CTCRC Croft 12th & 13th August 2023
The Classic Touring Car Racing Club paid its first visit to the former airfield circuit at Croft in five years over the weekend of the 12th and 13th of August, the meeting marking the final scheduled appearance of the Super Touring cars in 2023.
Classic Thunder/BOSS
The newly appointed Classic Thunder coordinator Nick Vaughan would be aiming to finally nail his maiden victory, after being forced to give up the Race Two win on the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch in July due to passing Sam Wilson’s Aston Martin under yellow flags. The Audi would have the Australian Ford Falcon AU V8 Supercar of Andy Robinson competing on home turf to contend with, however. Another local to keep an eye on was Neil Philpotts’ powerful Mitsubishi Starion Turbo, along with NSSCC front runner Mike Cutt - who joined the entry in his BMW. The similar BMW of Kirk Armitage was also on familiar territory. Piers Grange brought his fleet Mk2 Escort and would likely be top of the select field of four BOSS competitors, the Fiestas of James Dunkley, Sam Daffin and Will Hunt provided the opposition.
Qualifying: The top three in the free practice session held first thing on Saturday morning all came from the Classic Thunder field and the trio went round within a second of each other, promising a competitive qualifying session. The BMW of Kirk Armitage ultimately took pole position in increasingly tricky conditions, with the forecast rain starting to fall. Free practice fast-man Nick Vaughan shared the front row with the E36 M3, 1.377 seconds down. A trio of locals lined up next and were headed by Andy Robinson’s Ford Falcon V8 Supercar from Mike Cutt’s BMW and Neil Philpotts’ Starion Turbo. The Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange set the fastest time among the BOSS category field in sixth overall but was unable to race after a broken diff housing forced him out. The remaining trio of closely matched Fiestas was headed by 2022 champion James Dunkley, ahead of William Hunt and Sam Daffin.
The newly appointed Classic Thunder coordinator Nick Vaughan would be aiming to finally nail his maiden victory, after being forced to give up the Race Two win on the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch in July due to passing Sam Wilson’s Aston Martin under yellow flags. The Audi would have the Australian Ford Falcon AU V8 Supercar of Andy Robinson competing on home turf to contend with, however. Another local to keep an eye on was Neil Philpotts’ powerful Mitsubishi Starion Turbo, along with NSSCC front runner Mike Cutt - who joined the entry in his BMW. The similar BMW of Kirk Armitage was also on familiar territory. Piers Grange brought his fleet Mk2 Escort and would likely be top of the select field of four BOSS competitors, the Fiestas of James Dunkley, Sam Daffin and Will Hunt provided the opposition.
Qualifying: The top three in the free practice session held first thing on Saturday morning all came from the Classic Thunder field and the trio went round within a second of each other, promising a competitive qualifying session. The BMW of Kirk Armitage ultimately took pole position in increasingly tricky conditions, with the forecast rain starting to fall. Free practice fast-man Nick Vaughan shared the front row with the E36 M3, 1.377 seconds down. A trio of locals lined up next and were headed by Andy Robinson’s Ford Falcon V8 Supercar from Mike Cutt’s BMW and Neil Philpotts’ Starion Turbo. The Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange set the fastest time among the BOSS category field in sixth overall but was unable to race after a broken diff housing forced him out. The remaining trio of closely matched Fiestas was headed by 2022 champion James Dunkley, ahead of William Hunt and Sam Daffin.
