MG Car Club

Twists and turns as MGCC titles are taken at Snetterton

MG Car Club racing categories plus the Morgan Challenge gathered for the club’s 2022 season finale meeting at Snetterton, and they all had championships to resolve. And the day could barely have packed in more drama in deciding those championships, as there were plenty of twists and a few titles were not resolved until the very last. In one case it was decided literally in the run to the finishing line.

To add to the excitement, the early Autumn weather in Norfolk was sometimes treacherous, with the occasional short shower livening the action further and giving drivers plenty to think about.

It was a particularly notable meeting too for MG Metro Cup and Midget & Sprite Challenge, which both had special occasions to mark.

MGCC The Holden MG Trophy

MG Trophy’s championship fight at Snetterton was between Class B pair Joe Dalgarno and Josh Bromley, with Dalgarno arriving in Norfolk with a slender lead.

And the duo in the first Snetterton race took part in a tight four-way place-swapping class battle with Patrick Booth and James Cole also involved, though Cole dropped out at half distance after overrevving his engine. And Bromley pipped Dalgarno to the flag by just 0.157 seconds, getting Driver of the Race with it. This result created a winner-takes-all finale race for the title between the pair in race two.

While at the front Class A’s Jason Burgess and Adam Jackson also had a tight fight, with Burgess jumping poleman Jackson at the start and holding off his foe. Their scrap was resolved when Jackson pitted with a puncture shortly after an off entering the Bentley Straight. He returned freshly booted to take a distant second in class.

In the title-deciding race two, now in more tricky conditions, Dalgarno spun early and lost ground to Bromley. But, having established tyre temperature, Dalgarno closed in on Bromley late on and the title-protagonist pair had a furious last-lap scrap for the crown. Dalgarno got by Bromley at the start of the lap, but Bromley was back ahead at the Esses halfway round. The pair proceeded at close quarters and amazingly had a side-by-side drag race to the line for the championship, which Dalgarno won by just 0.058s. The pair had made contact at Murrays, the final turn, but it was declared a racing incident.

Sam Meagher, who missed race one, ran competitively in the second race to finish fifth in Class B and got Driver of the Race.

While up front Burgess made it a double win by again holding off poleman Jackson after jumping him off the line. At one point the pair were side by side for several corners from the Esses, but Burgess had the inside line for Murrays and kept the lead.

Dalgarno said: “It’s been a tough year, it’s been a great year. I got my first win at the beginning of the season and to finish it with a win as well was really mega, I really enjoyed this year.

“I didn’t really have any grip [in race two] and kept pushing, kept pushing, and I got the tyre temperature up. And as soon as I got temperature I was able to brake that bit later and carry that little bit extra speed through the corners and it just brought me onto the back of him [Bromley].

“I went for the move [at Murrays on the last lap], which I had done the same on the previous lap, and he left me room the previous lap, last lap he didn’t leave me the room. I tried to back out of it to avoid the contact but I just didn’t quite make it in time.

“I turned him around a little bit, so I backed right out, let him get straight again and [it was a] drag race to the line.”

Bromley said: “[At] Murrays as I’ve turned in I’ve had contact on my rear bumper slash rear wheel area. It’s sent me into a slide and cost me the exit of that corner, the run up to the line, and he’s [Dalgarno] drove past me.

“Early on [in race two] it started raining, normally you get a couple of laps where it’s not too bad but it seemed as soon as a little bit of rain came down it was very very lively. But I managed to find some pace in the rain.”

On the year more generally, Bromley added: “It’s been a great season, enjoyed every minute of it, so can’t wait for some more.”

MGCC MG Cup powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

Richard Buckley returned to the MG Cup grid at Snetterton, after missing the Oulton Park round with work commitments. In Norfolk he was seeking to confirm the championship crown ahead of the challenging Class B runner Ian Boulton.

Buckley in his Rover Tomcat claimed pole, but it rained before race one and he was less happy, particularly with the car’s brakes early in the race and he had a lap-one off at Oggies.

The Class B MG ZR 170s came to the fore instead and among them Jack Chapman – in his newly improved machine – quickly took to the front and streaked clear. He won by 45 seconds and astoundingly it was his first-ever win. Appropriately he got Driver of the Race. Fergus Campbell and then Boulton were next home.

Buckley despite his struggle took class victory just from Dave Nixon, who recovered from a lowly grid slot as his Tomcat was only running on three cylinders.

Joel Roy Highley in his MG ZR 160 won Class A clearly from the returning Marcus Short whose gamble on wet tyres did not pay off.

Race two was in large part a repeat as Chapman again scampered clear in first place to win crushingly, this time by half a minute. His performance was rewarded with Driver of the Day.

Buckley again had a tough time, and again ran off the track early on. He recovered though to second in class and this was sufficient for him to seal the title.

Campbell again was overall runner-up while Daniel Boman was third home and clear Class C winner, as well as Driver of the Race, while Short won in Class A. Boulton had been second home overall on the road but got a 10s penalty for causing a collision.

“I tried my hardest not to do it today really didn’t I?,” Buckley laughed. “I locked up in the first race, the first lap, locked up on the first lap of the second race, made myself hard work. But I managed to bring it back, so happy with that.

“I put some different brake pads on and they’re very snatchy, too hard, very snatchy when they’re cold. They’re fine when they get hot. Especially the first lap there’s not enough heat in them, as soon as you touch the brakes it just snatches them.

“Two finishes, that’s all I was interested in today. I wasn’t particularly bothered about wins, just two finishes and the championship.”

Double winner Chapman meanwhile said: “It’s been a really good day, had a lot of ups and not many downs, because I seemed to keep the car on the pace, the car was set up well for every condition that the track threw at me.

“Before coming to this weekend I overhauled it [the car] with British Legends, and just everything seemed to be good. Throughout the whole of the season I was having an issue with it but I didn’t realise I had the issue. It had a dodgy earth on the ECU and when I sorted that the car seemed to be on fire ever since.

“End of last year I’ve shown a lot of pace and potential and that I could possibly fight for the championship. But this year it all went out the window, but out of nowhere I’ve found the pace in the car again and I’m back where I should be.”

MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge with MGAs & BCV8s

Midget & Sprite Challenge had a special contest at Snetterton as in its first race Class A runners competed for the Ted Reeve Memorial Trophy, remembering the man who competed in Midgets for 48 years, and whose last race with the club was at Snetterton in 2017.

In that first race, poleman Richard Bridge retired almost immediately with what he suspected was a water pump failure. And in the damp conditions the returning newly crowned Cockshoot Cup champion David Morrison had his wet-tyre gamble on his Midget pay off handsomely. From fourth on the grid he had a 6.7-second lead at the end of lap one, and before long he was half a minute clear. He cruised to victory.

James Hughes in his Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite was next home and a clear Class E winner. Pippa Cow had a haphazard time in the conditions – she estimated she went off four times – but her second place in Class E was enough for her to retain her championship crown.

Barney Collinson pipped fellow Midget runner Hugh Simpson in the Class D contest, and Collinson got Driver of the Day, though Simpson was later disqualified for a technical infringement.

The Midgets and Spites shared the track with MGAs and BCV8s and Jonnie Wheeler, taking over his son James’s MGB GT V8, was first BCV8 runner home despite an early spin. He won out in a close fight with fellow MGB GT V8 racer Oliver Wardle.

A slick surface for race two gave the runners a similar tyre conundrum and this time Morrison’s selection of wets didn’t pay off, as he fell to fifth on a surface too dry for them. By contrast another returnee Martin Morris found that his choice of slicks this time paid off. He had run on slicks in race one and slithered down the order, but in race two he took to the front at half distance and won.

It was a poignant day for Morris as he was racing Reeve’s old car, having taken over it at the 11^th hour from multiple-champion Paul Sibley who couldn’t take part due to work.

Morris finished 9.1s clear of Wheeler – and Wheeler got the BCV8/MGA Driver of the Race across the two races – with Cow next home and the Class E winner. Simpson won Class D race and got Driver of the Race.

Morrison said: “Just took a gamble on the tyres with the wets [in race one] and it paid off. Went and had a look at the track instead of looking on the telemetry and it worked. So we were quids in. Half the track was so bad, which I don’t think anyone expected.

“And I tried the same tyres in the second one, because it was spitting a bit, but it [the rain] didn’t come. So that’s why I was a bit slow. It shredded [the tyres].”

Morris said: “It started raining at the beginning of the second race, but I thought I’m going out on slicks and that’s the end of it, and it was the right call.

“I lent the car from Paul Sibley, and [in race one] I didn’t want to put his wet tyres on when it was partially wet, partially dry, so I just thought out of respect go with the slicks and just deal with it.

“But being in Ted Reeve’s old car, the first time I sat in it was this morning, so the first time I drove it was down to the assembly area to go out and qualify. I wish I could have done it [won] in the first race.

“I’ll be back out full season, I broke my gearbox at Brands Hatch and then we had a bent axle, so by the time I got it all sorted it was Thursday last week, and it was too late. And then Paul rang me and said ‘can you take my car because I can’t go?’ So I felt very proud to drive Ted’s old car in his memorial race.”

