Silverstone National Race Report and Video Highlights
- CSCC Staff
- Jul 16
- 18 min read
Updated: Jul 17
Such is the rapid progress of time that our Silverstone meeting in June now seems like a distant memory! Whilst we brought you the results, live-stream links and photos the day after the event, we can now bring you arty videos from Marc Peters and a full race report, courtesy of Marcus Pye.
Thanks also to Sue Chan-Wyles who filled our social media accounts, Instagram and Facebook, with updates throughout the day.
Let's start with a couple of short videos, one from each day. Saturday's mostly classic content:
Sunday's action, superb!
Detailed race results can be viewed here: TSL Timing
You can re-live the weekends racing in full, on our YouTube channel (click on the images below, then click 'live'):
David Stallard's photos can be viewed and purchased here: CSCC 2025 - David-Stallard
Marcus Pye has penned a detailed race report of every series/championship that took part over the weekend.
Allaway to Yeomans, winners in June Silverstone scorchers
The fourth stop on our 2025 tour saw the CSCC circus return to Silverstone on June 14/15, this time on the 1.64-mile National circuit, as opposed to the International layout used in March. Barring a short rainy spell on Saturday afternoon, which made the going tricky for the Jaguar brigade, conditions were perfect. Indeed on the more temperate Sunday, the action was fast and furious. Old school club racing at its best as you can see from the live stream broadcast available on YouTube, linked to above.
First out for qualifying on Saturday morning were the Verum Builders Open Series runners, headed by Dylan Popovic who annexed pole with a solid 59.653s (99.00mph) lap in his rumbling seven-litre Ginetta-Chevrolet G50. The Bosnian-born Londoner’s nearest pursuer was Ramair BMW championship points leader Graham Crowhurst, whose stripey 3.2-litre straight six BMW M3 E46 was split from Adrian Bradley’s sister machine by young kart graduate Archie Buttle in his OD2 division-leading Ginetta G55 GTA, with 3.7 Ford V6 power. Louis Ruff’s turbocharged two-litre Morgan Plus 4 and class leader Jon Barratt’s pristine JBR Fisher Fury rounded out the top six, with class pacesetters Neil Hinson (Caterham 7) and Sam Daffin (Ford Fiesta turbo) next up.
Rodney Frost (Jaguar XJS), Steven Grove (Lotus Elite S1), David Whelan (Porsche 993 RSR Cup), Luke Plummer (Ginetta G40) and Adrian Matthews in his Ford-underpinned Volvo C30 lapped within 0.510s of Daffin to form a competitive midfield group in the 23-strong pack which included the ever enthusiastic “Mr Verum” Rob Hardy in his Porsche Boxster S.
The 15 minute race - actually the second on the programme - saw 24 starters for Ronan Bradley (M3 E46) and TV personality Richard Hammond (The Smallest Cog MGB GT) joined the fray at the back. Bradley’s team had overcome a throttle position sensor issue. Hammond had been turned away from qualifying by Motorsport UK scrutineers as his HANS device was found to be incompatible with his helmet and two inch safety harness straps in the 1976 car. A change of helmet ticked the relevant boxes.
Popovic outgrunted Crowhurst and Adrian Bradley when the red lights went out, signalling the start and the fiend charged to Copse. That is how it stayed, with class winner Buttle fourth, less than a second shy of Bradley over the timing line. Ruff repelled Ronan Bradley for fifth, the last drivers on the lead lap. A circuit down, Barratt atoned for being swallowed at the start by clawing his way back to seventh, ahead of fellow division victors Hinson and Daffin, whose mirrors were filled by Frost’s XJS.
A month after its seasonal debut at Donington, the JMC Racing Special Saloons & Modsports fraternity was led out for qualifying by VW Golf GTi Mk1 trio Tim Moll, Ross Irvine and Donald Dewar. Simon Allaway (5.5 Lotus Esprit-Chevrolet) thundered round in a splendid 57.898s (102.00mph) to grab pole position by 1.861s from Andy Southcott (2.3 Lenham Midget), with Danny Morris a mere 0.049s adrift on 59.808s in the Holmes Racing Spirit of RPM 2.0 Peugeot-Cosworth 309 turbocar.