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Race One: A short, sharp shower during the preceding race threatened to dampen proceedings but the track had thankfully dried enough for slicks to be the right call. Another dark cloud was looming though… Nick Vaughan blasted by the poleman Kirk Armitage away from the rolling start and Mike Cutt also moved up to second around the outside of Armitage at Clervaux. Both BMWs used their traction advantage to steal a march on Vaughan out of Hawthorn, the Audi then straightlined the Chicane to slip back to third. Just behind them, Andy Robinson spun exiting the Chicane and the Falcon fell to the back of the field, Neil Philpotts' Mitsubishi and Ian Bower's BMW moved into an early fourth and fifth as the V8 Supercar rotated. Cutt and Armitage's M3s continued to lead at the end of lap one but Vaughan's A3 Turbo was with them out of Tower for the second time. The first dramatic twist to the race's story came at the start of lap three. As the top three raced down the start/finish straight in close quarters, contact between Armitage and Vaughan turned the polesitting M3 into the pit wall as the Audi-sized gap narrowed and the BMW took the A3 with it. Both were out on the spot, with the BMW suffering significant enough damage to rule the car out for the remainder of the weekend. The Audi was repaired in time for Race Two, however. That should have left race leader Cutt with a decent margin out front but the BMW almost immediately came to rest at Tower with a snapped wishbone, which handed the lead to Bower's BMW from a closely-following Philpotts. Bower's lead was short-lived as the Starion hit the front on lap four, the Mitsubishi having dropped behind Bower when it ran wide and damaged the front air dam during lap one. Recovering from his opening lap spin, Robinson was making great progress and bellowed past Ian Craig's BMW into Clervaux for the fifth time but retired shortly after at Sunny Out after a broken hub pin machined through the front-left wheel on the Falcon. Despite his power deficit to the leading Mitsubishi, Bower was keeping Philpotts more than honest as the time wore down but even a sprinkling of rain in last couple of minutes couldn’t shake Philpotts from the top spot, so it appeared the win would be his. However, the Starion cruelly let Philpotts down in the final sequence of corners with a broken throttle linkage so a surprised Bower won from Craig's newer E46 M3. The hobbled Mitsubishi doesn’t even have the momentum to reach the chequered flag so isn't classified in the results after grinding to a halt around 100 metres short of the flag... William Hunt held off James Dunkley’s Fiesta to take third overall and win the BOSS category. Leigh Spencer’s less-developed E36 328i BMW took an unexpected third in Classic Thunder in fifth overall.
Race Two: Overnight repairs saw Neil Philpotts, Andy Robinson, Mike Cutt and Nick Vaughan all back in the field for the second bout but the damage to top qualifier Kirk Armitage’s BMW was too great to repair on site. The fixed cars of Philpotts and Robinson formed the fourth row, with Vaughan and Cutt just behind on the fifth row. Opening race winner Bower and Craig sat on an all-BMW front row, ahead of the first two BOSS category cars of William Hunt and James Dunkley on the second row. There were ominous looking clouds appearing over the horizon as the grid formed for Race Two and it had become very dark when the field was unleashed. Bower led into the first corner from pole whilst the fast four at the back sliced through the field in echelon. Philpotts and Robinson led the charge in second and third by the end of lap one, the Starion having reached second by Clervaux! Also on the move, Vaughan's Audi blasted past Craig up to fourth out of Tower and Cutt dived past the newer M3 into fifth at Sunny In for the first time. The wound-up Starion was soon on Bower’s case and Philpotts powered into the lead out of Tower on lap two, Cutt's BMW also got in front of Vaughan during the lap. The dark clouds overhead had now began to spit rain and it had become very windy. The inclement weather didn't halt the charge of Cutt as he took third off Robinson on the third tour and removed Bower from second two laps later. Out front, Philpotts had established a decent lead of 2.550 seconds by then and the gap would go out to more than three seconds next time around. Once the spots of rain had passed, Vaughan’s confidence started to grow and he took Bower for third towards Tower with five minutes remaining. The Audi was getting well into its stride now and Vaughan set the fastest lap as he caught and passed Cutt for second on lap eight. Both suddenly began to catch leader Philpotts, after the Starion suffered more throttle problems, and Vaughan was with the Starion through the Jim Clark Esses on the penultimate lap,. The Audi and Cutt's BMW both got ahead out the back of the circuit and the E36 M3 had latched onto the rear of the A3 as they headed onto the tenth and final lap. Cutt's BMW crawled all over Vaughan through the Complex for the last last time but the Team Prawn Racing car clung on to take its maiden win in Classic Thunder. “This makes up for yesterday, I'm over the moon with that” commented a relieved Vaughan. Robinson stole third from Bower on the last lap powering out of Tower, whilst early leader Philpotts faded to sixth behind Craig's BMW. There was a fierce three-way Fiesta fight in the BOSS category, with Sam Daffin passing James Dunkley to hold the early lead as the reigning champion slipped to third behind Race One victor William Hunt. Dunkley was able to take back second at half-distance before Dunkley and Hunt both suddenly moved well clear of Daffin on lap seven as the turbocharged Fiesta slowed. Frustratingly, Dunkley lost the BOSS win at the last corner, after being caught behind a backmarker, and was outdragged to the line by Hunt to lose by 0.187 seconds. The struggling Daffin completed the race in third but ended up well adrift of the top two.