Cow said of her championship: “We’ve become quite accustomed to #1 on the car, we had it on this year and it means an awful lot, and then to have it again is even more special. The car has had a few issues this year, I’ve had three DNFs which is unusual.

“It’s all the people [that keep me coming back], we’re a really close-knit community team, apart from when we’re on the track when we all want to overtake each other.”

Hickford Construction Ltd MGCC MG Metro Cup

MG Metro Cup marked its 30^th anniversary at Snetterton with a special lunchtime parade of cars alongside a number of other ways to mark the occasion. Not least of these was that it had a bumper 22-car grid, including some noteworthy additions. And it was via this bumper entry that the Metros’ year-long championship fight would be decided.

Reigning champion Mark Eales entered the meeting with a points lead over Mike Williams, but Eales’ round started in a tricky fashion. First he damaged a wheel in qualifying and started race one only fifth. Then, even more sensationally, having finished fourth in race one – and second of the points scorers – he was disqualified as his Metro was underweight. And to compound matters he would now start race two at the back. It all appeared to swing the title towards Williams.

Williams had won the opening race, on the final lap passing the dominant returning twice champion Jack Ashton, who had slowed late on as he had a gentlemen’s agreement not to take the chequered flag first as an invitational non-points-scoring entry. Williams and Ashton finished just ahead of another prominent returnee invitational entry Dan Balster, and Balster got Driver of the Race.

However in the second and final race the title took another twist as Williams retired from the lead in a cloud of smoke. Gearbox oil was leaking onto his exhaust, and while Williams could have continued he chose to pull off as he was concerned the dropped oil would be a danger to others.

That left Eales needing to gain places to retain his crown, and he climbed to third of the point-scorers, which by common calculations would be enough for him to get the title after all. He got Driver of the Race for his race-two effort as well.

Balster was first to the flag after Ashton again tailed off late on. Balster was just half a second ahead of the popular winner among the point scorers Richard Garrard.

Eales said: “There was a slight mistake. I weighed the car before qualifying, weighed it again after race one and it was underweight. I don’t know how, when I had more fuel in the car and everything.

“And then with Mike not finishing [race two] I just had to drive the wheels off the car and try and get up as far as I can and hopefully [I’ve] just done enough to secure the championship.

“I must have been fifth or sixth at the time [Williams had his problem] and I see some smoke and I thought it’s coming from Mike’s car, and I see him pull over. I was already going literally as fast as I could and I just tried pushing that little bit more. I had a couple of moments just trying and trying.”

Williams said: “Ups and downs, it’s all part of racing. [Eales’] disqualification kind of put a right dampener on for us; I didn’t want to win it [the Championship] like that at all. We were both quite upset about it.

“With the second race with the gearbox oil going onto the exhaust, I could have carried on but I felt what if someone else went off on my gearbox oil, and damaged their car or God forbid worse, then what kind of championship would that be for me to take? Looking at the first race and what happened to Mark it’s the right thing [outcome].”

Morgan Challenge

The guesting Morgan Challenge also had a championship to resolve in its two Snetterton races.

Poleman Ian Sumner won the opener, despite a poor start and being unhappy with his gearbox. He dropped to fourth at the off but quickly recovered to second then ate up the gap to leader and title contender Andrew Thompson. Sumner then passed Thompson at one third’s distance and pulled clear to win with Thompson runner up.

However Thompson’s title shot was then thrown into doubt as early in the second race oil was leaking onto his rear brakes. Faced with the safety concern plus knowing the car shedding its oil was unlikely to make the end, he retired. And his title rival, Class 4 competitor Stephen Lockett, won in class and took fastest lap therein, which pending calculations could be enough for him to pip Thompson to the crown.

Sumner took his second race win of the day, despite electing to start from the pits this time as he was unsure of the car’s ability to pull away from the startline with its gearbox gremlins. He climbed to the lead by half distance.

Oulton excitement as MGCC racing returns

The MG Car Club racers got quickly down to business after their summer break in a crammed day of action around Oulton Park’s picturesque sweeps. Five of the club’s categories were present that all got two races each in Cheshire, and they were joined by the guesting Morgan Challenge that also got a double header.

The day also included a presentation to Chief Marshal, Paul Stilling (pictured above together with Oulton Park Marshals and MG Car Club Officials). After many years of service to the Club’s racing, Paul has decided that the time has come to take things a little more easily and Oulton Park was his last event in the role. He will still be seen out on the bank with his fellow marshals, predominantly at Donington Park. We wish him the very best for his future.

On the track, there was plenty of drama packed into the day, and it always paid to watch races to the end as no fewer than three of them had the lead change hands on the last lap, and in another the victory destination switched just before the final lap began. And these were far from the only sources of excitement.

Hickford Construction Ltd MGCC MG Metro Cup

Chief MG Metro Cup championship protagonists newly married Mike Williams and reigning champion Mark Eales (both pictured above, cars 28 and 1) led the opening race from the off. But Eales soon took command when poleman Williams’ car mysteriously stuttered then cut out completely. Williams went to park up only to then find the car fired up successfully.

By that time he was well off the back of the pack but he tore back into the action and finished 12^th, setting fastest lap too after his problem.

Eales therefore looked set for the win, but at the chequered flag he had a 10-second penalty applied for a false start. This dropped him to third and Dan Willars (also pictured above, car 58) got the win by less than a second from Richard Garrard, and the latter got Driver of the Race.

Eales and Williams took up battle again in the second race, with Williams chasing Eales closely for much of the way. Eales, helped by better straightline speed, stayed ahead and also got Driver of the Race.

Eales said: “Definitely a mixed day. Race one: good start, it must have been touch and go on the jump start because I thought I had it spot on.

“Mike had to pull off and come back on and it gave me a bit of a gap, and then I just drove my own race. I was pushing because I saw the 10s penalty, but I had a couple of little moments towards the end and eased off a little bit which gave Dan [a chance to close].

“Race two, great fun. Absolutely rubbish start this time, ended up basically at the back. Then just fought our way back and managed to get past Mike and then Simmo [Matthew Simpson]. And then I had Mike hassling me the whole time, he’s so fast around the corners but his car’s a little bit down on power at the moment.

“So I made myself as wide as possible, if anything I was taking the corner a little bit slower and blocking the corner because I knew I had the pace to pull away out the corner each time. Very hard work but good fun.”

Williams said of his day: “It’s been a mixed bag to say the least. First race I started on pole and was a forgone conclusion in many respects, I got a 2s lead, I thought I’ll manage the pace, and Mark got a 10s penalty so it’s done and dusted, or so you’d think.

“Then the car started spluttering, he got past, and then it cut out completely. So I pulled over to the side of the circuit, I was literally going to get out the car, flicked around with a few switches, hit the button and it started up. I already was 30s behind what was last place. It was just a case of try and have a bit of fun, which I did.

“Race two, it was a full-on race, but the car just doesn’t have the power in a straight line. I was pushing Mark every corner, I’m alongside him in certain parts. Mark’s got about 7bhp more than me, which in a car with 120bhp is quite a lot. I couldn’t find the opportunity to get past and stay past.”

MGCC The Leacy Classic MG Trophy

Jason Burgess (pictured above, car 16) returned to winning ways in Oulton Park’s opening MG Trophy race, though he didn’t have it all his own way. First he had to rise from a second-row start, but he soon passed poleman Adam Jackson (also pictured above) to lead, and Jackson not long after dropped down to 13^th place after a big slide induced by a damper failure.

However it still wasn’t a cruise for Burgess as the returning Ross Makar, having his first race after sitting out for much of this year with a shattered collarbone, was chasing him in second after a poor start from the front row. Makar indeed got into Burgess’s tail when the leader slowed for an oil slick, but Burgess was able to remain ahead to win

Twice champion Graham Ross was another returnee, in his case for the first time since Brands Hatch’s season opener, and he ran competitively until retiring with a clutch problem. Jackson recovered to sixth and got Driver of the Race.

Colin Robertson in his MG3 was third home, ahead of the Class B battle that was won by Joseph Dalgarno by 10 seconds from title rival Josh Bromley. Also in the title fight, Matthew Harvey comfortably won in Class C.

In the second race Burgess again from a second-row start quickly got on to early leader Jackson’s tail, and he passed for the lead on the third lap in a frenzied battle wherein the pair were side-by-side for much of the tour.

Burgess edged clear and looked all set for a second Cheshire victory of the day, but he stopped near the end of the final lap with a vibration, caused it transpired by wheel studs shearing. Jackson inherited the win.

Makar and Ross completed the podium, while Bromley got revenge on Dalgarno by pipping him for Class B honours by just 0.2s, after the pair were tied together for the race’s duration. Class C winner James Blake beat Harvey by 16s and got Driver of the Race.

Burgess said: “Fabulous, really good racing with Adam Jackson in both races, and with Ross Makar. He [Makar] caught me up [in race one] because there was oil on the circuit, so I had a big lead and I probably backed off too much. And then ended up having a good race with Ross at the end, but I’d got plenty in reserve.

