OSS AT BRANDS HATCH
The BRSCC South Eastern Centre made its seasonal debut at Brands Hatch on 9th 10th May in tandem with the Classic Sports Car Club (CSCC), for a 16-race programme held over the 1.119 mile Indy Circuit. The weather gods smiled on the Kent venue, the weekend keeping rain-free.
A pair of combined races for the Chris Knott BARC Intermarque Challenge & Cannons Motor Spares Tin Top Challenge topped and tailed Saturday’s schedule, with Steve Hall claiming a brace of victories in his Audi TT.
The massed ranks of the CSCC Swinging Sixties competitors were split into a pair of 40-minute mini endurance races, with compulsory pit-stops. The first encounter – Classes A, B, C and F – went the way of the Bedfordshire pairing of Ian Hulett and Murray Henderson in their Austin Healey Sprite, ahead of Charles Marriot’s Frogeye. The later Class D, E, G, H and I event saw Bodicote’s John Muirhead steer his Lotus 7 to victory, taking the lead in the closing minutes.Rotherham’s Alex Harrison finished comfortably clear of the Toyo Tires XJS Championship field, but the Jaguar Classic Parts Jaguar Saloon Championship race was much closer, with Wath-on-Dearne’s Richard Dorlin’s XJ6 pipping father Peter by a car’s length.
The first visit of the new-for-2009 BRSCC Race.TV Open Sportscar Series to Brands saw Bridgewater’s Josh Fisher’s Juno claim top honours in Saturday’s race, but a loose wheel in Sunday’s encounter handed victory to Wrotham racer Alan Hogg’s Jade.The CSCC Future Classics race was another 40-minute event, with Mark Harris and Peter Briars (Staffs/Walsall) guiding their Porsche 944 to victory, benefiting from a good pit-stop call.
Sunday’s race action kicked off with the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Championship, which earned local man Rod Birley his 488th race victory in his Ford Escort, the West Kingsdown ace making it 489 later in the day.In the new BRSCC BESCR (Bike Engined Sports Car Racing) series, Wisbech’s Jay Wheals clinched victory in his Speads in the 15-minute ‘sprint’. Albrighton’s John-Paul Ivey’s Radical won the 30-minute pit-stop race.
The CSCC Tin Tops race was another 40-minute enduro, Tamworth’s Nigel Ainge pedalling his Honda Integra to a comfortable win. Tunbridge Wells’ Nigel Bent used his local knowledge to win the 40-minute CSCC Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens battle, and generously paid tribute to the marshals when picking up his laurels.The Sports Car v Saloon Challenge and JEC Powered by Jaguar Series shared a grid for the meeting’s last race; last-lap gearbox maladies for Keith Dunn handing victory to Midhurst man Dan Denis’s Caterham Superlight.
Special thanks to Richard Culverhouse and all at the CSCC, especially for the marshals’ doughnuts, which Chief Marshal Anne Rothberg had great pleasure in delivering, and ‘get well soon’ to the SE Centre Rescue Unit, which felt a little poorly on Saturday!The full meeting results can be found at:www.tsl-timing.com/cscc/2009/91964.pdf
The next BRSCC South Eastern Centre meeting is at Lydden Hill on May 30 for the Neil Benfield Memorial Sprint.
Colin Mann
