Round 9 MSA British Sprint Championship - Bristol Two Clubs Sprint - 30/08/04
Wiltshire's Winning Ways
It was blustery but sunny at Colerne, near Bath, which isn't surprising as it is an RAF base. The Bank Holiday Monday capacity field were gathered to take part in the latest round of the British Sprint Championship. It was also a round of the prestigious Southwest Championship and there was a distinct competitive edge to proceedings. There were several absentees but the main talking point was Tony Eyles's switch to the Road Going classes after sustaining severe leg injuries in a motorcycle crash whilst on holiday in Spain. Eyles was hobbling round the paddock and had been unable to get into the Lola earlier in the week so switched to his Mercedes 500CL to ensure he at least garnered the Loyalty Points.
In the class runs Tony Eyles rumbled round taking just one run before returning home, mission accomplished. Steve Broughton also had a late switch to a Caterham Mod Prod when his OMS suffered terminal damage to the output shaft when yet another chain parted. In the Road Production classes there were several interesting cars. The 1400 division went to the high revving Suzuki Swift of Bruce Graham who had Mark Galvin (Metro) hard on his heels. The 1800 Division saw Rob Clarke recover from third to take the win in his Elise at the expense of the Mark Roberts/Jonathan Milne pairing in the Honda CRX. The 2600 Division went to the turbocharged Ford Puma of Toby Harris whilst the elderly Triumph TR3 of Ben Short took second.
In the over 2600 class Kevin Jones blitzed the opposition in his Noble M12 GTO 3 finishing over three seconds clear of Mike McBraida in the Mitsubishi EVO 6. Reg Palmer was giving his Maserati Bi-Turbo Coupe another run-out and despite a weight disadvantage over the more modern machinery the Italian Stallion was not out gunned in fifth. There was the usual clutch of Locaterfields (that's Lotus, Caterhams and Westfields) in the Road Kit Car classes. In the 1800 Division David Jackson's Superlight reigned supreme whilst Tony Thorp and Simon Tidmus battled for second in their standard Sevens. In the over 1800 Division Martin Perry just held off a concerted challenge by Richard Gambling and John Mearns whilst Tony Streeting brought his recently acquired CarCraft Cyclone home fourth.
Into the Mod Prod classes and in the first, Andrew Till's single run in his Clan Crusader took the class in a cloud of tyre smoke! Pete Crudgington's Mini Marcos took second whilst Julian Rainbow was third in his Sylva Fury. In the 1800 Division Pete Devall took the class in the Davrian Mk 8 he shares with Richie Devall who was in turn second. The Alfasud of Nick Wood and Cherry Robinson had to be flung through the sea of cones to keep up. In the 2600 Division Graham Ford brought his Day-Glo Yellow Caterham home first some five seconds clear of Paul Perkin in his re-shelled Peugeot 205.
In the 1800 Sports Libre class Barry Rogers Nike Mk12 took top honours as he romped home well clear of the rest. In the over 1800 class local hotshot Ian Hall took the lead in the Darrian T98R complete with Rover V8 power. His closest rival was John Sampson on the Mod Prod Quantum who was amalgamated into this class. In the Racing Car classes Ross Browne was top of the 1100s with his Force whilst Chris Perry took second in his elderly spaceframe OMS. The 1600 Racing Car class went to first time visitor to Colerne Roy Dawson.
The DJ Firehawk driver was over a second clear of local hero Scott Pillinger in the family Royale. David Mosley took third in his OMS whilst Scott's dad Dave came home in fourth. The two-litre class went to local legend Dave Cutcliffe in his scruffy Van Diemen. He had washed it the day before but the wiring loom looks like it has been assembled by a colour-blind crackhead! Despite this rudimentary appearance the car is phenomenal round the sweeping Colerne circuit and Dave once again annexed Fastest Time of the Day. Second was British Sprint Championship leader Tony Wiltshire who led home Simon Ashby and Terry Holmes. The final class for over two-litre Racing Cars went to Martin Dowling in the 1988 Reynard F3000 car. The same car, co-driven by John Payne, took second whilst John Forsyth on his British Sprint Championship debut was third.
