CTCRC Thruxton 4th & 5th July 2026
VAUGHAN DEDICATES EMOTIONAL VICTORY DOUBLE TO DEARLY DEPARTED DAD
The fourth championship meeting for the numerous Classic Touring Car Racing Club championships was held at the 1980s-themed Thruxton Retro festival over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of July.
The fourth championship meeting for the numerous Classic Touring Car Racing Club championships was held at the 1980s-themed Thruxton Retro festival over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of July.
Classic Thunder/Historic Thunder/BOSS
Qualifying: Nick Vaughan’s returning Audi came back with a bang as the 2023 champion scorched to pole position by over 3.5 seconds and Vaughan would be racing in honour of his recently-passed father. The BMW M3 of Giuseppe Callari trailed Vaughan by 3.575 seconds as he booked his place on the front row beside the turbocharged A3, whilst the V8-powered 1 Series of Dave Farrow headed the second row by 0.272 seconds from reigning champion Ian Bower’s Pre ‘93 specification E36 M3 in an impressive fourth. Piers Grange topped the BOSS field with fifth aboard his rapid Mk2 Escort, whilst the E46 M3 of Joe Collier set the sixth fastest time despite a sagging front splitter. The leading Historic Thunder contender was Colin Voyce and he took his Mk1 Escort Turbo round in the seventh fastest time from Simon Collier’s rare Honda Turbo-engined BMW in eighth. Jim Janicki’s mighty Nissan Skyline GTR was ninth and would be joined by the BMW 3 Series Compact of Kevin Denwood on the fifth row. The second fastest BOSS machine of Martin Reynolds would wind up 11th overall, with Cliff Pellin’s Fiesta Turbo the third fastest BOSS contender in 13th. Pellin was split from Reynolds' Mk2 Escort by Thruxton owner Alex Thistlethwayte’s Chevrolet Camaro, the ex-Martin Thomas machine was second among the Historic Thunder set and was one of four cars that Thistlethwayte would be driving over the course of the weekend in various classes. Unfortunately, the stunning Group 5 Zakspeed Capri of Nigel Mustill wilted during the session and wouldn’t be seen for the remainder of the weekend.
Race One: Reigning champion Ian Bower’s BMW was missing from the second row for the opener after its earlier trouble in the Pre ‘83/‘93/‘03 race. From pole position, Nick Vaughan broke the tow on lap one and had escaped in the lead by 3.149 seconds after just 2.356 miles, Joe Collier got ahead of rowmate Piers Grange at the rolling start and took advantage of Dave Farrow’s failed attack on Giuseppe Callari to take third from the 1 Series through Cobb. The BMW fought past front row man Callari’s power steering-free similar car in the middle of the Club Chicane on lap one but couldn’t make any inroads on the flying Audi out front once up to second, with the 2023 champion stroking the Audi home to take a heart-warming win by 5.108 seconds from the E46 M3. Dave Farrow’s kerb-hopping BMW 1 Series V8 also passed Callari for third starting lap two, after seeing off the attention of two feisty Fords, and Farrow slid the lurid hatchback to a place on the podium some 31.502 seconds away from the dominant Vaughan. The struggling Callari BMW fell back towards the squabbling Escorts of BOSS winner Piers Grange’s Mk2 example and Historic victor Colin Voyce’s Mk1 version. Grange pulled off a neat move on lap two at the Complex to take fourth, driving around the outside of Campbell to give him the inside of Cobb, but the BMW had reclaimed the place by the end of the lap. The pair were caught by Jim Janicki’s Nissan Skyline too, after winning a battle with Simon Collier’s unusual Honda K-swapped BMW M3 Turbo and Kevin Denwood’s BMW 3 Series Compact. A contrasting battle of size between Alex Thistlethwayte’s Chevrolet Camaro and Cliff Pellin’s turbocharged Ford Fiesta went the way of the former’s Historic Thunder car by 0.600 seconds, whilst the latter claimed a Class C-winning third among the BOSS finishers. The Fiesta got ahead exiting the Complex on lap five but the muscle car powered back ahead up Woodham Hill with three minutes to go. There was a big battle to be the fourth BOSS finisher as Colin Claxton’s Mk1 Escort YB took the spot ahead of Class D winner Will Hunt’s Fiesta, with more Fiestas also involved in the hands of Michael Kenneally, Todd Hawkins and Michael Rudge - which went off-song towards the end.
