CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons Croft 22nd & 23rd August 2026
BARNARD BLITZES CROFT BATTLE OF BRITAIN RACE WEEKEND
The fourth CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons meeting of 2026 took place at Croft in North Yorkshire over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of August as part of the circuit's 'Battle of Britain' meeting.
The former airfield venue has a long history with the categories and on display in the paddock at the weekend was a period semi-spaceframed Mk1 Escort beautifully rebuilt by Irishman Davy Bates, the former Oldham Motor Works-sponsored car was campaigned in the 1970s by Terry King with an 1800cc Cosworth BDE under the bonnet but the Escort now has a Mass-tuned 1300cc Crossflow unit installed.
The fourth CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons meeting of 2026 took place at Croft in North Yorkshire over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of August as part of the circuit's 'Battle of Britain' meeting.
The former airfield venue has a long history with the categories and on display in the paddock at the weekend was a period semi-spaceframed Mk1 Escort beautifully rebuilt by Irishman Davy Bates, the former Oldham Motor Works-sponsored car was campaigned in the 1970s by Terry King with an 1800cc Cosworth BDE under the bonnet but the Escort now has a Mass-tuned 1300cc Crossflow unit installed.
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Preview: Nine cars were entered from the CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons series alongside 19 from the Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons for the pair of races at the North Yorkshire circuit, where bravery in the high-speed back section of the layout and a deft touch in the technical end to the lap is equally rewarded. Almost half the entry was made up of contenders from the largest capacity Class MD, with two of the most famous cars from the period entered in the shape of the ex-Gerry Marshall V8 Vauxhall Firenza ‘Baby Bertha’ and the March-suspended DAF 55 V8 built by Tony Hazlewood. The most successful Super Saloon of all was the DTV-built Vauxhall Firenza V8 ’Baby Bertha’ and the Chevrolet-engined coupe has been kept in superb condition by owner Joe Ward, who has won overall in the series with the now 51-year-old machine. After the Tony Hazlewood-built DAF 55 V8’s star performance in the hands of Matthew Ellis last time out at Thruxton, car owner Andy Wilson would be back behind the wheel at Croft and was keen for some success of his own. Steve Barnard was victorious during Race One in Hampshire with his low-line Ford Escort Mk1 before being chased down by the charging DAF V8 on Sunday, the car should be towards the sharp end at the circuit where it made its track return in 2024. The BDG-engined spaceframe was recently demonstrated by former F1 driver Mike Wilds at the Shelsley Walsh Retro Weekend in July and reportedly loved the car. Jon Ellison’s twitchy TVR Griffith doesn’t want for horsepower and should be able to stretch its legs on the former airfield track. The 1600cc BDA-engined Mk1 Escort of sole Class MC entrant Stephen Primett starred in qualifying in Hampshire before clutch failure forced a non-start on Saturday but the Ford came from the back of the grid to seventh on day two and should be up there again in Yorkshire. David Morrison performed admirably on the high-speed Thruxton circuit with the 1460cc Midget from Class MB to bolt into the lead of Race One at the start and the nimble Modsport should go well at Croft too. David Brewis debuted his similar MG Midget during the last meeting in Hampshire and would continue to learn the car at as his home venue. Paul Brooks’ ex-Brian Cutting Maguire Stiletto had its first outing in the series this year and aimed to be the first Imp-powered car past the flag. Myles Castaldini will only get quicker as the Imp-engined Class MA Davrian Mk5 develops, he was one of the quickest car and driver combinations out there when at the wheel of his Ford Crossflow-powered Mk8 Davrian. The smallest engine capacity car in the entry featured a new gearbox at the weekend, which Castaldini hoped would make the Davrian go faster than 82 mph!
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Qualifying: 27 cars took to the track for qualifying, with nine of them from the CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons series. Steve Barnard narrowly grabbed pole position in his Mk1 Escort clone by just 0.137 seconds from the MG Midget of David Morrison. A pair of Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons championship drivers occupied the second row, with the former Lotus Elan racer Mark Campbell starting third with his 2600cc Triumph TR5 and was joined by the Triplex Rover SD1 of John Kinmond. The third and fourth fastest Historic Modsports and Special Saloons competitors were to be found on the third row, with the DAF 55 V8 of Andy Wilson 2.624 seconds adrift of pole position in fifth and Stephen Primett’s Mk1 Escort BDA a further 1.660 seconds away in sixth. Jon Ellison wanted more laps aboard his TVR Griffith but still wound up as the fifth Historic Modsports and Special Saloons contender in seventh overall and was just over four tenths of a second behind Primett. Myles Castaldini was happy with the handling of his upgraded Mk5 Davrian on his way to completing the overall top ten behind Scottish drivers Colin Calder and Adam Kinmond. Paul Brooks was pleased with the F1-grade driveshafts fitted to the Maguire Stiletto after suffering from issues with the old components and wasn’t far off the similarly-powered car of Castaldini as he set a time 0.280 seconds slower than the yellow coupe for 11th overall. Joe Ward bided his time aboard 'Baby Bertha' as he is not keen on standing starts and only completed enough laps to qualify, whilst David Brewis’ MG Midget was hobbled by a debilitating misfire all session long and ended the session down in 25th. A red flag a couple of minutes before the end of the scheduled 15 minutes brought the session to an early conclusion, after the Scottish MGB GT V8 of Ewan Anderson spun and a small fire caused by unburnt fuel in the exhaust was quickly extinguished.
