MG Cup
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Media Report by K Hewer
2017 started in earnest this month with the championship media day at Donington Park on Sunday the 19th of February.
Around 20 intrepid drivers and many more of their friends, family and team trekked from around the country to the wonderful undulating circuit of Donington in what was the best possible weather we could have hoped for in Late Feb. A few die hards turned up on the Saturday evening to set up shop and sleep in the van like the true clubman racers they are… a few more of us also turned up on the Saturday evening, set up shop and then went to he hotel for a nice meal and a few beers!!
At this point some drivers forgot all we were told only moments before at the drivers briefing, and the fun began!
2017 Registrations are open!!!
Just open the tab at the top of the home page to access the 2017 form!
Before you know it the new season will be upon us especially as we no longer need to dig through the snow to get to our cars!
Can I suggest that you send me your registration fees and applications forms as soon as possible, especially if you wish to retain the same race number you had last year.
If you don’t register then numbers will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The best way to pay is by BACS which makes life easier for those of you with internet banking.
Also it creates a unique entry on the Club Bank Statement so there is an easy reference to clarify you have paid.
If you BACS your payment please use you surname and car number as the reference.
Don’t forget you still have to fill in your form and send it to me.
I am happy to have an email copy or if you wish to post it then send it to me at;
C.Jones (MG Cup) 9 Carlton Road Headley Down Bordon Hants GU35 8JW
Same address for cheque’s too;
I will email you to confirm I have received your payment.
Don’t forget – no registration NO RACING!!!!
£10 Early bird discount for payments received before 31.12.16 Don’t delay!!
Race report Silverstone 2015 by Tom Diment
So here we were back once again for MG Live at Silverstone (Historic GP) for our annual biggest meet of the season. After a cracking turn out at Donington we were all looking forward to healthy grids at Silverstone and we weren’t disappointed. With 24 entries (Class B once again looking the stronger supported) the Peter Besters were out with the Cook shoot Cup with a combined grid of 55.
Qualifying graced us with unsettled weather. The on off showers and humid temperatures had the paddock in turmoil as to what set ups to run. Piggott wasn’t sure how to keep the Marlboro red’s dry on his way down to assembly area and Ashley Cross more concerned with keeping the car dry. Rod Oakenfull concerned if engine number 3 would make the distance (Good luck!)
Qualifying was upon us and Lord Gammons decided that two green flag laps were needed and this was more than enough time for Rayment to test the levels of grip, quickly leaning there wasn’t any and stuffing his B into Hewers V8. Luckily for Rayment, Kev had been on the Ginger cake and despite seeing rainbows on the grid, was very calm about the whole thing.
Qualifying got off to a good start with Darby and Eales looking strong in the B’s. Following on were the gaggle of ZR’s led by Davies. The track was drying and everyone was putting in quicker times lap by lap. Lap 5 Buckley through a spanner in the works (or should I say a crank pulley) and pulled off with terminal damage. Cross in his Jet powered ZS narrowly missing the lump of metal sat in the middle of the track. Strike (not a lover of the wet) had a broken throttle cable which ended his trip out. The V8’s of Hewer and Khouri were struggling with the damp conditions and despite struggling for grip put a great show on for the spectators. The flag fell and Darby claimed poll position with an impressive time, Eales took 2nd on the grid and first in class A in his flying machine. Davies 2nd in class and Coles 3rd. A great drive by Cross to see him start 3rd row on the grid.
Race One:
Well as expected this season, the heavens opened, the rain came down and Strike put on his rubber pants once again. The PBIC lined up on the grid behind the Cook shooters and starting 30 seconds behind under waved Union Jacks.
Engines revved, flags dropped, tyres sprayed and Coles stalled! Cross and Brown darting out the way to avoid collision the race was underway. Darby (class B) and Eales in the Class A Flying machine fired into the first corner whilst Davies in his mobile bath lost a few places. Visibility was limited but Dowler seemed to be the man on the move. Further down the grid the class a battle was underway with Jones, Tyler and strike scrabbling for grip and charging towards the grey abyss.
Piggott, Eales senior, Mason and Oakenfull bringing up the rear. Piggott more concerned which article to read from his carefully position Daily mail in the foot well as he gets onto hanger straight.
The rain kept falling and everyone was tip toeing around trying to keep it on the black stuff. Coles soon made his way to the front and drove an impressive race to claim victory by 10 seconds from Dowler. Davies fought his way back up to third with an impressive drive but was too far back to catch the leading two. Slippery Eales slid back to 5 overall (1st in Class) with the yellow flying machine not being able to put down all that power in the wet conditions. Darby had fuelling issues due to the standard B fuel pump not coping with the big horsepower it produces (we think) and didn’t finish.