Class leaders Ian Stapleton, out for the first time in two years in his supercharged 3.6 Alfa Romeo GTV6, and Chesterfield motor engineer Irvine in the wide-bodied R Werks Golf turbo - his road car and company van before it became a racer - were 0.088s apart in fourth and fifth on 1:02.660 and 1:02.748 respectively. Martin Reynolds (2.6 Ford Escort-Millington), Historics to Sports Prototype racer Simon Watts (3.4 Datsun 240Z) and Richard Billingham in his latest spaceframe Mini, powered by a turbocharged 2.0 Vauxhall VXR engine making around 340bhp were separated by 0.555s in the 64s. Watts’ rival Hugh Pelling was on their heels in his very pretty 3.9 MGB V8, chased by Richard Morris in his Billingham-built atmo 2.0 Mini-Vauxhall and Golfers Dewar and Moll.
Mike Chalk’s venerable but highly effective MG Midget - watched by previous owner John Moon, racing in the Swinging Sixties set - was in the 67s. The more conventional Minis of Josh Evans and Anthony Hayes bookended the final bunch, separated by Jerry Burgoyne’s ex-Charles Barter Davrian Solo Stiletto, Devon veteran John Pugsley’s Davrian-Imp Mk6 - reconfigured around a huge venturi - and Mark Burley’s Austin-Healey Sprite. No ordinary Frogeye, its pretty Tifosi fibreglass coupe shell enclosed an 1800 Rover K Series engine mated to a five-speed Mazda MX-5 gearbox!
The first leg of the double-header started without its front row. Allaway’s monster’s engine refused to fire in the paddock when called to the assembly area. “When I pressed the button it went click, click, click,” said Simon amid much head scratching. Southcott’s woes were worse, for his Mike Johnson tubeframe Midget’s Vauxhall engine blew its oil out when the crankshaft seal failed, accompanied by expensive noises. Unfortunately Andy’s season may be curtailed.
Morris thus sizzled ahead when the lights changed and after 15 laps was 11.288 seconds clear of Stapleton at the chequered flag. Both were managing temperature issues, but with Irvine’s R-Werks Golf almost 10 seconds behind the black Alfa - his first podium - there was room to back off a little. Both Ian and Ross improved upon their Q-times, the former in beating Reynolds to class C honours. Billingham returned fifth, the only starter in SA, a second inside his morning best.
The Modsports battle was superb, protagonists Pelling and Watts launching from row 3 in the first race. Hugh used his MG’s V8’s torque to get ahead on the opening lap, but Simon wound the straight-six Datsun up and was not more than 1.5s adrift until traffic closed them up mid-race. The scrap intensified at that point and the pair were abreast on lap 13. Watts held his nerve to squeeze ahead at Copse/Becketts and held on to win the division by 0.641s and finish sixth overall on the lead lap.
Behind them, Dewar and Moll’s class tussle was resolved in Donald’s favour by 3.5s, with Morris’s Mini and Chalk’s Midget close behind Tim. Evans won the minnows class from Pugsley, Burgoyne and Hayes, with Burley’s Sprite in their midst. Spins at Becketts and Brooklands on the same lap undid Mark’s efforts having found a way past John’s blue Davrian.
Two and a half hours later, the sequel was laced with intrigue. With the winner’s 10 place grid drop Morris sat on row six second time out, with Allaway three slots further back on the same side of the track. His ignition glitch was traced to a faulty relay and the husky Chevy fired up when it was replaced with one borrowed from a scrapyard. Danny and Simon soon reached the sharp end, chasing down leader Stapleton, but as the Lotus clone thundered past the Peugeot on lap 6, the turbo car’s gearbox failed and Morris parked it. Stapleton, Irvine and Reynolds again led the chase, but Pelling repassed Watts on a frenetic last lap to land Modsports gold by 0.641s.