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Race One: Front row men Steve Barnard and David Morrison both made reasonable getaways but John Kinmond’s Rover made a blinder from fourth on the grid and leapt into second, even threatening Barnard for the lead on the outside towards the first corner. Morrison looked in danger of being gobbled up by some of his more powerful rivals down to Clervaux before the nimble MG Midget took third. A cat-and-mouse contest between John Kinmond and Morrison soon developed for second place, with Morrison's MG Midget much more agile in the technical Complex section and the Modsport dived past at the hairpin for the third time but the Rover SD1’s V8 power carried Kinmond back through starting lap four but Morrison took second for good by the end of the lap. The Triplex Rover’s handling was becoming increasingly lairy as the race wore on, with tyre smoking passages through Hawthorn in particular. Mark Campbell, Colin Calder and Stephen Primett all demoted the sliding SD1 and Kinmond fell back towards the Rover Vitesse of his son Adam. In front, Morrison pursued Barnard as hard as he dared but couldn’t reach the spaceframed Escort until Barnard caught two lapped cars at Hawthorn for the final time but the extra power from his 2-litre BDG kept Barnard ahead of the 1460cc MG. Barnard completed ten laps in the 15 minutes allotted and finished a not entirely comfortable 1.198 seconds ahead of Morrison. Ex-Lotus Elan BDG Modsport racer Campbell was the first Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons finisher in third overall aboard his Invitation Class Triumph TR5. Andy Wilson’s V8 DAF got away steadily and sadly went out soon after recovering to fourth place by lap two when the left-front upright broke approaching Tower, fortunately the ’DAF’t Northerner’ was able to pull off safely. Adam Kinmond and Stephen Primett fought in the lower reaches of the top ten initially, after the BDA-engined Mk1 Escort bogged down at the start and needed two bites of the cherry to get away. Primett got clear of the Vitesse before gaining more ground when John Kinmond's Rover began to slip back and the Mk1 Escort was involved in a photo finish with former British Sprint champion Colin Calder, with Primett just losing out to the Scot’s lightweight Ginetta by all of 0.060 seconds for fourth overall but Primett won his Historic Modsports and Special Saloons class. Lad caught dad late on in a battle of the Rovers, with Adam Kinmond beating his father John’s ever more sideways Triplex car to sixth place. The similarly-powered MGB GT V8 of Ewan Anderson was part of an early tussle with Primett and Adam Kinmond and finished in eighth. Joe Ward in the famous 'Baby Bertha' Firenza V8 made steady progress from starting towards the back, including passing Paul Brooks' Maguire Stiletto at the start of lap three, but got into the overall top ten with ninth and was the fourth Historic Modsport and Special Saloon car home. Class MA winner Myles Castaldini finished fifth in the category, some 9.634 seconds behind the storied Vauxhall and felt he was making real progress with the Davrian. The one-litre coupe was gamely chased by Brooks’ Maguire Stiletto in 11th and 12th overall respectively and they finished 13.239 seconds apart. Having reached as high as fourth on lap one after a mega start, Jon Ellison’s TVR faded as the race wore on with ‘fuel pressure’ trouble after the level dropped so Ellison had to be satisfied with being the seventh Historic Modsports and Special Saloons contender home in 14th overall. David Brewis was the last Historic Modsports and Special Saloons finisher in 24th overall as his Class MB MG’s electrical issues returned.