“Second race was similar, it was probably a closer race actually than the first one. Adam was definitely out the blocks well and at one stage I thought I’m probably not going be able to catch him. So I literally did throw it into a couple of corners, threw it into the chicane and I got him going up the hill out of the chicane into Lodge and I got side-by-side with him coming on the start-finish straight and that lasted all the way down to Shell [Oils hairpin], it was fantastic.

“Then I managed to get my head down and he couldn’t catch me, and I had a mechanical breakdown on the last half of the last lap. That was disappointing but I had a lot of fun and some good racing, and that’s what you come for.”

Jackson added: “It’s not been easy today. I thought I’ll just go hell for leather straight off the bat [in race two], which I did, but then Jason was just reeling me in and reeling me in. We had a good little battle and when we came up on a backmarker he ended up in a bit of a gap. I [then] was trying to concentrate on doing clean laps but I was pushing more and ended up getting a bit more raggedy. Unfortunately for Jason he gifted it to me, it was a good race, I kept him honest anyway.”

MGCC MG Cup powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

With MG Cup championship leader Richard Buckley absent with his Ferrari work commitments, Class B cars stepped to the fore at Oulton Park. Fergus Campbell in his brightly painted MG ZR 170 (pictured above) won the opening race after leading all the way from pole. He formed a close frontrunning trio throughout with title protagonists and fellow ZR 170 runners Ian Boulton and Iain Dowler, and they completed the podium with Boulton ahead. Campbell got Driver of the Day too.

Dave Nixon in his Rover 220 Tomcat Turbo was next home and first of the Class C runners, beating Daniel Boman in his MG ZS 180.

Campbell then made it a double win in race two, and this time he was more dominant as he beat Boulton by 13.5 seconds. Boman was third home and therefore won the Class C contest, and he got Driver of the Race. Neither Dowler nor Nixon made the finish due to technical problems, Dowler having throttle woe and Nixon suffering overheating.

And Campbell’s day was even more impressive as he also raced his ZR 170 in both of Oulton’s MG Trophy races, and the final two races he competed in were back to back. In the first Trophy race Campbell even rose from the back to run second in class before getting a black-and-orange flag for flailing rear bodywork after contact. Appropriately Campbell got the meeting’s Driver of the Day award.

Campbell said: “It was a very unusual day. I’d entered the MG Cup races which was always my plan, but up to this meeting I’ve had engine problems all year and I missed Donington. And we sort of felt and hoped that we’d got it sorted and I looked at my qualifying time in the Cup on the same tyres as Joe Dalgarno in the Trophy and there was only a couple of tenths in it, so I thought while I’m here I may as well do the Trophy.

“As soon as that [MG Cup race two] finished, back here, quick refuelling and back into the collecting area for the Trophy. I’m pretty tired having done four races in one day but it’s nice to be back with a reliably running car.

“[In] the first [MG Cup] race I had my work cut out because the tyres didn’t switch on, and in the second Cup race I used the different tyre, the Yokohama tyre which the MG Trophy are using next year. But I had to do two races back-to-back on the same set of tyres, we didn’t have time to change tyres.”

MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge

Richard Bridge (pictured above) was in dominant form in the MG Midget & Sprite Challenge in his Austin Healey Sprite, and from pole won the opening race by more than 20 seconds.

Returning frontrunner Stephen Collier likely would have offered Bridge a closer challenge, but he had recover from starting at the back after not being able to set a qualifying time due to a rotor arm failing. Collier rose to second place by the race’s third lap but by then Bridge was more than 10s up the road. They finished in the same positions, in Collier’s case despite his brakes failing at mid distance and him developing exhaust problems. The woes kept Collier out of race two.

Reigning champion Pippa Cow in race one was third home in her Sprite and beat James Hughes’ Sprite to Class E victory. Connor Kay in his Midget was the Class D victor.

Bridge looked all set to repeat his dominant win in race two as he built a large lead from pole, but he sensationally retired on the final lap with a broken halfshaft. Cow therefore inherited the win, finishing 5s ahead of Hughes. Kay finished third overall and got another Class D win.

Hugh Simpson in his Midget meanwhile charged from the back to finish fifth, and third in Class D, and this got him Driver of the Race.

Bridge said: “It was nice to win the first race, and it was a shame that Steve Collier had to start from the back because I was really looking forward to racing him. And then the car was just superb and the track was in good condition for the second race and just a bit of a shame not to finish because of the halfshaft breaking. I broke the lap record though so I can’t be too unhappy.

“[I was] racing the clock really, and the track was very oily this morning [in race one] so I really pushed on once I realised the track was in good condition [in race two]. I broke the lap record a couple of times, let everything cool down, went for it again and broke the car. One of those things, get it fixed for Snetterton.

“The balance is great, and the engine – although it’s my old engine and it’s slightly down on power – it’s very very strong, so it’s a very nice car to drive at the moment.”

MGCC Cockshoot Cup

The opening Cockshoot Cup race became a two-lap sprint for honours after a lengthy safety car period when John Spencer’s MG ZR 170 got stranded broadside at Deer Leep after an incident with William Fraser’s MG F.

There was still time for action though. Keith Egar’s freshly tyred Midget (pictured above) starting fifth had leapt to the front with a fine launch. He lost the lead to poleman Paul Wignall’s MG ZS 180 just before the safety car was deployed, but after green lap racing resumed Egar starting the final lap swept past Wignall across the start-finish line to lead. Wignall then immediately crashed out exiting the next turn at Old Hall, leaving Egar free to win.

Championship leader David Morrison was second home and took another Class B victory while Chris Greenbank was a comfortable Class F winner in his MG F. Rhys Higginbotham in his Class A MG ZR 160 finished in an impressive fifth place overall and was awarded Driver of the Race.

Egar followed up his victory with another in race two, getting another rocket start and this time leading every lap and keeping the chasing Karl Green’s MG ZS 180 at arm’s length. Green had dropped out of contention in the first race as he had to pit early to get loose wheelnuts tightened, and then any comeback thoughts were thwarted by being caught behind the safety car and unable to join the back of the pack.

David Coulthard in his MG F in race two took his second third-place finish of the day, and got Driver of the Race with it. Morrison – despite a misfire – Greenbank and Higginbotham were again comfortable class winners.

Egar, Morrison, Greenbank and Higginbotham also were awarded Vicky Peters Trophies for the best aggregate performances across the two races.

Egar said: “It’s been a great day. Qualification was a little bit complicated with the safety car, I was on the third row of the grid.

“The second race I was in the lead from start to finish really, so it was more straightforward [than race one]. But the car just really suits this circuit, and the fact that I bought some new tyres massively helps. I was running old tyres from last year and you don’t realise race after race they get harder and harder. I stopped being so tight and actually spent some money.

“And it was nice to see one of the Cockshoot Cup champions from last year; Brian Butler was here today. He’s not been well but to see him was another motivation, I know what a dedicated racer he is.

“Starts are my strength: the car’s light and fairly powerful. The car was initially built as a sprint and hillclimb car so you need to get off the line quick and that’s what I spent 10 years doing in sprinting and hillclimb.”

Morgan Challenge

Championship leader Andrew Thompson (pictured above) in his ARV6 took a dominant win in the opening Morgan Challenge race, with a victory margin of over half a minute. His task was made easier by that polesitter Tom Andrew in his Plus 6 first had a poor start and then, having recovered to second, pulled out as his car was lapsing onto its automatic gearshift setting, which created various problems such as going slower and cooking the brakes.

Title contender Brett Syndercombe meanwhile retired from race one, and missed race two, after bending his steering arm trying to pass Tony Hirst.

Thompson though had to give best in race two as Roger Whiteside in his Plus 8 – who had been stuck in traffic for much of race one on his way to second place – shadowed leader Thompson then passed him for first at mid distance and pulled clear. Whiteside’s advantage was such that he still won by five seconds even after a 10s penalty was applied for a false start.

Day of MGCC racing drama at Donington

The MG Car Club reconvened for its Donington Park Summer Races meeting and an uncanny number of thrilling battles for race victory were squeezed into an intense day of action. There were no fewer than 14 races and nine categories represented, including MGCC’s full range of racing competition going from modern cars to pre-War, all of them getting two races apiece. And spice, as if it was needed, was added with ever-changing track conditions amid sunshine and showers.

MGCC XPart MG Trophy

The 11^th-hour withdrawal of reigning champion Sam Kirkpatrick did not result in a shortage of action in fighting for first place in two MG Trophy races. Doug Cole in his MG ZR 190 (pictured above, 99) won the damp opening race from pole, 2.6 seconds ahead of the chasing Adam Jackson.

Cole’s task was also made more straightforward by that his fellow front-row starter Jason Burgess (above, 16), who’d won the previous four races, pitted after the first of two warm-up laps to switch his front tyres from slicks to wets in changing conditions. Burgess started from the pitlane and recovered to finish fifth.