Outdragged by Reynolds on the first lap, front row starter Irvine clawed back past the Escort on lap 5 to claim third behind Stapleton at the flag. Ross was ecstatic to land two podiums in a day, finishing clear of Martin. The Modsports battle again took centre stage. Pelling shot past Watts at the start, and had Billingham and Dewar as buffers to keep the hot 240Z at bay in the opening laps. As before, Simon closed in and indeed seized the advantage at Copse in the final stages. But Hugh was not to be denied, repassing him into Becketts, then holding on by 0.753s for fifth and class victory at the finish line. Honours even seemed like the perfect result.
A lap down, Dewar beat Moll in class D, with Billingham between them at the close. Chalk was a second adrift, ahead of E winner Evans, Pugsley and Burley - after a good duel which ended with Burgoyne in his slipstream. Hayes completed the runners. The Morrises, Richard and Danny, were the only drivers to fall by the wayside.
The Adams & Page Swinging 60's 1 field was as diverse as ever. Jon Wolfe and Stephen Pickering locked out the front row of the grid in five-litre Ford V8 engined TVR Tuscan and Sunbeam Tiger respectively. Having qualified 0.130s apart, Wolfe on 1:07.602s (87.35mph), they would need to negate 20 second penalties at the mandatory stops, for previous race victories in the Anglo-American rockets. Dave Bye/BenWalker were next up, courtesy of Bye’s superb 1:07.927, in the heavier East Riding Jaguar XJ Coupe.
Simon James (4.7 Tiger) and Dean Halsey (3.0 Datsun 240Z) were next up, ahead of top tiddlers John Moon (Austin-Healey Lenham GT) and Ian Staines (MG Midget), both powered by 1380cc BMC A Series engines. Moon’s 1:09.155 (85.39mph) seized class pole by 0.115s. The 3.9 MGB GTs of Ben Tovey and Jonnie and James Wheeler straddled 1m10s, Tovey on 1:09.891. Shaun Haddrell (1.2 Turner-Climax Mk1) and Richard Perry (1.3 Frogeye Sprite) were even closer, pursued by David and Chris Greenbank in their five-litre Ford Mustang notchback and Tim Cairns’ Turner-BMC Mk2.
Behind Mark Cloutman’s Austin A40, Kevin Bird and son Charles Hyde-Andrews-Bird put the quicker Lotus Cortina in mid-grid, shading returning Morgan +8 veteran Paul Conway, James Mackie/John Faux (A-H Sprite), Simon and Thomas Tunnard (Fairthorpe Electron Minor) and the Sprite of Helen and Gordon Elwell. Quickest of the Alfa Romeo trio was Peter Forfar’s two-litre Giulia Sprint GT. Propping up the 30-car field, meanwhile, were Irishmen Ben Cain/Brendan O’Horan in the Triumph Spitfire coupe previously seen with colleague Ben Robinson.
Wolfe and Pickering blasted clear at the start, but James’ white Tiger arrived at Becketts third, only to spin luridly. Simon got going again and crossed the timing line 27th of the 29 starters, but made things difficult for himself. A long haul back up the lap charts resulted in ninth place. Bye and Halsey led the early chase once Dean had displaced Tovey. Staines led the four potters from Haddrell’s hard-topped Turner and Perry, locked in combat, Moon having been swallowed by the pack at the start when his alternator belt came off. After a long stop to replace it John finished 19th, three laps adrift.
Pickering went ahead when Wolfe made his stop after 10 laps, but handed the lead back when he pitted 19 laps into the 40 minute race. With a 1m06.825 (88.37mph) best lap on his slate - quicker than in qualifying - Jon duly extended a 16 second winning margin over Stephen, with the gallant Walker close behind in the virtually brakeless Jag. Halsey’s Brock Racing Enterprises tribute Datsun was fourth, on the lead lap. Class winner Staines and Tovey were next home, clear of Conway who had growled past Perry - later to retire - and Haddrell who enjoyed a wonderful duel. Tenth overall, Cairns made it a Turner 2-3 in class SA. The Tunnards finished a country mile ahead of their SC rivals, 14th overall behind the Greenbanks’ Mustang, Mackie/Faux and Forfar. Both Lotus Cortina's failed to finish, Alistair and Nick Dyson’s after the Bird/CHAB sister car fell on the first lap. James Wheeler’s MGB GTV8 was out early too, followed by Cloutman’s A40.