Race Two: Overnight repairs saw Neil Philpotts, Andy Robinson, Mike Cutt and Nick Vaughan all back in the field for the second bout but the damage to top qualifier Kirk Armitage’s BMW was too great to repair on site. The fixed cars of Philpotts and Robinson formed the fourth row, with Vaughan and Cutt just behind on the fifth row. Opening race winner Bower and Craig sat on an all-BMW front row, ahead of the first two BOSS category cars of William Hunt and James Dunkley on the second row. There were ominous looking clouds appearing over the horizon as the grid formed for Race Two and it had become very dark when the field was unleashed. Bower led into the first corner from pole whilst the fast four at the back sliced through the field in echelon. Philpotts and Robinson led the charge in second and third by the end of lap one, the Starion having reached second by Clervaux! Also on the move, Vaughan's Audi blasted past Craig up to fourth out of Tower and Cutt dived past the newer M3 into fifth at Sunny In for the first time. The wound-up Starion was soon on Bower’s case and Philpotts powered into the lead out of Tower on lap two, Cutt's BMW also got in front of Vaughan during the lap. The dark clouds overhead had now began to spit rain and it had become very windy. The inclement weather didn't halt the charge of Cutt as he took third off Robinson on the third tour and removed Bower from second two laps later. Out front, Philpotts had established a decent lead of 2.550 seconds by then and the gap would go out to more than three seconds next time around. Once the spots of rain had passed, Vaughan’s confidence started to grow and he took Bower for third towards Tower with five minutes remaining. The Audi was getting well into its stride now and Vaughan set the fastest lap as he caught and passed Cutt for second on lap eight. Both suddenly began to catch leader Philpotts, after the Starion suffered more throttle problems, and Vaughan was with the Starion through the Jim Clark Esses on the penultimate lap,. The Audi and Cutt's BMW both got ahead out the back of the circuit and the E36 M3 had latched onto the rear of the A3 as they headed onto the tenth and final lap. Cutt's BMW crawled all over Vaughan through the Complex for the last last time but the Team Prawn Racing car clung on to take its maiden win in Classic Thunder. “This makes up for yesterday, I'm over the moon with that” commented a relieved Vaughan. Robinson stole third from Bower on the last lap powering out of Tower, whilst early leader Philpotts faded to sixth behind Craig's BMW. There was a fierce three-way Fiesta fight in the BOSS category, with Sam Daffin passing James Dunkley to hold the early lead as the reigning champion slipped to third behind Race One victor William Hunt. Dunkley was able to take back second at half-distance before Dunkley and Hunt both suddenly moved well clear of Daffin on lap seven as the turbocharged Fiesta slowed. Frustratingly, Dunkley lost the BOSS win at the last corner, after being caught behind a backmarker, and was outdragged to the line by Hunt to lose by 0.187 seconds. The struggling Daffin completed the race in third but ended up well adrift of the top two.
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Super Touring/Pre '93/Pre '03
Five Super Touring category cars reserved their place on the entry, with the Honda Accord of Stewart Whyte topping the list. The Vauxhall Vectra of Jason Hughes and Mark Jones’ Renault Laguna would provide the stiffest competition to the Scotsman’s Honda. The early Vauxhall Cavalier of Jim Pocklington and Adam Woods’ BTC-spec Honda Civic made up the field. The Pre ‘93 grid featured just five cars, with front runners Stuart Waite, Ian Bower and Clint Le Chalmers likely to lead them. Jonathan Olliff-Cooper was entered in another E36 M3, whilst David Clark’s Renault 5 GT Turbo broke the BMW monopoly. Eight Pre ‘03 competitors congregated at Croft, with the Honda Civics of Gary Prebble, Chris Southcott and Ross Craig likely to set the pace. Club regulars Neil Ashcroft and Alan Hersey were joined by William Hunt's Fiesta and Leigh Spencer's 328i BMW, plus guest drivers David Beecroft and Jason Lewis - whose Civic would be shared with Mark Lane.
Qualifying: The promised rain was falling steadily before the session began but had eased off as time wore on during the fifteen minutes of qualifying, Jason Hughes coped best with the slick conditions to slither onto pole position in his Vauxhall Vectra by 2.873 seconds from Stewart Whyte's Honda Accord and Mark Jones’ Renault Laguna. Ian Bower proved quickest of the Pre '93 field, ahead of Stuart Waite and Clint Le Chalmers. Gary Prebble topped the Pre '03s from Chris Southcott, who survived a high-speed off at Barcroft to continue in the session.