Race Two: Nick Vaughan led away again at the start of Race Two but was unable to break away on lap one like he did on Saturday as a determined Joe Collier was glued to his tail. The BMW dived to the front into the Complex at the first time of asking but the pair would swap the lead again up Woodham Hill. A cat and mouse battle followed as the nimbler BMW held the advantage in the tighter sections but Vaughan’s Audi had the legs during the flat out blasts. The gap between them was still just under a second after five laps but came down again when Vaughan’s attention was caught by a 120+ mph slide in sixth gear at Church on lap six and the wind pressure tore off a rear wing end plate! With renewed vigour, Collier hit the front again on lap seven when they encountered traffic at Seagrave but the Audi’s blistering straightline performance carried Vaughan back into top spot up Woodham Hill. The Saturday winner’s race had got harder when the A3 Turbo lost its clutch around four laps in, which caused a tricky moment at the Complex for the eighth time as Vaughan wrestled with the Audi’s ‘dog’ gearbox with Collier to his outside and both sailed wide but the BMW swept into the lead around the outside of Cobb. Once they reached the faster back section, Vaughan again sailed through but between Village and Church this time. The Complex again was the scene for another switch of the lead on lap nine as Collier capitalised on Vaughan drifting wide before the Audi returned to the front once more at Church, with Collier attempting a switchback move at the exit but lacked the grunt to pull it off. However, the frenetic contest wouldn’t last to the flag after the second-placed BMW suddenly slowed with a mysterious misfire whilst making another attack for the lead as just over two minutes remained. Freed from pressure, Vaughan eventually won by 7.517 seconds, ‘the perfect way to honour dad’s memory’ he stated on the circuit public address system after his biggest supporter passed away just over six weeks before the meeting. Collier got going again and took back second place from ‘Joe’ Callari during the penultimate lap at Goodwood. The similar E46 M3 of Callari was going much better with its power steering restored and completed the podium in third. Dave Farrow spectacularly hurled his BMW 1 Series V8 around to fourth, whilst a big scrap for fifth was led by Grange’s BOSS Escort to begin with but Simon Collier was the first to get ahead before leading Historic contender Colin Voyce got through exiting Church on lap five as the Mk2 fell to back of the group behind Jim Janicki, Ian Bower, who'd driven up from the back of the grid, and Kevin Denwood. The other Collier BMW also suffered a very late drama as Simon Collier’s Honda-engined M3 slipped back to ninth on the final tour to finish between Denwood and BOSS victor Grange. Cliff Pellin and Martin Reynolds also diced furiously for second of the BOSS runners, Reynolds’ Mk2 Escort was ahead at first but the Fiesta was in front when it mattered at the flag. Colin Claxton was fourth with his Cosworth-powered Mk1 Escort Turbo, ahead of the leading Class D pair Todd Hawkins and Michael Rudge. Class D front runner Will Hunt stopped on Woodham Hill with a puncture, whilst Pat Kenneally had a run in his son’s Fiesta for Race Two but wouldn’t reach the flag.
Qualifying: Nick Vaughan’s returning Audi came back with a bang as the 2023 champion scorched to pole position by over 3.5 seconds and Vaughan would be racing in honour of his recently-passed father. The BMW M3 of Giuseppe Callari trailed Vaughan by 3.575 seconds as he booked his place on the front row beside the turbocharged A3, whilst the V8-powered 1 Series of Dave Farrow headed the second row by 0.272 seconds from reigning champion Ian Bower’s Pre ‘93 specification E36 M3 in an impressive fourth. Piers Grange topped the BOSS field with fifth aboard his rapid Mk2 Escort, whilst the E46 M3 of Joe Collier set the sixth fastest time despite a sagging front splitter. The leading Historic Thunder contender was Colin Voyce and he took his Mk1 Escort Turbo round in the seventh fastest time from Simon Collier’s rare Honda Turbo-engined BMW in eighth. Jim Janicki’s mighty Nissan Skyline GTR was ninth and would be joined by the BMW 3 Series Compact of Kevin Denwood on the fifth row. The second fastest BOSS machine of Martin Reynolds would wind up 11th overall, with Cliff Pellin’s Fiesta Turbo the third fastest BOSS contender in 13th. Pellin was split from Reynolds' Mk2 Escort by Thruxton owner Alex Thistlethwayte’s Chevrolet Camaro, the ex-Martin Thomas machine was second among the Historic Thunder set and was one of four cars that Thistlethwayte would be driving over the course of the weekend in various classes. Unfortunately, the stunning Group 5 Zakspeed Capri of Nigel Mustill wilted during the session and wouldn’t be seen for the remainder of the weekend.