Great results for Dave Brown and Ashley Cross in class B Finishing 4th and 5th in class respectively. John Gould had a solid result gaining 5 places and coping well in the wet conditions, as did David Thompson.
Class A honours to Eales, with Jones taking a solid 2nd and Steve Tyler in the immaculate Maestro 3rd.
The big V8’s and C of Khouri, Hewer and Holmes struggled in the wet and spent more time looking out the side window than in front of them.
Well done to Ollie Coles who took Driver of the race and Driver of the day honours. Unfortunately due to technical infringement, Dowler was disqualified from the results due to running illegal tyres. This awarded Davies 2nd and Brown 3rd.
Race 2
Race 2 blessed us with dry conditions which were welcomed with open arms by the majority of us. The B of Darby looked to be the favourite going by his performance in qualifying. The Peter Besters were preparing well in their own way by eating, drinking and chatting a lot. I did see Cross polish his car and put some fuel in it. Team Coles and Gould were relaxing in their village fete array and it was all becoming very quintessentially English.
However in the assembly area, the gloves were off and Eales was proclaiming to beat the ZR’s once again. Coles was focused, alongside him his mind coach talking him thorough the first corner.
Rayment yet again getting his car out of shape and parking it in the wrong place having to be pushed back. JD cool as a cucumber and Cross more concerned about the in bored camera than what faces ahead.
Flags drop, Darby has a bad start and goes backwards, Eales jumps into the lead followed by Cross and Davies battling it out for 2nd. Further down the grid the big V8’s and C were pushing up the order along with Wilson from the back.
The ZR’s were enjoying the conditions as they were all making good progress. Dave Thompson looking very racy was flying through the pack. Lap 2 and Davies had fought off Cross and took the lead from Eales. The class A battle was hotting up further back were Strike had the rubber pants pulled off and was charging putting in some impressive times. Wilson was sideways as always and catching fast. Rayment and Strike had a coming together as Rayment got a tank slapper on and collected Strike firing him into the gravel. A good battle broke out between Thompson and Dowler; Thompson under pressure spun and went off to explore the exhibitors. Once back on the track (and possibly off the track) Jones and Thompson had their usual close encounters (Say no more).
Hewer was driving the wheels off the V8 (We can see the orange paint!) and got up to 3rd only to be hampered with fuel starvation. Darby had head gasket problems which ended his campaign. Piggott, Tyler and Oakenfull were battling it out at the back, Rod still concerned about reliability issues but stood up to the task (Well done Rod!)
Coles settled in 2nd but Davies out of sight and way out in front taking the win by an impressive 13 seconds. Congratulations Ed, great drive.
All in all a great weekend. Even Lord Gammons thought so as he personally invited some of us up to his boudoirs for a chat. Bad luck yet again for Team Strike, a few late nights ahead. Well done Ollie and Ed for the wins. Thanks to Stone & Moss for the hospitality, those of you that didn’t come and see us, you missed out on free beer! Thanks to Hannah for the cake, and not forgetting Mr Jones our coordinator (according to the MGCC) and anyone else I’ve missed. See you all at Combe where I will be back out in a ZR, not sure which class yet? Maybe class A
Tom Diment
MGCC Official Race Report Donington 2015
MGCC Peter Best Insurance MG Cup
Richard Buckley was the man to beat in the MGCC Peter Best Insurance MG Cup outing. After a fifth place
start Buckley battled his way to the head of the field to claim honours.
As the race began it was Tom Diment who took the lead, as he led the way around Redgate for the first
time. Chased by Ed Davies, the pair headed into a fiercely entertaining scrap, as they each tried to claim
control.
A brief slip off track for Diment saw his chances diminish, as Davies sneaked ahead. Before long, Diment’s
second place also came under threat when Ben White attached himself to the rear of Diment’s MG ZR 170.
As the pair tussled, another moment for Diment saw him drop from second to fifth place. In his absence,
White was elevated to second place.
As others battled, Buckley kept his head above water to finish ahead when it counted, seizing victory in the
closing laps. A slightly early chequered flag ended the race before expected, due to a lack of time to deploy
the safety car to recover a number of cars.
Davies held on for second place, ahead of James Darby, who moved up from 18th on the grid to finish
third. Diment managed a fourth place result after his troubles, ahead of Paul Khouri in fifth place. Driver of
the Race was awarded to Richard Buckley this time around.
Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge
Paul Sibley dominated the MG Midget and Sprite Challenge once again, to triumph in his MG Midget from
a pole position start.
A cautious start from the front row of the grid saw Sibley slip to second behind Andy Southcott as the field
rounded Redgate. Before long Sibley launched an attack, as he fought back to reclaim control.
Despite starting 12th on the grid, James Dunkley quickly made his way to second place, to chase Sibley for
the duration. As the pair controlled the pace at the sharp end of the grid, it was the battle for third place
that remained under scrutiny.
After an entertaining drive through the field, it was Martin Morris who held on for a third place, to finish
just ahead of early leader Southcott.
James Dunkley teamed his efforts with an extra award when he was awarded Driver of the Race by our
commentary team.
Race Report Donington 2015 by WILSON!
As I arrived at a damp and cold Donnington Park, I was greeted by many bleary eyed revellers, Dave “I only had one pint”, Strike looking very much the worst for wear after Ginny’s birthday celebrations. Piggott and Thomson (F) having spent the night in the back of their vans had the dishevelled look that only this kind of sleeping arrangement can offer, Piggott slightly worse as he had forgotten his sleeping bag. Thomson benefiting from the anaesthetic effects of three pints of “Badgers Old Rat Urine” or some such cloudy offering from Kent.
There was much activity around Hewers car, despite the car being prepared by our very own qualified electrician it seemed to be being plagued by wiring issues, some parts clearly destined for domestic shower applications should prove useful in the very wet practice that loomed. An errant spark box proving to be the guilty party but found too late to prevent starting at the back. The track was looked very slippery as the field tippy toed around, Hanna, in her Metro seeming to have the most balls (clearly borrowed!) with a superbly held slide around Redgate! Strike managed to bury his wet race demons and put in some very good lap times. Browns dampers in his ZR (that appear to predate the car) having been re-fettled helped in the wet track. Arden in his immaculately straight panelled Maestro clearly not taking it seriously pottered around to the admiring approval of the crowd, “not often you get to see a Maestro with such good body work” I overheard one of the marshall saying.
Darbys technical issues continued, a real shame as he was doing some lovely slides around Redgate. This time with water in his fuel, the car cutting out in the middle of the track James prudently pulled over, parking it with great aplomb into the tyres at some speed, the damage actually making the car symmetrical again. I’m not sure if Darby did find the time to repair the car, it can be hard to tell! Certain other drivers couldn’t get enough of the terrible conditions and chose to ignore the chequered flag and continue with the practice long after everyone else had finished, Thomson (F) and Dare seizing the opportunity to improve their times, bettered only by the fire tender and the safety car. Both were summoned for an interview with Ron, who was less than impressed with Thomson’s (F) suggestion that the meeting to which he had been summoned was to sample the chocolate biscuits. Eales posting the quickest times despite a big moment at the final chicane.
Positions looked like this: The class B ZRs locked out the front of the grid with Coles and Diment on the front and Davies and Thompson on the second row. Thompson asked me not to make any hairdressing comments as he was getting rather fed up about it so I agreed. Thompson noting that the paint from other cars on his had come off “It looks like the blue rinsed off” he told me, not sure if this happened when he clippered the kerb?
Class C was headed by Buckley in his ZR ahead of the potent V8 roadster of White, not the tool for the job in those conditions. Eales easily ahead of class A but Jonsey and Strike posting near identical times. Bringing up the rear was Conner Holmes in his FIA MGB running on Dunlop L sections, that must have been terrifying for a first outing ever, but he brought it back in one piece. “I didn’t really enjoy that” he said in what must surely be a master piece of understatement. Piggott reported that he “enjoyed having the $hits more” but was more concerned about the state of his flattened and rather damp Marlboro so he set off to find a way to dry his ciggies “if only someone had a hairdryer he thought….”
The cafe filled up with damp drivers hiding from the rain, which after an hour or so petered out. With the wind drying the track it promised dry and cold race.