Without a penalty in the Adams & Page Swinging 60's 2 race - or the grunty TVR as opposition - Pickering repeated his later stop tactic and was never headed. Poleman Steve Hodges’ Lotus 7 disappeared early, joining Rob Roodhouse’s Mini Cooper S and Cloutman’s A40 in retirement. The fight to join Pickering on the podium went all the way, Jonathan Crayston (Lotus Elan S4) passing Halsey at two-thirds’ distance and holding the rasping 240Z off by 1.8 seconds. Chris Watkinson’s orange and blue 1380cc Mini was top touring car in a hard-earned fourth place, on the lead lap.
The two-litre BMWs of Claire Norman (Laranca Engineering-run 2002) and Tom Pead (Vargus Racing Niki Lauda tribute 1602) were enjoying a great scrap behind the leaders, in the company of Jack Smith’s rorty MGA. When Smith dropped it on the exit of Brooklands and Norman spun in avoidance, Pead was safe to claim fifth. After an agonising wait, and belches of flame from the exhaust as Claire struggle to restart the carburetted engine, she dived in to relay dad Charles Tippet who salvaged eighth, second in class, behind Jack and father Steve Smith and James and Pete Crudgington’s 1380cc Mini Jem. Lewis Salmon (Mini Cooper) and Ford Capri stalwart Dave Thomas rounded out the top 10.
The SuperPro Modern Classics runners outnumbered the Advantage Motorsport Future Classics posse-two-to one on an amalgamated grid. Both sides of the equation had a front row slot though, polesitter Mark Chilton (Nissan Skyline GTR R-32) on 1:03.177 (93.47mph) joined by rapid UK-domiciled Aussie Dave Griffin (BMW M3 E36 Evo) on 1:04.137 (92.07mph). Carrying 20 second winners’ penalties from previous wins, they would both have to take a minimum of 1m50s from pit in to out at the stops.
The Future and Modern pattern continued with Stuart Daburn (TVR Tuscan Challenge) and Simon Frowen (Ginetta G20) on a catchweight second row, then the magnificent Martini-liveried Porsche 911 Carrera of Keir Edmonds and Irishmen Aidan Farrell/David Whelan (993 RSR Cup). Both were destined to non-start though. Whelan’s front suspension ball joint pin sheared and engineer Richard Chamberlain decided that full damage analysis and repairs could not be effected safely in situ. The other Porsche missing was Simon Watts’ long-owned but rarely seen ex-Lindsay Owen-Jones/Thomas Bscher/John Nilsson 968 CS which tested promisingly at Silverstone a week previously, but suffered turbo issues on the day. It is currently being refettled for Snetterton.
Richard Hayes’ Toyota Celica GT-4 turbo, the Jaguars of Mike Seabourne/Guy Connew (XJS), Michael Atkinson/Mark Bennett (XK8) and - with a five place grid drop from Cadwell - Tom Lenthall (XJS), Graham Bahr (BMW E30) and Adrian Clark (Porsche 928 GT3 Cup) led the chasers. Neil Blakes led the Porsche Boxster brigade in a pack which included the TVR Chimaera of Matt Bedford/Robert Scott and Chris Hetherington’s Subaru Impreza WRX, not your regular circuit racer.
Daburn thundered past leader Chilton briefly on lap 2, chased the Skyline to its stop and ran four laps longer, advantaging Griffin who put in a stout 21-lap stint. Daburn powered away from Modern victor Griffin after a glitch robbed Chilton of four-wheel-drive and ABS. Mark slipped to third on the road, which became fifth as a two place imposition for a yellow flag infringement promoted Frowen’s impudent two-litre Ginetta, a lap down, and Hayes. Chilton set fastest lap in 1:03.503 (92.99mph)
Clark growled his monstrous Porsche through to sixth ahead of Bahr’s Beemer. Rob Hardy outran Blakes among the smaller Porsches, Nick Rinylo’s 911 SC finishing between them. Of the four Jaguars that started, only Atkinson/Bennett finished. Seabourne plopped his XJS into the gravel at Copse while CovCats’ Chris Boon retired his supercharged XK8 when its exhaust cracked within the engine bay.
