CTCRC Donington Park 21st & 22nd March 2026
CLASSIC TOURING CAR RACING CLUB SPRINGS INTO ACTION FOR 2026
The Classic Touring Car Racing Club held its first meeting of 2026 on the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park across the 21st and 22nd of March weekend. The club secured three grids for the meeting, with solo races for the Pre '66s and Pre '83s. The remaining starting grid would be very full of the Classic Thunder, Historic Thunder, BOSS, Pre '93 and Pre '03 entries.
The Classic Touring Car Racing Club held its first meeting of 2026 on the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park across the 21st and 22nd of March weekend. The club secured three grids for the meeting, with solo races for the Pre '66s and Pre '83s. The remaining starting grid would be very full of the Classic Thunder, Historic Thunder, BOSS, Pre '93 and Pre '03 entries.
Pre '66
Qualifying: The popular Pre ‘66 championship pulled another bumper entry of 28 competitors but they were kept waiting on Saturday morning after dense fog pushed back the schedule by half an hour for the club's first activity of the day. A sterling final lap from Simon Gusterson saw him grab pole position by 0.922 seconds from 2024 champion Ian Thompson’s similar Lotus Cortina, the battle for top spot having see-sawed between them all session. Young Oliver Law qualified the third Cortina in the top three ahead of Piers Grange's sole Class A car, with the recently-purchased Falcon leaping up to fourth with its final effort and headed a pack of eight cars covered by a second and a half. Sometime Mini Miglia ace Daniel Wheeler sped to the fastest Class C time and was the top Mini in fifth, ahead of another pair of Cortinas that were split by just 0.039 seconds in sixth and seventh. Adam Cunnington headed the pair from Roger Stanford, who returned to the Pre ‘66s almost four years on from the monster smash at Oulton Park that wrecked his previous Lotus Cortina. The veteran raced a BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sporthatch in the Super Touring championship during the intervening period and won the title last season. The top ten was completed by a flurry of Class C machinery, Eighth-fastest Martyn Armstrong impressed with his Mini to head reigning Class C champion Barry Sime’s similar car, with the leading Anglia of Jake Swann less than a tenth down from the Scot. A slim 0.084 seconds further back lurked the Anglia of 2023 overall champion Billy Kenneally in eleventh. On his Pre ‘66 debut, Gary Prebble was the quickest of the Hillman Imp brigade in sixteenth. Prebble is no stranger to Imp power, having raced a spaceframed Sunbeam Stiletto in the Castle Combe Special GTs and his father Brian was also a well-respected pedaller of the rear-engined machines. The former Pre ‘03 champion qualified the ex-Ed Carter Class E machine, which has been straightened out after its involvement in the multi-car shunt at last year’s Super Touring Power event, two places and a substantial 2.633 seconds clear of Brendan Rooney, who was just 0.048 seconds quicker than third-in-class qualifier Adrian Oliver. Double champion and current title holder James Ibbotson was absent from the season opener but plans to have his Imp back out in time for the second meeting at Cadwell Park. Charles Norris’ Austin A35 was the fastest in Class D by a shade over three seconds from Patrick Harris’ Morris Minor and the shared Steve Evans/Brian Bedford Austin A40 another four seconds down, with Evans manning the controls for Race One. Multiple Mini Miglia champion Andrew Hack had a torrid session with overheating and the Mini Cooper S would miss the opening race as a result.
Race One: The polesitting Lotus Cortina of Simon Gusterson held the lead into Redgate from Piers Grange, who had bellowed forward from the second row to get the Falcon's nose in front before the braking area. Ian Thompson headed Adam Cunnington's similar car in third and fourth, whilst the Cortina of third qualifier Oliver Law came under fire from the Minis of Daniel Wheeler, Martyn Armstrong and Mike Davies. Wheeler got through on the inside and also nipped by Cunnington into fourth by Hollywood but Armstrong had a slide on the outside of Law and fell behind the teenager, with Davies briefly slotting in behind as the Ford Anglias of Billy Kenneally and Jake Swann would both demote the Davies Mini before the field had reached the Old Hairpin for the first time. Roger Stanford was in the thick of the squabble surrounding Law off the line but the Armstrong and Davies Minis mugged the Cortina on the brakes into Redgate, with the Kenneally and Swann Anglias going ahead through Hollywood before Barry Sime skated around the outside of the Craner Curves into tenth but the Scot's Mini pulled off before lap one was complete after a recently-replaced CV joint gave out. Also hounding Stanford during the opening lap were the Anglias of Kevin Swann and Ed Gibbs, who came close to trading paint at the Old Hairpin. In their wake was a great scrap among four Imps from Class E and Pat Kenneally’s Lotus Cortina. Adrian Oliver fought with Brendan Rooney for the lead of Class E initially, ahead of Steve Platts, as class polesitter Gary Prebble recovered from a slow start caused by a slipping clutch. Prebble led the chase of Brown before the end of the opening lap but there would soon be trouble in the pack when Brown heavily dented his Imp's nearside against Kenneally at the Melbourne Hairpin after encountering the dropped oil from Sime's exit, leaving significant maroon witness marks on the Cortina but both continued. However, a lap later a very late-on-the-brakes Platts spun Kenneally's Cortina at Goddards and Prebble had nowhere to go and clipped Kenneally. The Cortina went no further but Prebble carried on with a crumpled nearside-front corner, whilst Rooney also rotated his Imp in sympathy behind them. Gusterson moved away out front to the tune of two and a quarter seconds during the early laps, before the Falcon of Grange came back at the Cortina and swooped for the lead starting lap four after using his V8's grunt along the Wheatcroft Straight to seal his prey's fate. The Class A machine was soon able to establish a lead of over two seconds itself before Gusterson closed in again during the closing stages in traffic but the Falcon took a debut victory in Grange's hands by 0.675 seconds as the polesitter sealed Class F. A titanic battle for third among the Lotus Cortinas of Thompson, Law and Cunnington plus the Class C-leading Mini of Wheeler played out in favour of Thompson. The 2024 overall champion had clung on to the lead pair to start with before falling into the clutches of the chasing trio and fell to sixth on lap three with a slip at the Fogarty Esses on dropped oil and a subsequent missed gear. Thompson tried to hit back immediately at the Melbourne Hairpin and barrelled into the switchback three-wide with Law and Wheeler but slithered past the apex and lost out to Cunnington also. Thompson picked his way back towards the front of the tussle when he got inside Wheeler into Redgate for the fourth time and the pair of them picked up a spot when Cunnington ran wide at the exit but the Cortina would be back ahead of Wheeler's Mini before the lap was out. Thompson set his sights on Law for third place and opened the door at Redgate on lap five before finishing the move through Hollywood but the pair were still at play come the final lap. Wheeler retook fifth from Cunnington on the GP loop on lap five when the Cortina ran wide but his hold on the place was only temporary as fifteen seconds of track limit penalties for Wheeler saw Jake Swann given the Class C win in sixth overall and the Mini dropped back to eighth on corrected time. Swann had been involved in another close scrap with Stanford's Cortina and classmate Armstrong's Mini for much of the race. The latter gradually fell back after being right on the tail of Cunnington's Cortina at the close of lap one to slip behind Stanford on the GP loop at half-distance and Armstrong ultimately couldn’t fend off Davies' Mini at the last corner to finish fourth in Class C by a scant 0.131 seconds. Billy Kenneally was a retirement early on lap three at almost the exact same moment that his father had his race-ending incident at Goddards. Oliver just held off a charging Prebble to prevail in Class E by the slim margin of 0.696 seconds despite making a horlicks of the Melbourne Hairpin last time through. A five-place penalty for Platts for his part in the incident with Pat Kenneally saw Rooney promoted to third in class and replaced Platts in fifteenth overall. Charles Norris finished off the rear of the Imps as the A35 secured Class D honours in sixteenth, ahead of Patrick Harris' Minor and Steve Evans' reshelled A40.