The race got off to a good start, Coles dropping back from his front row position to fourth by the first corner. Browns start hampered by selecting third rather than first, (a feat only to be bettered had he selecting reverse, sadly for the spectators this was not to be). Darby going around the outside of Redgate with his arse end out, the ZRs heading the field with Diment leading Davies and Eales in third, Coles back in fourth, Thomson (F) dropping down the field with engine problems, The Green House Effect’s oil temperature rising and pressure dropping, Class A headed by Eales mixing it with the 170 Zrs leaving the rest of the class As to scrap around Red Gates, Strike leading Jonsey (never a good thing to have in your mirrors) with Arden holding station behind them, Piggott, Dare and Eales Snr having a great dice, The two ZRs of Diment and Thompson duking it out at the front but Hewer storming through the pack in his rumbling V8 starting from last place he passed five or six cars on the opening lap and made it up to to 10th place, then 14th place then tenth place then ….. etc etc…The main scrap was ended when Diment got all agricultural at the top of the hill, he must have carried impressive speed when he left the track because he later said he just missed Derby…. Jonsey’s tyres by this time where crying “enough already” and his notorious elbows where being readied for action as he was being hauled in by a steadily closing Arden, the longer race distance suiting the FWD car, then suddenly Arden’s race was cut short when Dowler, now racing car number 99 (rather than 66 as at Brands) tried an over ambitious move on Arden on the climb from The old hairpin hitting the Maestro hard in the rear. Arden once punted onto the grass was a passenger and hit the tyres taking a bit hit on the driver’s side, car and his championship lead in tatters. Piggott, Dare and Eales senior scrap carried on with Piggott finally making it stick but once through was left to a rather lonely race, behind him the action continued when Whites V8 tapped the front of dares car forcing the Golf coloured GT into the bunker. The immaculately prepared car now wearing the black swirls on its flanks and gravel in its arches. You don’t get this sort of thing in hill climbing you know!! The race was shorten rather than bring out the safety car to rescue Dare and White from the bunker, at the waived flag it was a determined Buckley in class C from Davies in the class B in the Zrs with Darby doing a sterling job in his battle scarred GT coming in third overall and second in class from a very poor starting point. Class A Eales proved un-catchable in his GT with Jonsey in second place (this place nearly forfeited for talking in the presentation). That would have gone to Strike ten seconds behind him. After the race the paddock banter was in full flow, Cross and Hewer continued with their vulgar hand signals and Dare showing an excellent stiff upper lip saying he had really enjoyed himself, other noteworthy performances where series returnee Rayment in his father’s semi FIA car having not raced for five years had a great race, “I’ll take that” delighted with his lap times.
Race Report Mallory 15- Nick Arden
Mallory Park Peter Best Insurance MG Cup Sunday 29th March 2015.
Report by Nick Arden, MG Maestro EFI No. 36 Class A.
When we arrived on Saturday afternoon the predicted poor weather for the weekend was moving in. Whilst putting up the canopies with Tom Diment & friends we decided to really tie them down well to trailers and vehicles since gusty wind and heavy rain were predicted. Most of the Peter Best MG Cup racers were there on the Saturday, as friendly as ever and laughing off the grey skies.
Qualifying.
A modest group of 15 MG Cup racers went out for the first days qualifying on a fully wet circuit. Since I’d last been here in 2008 the circuit has been resurfaced and is smoother and better draining than before but still ready to catch you, or I out!
With a few wobbles, slides and wheel spins most of us made it through to the end of the session except for front running class A competitor Paul Eales of Oselli whom had a suspected main bearing failure so would be forced to watch Mr D.Eales senior show him how to do it later in the day.
Simon Cripps’ class B MGB had pole by a large 2.5s ahead of Thomas Halliwells class C ZR. A mix of class A & B cars covered Tom Diments 4th to Clive Jones’ 10th with a 3.5s spread. At the back of the grid only 0.07s separated the class A MGB of David Eales and Metro of Hannah Brian, so it looked like everyone would have someone to race. That’s what we like.
I was pleased to be up front of class A in 6th overall on the grid with Clive Jones two rows back. David Strike whom had been testing and has been consistently improving the last couple of years suffered a broken throttle cable so had to complete qualifying with another race series and start from the back of the grid. However given the right situation he could be coming through fast.
Race 1.
Just to spice up the first race at Mallory in a couple of years as well as being wet there was a light coating of oil around most of the circuit from the final practice.
When the red lights went out it seemed to take many seconds to get the car going, I could see everyone around me slithering on the wet track like a comical synchronised burn out session but eventually we got some bite and were off.
I had already decided that whilst Jonesey and Strike are gentlemen off of the track they are plenty competitive on the track and had set myself the stretch target of keeping up with the class B ZR170s for the first couple of laps. As this is not actually possible due to the higher power and wider tyres they are using Mallory’s Devils Elbow gave me the shove when I was trying to follow Ed Davies through it. With a full on 90 degree side ways slide at a reasonably scary speed I kept the power in and with some opposite lock, managed to keep off of the barrier using the gravel side track to rejoin. My windscreen video camera was completely filled with flashing green and white as the painted barrier whipped past. Any expletives have been muffed by the helmet padding and are not audible!
