24th October saw the CSCC enjoy its largest single day event ever, with over 300 entries on the day. Read on for a race report, photos, highlights video, full livestream and results from every series.
All races were live streamed, with thanks to Speedclad Ltd for their support and Alpha Live, for their high quality filming and production. Later in this meeting report we have linked directly to where your own series race begins.
Marc Peters, has once again filmed and edited together his own superb compilation of clips:
Our official club photographer walked miles to get you the best photos, from a variety of angles. David Stallard's photos can be viewed and bought directly from his website. Please contact him for a CSCC driver offer, on multiple photos:
Marcus Pye:
Epic Silverstone Spectacular season-closer
Motorsport UK’s 61-car track capacity for Silverstone’s 3.66-mile Grand Prix circuit was courted in three of the five grids, as the club showcased its full hand of series for the first time within a memorable seasonal finale at ‘The Home of British Motor Racing” on Sunday, October 24.
The lure of the venue - at which seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton won a drama-laced British GP three months previously - doubtless contributed to the Silverstone Spectacular entry, unprecedented for a one-day CSCC event. Alpha Live’s streaming recorded it for posterity.
Even the British weather was unseasonal for most of the day, which added to the enjoyment of our eighth meeting of a year, which had already taken the CSCC circus from Anglesey and Oulton Park, via Donington, Snetterton and Cadwell Park and Knockhill to Thruxton and Brands Hatch.
Working out of the cavernous Wing pits provided an interesting dynamic. The vast interlinked garages and supporting paddock were packed with racers, aa impressive sight. Therein lay a logistical conundrum, however, since space is limited by the landlocked school circuit, in operation all day.
Parking road cars externally - on the old Copse-Stowe runway, the longest leg of a club circuit used in the 1950s - was a novelty for those without vehicle passes. Nonetheless, a shuttle bus service, with Silverstone veterans Chris Alford and Ian Jacobs as drivers, operated from 0700-1900.
First out to play were the Liqui Moly Slicks Series, JMC Racing Special Saloons & Modsports and Bernie’s V8 competitors, corralled together. Forty six powerful cars made an astonishing spectacle, particularly as they thundered down the Wellington and Hangar Straights.
Kit car to Le Mans racer Martin Short debuted a newly-imported Mosler MT900 GT2, Rollcentre’s boss nominating son Morgan to share the driving. Far from daunted at graduating from a Rover 216 GTi, and with very few laps under his belt, he impressed, having been tutored by Ian Flux. The mid-engined monster, powered by a seven-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, started from pole with a best lap of 2m07.367s (103.46mph). Kevin Jones’ turbocharged Noble M12 RSR ran it closest, pursued by John Saunders’ Ginetta-Chevrolet G50 and sometime Ferrari racer Wayne Marrs’ eight-litre V10-engined Dodge Viper, destined not to start.
Dominic Malone (ex-Andy Priaulx BMW E90 M3 WTCC), Special Saloon leader Danny Morris (Spirit of RPM Peugeot 309 GTi turbo, on 2:14.073) and the class-leading Lotus Motorsport Elise of Rob Fenn/Paul Whight were next up.
Other class pacesetters at the sharp end included Vance Kearney’s Maserati Granturismo GT4 and the Aston Martin DBS of marque specialist Rikki Cann/Sam Wilson, in a field which included David Foster’s McLaren 570S and Doug Watson’s gorgeous midnight blue Ferrari 458 Challenge.
Joe Ward’s immortal ex-Gerry Vauxhall Firenza Baby Bertha Super Saloon was in the mix, together with welcome returnee Simon Allaway’s 5.5-litre Chevrolet-powered Lotus Esprit. This resembled its predecessor, last seen eight years ago, but was built on a new monocoque.
Nobody could live with the Mosler, into which Martin Short relayed his lad with a lead he was not about to squander. Morgan did not put a wheel wrong (CSCC: despite a number of mechanical concerns), bringing the sleek black stealth bomber home a minute clear of Malone, with Darren Fielding’s E46 M3 third (a strong result for the BMW's given the competition).
The merest of touches between Fielding and Saunders under braking for Stowe destabilised the latter’s Ginetta, but John recovered. Earlier, Jones had pitted the Noble with a puncture, but he recovered well, shading Saunders and shadowing the fourth-placed Fenn/Whight Elise after a determined chase.
Andrew Christopher (Ferrari 430 Challenge) just got the better of David Harvey’s supercharged Lotus 340R for seventh, ahead of the Cann/Wilson Gulf-liveried Aston - first of the Special Saloons and Modsports contenders - and Foster’s McLaren.
