Tragedy overshadowed the British Car Racing Membership assembly at Manufacturers Hatch final weekend when a crash throughout the opening Pre-’93/Pre-’03 Basic Touring Automotive race on Saturday contributed to trackside marshal Rob Foote sustaining fatal injuries.
The incident came about after two vehicles collided and one was launched right into a collection of violent rolls earlier than hitting the marshal submit alongside the Brabham Straight. The race was instantly halted and emergency providers had been on the scene inside seconds. The rest of Saturday’s observe exercise was cancelled, whereas a revised timetable was organised for Sunday, with the Pre-’66 Touring Automotive and Britcar Trophy contests among the many highlights.
Former British Touring Automotive driver Alan Greenhalgh stormed to victory in a dry opening Pre-’66 encounter in his Ford Falcon, however he admitted his success was “hole” within the wake of Saturday’s occasions. Robyn Slater (Ford Anglia) claimed second after powering across the outdoors of Barry Sime’s Morris Mini Cooper S at Paddock.
Sime, hampered by throttle points in race one, benefited from a change in climate situations to take a lights-to-flag win within the second race. Neil Bray got here dwelling second on the street in his Austin Mini Cooper, however was later handed a 10-second penalty for a false begin. John Davies was the grateful beneficiary in his related automotive, taking the runner-up spot in his first race at Manufacturers for 27 years. The damp situations additionally helped James Ibbotson take an total podium end in his Hillman Imp.
Rain was additionally falling in the beginning of the primary Britcar Trophy race. The preliminary levels had been dominated by the BMW 1 Sequence of Kevin Clarke (sharing with Simon Baker) till a suspected electrical glitch prompted the automotive to chop out on the run to Druids on lap 26 of 45. Clarke additionally overshot his pit seconds later as he got here in to have the automotive checked. Axel van Nederveen, driving solo in his Ginetta G56 GTA, got here by to say the spoils forward of Mark Lee’s related G56.
Alan Greenhalgh (Ford Falcon), Manufacturers Hatch 2021
Photograph by: Gary Hawkins
Baker and Clarke bounced again to win race two by virtually a lap, as Lee withstood a late problem from the BMW M3 E46 of Jasver Sapra/Bryan Bransom to seal one other runner-up spot.
The only real Pre-’83 Touring Automotive occasion was gained by Mark Lucock in his Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000 after a advantageous defensive drive helped him maintain the same machine of a number of class champion Stephen Primett at bay. Poleman Mike Luck (BMW E21 320) recovered from a poor begin to make the lead battle a three-way tussle within the closing laps, however he was pressured to accept third.
Three drivers additionally battled for victory within the single Junior Saloon occasion. Harvey Caton, Ruben Hage and collection chief Charlie Hand had been all in rivalry for victory when a heavy rain bathe soaked the observe at Clearways. All three slid huge on the greasy floor on the ultimate tour, however Hage recovered his composure the quickest to defeat Caton on the run to the road.
Gary Prebble (Honda Civic EG) gained Sunday’s Pre-’93/Pre-’03 race after gearbox points sidelined closest rival AJ Owen in his Sort R, nevertheless it was the phrases of runner-up Dave Griffin (BMW E36 M3) that summed up a tragic weekend. “We’re all devastated by what occurred yesterday,” he stated. “Our ideas are all with the marshals.”
Oulton Park TOCA: Hanafin and Jewiss steal the headlines once more
Lorcan Hanafin, Porsche Carrera Cup, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Porsche
For the second occasion in a row, pre-season Porsche Carrera Cup GB title favourites Dan Cammish and Harry King didn’t win both race as as soon as once more Lorcan Hanafin and Kiern Jewiss underlined their expertise with a wonderful win apiece.
Hanafin led all through the opener from pole nevertheless it was removed from a straightforward victory for the JTR teenager as he had Cammish in his shadow. The double Redline champion – whose weekend didn’t get off to one of the best of begins with him being given a four-point championship deduction following an investigation of two Manufacturers Hatch incidents – was all around the again of Hanafin however unable to make a transfer.
