The Equipe Classic September race meeting at Snetterton was notable for its change in format. Instead of the usual 40 minute races for the Libre, GTS and 70s, all the series had two 20 minute races on the Sunday with overall positions being the aggregate of the two races. Saturday was devoted to qualifying. Rather than having the grid for race 2 based on the race 1 results each series had two 20 minute sessions to decide the respective starting positions.

There were worthy winners and great battles right down the order, some new cars, some new drivers and many familiar faces. Equipe Classic Racing once again provided a wonderful sociable atmosphere in the paddock as well as memorable on track action.

Equipe Sports Racing Cars

The Equipe Sports Racing Cars kicked off Sunday’s packed day of racing. It was a first outing for the series which featured some classic cars from the 1960s. Robert Tusting was on pole in his Lenham P69 Spyder and led the field away, the Chevron B16 of Daniel Pickett next up and ahead at the end of lap one as Tusting tumbled down the order after a moment early in the lap.

As Tusting set about working his way back up the order Pickett led but was under pressure early on from the Chevron B8 of Joel Hopwood, Up to 2nd by lap five, Tusting was flying and took the lead on lap seven with a superb move round the outside at Agostini and then continued his charge to open a gap of some 4secs from Pickett when the flag flew after 10 laps. Congratulations to Hopwood who crossed the line in P3 to record his first ever podium finish.

There was no mistake from Tusting on the opening lap of the afternoon’s race and he led at the end of lap 1 with Pickett working hard to stay in contention. After a storming first lap from sixth on the grid the Lotus 23B of Andrew Hibbard was into P3 ahead of Hopwood who was running 4th.

Tusting eased away as the race progressed to claim his second win of the day with Pickett secure in 2nd. A podium for Hibbard disappeared on lap 8 when he pitted leaving Hopwood to claim his second podium finish. The Lotus 23B of Nick Adams came home 4th after a lengthy battle with the Chevron B16 of Alan Purbrick.

Equipe GTS

A great field of cars lined up for the first of the Equipe GTS races with the TVR Granturas of John Caudwell and Chris Ryan on the front row. However, a strong start from row two  by Mark Ellis in his Morgan Plus 4 saw him into 2nd at the first corner and leading by the end of lap 1. Ryan was 2nd with the MGB of Tom Smith up to 3rd. Caudwell, who completed the first lap in P4  later slipping down the order following a pit visit.

Ellis was flying and the quickest car on the track in the opening laps. Behind him Ryan was working hard to stay in contention and the leading duo opened a ever increasing gap to Smith. For much of the race Mark Campbell (Triumph TR4) and Jack Willmott (TVR Grantura) disputed P4, the duel decided in Campbell’s favour when Willmott retired on the final lap.

Ryan found extra pace as the race progressed and started to close back in on Ellis. He set the  fastest lap on lap 9 to get tantalisingly close to Ellis who held on to take the win with an advantage of just 1sec. Smith claimed 3rd well clear of Campbell and David Wenman made it two Morgans in the top five. A drive of note was that of Marc Gordon in his Lotus Elite, he finished 9th having started 34th on the grid!

n the afternoon’s race it was Ryan on pole with Brian Caudwell alongside in the family TVR Grantura. Caudwell made the better start to demote Ryan to P2 and Smith slotted into 3rd behind with Andrew Wenman 4th. The two Granturas at the front were closely matched early on and Wenman move up to 3rd following Smith’s retirement on lap 4. Race 1 winner, Ellis, had started at the back of the grid after issues in second qualifying and was again on fine form and passed 21 cars by the end of lap 2. He continued to make progress and climbed to 3rd before slipping back to P6 on the final lap leaving Wenman to take the 3rd step on the podium.

At the front Caudwell and Ryan put on a great show as they battled for supremacy. Despite Ryan’s best efforts Caudwell was able to to fend off all advances and take the win by 0.8sec. 

Equipe Sports Prototypes

Mike Jenvey was at the head of the rapid Equipe Sports Prototype field as they took the rolling start for their first race and it was his Jenvey-Gunn that led the field away with Max Windheuser 2nd in his Norma M20FC and Matt Chamberlain 3rd in the CTR-01. The leader was on the pace right away and set a series of fastest race laps to open a gap. Windheuser was clear of Chamberlain with Anthony Ayres running 4th and quickest of the Radical runners in his SR3rsx.

Jenvey had the race under control when it was stopped early with Chamberlain stranded out on the circuit. His retirement moving Ayres up to third behind Windheuser. Lower down the order a great race-long battle between the Radicals of Robert Gillman, Richard Gillman and Barry Liversedge went in Robert Gillman’s favour, the three separated by just over 1sec after 8 hectic laps.

In the afternoon it was again Jenvey who led the field away with Richard Chamberlain, who had taken over the CTR-01 from son Matthew, in P2 ahead of Windheuser. Once again Jenvey eased away but Chamberlian was also pushing hard and the two opened a gap to the rest. Windheuser was under pressure from the Juno of Andy Chtittenden as they disputed P3.

Jenvey looked to have the race under control only to pit after 8 laps with a gearbox issue. A lap later with Chamberlain then in P1, Chittenden was up to P2  having found a way past Windheuser in the infield section of the circuit. His advantage was short-lived as he was also to retire a lap later. So it was a fine first Equipe Sports Prototypes win for Richard Chamberlain and the CTR-01with Windheuser 2nd from Ayres 3rd and first of the Radicals.

Equipe 70s

The glorious Ford Capri RS3100 of Steve Dance led the 70s field round for their rolling start and duly led away with Tim Bates second in his Porsche 911 and Rob Cull, who got away better than the Ferrari 308 of John Dickson, slotted his Ford Escort into 3rd. Dickson passed Cull at Agostini only for the Escort to fight back as they headed through Hamilton, Dickson finally holding sway and running 3rd at the end of lap 3.

With Dance able to ease away at the front and Bates and Dickson running on very similar pace, a good battle for sixth between the TVR 3000M of Anthony Ross and Robi Bernberg’s 911 RSR was a highlight. After several closely contested laps Ross finally gained the upper hand and crossed the line 2secs to the good.  It was a win for Dance from Bates and Dickson, Cull first Escort home in P4 with Martin Reynolds 5th in his Escort.

It wasn’t so easy for Dance early on in race 2 and Bates pushed hard to keep his Porsche in touch on the opening laps. With Dickson’s Ferrari absent from this encounter Cull had quite a lonely race in P3. Meanwhile a battle for P4 was settled in Ross’ favour after a spin for Wenman on lap 3 dropped him down the order. A fine recovery drive saw him climb back to claim 5th spot at the flag, demoting Bernberg to P6 in the process.

At the front Dance was very consistent and kept the Capri going quickly to make it two wins on the day. Bates had to settle for his second runner-up finish and Cull claimed 3rd in his Escort well clear of Ross.

Equipe MG Cup

Team-mates Dan Ludlow and Stuart Emmett locked out the front row of the grid in their ZR190s for the first MG Cup encounter of the day. It was Ludlow who made the better start and headed the field as it headed into Richies for the first time. Mark Wright, in his MGF Cup car, made a serious challenge for P2  but lost out to the ZR190 of Jake Fraser-Burns and had to settle for 4th. At the end of the first lap the pack were greeted by the safety car to allow for the safe recovery of a ZR160 which had stopped at the Wilson hairpin.

After two laps the green flags flew and Wright dived past Fraser-Burn in the infield section, the cars side-by-side until the MGF Cup car held sway to claim P3 with Ludlow and Emmett still one-two. A lap later the race was red-flagged due to an under bonnet fire caused by an oil leak on Archie Styant’s ZR170 that required the attention of the Fire Marshals. Due to time constraints the race could not be restarted and Ludlow was declared the winner in his ZR190 with Emmett P2 and Fraser Burns P3.  Andy Firth claimed the Class B victory in his ZR170 and James Brown’s MGF was first in Class A.

Race two again saw Ludlow lead them away. Emmett was right behind and the pair charging hard to open up an gap from Fraser-Burns who was under pressure from Wright. All went well out front until Ludlow pulled into retirement on lap 3 with an electrical problem which left Emmett’s ZR190  with a couple of seconds advantage over the battling Fraser-Burns and Wright who were soon joined by Ian Boulton’s ZR190.

No one could touch Emmett out front as Fraser-Burns and Wright exchanged places more than once with Boulton for company and keen to challenge. Emmett duly took the win. Boulton had a great final lap to move up and pass Fraser-Burns and that saw him finish P2 and first in Class D after Wright was hit with a five second penalty right at the end.

