Lotus Cortina Information Mk 2 Lotus Cortina Definitions and Library

British Saloon Car Championship (BSCC) 1963 / 1964

 

These write-ups and results are taken from Autosport, Motor Sport and Motoring News magazines and papers of the time. These have been cross-referenced with photographs of the cars racing to identify, where possible, the registration number associated with the racing number.

 

Whilst the results, car race number and driver have been completed, no record exists of the registration number relating to a particular race number….YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!!

 

If you have any information, (probably a photo showing the car with race number and registration number) please let me know via the ‘Contact’ page.

 

The Lotus Cortina was homologated in September 1963, so only entered the last two races of the series.

 

 

XII Gold Cup

Oulton Park

Date: 21/9/1963

Dan Gurney made a thunderous start with rear wheels spinning madly, but Graham Hill in his Galaxie took it easier and was out-accelerated by Sears and Taylor, and Adam’s Jaguar. However, on Knickerbocker straight, Hill boomed past the trio to take second place.
The unfortunate Whitmore had his Mini-Cooper S become mixed up with a gaggle of cars at Druids, there was a considerable amount of bumping and he emerged with a flat tyre, having punctured it on someone’s wheel nuts. This put paid to his chances of the saloon car championship and his prospective battle with Sears.
Gurney was completely master of the race, using the immense acceleration of the drum braked Galaxie to the limit, with a conspicuous absence of wheel-winding and tearaway cornering – in fact, the perfect example of a polished performer. Less familiar with the Galaxie, Graham Hill was not exactly hanging around, but gradually fell back to be pursued by the incredible Lotus Cortinas of Sears and Taylor, which had changed positions.
From the back row of the grid, Salvadori had the unenviable job of trying to get up with the big American cars – so much so that he had a spectacular spin at Old Hall, losing many places before recovering. Leading the Jaguars was Mike Salmon who had edged past Adams.
Mike Young’s Anglia led the 1300 cc category, but only just, from Edward Lewis’s Mini-Cooper S. Highest place pushrod Cortina was Bob Olthoff’s Willment car.
Gurney eventually overwhelmed the rest of the field and when he crossed the line he was 31 seconds ahead of Hill, and the only others on the same lap were Sears, Taylor and Salmon. Lewis, in a tremendous struggle with Young, pipped the white Anglia by just one tenth of a second, almost a dead heat.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
166 RUR	79	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	3	1
168 RUR	82	Team Lotus	Trevor Taylor	4	2

 

 

Snetterton

Date: 28/9/1963

Jack Sears practised in the Willment Galaxie, knocking 5 seconds off his own lap record and getting down to 1 min 45 seconds – faster than lots of GT cars. The Lotus Cortinas were also very quick, Jim Clark turning in a lap of 1 min 48.4 seconds. However, in the race, Olthoff drove the Galaxie and Sears drove a Lotus Cortina.
Olthoff got ahead at the start and led for the first couple of laps, but Brabham (also in a Galaxie), using all the road, caught and passed him. Brabham then stayed comfortably ahead for the remainder of the 20 laps. Not so far behind came Jim Clark in his Lotus Cortina pursued by Mike Salmon’s Jaguar, Trevor Taylor (Lotus Cortina), Jack Sears (Lotus Cortina), Chris McLaren (Jaguar 3.8) and the works Mini Cooper Ss of Tim Mayer and John Whitmore, who completed the race in close company; Whitmore took command of the 1300 cc division after seven laps.
Salmon’s Jaguar, overheating, succumbed to the Lotus Cortinas of Taylor and Sears on the fifth and eight laps respectively, while Clark’s car, in third position, sounded dreadful at times, although the speed didn’t seem to diminish as a new class record of 1:47.8 was recorded by the 1963 World Champion – only 1.4 seconds slower than Brabham’s best lap in the Galaxie, which was also a class record. Mayer’s lap in 1:55.0 was a 1300 cc record.
Hottest dice of the day was fought between three Minis – the S type Coopers of Peter Clarke and John Lewis and the ordinary 997 cc Cooper of Harry Martin; they slipstreamed each other for laps, always swapping positions, until Clarke’s car came to a sudden halt at Coram Curve on lap 13 when the engine went solid after throwing a rod.
Although some expected Clark‘s bag-of-nails-sounding Cortina to come into the pits, the race continued its course, the Galaxies walking away with it, as is their custom these days; they lapped the slowest car, an 850 Mini, every 2 1/2 laps. With second place seemingly in his pocket, poor Olthoff’s Galaxie died at Sear with transmission failure, so the South African’s exciting and hair-raising ride terminated.
Brabham won comfortably, just failing to lap Salmon’s Jaguar, and Clark staged a mock dead heat with Taylor for second place; although their race times were identical, the Scotsman got the verdict by a couple of feet. Sears, the 1963 Saloon Car Champion, was fourth in the Willment Lotus Cortina.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
167 RUR	96	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	2	1
166 RUR	97	Team Lotus	Trevor Taylor	3	2
780 BOO		John Willment	Jack Sears	4	3