Race One: Reigning champion Ian Bower’s BMW was missing from the second row for the opener after its earlier trouble in the Pre ‘83/‘93/‘03 race. From pole position, Nick Vaughan broke the tow on lap one and had escaped in the lead by 3.149 seconds after just 2.356 miles, Joe Collier got ahead of rowmate Piers Grange at the rolling start and took advantage of Dave Farrow’s failed attack on Giuseppe Callari to take third from the 1 Series through Cobb. The BMW fought past front row man Callari’s power steering-free similar car in the middle of the Club Chicane on lap one but couldn’t make any inroads on the flying Audi out front once up to second, with the 2023 champion stroking the Audi home to take a heart-warming win by 5.108 seconds from the E46 M3. Dave Farrow’s kerb-hopping BMW 1 Series V8 also passed Callari for third starting lap two, after seeing off the attention of two feisty Fords, and Farrow slid the lurid hatchback to a place on the podium some 31.502 seconds away from the dominant Vaughan. The struggling Callari BMW fell back towards the squabbling Escorts of BOSS winner Piers Grange’s Mk2 example and Historic victor Colin Voyce’s Mk1 version. Grange pulled off a neat move on lap two at the Complex to take fourth, driving around the outside of Campbell to give him the inside of Cobb, but the BMW had reclaimed the place by the end of the lap. The pair were caught by Jim Janicki’s Nissan Skyline too, after winning a battle with Simon Collier’s unusual Honda K-swapped BMW M3 Turbo and Kevin Denwood’s BMW 3 Series Compact. A contrasting battle of size between Alex Thistlethwayte’s Chevrolet Camaro and Cliff Pellin’s turbocharged Ford Fiesta went the way of the former’s Historic Thunder car by 0.600 seconds, whilst the latter claimed a Class C-winning third among the BOSS finishers. The Fiesta got ahead exiting the Complex on lap five but the muscle car powered back ahead up Woodham Hill with three minutes to go. There was a big battle to be the fourth BOSS finisher as Colin Claxton’s Mk1 Escort YB took the spot ahead of Class D winner Will Hunt’s Fiesta, with more Fiestas also involved in the hands of Michael Kenneally, Todd Hawkins and Michael Rudge - which went off-song towards the end.
Race Two: Nick Vaughan led away again at the start of Race Two but was unable to break away on lap one like he did on Saturday as a determined Joe Collier was glued to his tail. The BMW dived to the front into the Complex at the first time of asking but the pair would swap the lead again up Woodham Hill. A cat and mouse battle followed as the nimbler BMW held the advantage in the tighter sections but Vaughan’s Audi had the legs during the flat out blasts. The gap between them was still just under a second after five laps but came down again when Vaughan’s attention was caught by a 120+ mph slide in sixth gear at Church on lap six and the wind pressure tore off a rear wing end plate! With renewed vigour, Collier hit the front again on lap seven when they encountered traffic at Seagrave but the Audi’s blistering straightline performance carried Vaughan back into top spot up Woodham Hill. The Saturday winner’s race had got harder when the A3 Turbo lost its clutch around four laps in, which caused a tricky moment at the Complex for the eighth time as Vaughan wrestled with the Audi’s ‘dog’ gearbox with Collier to his outside and both sailed wide but the BMW swept into the lead around the outside of Cobb. Once they reached the faster back section, Vaughan again sailed through but between Village and Church this time. The Complex again was the scene for another switch of the lead on lap nine as Collier capitalised on Vaughan drifting wide before the Audi returned to the front once more at Church, with Collier attempting a switchback move at the exit but lacked the grunt to pull it off. However, the frenetic contest wouldn’t last to the flag after the second-placed BMW suddenly slowed with a mysterious misfire whilst making another attack for the lead as just over two minutes remained. Freed from pressure, Vaughan eventually won by 7.517 seconds, ‘the perfect way to honour dad’s memory’ he stated on the circuit public address system after his biggest supporter passed away just over six weeks before the meeting. Collier got going again and took back second place from ‘Joe’ Callari during the penultimate lap at Goodwood. The similar E46 M3 of Callari was going much better with its power steering restored and completed the podium in third. Dave Farrow spectacularly hurled his BMW 1 Series V8 around to fourth, whilst a big scrap for fifth was led by Grange’s BOSS Escort to begin with but Simon Collier was the first to get ahead before leading Historic contender Colin Voyce got through exiting Church on lap five as the Mk2 fell to back of the group behind Jim Janicki, Ian Bower, who'd driven up from the back of the grid, and Kevin Denwood. The other Collier BMW also suffered a very late drama as Simon Collier’s Honda-engined M3 slipped back to ninth on the final tour to finish between Denwood and BOSS victor Grange. Cliff Pellin and Martin Reynolds also diced furiously for second of the BOSS runners, Reynolds’ Mk2 Escort was ahead at first but the Fiesta was in front when it mattered at the flag. Colin Claxton was fourth with his Cosworth-powered Mk1 Escort Turbo, ahead of the leading Class D pair Todd Hawkins and Michael Rudge. Class D front runner Will Hunt stopped on Woodham Hill with a puncture, whilst Pat Kenneally had a run in his son’s Fiesta for Race Two but wouldn’t reach the flag.
