Historic Sports Car Club Roars Through Donington Park in 60th Anniversary Celebrations
The Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) has once again proven its mettle, delivering a spectacular 60th-anniversary season opener at Donington Park that underscored the value and excitement offered to its members and guest competitors. The event, a vibrant showcase of historic motorsport, featured a staggering array of iconic cars and produced thrilling racing across a diverse programme of categories.
A Grand Spectacle on Two Tracks
In an ambitious display of logistical prowess, the HSCC masterfully utilised both of Donington Park’s flowing circuits. This seamless integration facilitated a packed 22-race schedule, presenting a relentless challenge that was met with commendable dedication by the event’s marshals. The Spring Trophy event, blessed with predominantly fine weather, will be etched in memory for boasting the largest entry list in recent years. The celebrations were further elevated by an unexpected appearance from the renowned RAF Red Arrows aerobatics team, adding a unique aerial dimension to the historic racing spectacle.
Thundersports Delivers Raw Power and Daring Feats
The return of the Thundersports category, despite a significant amount of attrition, provided one of the weekend’s most breathtaking moments. The indomitable 80-year-old Frank Bradley captured the imagination of onlookers, pushing Dodkins Motorsport’s formidable 8.8-litre March-Chevrolet 717 to an astonishing speed of over 151mph on the Exhibition Straight. This machine, a descendant of Helmut Kelleners’ 1970 Croft Interserie winning car, battled valiantly past the eventual victor, Mark Richardson, who was piloting a stunning ex-Jo Bonnier Lola T290. Bradley held his impressive position for several laps before succumbing to exhaustion.
The grid also welcomed three creations from Lester Ray. Julian Stokes, in the ex-Richard Jenvey Vogue SP2, secured pole position. However, his race was cut short on the opening lap at the Grand Prix loop’s hairpin due to front suspension failure, resulting in a heart-stopping moment. Adam Sykes, who qualified third fastest, started the Harrier LR4 from the pit lane due to clutch issues. He managed to lap within three-tenths of Bradley’s best before his car also retired, leaving Dave Karaskas to bring the closed Harrier LR5 home in third place. Richardson, meanwhile, found himself under pressure from Gary Furst in the Lola Team Gunston T212.
Derek Bell Trophy Battles Showcase Skill and Resilience
The combative Derek Bell Trophy races saw front-row starter Graham Ridgway (March 742) forced to withdraw due to food poisoning, paving the way for Mark Dwyer in a similar car to shine. Following a brief period of drizzle that affected the track on Sunday morning, Dwyer initially ran in fourth. He then executed a series of decisive overtakes at the hairpin, passing Chris Porritt (ex-Divina Galica Chevron B40) and Mark Harrison (ex-Ricardo Zunino March 772). A final push on the penultimate lap saw him secure a narrow victory, with Porritt close behind.
Dwyer went on to secure a second win later in the day when fluctuating fuel pressure forced his closest rival, Porritt, to retire at Hollywood. Marc Mercer impressed in the ex-Bill Brack Atlantic March 78B. Meanwhile, Paul Campfield showcased the brute force of his thuggish ex-Phillip ‘Skeeter’ McKitterick F5000 Chevron B24, reaching speeds of 140mph despite being outmanoeuvred by nimbler opposition.
Historic Formula Ford and FF2000: Unbeaten Streaks Continue
A month after the season opener at Snetterton, Benn Simms and Ben Glasswell continued their dominant form, extending their unbeaten runs to four races each in Historic Formula Ford and FF2000 respectively. Ben Tusting reclaimed the top spot in the Guards Trophy, soloing his father Robert’s Ford twin-cam engined Lenham P69 Spyder to victory over the first-round winner Elliot Paterson’s Ginetta-BMW G16.
Simms and Glasswell, known for their blistering starts, left their rivals trailing in Saturday’s race. Glasswell, however, experienced a moment of concern when he uncharacteristically spun his Reynard at Redgate. Andy Storer initially took the chequered flag in his Pukka Pies Reynard, but a red flag and subsequent countback declared Glasswell the winner. On Sunday, Adrian Reynard emerged as Glasswell’s closest challenger, but a five-second penalty for track limits relegated him to third behind Storer.
In Class B, Neil Bowman’s rare Van Diemen RF78 narrowly defeated Neil Jenkins (ex-Nick Foy Reynard SF76), who had been held up by Tim Grigsby’s Lola T580 on Saturday.
Simms, a former Donington safety car driver, built a commanding 15-second lead in his Keith Pickering-originated, Birmingham-built Jomo on Saturday, finishing ahead of promising young driver Jacques Jensen (Merlyn Mk20). On Sunday, returning Swiss competitor Ghislain Genecand (Crossle 16F), Christian Goller (Lola T202), and Jensen battled for second place, with Genecand and Goller crossing the line ahead of Jensen.
The Classic FF1600 category saw Tom Gadd (Numanair tribute RF81) and Jordan Harrison (Jesus Saves RF79) continue their intense rivalry from Norfolk. Gadd secured a double victory, setting a new class benchmark with a blistering lap of 1m15.571s (94.27mph), a time Harrison was only 0.122s shy of.
Formula 3 and Touring Car Classics Light Up Donington
The 1964-70 era Formula 3 cars provided a high-octane spectacle. The Timms cousins, Jeremy and Jason, were prominent figures, with Jason’s Brabham BT21 taking a double victory. On Sunday, Jason clinched a thrilling win by a mere 0.013 seconds over champion Peter de la Roche, after Jeremy’s ex-Reine Wisell Chevron B15 suffered mechanical issues. A notable newcomer to the grid was RAF fighter pilot Paul Durban, driving an ex-Mo ‘Ensign’ Nunn Lotus 41. Roger Swift, Nunn’s 1968 sponsor, enjoyed a reunion with the car on Saturday.
In the Alfa Romeo races, Jamie Thwaites dominated in his powerful ex-Romeo Ferraris Giulietta TCR. Jack Berry’s 4C, the erstwhile points leader, experienced turbo boosting problems on Saturday, finishing fourth, but recovered to take second on Sunday. Mark Skegg’s flame-belching GTV outpaced Stacey Dennis’s Giulietta to claim Power Trophy honours on Saturday. George Warren secured victory in the Turismo class with his GTV, while Paul Plant took the Twin Spark honours in his 156, completing a successful treble for the Plant’s Bianco team.
The Road Sports races were enlivened by John Davison’s precise driving, which saw his black Lotus Elan triumph over Mark Godfrey’s 7, Frazer Gibney’s Elan, and John Williams’ Porsche 911. A spirited battle in the finale involved the Morgan +8s of Richard Plant, Martin Pratt, and Sam Garland, with Garland emerging ahead in fourth place.
Sixties Endurance and German Marques Shine
The Dutch Super Sixties races saw Britons Graham Moss (Shelby Cobra) and Marcos legend Dave Methley take victories. Methley demonstrated his prowess by overtaking Jan van der Kooi’s Lotus Elan on both sides of the Sunday pit stops. Roelant de Waard in his Shelby GT350 fended off a strong challenge from Volker Weidler, the 1991 Le Mans winner, who had broken free from a pack of three other Ford Falcon Sprints.
The 750 Motor Club, based at Donington, provided racing for the CALM All Porsche Trophy and BMW Car Club Racing slots. Warren Allen’s immaculate Cayman S was in a class of its own on Saturday in the Porsche category. Paul Cook, piloting his vibrantly coloured E46 M3, secured the second BMW win on Sunday after a close contest with invitee Jas Sapra’s twin-turbocharged F80 M3. Sapra, starting from the pit lane as a demonstration, impressively climbed to fifth place.
