CSCC Special Saloons and Modsports Donington Park 21st June 2026

SOUTHCOTT SCORCHES TO SPECIAL SALOON AND MODSPORT SUCCESS AT DONINGTON SUN TRAP
The Classic Sports Car Club’s R-Werks Special Saloons and Modsports took to the ‘National’ circuit at Donington Park on a toasty 21st of June for two races, with a healthy 23 cars attracted to the Leicestershire track.

Qualifying: The top three all came from the HC ‘high performance’ class after the 20 minutes of qualifying were complete and Andy Southcott’s indecently fast Millington-powered MG Lenham Midget spaceframe was the only car to dip under 1 minute 10 seconds on its way to pole position. Joining Southcott on the front row but some 2.210 seconds adrift of the flying MG came Simon Allaway’s monstrous 5500cc Lotus Esprit V8 silhouette. The 2025 CNC Sports/Saloons champion held a 0.361-second margin to Danny Morris’ Cosworth Turbo-powered Peugeot 309 Thundersaloon in third, which was built with his late brother Ricky and the car carries the ‘Spirit of RPM’ graphics in his memory. Mark Primett purchased one of the Southcott Midgets as a rolling chassis over the winter and headed Class C some 0.605 seconds away from the turbocharged 309 in third to complete the second row, the combo had scored an overall victory in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloons at Donington Park just two weeks beforehand. Jim Janicki’s muscular rear-wheel-drive R32 Nissan Skyline GTR is more commonly seen in Classic Thunder races and was fastest of the Class A cars in fifth as the monster made its debut in the CSCC series. The Japanese machine was joined on the third row by series sponsor Ross Irvine’s impressively developed Mk1 Golf Turbo, which was the second quickest Class C car in sixth and headed a clutch of cars from the split. Just 0.017 seconds down on the Volkswagen was classmate Jon Gill with the immaculately presented Peugeot 205 spaceframe in seventh. Paul Dolan’s Vauxhall-engined Lotus Elan trailed the Isle of Wight resident by 0.470 seconds in eighth, whilst Martin Reynolds’ Mk2 Escort completed the quartet of Class C machines in ninth. Donald Dewar’s Class D-leading Golf GTi rounded out the top ten despite picking up a misfire late in the session after its fuel level ran down. The rumbling Melvin Hooker Jaguar XJS was 11th fastest but there was concern after the Group 44-liveried coupe’s supercharged V8 overheated. Expected front runner Tom Carey’s mid-engined Honda CRX clone began life clothed in a Sunbeam Stiletto body before swapping to the Japanese silhouette during the early 1990s when the car was campaigned by Gary Streat but the fourth Class HC machine in the field was condemned to 12th, a hair’s breadth away from the big cat’s time, with its pilot lacking confidence on his new Hoosier tyres. Robert Frost’s mighty 8.3-litre Dax Tojiero Cobra replica continues to get quicker with each development and the pairing was the third fastest Class A runner in 13th. Tom Wilson is new to the grid this year with his Mk3 Mazda RX7 Turbo, which started life as his road car before progressing through track days to making its racing debut at this year’s Brands Britannia meeting, and the novice topped Class B in 14th. Tim Moll’s ‘Berg Cup’ VW Golf Mk1 qualified second of the Class D cars in 15th but pitted early with a slipping clutch. Michael Chalk’s spaceframed Mini Clubman Turbo was the second quickest Class B runner in 16th, a slim 0.205 seconds ahead of classmate Ian Wilson’s 3.6-litre TVR Tasmin as the V6 wedge returned after a prolonged break. Also from Class B, Nigel Mustill’s fabulous Group 5 Zakspeed Ford Capri made its maiden appearance and the Jägermeister-liveried machine played its way in with the 18th fastest time but unfortunately slowed at the Old Hairpin after a cambelt breakage on just its fifth lap to bring its debut to a disappointingly early end. Paul Brooks’ Castle Combe Special GT Championship-winning Maguire Stiletto topped Class E by less than a tenth in 19th but was another to take an early bath before Race One when the clutch master cylinder mount broke during the session. Paul Turner’s Ben Bowlby-designed Suzuki SC100 inherited the Class E pole with Brooks’ exit and set the 20th-best time but its driver wasn’t totally happy with the handling of the ‘Whizzkid’. Mark Burley’s widened MG Midget was the third Class D car in 21st but the 1800cc K Series coupe’s driver painfully withdrew before Race One after Burley was very unlucky to catch a stone in his right eye during the session. Joe Ward did just enough laps to qualify ‘Baby Bertha’ before pitting to save his car but he was surprised to find that he’d be going from last of the qualifiers, leaving the famous Firenza with a fair bit of work to do from 22nd. Jeremy Burgoyne’s Class E Davrian Stiletto was a no-show during the 20 minutes after breaking down en route to the circuit but the ex-Charles Barter hillclimb car completed three laps at lunchtime to qualify.