Five Super Touring category cars reserved their place on the entry, with the Honda Accord of Stewart Whyte topping the list. The Vauxhall Vectra of Jason Hughes and Mark Jones’ Renault Laguna would provide the stiffest competition to the Scotsman’s Honda. The early Vauxhall Cavalier of Jim Pocklington and Adam Woods’ BTC-spec Honda Civic made up the field. The Pre ‘93 grid featured just five cars, with front runners Stuart Waite, Ian Bower and Clint Le Chalmers likely to lead them. Jonathan Olliff-Cooper was entered in another E36 M3, whilst David Clark’s Renault 5 GT Turbo broke the BMW monopoly. Eight Pre ‘03 competitors congregated at Croft, with the Honda Civics of Gary Prebble, Chris Southcott and Ross Craig likely to set the pace. Club regulars Neil Ashcroft and Alan Hersey were joined by William Hunt's Fiesta and Leigh Spencer's 328i BMW, plus guest drivers David Beecroft and Jason Lewis - whose Civic would be shared with Mark Lane.
Qualifying: The promised rain was falling steadily before the session began but had eased off as time wore on during the fifteen minutes of qualifying, Jason Hughes coped best with the slick conditions to slither onto pole position in his Vauxhall Vectra by 2.873 seconds from Stewart Whyte's Honda Accord and Mark Jones’ Renault Laguna. Ian Bower proved quickest of the Pre '93 field, ahead of Stuart Waite and Clint Le Chalmers. Gary Prebble topped the Pre '03s from Chris Southcott, who survived a high-speed off at Barcroft to continue in the session.
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Race One: Poleman Jason Hughes held off Stewart Whyte's Honda into Clervaux to lead the early stages, whilst Ian Bower headed the Pre '93s just in front of Gary Prebble's Pre '03-topping Honda and Mark Jones’ Super Touring Renault. The Safety Car was swiftly called into action, however, as Jim Pocklington and Chris Southcott were both off in the gravel at Clervaux. Wasting little time after the one-lap break, Whyte dived up the inside of Hughes into Tower at the restart and cleared off to a 5.326-second victory. Hughes claimed second, whilst Jones' Renault overcame Bower and Prebble for third overall. The BMW and Honda each took the Pre '93 and Pre '03 spoils with ease in fourth and fifth. In sixth overall, Adam Woods belied his inexperience with a charging drive aboard his BTC-spec Civic from the seventh row. Having struggled with overheating, Stuart Waite just held off Clint Le Chalmers for second in the Pre '93s behind Pre '03 runner-up Ross Craig’s Honda.
Race Two: Race One top two Stewart Whyte and Jason Hughes lined up on the front row, Mark Jones and Adam Woods formed the second row and then came Jim Pocklington's Cavalier. Leaving a gap to the Super Tourers, Ian Bower and Gary Prebble headed the Pre ‘93 & ‘03 fields respectively, with Stuart Waite, Ross Craig and Clint Le Chalmers next up. Whyte established a big lead on the opening tour before Hughes pitted from second at the end of the lap with a puncture, the Vectra soon rejoined with the loss of only one lap. After being gifted second when the Vauxhall came in, Jones' Renault also pulled off onto the infield exiting the hairpin for the second time. All the while Whyte ran away again to a comfortable win from Woods’ BTC Honda, the novice driver taking a maiden category podium in only his second meeting. Bower's BMW stayed just out of reach of Waite's similar car for the Pre '93 win and Prebble had the Pre '03 lead to himself until electrical issues sent him pitwards, having had a grandstand view of the squabbling BMWs ahead. Ross Craig gratefully led William Hunt home for the spoils. Le Chalmers again took third in the Pre '93s whilst Neil Ashcroft took third in the Pre '03s.