 

 

 

1964

 

Works teams dominated the 1964 championship, which had class divisions this year at 1300 cc, 2000 cc and 5000 cc – the latter class split now to give the Jaguars a last chance.

This type of racing was now fully supported by Ford and BMC, even if the cars appeared to be entered by private teams. These organisations policies did not allow them to race and so they sponsored firms like Cooper and Lotus, who could take an active interest.
Jimmy Clark, the 1963 World Champion, dominated the series, scoring maximum points in every round in his Team Lotus entered Lotus Cortina The works Lotus Cortinas were well prepared and exceedingly fast, proving capable of winning a race outright if the Ford Galaxies absented themselves for any reason.
John Fitzpatrick came home second in his works Mini-Cooper S with 38 points to Clark‘s 48. Mike Young in a 1200 Anglia made life difficult for John from time to time, but Young lost all hope of class victory when he was disqualified at Brands Hatch for running with steel main bearing caps.
Although Ford Galaxies won nearly every race they entered, they were often driven by F1 drivers whose commitments elsewhere made their appearances too few to score many points. Jaguars were totally eclipsed and often were well behind even the privately entered Mini-Coopers. Chris McLaren and John Sparrow did their best, but their was little doubt the Jaguar 3.8 was no longer a competitive car.

 

 

International Daily Mirror Trophy Meeting – Saloon Car Race

Snetterton

Date: 14/3/1964
After a 15 minute delay, the race started at 2:15 p.m. in strong wind and blinding rain. Jack Sears in the Willment Galaxie led away with Jack Brabham in close attendance after a bad start in the Alan Brown Galaxie. Behind these came Arundell and Clark in the works lotus Cortinas. Clark held on to second place for three laps before Brabham pushed him back a place on lap 4.
First drama was the very rapid departure of John Sparrow’s Jaguar 3.8 which hit the bank at Riches, but was able to continue somehow despite damaged bodywork. The wet weather was taking its toll and there was much excitement round the circuit with cars seldom ever pointing in the right direction. After leading for eight laps, Sears’ Galaxie was unable to avoid the spinning Cooper of Tommy Weber. The Galaxie continued for a short time, but a damaged wheel forced its retirement. This let Brabham into the lead and Clark back into second place.
With Sears out of the running Brabham had it all his own way and went on to win some two minutes ahead of Jim Clark who brought his Cortina into second place overall to win the 2-litre class. Peter Arundell had to retire with engine troubles when well placed. Gawaine Baillie held fourth place behind Bob Olthoff’s Willment Cortina until two laps from the end, when he moved up into third place behind Jim Clark.
The Mini battle, which waxed hot and strong as always, resulted in a 1-2 victory for the works Mini-Cooper Ss of John Fitzpatrick and Paddy Hopkirk. This win gave Fitzpatrick valuable points in the championship. Don Moore’s Mini Cooper S was driven by Edward Lewis to third place.