|
|
|
Pre '66
Qualifying: American V8 muscle ruled the roost in qualifying as the Ford Mustang of Alex Thistlethwayte took pole position by 1.352 seconds from the ex-Leo Voyazides Ford Falcon of Piers Grange. Row two was home to a pair of Lotus Cortinas as 2024 champion Ian Thompson headed Simon Gusterson by 0.382 seconds. The Hillman Imp of Gary Prebble topped Class E in a superb fifth place and was just 0.172 seconds shy of Gusterson’s time. The shared Davies family Mini headed Class C in sixth and would be started by Mike Davies before younger sibling Tony took over for Race Two. The Ford Anglia of Jake Swann was second fastest in Class C with seventh and was joined on the fourth row by another giant killer in Brendan Rooney’s Class E Imp. The top ten times were completed by Ed Gibbs’ Anglia and Ant Astley’s Mustang but the former’s Anglebox was forced out with a broken gearbox so Michael Loveland’s Imp moved onto the fifth row to make it three of the little rear-engined saloons in the top ten.
Race One: Whilst the polesitting Alex Thistlethwayte leapt away reasonably well at lights out, Ian Thompson got off the line brilliantly from the second row and the Cortina drove around the outside of Allard into the lead. Second-on-the-grid Piers Grange was swamped after starting in third gear and only three cars from the 18-car field failed to pass the Falcon but the American brute was up to eighth by the close of the opening lap. Thompson led as far as Woodham Hill for the first time, when the Mustang of Thistlethwayte bellowed into the lead. The pony car pulled a useful gap out front whilst Grange worked his way back through the pack and the Falcon was 3.559 seconds in arrears once up to second, having passed Brendan Rooney and Mike Davies during lap two before taking fifth from Jake Swann at Village and fourth from Gary Prebble at the Club Chicane for the third time. The two Cortinas of Simon Gusterson and Thompson both fell on lap four in the high-speed back section to reach second place and Grange began reeling in Thistlethwayte after the Mustang became stuck in fourth gear. However, news soon filtered through of a ten-second false start penalty for the front row man but that didn’t stop the Falcon taking the lead as the two V8s ran door handle to door handle through Allard with three-and-a-half minutes remaining. Thistlethwayte started to slip back towards Thompson and the second Lotus Cortina of Gusterson in the closing minutes and when Grange took the flag first on-the-road, Thistlethwayte’s Mustang was slow out of the chicane after encountering a lapped car and Thompson narrowly pipped the muscle car to the line for victory by just 0.160 seconds in a photo finish. The surprised Cortina pilot subsequently became the first recipient of the new Fred Francis Trophy, with the Scalextric inventor’s daughter Julia on hand to present the silverware. Grange fell to fourth with the penalty applied behind Gusterson’s Cortina. Gary Prebble stayed with the Lotuses early on, having briefly been third off the start, but fell away towards the finish as the Hillman Imp secured Class E honours in front of his renowned Imp exponent father Brian Prebble. The Anglia of Jake Swann just held off the Mike Davies Mini Cooper S to triumph in Class C and the pair were closing in on Prebble as the end approached, Swann having bravely grabbed the class lead at Church on the opening lap. Brendan Rooney followed in the Class C battle’s wheeltracks early on before claiming second in Class E with eighth overall. Fellow Imp drivers Michael Loveland and Adrian Oliver fought over third, with the latter getting the nod as Loveland fell to fifth behind Steven Platts and all three were embroiled in a scrap for a place in the top ten with Ant Astley’s Mustang and Bob Bullen’s Anglia. The Class A and Class C machines ultimately defeated the 1000cc Class E cars for ninth and tenth. The sole Class D car of Keith Wright wasn’t running properly but the Morris Minor still made it home to pick up a pot for the class win.
Race Two: Poleman Ian Thompson got off the line smartly and led as far as Woodham Hill once more on the opening lap before the fast-starting Piers Grange’s Ford Falcon thudded past into the lead. Alex Thistlethwayte’s repaired Mustang had dropped as far down as fifth on the opening lap before making up two places between Church and the chicane to end lap one in third. The Mustang soon grabbed second from Thompson through Green before passing Grange for the lead into Church and fended the Falcon off up Woodham Hill for the second time to make it three leaders in two laps. The circuit owner quickly pulled a gap to Grange and the Mustang stretched its legs to win by almost three seconds from the fellow Class A car. Thompson and Simon Gusterson pair leaned on each other at the Complex early on before the 2024 champion dropped to fifth with shot tyres behind Gary Prebble and into a big group including two more Imps and Jake Swann’s Anglia. Prebble held off the Thompson Cortina’s attack at the chicane for the final time to seal fourth behind Gusterson, despite only using third and fourth gears as second felt questionable, and the Imp beat the 2024 champion to the line by a hair’s breadth as 0.080 seconds split them. Jake Swann took the Class C spoils in sixth. Better known for pedalling along his Transpeed Firenza with aplomb, Tony Davies had started from the back after taking over the family Mini and squeezed past the squabbling Imps of Brendan Rooney and Adrian Oliver on the last lap up to the Club Chicane to finish seventh overall and second in Class C from the Class E silver and bronze medallists. Bob Bullen secured third in Class C and the Anglia rounded out the top ten. Michael Loveland and Steven Platts were also at play behind Ant Astley‘s Mustang in their Imps before the former got away to finish 12th.