So with almost everybody having passed me I now felt like David Strike must have starting at the back of the grid and after checking the car still handled & braked OK set off in chase to have another, slightly more tender, go at it. Soon I passed Rod Oakenfulls lightened MGB and somewhere around the halfway point managed to get the run on Jonesey, Strike and Darby but becoming harder as these boys are quicker. It was then a case of not overdoing it as earlier on the oiled up track. At 16 minutes in the race was red flagged when David Strike had high speed spin and hit the barrier at the John Cooper Esses.
I was pleased to recover my initial position but it was a shame we lost David from the results and race two where he surely would have added to the excitement.
Simon Cripps (B) won overall by 42s as Tom Diment (B) overhauled Thomas Halliwell (C) to take 2nd by 0.4s and Ed Davies’ (B) ZR 14s further back in 4th. Jonnie Wheeler’s super yellow class C V8 failed to finish from 3rd on the grid.
The first race was tricky and finishing competitively required a lot of concentration, perhaps more work for points than outright fun.
Race 2.
I think most drivers were rather unsure exactly what conditions we would have for race two as we had had intermittent rain all day but with high winds then drying the track fast. An unusual weather scenario. As it was the track was near dry by the time we left the assembly area for the second race in similar start positions as race one but with MGBs of Paul Eales , the Wheelers and now David Strike out.
At the start Simon Cripps MGB was immediately crippled and pulled over from pole as we charged away, Jonesey got a great start and cruised round the outside at Gerrards with James Darby as I was queueing behind Ashley Cross’s ZS adjusting to the dry conditions.
Tom Diments engine let go leaving the hairpin on lap one and he decided to sharply exit left to try the motorbike circuit with the remaining vehicle motion as the main field all chased down the devils elbow onto the start straight.
Contrary to what we’d been advised but had asked for, the MG Trophy had been combined with our race and two ZR190s came tearing past on lap two only to immediately bang into each other unnecessarily at the hairpin and tear off again like rabid fighting cats.
The pace car came out to allow Cripp’s MGB to be removed which allowed Jonesey to pull a couple of hundred metres gap on me after the restart. I had a couple of laps close racing with Ashley Cross as his 2.5 V6 pulled past me on the straights but I managed to brake later for the corners so we stayed together until he adapted and then gently pulled away. The apparent audio of my engine in the video is greatly improved with an unseen V6 ZS alongside!
The first half of the race was near dry and hanging on around the long Gerrards curve in 4th at around 90mph reminded me why I like racing, much more fun than the earlier race. However a few spits of rain started to fall and drivers had to trim back their limits slightly. This allowed me to catch up with Jonesey whom had really been pushing hard to make the most of the first half near dry conditions.
Unfortunately for me attacking Jonesey was constantly interrupted by MG Trophy 190 & 170 cars coming from behind and threading through our own backmarkers. I’d get close and then my speed was compromised in the parts of the circuit where I was quicker allowing him to pull away again. This was repeated a few times until I thought I really had a chance close to the end but he took a well-deserved class A win by 0.4s and 5th overall as the race was shortened by 1 minute, 1 lap.
Thomas Halliwells ZR190 (C) took the overall win by 3.7s from Ed Davies ZR170 (B) and with James Darbys MGB (B) getting faster but still some way behind and Ashley Cross’ ZS (B) 7s further back.
A good race with quite a mix of events and I hope looked quite good from a spectators point of view – certainly Kevin Hewers report covers much of what I did not see so make sure you’ve read that perspective too.
Race Report Mallory Park 2015 (Kev Hewer)
Pre Donington Report
Donington 3rd August Pre race report
With 4 rounds left, its all to play for as we head to Donington.
An almost full complement of class A cars welcomes Ian Longhurst and Paul Rigg for their first PBI outings this year although both drivers have been series entrants in the past. On previous years performances Paul’s mgf should be amongst the front runners whilst Ian’s roadster could be an unknown quantity having been many months in preparation. Ian has a history of excellent car prep so expect a nicely turned out example. Nick Arden makes a welcome return in the Maestro after some mid season fettling and should go well.
Class A championship leader David Strike will have his work cut out to maintain that position with fellow contenders Paul Eales, James Walpole, Richard Wilson, Clive Jones and Kevin Hewer all looking to improve on recent results.
