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Final round: Spa-Francorchamps, 12-14 October. |
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Charterhouse Heritage
Grand Touring Car
Challenge
DB5 tops
Heritage GT field at Spa
The Aston Martin DB5 of Ian McCallum and
John Bussell was the star of the weekend during the final two races for
the 2007 Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge at Spa-Francorchamps
over the weekend (13/14 October).
Qualifying
With extra classes for Elises, Caterhams and BMWs the Heritage GT grid
was increased to 53 cars at the magnificent Belgian track. Bussell put
in a cracking time of 2m51.066s to make the DB5 the leading HGT car and
fourth fastest overall.
Sixth on the grid was the Ram Cobra of John Dickson and Andrew Chalmers,
while just outside the top 10 overall was the VW Golf GTi of Richard
Cooke/Simon Verschueren.
Boysie Thurtle was delayed in a light aircraft with Roger Bennington
because of fog and they were eventually diverted to Liege, arriving just
before qualifying. Boysie then jumped into Bob Searles' DBSV8 for his
first ever lap of Spa. Thirty-third on the grid meant a few overtaking
moves would be needed before they were in contention!
Unfortunately Robin and Zoe North's Mustang retired because of an oil
pump failure, Gordon Streeter went home with a broken gearbox and Andrew
Knight hit overheating problems in his Mustang and had to withdraw.
Race one
An impressive fifty cars lined up for the start of the opening
50-minute race, making a fine sight as they streamed down to Eau Rouge.
The Lotus Exige of Chris Randall and Scott Fitzgerald was unstoppable,
eventually lapping the entire field. With lap times around 10 seconds
slower than the overall winner, Bussell and McCallum brought the DB5
home in a mighty second overall, first in class C.
Third overall was the Caterham Mega Rover of Nick Frost and Andy
McMillan; there was some close racing between the vastly different types
of car but everybody behaved impeccably with no real incidents.
Sixth and seventh overall were Dickson/Chalmers and Cooke/Verschueren,
while Searles stormed up the field from 33rd to fifth before handing
over to Thurtle. His first lap in the race was 11 seconds quicker than
his best in qualifying! Unfortunately, after a great stint Boysie
inadvertently hit the kill switch coming out of Eau Rouge and not
knowing what had happened to the car parked it on the grass for the last
four laps.
Good performances from regular Heritage GT competitors included Pat
Cooke (Aston Martin Vantage) who was an impressive 14th overall, but
pipped by his son Richard, driving the Golf GTI with Verschueren. Tony
Lees won his class and was 15th overall, while Conor O'Brien was just
outside the top 20 in his Aston Martin DB4.
Race two
With most of the Lotus, Caterham and BMW contingent departed, a
smaller grid formed for the 30-minute race on Sunday, but it was still
full of incident.
Dickson took the Ram Cobra into a commanding lead by lap one and held it
until the driver changes, where Chalmers had to contend with some of the
quicker partners. Chris Pearson took his Exige to the front for another
Lotus victory but was followed very closely by Bussell in McCallum's
DB5. Thurtle, now getting to grips with the circuit had a great tussle
with a deceptively quick Pat Cooke, and he got up to fourth before
handing over to Searles. Unfortunately a Boysie excursion over the grass
meant the car overheated necessitating a trip to the pits to remove
debris, effectively ending their challenge once again. Richard Cooke and
Verschueren had to retire their Golf with a sheared drive shaft.
Pat Cooke had another fine run in the Vantage, finishing just clear of
the Lees' Morgan, with Jonathan Bloohn and Andy Nunn inside the top ten
in the Hertz Racing 350GT. Their achievement in getting the Mustang
round Spa on drum brakes in a 2m57s lap was particularly impressive.
Chasing them at the flag was Conor O'Brien, who knocked several seconds
off his best time as he mastered the track.
Heritage GT racers thrill WTCC crowds
Two races for the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge provided some
stunning action during the World Touring Car Championship meeting on the
demanding Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit over the weekend (22/23
September).
Fittingly, on such a high profile programme, the HGT contenders turned
out in force with 40 cars lining up for Saturday’s race. Rick Lloyd and
Peter Horsman won an incident packed race in their Morgan Plus 8 but
only after a titanic battle with the Chevrolet Camaro of Andy Rouse and
Stuart Hall. But Rouse and Hall turned the tables in style to score a
commanding win on Sunday.
Qualifying
Friday’s session produced a familiar look at the sharp end of the grid
with Rouse/Hall on pole while Lloyd/Horsman shared the front row. "Very
happy," said Rouse, while Lloyd signalled his intentions for the race by
fitting some new tyres. "Hoosier told me my old ones wouldn’t do 40
minutes," said a smiling Lloyd.
The Camaro of Arthur Thurtle/Boysie Thurtle/Roger Bennington (the last
named due to share with Arthur on Sunday) was third fastest, whilst the
George Miller/Les Goble Aston Martin DBS V8 was fourth quickest. Chris
Scragg (DBS V8), driving solo this weekend, was fifth fastest with the
father and son pairing of Roy and Spencer McCarthy rounding out the top
six.
The Andrew Chalmers/Colin Davids Porsche 911 was best of the Class B
cars (tenth fastest) while Malcolm Young (DBS V8) was the leading
Invitation class runner in his DBS V8 with Class A top spot falling to
the Harvey and Clive Death in the family Mini Cooper S.
However, there were also some tales of woe after qualifying. Alec
Hammond’s engineer faced an unexpected repair job after the Chevrolet
Camaro fell off its axle stands overnight! The offending stand jammed
under the car putting a large dent in the sump.