And there was a race-one double celebration for the Cole family as Doug’s son James won the Class B contest, and did so comfortably in fourth place overall. This also got James the Driver of the Race award.

Cole and Burgess then had an intense fight for first place in the damp-but-drying race two, swapping places more than once. Sadly the battle ended early when Burgess pitted with an electrical problem with three laps left, but it was not the end of the action as Cole in bagging his second win of the meeting only just resisted a fully slick-shod Jackson who, with the drying track coming to him, had closed in on Cole and attacked for first place on the final lap. This effort also got Jackson Driver of the Race.

Cole said: “It [race two] was a hard-fought race, Jason put up a sturdy old battle more than once.

“We should have had slicks on the back, but it was better because Adam didn’t catch us until the last lap, I had one big mistake at the bottom of the Old Hairpin, a proper slide and that’s where he caught me up. Another lap and he would have had me, without a shadow of a doubt. But you’ve got to be in front to win.

“First race we had wets all round and it was lethal. I love Donington, and I’ve always gone well here. Qualifying I was on it properly, a really really good qualifying time. I had a quicker one in the bag but I got boxed on the last corner. I think I would have been three-quarters of a second quicker.”

The second Class B race was also a thriller, with a four-way battle for first. Josh Bromley won it, just ahead of Tylor Ballard, James Cole and Patrick Booth, who had switched from the Class A contest after an engine failure on his ZR 190 on Friday.

Baynton Jones Historic Motorsport Triple M Challenge

Both the front-row starters in the opening pre-War Triple M Challenge race were shuffled to the back almost immediately on a greasy surface. Polesitter Oliver Sharp in his MG N Type Magnette was caught out by the lack of grip being offered by Donington’s asphalt, and spun at the first turn. He continued towards the rear of the field put quickly pulled out, still concerned by the shortage of grip.

Several cars spun at the first turn in an apparent concertina effect from Sharp’s misadventure, though all recovered aside from Chris Edmondson’s MG D Type. While second-placed starter Roland Wettstein also dropped down the order after contact in the rear of his Parnell-MG K3 and he too pulled out before long as he was unsure about his car’s level of damage.

This all left Tony Seber’s Wolseley Hornet Special well placed to win, which he did ahead of the closing Richard Frankel in his revered MG K3, and Frankel got Driver of the Race.

Mark Dolton was fourth overall and a comfortable Class C winner in his MG PB Special while Fred Boothby in his MG J2was an equally comfortable Class B winner. Annie Boursot just beat Onno Könemann (pictured above) to the Class A win.

Rod Seber took over the Wolseley Hornet Special for race two and, having not raced in race one from which the grid was based, Rod had to rise from the back. He did this in unison with Sharp and by lap three they were the lead pair. A spin and a run through the gravel by Sharp – who still wasn’t happy with the grip on offer – decided the race in Seber’s favour.

Dolton, this time third overall, again won Class C and this time got Driver of the Race too. Boursot again narrowly beat Könemann in Class A. Andrew Morland won Class B in his MG PA after Boothby didn’t make the finish.

“Just a matter of keeping it on the track,” Rod Seber said. “[Conditions were] a lot on the edge, not a lot of grip out there.

“[I] sort of lost it once at the chicane, but just held it. [Sharp] gave me a good race but he spun off a couple of times and missed a gear, that’s how I got past him.

“[The car] weren’t going too well this morning. The bias had gone to the back brakes, it had virtually zero brakes, and running too rich so we weakened it up so seems to be going a lot better.”

MGCC MG Cup powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

Richard Buckley continued his 100% win record in MG Cup’s frontrunning Class C by winning the first Donington Park race, but he had to resist a strong race-long challenge from fellow Rover Tomcat Turbo runner Dave Nixon who had made significant improvements to his machine since the preceding Silverstone round.

Nixon rose from starting eighth after a wet qualifying to run second behind Buckley on lap one, and remained on his boot lid for the rest of the way, and might have got ahead had the race not ended a lap early with Peter Coleman’s Metro off at Redgate.

Nixon said: “I’ve raced against Richard since 2005, 2006 maybe, so I know how he drives and we’ve had some good battles. It was great fun.

“I’ve done a lot of things to the car and it’s transformed it back to how it should be. At Silverstone the car handled horrendously. The suspension mounting on the top, of the driver’s side, the clamp that clamps it wasn’t holding it in place properly when it was put under pressure, so I’ve modified it. I’ve got a full tyre’s width on there [now] instead of just [a small amount] when it was pulling.”

Buckley added: “It was relatively easy really, Dave started a bit further back, I just measured him a little bit. Just keep him at bay all the time. I think he could have been on me a bit more with another lap.”

Ian Boulton held off his fellow MG ZR 170 of Iain Dowler to win Class B and take third place overall. Maddy Maguire meanwhile finished fourth in the class having qualified a stunning second overall, and she got Driver of the Race.

Steve Tyler took the Class A win after leader John Gil was nudged off at mid distance just after a safety car period.

In race two Buckley’s victory run in 2022 ended at seven as this time Nixon got the better of him. Buckley led from pole on a now-tricky surface while Nixon dropped to sixth in the opening laps. Nixon though then rose and got on Buckley’s tail by half distance, before passing him for first at Redgate. The pair remained interlocked for the rest of the way, and Nixon prevailed by 0.3s. Nixon also got Driver of the Race.

Nixon said: “Because it was raining so hard, I only softened mine [suspension] off a little bit and luckily it stopped raining. I was a little bit careful the first three or four laps and once Kayleigh [Twigger] went past me that really goaded me on to have a go.

“I caught up the others and I had a couple of places where I thought ‘I can get past here’. And Richard came out the chicane a bit slower and I just got right behind him and thought ‘I’m going past now’.”

Maguire this time won Class B, passing Boulton at one-third’s distance and winning by 4s, a showing that helped hergetDriver of the Day to go with her race-one award. Dowler meanwhile dropped to the back on lap 1 with front-right damage on his 170. Gil won Class A.

Hickford Construction Limited MGCC MG Metro Cup

MG Metro Cup shared a mixed grid with MG Cup for its Donington double header and reigning champion Mark Eales (above) won the first race, managing to keep Mike Williams (above, 28) at arm’s length throughout, despite a safety car period. Eales often benefited from having a few MG Cup cars between him and his foe. He was also rewarded with Driver of the Race while Dan Willars completed the podium in third.

“First lap or so, 40 cars, it was pretty hectic,” the victorious Eales said. “Got past Dan and managed to get away with some of the ZRs [MG Cup cars] and things. Safety car wasn’t in my favour but the restart went pretty well and a couple of ZRs behind me weren’t quite on the pace on the restart so it kept the other Metros a bit further back.

“Someone was doing me a lapboard today because I never know how far [it is] until the next Metro. Saying that, racing with the ZRs is great fun, battling with people you don’t normally race against.”

Dick Trevett qualified an impressive third overall on the mixed grid, four places ahead of the second-fastest Metro runner Willars, but Trevett spun at the Craner Curves on the first time through and dropped to the back, before recovering to finish 10^th of the Metros.

Race two was a similar tale at the front as Eales again prevailed a few seconds ahead of Williams, having led him throughout and again benefiting from there often being MG Cup cars between them on track. Eales on lap one also managed to vault his Metro from eighth on the overall mixed grid and hounded the overall leader Richard Buckley from MG Cup.

Matt Simpson completed the podium and got Driver of the Race with it. Trevett meanwhile sat out the second race as he discovered after race one he had a hole where a piston should be.

“Really good fun,” said Eales after his latest win. “Got a really good start, round the outside at the top of Craner Curves, then on the inside then on the outside and right behind Richard. They [MG Cup cars] take a bit longer to get up to speed so [I was] really pushing him in the corners. Just really enjoyed it.

“I could see Mike lurking in the background, the gap stayed pretty constant. Sometimes I tend to ease off a little bit when there’s no need, but I had to really push all race to keep in front, didn’t want Mike looking like he’s catching me, that would be like dangling the carrot.”

MGCC BCV8 Championship with MGCC MGAs

The BCV8 championship joined in with the meeting’s theme of lively battles for first place, and indeed its victory scraps – certainly in race two – possibly were the most entertaining of all.

Both were long-awaited James Wheeler versus Neil Fowler fights, after Wheeler missed Oulton Park then Fowler had a catalogue of gearbox problems at Silverstone. In race one Fowler (above, 86) got the lead  from poleman Wheeler (above, 99) on lap one, then Wheeler passed Fowler back at mid-distance to win. Wheeler got Driver of the Race too.

Andrew Young won the Class C battle, having been chased for much of the way by Wheeler’s dad Jonnie. Paul Eales was a clear winner in Class B while David Strike beat James Walpole in Class AB.

In the wet-but-drying race two there was another intense Wheeler-Fowler battle, and Fowler looked set to turn the tables as he passed Wheeler for first at mid distance. But then in the race’s last gasp Wheeler sensationally pipped Fowler on the run to the finish line.

Wheeler enthused: “All I’ll say is that Neil drove the absolute ‘insert swear word’ because that was awesome!