Fraser-Burns had the consolation of heading home the Class C field. Terry Loxton finished P7 in his Montego to claim Class B. As ever Class A was tightly fought but James Brown claimed his second the win of the day in his MGF. A special mention to Ashley Woodward who achieved two  Class C podium finishes, the reliability issues that have recently plagued his ZS180 now resolved after an ECU problem was discovered.

Added interest came from a quintet of MGFs celebrating the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the mid-engined roadster. Two of the entrants had notable history, Mark Wright’s MGF Cup car is one of the original 30 race-prepared cars that took part in the MG F Cup race series. Mark’s car won the series 26 years ago in the hands of Warren Hughes and took the Class D win in Race 1.  N812 SVC was built in 1995, is believed to be the oldest MGF still competing and took two Class A wins with James Brown at the wheel.

Equipe Libre

The sun shone down on a great Equipe Libre field for the first race, the front row not only an all Cobra affair but also a lockout for the Caudwell’s, Brian on pole in his black car with John alongside in his blue example. Brian Caudwell got the better start and led into Riches with John 2nd and with the Lotus Elan 26R of John Davison right with them. The similar Elans of Jonathan Pace and Nick Powell were 4th and 5th at the end of lap 1 with Cody Tree next up in his Marcos 1800.

As Brian Caudwell eked out a lead there was a great battle for second.  The blue Cobra was hounded mercilessly by the diminutive Elan, the two side-by-side through Oggies on lap 4, but the power of the Cobra chiming in whenever there was a straight and opening a gap once more. Powering up through the order was Nick Mountford’s TVR Griffith which had been victim of electrical gremlins in qualifying and started from the very back of the grid. Nick was up to 9th after just 4 laps.

Brian Caudwell took an untroubled win but P2 was only settled at the end of an exciting final lap. John Caudwell and John Davison were side-by-side through Murrays for the last time but the Cobra managed to out-drag the Elan in a sprint up the Senna Straight; just 0.324sec separated them at the flag. The Elans of Jonathan Pace and Nick Powell were 5th and 6th respectively. Bruce Montgomery’s was the first Austin Healey home in P6 and Mountford was delighted to have a trouble-free run to P7.

It was the same front row for the afternoon’s race and we were treated to a great on track battle between the two Cobras, Brain Caudwell taking the initial lead but brother John right with him. Mongomery got away well in his Healey to be third into the first corner, only to retire later on the first lap. Eddie Powell’s Elan then took over P3 ahead of Andrew Pace’s similar Elan.

The two Cobras put on a great show, swapping places through the middle part of the race with John moving ahead on lap 7 in what proved to the decisive move. The lead pair crossed the line at the end of the race in that order, but a track limits penalty for Brian Caudwell saw him slip behind Powell and take P3 in the final order.

Graham Wilson brought his Elan home in P4, while a fine drive from Andrew Moore saw him take 5th in his Jaguar E-Type and claim the Pre’63 category for the second time on the day.

Equipe Formula Libre

A fine field of single seaters featuring a host of famous marques lined up for the opening Equipe Formula Libre race of the day. Despite a getaway that saw his car initially hesitant to gather pace, it was the Ralt RT4 of Rory Smith that led the field away. Just as he had in qualifying, Smith wasted no time in getting up to speed and came round with a handy lead at the end of lap 1. Jim McGaughay’s Swift DB4 was in 2nd and the March 74B of Tim Jacobsen 3rd as the Formula Atlantic cars went well early on.

David Sheppard had been on the second row in his Formula Two Chevron B25 and struggled to get away with the field streaming past before he was up to speed. However, he was soon charging back up the order and after Jacobsen had moved into P2 on lap 4 Sheppard started to close on McGaughay. By the end of lap 8 the Chevron was right up with the Swift but Sheppard lost time challenging for P3 going into Richies for the 9th time and dropped back to take the flag in P4.

Smith stayed well clear of any drama to take the win from Jacobsen with McGaughey 3rd. Graham Charman’s Reynard SF84 was the 1st of the Formula Ford 2000 runners with Jeff Williams 2nd in his Van Dieman FR82.

Again Smith was cautious off the line in race 2 but picked up enough pace to head McGaughay into the first corner. Sheppard was 3rd with the Lola T240 of Adrain Holey 4th as the race settled down. The Ralt had pace to spare and Smith once more pulled away but Sheppard was under pressure from McGaughay.

McGaughay challenged hard in the middle part of the race, one move down the pit straight being foiled by the presence of a backmarker, and on lap seven he nosed ahead early in the lap only for Sheppard to fight back and regain the place. As Smith made it two wins on the day, Sheppard came home second from McGaughay and Holey, as Luke Townsend claimed FF2000 honours in his Van Dieman RF82.

The season finale will be the Equipe Classic Racing Super Sprint at Silverstone on 4th October.

The Classic Sports Car Club’s JMC Special Saloons & Modsport series for Pre-94 Special Saloons, Super Saloons, Thundersaloons, Minis & Modsports cars added an additional dimension to the packed programme of races scheduled for the three days of track activity over the Gold Cup meeting (25th/27th July).

The 31 entrants took to the track for a 20 minute qualifying session in lovely conditions late on the Saturday afternoon. Andy Southcott pedalled furiously in his MG Lenham Midget set a time of 1:44.756 that would be good enough for pole on only his 4th lap and then sat out the remainder of the session. He was nearly ousted from P1 by Simon Allaway’s Lotus Esprit Silhouette Special which got faster lap by lap with the TSL timing system separating them by just 0.109sec. Abbie Eaton’s Holden Commodore made an impressive sight as it roared around the circuit and her time of 1:47.856 was good enough for P3. 

Quickest in Class A was Bernard Foley in his MG BGT V8 while Ric Wood was quickest in Class B, his Ford Capri 0.653sec ahead of Tim Bates’ Porsche 911 RS. Paul Dolan had a clear advantage in his Class C Lotus Elan some 2 seconds faster than the VW Golf GTi Mk1 (T) of Patrick Smythe. Tim Moll’s VW Golf GTi Mk1 (T) was quickest in Class D but a slight over-rev on down-shift damaged a valve ending his weekend prematurely. Class E went the way of Paul Turner’s Suzuki SC100 but he, too, would not make it to the races due to engine failure. Several drivers had lap times disallowed for exceeding track limits, including William Sharpe (pictured above) who finished 22nd quickest in his MG Midget.

Everyone got away cleanly when the lights went out to start race 1 but Martin Reynold’s was soon in strife with his Ford Escort beached in the gravel at Old Hall due to a broken front control arm. Southcott then spun out of the lead and into the barriers bringing out the red flag to halt proceedings to allow for the safe recovery of the stricken vehicles. 

When racing recommenced it was Simon Allaway’s Lotus Esprit Silhouette Special that led the field across the start line with Tim Carey’s Honda CRX in hot pursuit and the two would remain in that order for the duration. On the penultimate lap Allaway caught a gaggle of back markers which allowed Carey to close in and reduce his deficit to just over 1 second at the flag. 

Ric Wood ran in P3 for the first three laps with Tim Bates in close attendance but Wood retired the Capri on lap 4 leaving the Porsche with a clear run home to the 3rd step of the podium and the Class B win. 

Melvin Hooker claimed Class A victory in his Jaguar XJS after Foley retired the MG BGT V8 on lap 6.  Paul Dolan had an untroubled run to Class C victory and Donald Dewar took Class D in his VW Golf GTi Mk1. Tim Cairns had a good run to get his MG Hexagon Midget into the top 10 and claim the top spot in Class E.

Sadly the Holden Commodore broke a half-shaft forcing Abbie Eaton into the pits at the end of the formation lap. The team set about repairs and had the car ready for race 2 but it was questionable whether the Commodore would make it to the end. Wood and Foley were also able to effect repairs during the interval between races and were back out for race 2.

 

With Allaway starting race 2 in P11 thanks to his 10 place Race 1 Winners Penalty, it was Carey’s Honda CRX on Pole with the Bates Porsche alongside. However, Allaway, who was on a mission, was not to be denied his second win of the day. He was into P2 on lap 3 and then into the lead 2 lap later. He, Carey and Bates would repeat their race 1 results and Rod Birley would take P4 again.

The repaired Commodore held together for 5 laps during which Abbie Eaton carved her way up to P4 setting 3rd fastest lap time on the way. Sadly she once again retired to the pits but had amply showed the potential of both car and driver. 

Bernard Foley was also charging from the rear of the grid and by mid-race was engaged in an entertaining tussle with Alan Breck’s Capri. The MG BGT V8 would win the day and take the Class A win in P6 overall. Ric Wood also made excellent progress from his P20 starting position and soon had the Capri up to P5 and was closing in on the Birley Honda when low fuel pressure halted his hopes of gaining more places.

Paul Dolan took the Class C win and finished a well-deserved 5th overall in his Elan. Class D went to Lucas Dryden’s Ford Fiesta XR2 this time and Tim Cairns took his second Class E win of the day.

