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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Next rounds Brands Hatch October 24th - 25th
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge Mixed fortunes for Tigers, first win for Death
Cochrane went on to finish fourth in Sunday’s single driver sprint race in which local man Harvey Death (in his incredible Radical SR8 engined spaceframe Mini) bagged a first Heritage series outright win. Qualifying As we returned to the scene of our opening races of the year, even the lure of the ultra demanding Brands GP circuit failed to tempt more than 15 cars to Kent. Whilst this was a disappointing turn out, a date clash with the Goodwood Revival meeting did us no favours. The prospect of racing at Spa one week later didn’t help either. That said, numbers may have been down, but qualifying served up a mouth watering taster with less than 0.8s blanketing the top four. Invitation class runner Harvey Death bagged his first Heritage pole in that amazing Mini clone just ahead of the Jackie Cochrane/Jonathan Fildes shared Class D Sunbeam Tiger. Third fastest, the Richard and Rob Austin Ford Capri Perana V8 sported a bigger engine for the first time, 5.7 litres replacing the previous 5.0 litre unit. The car tipped the scales some 120kgs heavier than previously, prompting engineer Alan Draffin to revise its set-up, the car picking up a rear wheel in corners. Another with a new engine, Boysie Thurtle slotted the family Chevrolet Camaro onto fourth grid spot, although the timing pointer went AWOL from the new unit during qualifying. Rather than risk a set-up, the car was withdrawn. With usual co-driver Tony Jardine unable to be there, Bob Searles afforded Boysie the chance to find himself a seat in yet another Aston Martin DBS V8 for the longer distance race on Saturday. Race one Any thoughts that the Death Mini may just run away with it were dispelled as early as Druids where, having led, Harvey got well out of shape on cold tyres. A quick trip across the infield left him back in sixth place. However, that grassy trip had set up its own problem which would later surface. Double Donington Park race winner John Wilson (MGB GTV8) had stormed up from row three to now lead from Cochrane, but an equally hard charging Joss Ronchetti was to claim second spot on lap two. Feeling that his Sunbeam Lotus was carrying too much rubber, Ronchetti had opted to run narrower section tyres this week but was caught out and had been only sixth best in qualifying. ‘The Bullet’ was destined to go little further however. With fuel leaking from the Sunbeam, it was flagged off, the problem later traced to a seam on the alloy fuel tank having split. Overnight repairs were effected. This left Wilson in front from the recovering Death who’d repassed both Austin and Cochrane, but the Mini was soon another retirement. Its undertray, loosened in the earlier off, was now hanging down and flapping on the track. Despite its retirement, the car was still classified and thus a class winner; according to the chief timekeeper quite correctly although your reporter was left bemused as to quite how! Race leader Wilson was one of the last to pit, but his pace thereafter fell right away, a vibration which badly blistered his hands later being traced to a loosening rear wheel rather than suspected rubber pick up on the tyres.
When Daniel Brown became the final stopper in the family Aston Martin
DB4, his lead was some 43.6s. His stop elevated the now Fildes driven
Tiger to number one spot clear of Rob Austin Fildes said ‘We’d put new tyres on the left hand side and I was able keep it neat. It’s nice to be back winning again’. The Colin Voyce started, David Mountain relayed Ford Escort Zakspeed lookalike finished fifth to take Class C honours while Searles/Thurtle rounded out the top six. Class B went to the smokey Ford Escort of Tim Glover and Niki Faulkner down in eighth spot. The other Escort, that of the Hydes, per et fils, saw son Jonny hand over to dad Steve with a cockpit full of smoke! The TVR engined car was soon back into the pits with father also coughing away furiously. The problem was traced to a wiring fault inside the car which critically, had allowed the engine to run lean and in turn burn two pistons. Sadly, it was out for the rest of the weekend. It was joined on the sidelines by the Zoe North driven Sunbeam. She caused an early race stoppage when her car slammed into the barrier on the exit of Druids. The previously pristine ‘Tigress’ emerged battered and bruised, thankfully not so the driver. ‘My tyres were going off, it got away from me’ she proffered with an air of resignation. Father Robin had earlier posted retirement when his Ford Mustang overheated. Also on the retirement list was Clive Death, his historic Mini Cooper S having picked up a puncture. Like his brother, he too was classified. Race one – 24 laps:
Race two