Qualifying: American V8 muscle ruled the roost in qualifying as the Ford Mustang of Alex Thistlethwayte took pole position by 1.352 seconds from the ex-Leo Voyazides Ford Falcon of Piers Grange. Row two was home to a pair of Lotus Cortinas as 2024 champion Ian Thompson headed Simon Gusterson by 0.382 seconds. The Hillman Imp of Gary Prebble topped Class E in a superb fifth place and was just 0.172 seconds shy of Gusterson’s time. The shared Davies family Mini headed Class C in sixth and would be started by Mike Davies before younger sibling Tony took over for Race Two. The Ford Anglia of Jake Swann was second fastest in Class C with seventh and was joined on the fourth row by another giant killer in Brendan Rooney’s Class E Imp. The top ten times were completed by Ed Gibbs’ Anglia and Ant Astley’s Mustang but the former’s Anglebox was forced out with a broken gearbox so Michael Loveland’s Imp moved onto the fifth row to make it three of the little rear-engined saloons in the top ten.
Race One: Whilst the polesitting Alex Thistlethwayte leapt away reasonably well at lights out, Ian Thompson got off the line brilliantly from the second row and the Cortina drove around the outside of Allard into the lead. Second-on-the-grid Piers Grange was swamped after starting in third gear and only three cars from the 18-car field failed to pass the Falcon but the American brute was up to eighth by the close of the opening lap. Thompson led as far as Woodham Hill for the first time, when the Mustang of Thistlethwayte bellowed into the lead. The pony car pulled a useful gap out front whilst Grange worked his way back through the pack and the Falcon was 3.559 seconds in arrears once up to second, having passed Brendan Rooney and Mike Davies during lap two before taking fifth from Jake Swann at Village and fourth from Gary Prebble at the Club Chicane for the third time. The two Cortinas of Simon Gusterson and Thompson both fell on lap four in the high-speed back section to reach second place and Grange began reeling in Thistlethwayte after the Mustang became stuck in fourth gear. However, news soon filtered through of a ten-second false start penalty for the front row man but that didn’t stop the Falcon taking the lead as the two V8s ran door handle to door handle through Allard with three-and-a-half minutes remaining. Thistlethwayte started to slip back towards Thompson and the second Lotus Cortina of Gusterson in the closing minutes and when Grange took the flag first on-the-road, Thistlethwayte’s Mustang was slow out of the chicane after encountering a lapped car and Thompson narrowly pipped the muscle car to the line for victory by just 0.160 seconds in a photo finish. The surprised Cortina pilot subsequently became the first recipient of the new Fred Francis Trophy, with the Scalextric inventor’s daughter Julia on hand to present the silverware. Grange fell to fourth with the penalty applied behind Gusterson’s Cortina. Gary Prebble stayed with the Lotuses early on, having briefly been third off the start, but fell away towards the finish as the Hillman Imp secured Class E honours in front of his renowned Imp exponent father Brian Prebble. The Anglia of Jake Swann just held off the Mike Davies Mini Cooper S to triumph in Class C and the pair were closing in on Prebble as the end approached, Swann having bravely grabbed the class lead at Church on the opening lap. Brendan Rooney followed in the Class C battle’s wheeltracks early on before claiming second in Class E with eighth overall. Fellow Imp drivers Michael Loveland and Adrian Oliver fought over third, with the latter getting the nod as Loveland fell to fifth behind Steven Platts and all three were embroiled in a scrap for a place in the top ten with Ant Astley’s Mustang and Bob Bullen’s Anglia. The Class A and Class C machines ultimately defeated the 1000cc Class E cars for ninth and tenth. The sole Class D car of Keith Wright wasn’t running properly but the Morris Minor still made it home to pick up a pot for the class win.