Under grey skies, with spots of rain at the end of Saturday afternoon, the Alpha Lexis Law Firm Jaguar Championship contenders came out for the third double-header of the season. Unbeaten in the four races to date, at Donington and Cadwell Park, Jack Robinson seized pole - on the outside of the track - with a 1:05.627 (89.98mph) shot in the Swallows Racing XK8. In the absence of Tim Morrant, second in the points table, and third placed Chris Boon unable to fix his car in situ, Robinson was looking strong, but to his right James Ramm fired his six-litre V12-engined XJS into the lead at the lights, with James Wall bustling Auto Reserve’s wheezing supercharged S Type R from P4 through to second on the inside of Copse.
All hell broke loose at a slippery Becketts where sixth-placed Michael Atkinson arrived rapidly, outside champion Colin Philpott’s Powerbell XJS - the gearbox in which had grenaded at Cadwell - took out a cone and spun luridly on the grass. Four more drivers didn’t make the corner, Ronald Ferguson’s X300 and Andrew Maynard’s Castrol XJ40, sporting a ding in its right rear door, stopping together on the outside after Damian Gray’s Becks-liveried XJ40 and Mark Bennett’s X-type estate gyrated, the latter spearing left off the track. Gray and Maynard continued although retired at two-thirds’ distance.
Ramm was never headed thereafter, but once overheating ended Robinson’s hopes of maintaining his perfect score and Lenthall retired after a lairy spin out of Luffield, Ieuan Spooner (XJS) grabbed a second from Wall, who had understeered wide at Brooklands then repassed Simon Lewis (Motul XJS). Spooner and Wall were ecstatic at landing their first podiums. Philpott - who’s penultimate lap was the race’s best - and his South African team mate Rodney Frost (XJS) were classified fifth and sixth, ahead of Seabourne, with feisty Rick Walker’s bright blue supercharged XJR6 in tow.
“I thought I’d forgotten how to do that,” said Ramm, relieved to bring his car home and reward Gary Davies with his first points of the season following some desperate mechanical woes to date. An emotional Spooner thanked Tom Barclay and support from his family after a well-earned result, while Wall was elated with third for Andy Harper’s Nottingham equipe. “Sitting in the assembly area I thought ‘don’t rain.’ The tyres were set-up for the dry and with 500bhp this thing was all over the place for the first couple of laps.”
After a busy evening for the teams’ techies, all the Jags bar Lenthall’s were back out for Sunday’s opener. Unable to repair his XK8’s stainless steel exhaust in situ, Boon dashed home to fetch a spare XJS and joined the back of the grid. With Spooner and Wall starting from the front row, ahead of Lewis and Ramm, there were more first lap shenanigans when the field compressed after the Maggott's kink for the Becketts hairpin. Ramm locked up down the inside, touched the grass and angled across Lewis’ path, while Philpott arrived too quickly on the outside. Leaders Spooner and Wall had already overshot the hairpin, and were scrungling in the grass trying to rejoin the circuit when Ramm and Philpott joined them.
That enabled Lewis to make his escape, pursued by Frost, Atkinson, Walker and Wall who, with Robinson shooting from the stern, dived either side of Ramm into Brooklands. Robinson spun at Copse but was reprieved when a safety car was called for the removal of Spooner’s XJS brought to a smoky halt on the apex of Woodcote on lap 5. Ramm (diff) and Seabourne were out before the green flags were shown.
After five laps under full course caution, Lewis judged his resumption to perfection, using V12 power to repel Frost over a two lap sprint and take the chequer 0.107s ahead. Helped by a weekend’s best 1:05.225 (90.54mph) fastest lap, Robinson worked his way determinedly through to third, ahead of Philpott, Walker and Boon. Jackson scored a narrow class victory over Ferguson, Gray and Bennett.