 

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	71	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	2	1
	77	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	4	2
	76	John Willment	Frank Gardner	5	3
DBH 250	73	Private	David Haynes
	72	Private	Chris Craft
MAC 1	78	McKechnie Racing	Trevor Fowler
	79	Moto Baldet Racing	Andre Baldet
	70	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	DNF

 

 

International Trophy Race Meeting – St. Mary’s Trophy

Goodwood

Date: 30/3/1964

Jack Brabham had badly damaged the Alan Brown Galaxie in practice and was unable to compete in the race. Sir Gawaine Baillie found transmission problems with his Galaxie on the warm-up lap and had to pull out of the race. At the start, Jim Clark surprised everyone by out-accelerating Sears Galaxie, with team-mate Peter Arundell in his slipstream as they tore into Madgwick. However, the Galaxie’s power told and Jack Sears thundered past the Clark at Woodcote, with Bob Olthoff (Willment Lotus Cortina) fourth. Next up came Frank Gardner, also in a Willment Lotus Cortina. In the 1300 cc class, the Minis were having to play second fiddle to Mike Young and his Anglia. Clare, Slotemaker, Fitzpatrick – all had a go at the Superspeed Anglia, but the white car seemed to have more poke.
Meanwhile Sears bombed his way round, making it all look so easy. Yet Clark and Arundell were always there, both lifting wheels on the bends and never touching the brake pedal till the “100” marker. Frank Gardner waited till lap 4, then hared past team-mate Olthoff to try to do something about the Team Lotus cars. The Jaguars of McLaren and Sparrow were completely outclassed.
There were several excursions; Chris Craft (Lotus Cortina) bumped the chicane on his seventh lap and abandoned. Mick Clare (Mini Cooper S) did a spot of lawn-mowing at the same place, but regained the tarmac without hitting anything.
While Sears sailed on to win, followed by Clark, Arundell and Gardner in that order, Clare made a tremendous bid to catch Young. It was almost wheel to wheel as they came out of the chicane, but Young just managed to coax the Anglia over the line 0.2 seconds in front.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	95	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	2	1
	96	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	3	2
	97	John Willment	Frank Gardner	4	3
	98	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	5	4
	103	Moto Baldet	Andre Baldet,	6	5
1 JON	102	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson,	7	6
	105	Coundley Racing	Mrs. P. Coundley,	17	8

 

 

Oulton Park National Spring Meeting

Oulton Park

Date: 11/4/1964

Jim Clark’s Cortina and Sir Gawaine Baillie’s Galaxie had a slight advantage in the initial rush into Old Hall corner when the large field was released, but the power of the Willment Galaxie soon told and it was Jack Sears who led at the end of the opening lap, with Jim Clark in hot pursuit and his team-mate John Whitmore harrying Baillie. Bob Olthoff and Trevor Fowler led the rest of the field, both in Cortinas, and John Fitzpatrick’s works Mini Cooper S led the tiddlers with mike Young’s Anglia next up.

 

By the fifth lap Jack Sears was well away, but coming into Lodge corner he found his brakes non-existent and deliberately spun the Galaxie to avoid hitting the bank head on at full speed. Both he and the car came to rest unscathed, but the escaped brake fluid in the front drum then caught fire as he removed the car to a place of greater safety, and there was some drama with extinguishers.

 

Jim Clark then opened out a huge lead, and the only change of order up near the front resulted from Bob Olthoff’s retirement. Meanwhile Mike Young got away from the Minis and Phil Middlehurst mounted a determined assault on the works cars, finally leaving them both behind in his privately entered S. Mick Clare’s efforts in this class unfortunately came to an end when he became involved with Mike Cave‘s Alfa Romeo in a shunting match at Lodge which put them both out. As usual there were a fair number of spins and off-course excursions, but no one was hurt, although Ralph Broad’s once beautiful Mini looked rather sad following its accident on the opening lap.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	45	Team Lotus	Jim Clark,	1	1
	46	Team Lotus	John Whitmore,	3	2
MAC 1	51	McKechnie Racing	Trevor Fowler	4	3
	54	Red Rose Motors (Chester)	Jackie Stewart		4
1 JON	47	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson
	48	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet
2 CAM	49	Moonraker Racing	Roger Swanton
	50	Private	Chris Craft
	55	John Coundley Racing	Mrs. P. Coundley
	52	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	DNF

 

 

Aintree International 200 Meeting

Aintree

Date: 18/4/1964

No fewer than 33 cars participated and the start saw the cars jostling for position like panicky pedestrians in Picadilly. Much chopping and carving went on, but it did not affect Jack Sears, who zoomed into an immediate 30 yard lead. Sir Gawaine Baillie held second place in his privately owned Ford Galaxie ahead of the works Cortinas of Clark and Arundell and the similar Willment-entered car with Frank Gardner at the wheel.