A special mention must go to Anthony Hayes and his lightly modified Mini. He may have finished last but he set a new personal best, 2.5 seconds faster than his qualifying and race 1 time. 

The JMC Racing Special Saloons move on to Brands Hatch Britannia (30th/31st August), the CSCC celebration of all things British. It’s the 50th birthday for Baby Bertha. Bertha’s owner, Joe Ward, may be out of action but ‘she’ will be racing with a different CSCC racer behind the wheel.

For more information about the Classic Sports Car Club visit classicsportscarclub.co.uk

Running a two-day race meeting on the Silverstone Historic GP circuit is a hugh undertaking and major financial gamble but Equipe Classic Racing pulled it off yet again. They were rewarded by the loyalty of their regular racers and attracted many new faces who swelled the entry lists which including guest appearances from Mini7, Monoposto and Sports 2000.

With MSVR handling the race administration, Senior Clerk of the Course, David Scott, and his team presided over a thoroughly entertaining event which produced many high speed battles for position undeterred by the heavy rain which fell during Saturday afternoon.

The Syd Segal Memorial Trophy

The Syd Segal Memorial Trophy for Austin Healeys was an undoubted highlight of the weekend. Named after a well-known Healey racer from the 1960s and 70s, there were some cars with a great racing pedigree included in the 42-car entry which is believed to be the largest grid of Austin Healeys assembled anywhere during the last 30 years or so. Some of the cars are so famous that they are referred to in Healey circles by the registration numbers they still carry. For example: 

46 BXN is an alloy bodied Sebring Sprite that has raced continuously since 1960 and claimed third overall in the 1961 Nurburgring 500km race.

 

54 FAC, was raced by the works team in the 1963 Sebring 12-Hour race with Paddy Hopkirk and Donald Morley at the wheel.

DD300, competed in the 1960 Le Mans 24-Hours before being raced by David Dixon, hence the registration plate.  It was then campaigned for decades by Healey legend John Chatham whose sons, Jack and Oliver, were sharing another Healey 3000 in the race.

With the Fogey Sprite on Neil and Drew Cameron non-starting, 41 cars took to the grid with Healey 3000s filling the first eight rows. Jack Chatham was on pole with Jaap Sinke alongside him in P2. Ahead of them was a 40-minute race which featured a compulsory pitstop to be made during a 15-minute pit window.

When the lights went out Sinke surged into the lead of the field which made a spectacular sight as the cars accelerated towards Copse Corner. However, it was Chatham who exited Woodcote first at the end of lap 1 with Joe Willmott in P2 which heralded the start of a race-long battle between them for victory and the prestigious Memorial Trophy.

Willmott grabbed the lead at Becketts on lap three but Chatham quickly regained the place. Michael Russell circulated in P3 ahead of a battling train of five cars contesting fourth place. Jack Chatham pitted at the end of lap seven to hand over to brother Oliver. When Willmott pitted two laps later Richard Woolmer inherited the lead but he, in turn, pitted a lap later as car after car took to the pit lane while pit window was open.

Once all the pit-stops had been completed Willmott headed the time sheet with a two and a half seconds advantage with Oliver Chatham in P2. The latter then set out on a charge to reel in the leader and the pair both pushed hard as they worked their way through backmarkers with both cars twitching on the edge of adhesion as they powered through Woodcote to end each lap. As they started lap14 Willmott’s lead was less than 0.5sec but, try as he might, Chatham could not find a way past and, when the flag flew after 16 laps of superb racing, he crossed the line a mere 0.313s behind the victor. Willmott was relieved to have survived the intense pressure and punched the air in delight as he crossed the line. Russell claimed third but only just as Jack Rawles produced a masterful drive in the 3000 started by Sinke to climb up the order after the pit stop. He missed out on a podium position by just 0.208s.

Further down the order Dominic Mooney won the battle of the Sprites and finished P16 in his Ashley GT well ahead of much more powerful machinery. Of the 41 starters all but six crossed the line to finish the race, a testimony to the standard of preparation of these historic racers.

Equipe GTS

Big grids were a theme of the entire weekend and it was the same for the Equipe GTS race with 46 cars talking to the track for qualifying. The entry was numerically dominated by MG Bs and it was the Joshus Holmes/Murray Shephard machine that headed the times over 1 second ahead of Chris Ryan’s TVR Grantura with Jonathan Abecassis third in his Healey 100/4.

The start went Ryan’s way and he was ahead at the end of lap one with Shephard in second. The latter grabbed the lead on lap four with the top ten cars all in close attendance. The MGB of Neil Fowler was ahead at the end of the following lap with similar car of Tom Smith right behind him and Rob Cull’s TVR Grantura in P3. Smith and Cull made their pit-stops on lap 6 but Fowler stayed out for a couple more laps until he, too, made his stop before the pit window closed.  Cull was sidelined on lap 8 with an overheating engine, the last of only five retirements from the fray. Shephard pitted and handing over to Joshua Holmes on lap nine by which time the rain was making conditions tricky.

Once all the pit-stops had been completed Smith, who revelled in the wet, headed the field 3.7secs ahead of Fowler and and had an untroubled run to victory with Fowler unable to make inroads into his advantage though he did set the fastest lap time on lap 12. William Reed took P3 making it three MG Bs on the podium.

Equipe 70s

The first of two races for the Equipe 70s was a 20-minute sprint in very wet conditions on the Saturday afternoon. From his pole position Nick Whale powered into the lead in his Mk2 Escort but that was short lived as Steve Dance claimed the place in his Ford Capri RS2600 on lap 2. In tricky conditions Dance controlled the race ahead of Whale and Rob Cull’s similar Escort, the latter unable to get into a position to challenge for P2, and the trio went on to take the podium positions in that order.

Behind them battle for P4 raged with Philip Walker’s Escort under intense pressure from the MGB GT V8 of James Wheeler. Wheeler finally grabbed the place late in the race and crossed the line just 0.5sec ahead.

The 70s second outing of the weekend was a 40-minute pitstop race on the Sunday morning. With Dance only racing on the Saturday there would have a new winner. Harry Whale was on pole in the family Escort for this race with Rob Cull’s Escort alongside.

Whale led the field away while Connor Kay slotted his TVR Tuscan into second as the pack went through Becketts. Kay was soon under pressure from Cull who got past down the inside into Copse on lap lap three. Kay immediately came under pressure from Nick Matthews’ Capri and, after losing another place later in the lap, he pulled off at Abbey to retire.

Whale and Cull both pitted to make their stops on lap 8. As the race progressed Whale stayed clear of Cull to make it an Escort one-two at the flag with Matthews claiming third. Walker was fourth across the line while a highlight of the latter laps was the battle for fifth between Frazer Gibney’s Elan and the Porsche 911 RSR of Robi Bernberg; Gibney’s advantage at the line was just 0.401sec!

Equipe Libre

It was a race each day for the Equipe Libre field. Oliver Reuben gave his new TVR Griffith its first outing and claimed Saturday’s pole. He duly led the field away and opened a gap ahead of Graham Moss in his Shelby Daytona second. Rueben extended his lead even when the rain made conditions slippery with Moss holding second. Behind them the order shuffled with Michael O’Brien climbing up the top ten to move the Lotus Elan Shapecraft he shared with Mike Flewitt into third.

O’Brien was the first of the lead group to stop once the pitstop window opened. He was followed in by David Methley’s Cobra that was running fourth with Reuben and Moss pitting a lap later just as the safety car came out to close up the field. They started racing again as they headed into lap 11 with Rueben once more at the front but another incident with a car stranded by the circuit seeing the race cut short by the red flag. Rueben won from Moss with the Elan shared by Andrew and Jonathan Pace a worthy third having run in the lead group race long.

It was another big Libre grid on Sunday, Rueben again leading the field away and Moss who had a good start from the second row of the grid. David Methley’s AC Cobra was fourth but under pressure early on from O’Brien who was now sharing the Elan with Mia Flewitt. Elans filled in the next few positions with Nick Powell ahead of Darren Edwards.

Moss was hit with a ten second penalty for an out of position start but continued to push hard opening a gap to O’Brien while Methley stayed clear of Powell and John Tordoff moved his Elan into P6. O’Brien and Tordoff pitted first at the end of lap seven for their compulsory stops and once everyone had cycled through the pits it was Rueben back ahead from Moss, Eddie Powell now in the Elan started by Nick was third. Methley was fourth but about to retire with a transmission issue.

Rueben duly made it two wins out of two. Moss claimed P2 despite his penalty and Eddie Powell came home third to claim Lotus Elan honours.