Nathan Wells snared pole for the first of two M3 E46-rich Ramair BMW Championship races, his 58.435 (101.16mph) lap in the spectacular Spotless H2O GTR half a second beyond class leader James Card who joined the ton-up club in his E46, a tenth up on rival Jason West. Having toiled until 04:00 with Michael Eustace to change his gearbox, Niall Bradley started the opener fourth and chased down Wells, only to pull off forlornly at Becketts with a loose left rear wheel on the final lap. The Irishman’s misfortune promoted West and Card to second and third, chased by Luke Yeomans. Bradley stormed from P16 to second, 9.210s adrift of Wells - who improved his morning fastest lap to 58.827s (100.37mph) in the sequel.
West pipped Card for a class A double after another superbly clean scrap at the top of their game. Overall points leader Graham Crowhurst’s unbeaten season continued with victories over Paul Cook and Ollie Neaves, 0.079s apart first time out. Neaves reversed their order later, with Oliver Faller best of the rest. Charles Heatley twice beat success ballasted Charlie Newton-Darby among the quartet of supercharged MINI's in class R53. A fifth in the hands of Sean Wortley was classified separately.
On pole by five seconds with a sizzling 57.864s (102.08mph) effort, Steve Nuttall lapped Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens opponents in both races in which the Mancunian’s only challenge was stopping TSL’s clock. Nuttall’s extraordinary consistency in his 2.3-litre Ford Duratec-powered machine was if anything more impressive than his audacious pace. Afterwards he commented that his Caterham did not handle dissimilarly to his 575kg Chevron-BMW B8, despite their engines being in opposite ends!
Despite their pale blue car’s engine cutting out intermittently early on, the Lanyon brothers both coaxed it from plum last to podium places. Mark, 72, was chuffed with third, on Martin Leadbeater’s tail. Simon, 69, went one better. He had the distinction of holding every place having led into Copse, where P8 starter Nuttall rounded everybody, then jostled back to second ahead of Leadbeater. The other car sharers, Neil Hinson and Carl Woodwiss, each won their division, finishing fourth ahead of the Lanyons’ rival Richard Green. Alex Harbour (Supersport 1600), Kenneth Baird (R300) and Chris Biglin (Supersport 1600) finished six tenths apart in the opener after a spirited tussle, but further apart later.
From an eclectic Liqui Moly Slicks series race, top qualifier Richard Wheeler improved upon his pole time, recording a weekend’s best 56.946s (103.70mph) second time out in his Brisky Racing-run Lamborghini Huracan GT3. “The car is a lot quicker than I am, but it’s fun,” said Richard, who also took to the track in his Ford Fiesta in Tin Top qualifying, but was unable to contest back to back races. Dylan Popovic thrust his thuggish Ginetta boldly onto the raging V10 bull’s tail, but a gentle tap on his left rear wheel from Dominic Spicer’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 during lappery at Becketts broke an ‘unbreakable’ driveshaft. Brake balance issues spun Ward’s BMW, but he finished a lapped second, a circuit ahead of Archie Buttle’s Ginetta G55 and the BMW M3s of Oliver Faller (E46) and Klaus Kooiker (E36).
Danny Cassar put Nigel Ainge’s Hillwood Autos Honda Integra Type-R on pole for the Co-ordSport Tin Tops race with a 1:04.047s (92.20mph) shot, but like third qualifier Adam Brown (Fives Garage Ford Fiesta ST150) had a 30 second winner’s penalty to factor into the 40-minute race’s strategy. Between them on the 34-strong grid, 0.735s shy of P1, sat Andrew Windmill, a multiple race winner in recent seasons in his immaculate Rays Wheels Honda Civic ‘Super Leggera’ EP3. The Hondas of Russell Hird (Integra), Alfie Jones and Chris Earle (Civic Type R EP3s) gave chase, split by Richard Wheeler’s fifth-placed Fiesta, previously discussed. Adrian Matthews (Ford Focus-underpinned Volvo C30), Julian Fisher (Fiesta ST150) and Kev Smith (Civic) completed the top 10.
Multi-car class leaders were MGOC champion Steve McDermid, 11th overall in his MG ZR, Peter Parkin (Peugeot 306), Matt Churton (Renault Clio 182) and James and Steve Fletcher (Alfa Romeo 33). The concurrent Puma Cup six-pack contest saw Ian Howard’s 1:12.959 (80.94mph) trump Luke Johnson, Neil Jackson/Nick Fulljames, Zak Bagwell, Gareth Cotgrove and Katie Wall.