Race Two: Day two began with the Pre ‘66s in glorious weather. Second-placed starter Simon Gusterson appeared to get away slightly better than opening race winner Piers Grange's Falcon on pole but the American machine held onto the lead down to Redgate as Gusterson squeezed out Adam Cunnington's advances for second position. Grange drove a great first lap to lead by 1.720 seconds but Gusterson reeled the Falcon back in and tailed Grange for a couple of laps before diving ahead into Goddards at the end of lap five. The Falcon rumbled back alongside down the Wheatcroft Straight but the Class F Cortina staved off the American machine to the finish and won by 0.444 seconds, despite Grange setting the fastest lap of the race last time around. Saturday podium finisher Ian Thompson ran a little wide at the first corner to fall behind Oliver Law and Class C leader Jake Swann. The 2024 champion was followed by Roger Stanford's similar Cortina and the Class C Minis of Daniel Wheeler and Martyn Armstrong. The lead Mini of Wheeler deposed Stanford further around lap one before gaining the Class C advantage from Swann's Anglia at McLeans for the second time. Up the road from the Class C squabble, three Lotus Cortinas were contesting third place and Law toughed it out around the outside of Cunnington turning onto the GP loop to grab the final podium place for the time being. The youngster pulled clear of Cunnington but went out with engine trouble at halfway when it was suspected that a valve had met a piston. Thompson was coming now under fire from Wheeler and Stanford for fifth place but it was the latter pair who would swap places down the Exhibition Straight on lap three before Thompson replaced Cunnington in third after Law's departure heading onto lap five. The race settled down in the last five minutes but fifth-on-the-road finisher Stanford was hit with a combined 15 seconds worth of time penalties to fall to tenth overall, having incurred ten seconds for a false start and copping another five for track limit offences. Jake Swann led a Class C train initially before breaking away to secure second in the class. A couple of determined recovery drives from Class C machinery that suffered issues on Saturday were rewarded with top ten finishes as Andrew Hack fought through to seventh. The Mini pilot drove around the outside of Redgate for the first time to make up a lot of ground and was already inside the top ten after the opening lap, whilst Barry Sime got as high as eighth overall but felt his tyres went away before Ed Gibbs repassed the Mini to finish eighth and ninth overall respectively. Former Pre ‘66 champion Billy Kenneally had also retired on Saturday and chased the Minis up the order but fell just shy of the top ten in eleventh with his Anglia. Adrian Oliver led Class E on lap one before Brendan Rooney came through and sped to the class win. Oliver retained second until a spin promoted Steve Platts and Gary Prebble. Oliver took third from a struggling Prebble on the penultimate lap for third behind Platts, the class top qualifier had made his second ropey start in two days with clutch slip before the Imp’s gearstick broke off in his hands and he was stuck in fourth gear. The Class D-winning Austin A40 of Brian Bedford enjoyed a battle with the left-hand-drive Singer Chamois of Jeremy Dyas on his way to the class win, whilst second and third tripped over each other all the way as the Charles Norris A35 overcame Patrick Harris’ Morris Minor.
Qualifying: The popular Pre ‘66 championship pulled another bumper entry of 28 competitors but they were kept waiting on Saturday morning after dense fog pushed back the schedule by half an hour for the club's first activity of the day. A sterling final lap from Simon Gusterson saw him grab pole position by 0.922 seconds from 2024 champion Ian Thompson’s similar Lotus Cortina, the battle for top spot having see-sawed between them all session. Young Oliver Law qualified the third Cortina in the top three ahead of Piers Grange's sole Class A car, with the recently-purchased Falcon leaping up to fourth with its final effort and headed a pack of eight cars covered by a second and a half. Sometime Mini Miglia ace Daniel Wheeler sped to the fastest Class C time and was the top Mini in fifth, ahead of another pair of Cortinas that were split by just 0.039 seconds in sixth and seventh. Adam Cunnington headed the pair from Roger Stanford, who returned to the Pre ‘66s almost four years on from the monster smash at Oulton Park that wrecked his previous Lotus Cortina. The veteran raced a BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sporthatch in the Super Touring championship during the intervening period and won the title last season. The top ten was completed by a flurry of Class C machinery, Eighth-fastest Martyn Armstrong impressed with his Mini to head reigning Class C champion Barry Sime’s similar car, with the leading Anglia of Jake Swann less than a tenth down from the Scot. A slim 0.084 seconds further back lurked the Anglia of 2023 overall champion Billy Kenneally in eleventh. On his Pre ‘66 debut, Gary Prebble was the quickest of the Hillman Imp brigade in sixteenth. Prebble is no stranger to Imp power, having raced a spaceframed Sunbeam Stiletto in the Castle Combe Special GTs and his father Brian was also a well-respected pedaller of the rear-engined machines. The former Pre ‘03 champion qualified the ex-Ed Carter Class E machine, which has been straightened out after its involvement in the multi-car shunt at last year’s Super Touring Power event, two places and a substantial 2.633 seconds clear of Brendan Rooney, who was just 0.048 seconds quicker than third-in-class qualifier Adrian Oliver. Double champion and current title holder James Ibbotson was absent from the season opener but plans to have his Imp back out in time for the second meeting at Cadwell Park. Charles Norris’ Austin A35 was the fastest in Class D by a shade over three seconds from Patrick Harris’ Morris Minor and the shared Steve Evans/Brian Bedford Austin A40 another four seconds down, with Evans manning the controls for Race One. Multiple Mini Miglia champion Andrew Hack had a torrid session with overheating and the Mini Cooper S would miss the opening race as a result.