Cochrane led early on before Wilson took over on lap three, but his tenure of top spot was shortlived with Ronchetti slicing past into Surtees a lap later. All eyes were on Death who was charging up from last on the grid. By lap six, only Ronchetti lay between him and victory. He caught the Sunbeam, but getting by proved a different task as Ronchetti used all his guile to keep the younger car at bay. Starting the penultimate lap, Death swept past into Paddock. But amazingly, Ronchetti was back ahead as they finished the lap. ‘I got past him at Hawthorns’ said the Leicester man sporting a huge grin. Once more Death got by at Paddock and this time there was no way back for Ronchetti. Wilson just shaded third place from Cochrane while Sean Brown was eventually left a well detached fifth. He’d been embroiled in a battle with Robin North and Richard Austin. Somewhere out on the Grand Prix loop, a last lap sort out left both North and Austin to lose time and trail home seventh and tenth respectively. Their misfortunes promoted Searles to round out the top half dozen. Voyce (eighth) and Clive Death (tenth) completed the class winners. Race two
Report by Dud Candler Photos by Jakob Ebrey
Whizzing Wilson makes it a Double at Donington
Qualifying Unfortunately there were some noticeable absences. Chris Scragg had to console himself to racing his Vantage GT4 in the GT Cup. No Sunbeam Lotus, No Thurtles and no Bob Searles all with forced absence. They were replaced with the lovely 308 of Goddard and equally beautiful Rivolta GT of Alan Collett. So who for Pole? The favourite was Jackie Cochrane in the Tiger especially as he was to share with the very rapid Jonathan Fildes. Fortunately for the rest of the field the Irishman missed his first flight (due to his wife having their first baby!) then forgot his passport at the second attempt. It was not to be third time lucky for Jonathan and Jackie was to drive alone. Jackie set the pace but John Wilson showed his intent for the weekend driving very smoothly to take fastest lap after fastest lap. Qualifying finished, Wilson was on top followed by Harvey Death (Mini Cooper S); Jackie Cochrane (Sunbeam Tiger) and forth place was taken by a flying Mk1 Escort of Colin Voyce and David Mountain ‘the fastest escort we have ever seen in the series.’ Race one
As the cars came round for the first time a cheer came from my right as the Mini of the Deaths took the lead then a cheer from my left as Jackie re-took it a few laps later. Clearly I was not the only one enjoying the race. Then it was the turn of the MG of Wilson. The three looked very even and were racing well. Elsewhere it was Escort against Escort and Rivolta against Aston, the Rivolta making his move up the hill out of the Old Hairpin, they raced side by side up the hill and through Mcleans, the Rivolta the victor as they approached Coppice. This is very much the way the Heritage Series works. The camaraderie shown whilst availing themselves of the wonderful hospitality transfers to the field as these Gentleman drivers respect each other and their wonderful cars. As the pit window opened there was still nothing to choose between the three leaders. Wilson’s pit stop was as slick as his driving but Harvey Death needed a tin opener to get out of his Mini, costing valuable time. Approaching race distance the Cann/Williams Aston was back in front of the fire spitting Rivolta and it was still Wilson, Cochrane, Death until Jackie’s gearbox said ‘enough’ locking the back wheels sending him into a spin and red flagging the race, not before he set the fastest lap matching that achieved by Andy Rouse of touring car fame the previous year. Race one – 13 laps:
Class winners: Wilson; Brown/Brown (Aston Martin DB4 Lightweight); Voyce/Mountain; Hyde/Hyde. Fastest lap: Death 1m44.104s (86.43mph). Race two The start was delayed as the marshals worked hard to clear the track after an eventful F2 race. With Jackie Cochrane absent, Voyce and Mountain knew they had a chance of a podium and perhaps more. I spoke to the pair prior to the race requesting some sideways action out of the Melbourne loop. Mountain replied that he was trying to avoid that but once racing it was clear he wanted that podium. Wilson led from Death and Mountain. Mountain was working hard driving superbly to keep with the leaders and at times challenged the Mini, forcing Death to defend. Wilson continued where he left off in race one driving lap after lap without fault and with consistent pace making it hard for Death, who was able to get close on parts of the circuit but never getting past. Elsewhere there was an iconic battle between Williams Aston DBS and Whites E type. The pair looked like they were having fun, so too the spectators as the pair roared out of the loop, straight 6 against V8, always close and always giving each other room. After the pit stops Death found himself in third and a long way behind the leader, but free to drive his line he was gaining, taking second from Mountain but running out of time to catch Wilson before the chequered flag.