Equipe Sports Prototypes

It was a very wet track when Saturday’s 20-minute Equipe Sports Prototype race started, the impressive field led away by the rumbling Norma M30 of Bradley Smith, Graham Charman’s Juno second at the end of lap one with Anthony Ayres’ lead Radical in third. Shane Kelly snatched third from Ayres on lap two in his Revolution and started to close on Charman.

Smith was in fine form despite the conditions and eased away from the opposition as the race progressed. Kelly moved into second when Charman spun on lap six. With the rain intensifying Smith took the win from Kelly, Charman held onto third while the Praga R1 of Leon Wilson came through to take fourth, just clear of Ayres.

It was a dry track for Sunday’s pitstop race. Smith again took the lead off the rolling start and Charman was second at the end of lap one but with Joe Lock’s Spire 400R right with him. Lock was past on lap two and Charman also slipped behind the Wilson as Smith pulled away at the front.

Lock was under pressure from Wilson for lap after lap, the pair the first of the leaders to make a pitstop as they stopped in unison at the end of lap nine only for Lock to retire with overheating.  After the stops it was still Smith in the lead and he held his advantage to the end. Wilson came home second well clear of Charman and Jonathan Edwards was fourth in his Chiron.

Equipe MG Cup

I

The Equipe MG Cup runners had two races on Sunday, and in the morning race a great start from the MGA of Max Cawthorn saw him lead into the first corner from the third row of the grid. However, pole sitter Stuart Emmett had his ZR190 in the lead as they reached Stowe. Emmett then pulled away. Cawthorn was secure in second. Archie Styant’s ZR170 was initially third only to lose out to Gianni Picone’s similar car but the latter’s impressive run came to an end when he retired on lap 7.

The leader had the pace to ease away from the field while Cawthorn was able to stay clear of his pursuers. Later in the race George Streather joined in the dice for third in his ZR190. Emmett took the win from Cawthorn while Streather grabbed P3 from Styant with two laps to go. Dan Ludlow brought his ZR190 home in P5 having started at the back of the grid but his car trailing smoke late in the race which did not bode well for race 2.

With Ludlow’s car retired from the meeting Stuart Emmett generously handed his car over to his teammate so Ludlow would again start from the back of the grid for the afternoon race.

It was an all action during the opening lap with several lead changes on the opening. Styant was ahead at the end of the lap followed by Streather and Cawthorn. Ludlow was on a mission and had climbed eight places on that opening lap.

The lead trio ran close and Cawthorn moved past Streather heading into Copse at the start of lap four. He then passed Styant and into the lead by the end of that lap. Ludlow continued his charge and was into P3 by the end of lap 5 but his race was cut short when he was tapped into a spin and found the gravel trap at Becketts.

Cawthorn held on at the front and duly took the win in the MGA. Class C winner, Streather, crossed the line in P3 but was promoted to P2 in the final classification. The ZS180 of James Moreton was third to seal Class B victory. Class A victory went to Freddie Ugo, to match brother Charlie’s similar great result in race one.

Goodyear Mini Challenge

As always the Mini7s entertained in their inimitable style. Ian Curley dominated the proceedings taking pole in his Mini Miglia and the win in both 20 minute races. Ian Fraser and Julian Proctor were both winners in the Mini Libre class. Bradley Jordan and Ross Billison both triumphed in the Mini Seven class while Joel Wren took a brace of Seven S class wins.

Sports 2000 Championship

Joshua Law was on pole in his MCR S2n for the first of two 20 minute encounters for the 33 Sports 2000 runners. Although he held the lead for the first 8 laps he faded in the latter stages of the race and finished in P3 behind Michael Gibbins and Mackenzie Walker who’re separated by only 0.250sec at the flag.

Law got his revenge in race 2, taking the win 0.861sec ahead of Gibbins and Walker.

Monoposto Championship

The Monoposto runners provided more close single-seater action. George Line put his Dallara F308 on pole for the first race and went on to take the win from Tony Bishop’s Dallara F311 and Bert Chapman’s Jedi. 

Line and Bishop took P1 and P2 respectively in race 2 with James Williams’ Dallara F308 in P3.

For their second race meeting of 2025 Equipe Classic Racing travelled to Cadwell Park for a one-day event on Easter Saturday. The challenging Lincolnshire circuit invariably serves up entertaining racing and didn’t disappoint. In a change from their usual 40 minute pitstop races the 70s, Libra and GTS series joined the MG Cup in having two 20 minute sprint races. The grids for their second races were determined by the results from their first and the results were combined to give overall winners. 

As usual, the entry lists contained an eclectic selection of cars ranging from Brian Caudwell’s mighty 4.7 litre Shelby Cobra to a pair of MG A Twin Cams dating from 1959. The day kicked off with two 20 minute free practice sessions which, sadly, saw the demise of of Peter Burchill’s and Ashley Woodward’s MG ZS180s and Cal Moore’s ZR170, all with engine maladies. John Tordoff headed the FP1 timesheet in his Lotus Elan 26R while Rhys Higginbottam was quickest in FP2 in his MG ZR190.

Brian Caudwell continued where he left off when the Equipe Libre series headed out on track for qualifying and planted the Shelby Cobra on pole 3 seconds ahead of John Tordoff with Steve Ward (Ginetta G4R) in P3. Rhys Higginbotham took the MG Cup pole followed by Matthew Payne’s extremely rapid Rover Metro and Terry Loxton’s beautifully prepared MG Montego estate. Rob Cull and Chris Ryan headed the GTS qualifying times in their TVR Grantura Mk3s followed by Hugh Lafferty’s MG B Roadster. The final qualifying session for the Equipe 70s was dominated by the MG BGT V8s of Russell McCarthy, Neil Fowler and Liam Pugsley  

Equipe Libre, Pre’63 and 50s – races 1 and 5

When the lights went out to start the day’s racing, Brian Caudwell rocketed off the line into the lead. Graham Moss charged through from the second row of the grid in his Shelby Daytona and set off in pursuit of Caudwell but was unable to hunt him down and was some 10 seconds in arrears when the flag flew after 12 laps of classic racing. Behind them Tordoff and Ward were locked in battle for P3; Tordoff held the position until Ward made his move on lap 4 to claim the place which he held until the flag. 

 

John Caudwell headed the Pre’63s home in his Austin Healey 3000 Mk3 just ahead of Jonathan Abecassis whose Austin Healey 100/4 was the lead 50s car.

Moss led the field at the end of the opening lap of the second Libra race with Tordoff in second and the Caudwell Cobra in P3. However, by the end of lap four Caudwell had recovered to P2 and swept into the lead on the following tour. He then steadily opened a gap ahead of Moss who held onto P2 until he dropped off the timesheets on lap 10.  In a repeat of his 2024 Cadwell Park success, Cadwell went on to take his second win of the day ahead of Tordoff and Bruce Montgomery’s Healey 3000.

Lower down the order John Caudwell and Abecassis resumed their race 1 battle, the latter coming out on top this time by less than half a second, the pair claiming Pre ’63 and 50s and honours once more. 

Equipe MG Cup – races 2 and 6

The MG Cup races produced another double winner! Rhys Higginbotham converted his race 1 pole into a win ahead of Matt Payne. The pair were right together at the end of lap one but Higginbotham eased clear lap by lap. Although Payne closed in during the latter laps as the pair lapped back markers, he lost time on the final lap and had to settle for P2 at the flag.

Peter Bramble’s distinctive yellow MGB grabbed P3 on lap 1 and had an untroubled run to the flag. Mark Wright made and electrifying start from the fourth row of the grid and initially ran in P4 before slipping down the order and eventually finishing seventh while Terry Loxton, who had slipped to fifth early on, took fourth in his Class B MG Montego estate.

Class A honours went to John Caudwell marking his MG Cup debut in the Equipe Classic Racing rental MG ZR160 and Simon Lowery was the sole Class C finisher.

The win put Higginbotham on pole for the second 20-minute race and he was ideally placed for another lights to flag victory.  Another great start from the fourth row saw Wright’s MGF Cup rocket into P2 for a couple of laps before conceding places to Lowery and Loxton who would finish P2 and P3 respectively. Payne had tumbled down the order on the opening lap while challenging for the lead. He fought back to P4 setting the fastest lap along the way.

Mark Wright took Class A honours ahead of Brian Caudwell who was at the wheel of the rental ZR160 this time and Nick Ashman took the Class B win.

Equipe GTS – races 3 and 7

The TVR Granturas of Rob Cull and Chris Ryan had been separated by less than 1sec during qualifying and their battle for supremacy would continue throughout both GTS races.

When the lights went out to start their first race Cull immediately converted pole to P1 but Ryan grabbed the place from him on the second tour. Although Cull harried him mercilessly until the flag flew after 12 laps of excellent racing, Ryan was not to be denied and claimed his first victory of the day. Behind them, Simon Cripps brought his MG B Roadster home in P3 and Jonathan Abecassis (Healey 100/4) won a race-long tussle with Mark Campbell (Triumph TR4) to claim P4.