The John Shoesmith/Ray Barrow Camaro went one better, blowing its engine
during qualifying and prompting Barrow to fetch his Cosworth
turbo-powered Ford Escort Mk1, which was moved into the Invitation
class.
The Tim Glover/Andrew Knight TVR V8-engined Escort never even made it
onto the track after an oil cooler pipe split in the pit lane. But
things got worse, for it boiled on the grid of Saturday’s race causing
the ECU to go into 'limp home' mode.
Another with overheating dramas was the Jaguar XJS of Richard Masters,
which split its header tank. Masters was already using his second car
after crashing his favoured XJS at a Brands test day! RAM Cobra driver
John Dickson had a scare in qualifying when a bolt dropped out of the
sump of his newly rebuilt engine, resulting in oil on his tyres and a
spin at Stirlings.
Race one
Rouse and Lloyd were neck and neck on the run to Paddock where both
sat it out side-by-side. But third place man Arthur Thurtle got out of
shape going down the hill and the Camaro plunged off the circuit and
into the barrier on the inside of the corner with some force.
The passenger side of the car bore the brunt of the impact and while
Arthur was thankfully okay, the car was out of action for the rest of
the weekend. With Mark Forster’s Mini in the gravel on the outside of
Paddock, the safety car made an early appearance to allow recovery of
the stricken cars.
Thurtle’s demise elevated Roy McCarthy to third but it wasn’t to be a
good weekend for the Banstead family with Roy spinning at the exit of
Stirlings once the action got under way again. Unsighted, it took him
some time to get going. Son Spencer completed their misery by beaching
the car in the Druids gravel trap.
Meanwhile, Lloyd harried Rouse for the lead, eventually grabbing it when
Rouse ran wide at Dingle Dell on lap 11. Pit stops would soon follow and
though the front two stopped a lap apart, they were soon back dicing for
the lead with Horsman making the race winning manoeuvre around the
outside of Hall at Paddock on lap 15.
"I took my 60th race win at Castle Combe last week and I’m 60 years old,
so that was a landmark but my first ever win over Andy is something
special," exclaimed an elated Lloyd. "It was a shame about the red flag
but I must say that Peter drove very well," said Hall.
Sadly, the race was red flagged on lap 18 when Les Goble had a brush
with Gordon Streeter (Ford Anglia) while lapping him at Clearways and
despite heavy braking, Goble couldn’t avoid the Anglia as it turned in.
They clashed and with Goble’s car stuck in the gravel in a precarious
spot, the race was red flagged.
Despite having missed qualifying in their Morgan Plus 8, the Bryants
were third after Oliver charged magnificently from the rear of the grid,
leaving father Grahame to maintain their placing. Soloist Scragg was a
very fine fourth ahead of Aston Martin DB4 duo Peter Wheeler/Ben
Samuelson.
Sixth was the Hammond/Jenkinson Camaro, which was good reward for their
engineer’s efforts, while the Ian McCallum/John Bussell Aston Martin DB5
was seventh, clear of Invitation class winner Young who had fellow
soloist Phil Hollins (Morgan Plus 8) between himself and the Class B
winning Porsche of Chalmers/Davids. The Death brothers threw their
Cooper S around in style to win class A.
Results – race one
1 Rick Lloyd/Peter Horsman (Morgan Plus 8) 17 laps in 30m53.396s
(76.46mph); 2 Andy Rouse/Stuart Hall (Chevrolet Camaro) 30m54.816s; 3
Oliver Bryant/Grahame Bryant (Morgan Plus 8); 4 Chris Scragg (Aston
Martin DBS V8); 5 Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson (Aston Martin DB4); 6 Alec
Hammond/Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 7 Ian McCallum/John Bussell
(Aston Martin DB5); 8 Malcolm Young (Aston Martin DBS V8); 9 Phil
Hollins (Morgan Plus 8); 10 Andrew Chalmers/Colin Davids (Porsche 911).
Class winners: Lloyd/Horsman; Rouse/Hall; Young; Chalmers/Davids; Harvey
Death/Clive Death (Mini Cooper S). Fastest lap: Lloyd 1m38.203s
(84.84mph).
Race two
Sunday’s race saw a few absentees, notably the Thurtle Camaro and the
Miller/Goble Aston Martin which had suffered rather more damage than
initial checks had shown. Also out was the Williams family Rover SD1
with oil pressure problems, while there would be a new winner in the
Invitation class as Malcolm Young was unable to be there.
Hall started the Camaro this time and though Lloyd led initially, Hall
soon put blasted past on the run up to Hawthorns. When Rouse later took
over, he continued the domination, easing off towards the end with a
winning margin of 12.8 seconds.
The Bryants took another third place while Scragg was again fourth but
only after a scrap with Roy McCarthy who completed a forgettable weekend
by plunging off the circuit into the tyre wall at Clearways.
The McCallum/Bussell pairing, with Bussell charging on the second stint,
almost caught Scragg in the closing stages. Sixth fell to another Aston
Martin, this time the Wheeler and Samuelson car, which was clear of the
Hammond/Jenkinson Camaro.
Hollins went one better than earlier in eighth while Bob Searles/Tony
Jardine (DBS V8) were ninth just ahead of the Conor O’Brien/Charlie Kemp
DB4. Just outside the top ten, Laki Christoforou (Ford Escort Mk1) took
Class B while the Barrow/Shoesmith Escort bagged the Invitation class
honours and Streeter came back from his race one dramas to win class A
in the mighty Ford Anglia.