Top Twelve Run-off
Dave Cutcliffe was included in the running order so as to defend his position as leader of the FTD Trophy race. He occupied first place in the running order and although he didn't improve his time he remained fastest overall. Phil Lynch had qualified well on his first visit to Colerne but when he struck a cone on his first run the deranged steering ruled him out on the spot. John Sampson got a wriggle on but despite going quicker remained in eleventh place. Mike Musson held onto tenth whilst John Payne was a disappointed ninth in the Judd powered Reynard. Graham Porrett only put in one run as the Reynard-Ford was overheating after Terry Holmes's first run and Graham stood down to allow the car to cool.
Local tyro Kevin Lealan made up for the horsepower deficit by local knowledge and a gutsy drive. His seventh place was a fine reward on his British Sprint Championship debut. Sixth and making a return to Colerne some six years after his last visit was Steve Miles. Roy Dawson was another to take just one run. The Scotsman had no major problem only he couldn't go any quicker so opted out! Terry Holmes just held onto fourth despite the overheating and in third was Martin Dowling. The Harrogate driver had spun out on his first run so run two had to count! Simon Ashby finished a delighted second, his best result ever in the Sprint Championship. Meanwhile Tony Wiltshire just flew in his attempt to catch Dave Cutcliffe. Despite failing to do so he still took maximum points and reinforced his position at the top of the table.
Roll on Aintree in just four days time!
Results:
1 Tony Wiltshire (2.0 Ralt-Peugeot/Longman RT34) 66.08sec
2 Simon Ashby (2.0 Reynard-Millington 883) 68.04sec
3 Martin Dowling (3.5 Reynard-Judd 88D) 68.50sec
4 Terry Holmes (2.0 Reynard-Ford/Tegra SF84) 69.46s
5 Roy Dawson (1.3 DJ-Suzuki Firehawk) 70.45sec
6 Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen-Ford /Durrell RF96M) 70.67s
7 Kevin Lealan (2.0 Formula Vauxhall Lotus) 70.75sec
8 John Payne (3.5 Reynard-Judd 88D) 70.81sec
9 Graham Porrett (2.0 Reynard-Ford/Tegra SF84) 71.90sec
10 Mike Musson (2.0 Dual-Force-Suzuki/Powertek) 73.56sec
11 John Sampson (5.0 Quantum-Rover Xtreme) 73.85sec
Phil Lynch (2.0 Ralt-Alfa Romeo/Connaught RT30) Failed
FTD Dave Cutcliffe (2.0 Van Diemen-Ford DC93M) 64.95sec
Class Winners:
Bruce Graham (1.3 Suzuki Swift GTi) 91.80sec
Rob Clarke (1.8 Lotus Elise Sport 160) 85.85sec
Toby Harris (1.6t Ford Puma) 88.11s
Kevin Jones (3.0t Noble M12 GTO 3) 81.72s
David Jackson (1.6 Caterham Superlight) 77.98sec
Martin Perry (2.0 Westfield SEi) 78.04sec
Andrew Till (1.1 Clan Crusader) 82.83sec
Pete Devall (1.7 Davrian Mk8) 85.33sec
Graham Ford (2.0 Caterham 7) 78.42sec
Barry Rogers (1.7 Nike Mk12) 77.00sec
Ian Hall (5.2 Darrian T89R) 70.93sec
Ross Browne (1.1 Force 10) 72.64sec
Dawson 70.55sec
Cutcliffe 65.42sec
Dowling 68.70sec
Round 10 MSA British Sprint Championship - Liverpool Motor Club Autumn Sprint - 03/09/04
Despite early morning drizzle, the day improved until the sun shone and the times came tumbling down. Steve Broughton and Kim Kingham withdrew mid-week as the OMS hadn't been repaired and wouldn't be finished on time. Terry Stockwell failed to make the trip with the Van Diemen Multisport. However Tony Eyles did make it and he had brought a Lola as well!