It was Ryan’s turn to grab the lead of Race 2 from his pole position. Cull slotting into second ahead of Abacassis and Campbell. This time Ryan had more pace and gradually pulled away from Cull until the Safety Car intervened after seven laps and undid all his good work. When the track went green again there was time for only one more flying lap and, despite Cull’s best efforts, Ryan held on to take his fourth GTS win of 2025, just 0.598sec ahead of his rival.

The Campbell/Abecassis duel was resolved in favour of the former on lap 5 when the TR4 to move into P3. Abecassis held on to P4 to finish just ahead of Cripps.

Equipe 70s

Fowler made a scorching start to the first Equipe 70s race and had a handy advantage of some 5secs from McCarthy at the end of lap 1. Pugsley lost time on the opening lap and dropped to the rear of the field leaving Mark Lucock (Mk1 Escort RS2000) in P3. 

Determined not to be denied, McCarthy set about hunting Fowler down and achieved his goal when he swept into the lead on lap 6 but his grasp on the winner’s trophy was short-lived as he was forced into retirement on lap 10. Fowler went on to take the win some 47secs ahead of Lucock. Bob Rowe claimed P3 in his Lotus Elan while Ryck Turner took fourth in his beautifully prepared Mini 1275GT.

At around 4.30pm the 70s were out again with their second race which was the final race of the day. Fowler led away from pole with Lucock and Rowe in second and third. A potential charge though the field from McCarthy, who starting at the back of the grid, sadly did not materialise as he retired again on the opening lap. 

Out front Fowler galloped away to round off a day of double winners. Behind him Lucock’s Escort had an untroubled run to P2 while Rowe looked to have third in the bag before he stopped on lap 6. Pugsley was the beneficiary of the Elan’s demise and was delighted to take his first Equipe 70s podium finish.

All credit must go to Equipe Classic Racing, MSVR, the Orange Army and track staff for running another excellent day of motorsport. The next Equipe meeting will be at Silverstone on 7th & 8th June.

“A lot of bang for your buck’, said one of the commentators who compared this season’s ZR and Jaguar battles to the titanic Mini and Ford Falcon duels of the 1960s. 

The speed and agility of the MGs clearly impressed again and demonstrated that the Class B cars are extremely competitive and able to challenge the more powerful but heavier Jaguars with whom they share the track this year. 

The last time the MG Trophy visited Thruxton was in 2012. Then the grid of 10 cars had a single 20 minute race which was won by Dan Neaves in his ZR190; Alastair Rushforth was best of the ZR160s. 

Twelve years later and the MG Trophy was back for two 20 minute races with a small but extremely talented group of drivers who did the championship proud and put on an excellent display of racing at close quarters which excited the commentators and spectators alike.

Qualifying

This year’s championship regulars were joined by Jack Woodcock who was able to do a deal to rent DC Motorsport’s ZR170 for his first appearance of the year thanks to generous sponsorship from Clearview Movable Wall Solutions.

Sadly the first retirement of the meeting was Andrew Rogerson who experienced mechanical issues and was unable to take part in the proceedings.

Fergus Campbell, in his dayglow orange machine, declared his intentions right from the start and was consistently quick throughout the session and took pole by 0.3s from reigning Trophy champion, Tylor Ballard. Despite two deleted lap times for exceeding track limits, James Cole took P3 with Jack Woodcock P4. Datoma Motorsport team mates, James Blake and Matt Harvey were 5th and 6th fastest respectively.

Race 1

The MGs formed up at the rear of the grid, a couple of rows behind the prowl of fifteen Jaguars from the Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Championship which started when the lights went out. The Union flag flew some 10 seconds later to get the ZRs underway with Campbell converting pole into the lead. Woodcock got a great start from P4 and was initially alongside Ballard but then dropped back a little and by the time they exited the Complex for the first time the six cars were line astern in the order they qualified.

The leading three ZRs all got great exits from the chicane at the end of lap 2 and out-dragged the last of the Jaguars on the run to Allards. The ZRs then continued to work their way past their BMC cousins, the favourite overtaking areas being the approach to the Complex and the Chicane where they could brake so much later than the Jags.

Whilst Campbell stayed out in front, Ballard and Cole disputed second place with several changes of position. The lead changed hands on lap 6 when Cole got an excellent run out of the Chicane and scampered past Campbell on the start/finish straight. Further back Woodcock dropped to the back of the pack after taking a wild ride across the grass to avoid a spinning Jag.

A lap later Campbell lost momentum behind one of the Jags on the exit of Segrave which allowed Ballard up into P2 and then Woodcock overtook Blake for P5. 

The race came to an end for Campbell with three laps remaining when he pulled off the circuit and he was followed into retirement a lap later by Ballard with timing gear failure. That left Cole to take the win and with it the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award. Matt Harvey was ecstatic to pick up the P2 trophy and James Blake was classified P3 after Woodcock was penalised for a false start.

Race 2

The start of the second race of the day for the MG Trophy championship was very much a replay of race 1. With repairs completed, it was Ballard on pole this time but Campbell got another great start and led into Allard with Ballard in P2 and the others squabbled for position. Harvey was up to P3 at the end of the lap but was was demoted to P5 when Cole and Woodcock got past him on the following tour. Throughout the race the train of ZRs remained pretty much intact though the gaps between the cars ebbed and flowed as they wove their way past the Jaguars. Ballard and Cole disputed P2 with Cole holding the position for a couple of laps before Ballard regained the spot on lap 6. Woodcock and Harvey were constantly in close attendance but it was clear that the former had his mind firmly set on making up for his race 1 penalty. He mounted a determined challenge to move up the order and he finally pulled off an audacious move into the Chicane on lap 10 to demote Ballard whose exit was compromised which allowed Cole through into P3. 

Campbell’s mirrors were soon filled with white and orange as Woodcock closed on the leader. However, Campbell was able to withstand the pressure and on the last lap pulled off a sensational move into the Complex to put two midfield Jags between himself and Woodcock and seal a much deserved win with Woodcock P2 and Cole P3.

His classy performance also won Campbell the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award.

The next outing for the MG Trophy Championship will be at Silverstone on 1st June.

Words by Dickon Siddall. Photos courtesy of Steve Jones and David Stallard.

Titled the Cheshire Classic Challenge, the CSCC race meeting on 27th April provided a packed programme of first class racing. The MGs once again shared the track with their distant British Leyland relatives running in the Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge. The thundering Jags had the upper hand on the Oulton Park straights but the nimble MGs more than made up the deficit round the twisty bits and put on an excellent show for the spectators.

Colin Robertson with his MG 3 1800 Turbo was a welcome addition to the entry. It’s a long trek south from Perth for Colin and fellow Scot, Graham Ross, and their continued commitment to the MG Trophy is to be applauded. Colin’s self built MG 3 is believed to be the only turbocharged iteration of the family runaround racing in the UK.

Andrew Rogerson was a welcome returnee to the MG Trophy having recently bought back the ZR 170 that he previously raced with the championship some years ago. So recent the purchase, Andrew had no time to test the car prior to the event so he took to the track after a quick spanner check with his fingers well and truly crossed.

The championship is grateful to Millers Oils for their continued support this year – they supply cans of their excellent racing oil for the Driver of the Race awards – and to Yokohama Tyres who are also sponsoring the championship in 2024.

MG Trophy Qualifying: The track action for the Trophy drivers started mid-morning with the customary 20 minute qualifying during which all the drivers completed nine or ten laps. Graham Ross and Adam Jackson were quickest of the ZRs with Colin Robertson’s MG3 in P3. James Cole was quickest in Class B followed by Matt Harvey and Taylor Ballard. Andrew Rogerson used the session to re-acclimatise to front-wheel drive and finished the session P4 in class.

Race 1: The Trophy cars were at the front of the grid ahead of the pack of Jaguars that would start the race 10 seconds after the MGs. Robertson’s turbo powered him into the lead at Old Hall on lap 1 but he dropped down the order following a wild ride across the grass on the exit of Cascades and completed the lap P9. Rogerson, who made a stunning start from seventh spot on the grid, led into lap 2 but then conceded places which allowed Ross into the lead and Cole into P2 with Ballard P3.

Whilst Ross then had an unchallenged run to the flag, the Class B frontrunners contested the remaining podium positions throughout the race. Cole took the class win and P2 overall with Ballard P3. Rogerson, who retook the class lead on lap 7, had looked set for class victory but mechanical gremlins dropped him to fourth in class behind Matt Harvey. The ever-improving James Blake made his mark by setting the fastest lap in Class B and Graham Ross received the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award.