Results – race two
1 Hall/Rouse 18 laps in 30m48.340s (81.17mph); 2 Lloyd/Horsman
31m01.236s; 3 Bryant/Bryant; 4 Scragg; 5 McCallum/Bussell; 6
Wheeler/Samuelson; 7 Hammond/Jenkinson; 8 Hollins; 9 Bob Searles/Tony
Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8); 10 Conor O’Brien/Charlie Kemp (Aston
Martin DB4). Class winners: Hall/Rouse; Lloyd/Horsman; Laki Christoforou
(Ford Escort Mk 1); Ray Barrow/John Shoesmith (Ford Escort Mk 1); Gordon
Streeter (Ford Anglia). Fastest lap: Hall 1m38.065s (84.96mph).
Family affair in
HGT at Silverstone
It was a real family affair in the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car
Challenge at Silverstone on Saturday (11 August) during the British F3/GT
meeting. While Grahame and Oli Bryant scored a resounding win in the
45-minute race in their Morgan +8, three more father and son
combinations packed out the top five finishers.
Qualifying
The Bryants served notice of their intentions by taking pole position,
lapping just over a tenth of a second faster than the Chevrolet Camaro
of Stuart and Peter Hall, with Stuart having a run in the Camaro for the
first time since his fabulous fourth place in the Le Mans 24-Hour in
June.
Rick Lloyd/Peter Horsman put their Morgan +8 third on the grid from the
Camaro of Arthur and Boysie Thurtle, while British GT racer Tim Mullen
made his historic racing debut and helped Nicholas King to put their
Aston Martin DB4 fifth on the grid.
Among the other classes, Laki Christoforou and Nick Stagg headed the
class B times in their Ford Escort Mk1, while Nathalie Boyd and Mike
Youles topped class A in their Mini Cooper S. Their chief rivals of
Harvey and Clive Death had a torrid time and missed qualifying. Their
Mini suffered a broken crank when they started the engine on Saturday
morning and work started immediately to fit the spare engine. "We missed
qualifying by a few minutes," said Harvey. However, they would be able
to start from the back of the grid.
Sadly absent from the excellent line-up for the race was the Ford Escort
Mk1 of Tim Glover and Martin Sandmeier after a hefty bump into the pit
wall.
Race
The rolling start was a fabulous sight as around 10,000bhp was unleashed
and in places cars were three and four abreast on the charge to Copse.
Up front, Grahame Bryant got a cracking start but had to fend off the
flying Arthur Thurtle as the pack streamed into the first corner.
While Bryant settled into the groove, Lloyd soon moved his Morgan
through to second from Thurtle as the leading trio began to edge clear
of the pack. Further back, Harvey Death was already on the move and
passing bigger cars in pursuit of Youles.
By lap three, Lloyd was ready to challenge for the lead and boldly went
ahead around the outside at Luffield. But there was little to choose
between the Morgans as they headed towards the start of the pit-stop
window. One of the first to stop was Pete Hall to hand the Camaro over
to so Stuart and that would mark the start of a fine drive. "I hope he
can do it," said Pete when commentator Ian Titchmarsh asked if Stuart
could get into a podium position by the end of the race.
On lap 10, Bryant pitted to hand over to his son and three laps later
Lloyd brought his Morgan in. Unfortunately, a problem getting the car
restarted cost them time and the Bryant Morgan swept ahead before
Horsman rejoined. "It's a new ignition switch we've fitted, so he's got
an excuse," explained Lloyd. With a late stop, the MGB GTV8 of Russell
and Roy McCarthy led for a couple of laps, but once the pit stops were
over, it was Oli Bryant with a clear lead.
Horsman was second, while Hall was charging along and soon went ahead of
Roy McCarthy and Boysie Thurtle as he stormed through to third place.
Further back, the Mullen/King Aston went out with a suspension problem.
"I don't know how much the car is worth, but I thought it was better to
park it," said Mullen.
While Bryant further extended his lead, the main interest lay in the
contest for second place and when Horsman ran a couple of slow laps it
seemed possible that Hall could catch him. However, Horsman soon
regained normal pace and that settled the finishing order. "It looked
expensive when he was going slowly," said Lloyd. "The brakes had stuck
on and I couldn't get the pedal to release," said Horsman. However, he
then managed to kick the pedal free and settled back into a safe second,
25s ahead of the Hall Camaro.
The Thurtle and McCarthy combinations had good races for fourth and
fifth, while the Aston Martin DB4 of Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson was a
strong sixth. The Camaro of Alec Hammond/John Young just edged the Aston
Martin V8 of Bob Searles/Tony Jardine for seventh.
Making it a great day for Morgan, Tony Lees bagged class B in his +8,
but was never too far ahead of the Christoforou/Stagg Escort, while the
Lotus 47 of Pat Thomas/Al Fleming was a good third. Meanwhile, having
battled ahead of the Youles/Boyd car, the Death Mini went out with a
major water problem. Boyd's Mini then lapsed onto less than four
cylinders, but limped home to win the class. "When I saw P1 on the
board, I thought just keep it going, whatever happens," said Boyd.
Results – 45 minutes
1 Grahame Bryant/Oliver Bryant (Morgan +8) 29 laps in 46m29.197s
(84.18mph); 2 Rick Lloyd/Peter Horsman (Morgan +8) +42.296s; 3 Pete
Hall/Stuart Hall (Chevrolet Camaro); 4 Arthur Thurtle/Roger Bennington
(Chevrolet Camaro); 5 Russell McCarthy/Roy McCarthy (MGB GTV8); 6 Peter
Wheeler/Ben Samuelson (Aston Martin DB4); 7 Alec Hammond/John Young
(Chevrolet Camaro); 8 Bob Searles/Tony Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8); 9
Ian McCallum/John Bussell (Aston Martin DB5); 10 George Miller/Les Goble
(Aston Martin DBS V8). Class winners: Hall/Hall; Bryant/Bryant; Tony
Lees (Morgan +8); Nathalie Boyd/Mike Youles (Mini Cooper S). Fastest
lap: Oliver Bryant 1m31.982s (88.02mph).