After two practice runs the efficient Liverpool Motor Club swung into the first class runs before the lunch break. Leading off were the Road Modified classes and in the 1400 Division Yorkshireman Mike Geen not only won but also set a new class record in his 205XS. George Povey brought his immaculate Mini-Cooper home second just ahead of Paul Webb's Charade. In the 2000 Division it was an Elise clean sweep with Dave Coveney, Bobby Fryers and Gary Thomas finishing 1-2-3. First non-Elise home was the 205GTi of Russell Herring whilst Russell Thorpe took fifth in his R5GT Turbo.
In the over 2000 Division Tim Hanlon took top honours in his WRX Impreza whilst David Wood was second in his Boxster. Stars of the class were the three Rover SD1 Vitesses of John Ellis, Peter and Tony Forshaw. The Blackrod Motor Club trio slung these huge beasties round enjoying their day and entertaining the crowd. Next we were into the Kit Car classes. In the 1700 class John Palmer eventually took the class record in his Puma engined Westfield after a first run blighted by a misfire. A simple additional earth to the engine management box cured the problem! Second spot went to Bob Bellerby in his Peugeot powered Stiker with Brad Gould in the Pre-Lit Westfield third. David Druker found himself and his beautiful TVR Cerbera in the over 1800 Kit Car class which he duly won.
Mod Prods were thin on the ground but the winner of the two-litre class, Graham Oates, was in fine form and just failed to beat the class record. Second went to Paul Norris in the Pinto powered Chrysler Sunbeam whilst Paul Hughes two-litre Corsa was third. Sean Bramhall was the only over two-litre runner in his Porsche 964RS but he still gave it everything en route to a class win. The final Mod Prod class saw all the Kit Cars combined into the one class and it was John Sampson who took the laurels in his Xtreme. Garry Dickson, who travelled all the way down from the Orkneys, took a fine second whilst the pretty Locost Loccarama of Malcolm MacKay was third. There was a single Sports Libre class and after taking the lead Phil Major dropped back to second in his turbocharged OMS as Stuart Nelson got the Haggispeed-MG into first spot.
In the Racing Car classes there were three new class records. In the 1100s John Chacksfield not only lowered his own class record but also qualified for the run-off. Tony Ellis was second in the Megapin whilst Andrew Dobson brought his OMS home third. Making its Aintree debut was the RBS6 of the Reverend Barry Whitehead and he slotted into sixth spot on only its third event. In the Formula Ford class record holder Graham Curwen confided in me that his class record might well be beaten. Prophetic words as David Bailey in the Swift reset the record book on each successive run! Curwen came home second so a winter rebuild is already being planned. Jim Yardley was the only 1600 runner with his homebuilt Beagle-Honda but despite the lack of opposition he got very close to Guy Gibson's record.
In the two-litres Tony Wiltshire proved to be the man on form as he demolished the three-year-old class record as Simon Ashby took second and Steve Miles snatched third spot. Martin Dowling loves Aintree and his class win was dominant. The car also took second in the hands of John Payne but this week John got a lot closer. Tony Eyles, who was still limping badly from his motorcycle accident, took third slot.
In the Historics Bernard Mooney in his Porsche 914 was up against three drivers in Sunbeam Alpines. As the class was decided on handicap scratch winner Bryn Griffiths was relegated to second by wife Diane in their shared Alpine. Mooney finished third ahead of Stephen Chapman's pretty Harrington Alpine. No less than 26 Caterhams battled out the Lotus Seven Club Speed Championship round. Brodie Branch set the fastest time in his Hayabusa powered version as Graham Ford, he of the Day-Glo Yellow Caterham, was second, hounded all the way by Jeremy Clarke in another Hayabusa powered car. In the final class Simon Baines was an easy winner in his Morgan Plus 8 as the only other Moggie present was John Stephens K-Series powered 4/4.
Top Twelve Run Off
If Mike Musson didn't have any bad luck then he'd have no luck at all! On his first run the Force's two Suzuki engines decided to change gear out of sync. This meant rapid adjustments, but also time lost, and as the fault couldn't be fixed both Mike's runs were uncompetitive and resulted in a 12th place finish. Tracey Ashby had qualified well and she put in a banker first run. Unfortunately she bogged down at the start and lost time on her second run which was slower; net result 11th place. John Sampson was grinning from ear to ear as he came to the line. With two improved times the Quantum MD held onto 10th and pocketed three championship points.