Race One: The temperature had risen markedly when the 19-car field gathered for the opening 15 minutes of racing. The polesitting Andy Southcott held off Simon Allaway to lead at Redgate, whilst Mark Primett drove around the outside of Danny Morris into third. Tom Carey had made up five spots by the Old Hairpin, after passing Jim Janicki’s Skyline on the approach, but the CRX silhouette looped into a high-speed spin through Schwantz Curve after a rear suspension failure. With the Honda stranded, the Safety Car was scrambled before the red flag quickly followed. The restart would be run over the full 15 minutes duration from the original starting positions. Ian Wilson’s TVR Tasmin was pushed off the grid ahead of the restart after its Ford V6 engine got hot and wouldn’t restart, Wilson had to wait for help to arrive from Redgate before starting from the pitlane. Poleman Southcott pulled away from the Chevrolet Daytona Prototype-powered Lotus of Allaway throughout after getting the holeshot from the start, with the Esprit in turn getting away from Primett. The 2-litre Lenham Midget had Morris’ rapid 309 breathing down its neck for the first few laps but eventually the Thundersaloon fell away until the second red flag brought the action to a close with two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock. Southcott ultimately took victory by 10.192 seconds from fellow Class HC runner Allaway as Primett won Class C in third, ahead of the third Class HC machine of Morris in fourth. Having lost out to both Jon Gill’s Peugeot 205 and Paul Dolan’s Lotus Elan at Redgate during the first attempt to run the race, Class A winner Janicki made a better start to run in fifth throughout from the Class C runner-up Martin Reynolds in sixth, who’d swept around the outside of Dolan down the Craners Curves on lap one before taking Gill approaching Redgate on lap two. Gill had got the better of Paul Dolan’s Elan from the start until the Peugeot 205 ran over the Roberts chicane gravel trap before stopping soon after at Redgate after hearing a nasty noise from the drivetrain, possibly as a result of a stone caught in the flywheel. Joe Ward pressed on well from his lowly starting position and had guided 'Baby Bertha' into the top ten by lap five before chasing down Dolan’s Elan, the storied Firenza V8 bellowed past along the pit straight just moments ahead of the stoppage for Gill's stationary Peugeot to take seventh overall and second in Class A as the Lotus took third in Class C with eighth. Robert Frost's thumping Dax Tojiero was the third Class A car home in ninth, with Donald Dewar helping to celebrate 50 years of the Golf GTi as he rounded out the top ten and triumphed in Class D. Melvin Hooker finished where he qualified in 11th and the supercharged Jaguar XJS led home Tom Wilson's Class B-winning rotary Mazda RX7 Turbo in 12th. Ian Wilson finished in 13th from the pitlane and the TVR was second in Class B. Paul Turner pulled a gap on Jeremy Burgoyne to prevail in Class E and was much happier with how the Suzuki felt on his way to 14th overall, having put its suspension back to its softer previous settings before the opener. The Davrian Stiletto of Burgoyne was the final classified finisher in 15th. Tim Moll just missed the race adjusting his Class D Golf’s clutch after its qualifying trouble, whilst a clutch issue also accounted for Michael Chalk’s Mini Clubman spaceframe from Class B. Series sponsor Ross Irvine wasn’t on the grid for the restart after the turbocharged Class C Golf pitted on the initial formation lap with a wastegate issue.