Report by John Dickson, Heritage driver of orange Cobra, forced to spectate once again. Race two – 22 laps:
Class winners: Wilson; Leigh Smart; Voyce/Mountain. Fastest lap: Death 1m44.934s (85.74mph).
V8’s eclipsed by Sunbeam
The large contingent of fans who stayed on to watch the two races were rewarded with two cracking displays of ‘on the edge’ action on a lovely weekend at the Norfolk circuit. Qualifying- Qualifying saw two cars in the 1m13s at the top with Boysie and Arthur Thurtle putting their Camaro on poll with a 1m 13.144. The Sunbeam Tiger of Cochran and Fildes was .254 behind. The second row consisted of The Ronchetti/Seaman Sunbeam Lotus and Chris Scragg's Aston V8 some 1.5 seconds adrift. The rest of the field were fairly well spaced out with a second between each of the next 5 competitors. Harvey Death brought out his radical 2600cc ‘Mini Cooper’ which managed a 1m20s in it’s first run for 12th spot but promised much more. Race one Arthur was a man on a mission and took the mighty 650 BHP Camaro into an early lead, which had grown, to 8 seconds by lap 5. The chasing Joss Ronchetti (Sunbeam Lotus) had problems and pulled off on lap 5 leaving Jackie Cochrane (Sunbeam Tiger) to take up second place only for the Tiger to retire with gear linkage problems on lap 15. This left Chris Scragg chasing the Camaro which now had Boysie Thurtle at the helm. The gap proved just too big to bridge and Boysie came home a comfortable winner. The Scragg Aston V8 was a lonely second and Phil Hollins and Peter Horsman ‘s Morgan Plus 8 of took third. A race long battle between Ian McCallum and John Bussell (Aston Martin DB5) and the DBSV8 Aston of Bob Searles and Sky Sports presenter Tony Jardine went to the DB5 by 2 seconds. Robin ‘sideways’ North entertained the crowds by getting his monster Ford Falcon into impossible angles before saving it (most of the time). His daughter Zoe unfortunately couldn’t join the fun as the engine in her Sunbeam Tiger failed during qualifying. Class C was won by the Bull/Coyne Jaguar E Type and the Ford Escort Mk 1 of Tim Glover and Rikki Cann took Class A. Race one – 24 laps:
Class winners: Arthur and Boysie Thurtle; McCallum/Bussell; Bull/Coyne; Glover/Cann. Fastest lap: Cochrane/Fildes 1m13.051s (96.19mph). Race two
While Boysie had the confidence Roger Bennington was understandably nervous as he climbed into the monster 650bhp Camero of the Thurtles. His first race for two years and having to start it on pole next to Chris Scragg who was keen to demonstrate to his watching wife that all that time and money spent on racing was worthwhile was going to be hard. Roger took the chain of cars around and the race was on. Straight away it was evident that the very rapid Sunbeam Tiger of Cochrane/Fildes and the Lotus Sunbeam of Ronchetti/Seaman who had both been forced to start at the back meant business as they charged up through the field. Incredibly within a few laps Chris Scragg led followed by Roger Bennington, Phil Hollins and then Joss Rochetti now already in fourth and Jackie Cochrane’s Tiger with more pulling power than a lottery winning ticket carried the chase. When the pit window opened all the lead cars pitted except Joss Ronchetti . the order didn’t change although a long stop for the Tiger to change the steering wheel for the lofty Jonathan Fildes put the them some 30 seconds behind the leader. Jonathan gave chase putting in a fastest lap of 1.12.796 some 3 seconds faster than the Aston. Elsewhere in the field the new radical mini of the Deaths had got into the groove and lapped its more conservative cousin and the Morgan piloted by Peter Horsman battled hard with the blue Camero, which now had Arthur Thurtle driving. The pair sliding out of Russell, the Camero still spinning half way up the straight much to the joy of the spectators. Horsman later managed the inside line out of Corum and once clear pulled away but could not catch those in front. The leaders could do little about the pace of the Tiger, which took one after the other until it eventually hit the front. It looked like the positions were settled but then there was the announcement that the second placed Aston had a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Then on lap 24 the unfortunate Tiger retired for the second race in a row, spinning on its own oil in the esses. When Boysie Thurtle finally took the penalty he returned only losing the one place but couldn’t catch the flying Sunbeam Lotus who came home a worthy winner. Race 2 report by John Dickson, Heritage driver of orange Cobra, forced to spectate once again. Race two – 35 laps:
Class winners: Ronchetti/Seaman; McCallum/Bussell; Bull/Coyne; Clive Death. Fastest lap: Cochrane/Fildes 1m12.796s (96.53mph).
