MG Car Club
Oulton Park Report
A day of action bathed in sunshine awaited us at Oulton Park. Despite a superb day of racing from our own championships, along with regular additions from the Porsche Club GB Championship, the day was overshadowed due to a first-lap incident in the opening MG Trophy race. Report by Leanne Fahy and pictures courtesy of Dickon Siddall.
The John Woods Motorcare MG Trophy Championship
The entire MG Trophy grid was banded with black armbands throughout the day, in memory of Andrew Martin who sadly passed away recently, following a battle with leukaemia.
An incident on the first lap of the MG Trophy race saw the race immediately stopped. As the cars ventured along Lakeside, a collision saw two drivers out of action. Gianni Picone and Adrian Wray were the drivers involved. Unfortunately, due to unavailable time, the race was not restarted.
Race two took place without drama, with Ross Makar sealing the spoils, following a fiercely entertaining adventure.
A commanding drive from the word go, Makar was the man to beat, as Colin Robertson, Graham Ross and Doug Cole tried in vein. Unable to unnerve him, the latter trio were forced to battle amongst themselves.
Robertson had looked set to claim second place, after holding the position for a number of laps. However, as remaining laps decreased, an outstanding manoeuvre into Old Hall launched Ross into second place. A move that deemed him worthy of Driver of the Race.
With just two minutes left on the clock, the chequered flag was waved earlier than expected, crowning Makar victorious, ahead of Ross, Robertson, Cole and Gary Wetton.
Fergus Campbell triumphed in Class B. Paul Luti had looked set to claim second in class, however, his chanced diminished when he came into the pits unexpectedly. Adam Jackson finished second, ahead of Jack Roberts, Ryan Firth and Tom Butler.
Class C ended with a spectacular battle, with the top three just millimetres apart. Andy Spencer was the man to beat, who won ahead of Matthew Turnbull and Paul Croker.
MGCC WES BCV8 Championship
James Wheeler just managed to steal the victory in the opening BCV8 outing, after a fierce tussle with Russell McCarthy throughout.
Wheeler led the way early on, but he was unable to defend from the determined McCarthy. With McCarthy ahead, the battle was far from over, as the pair grappled lap after lap.
As the duo raced through their final lap, a brief coming together at Lodge Corner on the final tour was enough to upset the rhythm. Separated by dust, it was Wheeler who had the better exit at Deer Leap, to take the win, ahead of McCarthy.
Ian Prior had a somewhat solitary race to third place. Ollie Neaves finished fourth, ahead of Simon Cripps, who enjoyed a busy outing, and Paul Khouri in sixth place. Simon Cripps’ efforts deemed him worthy of the prestigious Driver of the Race award.
Ian Prior emulated his Cadwell Park performance to seize race victory in the second race of the day.
The Wheeler-McCarthy battle reignited once again, with the pair each sharing the top spot. After McCarthy slipped to third place, it looked as though Wheeler would be our first double winner of the day, however, an issue on the final lap meant it was Prior who exited Deer Leap ahead, with the chequered flag unfurled in time to catch him.
McCarthy held on for second place, ahead of Ollie Neaves and Khouri. Simon Tinkler was awarded the Driver of the Race for his seventh place overall, and Class AB victory.
MGCC Peter Best Insurance MG Cup
Matthew Simpson caused a stir in the first Peter Best MG Cup outing, taking the race win in something other than an MG. After securing pole position in his Rover Tomcat, Simpson led for much of the outing, but not without a fight.
Simpson claimed the advantage from the off, to lead the way into Old Hall. Behind, Iain Dowler and Peter Burchill battled for second and third places, with Dave Nixon not far behind.
After problems earlier on, the championship leader Alan Brooke looked set to have a mountain in front of him. However, as he raced his way through the field, in true Alan style, he soon found himself leading the way.
Looking as comfortable as ever in the lead of the race, Brooke’s chances for victory were soon eradicated, when an issue with his car forced him to pull onto the grass and into retirement.