Running in a team with Clive Anderson and his mighty Prism Racing BMW E30 twin-turbo,
Morris’ Pug led the SS&M set initially. Delayed at the pitstops, they were beaten home by Wilson, with Ward third. Allaway, worried by a massive oil leak in qualifying, and Ian Hall - who planed the nose splitter and brackets from his Darrian Wildcat T98 in a morning excursion and couldn’t fix it adequately - were among the retirements.
The Live Stream of this race can be replayed here: https://youtu.be/NHT_k6XNJ8k
Detailed results are here: https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=CSCC/2021/214264sli.pdf
Both halves of the Adams & Page Swinging Sixties equation and Mintex Classic K raced concurrently, a whopping 64 cars turning out for qualifying. Soloist Nigel Reuben planted the TVR Griffith, in which son Oliver won at Thruxton, on pole by more than three seconds, his 2:26.032 (90.23mph) pursued by the Lotus Elan of Jamie Keevil and Dean Halsey’s Datsun 240Z from the SS pack.
The FIA Appendix K spec ‘Griffs’ of Graham Langford/Mike Whitaker and Jamie Boot were quickest of the CK runners, fourth and fifth overall, but separated by two seconds. Dave Roberts (240Z), Jon Crayston and Wright/Fenn (Elans, the latter’s an App.K car), the quick MGA of dad and lad Steve and Josh Smith and Wayne Langridge’s Ford Mustang rounded out the top 10.
Chris Watkinson’s feisty 1380cc Mini sat 11th in this company - a superb effort - ahead of Malcolm Johnson’s Lotus Europa and the App.K TVR Griffith of sometime Shelby Mustang pedaller Jonathan Bloohn/Andy Nunn. Ian Staines (MG Midget), Harry Wyndham (Jaguar E-type) and the Marcos 3-litre of Ben Gough/Iain Daniels were the last inside 2m40s. Richard Merrell’s Alfa Romeo GTV and the Lotus Super 7 S3 of John and Tom Muirhead were on their tails.
Shaun Haddrell’s Turner-Climax Mk1, Simon Benoy’s Hillman Imp, the Crudgington family’s Mini Jem, Tim Cairns’ Austin-Healey frog-eye Sprite and Simon Evans’ Mini all punched above their weight in the preliminaries, surrounding previous Classic K winner Paul Tooms’ Elan and David McDonald’s Triumph TR6 in a stout midfield group. Among the unusual machines embroiled were the Ford-powered Reliant Sabre Sixes of Johns Devlin and Leslie, and the Rochdale Olympic of Nick Smith/ Richard Lambert - similar to one your scribe’s godfather built in the 1960s!
With most rivals also having 30 second ‘success ballast’ penalties for previous wins to serve at the stops, and Boot a minute, nobody was going to catch Reuben unless drama struck. So far ahead was he when he spun entering Club it merely reduced his winning margin to 25 seconds. Keevil’s Lotus Elan and Halsey’s Datsun, now with Scott Gillam up, led the chase, ahead of Roberts’ 240Z and Classic K winners Whight/Fenn.
Crayston, Boot - by half a second from the TVR of Bloohn/Nunn, having negated a minute stationary in the pits - McDonald, Gough/Daniels, Wyndham, Johnson and Tooms also went the full distance. Tooms was among several drivers to gyrate on oil at Brooklands mid-race. The Muirheads, Watkinson and Cairns, all going great guns, were lapped near the end.
Go straight to the live stream action here: https://youtu.be/KLnrw46s2Y8
Full results are here: https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=CSCC/2021/214264c60.pdf
Motorsport School Turbo Tin-Tops and Co-ordSport Tin-Tops formed the majority of the third grid on parade, within which six Mr Tyre Motorsport Puma Cup competitors played their part in a 61-car capacity field.
The all-conquering Andrew Windmill aced qualifying in his PartBox Honda Civic Type R Leggera, 2:25.698 (90.44mph) being 2.5s quicker than Tom Mensley (Renault Clio Cup 172), with Keith Issatt’s turbocharged Mini Clubman close behind. The next five - Dan Ludlow/Sean Emmett (Civic Type R turbo), Adam Brown (Vauxhall Astra GTE), David and Tom Hutchins (Civic Type R), Robert Jarman/Jonathan Hunter (Clio Cup 172) and Manoj Patel (Civic Type R) - were blanketed by half a second!
Previous win penalties were always gong to focus the top drivers and influence the outcome of the race, Windmill having most to do having to remain stationary for an extra two minutes - effectively four-fifths of a lap! Andrew tried valiantly to negate the deficit, carving his way through constant traffic, but when the chequered flag fell only Patel remained ahead, just 3.294s up the road in full view!