Race Two: Poleman Ian Thompson got off the line smartly and led as far as Woodham Hill once more on the opening lap before the fast-starting Piers Grange’s Ford Falcon thudded past into the lead. Alex Thistlethwayte’s repaired Mustang had dropped as far down as fifth on the opening lap before making up two places between Church and the chicane to end lap one in third. The Mustang soon grabbed second from Thompson through Green before passing Grange for the lead into Church and fended the Falcon off up Woodham Hill for the second time to make it three leaders in two laps. The circuit owner quickly pulled a gap to Grange and the Mustang stretched its legs to win by almost three seconds from the fellow Class A car. Thompson and Simon Gusterson pair leaned on each other at the Complex early on before the 2024 champion dropped to fifth with shot tyres behind Gary Prebble and into a big group including two more Imps and Jake Swann’s Anglia. Prebble held off the Thompson Cortina’s attack at the chicane for the final time to seal fourth behind Gusterson, despite only using third and fourth gears as second felt questionable, and the Imp beat the 2024 champion to the line by a hair’s breadth as 0.080 seconds split them. Jake Swann took the Class C spoils in sixth. Better known for pedalling along his Transpeed Firenza with aplomb, Tony Davies had started from the back after taking over the family Mini and squeezed past the squabbling Imps of Brendan Rooney and Adrian Oliver on the last lap up to the Club Chicane to finish seventh overall and second in Class C from the Class E silver and bronze medallists. Bob Bullen secured third in Class C and the Anglia rounded out the top ten. Michael Loveland and Steven Platts were also at play behind Ant Astley‘s Mustang in their Imps before the former got away to finish 12th.
|
|
|
Pre '83/'03/'03
The Pre ‘83s returned to action after their undoubted highlight of the season, a non-championship slot on the BTCC support bill at Oulton Park in June and they would race three times. Jerry Bailey had qualified his Rover SD1 on pole position alongside the painstakingly restored ex-Gerry Marshall Capri of Andrew Willis but James Everard raced through from gridding 12th to win the opener aboard Jonathan Corker’s Datsun before the 16v Dolomite of the returning Mark Osborne prevailed in the remaining two encounters. The polesitting Rover of Bailey was the runner-up in the opener from the ShellSport Mk1 Escort of Tom Harvey. Jonathan Corker got his Datsun back for Sunday and raced through to second place in the early encounter ahead of youngster Harry Hickton’s Opel Kadett. In the third and final race, which was shown live on ITV4, Neil Philpotts starred in his Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo to take second from Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort in third.
Qualifying: The Pre ‘83, ‘93 and ’03 fields qualified together but the older Pre ‘83 cars would start separately. The Pre ‘93 BMW M3 E36s of reigning champion Ian Bower and the repaired example of Kevin Willis were split by 0.578 seconds as they headed the timesheet, the latter’s mount having twice sustained heavy damage this season. Guest driver Oliver Owen was quickest of the Pre ‘03s but was just 0.084 seconds faster than the similar Class A car of 2025 champion David Cave. The remainder of the top ten all came from the Pre ‘03 field, with Kam Tunio’s Honda Civic heading the returning guest driver Cavan Grainger’s BMW 330ci E46 in fifth and sixth. The older E36 328 of first-year driver Tim Tomblin was seventh fastest and was joined by Chris Bassett’s Peugeot 306 on the fourth row. Jon Hillyer’s eye-catching BMW 3 Series Touring was ninth fastest and the third guest driver Ian Knight completed the top ten with his Honda. The Pre ‘83 field was headed by Jerry Bailey’s Rover SD1 at his home circuit from current champion Jonathan Corker, with 0.528 seconds between the pair. There was very little to separate the two Mk1 Escorts in third and fourth as Nic Grindrod pipped Tom Harvey by just 0.008 seconds. Tim Clarke was fifth fastest in a second V8 Rover and was joined on the third row by Chris Snowdon’s Alfa Romeo GTV6 that carries period BTCC history. Local man Don Hughes topped Class D with his 1600cc VW Golf in seventh from the Class C Mk2 Escort of Jared Knight in eighth. James Dunkley’s smart Mk1 Fiesta XR2 went second fastest in Class D and would start from ninth, with CTCRC chairman Stuart Caie making up the top ten with his Ford Capri.
