Just two weeks after the Thruxton race meeting the MG Trophy was back in action on the Silverstone National circuit. The three long straights allowed the Jaguars that shared the track with the MGs to exploit their power but the nimble ZRs once again had the advantage through the corners which enabled them to set some very competitive times.

The weather for the CSCC Summer Spectacular was anything but summer-like. Cool, overcast conditions prevailed which left the drives in no doubt about tyre choices though the Class A cars had to work hard to generate heat in their slicks.

The meeting marked the end of the racing career of one of the MG Trophy regulars. Robin Walker, who started racing at Silverstone 48 years ago, has decided now is the time to retire from the sport. He has raced with the championship for around 15 years and his presence in the paddock will be missed by all his fellow drivers and teams. We wish Robin a long and happy retirement.

Qualifying

With the National circuit being only 1.64 miles long, the front-runners posted lap times of around 67 seconds and managed a dozen or so laps during the 15 minute qualifying session.

When the flag fell at the end of the session all four Class A cars were separated by less than 1 sec. Graham Ross grabbed pole again with a time of 1: 06.817 with Adam Jackson P2 and Sam Meagher P3. After racing a ZR170 for several years, Ian Boulton was acclimatising to Class A power and slicks and qualified P4.

Matt Harvey emerged at the top of the Class B times to take his first class pole. After an ultra-competitive session the top three were separated by just 0.3 sec with Taylor Ballard P2 and Andrew Rogerson P3.

Race 1

For this meeting the Trophy cars were at the front of the grid and started when the lights went out. The Jaguars started some 10 seconds later.

Jackson made a great start from P2 and challenged for the lead round Copse but it was Ross who headed the ZRs when they emerged from Woodcote at the end of lap 1. Behind them Boulton was P3 after Meagher had a poor start and fell back into the clutches of the Class B cars. Ballard led Class B followed by Rogerson and Harvey.

Meagher demoted Boulton to P4 on lap 2 and the Class A order then stayed unchanged for the remainder of the race. Ross’s winning margin was 2.5 secs with Meager a further 3.6 secs in arrears. Such was their pace that the trio headed the entire field until lap 12 when the quickest of the Jags took the lead and they finished P4, P5 and P6 overall.

Ballard took the lead of Class B from the start with Rogerson and Harvey P2 and P3 respectively. While the leading duo battled for position James Cole got the better of Harvey on lap 3 and it was soon a three-car train out front.

The battle for the lead came to an abrupt end on lap 6 where Rogerson became over-ambitious and tapped Ballard during braking for Brooklands. The resulting spin launched the #1 machine into a heavy impact with the wall and immediate retirement. Thankfully Ballard emerged unscathed.

Rogerson continued but retired on lap 14. By that time Harvey had led for several laps but Cole seized the initiative and claimed the class lead which he then held until the flag. Datoma Motorsport teammates, Matt Harvey and James Blake were P2 and P3 respectively.

Not only was James Cole nominated by the commentators for the Millers Oils Driver of the Race award but he also set a new Class B lap record of 1:09.681.

Race 2

Ross was on pole again for race 2 but it was Jackson who rounded Luffield in the lead at the end of lap 1 with Meagher in P2 and Ross P3. The trio squabbled for position for several laps before the status quo was restored with Ross in the lead followed by Jackson and Meagher. They took the flag in that order with Ross being nominated Millers Oils Driver of the Race.

There was a gap on the grid where Ballard should have been, his ZR170 too badly damaged from the race 1 accident and already on the trailer for the journey back to base. Harvey took the Class B lead from the start. He and Cole battled for class honours until lap 10 when the latter retired with mechanical maladies. The Datoma Motorsport duo were happy to capitalise on the opportunity and stroked their ZR170s home with Harvey in P1 and Blake P2. A delighted Robin Walker rounded off his racing career by taking the third step on the class podium.

During the post-race interviews, conducted by ITV4s BTCC commentator, David Addison, Graham Ross, who can always come up with some pertinent words, proclaimed himself honoured to be interviewed by TV royalty. Having converted his ZR190 to right-hand drive during the winter break, he is clearly at one with the car and has triumphed in all six races he has contested so far this year. 

The next race meeting for the MG Trophy championship will be at Anglesey on 20th July.

For more about the MG Trophy visit the Classic Sports Car Club website.