Cammish did initially look set to lose his second-placed end on account of a 10-second penalty for being out of place in the beginning, however he was in a position to efficiently attraction this, arguing he had adopted a marshal’s instruction.
Additional again, Richardson Racing’s Will Martin grabbed a powerful podium, whereas King’s progress from seventh on the grid after a disjointed, rain-affected qualifying was restricted. He had made two locations on the opening lap however discovered Martin a more durable nut to crack, earlier than then getting a penalty that demoted him to sixth for a sturdy transfer on Jewiss late on.
Kiern Jewiss, Porsche Carrera Cup, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Porsche
Jewiss was drawn on pole for the reversed-grid second race and this was an intriguing nail-biter as the highest 5 had been collectively for a lot of the encounter. However a pissed off Hanafin was not a part of this group as an excellent preliminary begin left him on the skin by {Old}
Corridor and onto the grass, the place he spun again throughout the observe and picked up Will Bratt at Cascades. “I’ve had three unhealthy race twos now,” stated Hanafin, who was not less than happy along with his qualifying tempo – him and Cammish being almost seven tenths quicker than the remaining.
With the highest 5 operating so shut, inevitably there can be some shuffling and it was Cammish who went for a transfer first. However his makes an attempt to move Martin at Island and the chicane backfired as King snuck forward – half on the grass – up Clay Hill. This broke the pack up and Jewiss edged clear, with Lewis Plato simply clinging on to second from Martin.
All of meaning it’s Jewiss who enjoys the narrowest of factors leads, with each Hanafin and Cammish a solitary marker behind in what is about to be an intriguing scrap for the remainder of the season.
Oliver Barker, Mini Problem, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Jakob Ebrey
It needs to be probably the most weird methods of taking your maiden Mini Problem win. Oliver Barker suffered a daunting roll after colliding with the Cascades obstacles on the restart of the second race at Oulton Park, but the end result was taken from the primary stoppage that means Barker was declared the winner.
Jim Loukes grabbed the lead from polesitter Sam Weller on the preliminary begin however the pair’s battling into Island allowed Barker to dive forward of them each. Weller then handed Loukes at Lodge earlier than, three laps later, Loukes ran barely huge out of {Old} Corridor onto the grass and into the obstacles, with the angle of the affect then sending him right into a collection of barrel rolls and resulting in a pink flag.
Third-starting Dan Zelos brilliantly grabbed the lead on the restart however this didn’t final even half a lap earlier than Barker ran barely huge out of Cascades and, as he rejoined, tangled with Weller. This despatched him into the obstacles on the within and he rolled again throughout the observe, the pack miraculously avoiding him.
Barker emerged unharmed however that marked the top of the race. With officers deeming the end result to be the order from lap three of the primary begin, it subsequently meant Excelr8 driver Barker was victorious from Weller (Hybrid Tune) and Zelos. The Barker/Weller crash was investigated however no motion was taken.
Earlier, Max Hen was triumphant within the calmer first contest. Hen, who was sixth in race two, led all through however had Excelr8 team-mate and title rival Dan Zelos on his tail throughout the opening half earlier than Zelos put a wheel on the grass exiting the chicane and it immediately gave Hen a close to four-second benefit, which he duly transformed to a transparent win. Weller was third on the street, however a false-start penalty relegated him to seventh and promoted Jason Lockwood to an all-Excelr8 podium.
“It’s simple to ease off an excessive amount of or nonetheless push an excessive amount of and make a mistake,” stated Hen, who paid tribute to his crew after they fastened his differential on the eve of qualifying. “The automotive was getting fairly lairy into Flip 1 so I did ease off just a little in the previous few laps. I wished the quickest lap as properly however you may’t win all of them!”
Nonetheless, Hen is as much as second within the standings, though Zelos’s race-two podium meant he truly elevated his benefit over Hen by two factors.