Race One: Polesitter Ian Bower squirrelled under traction off the line before Kevin Willis took the lead around the back later in the opening lap and was never headed, helped by 2025 champion Bower having a sizeable moment exiting the Complex with five minutes to go as a differential issue caused some unpredictable handling. Cavan Grainger took third overall and was the top Pre ‘03 finisher after getting past the fast-starting Oliver Owen on lap one. Reigning champion David Cave’s blue BMW 328 and Owen’s green similar car then got involved in a close contest for fourth overall and Cave slid under his opponent towards Church on lap five but the pair were inseparable to the end as the former got the verdict by 0.776 seconds. A high speed clash between Chris Bassett’s 306 GTi and Jon Hillyer’s distinctive BMW 3 Series Touring at Noble as they contested sixth place saw both spin, with the Peugeot firing well off into the weeds but both continued with a significant loss of time. Tim Tomblin’s brightly-hued E36 BMW took their place in top six, ahead of the third and fourth Pre ‘93 cars home of Steve Walden and Graham Myers. The delayed Peugeot of Bassett came back to head the Pre ‘83 runners home in ninth overall and win Class C for the Pre ‘03s. The polesitting Pre ‘83 Rover of Jerry Bailey broke leaving the grid to bring out the early Safety Car for its recovery as Nic Grindrod took the early lead but Jonathan Corker came through after the restart to win from the Mk1 Escort, Tim Clarke’s SD1 ran ahead of Tom Harvey after pouncing not long after the restart but the Rover wilted with a misfire so the ShellSport Mk1 claimed third not far behind Grindrod and the Vitesse was later passed for Class B glory by the Napolina Alfa Romeo GTV6 of Chris Snowdon, who had lost ground getting around Bailey’s broken Rover at the start and nicked fifth from Don Hughes’ Golf into the Complex soon after the resumption. Local man Hughes prevailed in Class D and also passed Clarke for fifth, with the Rover finishing in sixth ahead of Class D runner-up James Dunkley.
Race Two: Ian Bower got a great start to grab the lead off the line and held off the close attention of Saturday victor Kevin Willis throughout in a fast-paced race to win overall by 1.070 seconds, having borrowed a replacement diff to cure his wayward handling. Pre ‘03 winner Cavan Grainger was on his own for much of the race as he completed the podium in third with his E46 BMW 330ci. A big scrap for fourth overall was headed by Graham Myers’ Pre ‘93 M3 initially, after a flying start from the fourth row, before David Cave got through at Noble and escaped, Cave’s Saturday combatant Oliver Owen also wriggled through with his Pre ‘03 BMW but Cave was penalised ten seconds for an out of position start so fell behind the green machine of Owen on corrected time. The Peugeot 306 of Chris Bassett was also in the fight along with Tim Tomblin until the French hatchback slowed with gearbox trouble. In the Pre ‘83 split, Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort led the way from lap one but Tim Clarke’s Rover came on strong from sixth on the opening lap behind Jared Knight and Chris Snowdon pair but got ahead of both at Church before climbing to second on lap two and took the lead during lap five to secure the win by 3.146 seconds. The GTV6 of Snowdon was also performing admirably after losing a spot to Clarke’s Rover towards the end of the opening lap and also took Harvey’s Escort for third on lap two before moving Grindrod out of second a couple of laps from home. Grindrod still took third from the similar car of Tom Harvey in fourth as 1.237 seconds covered the trio, whilst the Class D-winning Golf of local man Don Hughes was fifth. What of Saturday winner Jonathan Corker? The polesitting Datsun had led the chase of Grindrod to start with before its regular weak point played up again and the Japanese saloon became stuck in a high gear, trailing home in seventh behind Knight’s Escort Mk2. Mike Broadway took his second Class A win of the weekend in eighth with the big Jaguar XJ6.
The Pre ‘83s returned to action after their undoubted highlight of the season, a non-championship slot on the BTCC support bill at Oulton Park in June and they would race three times. Jerry Bailey had qualified his Rover SD1 on pole position alongside the painstakingly restored ex-Gerry Marshall Capri of Andrew Willis but James Everard raced through from gridding 12th to win the opener aboard Jonathan Corker’s Datsun before the 16v Dolomite of the returning Mark Osborne prevailed in the remaining two encounters. The polesitting Rover of Bailey was the runner-up in the opener from the ShellSport Mk1 Escort of Tom Harvey. Jonathan Corker got his Datsun back for Sunday and raced through to second place in the early encounter ahead of youngster Harry Hickton’s Opel Kadett. In the third and final race, which was shown live on ITV4, Neil Philpotts starred in his Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo to take second from Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort in third.
Qualifying: The Pre ‘83, ‘93 and ’03 fields qualified together but the older Pre ‘83 cars would start separately. The Pre ‘93 BMW M3 E36s of reigning champion Ian Bower and the repaired example of Kevin Willis were split by 0.578 seconds as they headed the timesheet, the latter’s mount having twice sustained heavy damage this season. Guest driver Oliver Owen was quickest of the Pre ‘03s but was just 0.084 seconds faster than the similar Class A car of 2025 champion David Cave. The remainder of the top ten all came from the Pre ‘03 field, with Kam Tunio’s Honda Civic heading the returning guest driver Cavan Grainger’s BMW 330ci E46 in fifth and sixth. The older E36 328 of first-year driver Tim Tomblin was seventh fastest and was joined by Chris Bassett’s Peugeot 306 on the fourth row. Jon Hillyer’s eye-catching BMW 3 Series Touring was ninth fastest and the third guest driver Ian Knight completed the top ten with his Honda. The Pre ‘83 field was headed by Jerry Bailey’s Rover SD1 at his home circuit from current champion Jonathan Corker, with 0.528 seconds between the pair. There was very little to separate the two Mk1 Escorts in third and fourth as Nic Grindrod pipped Tom Harvey by just 0.008 seconds. Tim Clarke was fifth fastest in a second V8 Rover and was joined on the third row by Chris Snowdon’s Alfa Romeo GTV6 that carries period BTCC history. Local man Don Hughes topped Class D with his 1600cc VW Golf in seventh from the Class C Mk2 Escort of Jared Knight in eighth. James Dunkley’s smart Mk1 Fiesta XR2 went second fastest in Class D and would start from ninth, with CTCRC chairman Stuart Caie making up the top ten with his Ford Capri.