As Brooke watched from the sidelines, Simpson reclaimed his lead, to steer his Rover Tomcat to victory. Peter Burchill finished second, despite his ferocious efforts to try and steal the lead. Iain Dowler claimed third place, ahead of Nixon and James Darby.
Although Burchill narrowly missed out on a race win, our commentary team awarded him the Driver of the Race accolade.
Dowler delivered a commanding drive in the second MG Cup outing, to claim victory. Chased by the Rover Tomcat duo of Nixon and Simpson, Dowler was able to fend them off.
As the chequered flag fell, it was Dowler who grasped the win, just 0.1 seconds ahead of Nixon. Burchill again glued himself to the rear of Simpson’s Tomcat, keen to find a way passed. Hopeful of surpassing him this time around, Burchill’s persistence paid off, when he passed him for third place on the final tour.
Sadly Alan Brooke was unable to take part in this second race after problems befell him during race one.
The final Driver of the Race honour was awarded to Joshua Wright for his sterling drive against Paul Lind.
MGCC Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup
Jack Ashton battled brother Andrew profusely throughout the sole MG Metro Cup outing. As the pair rounded Old Hall side by side on the first lap, it was clear it would be a thrilling excursion.
The Ashton battle was made into a three-way scrap when Mike Williams hoisted himself onto the back of them.
As the trio lapped, the space between them was non-existent. With Williams harassing Andrew Ashton, Jack was eventually able to pull away, stretching to a comfortable four-second gap by the end of the race.
Andrew Ashton’s race was not as straight forward as his brother’s. As Lee Connell found his way to third place, he hounded Ashton lap after lap. As the pair exited Deer Leap for the final time, he held onto second place, just 0.200 seconds ahead of Connell, with Williams a further one second adrift. Tony Connell and Mark Eales completed the top six.
Jack Ashton’s race winning performance not only deemed him worthy of the Driver of the Race award, but also the Driver of the Day.
Equipe GTS
A commanding charge saw Tom Smith race to victory in the Equipe GTS race. Wilf Penrose had led the way from the start, but as the pit window came into play, things began to change.
In what was a shorter race due to earlier delays, Penrose held his ground for much of the first half. Chased by Smith, Penrose was forced to make way for the MGB Roadster driver, after a brief safety car period closed up the field somewhat.
With the pit stops behind them, the race was on to the chequered flag. Having expectedly dropped back due to the mandatory stops, Smith had a battle on his hands. After chasing the field, he was soon back ahead, to claim victory by over five seconds.
Penrose held on for second place, whilst Mark Ashworth held on for third place, despite immense pressure from fourth placed Simon Cripps.
A number of drivers enjoyed a sterling progression from their qualifying performance. Pete Foster steered his way to fifth place, after starting towards the rear end of the top 10. Robin Ellis and Ivan Hayward emulated a strong race, to progress from their grid slot. The shared MGB Roadster of Motor Sport Magazine Editor Nick Trott and former fellow Motor Sport Magazine journalist, Ed Foster finished 14th.
The Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship
Mark McAleer claimed victory at Oulton Park after early leader Mark Sumpter fell by the wayside.
Sumpter steered his way to top spot from the start, as he led the way around the Cheshire circuit. However, when his car suddenly slowed, due to losing gears, he was forced to give way to McAleer.
From here, McAleer managed to steer his way to a commanding victory, courtesy of an eight-second advantage. Craig Wilkins claimed second place, whilst Sumpter held on for third place, despite only having third gear by the time the chequered flag fell.
Steve Cheetham was victorious in Class 2, after another furiously entertaining battle with Jake McAleer. The pair had swapped places a number of times during the race, but it was Cheetham ahead when it counted.
Armed with a fully working gearbox Sumpter was victorious second time around, to steal victory from McAleer, after a ferocious battle.
McAleer had led the way for part of the race, however as Sumpter found a Porsche 996 sized gap alongside him, he made his way ahead.