Race Two: Race One top two Stewart Whyte and Jason Hughes lined up on the front row, Mark Jones and Adam Woods formed the second row and then came Jim Pocklington's Cavalier. Leaving a gap to the Super Tourers, Ian Bower and Gary Prebble headed the Pre ‘93 & ‘03 fields respectively, with Stuart Waite, Ross Craig and Clint Le Chalmers next up. Whyte established a big lead on the opening tour before Hughes pitted from second at the end of the lap with a puncture, the Vectra soon rejoined with the loss of only one lap. After being gifted second when the Vauxhall came in, Jones' Renault also pulled off onto the infield exiting the hairpin for the second time. All the while Whyte ran away again to a comfortable win from Woods’ BTC Honda, the novice driver taking a maiden category podium in only his second meeting. Bower's BMW stayed just out of reach of Waite's similar car for the Pre '93 win and Prebble had the Pre '03 lead to himself until electrical issues sent him pitwards, having had a grandstand view of the squabbling BMWs ahead. Ross Craig gratefully led William Hunt home for the spoils. Le Chalmers again took third in the Pre '93s whilst Neil Ashcroft took third in the Pre '03s.
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Pre '66/Pre '83
The Pre ‘66 grid fielded the largest entry with 19 cars, of which two were double-driven. Piers Grange was back out in his Ford Mustang for the first time since Brands Hatch in April, the nimbler Lotus Cortina of Pat Kenneally plus the Mini Cooper Ss of Barry Sime and Phillip House would be looking to give Grange’s V8 muscle car something to think about. Billy Kenneally’s Ford Anglia was repaired and back on the entry list after the nasty-looking accident at Brands Hatch in July, the championship leader would be another top six contender. A potential dark horse was Pre '93 BMW M3 E30 regular James Everard, who would be out in the family Alfa Romeo GT. A slender but competitive field of nine Pre ‘83 cars were tempted to Croft, multiple champion Stephen Primett topped the Ford Escort brigade and was joined by the Mk1 of Jason Christie and the Mk2 of Mark Cholerton. Two Mk1 VW Golfs in the hands of Simon Jeffs and Don Hughes, plus the rapid BMW of William Davison and Jonathan Corker’s rare Datsun, would be trying to stop the Ford steam roller. Club chairman Stuart Caie was a late entry aboard his Triplex Capri after withdrawing his Vauxhall Cavalier from the Super Tourers.
Qualifying: In a red flag interrupted session, Jonathan Corker went to the top of the times just as the stoppage was called to displace William Davison’s BMW. Davison improved his time after the break but couldn’t better Corker’s benchmark, so the Japanese saloon took pole position. Stephen Primett’s Ford Escort Mk1 headed the second row from Simon Jeff’s Akai-liveried Golf GTi. Among the Pre '66s, Barry Sime was fastest in seventh overall, the Scotsman had been sat in sixth overall at the time of the stoppage. The similar Mini Cooper S of Phillip House was three-quarters of a second behind Sime in eighth overall, Billy Kenneally was third in his repaired Ford Anglia and would start alongside Piers Grange's Mustang.
The Pre ‘66 grid fielded the largest entry with 19 cars, of which two were double-driven. Piers Grange was back out in his Ford Mustang for the first time since Brands Hatch in April, the nimbler Lotus Cortina of Pat Kenneally plus the Mini Cooper Ss of Barry Sime and Phillip House would be looking to give Grange’s V8 muscle car something to think about. Billy Kenneally’s Ford Anglia was repaired and back on the entry list after the nasty-looking accident at Brands Hatch in July, the championship leader would be another top six contender. A potential dark horse was Pre '93 BMW M3 E30 regular James Everard, who would be out in the family Alfa Romeo GT. A slender but competitive field of nine Pre ‘83 cars were tempted to Croft, multiple champion Stephen Primett topped the Ford Escort brigade and was joined by the Mk1 of Jason Christie and the Mk2 of Mark Cholerton. Two Mk1 VW Golfs in the hands of Simon Jeffs and Don Hughes, plus the rapid BMW of William Davison and Jonathan Corker’s rare Datsun, would be trying to stop the Ford steam roller. Club chairman Stuart Caie was a late entry aboard his Triplex Capri after withdrawing his Vauxhall Cavalier from the Super Tourers.
Qualifying: In a red flag interrupted session, Jonathan Corker went to the top of the times just as the stoppage was called to displace William Davison’s BMW. Davison improved his time after the break but couldn’t better Corker’s benchmark, so the Japanese saloon took pole position. Stephen Primett’s Ford Escort Mk1 headed the second row from Simon Jeff’s Akai-liveried Golf GTi. Among the Pre '66s, Barry Sime was fastest in seventh overall, the Scotsman had been sat in sixth overall at the time of the stoppage. The similar Mini Cooper S of Phillip House was three-quarters of a second behind Sime in eighth overall, Billy Kenneally was third in his repaired Ford Anglia and would start alongside Piers Grange's Mustang.
