy with steady progress throughout the day to rest on 62.80.

The 4th run wasn’t too late in the day, but the sun was down over the yard arm and it started to cool off a bit. Only Richard Prior and Tony Attwood would go quicker on this one. Prior broke into the 53’s at last but frustrated to be 1/100th behind Nick Taylor, and Tony found a half second from somewhere to finish on 59.38.

Incredibly they did start a 5th official run, but after stoppages due to 2 major offs with single seaters beyond the finish line, we realised we wouldn’t make it on track before the meeting curfew came up. So we resigned ourselves to taking the Pirelli plates off and removing the door numbers.

Dave Snelson got the scratch win, comfortably ahead of Nick Taylor, but Richard Prior was still kicking himself for just being pipped into 3rd.

Mike Spicer was the clear winner for the 20 points, more than 1 second ahead of Prior who took 17 points. Nick Taylor got the 15 and Dave Snelson 13 points.

It’s almost a month until the next round, again up north with the double header at Harewood.

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