The inevitable first lap shunt occurred at Tatts when the two 3.8 Jaguars of Chris McLaren and John Sparrow charged the straw bales; McLaren retired but Sparrow continued, and although black flagged for suspected front suspension damage, went on after the necessary pit stop to win his class.

A furious battle was going on farther down the field between Mick Clare (Mini Cooper S), Mike Young (Anglia) and John Handley (Mini Cooper S), in the middle of which, Clare went off at Melling completely demolishing an old boiler house and he severely damaged his car. He escaped with a broken leg and sundry cuts and bruises. Mick was, of course, wearing a safety harness.

The works Mini-Coopers romped around happily, the new 1275 cc engines going as sweet as honey – well ahead of any opposition.

With seven laps completed Sears still led from Baillie, although Clark was making a very determined effort to pass the Galaxie, but to little avail. Arundell was following Clark, patiently awaiting a break, while Gardner on the Willment Lotus Cortina led Jackie Stewart, who was driving the Red Rose Lotus Cortina. Bob Olthoff retired the second Willment Lotus Cortina with suspension trouble.

Sears went on to win and, although Clark made a serious last lap challenge, Baillie held second place. Behind Clark came Arundell with Gardner and Stewart in sixth and seventh places. Fitzpatrick and Hopkirk nearly overdid it at Tatts on the last lap, both arriving simultaneously sideways, to cross the line almost together, third in the 1300 cc class being Mike Young. His Superspeed Anglia was a long way behind the works Minis, but only just ahead of John Handley’s Broadspeed Mini-Cooper S.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	126	Team Lotus	Jim Clark, GB	3	1
BJH 419B	127	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell, GB	4	2
BTW 299B	135	John Willment	Frank Gardner, AUS	5	3
958 UNK	137	Red Rose Motors	Jackie Stewart, GB	6	4
	128	Private	Chris Craft, GB	7	5
MAC 1	132	McKechnie Racing	Trevor Fowler, GB	8	6
DBH 250	131	Private	David Haynes, GB	11	7
1 JON	130	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson, GB	18	8
	138	John Coundley Racing	Mrs. P. Coundley,	22	9
	136	John Willment	Bob Olthoff, ZA	DNF
	129	Moto Baldet	Andre Baldet, GB	DNF
2 CAM	133	Moonraker Racing	Roger Swanton, GB	DNF
	134	Private	Roger Mac	DNS

 

16th International Trophy Meeting – International Production Touring Car Race

Silverstone

Date: 2/5/1964

 

There is no doubt whatsoever that the revised Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone is even faster than ever. Practice for the touring cars was on the Thursday, and Jack Sears bundled the big Willment Galaxie round in 1:48.8, 3.2 seconds quicker than his 1963 record. That record was also cracked by Sir Gawaine Baillie (Galaxie) with 1:50.6, while Jim Clark and Peter Arundell (Lotus Cortinas) made the existing 1600 cc figure look rather silly, with times of 1:52.4 and 1:52.8 respectively. Then Clark went out in a reserve Lotus Cortina and returned 1:51.0. Quickest of the Mini drivers was John Fitzpatrick, who did 1:59.4 in the new 1293 cc Mini-Cooper S.
The circuit had practically dried for the eagerly awaited saloon car event. Rows 1 and 2 of the grid were all-Ford, with Jim Clark’s Lotus Cortina sharing the front line with the big Galaxies of Sears, Gurney and Baillie. Behind were the Lotus Cortinas of Arundell, Gardner and Craft.

Right away Sears bombed into the lead, followed by Gurney, the quite incredible Clark, Baillie and the equally incredible Arundell. To watch the green and cream cars keeping up with, and being dwarfed by, the giant Galaxies was proof enough that Chapman doesn’t have to worry overmuch about speed differential.

 

After one lap Chris Craft abandoned with a broken engine at Becketts. The race order was maintained as Sears, Gurney, Clark, Baillie, Arundell, Olthoff and Gardner. In the Mini division, Hopkirk was almost wheel to wheel with an interloper, in the shape of Mike Young’s Anglia. On lap 4 Gardner took Olthoff but, next time round, drew “ohs!” from the grandstands, as he skidded coming out of Woodcote and finished up on the grass among the mud after being very narrowly missed by team-mate Olthoff. Smith coasted in with no oil pressure on his Jaguar, while Andre Baldet had to retire his Cortina with a flat tyre. Burrows (Mini-Cooper S) stopped at Stowe, and took off his crash-hat.