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Race One: Jonathan Corker led into the first corner when the race got underway from William Davison, who was level-pegging with the Datsun down to Clervaux but had to give best from the outside. Jason Christie jumped up to third as Stephen Primett fell behind the Golfs of Simon Jeffs and Don Hughes by the end of lap one. With the leading Datsun unable to break away, Davison was soon challenging and got ahead of Corker during the third tour but the Datsun outdragged the BMW to Clervaux to regain the lead. Davison wasn’t to be denied, however, and the BMW took the lead for good on lap five and drew clear to a 1.182-second victory, helped by the Datsun losing fourth and fifth gears. The VW of Jeffs nicked third from Christie on lap five but the Mk1 Escort successfully fended off the second Golf of Hughes for fourth. Primett struggled home in ninth overall after suffering with a misfire which saw him drop behind the first three Pre ‘66 contenders and the Capri of club chairman Stuart Caie, who would later retire. Barry Sime's Mini Cooper S took a clear win in the Pre ‘66s from a charging James Everard, who came through from the back row in his lovely Alfa Romeo GT after qualifying out of session. Billy Kenneally came in third aboard his Ford Anglia after falling victim to Everard on the last lap. Phillip House retired his Mini from second place early on with gearbox woes and Piers Grange suffered a mid-race spin at Tower to send the Mustang tumbling down the order. Ed Gibbs’ Anglia boiled over on the grid and was pushed away before the start.
Race Two: Jonathan Corker made a corker of a start to Race Two and headed the field in the early stages. The Datsun had established a margin out front of 1.249 seconds over the opening few tours but the BMW of Davison started to come back at the lead car and was onto Corker's tail at the Complex as lap five reached its conclusion. The potential scrap didn't last long as Davison breezed into the lead when Corker's car faltered through the Jim Clark Esses for the sixth time, the BMW gifted a 1.903-second gap as he took his second Pre '83 triumph of the weekend. A reset for Corker meant that the Datsun held on to second from Simon Jeffs in an untroubled third. Stephen Primett scored decent points with fourth, having started behind the top three Pre '66 runners, and a misfiring Jason Christie took fifth but seventh overall. Among the Pre '66s, Barry Sime led a fast-starting Billy Kenneally and James Everard away when the lights went out. Everard's Alfa Romeo would move back up to second before the opening lap was complete and soon gave chase to Sime. The tussle came down to the Complex for the last time but the Cooper S held on under extreme pressure, after having the Alfa sat on its bootlid for half the race. Billy Kenneally took a solitary third from his father Pat's Lotus Cortina in fourth, whilst Piers Grange came through to fifth from an eighth row start in his Mustang.
Race Two: Jonathan Corker made a corker of a start to Race Two and headed the field in the early stages. The Datsun had established a margin out front of 1.249 seconds over the opening few tours but the BMW of Davison started to come back at the lead car and was onto Corker's tail at the Complex as lap five reached its conclusion. The potential scrap didn't last long as Davison breezed into the lead when Corker's car faltered through the Jim Clark Esses for the sixth time, the BMW gifted a 1.903-second gap as he took his second Pre '83 triumph of the weekend. A reset for Corker meant that the Datsun held on to second from Simon Jeffs in an untroubled third. Stephen Primett scored decent points with fourth, having started behind the top three Pre '66 runners, and a misfiring Jason Christie took fifth but seventh overall. Among the Pre '66s, Barry Sime led a fast-starting Billy Kenneally and James Everard away when the lights went out. Everard's Alfa Romeo would move back up to second before the opening lap was complete and soon gave chase to Sime. The tussle came down to the Complex for the last time but the Cooper S held on under extreme pressure, after having the Alfa sat on its bootlid for half the race. Billy Kenneally took a solitary third from his father Pat's Lotus Cortina in fourth, whilst Piers Grange came through to fifth from an eighth row start in his Mustang.
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Jaguar Challenge
A baker’s dozen of big cats formed the Jaguar Challenge field, the XJSs of Colin Philpott and Guy Connew had been setting the pace of late but Jack Robinson's XKR, Mike Seabourne in the diesel-powered XJ and Andrew Harper’s supercharged S-Type aimed to get among them.