Race One: The polesitting Lotus Cortina of Simon Gusterson held the lead into Redgate from Piers Grange, who had bellowed forward from the second row to get the Falcon's nose in front before the braking area. Ian Thompson headed Adam Cunnington's similar car in third and fourth, whilst the Cortina of third qualifier Oliver Law came under fire from the Minis of Daniel Wheeler, Martyn Armstrong and Mike Davies. Wheeler got through on the inside and also nipped by Cunnington into fourth by Hollywood but Armstrong had a slide on the outside of Law and fell behind the teenager, with Davies briefly slotting in behind as the Ford Anglias of Billy Kenneally and Jake Swann would both demote the Davies Mini before the field had reached the Old Hairpin for the first time. Roger Stanford was in the thick of the squabble surrounding Law off the line but the Armstrong and Davies Minis mugged the Cortina on the brakes into Redgate, with the Kenneally and Swann Anglias going ahead through Hollywood before Barry Sime skated around the outside of the Craner Curves into tenth but the Scot's Mini pulled off before lap one was complete after a recently-replaced CV joint gave out. Also hounding Stanford during the opening lap were the Anglias of Kevin Swann and Ed Gibbs, who came close to trading paint at the Old Hairpin. In their wake was a great scrap among four Imps from Class E and Pat Kenneally’s Lotus Cortina. Adrian Oliver fought with Brendan Rooney for the lead of Class E initially, ahead of Steve Platts, as class polesitter Gary Prebble recovered from a slow start caused by a slipping clutch. Prebble led the chase of Brown before the end of the opening lap but there would soon be trouble in the pack when Brown heavily dented his Imp's nearside against Kenneally at the Melbourne Hairpin after encountering the dropped oil from Sime's exit, leaving significant maroon witness marks on the Cortina but both continued. However, a lap later a very late-on-the-brakes Platts spun Kenneally's Cortina at Goddards and Prebble had nowhere to go and clipped Kenneally. The Cortina went no further but Prebble carried on with a crumpled nearside-front corner, whilst Rooney also rotated his Imp in sympathy behind them. Gusterson moved away out front to the tune of two and a quarter seconds during the early laps, before the Falcon of Grange came back at the Cortina and swooped for the lead starting lap four after using his V8's grunt along the Wheatcroft Straight to seal his prey's fate. The Class A machine was soon able to establish a lead of over two seconds itself before Gusterson closed in again during the closing stages in traffic but the Falcon took a debut victory in Grange's hands by 0.675 seconds as the polesitter sealed Class F. A titanic battle for third among the Lotus Cortinas of Thompson, Law and Cunnington plus the Class C-leading Mini of Wheeler played out in favour of Thompson. The 2024 overall champion had clung on to the lead pair to start with before falling into the clutches of the chasing trio and fell to sixth on lap three with a slip at the Fogarty Esses on dropped oil and a subsequent missed gear. Thompson tried to hit back immediately at the Melbourne Hairpin and barrelled into the switchback three-wide with Law and Wheeler but slithered past the apex and lost out to Cunnington also. Thompson picked his way back towards the front of the tussle when he got inside Wheeler into Redgate for the fourth time and the pair of them picked up a spot when Cunnington ran wide at the exit but the Cortina would be back ahead of Wheeler's Mini before the lap was out. Thompson set his sights on Law for third place and opened the door at Redgate on lap five before finishing the move through Hollywood but the pair were still at play come the final lap. Wheeler retook fifth from Cunnington on the GP loop on lap five when the Cortina ran wide but his hold on the place was only temporary as fifteen seconds of track limit penalties for Wheeler saw Jake Swann given the Class C win in sixth overall and the Mini dropped back to eighth on corrected time. Swann had been involved in another close scrap with Stanford's Cortina and classmate Armstrong's Mini for much of the race. The latter gradually fell back after being right on the tail of Cunnington's Cortina at the close of lap one to slip behind Stanford on the GP loop at half-distance and Armstrong ultimately couldn’t fend off Davies' Mini at the last corner to finish fourth in Class C by a scant 0.131 seconds. Billy Kenneally was a retirement early on lap three at almost the exact same moment that his father had his race-ending incident at Goddards. Oliver just held off a charging Prebble to prevail in Class E by the slim margin of 0.696 seconds despite making a horlicks of the Melbourne Hairpin last time through. A five-place penalty for Platts for his part in the incident with Pat Kenneally saw Rooney promoted to third in class and replaced Platts in fifteenth overall. Charles Norris finished off the rear of the Imps as the A35 secured Class D honours in sixteenth, ahead of Patrick Harris' Minor and Steve Evans' reshelled A40.
Race Two: Day two began with the Pre ‘66s in glorious weather. Second-placed starter Simon Gusterson appeared to get away slightly better than opening race winner Piers Grange's Falcon on pole but the American machine held onto the lead down to Redgate as Gusterson squeezed out Adam Cunnington's advances for second position. Grange drove a great first lap to lead by 1.720 seconds but Gusterson reeled the Falcon back in and tailed Grange for a couple of laps before diving ahead into Goddards at the end of lap five. The Falcon rumbled back alongside down the Wheatcroft Straight but the Class F Cortina staved off the American machine to the finish and won by 0.444 seconds, despite Grange setting the fastest lap of the race last time around. Saturday podium finisher Ian Thompson ran a little wide at the first corner to fall behind Oliver Law and Class C leader Jake Swann. The 2024 champion was followed by Roger Stanford's similar Cortina and the Class C Minis of Daniel Wheeler and Martyn Armstrong. The lead Mini of Wheeler deposed Stanford further around lap one before gaining the Class C advantage from Swann's Anglia at McLeans for the second time. Up the road from the Class C squabble, three Lotus Cortinas were contesting third place and Law toughed it out around the outside of Cunnington turning onto the GP loop to grab the final podium place for the time being. The youngster pulled clear of Cunnington but went out with engine trouble at halfway when it was suspected that a valve had met a piston. Thompson was coming now under fire from Wheeler and Stanford for fifth place but it was the latter pair who would swap places down the Exhibition Straight on lap three before Thompson replaced Cunnington in third after Law's departure heading onto lap five. The race settled down in the last five minutes but fifth-on-the-road finisher Stanford was hit with a combined 15 seconds worth of time penalties to fall to tenth overall, having incurred ten seconds for a false start and copping another five for track limit offences. Jake Swann led a Class C train initially before breaking away to secure second in the class. A couple of determined recovery drives from Class C machinery that suffered issues on Saturday were rewarded with top ten finishes as Andrew Hack fought through to seventh. The Mini pilot drove around the outside of Redgate for the first time to make up a lot of ground and was already inside the top ten after the opening lap, whilst Barry Sime got as high as eighth overall but felt his tyres went away before Ed Gibbs repassed the Mini to finish eighth and ninth overall respectively. Former Pre ‘66 champion Billy Kenneally had also retired on Saturday and chased the Minis up the order but fell just shy of the top ten in eleventh with his Anglia. Adrian Oliver led Class E on lap one before Brendan Rooney came through and sped to the class win. Oliver retained second until a spin promoted Steve Platts and Gary Prebble. Oliver took third from a struggling Prebble on the penultimate lap for third behind Platts, the class top qualifier had made his second ropey start in two days with clutch slip before the Imp’s gearstick broke off in his hands and he was stuck in fourth gear. The Class D-winning Austin A40 of Brian Bedford enjoyed a battle with the left-hand-drive Singer Chamois of Jeremy Dyas on his way to the class win, whilst second and third tripped over each other all the way as the Charles Norris A35 overcame Patrick Harris’ Morris Minor.
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Pre '83
Qualifying: Also having their own stand-alone grid were the Pre '83 contenders, of which a healthy eighteen cars were entered. The session was topped by a delayed Jonathan Corker, who had to return to the paddock after a fuel pump wire came adrift aboard his Datsun 510. The reigning champion emerged from the pitlane in the session’s second half and left it to the bitter end to snatch pole position by 0.728 seconds from Nick Williamson’s Rover SD1 with his last timed lap, having lost one lap to the track limit police. Nic Grindrod and Tom Harvey formed a Mk1 Escort monopoly on the second row, with Grindrod another to have a lap time taken from him and he had sat at the top of the times for much of qualifying before being bumped by Williamson and Corker within seconds of each other. Jared Knight took his Mk2 Escort round in the fifth-fastest time and headed Jerry Bailey’s Toshiba-liveried Rover SD1, which was previously seen in the hands of Tony Palmer. The yellow Mk1 Escort of Graham Smith trumped Carl Shreeve’s Triumph Dolomite on the fourth row and just 0.077 seconds separated them, with the latter losing a lap to the watchful eye of the stewards. The Class D pacesetter Don Hughes and Reece Cannell’s Mk2 Capri claimed the last two places inside the top ten. The second and third-fastest Class D pair occupying the sixth row were split by 0.409 seconds as Robyn Slater’s Escort Mk1 got the better of James Dunkley’s Fiesta XR2 in eleventh and twelfth. The only Class A car present qualified on the back row as Mike Broadway landed the Jaguar in seventeenth position.
