CSCC Special Saloon & Modsports Snetterton 28th September 2024
SOUTCOTT DRIVES INTO THE SNETTERTON SUMMER SUNSET
The Classic Sports Car Club’s JMC Racing Special Saloon and Modsports series gathered at Snetterton on the 28th of September for their final meeting of the 2024 season during the club's two-day 'Summer Sunset' race meeting.
Qualifying: The field spent a long period behind the Safety Car early in the session after Paul Turner's ex-Ben Bowlby Suzuki SC100 became stranded at Agostini when its electrics died on the out lap and half of the alloted time remained when the cars were released. Dan Minton's 2.6-litre Mk2 Escort was fastest by a healthy 2.504 seconds to claim pole position from Andy Southcott's Millington-engined Lenham MG Midget, which had been pegged back by a vibration from non-bedded-in brake pads. Paul Dolan's modsport Lotus Elan headed row two from Andrew Willis' self-built Austin ‘A302’ V8, which later lost its quickest time but not its grid placing. Local man Martin Reynolds put his old skool Ford Anglia fifth from Tom Carey's ex-Gary Streat Honda CRX silhouette in sixth despite a mid-session spin at Nelson. Ross Irvine's turbocharged Mk1 VW Golf topped the fourth row in seventh from Ian Wilson's angular TVR Tasmin V6. Two Volkswagens completed the top ten as the Mk1 Golf of Donald Dewar bested Gary Fletcher's Corrado. A noticeable contrast in sizes could be found on the sixth row as the monstrous 8-litre Chevrolet Corvette of Neil Vaughan dwarfed the Turner modsport of Tony Hunting. Steve Fray's Valvoline-liveried spaceframe Ford Mondeo headed the seventh row from the rare and period Thundersaloon Citröen BX of Gary Cole that brought up the rear of the eclectic field in fourteenth, whilst the debuting Chevrolet Corvette of Steven Anderson stopped without setting a time after chucking off its fan belt in addition to Turner's powerless Suzuki.
The Classic Sports Car Club’s JMC Racing Special Saloon and Modsports series gathered at Snetterton on the 28th of September for their final meeting of the 2024 season during the club's two-day 'Summer Sunset' race meeting.
Qualifying: The field spent a long period behind the Safety Car early in the session after Paul Turner's ex-Ben Bowlby Suzuki SC100 became stranded at Agostini when its electrics died on the out lap and half of the alloted time remained when the cars were released. Dan Minton's 2.6-litre Mk2 Escort was fastest by a healthy 2.504 seconds to claim pole position from Andy Southcott's Millington-engined Lenham MG Midget, which had been pegged back by a vibration from non-bedded-in brake pads. Paul Dolan's modsport Lotus Elan headed row two from Andrew Willis' self-built Austin ‘A302’ V8, which later lost its quickest time but not its grid placing. Local man Martin Reynolds put his old skool Ford Anglia fifth from Tom Carey's ex-Gary Streat Honda CRX silhouette in sixth despite a mid-session spin at Nelson. Ross Irvine's turbocharged Mk1 VW Golf topped the fourth row in seventh from Ian Wilson's angular TVR Tasmin V6. Two Volkswagens completed the top ten as the Mk1 Golf of Donald Dewar bested Gary Fletcher's Corrado. A noticeable contrast in sizes could be found on the sixth row as the monstrous 8-litre Chevrolet Corvette of Neil Vaughan dwarfed the Turner modsport of Tony Hunting. Steve Fray's Valvoline-liveried spaceframe Ford Mondeo headed the seventh row from the rare and period Thundersaloon Citröen BX of Gary Cole that brought up the rear of the eclectic field in fourteenth, whilst the debuting Chevrolet Corvette of Steven Anderson stopped without setting a time after chucking off its fan belt in addition to Turner's powerless Suzuki.