Despite a hairy moment towards the end of the outing, Sumpter held on for the victory, ahead of McAleer and Peter Erceg. Chris Dyer and Mike Price completed Class 1. Jake McAleer triumphed in Class 2 second time out, with Cheetham runner up this time.
MGCC Cockshoot Cup
Philip Standish’s late decision to race at Oulton proved to be a wise move after a dominant drive saw him steer his MG TF LE500 to victory. Having only decided to race the previous night, he was untouchable in the race, to finish some five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger.
Peter Bramble cemented himself in second place for the duration, defending his position from Mike Peters. His strong performance for second was also enough to deserve the Driver of the Race accolade, as decided by our commentary duo.
After starting down in 12th place, Ashley Woodward had some work to do. A determined drive saw him land in fourth place, with enough time to pester Peters in third place. Despite his best efforts, Woodward remained in a strong fourth place, to win the battle of the MGZS’.
Fellow MGZS drivers, Peter Burchill and Philip Bowden completed the top six, with Burchill crossing the line sheer millimetres ahead. David Coulthard’s birthday weekend ended without celebration when his early strong performance was met with a retirement after four laps.
The battle of the ladies was won by Helen Waddington this time. Maddy Maguire was a strong performer early on, however, slipped back after seemingly struggling with an issue.
Oulton Park always delivers excellent racing, and this year was certainly no different. Despite a good day of action, we wish the drivers involved in the MG Trophy incident a speedy recovery. We hope to see you both back out for the final round at Snetterton next month.
[portfolio_slideshow id=3479]
Trophy “Big Grid” continues for Oulton
The MG Car Club’s MG Trophy Championship’s huge grids continue with a full grid expected at Oulton Park on the 2nd September.
Trophy co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said “All the drivers got behind #MGTrophyBigGrid for my last ever MG Live at Silverstone in June and this was repeated with the most (27) cars we have ever taken to Knockhill in July. Oulton Park on the 2nd September will see the grid filled with 38 cars for the ‘John Woods Motorcare’ sponsored rounds so the good news continues.”
The new MG Trophy Co-ordinator, Bruce Woods, has started his role and will shadow Macwaters until the end of the season taking up the post on a full time basis from the 1st January 2018.
“I will stay on as championship chairman to assist Bruce in his first year to ensure a seamless handover” concluded Macwaters.
MGCC Motorsport heads north to Oulton
It’s crunch time as MG Car Club motorsport heads to Oulton Park for the penultimate rounds of the 2017 season on Saturday 2nd September.
Six of the Club’s Championships and Series will be on display featuring a whole host of cars spanning the marque’s history, including a capacity grid of 38 cars in the John Woods Motorcare MG Trophy Championship which caters for three classes of MG ZR.
Matt Turnbull is currently leading the Championship by 12 points from veteran Trophy driver Paul Luti, with Andy Spencer rounding up the top three a further 12 points down from Luti.
Russell McCarthy, driving his MGBGT V8 will be looking to add to his lead in the BCV8 Championship, the premier competition for MGB and MGC V8s. Meanwhile, in the Cockshoot Cup, Brian Butler heads Class F in his modified MGF alongside fellow Class F and MGF driver Ian Deaves, with the MG Midget of Mike Peters in third.
In the Drayton Manor MG Metro Cup, Mike Williams leads the way on 102 in one of the most competitive Championships the Club runs. In terms of exciting bumper to bumper racing, it doesn’t get much better at Club level. The Ashton brothers will be breathing down Williams’ neck at Oulton Park, with Andrew on 100 points and Jack on 97 points, respectively.
After eight rounds of the Peter Best Insurance MG Cup, Alan Brooke will look to get back to winning ways after only scoring a third place finish last time out at Cadwell Park. The two wins he picked up at Snetterton are still enough to keep him at the top of the table, but only just. Richard Buckley is just four points behind and will be looking to close the gap at Oulton in three weeks’ time.