Race 2: Ross held the lead from Jackson for the first four laps before hub failure intervened forcing Jackson into retirement. Ross went on to take his second win of the day ahead of Robertson who was delighted with P2 in the MG3 which he continued to develop. With Rogerson being unable to fix his car, Ballard looked to be in charge of Class B this time but Cole was always in contention. Eventually a rare mistake from Ballard on lap 7which resulted in a trip across the grass at Hislop’s gifted Cole the class win with Ballard taking P2 and Harvey P3.

Cole set the Class B fastest lap this time and also received the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award. Jack Maegher made steady progress, gradually whittling away at his lap time to set his personal best on the penultimate lap of the day.

The MG Trophy will be in action again at Thruxton on 18th May.

 

MSV’s Lincolnshire circuit hosted Equipe’s second race meeting of the year. With their saloon and sportscar categories on the programme, the races produced some close competition and entertaining battles to keep the spectators entertained.

Equipe Classic Racing has hitherto been the preserve of classic sports and racing cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s but the addition of the MG Cup has brought more modern front-wheel drive MGs and Rovers into the Equipe family. 

The MG Cup and BCV8s had two 20 minute races during the day whilst the Equipe GTS, Libra and Libra Plus entrants had 40minute pitstop races.

Equipe MG Cup

Jack Chapman (MG ZR 170) set the pace in qualifying with a storming lap nearly two seconds ahead of the similar car of Tony Wigley followed by Leon Wignall and Ashley Woodward who filled the second row of the grid.

Chapman got away well at the start of race 1 to lead at the end of the first lap from Dennis Robinson (MG ZR 170) who had moved up from P5 on the grid. Leon Wignall (MG ZR 170) was close behind the leading pair and it looked like the race was shaping up to be an epic battle between these three contenders. But it was not to be as Wignall dropped down the order on lap 2 following a spin and Chapman limped into retirement on lap 3 leaving Robinson in P1 with Woodward some 3.7s in arrears. However, Cal Moore was on a charge from the sixth row of the grid and was into P4 by lap four. He then claimed P2 on lap 7 but by then Robinson had a substantial lead and, despite his best efforts, Moore was unable to bridge the gap and took the flag in P2 with Woodward P3.

Class wins went to: Class A – Paul Wignall; Class B – Cal Moore; Class C – Ashley Woodward; Class D – Keith Egar.

Race 2 saw Robinson complete the double another win. He was never headed as he eased away form the pack. Initially Moore was his closest rival with Woodward P3 but Keith Agar was on a charge in his slick-shod MG Midget. From eighth on the grid he was sixth at the end of lap 1 and then set about picking off the cars ahead passing Tony Wigley and Leon Wignall on lap 4. He then demoted Woodward on lap 5 and was into P2 two laps later. Once again, Robinson had an unassailable lead and took the top step of the podium followed by Egar and Moore.

Class winners were: Class A – Paul Wignall; Class B – Cal Moore; Class C – Ashley Woodward; Class D – Keith Egar.

Equipe BCV8s

As anticipated the Class D Full Race BGT V8s dominated the day with the fastest trio of Jordan Spencer, Jack Rawles and Neil Fowler separated by less than 0.3s after the 20 minute qualifying session. James Wheeler and Russ McCarthy were not far behind in P4 and P5 respectively. The sight and sound of these hugely powerful machines blasting round the the narrow Cadwell circuit would have stirred the soul of even the most sceptical observer.

The two 20-minute races were superb! When the lights went out to start Race 1 Wheeler made a tremendous start and blasted into the lead from the second row of the grid. Behind him the howling pack of V8s squabbled for position for the remainder of the race with Rawles looking most likely to displace the leader. However, after several laps of great racing Rawles put two wheels on the grass heading up the Mountain and spun. He was unable to restart and, with his car in a vulnerable spot, the CoC had no alternative but to bring out the red flags leaving Wheeler to take the laurels from McCarthy and Spencer.

The class winners were James Walpole (MGB Roadster), Paul Eales (MGB Roadster) and Ken Deamer (MGB GT V8).

Race 2 provided a fitting end to a good day’s racing. This time Spencer got away well from pole and led at the end of lap 1 with Wheeler and Fowler P2 and P3 respectively. Rawles, who got wheelspin off the line, had dropped to fourth but would stage a comeback and move up to P3 on lap 6. By that time Wheeler had taken the lead and was being harried by Spencer who was intent on reclaiming the top spot. On the approach to Park on lap 7 Spencer locked his rear brakes and, as his car slewed sideways he clipped the rear of Wheeler’s machine taking them both onto the grass on the outside of the bend. They both restarted but Wheeler retired whilst Spencer continued to finish P3. A very grateful Rawles safely avoided the errant cars and went on to take the win with McCarthy claiming P2.

Walpole and Eales were again class winners.

Equipe GTS

Rob Cull was listed in the programme as having entered all three of the races for the 50s, 60s and 70s sports and saloon cars and his performance during qualifying for the GTS race must have been a concern to the other entrants. His TVR Grantura was over 3 seconds faster than Trevor Buckley (MGB Roadster) during the 20 minute session with Babar Farsian (MGB Roadster) a further 3 seconds adrift.

Cull made a great start when the lights went out at the start of the 40 minute pitstop race and opened a gap on lap 1 to head the field from Buckley and Dominic Mooney (MG Ashley GT) who had moved up from the third row of the grid. By the end of lap 2 Mooney had claimed P2 but was already some 10 seconds behind the flying Cull who continued to extend his lead to 55 seconds by the time the chequered flag flew at the end of lap 22. Buckley was classified P2 having regained the position from Mooney on the penultimate lap. Steve Spink, the only other driver not to have been lapped, brought his MGB Roadster home in P4.

Simon Cripps (MGB Roadster), who briefly held the lead during the pitstop window, incurred a 3 lap penalty for an infringement during his visit to the pits but then retired from P2 on lap 15.

Equipe Libre Plus

The entry for the Equipe Libre Plus race featured a great mix of cars from the Libre, 50s, Pre’63 and 70s categories. It was Mark Lucock in his Escort MK 1 RS2000 who took pole ahead of the Cobra Daytona 4700 of Graham Moss. Several of the more powerful cars qualified lower down the grid than expected which offered the prospect of entertaining track action once the 40 minute pitstop race got underway.

Moss used the power of the Daytona to lead them away. Richard Hodson slotting the diminutive Lotus Mk VI into second and Lucock completed lap 1 in P3. Hudson inherited the P1 on lap 4 when Moss, who had pulled out a 2 second lead, retired but the nimble Lotus was unable to outpace Brian Caudwell’s thundering black Cobra that was carving its way through the field from the fifth row of the grid. Caudwell took the lead on lap 7 and was not headed again, except for one lap during the pitstops.

Lucock held on to P3 until lap 10 but was overtaken by the Mustang Mach1 of Martin Reynolds and then dropped out of the race when he was unable to restart after his pitstop at the end of lap 11. Hudson was briefly back in the lead when Caudwell made his pitstop at the end of lap 12 but relinquished the place when he made his own stop to hand the Lotus over to Charles Angrave. 

During the second half of the race Caudwell stretched his lead to 18 seconds from Reynolds and Angrave but was greeted by the safety car at the end of lap 17 when the Triumph TR250 of Roy Chamberlain stopped at Coppice. As the clock ticked down the race finished behind the safety car with Caudwell winning from Reynolds and Angrave/Hodson. Jamie Boot was fourth in his TVR Griffith.

Rob Cull, who had qualified on the second row of the grid dropped to P10 on the opening lap but then took no further part in the proceedings after a rear wheel decided to part company with the car on lap 2.

Equipe Libre

Many of the cars from the Libre Plus race were also entered in the Libre race and, for many, it was battle rejoined for the penultimate race of the day.

Qualifying saw Brian Caldwell take pole in his Cobra with the Angrave/Hodson Lotus in P2. The Cull TVR, which qualified in P3, could not be repaired in time and non-started. 

Caudwell powered the Cobra into the lead at the start and led throughout except for lap 13 when he made his pitstop. Behind him there was battle royal between the Angrave/Hodson Lotus MK VI and the Lotus Elan 1600 of Andrew Cahill. Initially Angrave held onto his start position but Cahill was past him and into P2 on lap 3 only to be hit with a ten second penalty for an out of position start. Try as he might, Cahill couldn’t shake off Angrave who stayed right with him throughout the race.

Caudwell pitted form the lead at the end of lap 13. He resumed in P4 but was back in the lead one lap later. Both Lotus racers pitted on lap 14. Angrave had a longer stop as he handed over to Hodson but Cahill could not take advantage and overcome the penalty as the two Lotus’s were very evenly matched, the Elan’s fasted lap was 1:45.479, marginally quicker than the MK VIs 1:45.525. Although Cahill crossed the line in P2 he was classified P3, only 2.9s adrift.