Windmill made the running from the start, with Brown, Hird and Jones initially on his tail. Octogenarian garagiste Ainge did a fine job in regaining fourth from Jones before installing Cassar after 10 laps. Brown went top when Windmill made his mandatory stop after 12 tours. Brown and Earle were successive leaders until they pitted a lap apart, whereupon Windmill regained the initiative as the stagger unwound. McDermid had risen to third before his interlude, incidentally, enjoying a super joust with the Civic of Ben and Adam Uren - nephews of 1959 British saloon car champion Jeff - before a smokescreen signalled its demise opposite the pits in the closing stages. McDermid disappeared around the same juncture.
From 18th, Cassar rocketed up to third then passed Jones seven laps from home. Catching Windmill was a bridge too far, however. He remained 12 seconds ahead at the chequered flag, but henceforth will have the bittersweet half-minute pill to swallow for his success. Behind Ainge/Cassar and Jones, Blue Oval reps Brown and Fisher finished 24 seconds apart, clear of sixth placed Hird and Earle. Parkin, Nick Mellor (Renault Clio 172) and Alan Wilshire (Fiesta) claimed class golds.
The Puma Cup action was frantic. Johnson and Jackson both asserted themselves ahead of Howard in the opening exchanges, and Bagwell followed them past. All four led at different stages, with Cotgrove well in touch. Fulljames took over from Jackson at half-way, later stopper Howard taking the lead as Neil pitted. Thereafter, with the playing field levelled, Johnson charged to victory, narrowly avoiding being lapped for the fourth time by overall winner Windmill. Howard finished runner-up, 9.141s ahead of Cotgrove who had his mirrors full of Bagwell. Half a minute back, Fulljames was on the same lap, but Wall retired. Howard clocked fastest lap at 1:13.589 (80.25mph), but Johnson and Bagwell circulated within a tenth of a second of his best.
The Fox Transport Turbo Tin Tops were amalgamated with the WOSP New Millennium entrants to form the event’s final race. Different BMW M3 models occupied the top three grid positions, the 1:01.322 (96.30mph) lap of Matthew Sanders/Jack Layton (E46) heading off Jasver Sapra (F80 turbo) by 0.227s, with Interceptor Racing’s Hugo Humphrey/Mark Wyatt (E92) four tenths shy. Tom and Patrick Cresswell’s VW Golf Turbo came closest.
John Hammersley/Nigel Tongue led the Turbo Tin Tops set in the squat Airconstruct VW Scirocco R, their 1:05.264 (90.48mph) heading off the Abarths of the Marson cousins, Andrew, David and Richard in alphabetical order split by six tenths. Carl Chambers (Pugsport Peugeot 208 GTi) and Sean Wortley (supercharged BMW MINI Cooper S R53) headed the classes. Andrew Marson, Chambers and Wortley all had 30 second winners’ ‘success ballast’ to add to their stops.
Lurking down in 17th was Luke Yeomans, who qualified his BMW M3 E36 with a sequential gearbox, but when it proved recalcitrant the Woodrow Motorsport crew changed it for a conventional one in an hour! Yeomans rewarded them by battling through the field and winning a tremendous scrap with Sapra, whose car wilted on the final lap. A lap down, Nigel Ainge and Danny Cassar were thus promoted to second in Nigel’s highly developed 2.4-litre Honda Integra and the Cresswell boys to third. Jeweller John Wyatt’s VW Golf turbo, Sanders/Layton and Wayne Shorney’s early GPR/Arson Fire chili sauce Audi TT turbo rounded out the New Millennium top six.
Tongue climbed to an excellent fourth overall in converting father-in-law John Hammersley’s start to TTT victory over the Marsons, Richard, Andrew and David. Fifth in the split, Lisa Selby and husband Toby Harris were delighted to put recent bad luck behind them and win their class, the Wildcat Motorsport/Partbox Fiesta ST180 duo beating the penalty-hobbled Chambers home by 10 seconds. Tongue’s 1:05.321 (90.40mph) fastest lap was 0.178s swifter than Andrew Marson’s in the 1400cc class.