Equipe GTS and The Petro-Canada Lubrications Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli will also be joining the Club’s Championships at Oulton Park, with near capacity grids and intensely competitive racing. With few spaces left to fill, the ever-popular Equipe GTS continues to impress, featuring a whole host of cars including MGBs, Austin Healey’s, Triumphs, TVRs, Lotus’ and much more. Equipe’s last race with the Club was at MGLive! achieving record grids with two groups taking part across the weekend. Mark Cole was victorious in both Group A races, driving his MGB Roadster, whilst Graham Pattle, also in an MGB Roadster, swept both Group B contests.
The Porsche Club Championship’s last outing was also with the Club at MGLive! on Saturday 17th June, where Mark McAleer won twice. He sits at the top of the Championship table in a three-way-tie with fellow Class A driver Mark Sumpter and Class B driver Steve Cheetham. At Oulton Park, it will be all to play for.
Race Competitions Secretary John Hutchison said: “We always enjoy racing at Oulton Park, and with many of our Championships proving hard to call as we head into the penultimate rounds, it promises to be a brilliant day for competitors and spectators alike.”
For those interested in going along, tickets can be purchased in advance for £10 and on the gate for £15. Children under 13 go free, and senior citizens are entitled to a £5 discount off the gate price.
For more information on race meetings and championships, please visit www.mgcc.co.uk/motorsport, or alternatively contact John Hutchison on 01235 849738 or johnh@mgcc.co.uk.
Cadwell Park Report and Photos
It doesn’t seem long since we were celebrating MG Live! at Silverstone, just a few weeks ago, and yet here we are at Cadwell Park for the fourth round of the MG Car Club Championships and Series’. A wet start to qualifying quickly gave way to blue skies and the sunshine, as we prepared for 10 action-packed races. Report by Leanne Fahy, photos courtesy of Dickon Siddall.
[portfolio_slideshow id=3408]
MGCC Peter Best Insurance MG Cup
Invitation entrant Andy Spencer triumphed in the opening race of the day, to claim a dominant race win.
Spencer controlled the pace from the very start, to lead the way untroubled. Behind, Ashley Woodward slotted into second place, as championship leader Alan Brooke harassed him from third place.
The battle for second place was put on hold with a surprise appearance of the safety car. As the field weaved their way around the Lincolnshire circuit, Brooke suddenly slowed and pulled off, just before Hall Bends.
With the circuit cleared, the action resumed, to see Spencer immediately settle back into a dominant lead role.
In Brooke’s absence, Woodward engaged in battle with Richard Buckley, for a two lap dash to the flag. As the pair immersed themselves in battle, Buckley managed to cement himself in second place, as Woodward slipped to fourth, behind Ian Boulton. Buckley’s efforts also secured him the Driver of the Race award.
Matthew Simpson enjoyed a fantastic outing, to race his way from 20th on the grid to eighth place at the end.
Declared a wet race, race two saw Spencer double his success with another victory. Again chased by Woodward, the latter managed to hold onto his second place this time around.
Although Spencer’s and Woodward’s races were untroubled, it was certainly eventful further back. As some of the MG ZR fraternity fell foul of the wet conditions, Alan Brooke managed to steer his way to third place, and the Driver of the Race award.
A number of cars fell foul of the treacherous conditions, to skate across the grass. Despite the lack of control on wet grass, all managed to rejoin, albeit not without a reshuffle of the order.
Buckley held on for a fourth place finish, ahead of Burchill and Dave Nixon. Ian Boulton and Lewis Anderson looked set for a top six result, however, the pair collided out of the final corner, sending them both into the pits and out of the race.
MGCC WES BCV8 Championship
Neil Fowler claimed opening BCV8 Championship honours, after a frantic race. A pole position start gave him the edge he needed to lead the way into the first corner, ahead of nearest challengers Ian Prior, Russell McCarthy and Jonnie Wheeler.
Despite starting fourth on the grid, a fantastic getaway launched Prior into an immediate second place. As the lead quartet toured, McCarthy encountered trouble, forcing him to pull off the circuit and out of the race.
With vital championship points at stake, Fowler held on, despite immense pressure from Prior, to claim victory. Prior collected second place and Driver of the Race, for his outstanding start, ahead of Jonnie Wheeler in third.