Class B looks thin on the ground and with only 3 runners, reduced points will be awarded to the finishers. On previous form Chris Dear should be at the front but if James Darby has sorted the Silverstone gremlins he could give Chris a run for his money. Seasoned racer Dave Brown will be hoping to keep them both honest in his long awaited comeback race in the Peter Best Championship.
Class C is only marginally better supported with 4 drivers, the absence of Andrew Young throwing the class race wide open. Rob Campbell, Alan Brooke and Tom Diment will be hoping to capitalise to consolidate their championship positions whilst the ever improving Shaun Holmes could be on for a podium
This year the organisers have introduced the joker card enabling double points to be awarded for 1 round. This has to be nominated to the championship coordinator before qualifying at the selected meeting, so with only two venues left some decisions will have to be made, adding extra spice to an already open race for the top honours in each class. Who has used theirs already and which drivers are playing it close to their chest?? We won’t find out until seasons end when all the points are taken into account. Watch this space,
David Strike
24/7/14
SILVERSTONE MG90 – 20/21 JUNE 2014
SILVERSTONE MG90 – 20/21 JUNE 2014
PETER BEST INSURANCE MG CUP RACE REPORT
A sun filled weekend was forecast for MG Car Clubs premier event of the season, celebrating 90 years of MG production with a packed race programme and plenty of off track activities to keep the many spectators entertained.
As in previous years the Peter Best cars were combined with the Cockshoot Cup runners, resulting in a mad dash for track position at the start of the session.
Finding space for a clear lap proved difficult for many of the drivers and lap times were slower than might have been expected for many of them.
A terminal engine problem during Friday practice for Class C championship leader Andrew Young meant he couldn’t join the other 53 cars for the late morning 20 minute qualifying session. This handed class C and overall pole to Robert Campbell in the other MGC. Class B pole and second overall on the grid went to Simon Cripps however Cripps suffered a problem which prevented him from taking his place on the grid. Class C contenders Tom Diment and Alan Brooke made up the second row. 2013 Class A champion James Walpole was clearly back in form turning in some early quick times to end up on the third row alongside Chris Dear in the class B midget. A problem with a loose wheel caused Paul Eales to abandon his class A GT at Luffield mid session which resulted in a safety car for several laps whilst the car was recovered. With only a few minutes remaining after the all clear, most drivers struggled to improve their lap times.
Rod Oakenfull, making his debut in his nicely prepared GT qualified alongside Terence Dear at the back of the grid.
RACE 1
After a long wait a depleted group of drivers finally took to the track at 5.30pm for the last race of the day on saturday. A brake issue meant Clive Jones completed only one lap in qualifying, but was allowed to start from the back of the grid. Paul Eales couldn’t get his car repaired in time so forfeited his class A second place slot in the line up. Richard Wilson had gearbox issues and couldn’t make the start. On the warm up lap, James Walpole pulled over with a misfiring engine, which left David Strike, Kevin Hewer, Michael Piggott, Rod Oakenfull and Clive Jones to contest the Class A positions.
A split start had been negotiated with the organisers, so the Cockshoot Cup got underway leaving the Peter Best cars awaiting the Union Flag drop which came about forty seconds later.
A clean start was made by all, Campbell streaking off into an immediate lead which he held comfortably until the end. Alan Brooke and Tom Diment followed behind having a race long battle with Brooke coming out on top to claim second spot in class C. Diment finished third just ahead of class B winner Chris Dear. Paul Khouri made it into second in class B. James Darby was in contention for a class win until his engine developed problems on lap 5 enabling Steve Dowler to claim third in class B.
In the class A battle David Strike headed the reduced class into the first corner. Some close first lap racing with out of position class C and B cars of Shaun Holmes and Tyrone White added to the excitement on the track but within a couple of laps the midfield became stretched out with Strike eventually taking his maiden class A win and fastest lap in class ahead of Kevin Hewer in his newly rebuilt GT with seasoned veteran Michael Piggott in third. Clive Jones failed to complete a lap as his brake problems returned. Rod Oakenfull picked up the points for fourth place and improved his lap times.
RACE 2
The second race of the weekend for the Peter Best Cars was race 12 on the card just after lunch on Sunday. Another warm day and some frantic pit work from Eales, Wilson and Jones saw them take their places on the grid. However Alan Brooke, Simon Cripps, James Darby and Michael Piggot failed to make the starting lineup.
With positions being based on the second fastest times in qualifying the grid formed up with Campbell on the front row, Diment and Dear on the second row, Strike on his own on row three, Paul Eales’repaired car back in row four followed by Wilson and a rare appearance from Barry Holmes.