Next rounds: Brands Hatch, 22/23 September.
HGT packs wows the
BTCC crowd
pic J Bloxham
Two races for the
Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge provided some superb action
during the British Touring Car Championship meeting at Snetterton over
the weekend (28/29 July).
While Stephen Colbert/Jackie Cochrane won the first race in their
Sunbeam Tiger, a thrilling second race fell to the Chevrolet Camaro of
Arthur and Boysie Thurtle as a fabulous grid of classic sports and GT
cars brought the curtain down on Snetterton's biggest race meeting of
the season.
Qualifying
Andy Rouse set the early pace in qualifying but it was a late burst from
Stephen Colbert in Jackie Cochrane’s Sunbeam Tiger that secured pole
position. "Could do with better brakes and I’m on the rev limiter for
half the Revett Straight," reported the pole sitter.
Rick Lloyd was racing solo in his Morgan Plus 8 as regular co-driver
Peter Horsman was busy at Silverstone and was quite happy to be third. "Boysie
Thurtle kept driving by me on the straights! Third's not bad," said the
race winner from the previous Snetterton round.
Boysie Thurtle reported understeer in the fourth placed Chevrolet Camaro.
"It’s got loads of power, but the handling is not quite right yet," he
said as he prepared for a rare race outing alongside his father Arthur.
The fifth-placed Aston Martin V8 was an early pit visitor as the door
needed taping up as it was waving in the air, otherwise both George
Miller and Les Goble were happy with their position.
Ben Samuelson was enjoying the handling of Peter Wheelers' Aston Martin
DB4 and they were delighted to be eighth fastest.
Laki Christoforou (Ford Escort) was the leading Class B runner in an
excellent tenth place, while in Class A Gordon Streeter was fastest
despite running in a new engine. However, Dave Mountain and Graham
Hathaway were not too far behind as they made their series debut in
Mountain's Lotus Cortina Mk1.
Race one
Cochrane started the race and roared off into lead with the
fast starting Lloyd on his tail. As the pair rounded Coram, the Tiger
ran wide out across the grass and promptly lost the lead. "I was trying
to get the car to follow the tarmac but went grass cutting instead,"
explained the former leader, after he rejoined in fourth place. This
allowed Lloyd to lead from Peter Hall (Chevrolet Camaro) while Roger
Bennington, holding third in the Thurtle Camaro, soon came under
pressure from the recovering Tiger.
Meanwhile, Robin North made fantastic progress from 12th place in his
Ford Mustang to be fifth after just three laps, and then started to
close in on Bennington.
After eight laps, a rash of pit stops mixed up the order and Arthur
Thurtle lost some time with a spin in the Camaro at Coram. Also loosing
time was Lloyd as the 30-second pit-stop for driving solo dropped him
out of the lead. Instead, Colbert took the lead and he duly powered the
Tiger to a comfortable victory.
Rouse tried to hang on to the Tiger but was fighting fading grip from
his rear tyres. Lloyd recovered to third while Arthur Thurtle gathered
up the Camaro to be fourth.
Two strong runs from the Aston Martins of Ian McCallum/John Bussell and
Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson were rewarded with top six finishes, while
Zoe North stole seventh place on the final lap from the Scragg/Bussell
DBS and a charging drive while Christoforou outran Lloyd’s Jaguar for
ninth.
Peter Lloyd was a late pit visitor in the Jaguar E Type, having run as
high as fourth, before settling for tenth at the finish complete with
several bent panels. "I’ve been and offered my apologies," confessed
Lloyd.
Results – race one
1 Jackie Cochrane/Stephen Colbert (Sunbeam Tiger) 21 laps in
27m31.260s (89.36mph); 2 Pete Hall/Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro)
+14.571s; 3 Rick Lloyd (Morgan Plus 8); 4 Arthur Thurtle/Roger
Bennington (Chevrolet Camaro); 5 Ian McCallum/John Bussell (Aston Martin
DB5); 6 Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson (Aston Martin DB4); 7 Robin North/Zoe
North (Ford Mustang); 8 Chris Scragg/John Bussell (Aston Martin DBS); 9
Laki Christoforou (Ford Escort Mk1); 10 Peter Lloyd (Jaguar E Type).
Class winners: Cochrane/Colbert; Rick Lloyd; Christoforou; Dave
Mountain/Graham Hathaway (Lotus Cortina Mk1); Tim Glover/Martin
Sandmeier (Ford Escort Mk1). Fastest lap: Colbert 1m14.264s (94.62mph).
Race two
Sunday's 40-minute race closed the weekend in style, with battles all
the way down the field and some great racing as the result remained in
doubt until the very end of the race.
Rick Lloyd fired the Morgan into an immediate lead from Arthur Thurtle
and Stuart Hall as Jackie Cochrane settled in fourth in the Sunbeam
Tiger. Unfortunately, the Hall/Rouse Camaro was an early retirement with
power steering failure.
Among the first of the routine pit stops was Cochrane and with Colbert
now at the wheel, the Tiger stormed back into the race. Lloyd led until
a relatively late pit stop and rejoined in third behind Boysie Thurtle
and Colbert. The pace was stunning as the V8s charged around and,
bit-by-bit, Colbert closed the gap to the Camaro. But Boysie was pushing
very hard and it was not until lap 25 that Colbert was able to grab the
lead.