Ollie Neaves steered to a fourth place finish, ahead of Le Mans racer Ben Barker, who switched his Porsche race car for an MGB Roadster this weekend. Babak Farsian completed the top six.
Barrier repairs from the penultimate race meant the final BCV8 race was delayed. With just 15 minutes available it was very much a splash to the flag for eventual winner?
Ignoring the treacherous conditions, Fowler and Wheeler battled profusely lap after lap, with the pair side by side and sideways for much of the outing. As Fowler jumped into the lead, the pair continued to scrap. As both fell foul of the conditions, Prior launched through and into the lead, chased by Ollie Neaves.
Despite Neaves’ best efforts, Prior held on for the race win. Neaves claimed second place, ahead of Ben Barker. Barker was also awarded Driver of the Race, whilst Prior was awarded the Driver of the Day. Wheeler and Fowler held on for fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge
Stephen Collier transferred his MG Midget and Sprite Challenge second place start into a race win, with a comfortable 22 second gap to protect him.
After claiming the race lead immediately from pole sitter Carl Chadwick, Collier was untroubled throughout.
Behind, Martin Morris slotted into a solitary second place, to finish ahead of Chadwick. Ed Reeve had a spectacular start, to see him weave his way from a seventh place start to land in a fourth place finish.
Despite his best efforts, David Morrison was unable to unnerve Reeve and settled in a fifth place finish. The battle for sixth was a thrilling one, with Richard bridge getting the edge over Bruce Carter and Kim Dear.
Despite missing out on the win, Chadwick was awarded the Driver of the Race award.
MGCC Cockshoot Cup
Phil Standish scored a successful end to his Cockshoot Cup outing, to steal honours after early leader Ashley Woodward suffered a problem.
Although Woodward led the way from the start, his speedy launch was deemed to have been too eager, giving him a 10-second penalty.
Although Woodward was still ahead on the road, his position soon came under threat, when an apparent issue saw him pull out of the way. In his absence, Standish happily took over the prominent lead spot, to finish ahead of Mike Peters and Brian Butler. Mark Bellamy collected a fourth place finish, ahead of Philip Bowden in fifth and Peter Burchill in sixth.
It was a great race for the girls, with Maddy Maguire crossing the finish line just ahead of Helen Waddington, following an epic battle.
Standish’s efforts were also worthy of the prestigious Driver of the Race accolade.
MGCC Triple M Register “Baynton Jones Historic Motorsport” Challenge
Tom Hardman enjoyed victory in the Triple M Register outing. A spectacular 24 car grid, saw these fantastic machines thunder around the Cadwell Park circuit for 10 glorious laps.
Despite the best efforts of David Seber, it was Hardman who stole the lead from his rival, to sweep passed the chequered flag first in his MG Bellevue Special.
Seber held on for second place, just inches adrift, with Harry Painter and Mike Painter in third and fourth places. Charles Jones and Nick Hayward-Cook completed the top six. Hardman’s victorious efforts also deemed him worthy of the Driver of the Race award from our commentary team.
MGCC Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup
Lee Connell triumphed in a frenetic MG Metro Cup race, despite pressure from championship stalwart Mike Williams.
As championship pretenders Jack and Andrew Ashton seemingly entangled with one another, it was Connell who dictated the pace. Williams had looked primed to steal the lead spot with five minutes to go, however as the last few laps came into sight, the gap between him and leader Connell increased once more.
Despite the gap, a slide of his Metro into the Mountain section of the circuit, saw Williams fight hard for his second place finish.
Dick Trevett had sat comfortably in third place for much of the race, however as the recovering Ashton duo stormed back towards the front, they quickly sent him down to an eventual sixth place finish.
With championship points in their sights, Jack Ashton steered his way to third place, ahead of Andrew Ashton and Richard Garrard, who also claimed Driver of the Race.
MGCC Iconic 50s Series
Bruce Riches grasped the Iconic 50’s race victory, just 0.6 seconds ahead of nearest challenger Peter Edney. Despite a smaller grid, the action more than made up for the numbers.