“We’re on two different wet tyres, they’re equivalent but Neil’s were coming on at a different time to mine going off, and at the end mine started to switch back on and Neil’s switched off, and I got him on the line. Just amazing.

“Me and Neil have had some fantastic racing today. In the first race I always felt I was on top of him, even though he was in front. In that one [race two]: nah [I couldn’t run with him]. That was just luck his tyres went off at the end because he had it. We’ve both been racing D class for so long, but we never ended up on the same bit of track together.”

Fowler responded in kind: “Probably everything James just said really! We don’t very often end up on the same Tarmac when our cars are quite equal. We’ve had two good races this weekend, but I’m just so gutted I lost it on the line. Mine [tyres] were brilliant for three-quarters of the race and then they went off. That’s life.”

The second race was a double celebration for the Wheeler family as Jonnie won the Class C contest, outrunning Jim Bryan, and with this Jonnie got Driver of the Race. Eales took another clear win in Class B while this time Walpole beat Strike to AB honours.

MGCC Cockshoot Cup

A pre-race rain shower created a jumbled first Cockshoot Cup race with a mix of tyre choices among competitors. Paul Wignall though brought some order in his MG ZS by dominating to win.

Mark Wright in his MG F Cup finished second 16s adrift while poleman Karl Green struggled with dry weather tyres on the front of his MG ZS 180 but managed to recover late on for third.

Tony Roberts in his MG ZS 170 prevailed in Class B for his first-ever Cockshoot class win, and this was supplemented by him getting Driver of the Race too. Rhys Higginbotham in his MG ZR was a clear Class A winner while Christopher Greenbank in his MG F was an equally clear Class F winner.

In the dry race two an unhappy Wignall retired early with frontal damage on his ZS after contact with the back of a rival car. This left Green and Wright to battle for the win, and Green prevailed by less than 2s after passing Wright in the early going.

Green said: “First race it was pick and choose which tyres you want, because it was wet then dry, wet then dry, and I think I just went with the wrong tyre choice. I went with wets on the back and dries on the front, but I just couldn’t get any heat into the front tyres because it kept spitting with rain.

“Thankfully I went out on slicks all round this time and the rain held off just long enough for me to get the win. Great second race, really enjoyed it, Donington’s one of my favourites anyway. Me and Mark had a great second race and I managed to pull away from him and then it was just a case of keeping the gap.”

David Morrison returned to winning ways in Class B in race two, finishing third overall in his MG Midget and well clear of his class rivals, while Higginbotham made it a double victory in Class A. Greenbank’s winning run in Class F ended as his exhaust was falling off and he was called in, which left Tom Mensley to take class honours.

David Coulthard (pictured above) had a great run in his MGF to finish fifth overall and he got Driver of the Race with it.

MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge

In the opening Midget & Sprite race Richard Bridge, back in Class A having shown fine pace therein in the Brands Hatch season opener, rose from the back having been disqualified from qualifying for a flag infringement, and got the lead from Stephen Watkins after just three laps.

Watkins though fought back and soon re-passed for the lead and built an advantage of 3s. But on the last lap he spun on oil at Redgate, which allowed Bridge through to win while Watkins recovered for second. Bridge also got Driver of the Race.

“It was very slippery,” Bridge said, “I had slicks on and it started to rain in assembly area and it was very very hard work in the first few laps. To come from the back to a win was very special.

“[Watkins] had a minor oil leak and it meant that I couldn’t follow him closely. I thought I’ll just wait for him break down, and then I realised it wasn’t slowing him down at all so then I had to start trying to catch him up.”

Watkins added: “I was very tentative at the start, it did seem a bit greasy out there, and we’re on the slicks. And it slowly dried out and about halfway through it was dry enough to feel like I could push it harder.

“Richard had caught me up, got past me, by then I thought the track was dry enough to push it harder, so I managed to get back past him and pulled away. I thought this should be OK for the win, and it wasn’t quite what I thought it would be!”

James Hughes finished third in his Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite and with it got a clear Class E victory. Barney Collinson comfortably won in Class D in his Midget, after having a close battle with Class I’s fellow Midget runner Connor Kay.

The fully wet second race didn’t suit slick-shod Class A runners and poleman Watkins indeed started from the pitlane to stay out of others’ way, though he still managed to win his class ahead of Michael Chalk and Bridge.

Victory instead went to a delighted Kay, in only his fifth-ever race and his first meeting with Midget & Sprite Challenge. From third place he jumped into a lead that he kept when early leader Kim Dear left the track at Schwantz Curve, the Austin Healey Sprite briefly getting up on its side, and Ian Wright’s Midgetwent off on the same lap.

“Quite unexpected!,” Kay said. “We’re just trying to shake down the car really. I’ve driven this one [the car] twice.

“It’s my first time in the wet so I didn’t really know what to expect, it [the car] was really easy to catch.

“We just wanted to get some historic racing this year, and they [Midgets] looked like they had good grids, relatively low power, so it’s a good car to learn in.”

Reigning champion Pippa Cow meanwhile had a catalogue of problems and didn’t finish either race. She had a clutch problem on her Austin Healey Sprite on Friday so the clutch was changed for Saturday’s qualifying, but therein she had a misfire and it transpired her car’s distributor cap had come off. In the first race she rose sensationally from 14^th to lead on lap one, but then a misfire returned. Virtually everything on the car was changed for race two, but she was hobbled by a misfire therein as well.

Morgan Challenge

The Morgan Challenge once again was a guest at an MGCC event with two races, and both were dominated by Andrew Thompson in his ARV6 (above).

In race one he immediately got the lead from 4/4 poleman Brett Syndercombe and cruised clear, beating second-placed Syndercombe home by over 40s. Alex Lees completed in the podium in his +8, finishing 7s shy of Syndercombe.

Race two was a similar tale as Thompson strode clear from pole and won by 47s, though this time there was a close battle for second between Syndercombe and his fellow 4/4 of James Sumner, which Sumner just won by 0.2s having passed Syndercombe on the final lap.

MG Live! back with a bang on Silverstone’s sweeps

It was a big weekend for MG Car Club racing as the club’s showpiece MG Live! event returned in full for the first time since 2018, after a combination of track resurfacing and Covid had kept the blue-riband meeting in its full form away in the interim.

And MG Live! brought with it a rare opportunity to race on Silverstone’s full length and flowing Grand Prix circuit.

The weather was appropriately kind with dry and sunny, if sometimes breezy, conditions throughout the two days. And MGCC’s competitors and those from the support programme lived up to the occasion with large grids and entertaining battles on Silverstone’s sweeps across a packed schedule.

MGCC BCV8 Championship

Reigning BCV8 champion Ollie Neaves (pictured above) took part in the contest for the first time in 2022 at Silverstone, and he in large part picked up where he left off by taking two more wins from pole. His victory margins were though a lot closer than we had got used to in the last couple of years, in part due to suspension rule changes between seasons.

Behind Neaves in race one, third-placed Russell McCarthy closed in on James Wheeler during the race to have a close fight for second, though Wheeler held the place. The pair also got closer to Neaves in the late laps as the leader nursed his clutch.

Neil Fowler, who won twice in BCV8’s previous round at Oulton Park and qualified next-up to Neaves here, dropped out early in race one with a gearbox problem, having already been frustrated by a radiator problem the day before.

Andrew Young in his MG C Roadster won in Class C by almost 10 seconds from Jim Bryan, while Mark Scott in his MGB Roadster was an even more clear winner in Class B. James Walpole in his Roadster won out in a close battle for Class AB victory with David Strike’s GT, and Walpole also got Driver of the Race for his effort.

Neaves’ fears about his clutch came to pass at the start of race two as he dropped to fifth at the start. Fowler grabbed the lead, though he again had to retire early with another gearbox problem. This let Neaves, who had by then climbed to second, into the lead and he again edged clear of the battling McCarthy and Wheeler behind.

Wheeler got ahead of McCarthy at half distance and gamely chased Neaves, but Neaves was still clear by around 3s at the finish. Young just beat Bryan home in Class C, while Scott edged Paul Eales in an all-Roadster fight for Class B victory.

Behind them Howard Grundon similarly edged fellow GT V8 runner Stephen McKie for third in Class B after a race-long battle, and Grundon got a popular Driver of the Race award with it. Strike this time beat Walpole for the Class AB win.

Neaves said: “As usual the car is absolutely amazing, just really pleased with it.

“It was a bit more action packed that race [race two], got a bad start and then I thought I’ll keep out of their way for the first corner or so, it was really good fun coming back through. And James wasn’t letting off so I had to keep going.

“[The clutch] was grabbing [at the start], I got quite a lot of wheelspin, and then everyone shot past me.

“The car’s not actually quite as quick as it was [before the rule changes], it’s about a second a lap slower. But it’s still enough to give me a bit of an advantage. It’s definitely getting closer, [but] there was an element of managing the gap.”

Wheeler added: “We kept Ollie honest which is the main thing. I had an issue from qualifying which we’ve had to manage all weekend, the diff, and if we hadn’t had to manage that maybe I could have kept him more than just honest. [But] I had a cracking race with Russell.