The flag dropped and once again Rob Campbell was out of the blocks quickly and headed the field into the first corner. Unfortunately it appeared he had made a jump start but the overall result was unaffected due to his considerable lead over the field. With the absence of Brooke, Diment picked up second place with Chris Dear in third overall and first in class B.
The class A race looked set to thrill and from the off didn’t disappoint. Eales took the lead into Copse meanwhile the rest of class A were jockeying for positions with some of the class B and C cars. Going into The Loop it was four abreast with Strike, Shaun Holmes and Wilson with Jones on the outside. Jones ran out of track, spun off and slipped back down the field but came back to finish fourth whilst Eales and Strike traded fastest lap times, Eales just getting the honour. Wilson lost power and limped to the end, so the finishing order was Eales first, then Strike with Hewer in third.
An excellent weekend with plenty of on track excitement and much activity in the pits with a high attrition rate.
We now look forward to the next race meeting at Donington on 3rd August. See you there.
Race report Brands Hatch 4th May 2014
Race report Brands Hatch 4th May 2014
Sunday morning dawned warm and sunny with the prospect of a great days racing for the MGCC ’s second meeting of the season.
QUALIFYING
A packed race programme saw the Peter Best Insurance MG Cup combined with the Thoroughbred Sports cars and for qualifying a large grid of 34 cars took to the track consisting of a good Peter Best entry of 6 Class C cars, 5 class B and 9 class A cars
A few minutes into the session, Class C contender Alan Brooke was a spectator as his MG Metro exited the track at Mclaren amidst clouds of steam, causing the session to be red flagged whilst his car was recovered.
When qualifying resumed for the final minutes of a reduced session it was mayhem on the track with everyone trying to find some space for a quick lap and at the end of 7 laps it was class C championship leader Andrew Young in his MGC GTS who set the pace ending up on pole with Barry Holmes B GT nearly 2 seconds back in second.
The class C ZR 190 of Tom Diment was only a tenth back whilst Robert Campbell was a further half second adrift with novice Shaun Holmes completing the class C grid in his immaculately presented MGC GT.
In third on the grid and taking pole in class B was the midget of Chris Dear, starting his first race this season, showing his intentions by splitting the Class C cars.
The V8 BGT machine of Paul Khouri was second on the class B grid but 10th overall with veteran racer Steve Dowler, a struggling James Darby in the new for this year GT and Niall Campbell winding up the class B grid.
The battle for class A positions was very close with the top 6 on the grid separated by less than a second finally ending up with Paul Eales snatching pole, 6th overall, from Richard Wilson (who was supposedly ‘running in’his newly rebuilt engine following a pre season blow up at Silverstone, ) with David Strike in 3rd, James Walpole 4th, the Maestro of Nick Arden 5th with Clive Jones rounding out the top 6.
Class A novice Aaron Ross in the pink MG Maestro headed Frank Thompson and Michael Piggott who completed the Peter Best grid.
And so to race 1 which was the second race of the day just before lunch. With the sun shining it was with great anticipation that the 19 Peter Best cars took to the track with a sprinkling of Thoroughbred Sports cars to spice up the event.
A clean start was made by all with James Walpole, Clive Jones and fast starting Nick Arden coming through to leave a slow off the line, David Strike, looking at their rear spoilers going into Paddock Hill bend.
Meanwhile at the front, the Class C car of Andrew Young was showing everyone a clean pair of heels.
It was close at the front of the class A cars with car 36, Nick Arden harrying Paul Eales for the top slot in the early laps. However just at the start of lap 2 Clive Jone’s roadster and an out of position Peter Barnard, in his Elva Courier, came together at Paddock Hill entry causing both cars to slew off on to the grass before re joining the track locked together on their way to the gravel. This clash almost collected David Strike’s GT and Paul Khouri who wasn’t far behind. Fortunately Jones and the Elva driver were both unhurt.
The resulting safety car and subsequent red flag put all the cars back onto the grid and after a lengthy wait the race was restarted, with a reduced race time of 6 minutes.
At the restart Young once again made a good start and put some distance between himself and the rest of the field but Barry Holmes lost places to Dear and Diment. Holmes though gradually recovered and eventually finished the race in 2nd behind Young. Chris Dear took 3rd overall and first in class B whilst Tom Diment placed third in class C and 4th overall. Robert Campbell held position to finish 4th in class. Paul Khouri made some good progress through the field from 10th on the grid to finish second in class B, 7th overall. The rest of the class B and C cars finished some distance back with a cautious Shaun Holmes guiding the number 193 machine to 5th in class c.
