Snetterton Historic 200

Entries may have been small across promoter Motor Racing Legends core grids for the first Snetterton Historic 200 event on 16-17 July, but quality action embroiling wonderful cars, with strong HRDC supports, entertained an unusually large spectator turnout.  With focus, Duncan Wiltshire’s organisation and MotorSport Vision, owner of the venue which hosted non-championship F1 races in the early 1960s, could be grown into something really special.  Marcus Pye Reports..

Not much traffic in Pall Mall

A disappointing dozen cars started Saturday’s RAC Pall Mall Trophy three-hour enduro, but battles throughout the field maintained onlookers’ interest.  They were robbed of a great finish when Olly Bryant (in Richard Hywel-Evans’ Cobra), catching Harvey Stanley (in Richard Cooke’s) , was penalised for a re-fuelling infringement. The Pearson Engineering’ built Jaguar E-type of Lukas Bscher/Jack Layton/Andrew Bentley thus took second, chased by top qualifier Chris Ward in a Ginetta G4R. 

James Colburn in his Sprint GT was lucky to finish first with no oil pressure as he passes Micky Bolton in his Alfetta GTV Photos Eric Sawyer

More Legends 

Diff failure sent RAC Woodcote/Stirling Moss Trophy ’50s sportscar leader Luke Stephens grazing at Nelson in Peter Ratcliffe’s Lister-Jaguar, with Nick Finburgh on his tail in Ollie Crosthwaite’s ex-Jackie Epstein/Bill Wilks Cooper Monaco T49.  They thus took their first gold, from Richard Hudson/Stuart Morley (Lister-Chevrolet).  Pre-’56 Woodcote victors Nigel Webb/John Young (ex-Duncan Hamilton Jaguar C-type) were pursued by Rick Bourne/Malcolm Paul (ex-Mike Anthony Lotus-Bristol MkX) and Patrick Watts/Malcolm Harrison (ex-Tommy Sopwith/Noddy Coombs Cooper-Bristol T25).  .   

Ambient temperatures approaching 30degC did not help engines, particularly those in the Historic Touring Car Challenge, wisely split into two half-hours.  Capricious when new, the fast and furious Ford Sierra RS500s wilted in both legs after Paul Mensley and David Tomlin led.  Ric Wood’s clone of the Calsonic Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 and Jonathan Bailey’s spectacular version, the ex-Toshio Suzuki/Akira IIda ’93 Tsukuba race winner, beat Tomlin in both.  

Gareth Burnett in his Alta Sports won the pre-war race

Plenty of HRDC action 

Busiest of the HRDC’s triumvirate was Sunday’s Dunlop Allstars slugfest, won by Matt Moore ( a winner at Silverstone the previous day in an Austin 7 Ulster) in his AC Cobra, who kept Mike Thorne (Shelby GT350) behind. The race ended dramatically for pals Andrew Giles and Gerry Buggy whose Elans collided heavily at the ‘Searpin’.   They shared a Lotus Cortina in the subsequent Jack Sears Trophy contest in which the similar cars of Mike Gardiner and British Touring Car title contender Josh Cook, Mark Burton/Graham Pattle and Craig Jamieson finished 1-2-3.  Aimee Watts soloed father Patrick’s Mini Cooper S to a superb fourth ahead of Tim Scott-Andrews’ Ford Falcon.  

Read more in our August 2022 issue