Historic Racing Spectacle Coming to Thruxton
31 August 2005
A wonderful range of races for cars from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s
will provide a great day's racing at Thruxton on Saturday 10 September
as the Historic Sports Car Club organises the final car race meeting
of the year at the Hampshire track.
The HSCC is renowned for providing racing for cars spanning the post-war
years right through to the early 1980s and this will be the first time
in many years that the club has run a complete race meeting at Thruxton.
Good grids of superbly presented cars are the norm for the HSCC race
meetings, and some great racing should be the result as drivers get
a rare chance to tackle the challenge of Thruxton.
Always one of the best races of the day at HSCC meetings is the Historic
Racing Saloon Register Championship for 're '66 racing saloon cars.
This will be the penultimate round of the championship, which typically
produces capacity grids of wonderfully diverse racing saloons. Ford
Anglias, Lotus Cortinas, Mini Coopers, BMWs, Alfa Romeos and Ford Mustangs
will all be in action and there has been some fantastic racing this
season. Pacesetters include father and son Graeme and James Dodd, with
Graeme's Jaguar Mk11 now being consistently matched by the Alfa Romeo
Giulia of Dodd junior. James won at Oulton Park last time out, having
battled ahead of the spectacular Ford Anglia of Dan Cox (Bristol).
Les Ely's BMW and the increasingly rapid Anglia of Trevor Read are
other front-runners, while Roger Ebdon (Romsey) and Roger Godfrey are
among the quickest of the Minis. Should it rain, the Minis will be
challenging for overall victory! Whatever the conditions, the pack
of saloons sliding around and climbing over the kerbs at the chicane
will be a real highlight of the day and will re-live the very earliest
days of Thruxton back when the track opened in 1968.
The HSCC Legends Racing Historic Formula Ford 1600 Championship promises
another slipstreaming thriller among the pre '71 single-seaters. Gloucestershire
vet Nelson Rowe has been having a great season in his Crossle 20F,
but was forced out of the lead battle at Oulton Park with engine failure.
He should be back at Thruxton to take on Neil Fowler (Merlyn Mk20),
Nigel Bancroft (Crossle 20F) and Paul Sleeman (Jamun T2), while former
rising young single-seater ace Greg Caton is now making his mark in
the championship with a Merlyn Mk20.
It is a long time since Formula 5000 cars raced at Thruxton, but several
of the mighty 5-litre Chevrolet-powered monsters will line up for a
race in the Derek Bell Trophy Series. These races, open to a wonderful
range of pre '80 single-seaters, will also include Formula 2 and Formula
Atlantic cars including the ex-David Purley March 742 of Ian Jacobs.
Moving back an era is the HSCC Classic Racing Car Championship for
single-seaters of the 1960s, where two ex-John Watson cars often set
the pace. Matthew Watts (Brabham BT16) and Ian Gray (Brabham BT30)
both race ex-Watson cars from the Gloucestershire based Retro Track
and Air team. More single-seaters will contest a round of the Classic
F3 Championship, with Steve Maxted (Argo JM6) likely to set the pace.
However, among his rivals will be Richard Trott, a race winner at Thruxton
more than two decades ago. Trott made his F3 debut at Thruxton when
Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle were dominating the class, but has
returned to racing in recent seasons.
Sports cars also feature strongly in HSCC race meetings, with bumper
grids assured for rounds of the Classic Sports Cars, Historic Road
Sports and 70s Road Sports Championships. Morgans, Lotus Elans, MGBs,
Porsches and many more will be racing, including the Datsun 240Z of
Dorset veteran Charles Barter in the 70s Road Sports where he goes
up against the TVR 3000M of his son Julian.
Qualifying starts at 9am, with the first race at 1.30pm. Admission is £10, children free, paddock free and grandstands
extra.
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