Race One: The Pre '83s were scheduled to race into the sunset on Saturday evening but the Classic Thunder first lap incidents pushed the opening race for the Pre ‘83s onto Sunday morning’s schedule. Top Class D qualifier Don Hughes rolled off from ninth on the grid after a bolt sheared in the VW’s gear linkage. The V8 grunt of Nick Williamson's Rover may have been expected to carry him into the lead off the line but poleman Jonathan Corker led away from Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort, who got down the inside of Williamson under braking for Redgate. Tom Harvey also saw his chance to take third place and dived inside the Rover at the apex, the two stayed side-by-side down the hill before Williamson had a big twitch attempting to brave it out beside the Escort through the left handed part of the Craner Curves. The Rover sat fourth from Jared Knight’s Mk2 Escort and Graham Smith's Mk1 example, which passed Jerry Bailey's Rover into sixth approaching Redgate. The leading Datsun also wagged its tail down the Craners on the opening lap and the top four remained close, with Harvey having to defend from Williamson into the Fogarty Esses during lap two. Corker weathered the early storm and began to ease away as the pair of chasing Mk1 Escorts both received warning flags for track limits but an undeterred Harvey started to press Grindrod's similar car after setting the fastest lap to that point. Williamson had also remained in touch and got down the inside of the ShellSport Escort into the Melbourne Hairpin for the fourth time but Harvey staved off the Rover on the brakes for Goddards. Williamson continued to push Harvey and the Escort had to work very hard to fend off the Rover once more into the Fogarty Esses on lap five before the news broke that Harvey had copped a dreaded five-second track limit penalty. Williamson passed the Mk1 Escort on track after getting a great run down to the Melbourne Hairpin on lap six but gave the place straight back with an oversteery exit from the corner. The Rover finally made a move stick during lap seven and the top four were back together when they started the final lap without too many seconds to spare. Williamson had a run on Grindrod’s Escort for second up the hill to McLeans but the Mk1 held on, the Rover then drew alongside out of Coppice before Grindrod defended the inside into the Melbourne Hairpin. Corker stayed just out of reach of the tussle as he took the flag by 0.673 seconds from Grindrod. An opportunist Harvey threw his Escort up the inside of Williamson at Goddards but ran wide to gift Williamson's Class B-winning Rover third place over the line, as well as on the result sheet. The penalised Harvey was demoted to fifth place, having accrued fifteen seconds worth of track limit penalties, which promoted Smith’s similar car to fourth. The Mk2 Escort of Jared Knight had led Smith's Mk1 version for the bulk of the race before taking sixth, with the Toshiba Rover of Bailey and Reece Cannell's brake-hampered Capri seventh and eighth. Neil Philpotts‘ turbocharged Mitsubishi had made solid progress after a setback in qualifying but slowed dramatically in the closing stages when running in fifth place, the rare Japanese saloon came home ninth but showed its pace with the fastest lap of the race. James Dunkley took the Class D lead from the start with the demise of Hughes and was the sole finisher from the split in tenth overall after the Mk1 Escort of Robyn Slater, who had outqualified the Fiesta, fell by the wayside in a cloud of smoke on lap six. Mike Broadway’s Jaguar was the only Class A machine entered and the big cat made it home in thirteenth overall to secure the class win. Colin Claxton's Triumph dropped out with a broken diff, whilst the other Triumph Dolomite of Carl Shreeve ended its race in the concrete wall after slipping off on spilled fluid. The pretty Alfa Romeo GTV6 of long-time marque pedaller Chris Snowdon wouldn’t go the distance after blowing a head gasket on its V6 engine.
Race Two: A quick turnaround for the Pre ‘83 contenders saw them back out for Race Two just after the lunch break, with a dozen cars coming to the grid. Missing would be the Ford Escorts of Jared Knight and Robin Slater, Colin Claxton and Carl Shreeve's Triumph Dolomites, Neil Philpotts' Mitsubishi Colt Lancer Turbo and Chris Snowdon's Alfa Romeo GTV6 but Don Hughes had refettled his VW Golf in the interim and took his place at the back of the field. The morning sunshine had given way to high cloud in the roughly one hour and three quarters between the two outings. Opening race winner Jonathan Corker converted his pole position into the race lead at the start of the fifteen minutes, whilst Nic Grindrod got his elbows out to hold off Nick Williamson into Redgate after lighting up his rear tyres off the line. Tom Harvey came out of Redgate in fourth place, with a fast-starting Reece Cannell getting the better of Graham Smith for fifth position. Smith's Mk1 Escort took back fifth through Hollywood and Jerry Bailey knocked the Capri down another spot to seventh at the Old Hairpin. The top five cars were line astern for much of the opening lap until Harvey eased into third on the GP loop after Williamson missed a cog in his Rover, with the Class B leader then coming under threat from Smith after hanging the tail out at Goddards. Leader Corker also missed a gear coming out of Goddards for the second time and the shadowing Grindrod took full advantage to hit the front starting lap three around the outside at Redgate. Harvey was also running with them and the ShellSport Escort went second down the Wheatcroft Straight a lap later, with Corker having fumbled his gears for a second time. Corker got his head together and soon began pressuring Harvey, who was forced to defend his second place with some bravery under braking on the GP loop for the fifth time before the Datsun passed the Mk1 Escort along the Exhibition Straight on the following tour. The current champion then brought down Grindrod's advantage of almost one-and-a-half seconds over the next two circulations. Following a good exit from the Fogarty Esses, Corker lunged ahead into the Melbourne Hairpin for the penultimate time and started the last lap with just five seconds left on the clock after covering off Grindrod's retaliation at Goddards. The Datsun got to the line first by 0.988 seconds from Grindrod on-the-road but officially the gap was 3.593 seconds to Harvey, after the earlier runner-up was slapped with a ten-second false start penalty. However, Grindrod still claimed a podium finish despite his censure. Williamson's Rover didn't seem to quite have the speed to threaten the top three once the second bout settled down and the Class B car pitted out of fourth ending lap six after his V8 engine lost all its water. The Rover rejoined the race a couple of laps down but Williamson’s efforts to get going again were in vain as he was subsequently excluded for failing the post-race ride height check. Williamson’s delay gave fourth spot to Smith's Escort as the field became strung out behind the tussling top three, with the top four finishers all racing in Class C. Bailey won Class B in fifth with his Rover, one place ahead of the division runner-up Cannell's Ford Capri in sixth. Don Hughes started from the back of the field but came through to beat James Dunkley to the Class D win in seventh, with the Fiesta following the Golf home in eighth. Steve Walden’s BMW E30 was ninth, with the big Class A-winning Jaguar of Mike Broadway the last classified finisher in tenth despite making an early pit stop. In addition to Williamson, Mostyn Rutter was also chucked out of the results after his Vauxhall Firenza was another to fall the ride height test.