Race One: Polesitter Ian Bower squirrelled under traction off the line before Kevin Willis took the lead around the back later in the opening lap and was never headed, helped by 2025 champion Bower having a sizeable moment exiting the Complex with five minutes to go as a differential issue caused some unpredictable handling. Cavan Grainger took third overall and was the top Pre ‘03 finisher after getting past the fast-starting Oliver Owen on lap one. Reigning champion David Cave’s blue BMW 328 and Owen’s green similar car then got involved in a close contest for fourth overall and Cave slid under his opponent towards Church on lap five but the pair were inseparable to the end as the former got the verdict by 0.776 seconds. A high speed clash between Chris Bassett’s 306 GTi and Jon Hillyer’s distinctive BMW 3 Series Touring at Noble as they contested sixth place saw both spin, with the Peugeot firing well off into the weeds but both continued with a significant loss of time. Tim Tomblin’s brightly-hued E36 BMW took their place in top six, ahead of the third and fourth Pre ‘93 cars home of Steve Walden and Graham Myers. The delayed Peugeot of Bassett came back to head the Pre ‘83 runners home in ninth overall and win Class C for the Pre ‘03s. The polesitting Pre ‘83 Rover of Jerry Bailey broke leaving the grid to bring out the early Safety Car for its recovery as Nic Grindrod took the early lead but Jonathan Corker came through after the restart to win from the Mk1 Escort, Tim Clarke’s SD1 ran ahead of Tom Harvey after pouncing not long after the restart but the Rover wilted with a misfire so the ShellSport Mk1 claimed third not far behind Grindrod and the Vitesse was later passed for Class B glory by the Napolina Alfa Romeo GTV6 of Chris Snowdon, who had lost ground getting around Bailey’s broken Rover at the start and nicked fifth from Don Hughes’ Golf into the Complex soon after the resumption. Local man Hughes prevailed in Class D and also passed Clarke for fifth, with the Rover finishing in sixth ahead of Class D runner-up James Dunkley.
Race Two: Ian Bower got a great start to grab the lead off the line and held off the close attention of Saturday victor Kevin Willis throughout in a fast-paced race to win overall by 1.070 seconds, having borrowed a replacement diff to cure his wayward handling. Pre ‘03 winner Cavan Grainger was on his own for much of the race as he completed the podium in third with his E46 BMW 330ci. A big scrap for fourth overall was headed by Graham Myers’ Pre ‘93 M3 initially, after a flying start from the fourth row, before David Cave got through at Noble and escaped, Cave’s Saturday combatant Oliver Owen also wriggled through with his Pre ‘03 BMW but Cave was penalised ten seconds for an out of position start so fell behind the green machine of Owen on corrected time. The Peugeot 306 of Chris Bassett was also in the fight along with Tim Tomblin until the French hatchback slowed with gearbox trouble. In the Pre ‘83 split, Nic Grindrod’s Mk1 Escort led the way from lap one but Tim Clarke’s Rover came on strong from sixth on the opening lap behind Jared Knight and Chris Snowdon pair but got ahead of both at Church before climbing to second on lap two and took the lead during lap five to secure the win by 3.146 seconds. The GTV6 of Snowdon was also performing admirably after losing a spot to Clarke’s Rover towards the end of the opening lap and also took Harvey’s Escort for third on lap two before moving Grindrod out of second a couple of laps from home. Grindrod still took third from the similar car of Tom Harvey in fourth as 1.237 seconds covered the trio, whilst the Class D-winning Golf of local man Don Hughes was fifth. What of Saturday winner Jonathan Corker? The polesitting Datsun had led the chase of Grindrod to start with before its regular weak point played up again and the Japanese saloon became stuck in a high gear, trailing home in seventh behind Knight’s Escort Mk2. Mike Broadway took his second Class A win of the weekend in eighth with the big Jaguar XJ6.
|
|
|
The next event for the CTCRC will be the southern edition of the ‘Touring Car Rewind’ promotions at Brands Hatch on the 1st and 2nd of August, the northern equivalent having taken place at Oulton Park in the middle of May.