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Race Two: David Brewis pulled out of the second race with the MG Midget’s distributor problems continuing. Two V8 powerhouses lurked towards the back of the grid and were keen to climb the order, namely the TVR Griffith of Jon Ellison and Andy Wilson’s DAF 55 V8. The latter’s upright been welded up overnight but the immaculate Demon Tweeks machine coasted to a halt during the formation lap after losing drive, with the clutch/input shaft suspected to be the culprit. Joe Ward in 'Baby Bertha' and Scottish runner Alastair Baptie elected to make pitlane starts. Polesitter Steve Barnard had already stalled his Mk1 Escort silhouette starting the warm up lap before a long hold at the red lights saw the Escort jolt forward twice. Barnard got his head down to overcome the unsurprising ten-second out-of-position start penalty on the final lap of the quarter of an hour’s distance to win by 1.849 seconds. David Morrison trailed Mark Campbell’s TR5 on lap one but would be second by lap two after diving ahead through Sunny In and Out, with the MG trying hard to stay within ten seconds of the leading Escort but fell one lap shy. The third-placed Triumph invitee had the distraction of the driver’s side corner of his bonnet peeling up on his way to the Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons victory. The thumping TVR of Jon Ellison put in a great charge from the rear of the field up to the Stephen Primett, Kinmond family Rovers and Colin Calder Ginetta battle but his hard work was undone during the last couple of laps when the Griffith’s gearbox began to falter and Ellison fell behind 'Baby Bertha' during the final lap. Ward repeated his ninth place result of Saturday after electing to start from the pitlane, with the frustrated the TVR driver following the historic Firenza V8 home in tenth overall. Paul Brooks lost ground to Myles Castaldini’s Davrian in the early stages after the spaceframe Stiletto jumped out of gear but a snagging throttle cable slowed Castaldini towards the finish and Brooks took sixth of the Historic Modsports and Special Saloons field in 13th overall, with Castaldini 15th.
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Peter Baldwin Trophy
The trophy named in honour of the late Mini-BDA Special Saloon ace would be awarded to the best performing Special Saloon on aggregate at Croft and Steve Barnard retained the trophy he won in 2025 with his pair of overall victories.
The trophy named in honour of the late Mini-BDA Special Saloon ace would be awarded to the best performing Special Saloon on aggregate at Croft and Steve Barnard retained the trophy he won in 2025 with his pair of overall victories.
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Jon Fletcher Trophy
Jon Fletcher was synonymous with a Lotus Elan in Modsports throughout the 1970s and David Morrison claimed the trophy holding his name for the leading Modsport competitor of the weekend. Morrison reclaimed the silver salver from Myles Castaldini after winning the award in 2024 before suffering a nightmare meeting in 2025.
Jon Fletcher was synonymous with a Lotus Elan in Modsports throughout the 1970s and David Morrison claimed the trophy holding his name for the leading Modsport competitor of the weekend. Morrison reclaimed the silver salver from Myles Castaldini after winning the award in 2024 before suffering a nightmare meeting in 2025.
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Tony Sugden Trophy
In addition to the pair of aggregate awards, the holder of Saturday’s fastest race lap would receive one of Sugden’s actual trophies from his racing career. The trophy for the championship runner-up and Class A winner from the 1998 BARC NW Ace Vehicle Deliveries Sports/Saloons season was donated by the late Yorkshireman’s family and there was a bonus prize of £100 cash. ‘Suggy’ had a long history with Special Saloons stretching back to the late 1960s and progressed through a Mk1 Escort, Lotus Esprit, a variety of Skodas and even the DAF 55 present at the weekend. He latterly drove an RS500-powered Skoda clone with great success until his retirement from racing in 2003 and he was a formidable competitor to the end, with his passing coming at the age of 91 during 2024. Race winner Steve Barnard secured the prize after setting a best lap time of 1:32.462 to keep challenger David Morrison at arm’s length.
In addition to the pair of aggregate awards, the holder of Saturday’s fastest race lap would receive one of Sugden’s actual trophies from his racing career. The trophy for the championship runner-up and Class A winner from the 1998 BARC NW Ace Vehicle Deliveries Sports/Saloons season was donated by the late Yorkshireman’s family and there was a bonus prize of £100 cash. ‘Suggy’ had a long history with Special Saloons stretching back to the late 1960s and progressed through a Mk1 Escort, Lotus Esprit, a variety of Skodas and even the DAF 55 present at the weekend. He latterly drove an RS500-powered Skoda clone with great success until his retirement from racing in 2003 and he was a formidable competitor to the end, with his passing coming at the age of 91 during 2024. Race winner Steve Barnard secured the prize after setting a best lap time of 1:32.462 to keep challenger David Morrison at arm’s length.
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Class Winners
The top two CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons finishers each day also claimed the Class MD (Steve Barnard) and Class MB (David Morrison) awards but there were two other classes outstanding. Myles Castaldini collected the Class MA trophy in both outings, with Stephen Primett doing likewise in Class MC and both received a bottle from the Black Shuck Distillery's range of spirits for their successes.
The top two CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons finishers each day also claimed the Class MD (Steve Barnard) and Class MB (David Morrison) awards but there were two other classes outstanding. Myles Castaldini collected the Class MA trophy in both outings, with Stephen Primett doing likewise in Class MC and both received a bottle from the Black Shuck Distillery's range of spirits for their successes.
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A first appearance at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic comes next as the CHASE Equipment Historic Modsports and Special Saloons series completes its season at the Wiltshire circuit, with the series in action on the opening day of the weekend on the 12th of September.