Qualifying: Also having their own stand-alone grid were the Pre '83 contenders, of which a healthy eighteen cars were entered. The session was topped by a delayed Jonathan Corker, who had to return to the paddock after a fuel pump wire came adrift aboard his Datsun 510. The reigning champion emerged from the pitlane in the session’s second half and left it to the bitter end to snatch pole position by 0.728 seconds from Nick Williamson’s Rover SD1 with his last timed lap, having lost one lap to the track limit police. Nic Grindrod and Tom Harvey formed a Mk1 Escort monopoly on the second row, with Grindrod another to have a lap time taken from him and he had sat at the top of the times for much of qualifying before being bumped by Williamson and Corker within seconds of each other. Jared Knight took his Mk2 Escort round in the fifth-fastest time and headed Jerry Bailey’s Toshiba-liveried Rover SD1, which was previously seen in the hands of Tony Palmer. The yellow Mk1 Escort of Graham Smith trumped Carl Shreeve’s Triumph Dolomite on the fourth row and just 0.077 seconds separated them, with the latter losing a lap to the watchful eye of the stewards. The Class D pacesetter Don Hughes and Reece Cannell’s Mk2 Capri claimed the last two places inside the top ten. The second and third-fastest Class D pair occupying the sixth row were split by 0.409 seconds as Robyn Slater’s Escort Mk1 got the better of James Dunkley’s Fiesta XR2 in eleventh and twelfth. The only Class A car present qualified on the back row as Mike Broadway landed the Jaguar in seventeenth position.
Race One: The Pre '83s were scheduled to race into the sunset on Saturday evening but the Classic Thunder first lap incidents pushed the opening race for the Pre ‘83s onto Sunday morning’s schedule. Top Class D qualifier Don Hughes rolled off from ninth on the grid after a bolt sheared in the VW’s gear linkage. The V8 grunt of Nick Williamson's Rover may have been expected to carry him into the lead off the line but poleman Jonathan Corker led away from Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort, who got down the inside of Williamson under braking for Redgate. Tom Harvey also saw his chance to take third place and dived inside the Rover at the apex, the two stayed side-by-side down the hill before Williamson had a big twitch attempting to brave it out beside the Escort through the left handed part of the Craner Curves. The Rover sat fourth from Jared Knight’s Mk2 Escort and Graham Smith's Mk1 example, which passed Jerry Bailey's Rover into sixth approaching Redgate. The leading Datsun also wagged its tail down the Craners on the opening lap and the top four remained close, with Harvey having to defend from Williamson into the Fogarty Esses during lap two. Corker weathered the early storm and began to ease away as the pair of chasing Mk1 Escorts both received warning flags for track limits but an undeterred Harvey started to press Grindrod's similar car after setting the fastest lap to that point. Williamson had also remained in touch and got down the inside of the ShellSport Escort into the Melbourne Hairpin for the fourth time but Harvey staved off the Rover on the brakes for Goddards. Williamson continued to push Harvey and the Escort had to work very hard to fend off the Rover once more into the Fogarty Esses on lap five before the news broke that Harvey had copped a dreaded five-second track limit penalty. Williamson passed the Mk1 Escort on track after getting a great run down to the Melbourne Hairpin on lap six but gave the place straight back with an oversteery exit from the corner. The Rover finally made a move stick during lap seven and the top four were back together when they started the final lap without too many seconds to spare. Williamson had a run on Grindrod’s Escort for second up the hill to McLeans but the Mk1 held on, the Rover then drew alongside out of Coppice before Grindrod defended the inside into the Melbourne Hairpin. Corker stayed just out of reach of the tussle as he took the flag by 0.673 seconds from Grindrod. An opportunist Harvey threw his Escort up the inside of Williamson at Goddards but ran wide to gift Williamson's Class B-winning Rover third place over the line, as well as on the result sheet. The penalised Harvey was demoted to fifth place, having accrued fifteen seconds worth of track limit penalties, which promoted Smith’s similar car to fourth. The Mk2 Escort of Jared Knight had led Smith's Mk1 version for the bulk of the race before taking sixth, with the Toshiba Rover of Bailey and Reece Cannell's brake-hampered Capri seventh and eighth. Neil Philpotts‘ turbocharged Mitsubishi had made solid progress after a setback in qualifying but slowed dramatically in the closing stages when running in fifth place, the rare Japanese saloon came home ninth but showed its pace with the fastest lap of the race. James Dunkley took the Class D lead from the start with the demise of Hughes and was the sole finisher from the split in tenth overall after the Mk1 Escort of Robyn Slater, who had outqualified the Fiesta, fell by the wayside in a cloud of smoke on lap six. Mike Broadway’s Jaguar was the only Class A machine entered and the big cat made it home in thirteenth overall to secure the class win. Colin Claxton's Triumph dropped out with a broken diff, whilst the other Triumph Dolomite of Carl Shreeve ended its race in the concrete wall after slipping off on spilled fluid. The pretty Alfa Romeo GTV6 of long-time marque pedaller Chris Snowdon wouldn’t go the distance after blowing a head gasket on its V6 engine.
Race Two: A quick turnaround for the Pre ‘83 contenders saw them back out for Race Two just after the lunch break, with a dozen cars coming to the grid. Missing would be the Ford Escorts of Jared Knight and Robin Slater, Colin Claxton and Carl Shreeve's Triumph Dolomites, Neil Philpotts' Mitsubishi Colt Lancer Turbo and Chris Snowdon's Alfa Romeo GTV6 but Don Hughes had refettled his VW Golf in the interim and took his place at the back of the field. The morning sunshine had given way to high cloud in the roughly one hour and three quarters between the two outings. Opening race winner Jonathan Corker converted his pole position into the race lead at the start of the fifteen minutes, whilst Nic Grindrod got his elbows out to hold off Nick Williamson into Redgate after lighting up his rear tyres off the line. Tom Harvey came out of Redgate in fourth place, with a fast-starting Reece Cannell getting the better of Graham Smith for fifth position. Smith's Mk1 Escort took back fifth through Hollywood and Jerry Bailey knocked the Capri down another spot to seventh at the Old Hairpin. The top five cars were line astern for much of the opening lap until Harvey eased into third on the GP loop after Williamson missed a cog in his Rover, with the Class B leader then coming under threat from Smith after hanging the tail out at Goddards. Leader Corker also missed a gear coming out of Goddards for the second time and the shadowing Grindrod took full advantage to hit the front starting lap three around the outside at Redgate. Harvey was also running with them and the ShellSport Escort went second down the Wheatcroft Straight a lap later, with Corker having fumbled his gears for a second time. Corker got his head together and soon began pressuring Harvey, who was forced to defend his second place with some bravery under braking on the GP loop for the fifth time before the Datsun passed the Mk1 Escort along the Exhibition Straight on the following tour. The current champion then brought down Grindrod's advantage of almost one-and-a-half seconds over the next two circulations. Following a good exit from the Fogarty Esses, Corker lunged ahead into the Melbourne Hairpin for the penultimate time and started the last lap with just five seconds left on the clock after covering off Grindrod's retaliation at Goddards. The Datsun got to the line first by 0.988 seconds from Grindrod on-the-road but officially the gap was 3.593 seconds to Harvey, after the earlier runner-up was slapped with a ten-second false start penalty. However, Grindrod still claimed a podium finish despite his censure. Williamson's Rover didn't seem to quite have the speed to threaten the top three once the second bout settled down and the Class B car pitted out of fourth ending lap six after his V8 engine lost all its water. The Rover rejoined the race a couple of laps down but Williamson’s efforts to get going again were in vain as he was subsequently excluded for failing the post-race ride height check. Williamson’s delay gave fourth spot to Smith's Escort as the field became strung out behind the tussling top three, with the top four finishers all racing in Class C. Bailey won Class B in fifth with his Rover, one place ahead of the division runner-up Cannell's Ford Capri in sixth. Don Hughes started from the back of the field but came through to beat James Dunkley to the Class D win in seventh, with the Fiesta following the Golf home in eighth. Steve Walden’s BMW E30 was ninth, with the big Class A-winning Jaguar of Mike Broadway the last classified finisher in tenth despite making an early pit stop. In addition to Williamson, Mostyn Rutter was also chucked out of the results after his Vauxhall Firenza was another to fall the ride height test.