Sadly, two laps later Stephen had to park the Tiger at the Esses after a
major engine problem. "Once the warning light was on the dash, I turned
it off," said a disappointed Colbert.
Now Thurtle was back ahead, but still couldn’t relax as Lloyd was
chasing hard in the Morgan. On the final lap, they were nose to tail
through Coram and Boysie had to defend into Russell to keep the Morgan
at bay. "I've never had such a heart-stopping last lap," said Boysie
after victory. "I didn’t know you were leading," said Lloyd as he
congratulated his rival in the pit lane. "After all that hard work, I
wasn't going to give up," added the race winner.
"We didn’t expect that," said John Bussell after partnering Ian McCallum
to a mighty third overall, while Miller/Goble also had a great run to
fourth, helped by the demise of the Wheeler/Samuelson DB4 with fuel
pressure problems.
Into a fine fifth from the back of the grid, despite a drive-through
penalty, came Chris Williams (Morgan Plus 8) after a quick change of car
following engine dramas with his Rover, while Robin and Zoe North
completed the top six to wrap up an excellent weekend. Peter Lloyd again
went solo in his Jaguar E Type to claim class B while a very warm
Streeter took class D. "It finished," said an elated Gordon after the
race.
Results – race two
1 Arthur Thurtle/Boysie Thurtle 31 laps in 40m44.552s
(89.11mph); 2 Rick Lloyd +1.099s; 3 McCallum/Bussell; 4 George
Miller/Les Goble (Aston Martin V8); 5 Chris Williams (Morgan Plus 8); 6
North/North; 7 Peter Lloyd; 8 Christoforou; 9 Scragg/Bussell; 10 Nigel
Vaulkhard/John Smirthwaite (Ford Escort Mk1). Class winners: Thurtle/Thurtle;
Rick Lloyd, Peter Lloyd; Gordon Streeter (Ford Anglia). Fastest lap:
Colbert 1m 14.087s (94.84mph).
Next round: Silverstone, 11 August.
Morgans to the fore in Heritage GT races at Snetterton
Two races for the Charterhouse Heritage GT
Car Challenge provided some superb action during the British F3/GT
meeting at Snetterton over the weekend (2/3 June).
With a brilliant solo run, GT racer Oliver Bryant stole victory on the
final lap of the opening race from fellow Morgan racer Rick Lloyd.
However, with the Bryant +8 sidelined from the second race with engine
problems, Lloyd and Peter Horsman claimed victory to complete a Morgan
double.
Qualifying
The long Snetterton straights allowed the Pete Hall/Andy Rouse Chevrolet
Camaro to shine and the pair planted their potent machine on pole
position. Sadly they would miss the races as the final drive failed.
"It’s the first time in 14 years it has let us down," said a
disappointed Hall.
Pole position was then handed to the Peter Horsman/Rick Lloyd Morgan +8.
"Peter set the time as he needs the seat time," said Lloyd who is back
from a short retirement to compete in the series.
The Bryants were next, with Oliver setting the time on new tyres.
"Thought it was about time we had some new ones," said his father
Graham, who elected to miss Saturday’s race in favour of a dinner
engagement in London.
Arthur Thurtle (Chevrolet Camaro) was next up with the potent Cobra of
John Dickson/Bill Miller alongside on the second row. The McCarthy
family were content with eighth after running in new brakes on their MGB
GTV8.
Further back both Alec Hammond (Chevrolet Camaro) and Peter Wheeler
(Aston Martin DB4) were pleased with their rebuilt machines while Pat
Thomas was glad to have cured the overheating troubles that have plagued
his Lotus 47.
Race one
Thurtle set off like a demon and quickly put the two Morgans
behind him, but it then went horrible wrong for the Camaro pilot at
Coram on lap two. A puncture pitched him into a mighty spin, which ended
up with the Camaro just touching the barrier at Russell.
Bryant then took up the running but couldn’t shake off Horsman who
nipped by when the leader made a slight error on lap 11 at Sear. It
didn’t last long as Horsman then made a small mistake and was passed
going into the Esses on the following lap. Shortly after Horsman pitted
and handed the car over to owner Lloyd, who resumed in the lead as
Bryant made his stop.
Running solo, Bryant had a longer stop and was 11 seconds behind Lloyd
as he rejoined and so the young charger set off after his adversary with
a purpose. Bit by bit, the gap came down, with fuel surge at Russell not
helping Lloyd's cause. In a dramatic conclusion and less than a mile
from the finish, Bryant blasted past into the Esses to secure victory.
An early pit stop for the McCarthys paid dividends as Russell found
himself in third place on the 13th lap, despite being hampered by an
oily windscreen courtesy of a split oil pipe on Hammond's Camaro when
Andy Jenkinson was driving.
Another Morgan solo performance came from Chris Williams and he closed
in on the McCarthy MGB but fell short of taking third place by less than
two seconds.
Another car to profit from an early driver change was the Wheeler/Steve
Hyde Aston with series newcomer Hyde showing considerable verve to claim
fifth place having rejoined way down in 19th place. Bob Searles and Tony
Jardine guided the former's Aston Martin V8 to a place in the top six,
while seventh-placed Jamie Boot was Class B winner. He found that the
brakes on his TVR weren't a match for some of the people around him as
he had to brake 50 meters earlier than his rivals.
Next came the Robin and Zoe North Mustang in only its third race. "Quite
happy with eighth," said Zoe after an excellent result. Ninth was the
John Bussell/Mike Wilkinson Jaguar E Type, which spun twice at Russell
in the later laps, while Kerry Michael (Ford Escort) claimed a top ten
finish as well as victory in Class B.