Riches led the way from start to finish, in his Elva Mk 5 Sports machine, despite constant harassment throughout. Peter Hiscocks had followed in second place early on, however as Edney stormed through, the latter certainly made second place his own.
After losing second place, Hiscocks held on for third place, ahead of Graham Coles and pole sitter Bob Lines. Sadly, Andrew Cox missed out on a race finish.
Edney’s sterling performance deemed him worthy of the Driver of the Race accolade.
MSCC Aero Racing Morgan Challenge
It was a family tussle in the Aero Racing Morgan Challenge outing, as father and son duet, Russell and Elliot Paterson battled throughout.
Elliot had led the way early on, however as father Russell muscled his way ahead, he held on for a close race victory.
The pair had been separated by just over half a second for many laps, but as they navigated their way through a plethora of backmarkers, the gap stretched to over four seconds. As rain began to fall, a decrease in lap times demonstrated difficult conditions. However, as the chequered flag came into sight, Elliot was unfazed, to finish just over one second adrift of father Russell.
Behind, Tony Lees claimed third place, ahead of Andrew Thompson, Dominic House and Tony Hirst.
Despite a damp start to the day, the sun shone through, making it a fantastic day. With 10 races, comprising cars from across the decades, we had a spectacular array of action on circuit. We are now staring straight into the summer break, and look forward to the next round of the MG Car Club championships, at Oulton Park on Saturday 2nd September.
Cadwell Park Preview
The MG Car Club’s motorsport will be in action this Saturday 22nd July at Lincolnshire-based circuit Cadwell Park.
This will be the Club’s first visit to Cadwell Park since 2013 and it looks set to be another fantastic day out for drivers and spectators alike with packed grids throughout.
A range of MG’s from throughout the marque’s history will be on display – including 1930s Triple-M models racing at the circuit for the first time in over ten years. An impressive grid of 25 cars is expected to race for the second time this year after competing for the Mary Harris Trophy at Brands Hatch back in April.
Russell McCarthy, driving his MGBGT V8 will be looking to add to his 20-point lead over Andy Young’s MGC in the BCV8 Championship. In the Cockshoot Cup, Ashley Woodward leads the fully modified ‘Class C’ in his MG ZS after winning the second race at Silverstone by just one second over tied second place driver Ray Collier.
Just five points separate the top three drivers of the Drayton Manor MG Metro Cup going into the fourth of seven rounds at Cadwell this Saturday. Andrew Ashton sits at the top of the table with 86 points, just ahead of Mike Williams and younger brother Jack Ashton.
Paul Campfield is currently leading the Lackford Engineering Midget and Sprite Challenge driving in Class E –for cars with race modified engines and suspension but treaded tyres. The two Class A and fully modified cars of Edward Reeve and Richard Wildman will be hot on Paul’s toes this weekend as they attempt to get back into the title picture.
After three rounds of the Peter Best Insurance MG Cup, Alan Brooke leads the chase after scoring maximum points in both races at Snetterton. Brooke will be looking to add to his 21-point advantage in Lincolnshire and is hoping for a repeat performance of his last outing.
Alongside the above will be the Iconic ‘50s Series of which caters to 1950s MG T-Types, MGAs, and various other marques including Lotus and Austin Healey.
Race Competitions Secretary John Hutchison said: “We’re delighted to be back at Cadwell Park this weekend, and with such a diverse mix of cars we’re hoping for another successful day’s racing.
“We like to offer our drivers the opportunity of racing up and down the country, and this Saturday will be a fresh challenge for a number of our competitors who may not have visited Cadwell with us before.”
For those interested in going along, tickets can be purchased on the gate for £15. Children under 13 go free, and senior citizens are entitled to a £5 discount off the gate price.
For more information on race meetings and championships, please visit www.mgcc.co.uk/motorsport, or alternatively contact John Hutchison on 01235 849738 or johnh@mgcc.co.uk.