Manoj had driven brilliantly too, refusing to be pressured into a mistake, his best lap more than four seconds slower than Windmill’s 2:25.040 (90.85mph). Patel, who competes for the fun of it, was beaming from ear to ear at the post-race interview, clearly elated to have scored his first victory in the series closer. His bonus is that he will start 2022 with a clean slate, all time penalties being wiped at the end of the season.
The Hutchins family finished third, clear of Mensley. Turbo Tin-Tops victors Ludlow/Emmett in the immaculate Rutpen Civic and the Dees in their Honda Integra DC2. Andrew Marson’s rise from 15th to seventh in his Fiat Abarth 595 was eye-catching, with the Field family’s Proton Persona GTi Coupe filling his mirrors at the flag.
Gary Jones won the Puma division, clear of the closely-matched James Clare, Jon Glover/Chris Fantana and John Boult. Simon Evans split the last two teams in the first of the rotary club Mazdas.
Jump to the live stream race here: https://youtu.be/otXiRgFSaDw
Full results of the pit stop race are here: https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=CSCC/2021/214264tut.pdf
Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens shared the track with the Verum Builders Open Series and Liqui Moly New Millennium competitors, creating another capacity grid.
The potent 2.4-litre Caterham of Ben Simonds (CSR), Tim Davis and Colin Watson (C400s) topped qualifying, Simonds’ 2:11.802 (99.98mph) 2.4s better than the swifter of the BOSS men.
Mark Smith (BMW E36 M3 Evo) was fourth on the grid, chased by the two-litre Caterhams of Richard Coulter (R300) and Hugh Coulter (C400) and the BMWs of Matty Evans/Ric Wood (1M Coupe), Stephen Scott-Dunwoodie/Darren Dowling, Dominic Malone and Darren Fielding (E46 M3s).
Leaders Simonds, Davis and Watson pitted together after six laps, and once the stops were completed were soon back out front, albeit with Davis now ahead of Simonds. The sky had turned grey as the race progressed and spots of drizzle quickly worsened. With a number of stranded cars to be repatriated to the pits - including, sadly, the Evans/Wood BMW for the second time in the afternoon, having completed seven laps in total - and the going increasingly miserable, the flag was flown seven minutes early.
Davis and Simonds were 10 seconds ahead of Watson at this point. Carter was fourth, but sparring partner Coulter was bumped to sixth - between Open and New Millennium winners Dave Griffin (the expat Australian now in a very flash BMW E90 M3) and Hugh Gurney/Colin Tester (E46 M3) - for a pitstop infringement. Tom Bell’s sister car suffered a similar fate two circuits later.
CSCC: Given the oil spills, damp conditions and wide variety of cars the driving standards and respect shown to each other was excellent.
Qualifying, pit stop and race results are here: https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=CSCC/2021/214264mg7.pdf
All action video coverage of the race starts here: https://youtu.be/ay166cy7MHo
Cartek Motorsport Modern Classics and Advantage Motorsports Future Classics runners and riders brought the curtain down, on a successful and entertaining season with another packed grid.
Pole position fell to the Porsche 964 Turbo of Miles and Piers Masarati, their 2:21.895 (92.87mph) just 0.870s better than Mark Chilton (Nissan Skyline GTR R32), with the Martin and Oliver Pratt (Morgan Plus 8), Karl Cattliff (BMW E36 M3) and Alex Taylor (TVR Tuscan) blanketed by less than 0.3s in their wake.
The Tuscans of Matt Holben and Tony Blake were well in touch, with BMW E36 M3 drivers Tommy Grout and John Cockerton, Martin Johnston/Andy Woods-Dean’s splendid Audi V8 Quattro, Matthew and Martin Ellis’ Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and David Burke’s Porsche Carrera RSR also inside 2m30s.
On a now very wet track, the race started behind a safety car. Chilton led initially, exploiting four-wheel-drive, only for Taylor - a noted rain master - to outmaneuver and gap him. A moment at Chapel for Chilton, enabled Piers Masarati to annex second, only to be excluded for passing under the red flag, shown four minutes before the chequer was due, with Colin Whitmore’s BMW E36 M3 beached precariously in the gravel at Club.
Blake and Holben enjoyed a great scrap, but both were among numerous competitors penalised for short stops. They were classified third and fifth - separated by Grout - with Alan Thompson sixth in his E36 M3. Cockerton, Jason and Louise Kennedy (Nissan Skyline GTR E32 Winfield evocation), former Sports 2000 Lola racer Tony Maryon/Brian Richardson (Porsche Boxster S) and Aaron Moyce (TVR Tuscan) completed the top ten.
The race video can be enjoyed here, along with live onboard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeY5CDxjNPk
Comments