“Ollie’s car is still stunning though, the level of the detail he goes into is just something else. We’re going to have to up our games a bit and try and catch up with that. It’s a lot closer: we’ve gained a second and a bit; he’s lost a second.”

Morgans & Sports Cars

The meeting’s Morgans & Sports Cars race was for competitors from Morgan Sports Car Club as well as some classic MGs that have not had somewhere to race for a time.

The Morgan +8 shared by Bill and Howard Lancashire got a dominant win from pole, while behind Roger Whiteside’s +8 and James Bellinger’s ARV6 during the first stint had a close place-swapping battle for second. Whiteside moved clear in the second half of the race after Simon Orebi Gann took over from Bellinger, though Orebi Gann nevertheless retained third place to the finish.

MGCC Cockshoot Cup

Karl Green in his MG ZS 180 took a clear win in the opening Cockshoot Cup race, finishing 4s clear of the eagerly pursuing Paul Wignall also in a ZS 180.

This was despite Green developing a differential problem in the race that he felt he had to nurse to the end. It was despite too the race being interrupted by an early red flag as two cars from MG Cup, which Cockshoot Cup was sharing the track with, went off at Copse.

David Greenbank made it a race-one 1-2-3 for ZS 180s while MG Midget contender, Keith Egar, spun more than once as after a puncture on one of his slicks in qualifying he didn’t have another slick to replace it with. So he had to use the road tyre as a fall back, leaving him short of grip.

David Morrison, who has returned to Cockshoot Cup this year after being more commonly seen in Midget and Sprite Challenge recently, was fourth home in his MG Midget and first in Class B. John Payne in his Austin Healey Sprite was class runner-up and got Driver for the Race after climbing at scarcely credible speed from starting at the back due to a yellow flag infringement in qualifying. Christopher Greenbank (pictured above) in his MG F was the clear Class F winner.

Green’s crew changed the car’s differential overnight and on Sunday Green had no technical trouble in claiming his second win of the weekend. This time though Wignall led him from the off, but Green was unchallenged for the win after Wignall dropped out at half distance when his coolant hose let go. The now-fully slick shod Egar finished second, climbing from starting seventh after his puncture-compromised qualifying.

Morrison doubled up with another Class B win and fourth place overall, while this time Mark Bellamy in his MG ZR 170 was second in that class and got the Driver of the Race award. Greenback took another clear Class F victory.

MGCC MG Cup powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

MG Cup shared the track with Cockshoot Cup, and 2019 MG Cup champion Richard Buckley (pictured above) continued his 100% record in Class C this year, taking both Silverstone wins outright and making it six class wins from six for him this season.

In both races though he had a close and entertaining battle for first overall with fellow Rover 220 Tomcat Turbo runner Matt Simpson (also pictured), who was back in MG Cup for this event having switched to MG Metro Cup this season.

Simpson got pole for the first race and led. Then Buckley got by on the second tour but Simpson resumed the lead when the order was put back a lap after two cars off at Copse resulted in an early red flag. Simpson again led from the restart and the pair again had a frenzied battle, but Buckley made his move for first permanent after a couple of laps and won by 3.4s, and got Driver of the Race with it.

Fergus Campbell in his ZR 170 won the Class B contest. Campbell had the classes’ chief two championship protagonists Ian Boulton and Iain Dowler close behind, and both of them left the track in their battle on the last lap. Dowler still managed to finish second and Boulton third. Marcus Short continued to dominate Class A with another clear win in his Rover 216 GTi.

Buckley had pole for race two, but Simpson again got ahead of him at the start. The duo again diced closely and Buckley got ahead on acceleration exiting Luffield at the end of the second lap, and eventually beat Simpson home by just under two seconds.

Campbell in Class B this time retired early with an engine failure, having replaced the block between races after developing a problem in race one. Boulton this time won the class, edging clear of Dowler, and Boulton moreover got third place overall from Dave Nixon on the last lap. This all got him Driver of the Race too. Short won again in Class A.

Buckley said: “Pretty good, a little bit difficult with the mixed grid, made it a little bit tricky, but two really good races.

“Racing Matt [was] great fun, nice and close, he’ll get me somewhere, I’ll get him. Came out with two wins, and Driver of the Race as well. I love getting Driver of the Race, because that means you’ve entertained.

“They’re [the Tomcat] pretty fast cars and Matt is really good to race against. We can go so close, mirror to mirror, almost touching each other, never exchange paint.”

Simpson similarly enjoyed his weekend: “It started with qualifying, Rich nicked pole off me on his last lap but I was in front of him so I had one last lap and managed to put in a good time and get it on pole.

“I managed to lead the [first] race, I just run out of tyres, I couldn’t find front-end grip all weekend. Buckley just had a little bit more front-end grip than me. I think I kept him honest.

“Second race, better place to start, I’m already on the inside line going in [to Copse] and backed him up a little bit. Then just try and go, go, go, get past as many Cockshoot cars as I could, and hope that they hold him up. But again ran out of tyres, especially through Brooklands-Luffield complex, and he outdragged me down the straight.

“The Metro Cup don’t run here, although they’ve got some guys that have run it just for fun, so I had always planned to do MG Live! in the Tomcat. It’s suited to the circuit, so it’s got to be used! And when Richard said he was going to do it as well I was like brilliant, got to go out and have a battle with him.”

MGCC Perrys Aylesbury MG Trophy

The returning Jason Burgess (pictured above) continued his MG Trophy race-winning form started in the previous round at Cadwell Park by taking both wins at Silverstone in his MG ZR 190.

Burgess, the runner-up in 2018’s MG Trophy, led Silverstone’s race one from pole and crept clear from Adam Jackson next up. Doug Cole passed Jackson for second at around the halfway mark but by this time Burgess was over 5s up the road and the gap between them at the end remained similar.

There was a tight place-swapping fight for Class B honours, which Tylor Ballard – bouncing back from major car damage at Cadwell – just won out in by a mere 0.3s from Joseph Dalgarno, while MG Trophy points leader heading into this round Josh Bromley was also close at hand in third. Ballard got both Driver of the Race and Driver of the Day for his run.

Burgess in race two once again led from pole, though Jackson challenged him closely in the opening turns. Cole meanwhile climbed from fourth to second by one-third’s distance, though again could not bridge the gap to the leading Burgess, who was 7.5s ahead at the end and Cole only just held off Jackson for the runner-up spot by under half a second.

Burgess’s dominant win got him Driver of the Race and also Driver of the Day, meaning MG Trophy drivers took both of the meeting’s Driver of the Day awards.

Class B’s race-one winner Ballard spun in race two at Maggotts, and resumed but could only finish fourth in class. Dalgarno took a comfortable class win ahead of Bromley.

Burgess said: “Obviously to have two wins is really good, it’s not what I expect when I come, I know I have to work for it.

“In both races I had a good clear getaway, a bit of pressure on the first couple of laps while I got the car up to temperature from the competition, particularly Adam and Doug, but then after that managed to get away.

“I don’t ever think of the championship, I come to enjoy the weekend. I like to enjoy the moment wherever I am and doing whatever in my life and try not to put too much pressure on myself. We’ll keep doing that, it seems to be working!

“At Cadwell it was my first time out for over three years, I’d forgotten how hard you had to drive the car and how physical it is to get the lap time that you need. And I actually never found the lap time I wanted at Cadwell, I have found it this weekend. If there had been more competition at Cadwell some of the people I’ve beaten today may well have beaten me at Cadwell.”

Hickford Construction Ltd MG Metro Cup

Five Metros joined MG Trophy on track for an MG Metro Cup non-championship encounter, and they entertained the crowds with a pair of frenzied three-way battles for victory between Jon Moore, Tim Shooter and the returning 2015 Metro Cup champion Philip Gough in his Rover Metro 114 GTi (all pictured above).

Poleman Moore led Gough in the first race, but Moore was forced to drop out of the lead when his throttle cable snapped. This left Gough set fair to win, finishing 10s ahead of Shooter.

The Moore-Gough-Shooter trio’s fight for first in race two was especially captivating, as the three Metros stayed in close company throughout. Moore led for much of the way, but in the final laps he and Gough started a sensational place-swapping battle. Moore on the final lap got clear in the lead to win, while Shooter beat Gough for second.

Moore said: “It [race two] was brilliant. I started fifth and thought get a good start, get up to them, and then in about three or four corners I was in the lead, wow!

“So I did quite a few quick laps straight away, tyres started getting a bit iffy and then Phil caught us up and he made a move through Brooklands and Luffield and got up front. So I stayed on him for a couple of laps and he started making a few errors and got past him around Brooklands. It was a mega race, really good.

“[In race one I] pulled up with a broken throttle cable, Phil was on the back of me and it would have been a good race. I’m glad we got to have the race in the second race that the first race promised, and Tim was with us this time. So it was a really good race: full on, hard work.”

Gough added: “This is the first race I’ve done in four years. I haven’t got first gear in the car, so the first race it jumped out of gear at the start, and that one [the second race] I started in second.