 

The leaders assumed something of a procession, but this was not so in the “mini” section. Hopkirk, Young, Fitzpatrick and Slotemaker were having a monumental dice, the two first-named passing and re-passing at every opportunity. This battle held the crowd’s interest, as well as the rather spectacular cornering of Clark and Arundell. In the last but one lap, Sears doubled the Minis, and while he and Gurney took the chequered flag, almost unnoticed, followed by Clark, Baillie and Arundell, everyone awaited the scrapping quartets. Up Abbey came Hopkirk, his car splattered with mud, practically side-by-side with Fitzpatrick; Young and Slotemaker tried everything to displace them, and as the pair seemed to try for a dead heat finish, the two drivers behind had to do some phenomenal avoiding action to prevent collisions. It was surely a miracle that they managed to stay on the road!

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	21	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	3	1
	22	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	5	2
BTW 300B	23	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	6	3
MAC 1	29	McKechnie Racing	Innes Ireland	7	4
BTW 299B	24	John Willment	Frank Gardner
1 JON	25	Farnborough Racing	Jon Derisley
DBH 250	28	Private	David Haynes
	30	Private	Chris Craft,	DNF
758 FNV	27	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet,	DNF

 

 

Saloon Car Race / The Small Car Trophy

Crystal Palace

Date: 18/5/1964

Jack Sears took an immediate lead in the Goodyear shod Willment Galaxie, shattering the prophesies of those who thought the Lotus Cortinas of Jim Clark and Peter Arundell would run rings round it. But the Galaxie blew a tyre, enabling Clark and Arundell to score a 1-2. Once Frank Gardner had displaced Chris Craft’s Lotus Cortina for third place on the 13th of the 15 laps all interest had vanished.

 

The 1300 cc saloon car race, for the Small Car Trophy, provided another unexpected winner, in the shape of young John Handley, who handled his Broadspeed Mini-Cooper with great verve and not a little skill to vanquish last year’s Broadspeed (and now works) Mini driver John Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick’s team-mate, John Rhodes, was a close third with Mike Young’s Superspeed Anglia fourth. Chris Craft also handled a Superspeed Anglia, but it was off-song throughout and was bested into fifth place by Liz Jones’s Alexander-entered 1275 Mini Cooper S.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	57	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
BJH 419B	58	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	2	2
BTW 299B	59	John Willment	Frank Gardner	3	3
784 BOO	61	Private	Chris Craft	4	4
BTW 300B	60	John Willment	W. Brausch Niemann	6	5
DBH 250	62	Private	David Haynes	7	6

 

 

British GP Support Race – Molyslip Trophy (NOT BTCC CHAMPIONSHIP)

Brands Hatch

Date: 11/7/1964

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	68	Team Lotus	John Whitmore	1	1
	66	John Willment	Jack Sears	2	2
BJH 419B	69	Team Lotus	Jackie Stewart	3	3
2 CAM	63	Moonraker Racing	Roger Swanton	4	4
1 JON	65	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson	5	5
DBH 250	64	Private	David Haynes	6	6
	82	John Coundley Racing	John Coundley	11	7
	67	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	DNF
	61	Private	Chris Craft	DNS
MAC 1	62	McKechnie Racing	Trevor Fowler	DNS

 

 

International Guards Trophy Meeting

Brands Hatch

Date: 3/8/64

 

Despite Jim Clark’s fantastic practice lap, Jack Sears romped away in the Willment Galaxie and led from flag to flag. Clark and Olthoff were equally safe in second and third positions in their Lotus Cortinas, Lotus- and Willment-entered respectively.
Best scrap of the race – and this only lasted two or three laps – was the “Mini” dice in the 1300 cc class – although on this occasion it was anything but Mini, for the two Superspeed Anglias succeeded in frightening John Rhodes’ Downton Mini Cooper S into third place. Although Chris Craft paved the way in the Anglia team, Mike Young won the class to team orders to get maximum points in the saloon car championship. The works Minis disappointed, Hopkirk’s non-starting because of a broken fan-belt discovered on the warming up lap, and Fitzpatrick’s coming in a distant fourth. The Broadspeed Minis, too, did not live up to their reputation, being even farther behind in sixth and seventh places, Timo Mäkinen in Don Moore’s Mini separating them from Fitzpatrick.

