HAWKINS TRIUMPHS AT THRUXTON

Rounds 9 & 10 of the BRSCC Alfashop Alfa Romeo Championship took place last weekend at Thruxton. It was the championships first visit to the Hampshire circuit for 18 years and was very much welcomed by the competitors who responded with a strong turnout.

The circuit is the fastest we visit and, as a result, offers many different challenges, especially when wet. The winner of both races there, in differing conditions and circumstances, was Adie Hawkins in his supercharged 33 16v, running for the first time with a Radical based gearbox.

This meant that it could not score championship points, running in an “invitation” class. Pole position for Saturday’s race had been won by Anthony George’s 156 Turbo but a seized front brake on the green flag lap meant that he spent the early part of the race in the pits. On Sunday, both he and Adie started from the back of the grid (the 33 having a suspect cylinder head gasket). This allowed the amazing Fiat Punto of eighteen-year-old Fraser O’Brien, who had finished a superb 3^rdin race 1, to lead for a lap and a half before being passed by Roger Evans’ 147 GTA. By half distance, Adie Hawkins and Anthony George had worked their way to the front and with three laps still to run. Darelle Wilson was up into 3^rdplace with his GT Diesel, following on from his podium on Saturday, where he had finished ahead of Roger Evans and the 75 3 litre of Herbert Bürgmayr.

As usual, Class E produced some fireworks, and right up to the final visit to the Club Chicane in race two, it looked as though it would be a double success for Matt Daly and his 145 Cloverleaf. Sadly, a badly worn left front tyre left him gripless as he braked for the first part of the corner and the car slid straight on into the tyre barrier. This handed the Sunday victory to James Ford from Dave Messenger and James Bishop, the three 156s covered by a mere 0.6”.

The Thruxton results leave Roger Evans and James Ford still in control of the top two places in the Championship points table but Darelle Wilson has moved ahead of Graham Seager into third. The MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Weekend award went to Fraser O’Brien.