“From the word go it was just a three-way scrap in that second race. I think I was in the lead three or four times, and Jon he was in the lead three or four times. We swapped places all the way round.”

As for why he came back for this one, Gough said: “I slightly missed it, we’re relatively local to Silverstone and I’ve worked here on and off over the last 20 years so it’s sort of my local circuit. The car was up and running, we’d done a track day in it in February, but we only got the car ready to come here probably about eight weeks ago. So it was literally a spur of the moment ‘why don’t we go and do MG Live! in the Metro?’ And it’s been well worth it.”

Equipe MGB60

Equipe Classic Racing supported MG Live! with a range of races – all lasting 40 minutes with a mandatory pitstop – and its line-up was led by a special MGB60 race to mark 60 years since the launch of the MGB roadster.

Some 59 cars took part and reigning MG Trophy champion – and frequent MGB racer – Sam Kirkpatrick (pictured above) prevailed from pole. The youngster won out in a race-long fight with Tom Smith (also above), and Smith indeed got ahead briefly thanks to a faster pitstop, but Kirkpatrick a few laps later reclaimed the place and headed Smith home to win by 2.5s.

The MGB shared by Tim Greenhill and Mark Cole led for a time and was still in a close third place at the end, but Cole under an early safety car had made the car’s mandatory pitstop too early, before the window had opened, so they got a three-lap penalty.

Kirkpatrick said: “It’s my first-ever pitstop race and I didn’t want to speed in the pitlane or anything so I was taking it quite careful. And I did have a bit of a mess getting it going again after the pits.  

“And it’s the longest race I’ve ever done other than the relay and it was really fun. I’ll have to get used to driving on slidey tyres though because at the end it was really slidey!

“I’ve never been in a race as big as this, so it’s a really good win to have.”

Equipe GTS

Sam Kirkpatrick looked good to win a second Equipe race of the weekend from pole in his MGB, in the GTS encounter. Once again he led from Tom Smith’s MGB, but a safety car at half distance turned the race on its head.

Its timing meant that the lead runners had to stay out an extra lap in the ‘queue’ before making their mandatory pitstop. The upshot was that Kirkpatrick was left in 22^nd place after pitting with Mark Holme’s MGB now leading from Martin and Oliver Pratt’s Morgan +4, who had been eighth and sixth respectively before the caution and were the first to peel into the pits.

After green flag running resumed the Pratt Morgan quickly passed Holme for the lead, and then led the MGB to the flag by 8.3s. Kirkpatrick managed to recover to third place, getting by Rob Cull’s TVR Grantura Mk3 on the final tour.

Equipe Libre / 70s

Victory in Equipe’s Libre / 70s race was fought over by Grahame Bryant’s Morgan +8 and Mark Halstead’s Ginetta G4R. Bryant led from pole and looked to be able to hold the pursuing Halstead at arm’s length, until half distance when Bryant’s Morgan slowed with a suspected electrical issue and pulled out.

This left Halstead set fair to win by 10s from Richard Hywel-Evans’ Porsche 911 while Christian Douglas in his TVR Griffith 400 completed the podium.

Equipe Libre / Pre 63 & 50s

Dafyd Richards’ Lotus 11 looked the pacesetter in the Equipe Libre / Pre 63 & 50s race, which had some 54 cars starting. Richards dropped from pole to fourth at the start but was back in first place at one-third’s distance after passing in traffic the Jaguar E-type shared by Gary and John Pearson plus the Shelby 260 of Nigel Winchester.

This was however another race turned on its head by a safety car, which was deployed briefly just after Richards got the lead. During its deployment a number of cars – again led by Mark Holme, this time in his Austin Healey 3000 MK11 and running eighth before the caution – were able to save significant time by pitting under the yellow.

As the order shook out after all had made their stops Holme had vaulted into first place, around 10s clear of the Austin Healey 3000 of Jack Chatham which also pitted under the safety car. The duo finished first and second in that order, with Richards a distant third.

GT & Sports Car Cup

The event concluded with a two-hour race from GT & Sports Car Cup and Gary and John Pearson’s Jaguar E-type was dominant in it, taking the lead from second on the grid and quickly building a sizable lead, remaining in a net first position throughout.

In the end their winning margin was over a minute ahead of the runner-up AC Cobra 289 shared by Richard Cook and Richard Tuthill, and that had a similar-sized advantage over the fellow Cobra of Richard Hywel-Evans and Oliver Bryant finishing third.

The polesitting E-type shared by Gordie Mutch and John Clark was also in the mix but dropped out with 40 minutes to go when the Jaguar started to emit smoke.

MG Car Club enjoys sunshine on return to Cadwell Park

The MG Car Club’s first visit to Cadwell Park since 2017 provided a day of close racing action under sunny skies in the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. With its narrow ribbon of tarmac snaking up and down hills, through woodland and into open areas, the 2.2-mile ‘mini Nurburgring’ proved as demanding as ever for the racers, who all rose to the challenge. The members’ parade at lunchtime also provided an opportunity for those not competing to experience the fabulous circuit.

MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge

After an excellent Midget & Sprite Challenge entry at Brands Hatch, numbers were a little down at Cadwell Park, particularly in Class A, where just three cars were entered. That may have contributed to Paul Sibley’s dominance, although such was the former champion’s pace he would have been tough to beat regardless.

One of Sibley’s challengers was an early casualty as Brands winner Richard Bridge lost his engine in qualifying after it ingested a broken spark plug. With Mike Chalk caught in the upper midfield, that left Sibley’s Midget – on pole by a massive 5s – a clear run to victory, which he duly claimed by nearly 10s without putting too much strain on the car.

Reigning champion Pippa Cow (Austin-Healey Sprite) was an equally comfortable second, and Class E winner, having briefly led at the start. A good scrap between Chalk and Peter Kennerley’s Class E Midget for third overall sadly ended with Chalk in the wall between Mansfield and the Mountain. Kennerley himself was excluded from the results for not having a working transponder. So series sponsor Robin Lackford and James Hughes (both in Mk1 Sprites) completed the top four, Lackford holding on by less than a quarter of second.

Behind them, the Class D battle for road-modified cars raged. Ian Burgin (Mk1 Sprite) eventually prevailed, and was named Driver of the Race for his efforts, but Barney Collinson, Edward Easton (who both retired with engine woes) and Oshin Shahiean all played their part.

With a number of drivers suffering mechanical dramas, a depleted field assembled for race two. Sibley made a slow start from pole position, handing Cow an initial advantage, but Sibley powered back past on the Park Straight into a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. Cow was again very comfortable in second, earning herself the Driver of the Race award for her dominance of Class E.

There was also a standout performance from Richard Bridge, who had stepped into his father John’s Class E Sebring Sprite (pictured above) for the second race, and carved through from the back of the grid to third, despite a lengthy safety-car period – for Shahiean’s demise at Barn – limiting the number of racing laps.

Class D was claimed by the Midget of former Cockshoot Cup man Ian Wright, who has switched to the championship this year.

MGCC Cockshoot Cup

The North West Centre’s own championship did not travel to Brands Hatch in March, so opened its season at Cadwell Park with a fantastic entry of 29 competitors, its most for a good many years. Two races provided some of the action of the day, with Mark Wright (pictured above) and Paul Wignall both recording their maiden wins in the championship.

Alternator trouble on Wright’s MGF Cup car prevented him from recording a time in the Cockshoot Cup’s qualifying session, meaning he would have to complete the minimum mileage out of session and start both races from the back of the grid. Wignall meanwhile was having his first competitive outing in the ex-Morgan Short MG ZS 180 after only a handful of laps testing at the same circuit. But last year’s Class A champion belied that lack of familiarity to claim pole position by nearly a second from David Morrison’s MG Midget. The rest of the grid was a little jumbled, particularly for the second race based on second-fastest times, after a safety-car disrupted session.

When Peter Bramble’s MGB piled into the tyre wall at the circuit’s iconic Mountain section, it brought a premature halt to race one and required a complete restart, negating Morrison’s lead and the rapid progress of Wright to 12^th place in a single lap.

Wignall made a better getaway at the second time of asking, but Wright’s charge through the field was simply breathtaking. He had risen to fourth within three laps, before passing Keith Egar’s K-Series powered Midget and Morrison on consecutive laps on the middle portion of the circuit. Wright then closed in on Wignall, who himself was particularly spectacular through the Mountain section. After sizing up his prey, Wright got a better exit from Barn, the final corner, and powered past on the start/finish straight. He eased clear over the remaining two laps to record a truly amazing victory, even more so considering he was experiencing gearbox problems.

“I’d got to get the run out of Barn because I knew I was flat through the left-hander [Coppice] and I knew he wasn’t,” explained Wright, who was named the commentators’ Driver of the Race for a performance that would also earn him the Driver of the Day award. “I really enjoyed it. I don’t mind starting from the back – the guys are all clean, a good set of lads to race with.”

“I’m happy with that,” grinned Wignall. “I don’t think anybody’s going to beat Mark, are they?”