After the Mini Cooper of Harvey and Clive Death was involved in an
incident at Russell with the Lotus Cortina of Geoff Kimber-Smith, Gordon
Streeter (Ford Anglias) had an easy run to the Class A laurels.
Having reached the dizzy heights of third place in his RAM Cobra, John
Dickson then pitted with low oil pressure. The car recovered
sufficiently to allow Bill Miller to take over, but he had to stop after
electrical problems intervened.
Results – race one
1 Oliver Bryant (Morgan +8) 27 laps in 35m26.890s (89.19mph); 2
Peter Horsman/Rick Lloyd (Morgan +8) + 0.806s; 3 Roy McCarthy/Russell
McCarthy (MGB); 4 Chris Williams (Morgan +8); 5 Peter Wheeler/Steve Hyde
(Aston Martin DB4); 6 Bob Searles/Tony Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8); 7
Jamie Boot (TVR Griffith); 8 Robin North/Zoe North (Ford Mustang); 9
John Bussell/Mike Wilkinson (Jaguar E Type); 10 Kerry Michael (Ford
Escort). Class winners: Bryant; Searles/Jardine; Michael; Gordon
Streeter (Ford Anglia). Fastest lap: Bryant 1m14.601s (94.18mph).
Race two
Just before Sunday’s race, Graham Bryant fired up the Morgan’s
engine and found it sick after Oliver’s charge to victory the previous
afternoon. A valve spring had broken on the final lap as Oliver snatched
a dramatic victory, which left his father on the sidelines for Sunday's
race.
Russell McCarthy led the opening laps, having deposed Horsman at the
first corner with Williams in close attendance. These three traded the
lead in a wonderful contest, before Horsman opened up a slight gap.
Searles started his Aston Martin V8 but couldn't hold back a charging
Hammond who, from the back of the grid, took fourth place on lap seven.
By this time Zoe North had rolled to a halt up at Sear with dead
electrics, which at least allowed Wheeler some peace as Zoe had been
chasing the Aston with fierce determination.
Wheeler soon pitted for Hyde to take over, and from 22nd he turned in a
fine performance that took him as high as fourth place until Les Goble
(Aston Martin V8) swept ahead six laps from the finish.
When Horsman handed over to Lloyd, Williams led from McCarty who swapped
with his father Roy on the 13th lap only for McCarthy senior to complete
one tour before a half shaft failed and sent the MGB back to the pits.
Meanwhile Boot had been working the TVR hard and pitted from fifth
place, but his promising run was to end with a broken throttle cable.
Once Williams had pitted on lap 15, Lloyd resumed at the head of the
field with a 12s margin to Williams who, try as he might, was unable to
make any headway into the leader's advantage, but second place was still
his best finish in the series to date.
When the McCarthy MGB faltered, the Hammond Camaro, now driven by
Jenkinson took up third place.
The Bussell/Wilkinson Jaguar E Type was the first of the lapped runners
in seventh place while Tony Lees stole eight place, and victory in Class
B, from Nick Stagg (Ford Escort) in the closing laps. Laki Christoforou
wasn’t far behind the pair in tenth place with his similar Escort.
Gordon Streeter had been flying in his Ford Anglia, but on the final lap
it cried enough at the Esses and he spun on his own engine oil. The
Death’s Mini also expired in the closing stages, which left the Mike
Youles/Nathalie Boyd Mini Cooper S to claim the Class A spoils.
Results – race two
1 Horsman/Lloyd 27 laps in 36m17.123s (87.13mph); 2 Williams +13.331s; 3
Alec Hammond/Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 4 Les Goble (Aston
Martin V8); 5 Wheeler/Hyde; 6 Searles/Jardine; 7 Bussell/Wilkinson; 8
Tony Lees (Morgan +8); 9 Nick Stagg (Ford Escort); 10 Laki Christoforou
(Ford Escort). Class winners: Horsman/Lloyd; Hammond/Jenkinson; Lees;
Mike Youles/Nathalie Boyd (Mini Cooper S). Fastest lap: Horsman
1m16.155s (92.26mph).
Cochrane and Colbert
take Heritage GT double at Brands
Irish racers Jackie Cochrane and Stephen Colbert claimed an
impressive double victory as the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge
provided some of the best supporting action to the A1 GP feature races
at Brands Hatch (28/29 April).
Cochrane's Sunbeam Tiger proved to be the class of the superb 40-car
field, although stern challenges from Grahame and Oliver Bryant (Morgan
+8) and Andy Rouse/Stuart Hall (Chevrolet Camaro) ensured that the huge
crowd was well entertained by the Heritage field.
Qualifying
Although it was nearly 30 years since Cochrane had raced on the Brands
Grand Prix circuit, Colbert had a lot more recent experience and duly
planted the Tiger on pole, with a useful margin over the Hall/Rouse
Camaro. The Bryant Morgan was third fastest and shared the second row of
the fabulous grid with the Plus 8 of Chris Williams.
Other leading contenders fared less well in qualifying, with Tom
Alexander/Michael Bentwood down in 16th as they adjusted back to their
Aston Martin DB4 after racing the latest DB9 in British GT events. One
place behind the DB4 was the V8 of Bob Searles/Tony Jardine, which was
struggling on the exit of Surtees.
Race one
Andy Rouse started the Camaro and blasted ahead of Cochrane on the dash
up to Druids on the first lap to take the lead. Further back, Chris
Scragg spun into the gravel after a brake bias problem. "When I braked
hard, it spun round like a top," he said.