Joseph Loake, British F4, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Jakob Ebrey
Joseph Loake was a contented younger bloke as he made the quick journey dwelling from Oulton Park to Macclesfield, due to a dominant win and a 3rd place within the two vital British F4 races at Oulton Park.
Aside from a win at Thruxton, reigning Fiesta Junior champion Loake had poor outcomes over the opening three rounds. Nobody had a solution to James Hedley in a difficult qualifying session, by which wet-weather tyres narrowly had the sting over slicks, however Loake shadowed JHR team-mate Matthew Rees all through the opener, as Rees in flip piled the stress on collection chief Hedley’s Fortec Motorsport automotive, however with out discovering a gap.
Hedley had a poor begin and opening lap within the finale to drop to fifth, and Loake surged clear whereas the remaining tried to move Eduardo Coseteng. The Filipino held on properly, earlier than Peruvian Matias Zagazeta – hobbled by electrical woes within the first two races – breached his defences at {Old} Corridor with 4 laps remaining.
Roman Bilinski then adopted go well with with a stunning transfer at Cascades, as Coseteng finally fell to seventh behind Dougie Bolger and the 2 major title battlers, Rees and Hedley. Rees this time received the higher of their combat when Hedley ran huge at {Old} Corridor on the penultimate lap.
A nasty qualifying set McKenzy Cresswell up properly for the reversed-grid race, and he surged from fifth to guide by the hairpin on the opening lap. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak additionally handed poleman Thomas Ikin, who thereafter stayed impervious to Abbi Pulling, who’d run slicks in qualifying.
Tom Hibbert, Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Jakob Ebrey
Tom Hibbert loved a near-perfect weekend within the Ginetta GT4 Supercup at Oulton Park, whereas key title rival Adam Smalley had one to overlook. Qualifying didn’t fairly go the way in which of the Rob Boston racer as a pink flag left Hibbert down in fifth. However he emerged victorious within the opener after a terrific begin catapulted him to second out of {Old} Corridor and he then shadowed Smalley dwelling.
However the Elite Motorsport driver picked up a mixed 15 seconds of observe limits penalties that dropped him to twelfth within the closing end result and dented his title cost.
Hibbert admitted he was stunned to see an enormous 1.5s lead on the restart after an early security automotive in race two, as Reece Somerfield was caught out. Somerfield then proved to be a cork within the bottle and it was not till three laps from dwelling that his defences had been breached, Josh Rattican making a sensational transfer to seize second down the within of Cascades.
However Hibbert had lengthy since scampered clear by this level. His profitable margin was 6.2s and, crucially for the title combat, Smalley might solely progress to sixth from eleventh on the grid, so fell 36 factors adrift.
Liam McNeilly, Ginetta Junior, Oulton Park 2021
Photograph by: Jakob Ebrey
The journey to Cheshire was not a very memorable one for the Ginetta Junior discipline as simply 4 true racing laps had been accomplished amid a pink flag in its sole contest and a number of delays elsewhere.
Rookie Josh Rowledge produced comfortably his greatest qualifying efficiency of the season to land pole – his earlier highest being fifth – and he saved the lead in the beginning, whereas Callum Voisin handed the fast-starting Max Dodds to seize second from fourth on the grid in simply over a lap. However the race was then neutralised with Zac Meakin off at {Old} Corridor and, as repairs had been wanted to the obstacles, a pink flag was proven.
This left a four-lap restart and Liam McNeilly was the driving force on the transfer as he shortly dispatched Josh Miller for third after which grabbed the lead out of the chicane when Rowledge and Voisin had been delayed battling one another.
McNeilly simply stayed forward all through the rest, however the prime six had been separated by a second on the flag. McNeilly’s win gifted the Fox driver the factors lead as erstwhile table-topper Seb Hopkins was solely eighth. With no time to run race two, Knockhill is about to function significantly extra Ginetta Junior motion as 4 races at the moment are scheduled.