The next Equipe Classic race meeting will be at Oulton Park on 18th May.

2024 sees the beginning of a new era for the MG Trophy.

The MG Car Club’s decision to cease organising race meetings meant that the Trophy, along with the Midget & Sprites Challenge, the MG Cup, and BCV8s needed to find new homes. The Trophy has been welcomed into the Classic Sports Car Club and will share the track with the Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge this year.

The weekend of 23/24 March saw the start of the season with the competitors facing a mixture of weather conditions. Saturday served up rain, hale and biting winds but Sunday produced more spring-like conditions and the sun finally made a welcome appearance.

Heavy rain added an unexpected dimension to qualifying.

The MG Trophy Qualifying.

The MG Trophy took to the track for qualifying on Saturday morning but the weather played a significant role in deciding the starting grid. The track was dry when the session started so the Class A ZR 190s understandably ventured out on slicks which require careful warming whilst the Class B ZR 170s on their treaded tyres can get up to speed straight away. All the Class B cars put in their quick times on either lap 1 or 2 while the Class A cars were still warming their tyres. A heavy downpour followed by a slowly drying track prevented any significant improvement in lap times so, unusually, Class B cars filled the first two rows of the Trophy grid with Tylor Ballard on pole. The fastest of the three ZR 190s was Sam Meagher in 5th with Adam Jackson in 6th. Graham Ross found himself down on the 5th row of the grid and commented: “It was absolutely chucking it down and I was out there on slicks. I knew it was a complete and utter waste of time but it was good fun.”

Tylor Ballard took pole for both races.

MG Trophy Race 1 – 20 minutes

On a dry track MG Trophy cars lined up behind the Jaguars for the rolling start. The pole sitter slowed his pace prior to Goddards to ensure that the ZRs would start separately, a reasonable distance behind the Jags. 

At the end of lap 1 it was the Dayglow orange ZR 170 of Fergus Campbell in the lead. Adam Jackson made up four places and was in hot pursuit in P2 and Graham Ross had a good lap and was up to P5. Tylor Ballard and Sam Meagher both fell back from their starting positions to P6 and P7 respectively. By the end of lap 2 Jackson had taken over as the leading Trophy car with Ross P2. Campbell still had the Class B lead ahead of Steve McDermid and Ballard.

The leading Class B cars headed by Fergus Campbell

As the race progressed the different characteristics of the MGs and Jaguars were clear for all to see. The Jags, big and heavy, had the power down the straights but the nimble MGs had the advantage through the twisty bits and quickly closed the gap to the Jaguar pack.

The Trophy cars quickly caught the Jags.

Jackson continued to lead the MGs’ charge until lap 6 when Ross got the better of him and took the lead. Two laps later the leading trio were nose to tail going into Redgate where Jackson had a very sideways moment that allowed Sam Meagher through into P2. Sadly, mechanical gremlins would afflict Jackson’s machine which would sideline him for the remainder of the weekend. Robin Walker (Class B) joined Jackson in retirement about the same time, again due to a mechanical issue.

An impressive ‘save’ for Adam Jackson on lap 8. 

The two remaining Class A cars continued to scythe their way through the Jaguars and when the chequered flag flew after 15 laps they had passed all but four of them.

Class B became an intense four-way battle between Campbell, McDermid, Ballard and James Cole. The class lead changed hands several times during the closing laps with Ballard looking to be the likely victor until an unfortunate incident at Redgate forced his retirement and allowed McDermid through to take the win with Cole P2 and Campbell P3.

The incident that ended Tylor Ballard’s hopes of Class B victory.

So impressed were the commentators by Graham Ross’s winning drive that they nominated him ‘Millers Oils Driver of the Race’.

Graham Ross, Millers Oils Driver of the Race, race 1.

MG Trophy Race 2 – 20 minutes

With Adam Jackson and Robin Walker unable to take part in Sunday’s race, Tylor Ballard led the remaining MG ZRs round the 1.98 mile rolling start lap. By the time the cars appeared at Coppice on lap 1 Sam Meagher was in the lead and Graham Ross had gained six places to hold P2. The Class B cars of Tylor Ballard and Fergus Campbell were right behind the leading duo and all 9 cars were covered by just 4 seconds at the end of the lap.

Sam Meagher had the lead at Coppice on lap 1 of race 2.

Ross took over the lead on lap 2 and thereafter the two ZR 190s ran through the Jaguars in formation. At the end of the penultimate lap they were in P3 and P4 overall and Ross looked set to take his second win of the weekend. But it was not to be, those mechanical gremlins had other ideas and Ross slowed with a steering issue which allowed Meagher through to take the Trophy win. Ross coaxed his car over the line in P2. 

The Jaguar XJ6 4200 of Simon Lewis was no match for the MG ZRs.

Meanwhile, as we have become accustomed to see in the highly competitive Class B, there was battle royal between the leading contenders. Ballard held the class lead throughout the race with Campbell being his closest challenger during the first four laps. However, James Cole’s run of good form continued from the latter part of 2023 and he became Ballard’s closest challenger on lap 5. They maintained that order running in close formation for the remainder of the race but both explored the extremities of the track in their bid to pass one of the Jaguars. Unfortunately, that led to Ballard being hit with a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits which dropped him to P2 in the final results and compounded his race 1 disappointment. 

Matthew Harvey had a consistent weekend taking P4 in class in both races.

McDermid, who took 3rd in class after finding his way past Campbell in the closing stages of the race, received the ‘Millers Oils Driver of the Race’ award.

Steve McDermid Millers Oils Driver of the Race, race 2.

The MG Trophy will be in action again at Oulton Park on 27th April

The MG Car Club held its final races of the marque’s 100^th-anniversary year at a bright but breezy Snetterton. 

It was the season-finale for most of MGCC’s championships: as well as race honours to fight for there were championship titles to settle on the Norfolk venue’s 300 layout. As usual the racers provided plenty of competitive action and engaged in spirited battles during the double headers for each of the five MGCC race categories.

MG Cup Powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

MG Cup celebrated the contest’s 35 years at its Snetterton season-closer with a special Saturday night hog roast and a big grid of 25 competitors.

There was a fresh look at the front of the field as Jake Fraser-Burns made his championship debut in his MG ZR 190 while the similarly equipped Steve McDermid was back for the first time since his race-winning outing at Brands Hatch’s season-opener. The pair, with Fraser-Burns on pole, took their places on the front row of the grid for race one. McDermid took the lead at the start and stayed ahead to lead Fraser-Burns home by 1.5 seconds. Invitation class entry, Stuart Tranter was third in his Rover 220 Turbo. Simon Lowery in fourth completed the Class C podium and was voted Driver of the Race by the race commentators.

Overall championship contender Ian Boulton was first to the flag in Class B, leading home his title rival and fellow MG ZR 170 runner Dan Ludlow. Class C’s Ashley Woodward, who led the overall points coming into Snetterton, could only finish seventh in class with a down-on-power MG ZS 180.

McDermid and Fraser-Burns again filled the front of the grid for race two with McDermid on pole this time. The duo again had a close scrap for victory. Although Fraser-Burns got ahead briefly, McDermid again emerged on top after 20 minutes of very entertaining racing.

 

BCV8 Championship

Russell McCarthy was on fine form in his MG B GT V8 as he took pole position at the BCV8 championship’s penultimate meeting of the season. However, all was not well with McCarthy’s bright yellow machine and there was frantic activity in the paddock to change the gearbox and a half-shaft.

The work was finished in time and McCarthy was able to take his place on the grid for race one but dropped back to third at the start behind his similarly mounted rivals James Wheeler and Neil Fowler. McCarthy clambered his way back to first by half distance and went on to win despite having to fend off the close attentions of Fowler to the end.

Andrew Young in his MG C roadster took the flag in fourth place overall to win Class C, 3.5 seconds ahead of class rival Ken Deamer in his MG B GT V8. Babak Farsian’s MG B Roadster won Class B not far ahead of Simon Cripps’ MG B, after the class leader, Paul Eales, retired with a gearbox problem. David Strike was a comfortable Class AB winner in his MG B GT.

McCarthy wasn’t able to fight for a double win at Snetterton as he retired almost immediately from race two with a misfire. It left Wheeler leading Fowler in a close fight for the win. Fowler briefly got ahead but half a lap later had a lock-up and Wheeler retook first place. They finished in that order.

Young passed Oliver Wardle’s MG B GT V8 to seal a double win in Class C but he only held off his foe by three tenths at the end. Farsian again beat Cripps in Class B while Strike also became a double class winner.