Race One: Poleman Dan Minton led the field away at the commencement of the fifteen minutes as fellow front row man Andy Southcott started slowly and trailed Ross Irvine's Golf to be seventh into the first corner. Andrew Willis used his Ford V8 grunt to burst through to second by Riches but Paul Dolan's Lotus and Tom Carey's Honda CRX soon passed the A30 V8 on the inside of Wilson. Willis then had a big snap of oversteer at Hamilton for the first time to slide down the order to eighth behind the Ross Irvine and Donald Dewar pair of Mk1 VW Golfs as he recovered from the grassy excursion but the Forth Tours car of Dewar was rapidly dispensed with down the Bentley Straight. The other Golf was taken a lap later around the outside of Murrays to move the Midlander up to sixth. Carey's CRX wasted little time in starting to press the Elan of Dolan for second around the opening lap before Southcott's spaceframed Midget got into its stride after the steady start, the Lenham-bodied machine passing Carey for third into Agostini and would be second by the end of lap two. Southcott faced a 5.270-second gap to Minton but the Midget didn't take long to start catching the leading Mk2 Escort, bringing the gap down to 1.209 seconds in one lap before hitting the front on lap four down to Brundle and immediately opened a significant gap. Southcott had to navigate around a potential banana skin when Tony Hunting's Turner expired smokily in front of the MG starting the last lap when an oil pipe came adrift, the Midget getting through without incident to win by 3.272 seconds from Minton's Mk2 Escort in second. The scrap for third raged for much of the duration as Carey sought a way past Dolan. The defensive Elan successfully fended off the CRX silhouette before the battle came to a head on lap six when a touch from Carey sent Dolan spinning at Hamilton. Carey went on to finish third, whilst the Lotus eventually restarted but wouldn’t take the flag after colliding with Ian Wilson's TVR at Williams on the final lap. Willis had got his head down after passing the VWs to reach the tail of Reynolds by the sixth lap, the Anglia defended the inside line into Agostini and the rasping A30 V8 drew alongside on the outside up to Hamilton but they were confronted with yellow flags for the stationary Dolan, Willis stayed to Reynolds' outside and dived past at Oggies to ultimately take what was now fourth place. Reynolds duly crossed the line in fifth behind the bellowing Austin, whilst Wilson's TVR survived its brush with Dolan's Elan to take sixth place from Dewar's Golf in seventh after the pair swapped places at Nelson on lap one, Irvine's turbocharged VW having retired from seventh after completing three laps. Gary Fletcher's VW Corrado came home eighth ahead of Neil Vaughan's mighty Corvette, whilst Gary Cole got ahead of Steve Fray at half-distance and almost held him off to the end before the spaceframe Mondeo got ahead of the unusual Citröen BX on the last time around to shore up the top ten. Paul Turner's diminutive Suzuki wasn't allowed to start after failing to complete three laps in qualifying and newcomer Steven Anderson trailered his Corvette after its Chevrolet V8 engine continued to throw off its fan belt when revving over 5000rpm.
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Race Two: As a penalty for his Race One success, Andy Southcott was sent back ten places for the second outing so Steve Minton led into Riches aboard the Escort raced by son Dan earlier. Andrew Willis skated up the inside of Tom Carey to briefly take second place before the Honda cut back to the Austin’s inside exiting Riches to grab the place back into Wilson and Martin Reynolds’ Anglia further demoted Willis around the outside of Palmer. Race One winner Southcott was also on the move from the sixth row and took fourth from the Austin into Agostini. Reynolds got by Minton at Williams and Southcott followed the Millington-engined Anglia through before breezing past Reynolds down the Bentley Straight to chase down the leading Honda. Carey led out of Murrays at the end opening lap after passing Minton's Escort at Agostini but Southcott went ahead as they sped past the pits going onto lap two. Willis did likewise to Minton and Paul Dolan's Lotus Elan, which had started alongside Southcott, also went by the Mk2 Escort around the outside of Riches early on lap two before the pair engaged in an entertaining battle, the Elan got inside the A30 V8 at Williams for the second time but Willis soon bellowed back ahead down the Bentley Straight. Dolan then drove around the outside of Coram to prize fourth off Willis into Murrays but the Austin's V8 grunt was too much for the Lotus to stave off past the pits. Dolan repeated his Williams and Coram attempts on lap three before being brushed aside along the following straights. Onto lap four and the Elan made a move momentarily work on the outside of Palmer but Willis blasted alongside down to Agostini and the pair stayed abreast all the way to Oggies, where the Austin reclaimed the place. Dolan went through once more at Williams but not even a missed shift could stop Willis gobbling up the Lotus towards Brundle and Nelson. For the third successive lap, Dolan went around the outside of Coram but carried a little too much speed into Murrays and bowled wide, allowing Willis an easy path back into fourth. Willis began closing on Reynolds a couple of seconds up the road after Dolan’s overshoot allowed the ’A302’ to break free but Willis couldn’t quite bridge the gap to the Anglia. Up front, Southcott scorched off into sunset once in the lead to win by over a minute from Carey, despite still contending with a rattle through the steering wheel. Reynolds was delighted with third from the chasing Willis as the pair kept the CRX in sight. Dolan's Elan came home in fifth, whilst the wedge-shaped Ian Wilson TVR took sixth ahead of the Minton Mk2 Escort. Ross Irvine's Mk1 Golf Turbo came through to seventh from starting fourteenth and finished within half a second of Minton for eighth, fellow Scot Donald Dewar took ninth. Paul Turner's Suzuki SC100 was allowed to start at the back after completing its compulsory three laps behind the Safety Car during the lunch break and the 'Whizzkid' was rewarded with a top-ten finish. Neil Vaughan rumbled to eleventh with his Corvette C3, with the squabbling Steve Fray and Gary Cole completing the finishers.
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The 2025 CSCC Special Saloons and Modsports calendar kicks off on the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit for the first time on the 13th of April.