Race Two: The race distance was reduced to 12 minutes with the two-hour endurance race that followed likely to be pushing against the circuit curfew. Andy Southcott’s success penalty for winning Race One pushed the Lenham Midget back to 11th on the grid so runner-up Simon Allaway moved onto pole position from Mark Primett’s ex-Southcott machine. Danny Morris lined up on the inside of row two with Jim Janicki’s brawny Nissan for company. The third row was home to Martin Reynolds and a much better placed Joe Ward in ‘Baby Bertha’, whilst Paul Dolan’s Lotus Elan and Robert Frost’s AC Cobra replica formed the fourth row. Donald Dewar’s Class D Volkswagen Golf and Melvin Hooker’s growling Jaguar XJS completed the top ten ahead of Southcott. Of those who exited the opener with issues, Jon Gill, Ross Irvine and Tim Moll all started but Tom Carey and Michael Chalk missed out. Polesitter Allaway led the opening lap from Primett and Morris, with Southcott already fourth as they went on to lap two. Southcott claimed second at McLeans for the second time and hit the front during lap three before running away to his second victory of the day by 3.911 seconds. The other Mike Johnston-built Midget of Primett started to press Allaway for second place for a while but the two-time BARC NW Sports/Saloons champion moved away again. Primett eventually lost third to Danny Morris’ Peugeot 309 Turbo in the closing stages when the MG ran wide at the final chicane but the Lenham Midget still won Class C with fourth as the overall podium was filled with Class HC competitors. Jim Janicki’s Nissan Skyline GTR had a lonely run to fifth as the powerhouse prevailed in Class A for a second time. Joe Ward in ‘Baby Bertha’ held Martin Reynolds’ Mk2 Escort at arm’s length for much of the race but the pair were caught by a flying Ross Irvine once the turbocharged Golf had got past Robert Frost’s Cobra, which also joined the fun before the finish. Ward had to sit on the naughty step post-race after missing the chequered flag and completing another lap as he was so involved in the battle with Irvine’s charging Golf but the Firenza beat the German hatchback to the line for sixth by 0.788 seconds as Irvine took second in Class C with seventh. The Golf had carved its way up to 11th on lap one before a retirement put him into the top ten on lap two. Paul Dolan's Elan was dispensed with down to Redgate on lap three for ninth but it would take a few laps before the Golf could overcome the sheer grunt of Frost's AC Cobra replica with a move at McLeans. Reynolds lost second in Class C to the determined Golf at the Old Hairpin after Irvine bravely drove around the outside but the Mk2 Escort stayed in touch with the VW to the flag along with Frost in eighth and ninth, as the latter took third in Class A. Dolan completed the top ten and the Lotus was fourth in Class C. Tim Moll’s ‘quick fix’ involved inserting some large washers between the bellhousing and engine block to allow the clutch slave some clearance and the tweak clearly worked as the 'Berg Cup' Golf came through to finish 11th, the VW also passed fellow Mk1 Golf pilot Donald Dewar into the chicane for the second time to take the Class D spoils but the latter rolled past the flag in silence after an electrical drama relegated the Scot to 15th. Melvin Hooker rumbled to 12th overall and fourth in Class A with the supercharged Jaguar XJS, after losing 11th to Moll when the Golf dived down the inside at the Old Hairpin on lap five. An entertaining race-long dice was fought out between Ian Wilson’s TVR Tasmin and Tim Wilson’s Mazda RX7 for the win in Class B, the Blackpool sports car led the way mostly but the Japanese turbocar got down the inside at the Roberts chicane late in the race to claim the glory in 13th. Paul Turner led Class E initially but he was caught by Jeremy Burgoyne around half-distance before the little Suzuki pulled off at Hollywood after its fuel pump failed, leaving Burgoyne to win the split in 16th but the Davrian Stiletto was also struggling with play in its steering. Jon Gill stormed through the field to reach the top ten on the opening lap and was ahead of classmate Irvine’s Golf but the Peugeot 205 stopped at the chicane on the second lap with no clutch.

The R-Werks CSCC Special Saloons and Modsports roll into Snetterton next for a pair of races on the 18th of July, using the full ’300’ layout.