In post race scrutineering, the two Anglias were disqualified.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	146	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	2	1
	148	John Willment	Bob Olthoff	3	2
2 CAM	150	Moonraker Racing	Roger Swanton	5	3
DBH 250	151	Private	David Haynes	7	4
1 JON	152	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson	14	5
	172	Private	Jacquie Bond-Smith	22	6
	147	Team Lotus	Mike Spence	DNF
	149	John Willment	Frank Gardner	DNS

 

 

International Gold Cup Meeting

Oulton Park

Date: 19/9/1964

Never was there such a traffic jam as developed at Old Hall Corner, with cars scraping paint as drivers jostled for positions behind Jack Sears in the thundering Galaxie. The big Willment car eventually broke away from the pack, closely followed by Jim Clark, Bob Olthoff, Mike Spence, and Andre Baldet in their Lotus Cortinas. Brabham had made a poor start with his Galaxie, but by lap two had climbed into fifth place.
It looked as if Sears would run away with the race, but the stop watches showed that on the fifth lap he had dropped nearly 2 seconds. to Clark. Brabham had pushed his Galaxie past Olthoff to take third place, and Boley Pittard had brought his Lotus Cortina into the reckoning behind Spence and Baldet. Rhodes was leaving all his rivals in the 1300 cc class.
Sears was fated to stay in the lead for just one more lap, for he pulled on to the grass near Knickerbrook with ignition failure. The order now became Clark, Brabham, Olthoff, Spence, Pittard, Baldet and Rhodes. Chris Craft retired his Anglia, and young was not getting a look-in with the flying Rhodes.
On the unlucky 13th lap, Spence overturned his Cortina at Esso when a tyre burst without damaging himself, while Hulme retired his Mini Cooper S with no oil pressure. John Love hit the bank at Esso when his throttle stuck. Brabham had little hope of getting to grips with Jim Clark and by lap 15 he was 17.2 seconds. adrift and having trouble in stopping the big machine. Next time round the enterprising Olthoff had snapped the Willment Lotus Cortina into second place and gradually pulled away from his 7-litre rival.
Liz Jones, Anita Taylor and her brother Trevor waged tempestuous battle in their Mini’s. Trevor Taylor had braking problems with his Mini Cooper S, and dropped several places after a spin out at Old Hall. Clark had a locking front brake, which produced clouds of blue smoke from the tyre but didn’t seem to affect his lap speeds. So it finished, with Jim Clark an easy winner followed by Olthoff and Brabham; then came Pittard, Baldet, the remarkable Mini-Cooper S of Rhodes, Newman’s Lotus Cortina and McLaren’s 3.8 Jaguar. In the ladies battle, Liz beat Anita to the line by half a length.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
BJH 417B	80	Team Lotus	Jim Clark, GB	1	1
230 FOO	82	John Willment	Bob Olthoff, ZA	2	2
	83	John Willment	Boley Pittard, GB	4	3
	87	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet, GB	5	4
754 URO	85	Private	Jack Newman, GB	7	5
	86	Private	Graham Lynch, GB	9	6
	88	Curtis Smith Racing Team	Robin Smith, GB	12	7
	81	Team Lotus	Mike Spence, GB	DNF

 

BTCC 1965

 

Roy Pierpoint carried off the BRSCC title in a Ford Mustang after a very successful season – he was very consistent, making it look all too easy. Following their success in the 1964 Tour de France, three Mustangs were prepared by Alan Mann Racing for private entrants Pierpont, Salmon and Baillie. Alan Brown imported a Mustang for Jack Brabham to drive but the lightened valve gear it used was not homologated.
After struggling at the start of the season, the works Lotus Cortinas were sorted out and dominated the up to 2 litre class. However, Jim Clark wasn’t available for all the races and so wins were split between him and Jack Sears, meaning neither could win the championship.
BMC pinned their hopes on their 970 and 1275 Mini-Cooper Ss. Broadspeed initially intended to compete in the European Touring Car Championship, but they realised the regulations put them into an impossible class. So they also competed in the British Saloon Car Championship against the works team. However, the works drivers, Warwick Banks and John Rhodes both won their classes, and Banks came close to winning the overall championship, tying on points with Pierpoint.