John Chacksfield on his British Sprint Championship debut had only qualified 12th but in the run-offs he put in two scintillating runs to move up to 9th - he is now looking for a more powerful car! Graham Porrett was somewhat lacklustre first time round but put in a storming second run to move into 8th. Steve Miles did improve on each run but by only fractions of a second so remained 7th. Terry Holmes was another who made small improvements and his 6th place meant no additional points in his championship bid as he was already dropping a sixth place finish! Simon Ashby however managed to gain points on all ahead with his 5th place that was well deserved.
Tony Eyles's difficulty with the heavy clutch meant fourth was the best he could do and his championship aspirations were fading fast. Tony Wiltshire fluffed his first start, stalling the engine and registering a failed run. So his second would have to count; it was a superb effort but was only good enough for third. Wilt like Holmes failed to advance his score so the championship race bunched up. Second spot went to John Payne, his best result of the season, with his near perfect starts making all the difference. A slight mistake at Country corner meant he was slower second time round but second was good enough. Meanwhile Martin Dowling cruised home at the head of the field. Dowling had been fastest all day and the repeat of his maiden championship win just 12 months later was a huge boost for the rest of the season.
With the double header at Pembrey just a week away the championship could be concluded in South Wales. Will Wilt win? Or will Tony Eyles do enough to take it to a final round shoot-out? All will be revealed at the capital of Welsh Motor Racing.
Results:
1 Martin Dowling (3.5 Reynard-Judd 88D) 39.33s
2 John Payne (3.5 Reynard-Judd 88D) 39.74s
3 Tony Wiltshire (2.0 Ralt-Peugeot/Longman RT34) 39.85s
4 Tony Eyles (3.5 Lola-Judd/Connaught ERH) 40.40s
5 Simon Ashby (2.0 Reynard-Millington 883) 41.61s
6 Terry Holmes (2.0 Reynard-Ford/Tegra SF84) 42.72s
7 Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen-Ford/Dunnell RF96M) 43.05s
8 Graham Porrett (2.0 Reynard-Ford/Tegra SF84) 43.60s
9 John Chacksfield (1.1 OMS-Kawasaki 2000M) 43.64s
10 John Sampson (5.0 Quantum-Rover Xtreme) 43.66s
11 Tracey Ashby (2.0 Reynard-Millington 883) 43.82s
12 Mike Musson (2.0 Duel-Force-Suzuki/Powertek) 45.65s
Championship Positions:
1 Wiltshire 99pts
2 Holmes 87pts
3 Eyles 86pts
4 Simon Ashby 78pts
5 Steve Broughton 77pts
FTD: Martin Dowling 39.33s
Class Winners:
Mike Geen (1.4 Peugeot 205XS) 54.15s - Record
Dave Coveney (1.8 Lotus Elise) 52.56s
Tim Hanlon (2.0t Subaru Impreza) 54.49s
John Palmer (1.7 Westfield-Ford/Aldon SEi) 49.71s - Record
David Druker (4.5 TVR Cerbera) 59.01s
Graham Oates (1.8 Lotus Europa) 48.43s
Sean Bramhall (3.6 Porsche 964RS) 55.85s
Sampson 43.93s - Record
Stuart Nelson (1.7 Haggispeed-MG) 47.92s
Chacksfield 43.80s - Record
David Bailey (1.6 Swift-Ford SC93F) 48.43s - Record
Jim Yardley (1.6 Beagle-Honda MkV D) 43.17s
Wiltshire 40.09s - Record
Dowling 39.43s
Diane Griffiths (1.7 Sunbeam Alpine) 64.10s Handicap
Brodie Branch 1.3 Caterham-Hayabusa 7) 46.05s - Record
Simon Baines (3.9 Morgan +8) 51.64s
Steve Wilkinson - 13 Sep 2004