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Classic Thunder/Historic Thunder/BOSS/Pre '93 & Pre '03
Qualifying: A mammoth field of 36 varied machines would fill the club's third grid of the weekend and made for a very busy qualifying session. A pair of rapid V8-engined 1 Series BMWs topped the times before track limit punishments came into play. The 2025 final round polesitter Dave Farrow’s hatchback example had originally bested Intersport Racing ace Kevin Clarke’s ex-Matty Evans coupe version by 0.534 seconds for pole position but both lost four lap times to officialdom. Farrow retained pole position but the third-fastest car of Joe Collier moved up to the front row and was just 0.173 seconds behind the polesitter, with Clarke relegated to third. Jasver Sapra lost one lap time to track limits but stayed fourth aboard his more modern F80 BMW 3-Series and an all-BMW top five was completed by Mike Cutt’s E36 M3. The Australian Ford Falcon of Andy Robinson set the sixth-best time, with the V8 Supercar only 0.134 seconds down on fellow northerner Cutt and Robinson was another to lose a lap to track limits. Colin Voyce qualified as the top Historic contender in seventh with his fleet Mk1 Escort Turbo. Giuseppe Callari in another BMW was eighth fastest from leading BOSS runner Mike Manning in ninth, who felt the Sierra was fitted with an unsuitable diff and one of his mechanics faced a drive south on Saturday night to fetch a better geared replacement. 2025 double champion Ian Bower completed the top ten as the top Pre ‘93 competitor and was split from the second-fastest Oliver Owen by Kevin Denwood’s 3 Series Compact but Owen suffered overheating issues and stopped early. Fourteenth-placed Ross Craig’s Honda was the quickest Pre ‘03 car. Kevin Willis’ BMW M3 was third among the Pre ‘93 set in sixteenth, followed by the second-fastest Historic Thunder and BOSS runner in seventeenth as Martin Reynolds headed the ninth row with his Mk2 Escort. The Civic of second-fastest Pre ‘03 contender Kam Tunio had three laps scrubbed for track limit liberties so slipped two places from eighteenth. Andy Wilson’s rumbling Mercedes C63 AMG suffered a disjointed session with water pump issues and replaced the Honda on the ninth row, whilst Sam Daffin also gained a grid position from Tunio’s brush with authority to be third of the BOSS competitors. Daffin had switched out the Ecoboost engine from his RWD Fiesta for a Duratec unit over the winter and moved into Class D as a result. Melvin Hooker’s supercharged Jaguar XJS was third-quickest of the Historic Thunder cars in 21st and the Group 44 livery carried by Hooker’s mount was particularly poignant after the recent passing of joint founder Bob Tullius. Multiple Pre ‘83 champion Stephen Primett is picking and choosing where he races this season and placed an entry in the BOSS field with his 1600cc BDA-powered Mk1 Escort, topping his class in 22nd. Tim Tomblin beat 2025 Pre ‘03 overall champion David Cave to the Class A pole on his first appearance by a slender 0.169 seconds. In addition to Classic Thunder front runner Wilson’s travails, a number of other drivers battled difficulties. AJ Owen barely got round Redgate before an electrical issue stopped the Pre ‘03 Honda in its tracks, a broken wire on the throttle position sensor plug was spotted by a knowledgeable lady in the paddock and the Civic would be fixed in time for the races. Pre ‘93 leading contender Shaun Morris' weekend ended sooner than planned after the Bastos E36 M3 succumbed to engine woes suspected to be bottom end related, whilst Historic rallying ace Ernie Graham also had an early bath after more engine problems struck his gorgeous E30 BMW M3. Chris Brown broke a mount on his self-developed Mk2 Fiesta’s splitter and the car would run without the appendage for the rest of the weekend.
Race One: Poleman Dave Farrow fended off Joe Collier and Kevin Clarke to lead into Redgate from the latter, whilst the power of Andy Robinson’s 7-litre Falcon brought him alongside the battling BMWs but fell back again under braking. However, behind them a startline incident swiftly brought the race to a stop. After his troubled qualifying left him in the midfield, Andy Wilson stayed to the left as the field accelerated and tagged Kevin Willis when the BMW drifted left as Wilson passed. The ex-Superstars Mercedes was flicked right into the innocent Ross Craig’s Honda and the V8 machine spun to a stop middle of track with the offside suspension rearranged front and rear, luckily the rest of the pack navigated around the obstruction. Meanwhile, Craig’s Honda turned hard left into the pit wall before spinning across the circuit and clipping the Willis BMW on its way to coming to rest on the grass, whilst Willis pulled off into the pitlane exit with both nearside corners askew. Front row starter Collier clobbered one of the Fogarty Esses tyre stacks before the reds came out but was still able to take the ten-minute restart, whilst Robinson’s Falcon wouldn't be on the grid after the Australian machine began to smoke heavily as the field slowed when its gearbox casing split. When the lights went out, Jasver Sapra made a great start to thread between front row men Farrow and Collier to lead the field into Redgate. Clarke's 1 Series coupe also managed to split Farrow and Collier, with the three of them coming out of Redgate abreast before Clarke established himself in second as the other two toughed it out for third down the Craners. However, the Safety Car boards soon came out again for a first corner incident. BOSS racer Chris Brown was racing with slicks fitted to his much-modified Fiesta for the first time and clipped the BMW of Daniel Gandesha after slewing sideways on cold rubber. The contact knocked the Pre '03 car into the path of the spaceframe BMW Z4 silhouette of Simon Hutt, who was left with nowhere to go and both ended up in the Redgate gravel trap as Brown's Fiesta spun onto the infield grass. The remaining time ran out with the field still under the control of the Safety Car so the results were basically set after half a lap of racing. Sapra's launch to the lead gave him the victory from Clarke, whilst Collier won his test of nerve with Farrow to claim third place. Mike Cutt was classified fifth, with Historic Thunder victor Colin Voyce completing the top six. Oliver Owen outdragged the qualifying fast man Ian Bower to Redgate and got the Pre ‘93 win as a result in seventh, one place ahead of the reigning champion. The E46 M3 of Giuseppe Callari was ninth, with BOSS victor Mike Manning rounding out the top ten with his superb Texaco RS500. Martin Reynolds placed second of the BOSS field in thirteenth and Sam Daffin finished third plus topped Class D, one place ahead of Class E winner Stephen Primett. Graham Myers was third in Class B and in Pre ‘93 overall with his Jägermeister E36 BMW. The loss of leading Pre ‘03 qualifier Ross Craig in the race-stopping incident left the door open for Kam Tunio’s similar Honda to take the Pre ‘03 honours. David Cave won Class A and finished second in the category from fellow BMW pilot Tom Tomblin, who was the third Pre ‘03 car in the overall classification.