Up front, Rouse was flying and immediately went clear as Cochrane and
Grahame Bryant chased, with Chris Williams going after them until a spin
at Surtees cost him a lot of time. With Rouse extending his lead,
Cochrane had his hands full of the Bryant Morgan until the safety car
was called out on lap five. Rikki Cann's Aston Martin V8 was in the
gravel at Clearways and took a couple of laps to remove.
With the pit-stop window now open, many crews opted to stop while the
safety car was out. But the Rouse/Hall Camaro stayed out, and the time
lost would cost them dear in the final results. From the restart,
Stephen Colbert and Oliver Bryant were nose-to-tail and even went each
side of the Nathalie Boyd/Mike Youles Mini Cooper at the bottom of
Paddock on the first racing lap. For several laps it made a glorious
sight as two talented young chargers battled, but eventually the power
of the Tiger told and the gap started to increase. "The Morgan just
doesn't have the puff," said Grahame Bryant.
While Colbert eased clear for a fine victory, Hall/Rouse recovered from
their later pit stop to take third, although Stuart parked the Camaro
just after the flag, feeling that something was amiss with the front
suspension. "It was getting worse and worse over the last few laps," he
said.
A fine run from the Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson Aston Martin DB4 was
rewarded with fourth place from the Phil Hollins Morgan +8 and another
DB4 in the hands of Conor O'Brien/Charlie Kemp. A spare gearbox,
delivered on Saturday morning by Colin Blower, got the O'Brien Aston
ready for a good result.
Searles/Jardine were pleased to climb up to seventh, while Jamie Boot
took an excellent class B victory in ninth place behind the George
Miller/Les Goble Aston Martin V8. "Fantastic! Really good fun," said
Boot.
In class A, Gordon Streeter got his Ford Anglia to the line first, but
had to push hard as the Boyd/Youles Mini chased valiantly.
Results
1 Jackie Cochrane/Stephen Colbert (Sunbeam Tiger) 23 laps in 40m58.947s
(124.70kph); 2 Grahame Bryant/Oliver Bryant (Morgan +8) 41m03.516s; 3
Stuart Hall/Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro); 4 Peter Wheeler/Ben Samuelson
(Aston Martin DB4); 5 Phil Hollins (Morgan +8); 6 Conor O'Brien/Charlie
Kemp (Aston Martin DB4); 7 Bob Searles/Tony Jardine (Aston Martin DBS
V8); 8 George Miller/Les Goble (Aston Martin V8); 9 Jamie Boot (TVR
Griffith); 10 John Dickson/Cheng Lim (Ram Cobra). Class winners: Gordon
Streeter (Ford Anglia); Boot; Bryant/Bryant; Cochrane/Colbert. Fastest
lap: Cochrane/Colbert 1m36.982s (137.50kph).
Race two
Racing straight after the second A1P race ensured that a big crowd
witnessed Sunday’s race, which ended with a red flag but delivered some
of the most spectacular racing of the weekend.
Away from the rolling start, Oliver Bryant got the drop on the
opposition but as the huge field poured through Westfield for the first
time, there was drama in the middle of the pack. Robin North’s Ford
Mustang and the Aston Martin DB4GT of Peter Thornton touched and both
went off into the gravel, requiring a safety car intervention.
The lengthy safety car period took the teams to the pit stop window and
a number of cars pitted, including Bryant and Cochrane. That left Andy
Rouse in the lead and pushing hard but when he pitted to hand over to
Stuart Hall, Peter Horsman’s Morgan +8 took the lead. The Aston Martin
of George Miller/Les Goble’s lost time in the pits when the door
wouldn’t shut properly, but when it rejoined Goble was soon one to
watch.
With all the pit stops done, Colbert led from Hall, Bryant, Nigel Hulme
(in for Horsman) and then Roy McCarthy who had brought the family MGB GT
V8 up to fifth place from the tail of the grid. Into tenth was Tony
Jardine in Bob Searles’ Aston. Jardine, ever versatile, was working for
Sky Sports’ A1GP coverage when the race started, and having finished his
piece to camera, picked up his kit bag, rushed up the pit lane, changed
into his overalls and hopped into the car!
Also on the move was Michael Bentwood who was charging and soon latched
on to the tail of Samuelson. As the two duelled, Samuelson got Clearways
wrong and ended up in the gravel at Clark Curve leaving the Aston stuck
fast. The red flags flew with the race having done 75% of its duration,
and although Samuelson’s off precipitated the stoppage, he was kept in
the results.
Colbert and Cochrane were confirmed as the winners. "It was really
enjoyable. Thanks to Jackie for letting me drive, and it was really good
fun," said Colbert. "We had some good dices this weekend and I am just
pleased to have done the job for Jackie."
Hall and Rouse bagged second. "The safety car early on meant that I
couldn’t get many racing lap in," said Rouse. "That really cost us, but
these things happen." Third fell to the Bryant Morgan whilst
Goble/Miller, after a tremendous charge, took fourth ahead of Roy and
Russell McCarthy with Samuelson being classified sixth.
Horsman/Hulme took ninth overall and class B spoils, while Harvey
Death/Clive Death took their indecently quick Austin Cooper S to class A
victory, but it was always close as Streeter and Boyd/Youles finished
within four seconds of the class winners.
The invitation class fell to Malcolm Young and Andy Jenkinson, which was
consolation for both drivers. Young’s Aston Martin had failed to start
Saturday's race, whilst Jenkinson's Camaro suffer terminal mechanical
problems. Young offered Jenkinson a drive for Sunday and having never
raced the big Aston V8 before, Jenkinson duly brought it home 14th
overall.