A double for the flying Thurtles at Snetterton
A varied HGTCC grid put on two action packed races in front of a big crowd enjoying a fine sunny day at the Norfolk circuit. Qualifying Qualifying was very close at the top with less than a second separating the first five cars. Richard and Robert Austin put their extremely quick 5 Litre Ford Capri Perana on poll with a 1m 15.189s lap, .292s ahead of father and son duo, Arthur and Boysie Thurtle in their Chevrolet Camaro. Another father and son pairing, Grahame and Oliver Bryant in their Morgan +8, Chris Scragg in his new, even quicker V8 and the world’s quickest Talbot Sunbeam Lotus of Joss Ronchetti and Julian Westwood were all within half a second of the leading three. Another two seconds separated the rest of the top ten promising a very exciting two races on Sunday. Tenth spot was taken by the Ford Escort Mk1 of Colin Voyce and David Mountain which had only just been completed the day before. Race one Following early heavy showers the track had dried and the sun was out as the cars came out for the morning sprint race. When the lights went out Boysie Thurtle driving the family’s Camaro swept ahead of poll man Richard Austin in the 5 litre Ford Capri. These two had a great battle for the first five laps creating a seven second gap to the chasing pack led in turn by Chris Scragg’s V8 until the first of two spins put him back to sixth, John Wilson in his very quick MG BGT V8 and eventually by the slow starting Joss Ronchetti getting back into contention. By lap 10 Thurtle had built up a lead of 10 seconds over Austin due to a misfire in the Capri which turned out to be a dropped valve, this enabled the Ronchetti Sunbeam Talbot to snatch second place by the 13th lap managing to hold off a valiant effort by Austin, with one cylinder missing, until the flag. Chris Scragg despite his pirouetting exhibitions got back up to take fourth place ahead of Grahame Bryant driving his Morgan +8. In 6th place came the ever improving Zoe North in her Aquamarine Sunbeam ‘Tigress’, and 7th was John Wilson (MG BGT V8). Class C honours went to Jonny Hyde in the TVR engined Ford Escort Mk1, class A being won by Colin Voyce in his Ford Escort, a class win on its first outing. Retirements included Norman Ricketts who blew the clutch to smithereens in his BMW 1602 on lap 3, ending his weekend’s enjoyment; John Shoesmith lasted until lap 12 before a broken oil pump put his Chevrolet Camaro out for the day and the DB4 of Robert Brown with a broken throttle cable meaning a quick fix would enable the car to contest the enduro race in the afternoon Race one – 16 laps:
Class winners: Boysie Thurtle; Colin Voyce; Jonny Hyde. Fastest lap: Thurtle 1m15.493s (93.08mph). Race two It was a long wait until the second race and the entrants spent their time differently. Some taking the opportunity to make sure their car was going to be fit for the fight others relaxed in hospitality. When the time came the old timers burst into life, as did the cars and they made their way to the holding area the cars lined up in the order they finished race one. Not everyone was so relaxed. An official must have felt Robert Austin needed cooling as he set off his fire extinguisher. It looked like Robert had had his early bath but frantic running around the paddock resulted in a replacement being found. Arthur Thurtle took the helm of the family Camaro from pole and immediately pulled away from the others as the v8 Aston of Scragg challenged the Lotus Sunbeam. Scragg got the better of Ronchetti but had to defend hard as he came around Corum. Once clear he set off after Arthur Thurtle who would respond setting his fastest lap before pitting to swap with son Boysie. Elsewhere a David and Goliath battle was being fought between the Death’s Mini and Robin North’s almighty Falcon. Some great close racing was had as the mini tried to navigate around this mountain of a car but eventually the spectators were disappointed with the mini’s retirement. Scragg continued to pick up the pace but as he charged out of Russell he lost traction and the car spun allowing the Sunbeam that had been following through to take the lead but not for long as when they reappeared around Corum Scragg was once again in front. Boysie Thurtle now in the Camero was charging lights blazing as was the Capri now in the hands of Rob Austin who was making his way through the field. Scragg was 28 seconds ahead of the Thurtle Camero but Scragg had yet to pit. When he did the pit lane was given a demonstration of athleticism, all those hours in the gym paying off, as he did the mandatory two laps