Behind Wignall, Morrison won Class B in third overall while Chris Greenbank placed his MGF seventh to claim Class F honours.

Wignall started the second race from sixth on the grid, and avoided an incident at Charlie’s, the long right-handed second corner, which dropped the Midgets of Morrison and Ian Whitt down the order and scattered several other cars.

Egar came away with the lead ahead of Phil Standish, the multiple race winner making a return at his local circuit in an MG ZR 190, with Wignall third. As Wignall worked his way into the lead, Wright was again carving through the field, and had risen to third when his race ended abruptly with a very smoky engine failure.

So Wignall was relatively untroubled on his way to a first win by more than 5s from Egar. Having lost out in the early skirmishes, Karl Green mounted a sterling recovery in his MG ZS 180, just pipping Standish to third on the line. Morrison also recovered well to sixth overall, again winning Class B.

Greenback completed a Class F double in fifth overall, for which he was named Driver of the Race. Behind Morrison, rear-wheel-drive debutant Tom Mensley brought the ex-Brian Butler title-winning MGF home in a very creditable seventh, second in class.

Class A in both races was won by debutant Rhys Higginbotham, piloting the ex-Leon Wignall MG ZR 160 as Wignall Jr (twice second) has transferred across to the similar car vacated by his dad.

MGCC The C.I.T. MG Trophy

On his return to the MG Trophy after three years away, Jason Burgess (pictured above) claimed a comprehensive double victory, leading both races almost from lights to flag.

Sadly the Class A entry for MG ZR 190s was hit by mechanical troubles for Doug Cole and Adam Jackson (combined with work commitments), a Friday testing accident for Graham Ross and university commitments for Sam Kirkpatrick. With Robin Walker and Paul Savage bedding in their new cars after heavy accidents last year, that left Burgess and Booth to contest outright honours, chased by the leading ZR 170 runners in Class B.

While James Dennison (170) initially got the jump at the start of race one, Burgess and Booth quickly moved ahead. Booth whittled down Burgess’s lead in the closing stages, but flat-spotted his tyres in a lunge at Park on the penultimate lap, allowing Burgess to win by a less representative 8.6s.

“I needed to make sure I got off the line faster than that 170 because it’s a difficult place to overtake,” said Burgess. “And he nearly had me – I think my front tyres were smoking trying to keep up with him! But once we got past we were away. Then I think I probably relaxed just a fraction, and then he [Booth] reeled me in.”

Set-up tweaks for race two meant Burgess was in firmer control over Booth once the race restarted after an early safety car. That was caused by an incident among the Class B leaders on the Mountain section.

Josh Bromley had managed to repeat his Brands Hatch class win in the opener, for which he was named Driver of the Race. He passed Dennison at the Mountain late on after Dennison had a couple of frights when his brake pedal went to the floor. Bromley tried a similar move on the opening lap of race two, but his car ended up getting turned across the front of Dennison’s. With the track virtually blocked at the top of the Mountain, the pursuing pack was left with nowhere to go. As Tylor Ballard attempted to squeeze past, his car was clipped and sent into the inner barrier, sustaining heavy damage. Ballard himself walked away from the wreckage and was amazingly the only retirement from the incident which took three laps to clear.

Astin Wigley was chief beneficiary, moving into third overall. Dennison managed to pick off Wigley in the restarted race to claim class honours and reignite his championship challenge after a difficult weekend at Brands. But Wigley held on to second in class, the best result yet for the teenager, which earned him the Driver of the Race award. Third was Joe Dalgarno, repeating his race one result, having survived a skirmish with Jack Chapman on the final bend.

Hickford Construction Limited MGCC MG Metro Cup

Just as they did at Brands Hatch, Mark Eales and Mike Williams shared the spoils in the Metro Cup.

Reigning champion Eales (Car Number 1, above) jumped polesitter Williams (Car Number 28, above) at the start of race one, and inadvertently edged him onto the grass as Williams fought back approaching Coppice. With Williams forced to lift off, Tim Shooter and Dick Trevett nipped past.

By the time Williams had worked his way back into second, Eales had built a 6s lead and appeared to be in control. That was until a late safety car was required to clear Trevett’s stricken car, which had bent a valve.

Eales had Williams breathing down his neck for the one-lap dash to the flag but, despite a couple of mistakes, clung on to win by 0.2s and was named the commentators’ Driver of the Race. Shooter completed the podium ahead of Jon Moore, Matt Simpson and Les Tyler.

Eales again got the jump in race two, but Williams this time held onto second through Coppice and Charlie’s, fending off Moore’s challenge. That was crucial as it gave Eales no opportunity to break away. In fact, he didn’t lead for long at all, as Williams got a better exit from Charlie’s to claim the inside line along Park Straight and into Park. From there, Williams controlled the race to win by nearly 5s.

“A good day, good fun,” was Williams’s verdict. “I got a good start, there wasn’t anything really wrong with it [but] he’s obviously just a little bit better off the line. I just kept my foot down [through the] first corner [to keep Moore behind]. I wasn’t slowing down for that one! I had to slow down in the first race – that was why I got passed in the second corner.

“I got the distance [ahead] and then it was just a case of maintaining that, and making sure Mark was a good second behind me. If it dropped beneath a second I put in a ‘qualifying’ lap and off we start again.”

Shooter audaciously passed Moore into Hall Bends mid-race to clinch his second podium of the day, while Tyler this time beat Simpson to fifth. Driver of the Race was debutant Ben Young who impressed many on his way to ninth. It had been a challenging debut for Young after mechanical woes forced him to miss qualifying and he was only just able to make the lunchtime members’ parade to complete his requisite three laps. From the back of the grid, he rose to 10^th in race one, then improved another position in the sequel, reducing his lap times markedly over the course of the day.

MGCC MG Cup powered by Cherished Vehicle Insurance

While Fergus Campbell claimed a dominant win in the opening MG Cup race, there was plenty of intrigue in the tactical contest going on behind. That would become the lead battle in the second race, in which Richard Buckley prevailed.

Campbell (pictured above), the current MG Trophy Class B champion, plans a relaxed season, and was making his first appearance in the MG Cup. Outright power is not as important at Cadwell Park as some other circuits, which Campbell demonstrated by putting his MG ZR 170 on pole position alongside the similar car of Ian Boulton (Car Number 74, above). The Class B pairing held that order throughout, with Campbell claiming victory by nearly 5s.

“Cadwell Park’s a fantastic place to come to,” enthused the victor. “You’ve got to keep your wits about you round here.”

Behind them, Dave Nixon was struggling to maximise a new set of tyres on his Rover 220 Tomcat. Having to go defensive through Gooseneck to keep the similar car of Buckley behind compromised their overall pace and allowed a multi-car train to form behind. Eventually, the pressure told, and Nixon’s trip over the Mansfield kerb let Buckley and Dennis Robinson (ZR 170) through, with Buckley winning Class C.

Seventh overall and winning Class A was Driver of the Race Marcus Short (Rover 216 GTi), who had qualified a fantastic third overall, and stayed among the main pack, clawing back in the corners what he lost on the straights. He would repeat his class success later in the day, albeit slipping to ninth overall.

From row two, Buckley jumped Campbell and Boulton at the start of race two and was joined shortly afterwards by Nixon in second. A similar train then formed behind the leader, with Buckley holding firm by making sure Nixon always had to think about attacks from behind as well as his own challenges for the lead.

“It was a bit of reversed roles there, wasn’t it?” said 2019 champion Buckley. “I got an absolutely amazing start. I didn’t do what I normally do which is spin the wheels up. Took it nice and steady, they hooked up, and that was it – I was gone!

“I saw Dave had had a fairly decent start as well. Fergus is a really good driver. He’s class. So I pretty much knew that if I could keep Dave at bay, then Fergus would keep nibbling at him. I was playing him a little bit because I knew Fergus was there, so if I could just back him up a little bit, especially coming up through up over the Mountain and into the woods, let Fergus have a little bit of nibble at him, he’s got to look behind him.”

It worked well, and earned Buckley the commentators’ Driver of the Race award, as he won from Nixon, Class B victor Campbell and Boulton, with father-and-son duo Dennis and Carl Robinson completing the closely-contested top six.

MSCC The Morgan Challenge

A 21-car field of Morgans made a guest appearance at the event for a single 30-minute race, the longest of the day. But Russell Paterson and Roger Whiteside ensured it remained absorbing throughout as they contested victory in their V8-powered +8s.

Polesitter Paterson lost out to Whiteside when the latter got a better run exiting Barn at the end of lap two. But Paterson reclaimed a decisive lead at around two-thirds’ distance when Whiteside got sideways through the Mountain section.

The gap ebbed and flowed through traffic, but Paterson held to win by less than a second, with Andrew Thompson’s Snetterton-winning ARV6 in third, the Class 2 winner, some 30s further back. Thompson was followed by Tom Andrew’s +6 and former F3 Cup man Shane Kelly’s four-cylinder machine, which won Class 3. Craig Hamilton Smith in the Baby Doll just edged reigning champion Brett Syndercombe for sixth.