Mallory Park BARC: Wolfenden fights for prime honours in FF1600
Northern and Tremendous Basic FF1600, Mallory Park 2021
Photograph by: Mick Walker
Jack Wolfenden consolidated his benefit on the head of the Northern and Tremendous Basic Formulation Ford Championship’s Professional class with a victory and a second place at Mallory Park.
It wasn’t a day with out drama, nevertheless. Within the opener, Firman driver Wolfenden tracked James Hadfield’s Van Diemen on the preliminary getaway, however the race was halted to get better Richard Ketterman’s damaged Reynard. Wolfenden made a poor restart, falling behind the venerable Merlyn of Hadfield’s father Simon. The Firman and Merlyn made contact on Stebbe Straight, sending Hadfield Sr spinning and different vehicles off in avoidance, together with frontrunner Peter Daly’s Van Diemen, which retired.
Wolfenden continued a good distance adrift of Hadfield Jr, who finally gained by seven seconds. Nigel Dolan dived forward of Paul Mason’s Swift at Lake Esses on lap 9 of 13 however, when Mason tried to reverse the positions on the ultimate tour, he left the door open for Benjamin Cochran (Van Diemen) and Nick Barnes (Swift) to say fourth and fifth.
Wolfenden gained the second race, driving across the outdoors of Hadfield Jr at Gerard’s Bend on lap six after the same try failed a lap earlier. Cochran handed Dolan for third place on the similar nook, with Dolan being shuffled again to sixth on the hairpin. The race ended chaotically, nevertheless, with a warning interval instigated when Alan Fincham’s Van Diemen shed a wheel. A restart was anticipated when the protection automotive lights went out, nevertheless it stayed on observe and, within the confusion, Stuart Kestenbaum and Leanne McShane collided, inflicting a pink.
Alex Cursley dominated the opening Hyundai Coupe Cup race, surging to a 7s victory. A fierce battle raged for second, with Wayne Rockett getting the higher of Alistair Dendy – in one of many few Gen3 fashions on the grid – at Gerard’s Bend a few excursions from the top.
Cursley gained once more later, including to his Thruxton double, however this time Rockett utilized stress all through, ending lower than 1s adrift. Neale Hurren was third, surviving a late menace from Matt Mitter.
Alex Cursley, Hyundai Coupe Cup, Mallory Park 2021
Photograph by: Mick Walker
It was a considerably damaging day within the Pickup Truck Racing championship, and factors chief Reece Jones didn’t keep away from the chaos. He was a part of a multi-truck shunt on the finish of the primary lap of race one which dominated him out of the remainder of the day’s motion, whereas a number of different opponents ended their race within the Flip 4 guardrail.
After the inevitable stoppage, Dan Petters led the restart however was quickly usurped by George Turiccki. The reigning champion was nonetheless forward when pink flags flew once more, some vans having been broken when a tyre used to mark the sting of the observe at T4 discovered its method onto the circuit.
Race two developed right into a four-truck lead battle, with Turiccki and Allen Cooper the principle combatants. After a few adjustments, Cooper made an important transfer at Flip 3 on lap 21 of 25, with Turiccki’s hopes of combating again thwarted by backmarkers. Mark Willis accomplished the rostrum, forward of Michael Smith.
Pete Sparrow saved up his unbeaten document on this yr’s 2CV championship. He led the opening race all through, however took 4 laps to seek out his approach to the entrance of the second contest, by which Luca Proietti stole second from Kris Tovey on the ultimate lap.
Studies by Mark Libbeter, Stephen Lickorish, Marcus Simmons and Ian Sowman. Pictures by Gary Hawkins, Jakob Ebrey Pictures/Motorsport Images and Mick Walker. Need extra reviews from the world of nationwide motorsport? Subscribe today and by no means miss your weekly repair of motorsport with Autosport journal
Pete Sparrow, 2CV, Mallory Park 2021
Photograph by: Mick Walker