around the car sipping what looked like a Latte as he went. Refreshed all be it a little red faced, Scragg left the pit lane behind Boysie but neck and neck with the Austin Capri. As they came around Corum the Capri ambitiously attempted to go around the outside of Scragg, a move only possible in cars orange in colour however Scragg had it covered although on the lap which preceded Scragg lost traction on the exit and the Capri was through. It looked like this is how it would go until the end but the Capri started to slow and fall back and we feared it would follow the fate of the Lotus Sunbeam, but the Capri kept going and was able to follow Bob Searles’ Aston DBSV8 and the Hyde escort who were having a great battle for 4th and 5th which only ended with a synchronised spin at Russell, Hyde being unable to restart the engine. Sean and Robert Brown were 5th and class E winners and the MGB of Angus Dent and Tony Barnard won class A The Heritage series is always fun to participate in but watching you realise that it is a real spectacle and one which judging by the reaction to the spectators around me is a favourite for many. Race 2 report by John Dickson, Heritage driver of orange Cobra, forced to spectate. Race two – 35 laps:
Class winners: Thurtle/Thurtle; Brown/Brown); Hyde/Hyde. Fastest lap: Austin/Austin 1m15.731s (92.79mph).
First for Scragg; unusual double for Thurtle
QualifyingOne and a half seconds covered the top three around the demanding Grand Prix circuit with Andy Jenkinson/John Young in the former’s Invitation class Aston Martin DBS V8 topping the time sheets ahead of the Thurtle’s Chevrolet Camaro. Scragg was third quickest ahead of the Steven Byrne/Peter Snowdon Class E Aston Martin DB4 lightweight. Best Class A runner was the Harvey and Clive Death Mini Cooper S, while Class B was topped by the potent (327bhp!) Sunbeam Lotus of Joss Ronchetti/Julian Westwood. The series newcomers were eighth fastest. Best of the Class C runners was the Chris Williams/Chas Windridge Rover SD1 that was being kept honest by the TVR engined Ford Escort of Steve and Jonny Hyde. Surprise of the session was a lowly sixth spot for last year’s double race winner Grahame Bryant who, with son Oli still recovering from a shoulder injury, was partnered by Historic racer Andrew Smith. Fuel injection problems hampered the Morgan Plus 8 duo all weekend, the car running on various configurations of cylinders ranging from eight down to six. Race OneThe main talking point after Saturday’s single driver red-flagged sprint race was the violent accident that befell Jenkinson. Flat out (around 150mph) on the approach to Hawthorns, the car went into a spin and clobbered the barriers on the right hand side of the track. Initially it appeared something may have broken; however, closer inspection of TV footage, most notably from the rear, revealed oil on the left hand side of the circuit. Andy was lucky to escape uninjured from a high speed passenger ride that ended with the car back on the other side of the track, rather battered. However, before that had even happened, the resumption from an earlier safety car period had prompted differing opinions of whether or not to pass a backmarker. It resulted in Jenkinson going from first down to fourth. Whatever the rights or wrongs of it, Thurtle (in the family Camaro) now led from Alec Hammond (Camaro) and Ronchetti. Jenkinson got back up to second before another safety car period interrupted the flow of things. Once underway again, Jenkinson’s luck took a dive when he spun at Paddock, but far worse was to follow a few laps later. When the race was halted, Thurtle was some 5s clear of the Ronchetti Sunbeam with Scragg in close attendance in third. Sean Brown (seventh overall in his Aston Martin DB4) made a Class E winning debut while Williams (12th overall), Harvey Death (14th) and the Pat Cooke driven VW Golf GTi (16th) were the other class winners. Results – Race One