Race Two: A frantic opening lap saw poleman Jasver Sapra hold off Kevin Clarke for the lead into Redgate before Joe Collier got alongside the ex-Matty Evans 1 Series through Hollywood. Clarke held onto second down the Craners and immediately swept into the lead past Sapra into the Old Hairpin. The V8-engined 1 Series coupe only led as far as McLeans as its V8 engine cut out exiting the corner, Clarke quickly performed a reset and carried on but lost a lot of ground as Sapra returned to the race lead and the Midlander fell to tenth behind Giuseppe Callari's M3. Top qualifier Dave Farrow followed Collier in third from Colin Voyce, who was racing with a split turbo hose. In sixth, Mike Cutt battled to hold off fellow E36 BMW pilot Ian Bower up the hill to McLeans as eighth-placed Anton Martin was likewise engaged with Mike Manning's BOSS-leading Sierra RS500. Voyce's turbo trouble didn't show early on as the Historic Mk1 Escort Turbo whistled past Farrow down the Exhibition Straight into third, whilst Sapra's defence of the lead from Collier on the GP loop kept the leading runners together. With the pack still tight at the head of the field as lap one came to a close, Voyce powered past Collier's E46 M3 out of Goddards and drew alongside Sapra down to Redgate. However, the Escort was held on the outside line and was compelled to slot into second through the corner. The BMW 1 Series V8 of Farrow also began to work forwards, passing Collier through Hollywood for the second time and Cutt also went by Collier into fourth exiting Coppice. Sapra was sticking to a narrow line in most places to fend off the eager Voyce but the leading Historic Thunder Escort ended lap two down in third after Farrow dived inside into the Melbourne Hairpin. The top six remained glued together as Sapra held off a run from Farrow down to the Old Hairpin for the third time but the 3 Series' time at the front was up as Farrow ended the lap ahead. Cutt was also on the move and passed Voyce for third, with the E36 M3 also bagging Sapra to go second during lap four. The leading 1 Series had scampered into a near two-second lead whilst Sapra defended his position but Cutt began to slice into Farrow's advantage before the EDF Motorsport machine moved away again during the closing moments to take the glory by 2.434 seconds. The delayed Clarke had ended the opening lap back in front of Callari in ninth before gaining three places on lap two alone to be well in touch of the race leaders. Collier's M3 fell victim to the charging Clarke at McLeans on lap four, with the headlights-blazing Voyce next to submit at the Old Hairpin a lap later. Sapra drove a typically defensive line as Clarke ranged up to the 3 Series but he couldn't stop the 1 Series coupe from taking third down the Craner Curves on lap six, with Clarke closing down a 4.696-second deficit to finish up 1.504 seconds behind second-placed Cutt. Collier overcame an early misfire to set the race's fastest lap and just miss out on the third step of the podium in fourth after following Clarke past Voyce before taking Sapra around the outside of McLeans soon after Clarke's pass. Historic Thunder king Voyce fell back through the BMW horde into a scrap with the Mike Manning Sierra and Giuseppe Callari M3 for sixth overall, with the turbocharged Mk1 Escort holding from on Manning as it finished right on the tail of Sapra. The Texaco-liveried RS500 of Manning topped the BOSS category comfortably from Martin Reynolds’ X-Pack Mk2 Escort in second, which was also registered for Historic Thunder points. Sam Daffin’s revamped rear-wheel-drive ’SuperFestaMk2’ claimed Class D glory once more in third and rewrote the split's lap record to boot, with Stephen Primett finishing a smidge under two seconds behind Daffin to wrap up a Class E double. Defending champion Ian Bower took the Pre ‘93 spoils with his rapid E36 M3 despite incurring a five-second track limit penalty, well ahead of the similarly mounted Graham Myers in second place. Bower had run ahead of the battling Manning and Callari inside the top ten early on before the pair both went through and Bower was ultimately classified tenth. The final podium spot in the category was taken by Mark Fynney’s Mk2 Astra GTE, with no other finishers in the division after Race One victor Oliver Owen and Daniel Gandesha both retired their BMWs. Kam Tunio won the Pre ‘03s for a second time, whilst triple champion AJ Owen climbed to second aboard his similar Civic Type R from the back of the grid in 32nd, after not being allowed to contest Race One, before rising to sixteenth by the finish. 2025 champion David Cave took his second Class A win of the weekend in third. Melvin Hooker's rumbling Jaguar completed the Historic Thunder podium in seventeenth overall.
Qualifying: A mammoth field of 36 varied machines would fill the club's third grid of the weekend and made for a very busy qualifying session. A pair of rapid V8-engined 1 Series BMWs topped the times before track limit punishments came into play. The 2025 final round polesitter Dave Farrow’s hatchback example had originally bested Intersport Racing ace Kevin Clarke’s ex-Matty Evans coupe version by 0.534 seconds for pole position but both lost four lap times to officialdom. Farrow retained pole position but the third-fastest car of Joe Collier moved up to the front row and was just 0.173 seconds behind the polesitter, with Clarke relegated to third. Jasver Sapra lost one lap time to track limits but stayed fourth aboard his more modern F80 BMW 3-Series and an all-BMW top five was completed by Mike Cutt’s E36 M3. The Australian Ford Falcon of Andy Robinson set the sixth-best time, with the V8 Supercar only 0.134 seconds down on fellow northerner Cutt and Robinson was another to lose a lap to track limits. Colin Voyce qualified as the top Historic contender in seventh with his fleet Mk1 Escort Turbo. Giuseppe Callari in another BMW was eighth fastest from leading BOSS runner Mike Manning in ninth, who felt the Sierra was fitted with an unsuitable diff and one of his mechanics faced a drive south on Saturday night to fetch a better geared replacement. 2025 double champion Ian Bower completed the top ten as the top Pre ‘93 competitor and was split from the second-fastest Oliver Owen by Kevin Denwood’s 3 Series Compact but Owen suffered overheating issues and stopped early. Fourteenth-placed Ross Craig’s Honda was the quickest Pre ‘03 car. Kevin Willis’ BMW M3 was third among the Pre ‘93 set in sixteenth, followed by the second-fastest Historic Thunder and BOSS runner in seventeenth as Martin Reynolds headed the ninth row with his Mk2 Escort. The Civic of second-fastest Pre ‘03 contender Kam Tunio had three laps scrubbed for track limit liberties so slipped two places from eighteenth. Andy Wilson’s rumbling Mercedes C63 AMG suffered a disjointed session with water pump issues and replaced the Honda on the ninth row, whilst Sam Daffin also gained a grid position from Tunio’s brush with authority to be third of the BOSS competitors. Daffin had switched out the Ecoboost engine from his RWD Fiesta for a Duratec unit over the winter and moved into Class D as a result. Melvin Hooker’s supercharged Jaguar XJS was third-quickest of the Historic Thunder cars in 21st and the Group 44 livery carried by Hooker’s mount was particularly poignant after the recent passing of joint founder Bob Tullius. Multiple Pre ‘83 champion Stephen Primett is picking and choosing where he races this season and placed an entry in the BOSS field with his 1600cc BDA-powered Mk1 Escort, topping his class in 22nd. Tim Tomblin beat 2025 Pre ‘03 overall champion David Cave to the Class A pole on his first appearance by a slender 0.169 seconds. In addition to Classic Thunder front runner Wilson’s travails, a number of other drivers battled difficulties. AJ Owen barely got round Redgate before an electrical issue stopped the Pre ‘03 Honda in its tracks, a broken wire on the throttle position sensor plug was spotted by a knowledgeable lady in the paddock and the Civic would be fixed in time for the races. Pre ‘93 leading contender Shaun Morris' weekend ended sooner than planned after the Bastos E36 M3 succumbed to engine woes suspected to be bottom end related, whilst Historic rallying ace Ernie Graham also had an early bath after more engine problems struck his gorgeous E30 BMW M3. Chris Brown broke a mount on his self-developed Mk2 Fiesta’s splitter and the car would run without the appendage for the rest of the weekend.