Cockshoot Cup Championship

The Cockshoot Cup runners made a rare visit to Snetterton and had a championship fight to settle, chiefly between Class F’s Phil Rigby in an MG F and defending champion David Morrison in his Class B MG Midget.

At the front Mark Wright took pole for race one in his MG F Cup car with Morrison alongside him on the front row. As usual, the Midgets of Morrison and Keith Egar got rocket launches but Wright was able to maintain first place on the outside of Riches.

It set Wright up to win comfortably, despite a safety car interruption after Helen Waddington’s MG ZR 170 spectacularly blew up at the rapid Coram curve and the resulting oil spill led to several cars spinning or half spinning.

On the resumption of racing Egar and Chris Greenbank (MG F) got past Morrison who was focused on taking Class B victory. Wright went on to take the flag 3 seconds ahead of Egar and Greenbank who finished second and third respectively. John Payne finished second in Class B having recovered from a spin on the oil to beat Mark Bellamy across the line for the place. Payne’s efforts earned him the Driver of the Race award.

Rigby had a frustrating race. He had a spin at Coram while trying to recover after losing time as the field spread out at the safety car restart and could only manage this in class. Gareth Jones (MG TF) won in Class F.

Egar jumped Wright at the start of race two and the pair had a fascinating place-swapping battle for the win which went in Egar’s favour. Egar also set a new outright Cockshoot lap record and received the Driver of the Race award.

The championship mathematics were that Morrison would retain his overall title with a class win, and that’s what he again achieved when he took the flag in fourth place overall. Rigby though did what he could with a class win of his own, beating Gregory Elgood who had to drop out late on with a misfire.

Morrison’s two Snetterton class wins meant he had eight wins in a row – a maximum in the championship where eight of the 10 results count – after having to sit out the two races at Oulton Park’s season opener as his gearbox was leaking oil.

Lackford Engineering Midget & Sprite Challenge

Martin Morris – back in his maroon Class A Midget due to damage to his blue-liveried version – was dominant out front in the Midget & Sprite Challenge at Snetterton and won both races of the double header.

The fight for the championship in this season-closing meeting was chiefly between Class D Midget pair Hugh Simpson and Barnaby Collinson who was just behind on points. Simpson’s Norfolk weekend didn’t start well as his gearbox broke on his qualifying out-lap. Amazingly, he was able to to take part in the races having had a gearbox loaned to him…by his title rival, Collinson.

Simpson managed to jump from the back of the grid to head the Class D runners on lap one of race one, but then – running at race speed for the first time that weekend – he locked up and ran off track. It left Collinson with a clear on-track class lead ahead of Simpson and that’s how they finished, the result shrinking the points gap between them.

Pippa Cow and Richard Bridge, running in P2 and P3 behind Morris, once again had a thrilling place-swapping battle for the Class E win. Cow pipped Bridge by a tenth at the flag for the class triumph and second place overall.

Morris once again dominated race two while Cow and Bridge once again had a close battle for second overall and the Class E win. Cow again prevailed and received the championship’s Driver of the Meeting award.

The championship battle however was resolved almost immediately in that second race as Collinson slowed because a distributor lead detached and he was only able to rejoin the action three laps down. This left Simpson set fair for the title and, having jumped to second in class from the back of the grid on lap one, he passed Andrew Caldwell for the class lead on lap two and won the class comfortably in fourth place overall. The championship was his!

The Holden MG Trophy

The MG Trophy races at Snetterton featured a high-quality five-way battle at the front. Adam Jackson and Fred Burgess returned to the MG ZR 190 Class A contest to join habitual frontrunners Graham Ross and Doug Cole plus Cadwell Park’s in-form man, Sam Meagher.

At the start of the first race the front five quickly became three as poleman Meagher spun at the first turn and Jackson had to run off the track in avoidance.

Ross had taken the lead at the start and stayed ahead for the duration while Cole held off an attacking Burgess before Burgess dropped away late on with an exhaust breakage but still finished third. Jackson set fastest lap and recovered to fourth place before parking with a driveshaft failure. 

James Cole dominated Class B after establishing a clear early lead and he beat newly crowned overall champion, Tylor Ballard, by six seconds. Ballard, after claiming the title at Cadwell last time out, ran the number one and a special gold champion’s windscreen sunstrip (a surprise gift from Graham Ross) on his car at Snetterton.

Tony Wigley, who finished fifth in Class B, was awarded Driver of the Race.

Ross said: “In qualifying I looked at the times, 1.2s behind, and I thought ‘this is going to be a struggle’. But I made a good start. I thought that was my only way if I was going to maybe win it or control it if I could get to the front. 

At the start of race two Ross again led from Doug Cole while Jackson immediately vaulted from 10^th on the grid – after traffic problems in qualifying – to run fourth behind Meagher, with Burgess completing the front quintet.

Ross looked good for a double win but spun at Murray’s. This let Meagher – who’d passed Cole early on – into the lead but with Cole on his tail. Cole got by to lead with a lap to go thanks to a fine move at Riches were he lined up on the outside line of the defending Meagher then cut back to out-accelerate him on the inside at the corner’s exit.

It meant Cole won his final race before retiring from full-time racing and, adding to the celebration his son James doubled up on Class B wins holding off Ballard and Scott Bugner. Cole Sr also got Driver of the Race. Jackson, meanwhile, pitted as his driveshaft broke , the other side this time, and the grease in the boot went onto the exhaust filling the car with smoke.

It’s all change now for the MG Car Club’s championships. After six decades, the club has regrettably taken the decision to withdraw from race organisation and the championships will be going there separate ways in 2024. It’s a very sad time for the club which, like the MG brand, is steeped in racing history but the racing will go on with different organisations. More news anon.

The MG Trophy races at MG-Triumph 100 – Silverstone, 10th & 11th June, saw the return of Fred Burgess (ZR190) who, in 2021, was a consistent frontrunner in Class A and finished 3rd overall in the championship. Racing for the first time in 18 months, he immediately demonstrated that his absence from the track had not diminished his speed.

James Moreton (ZR170) returned to the Trophy grid for the first time in 2023. He was joined by newcomers, Jonathan Candler (ZR170) and Thomas Stanfield (ZR160) making a total entry of 22 cars, the best so far this season.

For the second successive year, Perrys MG generously sponsored our races and had a distinctive display of new cars which attracted much attention. Pete Macwaters, MG Trophy chairman presented a special ‘Thank You’ award and we are grateful to all the staff at the Aylesbury branch for their continued support.

Millers Oils also continued their invaluable sponsorship of the ‘Driver of the Race’ awards.

The Trophy qualifying session was shared with the 90 year old Triple-M machines. Due to the huge speed differential all the cars could not be on track at the same time so the 20 minute session was split between the two groups which meant the ZRs only had time for four laps. Adam Jackson took pole with Fred Burgess in P2 and Graham Ross P3. James Cole took Class B honours followed by Tylor Ballard and Jack Woodcock. Colin Robertson qualified the MG3 in P8 and Thomas Stanfield was the only runner in Class C.

Jackson got a good start to race 1 and headed the field for the first lap but Burgess moved into the lead at the start of lap two and moved clear to win by 5.2 seconds setting the fastest lap time of 2:27.493 on lap 4.

Jackson then headed a close three-way battle for second with Graham Ross and Doug Cole which went in Ross’s favour when he passed Jackson at Becketts at half distance and Cole had a spin at Vale on the final lap. Cole recovered to a distant fourth but got some recompense with the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award.

Tylor Ballard won Class B, beating Fergus Campbell by 2.2s, while Ballard’s closest challenger, James Cole, dropped out with a broken damper. John Donnelly, Robin Walker and Jack Meagher were also non-finishers.

Robertson was sadly handicapped by power steering problems but managed to bring the MG3 home in P10 while Stanfield crossed the line one lap in arrears.

Race two was much closer at the front as Jackson sorted his race one overheating problems with a radiator change. He passed Burgess to lead early on when Burgess missed a gear but Burgess was soon back ahead for a lead he kept to the flag, again setting the fastest lap time of 2:27.238. Jackson maintained his challenge until the final lap when he slowed as a CV boot blew filling the cab with smoke. He was still able to continue and maintained his position, crossing the line in P2, some 6 seconds adrift.

Ballard pipped James Cole for Class B honours, though Cole set the fastest Class B lap time and made it a family double by being awarded the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award.

Ross and Doug Cole both dropped out mid race, with alternator and gear linkage problems respectively and Woodcock retired from the Class B contest on lap 3.

Tylor Ballard now leads the championship standings with Adam Jackson P2 and Graham Ross P3.

The next MG Trophy races are scheduled for Cadwell Park on 30th July.

Adapted from the report by Graham Keilloh. Photographs by Dickon Siddall.