Class winners: Thurtle; Ronchetti; Sean Brown (Aston Martin DB4); Chris Williams (Rover SD1); Harvey Death (Mini Cooper S); Pat Cooke (VW Golf GTi). Fastest lap Thurtle 1m39.302s (83.88mph). Race TwoFollowing an incident filled Saturday encounter, surely Sunday’s main race could not live up to that, although there were still some minor dramas. With Arthur Thurtle not recovered from the flu (not the Mexican swine variety, he insisted), Boysie switched to pair up with Scragg. The Camaro was one of six absentees; engine and/or gearbox problems accounting for four of them, plus of course the sadly battered Jenkinson Aston Martin. With the race programme running ahead of schedule, it seemed our curtain closing 40 minute race would benefit. But no, as a violent accident in the preceding GT Cup race left the circuit groundstaff with a number of barrier support posts to replace before we could get underway. When things did, it was the Ronchetti Sunbeam that led from Thurtle and Hammond who soon put ground between themselves and the pursuers. With Thurtle among the earliest to pit, the order soon changed. On lap 12, the leading Sunbeam pulled into the back of the pits, its differential having failed under the strain. This promoted Scragg to the head of affairs and there he stayed, nicely clear of his rivals. ‘I shall have a few beers tonight; time I won one of these races’ said a clearly delighted Scragg. Phil Hollins had driven a good race, hovering around the top five, but once co-driver Peter Horsman took over, the car positively flew. He moved up the order at breakneck pace, second spot being fine reward for a superb drive. Hathaway had occupied the place, but he had no answer when the far more nimble Morgan caught him. The Bob Searles/Tony Jardine DBS V8 was fourth. Out of luck was Snowdon who, with no driving duties on Saturday had joined the commentary team to impart some words of wisdom. A day later, a typically hard charging Snowdon rearranged the rear end of the Byrne owned car when he dropped a wheel into the gravel at Paddock and spun across the track into the barriers at the foot of Hailwood Hill. Class E victory went this time to the Ian McCallum/John Bussell DB5 in fifth place. The other classes went to Laki Christoforou (whose Escort had survived a hairy expedition in the Stirlings gravel trap on Saturday); the Hydes per et fils, while the Death brothers plus Richard Cooke/Simon Verschueren in their Golf GTi rounded out the winners. Results – Race Two
Class winners Scragg/Thurtle; McCallum/Bussell; Laki Christoforou (Ford Escort Mk 1); Steve & Jonny Hyde (Ford Escort Mk 1); Richard Cooke/Simon Verschueren (VW Golf GTi). Fastest lap Hollins/Horsman 1m39.136s (84.06mph).
Story Dud Candler Photos: Jakob Ebrey
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Rapid
but seemingly ill–fortuned Irish pairing Jackie Cochrane and Jonathan
Fildes put their Snetterton woes firmly behind them as they swept to
victory at Brands Hatch last weekend (Sept 19-20).
and Wilson with Brown senior a class winning fourth.
This
provided one of the most bizarre sights of the season with Ronchetti’s
thirty year old Sunbeam battling with, and fending off for many laps,
Death’s spaceframe Mini, which in addition to newness also boasts slick
tyres. Death eventually wrested victory but not before the crowd had
enjoyed a thriller.
John
Wilson, driving solo took his MGBGT V8 to victory in both races, despite
stern opposition from Harvey Death’s meteor-like Mini Cooper S and the
flying Escort Mk 1 of Colin Voyce and David Mountain, as HGTCC supported
the F2 meeting at Donington 15/16 August.
After
a minutes silence in tribute of Henry Surtees, the field was taken
through to the grid. Although understandably there are a lot of
questions as to whether or not Donington will be ready to host F1 but
there is no question over the spectacle an enthusiast can witness, as
the cars travel through the Craner curves to Mcleans. 
Boysie
Thurtle was denied a double victory as the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus of Joss Ronchetti and Phil Seaman took victory in Sunday’s enduro as the
Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge raced alongside the BTCC at
Snetterton over the weekend (1/2 Aug).
As
the Heritage GT cars made their way to the holding area the HiQ British
Touring Cars were entertaining the huge crowds, which were enjoying the
Norfolk sunshine. Watching them it was amazing to think that some of
those historic cars waiting their turn could have qualified near to the
front row of their modern counterparts such is the excellence within the
series It was hardly surprising then to see Boysie Thurtle the winner of
the previous race swagger like John Wayne towards the Aston he was now
to share with Chris Scragg. A comment was made that perhaps the reason
for his gate was the size of certain parts of his anatomy needed to
drive the car; he replied they were likely to shrink to nothing during
the race. 
Boysie
Thurtle won both races as the 2009 Heritage GT Challenge season finally
got underway at Brands Hatch over the May Bank Holiday weekend (May
2-3). It was all the more remarkable as he achieved it in different
cars, Sunday’s victory coming after he partnered Chris Scragg in the
latter’s Aston Martin DBS V8.