A Spectacular 60th Anniversary for the Historic Sports Car Club
The Historic Sports Car Club celebrated its 60th anniversary with a series of thrilling events that showcased big grids, spectacular cars, and fantastic racing across its diverse categories. The success of these events was a testament to the club’s commitment to delivering value for money to its members and guests, ensuring continued growth and engagement.
At Donington Park, the club successfully utilized both of the park’s flowing circuits for an ambitious 22-race programme. This innovative approach presented a relentless challenge, but the marshals rose magnificently to the occasion. The Spring Trophy event was particularly memorable, as it featured the largest entry in years. Even the RAF Red Arrows aerobatics team joined the celebrations, adding to the excitement of the weekend.
Thundersports Return and Record-Breaking Moments
Thundersports made a triumphant return, despite facing challenges due to attrition. One of the highlights of the weekend was 80-year-old Frank Bradley, who amazed onlookers by topping 151mph on the Exhibition Straight in the Dodkins Motorsport’s 8.8-litre March-Chevrolet 717. This car, rooted in Helmut Kelleners’ 1970 Croft Interserie winner, saw Bradley hold the lead for several laps before retiring due to exhaustion.
Three of Lester Ray’s creations graced the grid. Julian Stokes qualified the ex-Richard Jenvey Vogue SP2 on pole, but front suspension failure on lap one caused a scare at the Grand Prix loop’s hairpin. Adam Sykes started the Harrier LR4 from the pits with clutch issues, lapping within three tenths of Bradley’s best time before the car broke down. Dave Karaskas then soldiered the closed Harrier LR5 to third behind Mark Richardson, who was being reeled in by Gary Furst’s Lola Team Gunston T212.
Competitive Racing and Unforgettable Moments
The Derek Bell Trophy races saw front-row starter Graham Ridgway (March 742) fall victim to food poisoning, but Mark Dwyer, driving a similar car, emerged victorious. After the track was drenched by drizzle on Sunday morning, Dwyer initially ran fourth before overtaking Chris Porritt (ex-Divina Galica Chevron B40) and Mark Harrison (ex-Ricardo Zunino March 772) at the hairpin and Goddard on the penultimate lap for a narrow win, shadowed by Porritt.
Dwyer later doubled up as fluctuating fuel pressure forced duellist Porritt to retire at Hollywood. Marc Mercer excelled in the ex-Bill Brack Atlantic March 78B, while Paul Campfield reached 140mph in his thuggish ex-Phillip ‘Skeeter’ McKitterick F5000 Chevron B24, outpacing nimbler opposition.
Success in Historic Formula Ford and FF2000
A month after Snetterton’s season-opener, Benn Simms and Ben Glasswell extended their unbeaten runs to four races each in the Historic Formula Ford and FF2000 categories. Ben Tusting also returned to the top of the Guards Trophy tree, soloing in father Robert’s Ford twin-cam engined Lenham P69 Spyder to outrun first round victor Elliot Paterson’s Ginetta-BMW G16.
Fast start experts Simms and Glasswell left rivals floundering in Saturday’s heat, although the latter thought his maximum was gone when he uncharacteristically rotated his Reynard at Redgate. Andy Storer took the chequer in his Pukka Pies Reynard, only for a red flag to reprieve Glasswell when the result was declared on countback. Fourth on day one, Adrian Reynard ran Glasswell closest on Sunday, but a five-second track-limits penalty dropped him behind Storer.
Exciting Competitions in Various Categories
Neil Bowman’s rare Van Diemen RF78 shaded Neil Jenkins (ex-Nick Foy Reynard SF76) for Class B gold, with Jenkins having been stuck behind Tim Grigsby’s wide Lola T580 on Saturday. Sometime Donington safety car driver Simms scarpered in his Keith Pickering-originated, Birmingham-built Jomo on Saturday, finishing 15s clear of promising youngster Jacques Jensen (Merlyn Mk20). Returning Swiss Ghislain Genecand (Crossle 16F), Christian Goller (Lola T202) and Jensen all topped Sunday’s squabble for second, crossing the stripe in that order.
Van Diemen-mounted Tom Gadd (Numanair tribute RF81) and Jordan Harrison (Jesus Saves RF79) continued their Classic FF1600 scraps where they left off in Norfolk, setting exceptional times. Double winner Gadd’s 1m15.571s (94.27mph), which Harrison was within 0.122s of, is the new standard.
Thrilling Races in One-Litre F3 and Alfa Romeo Categories
The One-Litre F3 screamers of 1964-70 were fast and furious up front. The Timms cousins, Jeremy and Jason, starred, with Jason’s Brabham BT21 scoring a double, denying champion Peter de la Roche by 0.013s on the line on Sunday after leader Jeremy’s ex-Reine Wisell Chevron B15 went off song. A welcome newcomer was RAF fighter pilot Paul Durban in his ex-Mo ‘Ensign’ Nunn Lotus 41. Roger Swift of Astrali Accessories, Nunn’s 1968 sponsor, was reunited with the car on Saturday.
Jamie Thwaites aced the Alfa Romeo races in his brawny ex-Romeo Ferraris team Giulietta TCR. Erstwhile points leader Jack Berry’s 4C limped home fourth on Saturday with turbo boosting issues, but bounced back to second on Sunday. Mark Skegg’s flame-belching GTV beat Stacey Dennis (Giulietta) to Power Trophy honours on Saturday. George Warren (GTV) won Turismo and Paul Plant (156) Twin Spark, underscoring a class treble for cars prepared by Plant’s Bianco team.
Road Sports and Super Sixties Showcases
Hotshot John Davison’s precision took his black Lotus Elan clear of Mark Godfrey’s 7, Frazer Gibney’s Elan and John Williams’ Porsche 911 in the Road Sports bouts. A splendid skirmish in the finale embroiled the Morgan +8s of Richard Plant, Martin Pratt and Sam Garland, who emerged ahead in fourth.
Britons Graham Moss (Shelby Cobra) and Marcos legend Dave Methley won the Dutch Super Sixties races. Methley bounded past Jan van der Kooi’s Lotus Elan either side of Sunday’s pitstops. Roelant de Waard (Shelby GT350) repelled Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans winner Volker Weidler, who broke free from three other Ford Falcon Sprints.
Donington-based 750 Motor Club subscribed to CALM All Porsche Trophy and BMW Car Club Racing slots. Warren Allen’s mellifluous Cayman S was untouchable on Saturday in the former. Having chased invitee Jas Sapra’s twin-turbocharged F80 M3 to bag winning points on Sunday, Paul Cook’s vividly-hued E46 M3 took the second BMW chequer. Sapra started from the pitlane for fun, and rose to fifth.