James Darby however, struggled to get maximum potential out of his newly tweaked engine finishing close behind Steve Dowler. Niall Campbell completed the race 5th in class.B
Meanwhile the class A cars of Eales, Arden and Walpole were battling it out for the podium places. 2013 champion James Walpole got the jump on Arden to snatch 2nd by lap 2. After the restart, Ross and Thompson made good progress and were running 5th and 6th during the first tour, whilst David Strikes GT had slipped back to 7th. By lap 2 Strike had recovered to claim back 5th place and was gradually closing in on the Chastead supported roadster of Richard Wilson.
Nick Arden gradually became a little detached in 3rd with a fast closing Wilson and Strike trying to take the position. The last lap arrived all too soon with Walpole claiming the top spot from Eales on the last lap by 3 tenths of a second at the line. Holding on for 3rd was the blue Maestro of Nick Arden whilst Wilson and Strike were having a tussle with a Thoroughbred MGA twin cam resulting in Strike getting a run up the inside at Clark curve to take 4th spot from Wilson by a mere tenth of a second, Ross, Piggott and Thompson rounded out the rest off the finishers.
Race 2 was the final race of the day and nervous tension abounded in the paddock as the drivers questioned whether they would get a full race this time out. There had been many issues on track during the previous races and the organisers were running out of time.
Thankfully however, an announcement just before the start, confirmed that the race was to be for the full 15 minutes.
So the line up on the grid was similar to the first race being based on competitors second fastest time in qualifying.
Clive Jones had managed to get his severely damaged roadster back together for race 2 and took his place on the grid behind the other class A cars of Walpole, Strike, Wilson and pole man Eales. Alan Brooke failed to get the Metro repaired so 9 class A cars, 5 class B and 5 class c cars lined up for the start.
Young once again headed the class c field off the line and by the end of lap1 had put some distance between himself and Chris Dear who had got past Barry Holmes but by lap 4 Holmes had regained the position which he held until he was forced to retire on lap 7.
Tom Diment in the ZR 190 put in some consistent fast lap times gradually reeling in the class B midget of Dear and finishing second in class c and second overall but not before seeing the fast disappearing Young spin out on lap 6, which relegated him down the field only to complete a great recovery drive just nicking the victory from Diment on the penultimate lap by 3 seconds, earning him the driver of the race award.
Class C newcomer Shaun Holmes suffered a major off at Paddock on lap 5. The incident would have warranted a red flag earlier in the day or at least a safety car but the marshalls handled it with waved yellows and everyone carried on racing safely without further interruption. Shaun was unhurt but the car may need some new bits to bring it back to its former glory. This meant only three class c cars completed the race with Robert Campbell picking up the 3rd spot after a steady drive.
Class B honours went to peerless Chris Dear and another good drive from Paul Khouri earned him 2nd place with Steve Dowler in a distant 3rd. James Darby will be hoping for improvements next time out after finishing 5th in class behind Niall Campbell.
Class A provided some classic close racing from the off. The yellow GT of Paul Eales made a great start and eased away at the front closely followed by Wilson, Walpole and Arden who had both got past Strike at the start but by lap 2 Strike had regained the place from Arden. Jones was working his way up to the back of the front runners and by the end of lap 5 the order was Eales followed by Wilson, Walpole, Strike and Jones all separated by less than a second.
Lap 7 saw Jones make a move up the inside at Druids to take the position from Strike and the bruised and battered roadster of Jones then continued to hustle Walpole for the rest of the race but was unable to take the position.
The order remained unchanged for a further 6 laps, Eales putting in some quick consistent lap times which saw him increase his lead over the chasing four cars with Wilson just managing to hold off the close attentions of Walpole and Jones with Strike holding a watching brief just behind. Then on lap 14, two laps before the end of the race, Eales inexplicably slowed and stopped, handing the lead to Wilson. Two further frantic nose to tail laps followed resulting in Richard Wilson taking his first ever class win from James Walpole, with Clive Jones a deserved 3rd. David Strike was a close fourth in class with a much improved car this year. Nick Arden came in 5th followed by Aaron Ross.
Michael Piggott and Frank Thompson battled it out for 7th and 8th with the grey GT of Piggott finally overhauling Thomsons roadster.
So, a thrilling race for the class A honours much enjoyed by competitors and those spectators who stayed until the end of a long day.
See you at Silverstone for MG 90 live.