Qualifying: Each of the first three qualifiers took a turn at the top of the times but ultimately it was Jack Robinson’s XKR that sealed pole position from the XJSs of Colin Philpott and Guy Connew.
A baker’s dozen of big cats formed the Jaguar Challenge field, the XJSs of Colin Philpott and Guy Connew had been setting the pace of late but Jack Robinson's XKR, Mike Seabourne in the diesel-powered XJ and Andrew Harper’s supercharged S-Type aimed to get among them.
Qualifying: Each of the first three qualifiers took a turn at the top of the times but ultimately it was Jack Robinson’s XKR that sealed pole position from the XJSs of Colin Philpott and Guy Connew.
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Race One: The Jags bookended Sunday's race action and the first race got underway in cloudy but dry conditions. Colin Philpott made a great start from second on the grid to lead Jack Robinson and Guy Connew into Clervaux for the first time. On lap two the V12 XJS of Connew moved up to second and briefly started to edge closer to Philpott before Robinson bumped him back to third on lap three, whilst the supercharged S-Type of Andrew Harper settled into a lonely fourth. The top three remained close as the clock ticked down and were almost together onto the last lap but Connew spun out of second position at Tower, which split the pack up and allowed Philpott to win from the faulty gearbox-hobbled Robinson by 3.495 seconds. Connew held onto third ahead of Harper’s whining S-Type. The diesel XJ of Mike Seabourne was a mid-race retirement after mounting a charge to fifth, the place eventually going to Chris Boon’s lurid yellow XKR.
Race Two: Race One victor Colin Philpott headed the grid for Race Two with Jack Robinson lining up alongside, Guy Connew and Andrew Harper completed the first two rows. Philpott led the pack through the opening bends from a fast-starting Connew, Robinson and Harper. Further back, the diesel-powered XJ of Mike Seabourne had already made up four places by Tower for the first time after starting from the back row. The top four stayed close together ending the opening lap but as the quartet worked the second tour, Robinson’s XKR had a big moment exiting the Chicane and fell behind Harper to fourth. Later in the lap, Harper tried the inside of Connew for second at the Hairpin but the S-Type was held off despite the supercharged car being shown to be ahead at the timing line. Seabourne tried the same move on Chris Boon with the same outcome but the XJ made it past Boon a lap later, before its progress ended with a fourth lap exit. At half distance, Philpott began to get away out front and the top four started to spread out a little. Not for long as Robinson threatened Harper for third with five minutes remaining, before the XKR lost ground a couple of minutes later with another attempt at Sunny In. The order looked reasonably settled at the head of the field as the time wound down but suddenly a grandstand finish was in the offing as Connew closed right in on Philpott during the final lap. However, the straight six-powered machine’s extra agility in the Complex saw Philpott home to the victory of a thriller by 0.750 seconds from Connew, Harper held off Robinson for third as Boon took his second fifth place of the day.
Race Two: Race One victor Colin Philpott headed the grid for Race Two with Jack Robinson lining up alongside, Guy Connew and Andrew Harper completed the first two rows. Philpott led the pack through the opening bends from a fast-starting Connew, Robinson and Harper. Further back, the diesel-powered XJ of Mike Seabourne had already made up four places by Tower for the first time after starting from the back row. The top four stayed close together ending the opening lap but as the quartet worked the second tour, Robinson’s XKR had a big moment exiting the Chicane and fell behind Harper to fourth. Later in the lap, Harper tried the inside of Connew for second at the Hairpin but the S-Type was held off despite the supercharged car being shown to be ahead at the timing line. Seabourne tried the same move on Chris Boon with the same outcome but the XJ made it past Boon a lap later, before its progress ended with a fourth lap exit. At half distance, Philpott began to get away out front and the top four started to spread out a little. Not for long as Robinson threatened Harper for third with five minutes remaining, before the XKR lost ground a couple of minutes later with another attempt at Sunny In. The order looked reasonably settled at the head of the field as the time wound down but suddenly a grandstand finish was in the offing as Connew closed right in on Philpott during the final lap. However, the straight six-powered machine’s extra agility in the Complex saw Philpott home to the victory of a thriller by 0.750 seconds from Connew, Harper held off Robinson for third as Boon took his second fifth place of the day.
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The CTCRC are next in action at Snetterton over the weekend of the 16th and 17th of September, supporting the British Truck Championship.