Race One: Poleman Dave Farrow fended off Joe Collier and Kevin Clarke to lead into Redgate from the latter, whilst the power of Andy Robinson’s 7-litre Falcon brought him alongside the battling BMWs but fell back again under braking. However, behind them a startline incident swiftly brought the race to a stop. After his troubled qualifying left him in the midfield, Andy Wilson stayed to the left as the field accelerated and tagged Kevin Willis when the BMW drifted left as Wilson passed. The ex-Superstars Mercedes was flicked right into the innocent Ross Craig’s Honda and the V8 machine spun to a stop middle of track with the offside suspension rearranged front and rear, luckily the rest of the pack navigated around the obstruction. Meanwhile, Craig’s Honda turned hard left into the pit wall before spinning across the circuit and clipping the Willis BMW on its way to coming to rest on the grass, whilst Willis pulled off into the pitlane exit with both nearside corners askew. Front row starter Collier clobbered one of the Fogarty Esses tyre stacks before the reds came out but was still able to take the ten-minute restart, whilst Robinson’s Falcon wouldn't be on the grid after the Australian machine began to smoke heavily as the field slowed when its gearbox casing split. When the lights went out, Jasver Sapra made a great start to thread between front row men Farrow and Collier to lead the field into Redgate. Clarke's 1 Series coupe also managed to split Farrow and Collier, with the three of them coming out of Redgate abreast before Clarke established himself in second as the other two toughed it out for third down the Craners. However, the Safety Car boards soon came out again for a first corner incident. BOSS racer Chris Brown was racing with slicks fitted to his much-modified Fiesta for the first time and clipped the BMW of Daniel Gandesha after slewing sideways on cold rubber. The contact knocked the Pre '03 car into the path of the spaceframe BMW Z4 silhouette of Simon Hutt, who was left with nowhere to go and both ended up in the Redgate gravel trap as Brown's Fiesta spun onto the infield grass. The remaining time ran out with the field still under the control of the Safety Car so the results were basically set after half a lap of racing. Sapra's launch to the lead gave him the victory from Clarke, whilst Collier won his test of nerve with Farrow to claim third place. Mike Cutt was classified fifth, with Historic Thunder victor Colin Voyce completing the top six. Oliver Owen outdragged the qualifying fast man Ian Bower to Redgate and got the Pre ‘93 win as a result in seventh, one place ahead of the reigning champion. The E46 M3 of Giuseppe Callari was ninth, with BOSS victor Mike Manning rounding out the top ten with his superb Texaco RS500. Martin Reynolds placed second of the BOSS field in thirteenth and Sam Daffin finished third plus topped Class D, one place ahead of Class E winner Stephen Primett. Graham Myers was third in Class B and in Pre ‘93 overall with his Jägermeister E36 BMW. The loss of leading Pre ‘03 qualifier Ross Craig in the race-stopping incident left the door open for Kam Tunio’s similar Honda to take the Pre ‘03 honours. David Cave won Class A and finished second in the category from fellow BMW pilot Tom Tomblin, who was the third Pre ‘03 car in the overall classification.
Race Two: A frantic opening lap saw poleman Jasver Sapra hold off Kevin Clarke for the lead into Redgate before Joe Collier got alongside the ex-Matty Evans 1 Series through Hollywood. Clarke held onto second down the Craners and immediately swept into the lead past Sapra into the Old Hairpin. The V8-engined 1 Series coupe only led as far as McLeans as its V8 engine cut out exiting the corner, Clarke quickly performed a reset and carried on but lost a lot of ground as Sapra returned to the race lead and the Midlander fell to tenth behind Giuseppe Callari's M3. Top qualifier Dave Farrow followed Collier in third from Colin Voyce, who was racing with a split turbo hose. In sixth, Mike Cutt battled to hold off fellow E36 BMW pilot Ian Bower up the hill to McLeans as eighth-placed Anton Martin was likewise engaged with Mike Manning's BOSS-leading Sierra RS500. Voyce's turbo trouble didn't show early on as the Historic Mk1 Escort Turbo whistled past Farrow down the Exhibition Straight into third, whilst Sapra's defence of the lead from Collier on the GP loop kept the leading runners together. With the pack still tight at the head of the field as lap one came to a close, Voyce powered past Collier's E46 M3 out of Goddards and drew alongside Sapra down to Redgate. However, the Escort was held on the outside line and was compelled to slot into second through the corner. The BMW 1 Series V8 of Farrow also began to work forwards, passing Collier through Hollywood for the second time and Cutt also went by Collier into fourth exiting Coppice. Sapra was sticking to a narrow line in most places to fend off the eager Voyce but the leading Historic Thunder Escort ended lap two down in third after Farrow dived inside into the Melbourne Hairpin. The top six remained glued together as Sapra held off a run from Farrow down to the Old Hairpin for the third time but the 3 Series' time at the front was up as Farrow ended the lap ahead. Cutt was also on the move and passed Voyce for third, with the E36 M3 also bagging Sapra to go second during lap four. The leading 1 Series had scampered into a near two-second lead whilst Sapra defended his position but Cutt began to slice into Farrow's advantage before the EDF Motorsport machine moved away again during the closing moments to take the glory by 2.434 seconds. The delayed Clarke had ended the opening lap back in front of Callari in ninth before gaining three places on lap two alone to be well in touch of the race leaders. Collier's M3 fell victim to the charging Clarke at McLeans on lap four, with the headlights-blazing Voyce next to submit at the Old Hairpin a lap later. Sapra drove a typically defensive line as Clarke ranged up to the 3 Series but he couldn't stop the 1 Series coupe from taking third down the Craner Curves on lap six, with Clarke closing down a 4.696-second deficit to finish up 1.504 seconds behind second-placed Cutt. Collier overcame an early misfire to set the race's fastest lap and just miss out on the third step of the podium in fourth after following Clarke past Voyce before taking Sapra around the outside of McLeans soon after Clarke's pass. Historic Thunder king Voyce fell back through the BMW horde into a scrap with the Mike Manning Sierra and Giuseppe Callari M3 for sixth overall, with the turbocharged Mk1 Escort holding from on Manning as it finished right on the tail of Sapra. The Texaco-liveried RS500 of Manning topped the BOSS category comfortably from Martin Reynolds’ X-Pack Mk2 Escort in second, which was also registered for Historic Thunder points. Sam Daffin’s revamped rear-wheel-drive ’SuperFestaMk2’ claimed Class D glory once more in third and rewrote the split's lap record to boot, with Stephen Primett finishing a smidge under two seconds behind Daffin to wrap up a Class E double. Defending champion Ian Bower took the Pre ‘93 spoils with his rapid E36 M3 despite incurring a five-second track limit penalty, well ahead of the similarly mounted Graham Myers in second place. Bower had run ahead of the battling Manning and Callari inside the top ten early on before the pair both went through and Bower was ultimately classified tenth. The final podium spot in the category was taken by Mark Fynney’s Mk2 Astra GTE, with no other finishers in the division after Race One victor Oliver Owen and Daniel Gandesha both retired their BMWs. Kam Tunio won the Pre ‘03s for a second time, whilst triple champion AJ Owen climbed to second aboard his similar Civic Type R from the back of the grid in 32nd, after not being allowed to contest Race One, before rising to sixteenth by the finish. 2025 champion David Cave took his second Class A win of the weekend in third. Melvin Hooker's rumbling Jaguar completed the Historic Thunder podium in seventeenth overall.
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The Classic Touring Car Racing Club heads to Cadwell Park next for round two over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of April.