Results
1 Jackie Cochrane/Stephen Colbert (Sunbeam Tiger) 15 laps in 28m56.516s
(115.20kph); 2 Stuart Hall/Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro) 29m10.976s; 3
Grahame Bryant/Oliver Bryant (Morgan +8); 4 George Miller/Les Goble
(Aston Martin V8); 5 Roy McCarthy/Russell McCarthy (MGB GTV8); 6 Peter
Wheeler/Ben Samuelson (Aston Martin DB4); 7 Tom Alexander/Michael
Bentwood (Aston Martin BD4); 8 Chris Scragg/John Bussell (Aston Martin
V8); 9 Peter Horsman/Nigel Hulme (Morgan +8); 10 Bob Searles/Tony
Jardine (Aston Martin DBS V8). Class winners: Harvey Death/Clive Death
(Mini Cooper S); Horsman/Hulme; Bryant/Bryant; Cochrane/Colbert. Fastest
lap: Cochrane/Colbert 1m37.118s (137.30kph).
Rouse and Hall
on top in Heritage GT opener at Donington
Former British Touring Car champion Andy Rouse was the man to
beat in the opening rounds of the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge
at Donington Park on Sunday (22 April).
In two thrilling finishes, Rouse won the sprint race and then shared the
Chevrolet Camaro with Peter Hall to win the feature race, but the
biggest winning margin over the two races was just one second.
For the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge, it was a fine start to
the season with a bumper grid and close racing throughout the classes.
Race one
There was some anxious moments as a few drops of rain started to fall as
the 33-car grid assembled, but the race went ahead unaffected. As the
lights went out Rouse just had the edge over Rick Lloyd (Morgan Plus 8)
on the thundering charge to Redgate as around 10,000bhp was unleashed,
but it was the Morgan to the fore under braking for the chicane at the
end of the opening lap. Boysie Thurtle (Chevrolet Camaro) and John
Bussell (Jaguar E Type) began to battle for third.
Sadly, Thurtle’s challenge ended when he was forced to take the smoking
Camaro into the pits on lap seven. Back at the front however, the battle
was keeping the crowd well entertained as Rouse managed to nose ahead,
only to lose out to Lloyd again into the chicane.
The lead pair finally shook off Bussell for good during the second half
of the race. Rouse was still in determined mood and led again briefly on
the 10th lap as the lead battle continued unabated.
Two laps later they were side-by-side exiting Coppice and Rouse got a
clear run under the Dunlop Bridge and led into the chicane. "I got a
really good exit from Coppice and all I can say is thank god for
traffic," said Rouse after retaining the narrowest of advantages to the
flag. "Everything went well, but I had a couple of scary moments when
people spun and rejoined in front us," said second placed Lloyd.
Pat Thomas’ Lotus 47 'snorkel car' took second to Lloyd in Class B, with
Tony Lees' Morgan third, despite running out of fuel at Coppice on the
last lap. Harvey Death's Mini was the Class A winner, with Gordon
Streeter’s three-geared Ford Anglia well clear of Nathalie Boyd's Mini
for second.
Results
1 Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro) 15 laps in 20m06.846s (87.55mph); 2 Rick
Lloyd (Morgan Plus 8) 20m07.200s; 3 John Bussell (Jaguar E Type); 4
Rikki Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8); 5 Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 6
Graham Bryant (Morgan Plus 8). Class winners: Harvey Death (Mini Cooper
S); Peter Lloyd (Jaguar E Type); Rick Lloyd; Rouse. Fastest lap: Rouse
1m18.224s (90.10mph).
Race two
Towards the end of the afternoon, another tremendous field of
cars lined up for the 45-minute two-driver race. Lloyd set the pace
again from the start, from Bussell, Peter Hall (Chevrolet Camaro),
Oliver Bryant (Morgan Plus 8) and Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro). But
fresh from competing in the British GT race, Bryant quickly picked his
way past his rivals and, after going side by side into Redgate with
Lloyd on lap six, took the lead into the Old Hairpin.
Bussell had slipped to fourth on lap three, but continued to shadow
Hall, leaving Jenkinson and Hollins filling the top six. But everyone
moved up when Lloyd pulled off at the Old Hairpin after nine laps. "The
motor just went pop," he explained.
Bryant was left with an increased lead, which was held as father Grahame
took over the car. But with Hall handing the Camaro over to Rouse, the
chase was on for the second half of the race.
Rouse’s charge finally paid dividends on lap 24, when he dived inside
the Morgan at Redgate to take the lead. Bryant tried all he could to
re-challenge, but Rouse just had the edge and took his second win of the
day. "I closed on the brakes but he had the puff on the straights every
time," said Bryant after an absorbing contest.
Jenkinson was an excellent third overall after a strong solo drive,
while Paul Burry/Phil Hollins (Morgan Plus 8) retained fourth despite a
grassy excursion on the Craner Curves.
"That's my first ever class win," said a delighted Lees after clinching
class B. Harvey and Clive Death once again headed Streeter in class A
with their hard-driven Mini Cooper S.
Results
1 Peter Hall/Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro) 34 laps in 45m23.518s
(87.94mph); 2 Oliver Bryant/Grahame Bryant (Morgan Plus 8) 45m24.561s; 3
Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 4 Paul Burry/Phil Hollins (Morgan
Plus 8); 5 Ben Samuelson/Peter Wheeler (Aston Martin DB4); 6 Rikki Cann/Joe
Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8). Class winners; Harvey Death/Clive Death
(Mini Cooper S); Tony Lees (Morgan Plus 8); Bryant/Bryant; Hall/Rouse.
Fastest lap: Rouse 1m16.376s (92.2mph).
Paul Laurence
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