 

The Ilford Films Trophy – Race of Champions Meeting

Brands Hatch

Date: 13/3/1965

Missing from the grid was Alan Hutcheson’s Galaxie, so the V8 brigade was represented by a trio of Mustangs.
Clark made a picture start in the Lotus Cortina, whistling into Paddock Bend ahead of Roy Pierpoint (Mustang), Jack Sears (Lotus Cortina) and Mike Salmon (Mustang). Close behind came a phenomenal traffic jam, with Andre Baldet pushing his Lotus Cortina ahead of a mess of jostling Minis, a pair of Anglias and Gawaine Baillie’s red Mustang. How the procession sorted itself out without shunts passes comprehension, although there were quite a number of close shaves.
Jim Clark’s Cortina lifted its near side front wheel at Bottom Bend about a foot in the air and continued to three-wheel almost the entire length of the Bottom Straight, bounced back on the deck again and immediately lifted for South Bank. He steadily pulled away from Pierpoint’s pursuing Mustang. On lap 3 Salmon cleverly took Sears, but when the Norfolk man tried to re-pass into South Bank he found an awful lot of motor car in front of him.
At the end of five laps, Clark was seven seconds in the lead. Meanwhile the large Mini field had been somewhat depleted with the retirement of Marshall, Vernaeve, and Miss Burns-Greig. Frank Gardner also retired in his Cortina. John Rhodes completely dominated the 1300 cc section, but, behind, the Anglias of Chris Craft and Mike Young were locked in combat with Harry Ratcliffe (Mini-Cooper S) Tony Lanfranchi (Alexander Mini-Cooper S) and Boley Pittard in the Don Moore machine. In the smallest category European champion Warwick Banks was getting well away from Campbell-Cole and Stancomb – all three in Mini Cooper S entries.
At the end of the seventh lap, to the great disappointment of Team Lotus, Clark came into the pits with wobbling wheels. Nuts were hastily tightened and Jim re-entered the fray in eighth place. On lap 8, Sears moved up into second place in front of Salmon. On lap 9 Clark lost a wheel at Dingle Bend and abandoned. Then came two spectacular accidents at Paddock Bend, at the same time but unconnected. Chris Montague (Mini Cooper) slewed backwards into the ditch, but Bill McGovern bounced his Mini on its roof and was extricated unhurt by Montague. Mick Clare abandoned his Mini.
With Pierpoint and Sears fighting for the lead, Salmon’s pit had been signalling to him not to try to go for the lead. But on the 17th lap the situation suddenly changed – Sears was missing; the front left hand tyre had punctured just under the bridge at South Bank. With Sears gone, Salmon unleashed more horsepower, but in the remaining three laps he could not get any closer than 8 sec from Pierpoint’s Mustang. Andre Baldet was over a minute ahead of John Nicholson in another Lotus Cortina – the only other survivor in the 2-litre class. Rhodes, during a tremendous drive which kept his Mini Cooper S up with Baldet, set up a new class record of 1.58,2. Jim Clark had also cut the 2000 cc figure to 1.54,8, only 0,4 sec outside his own Galaxie record.
So to Roy Pierpoint went victory in his first outing with his own Mustang, followed by Mike Salmon in the dark blue Dawney-English entry and Andre Baldet in the Moto-Baldet Lotus Cortina.
After the race the two Trustram Anglias which finished second and third to Rhodes in the 1300 cc class were disqualified for infringing regulations as to track width and inlet manifold design. Although larger section wheels were homologated, it appears that Fords omitted to state the increased track width. This put Ratcliffe and Lanfranchi into their placings.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	46	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet	3	1
1 JON	44	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson	10	2
JTW 496C	42	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	DNF
JTW 497C	41	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	DNF
	43	John Willment	Frank Gardner	DNF

 

Note Car 47, Lotus Cortina, rolled heavily in practise.

 

Oulton Park International Spring Race Meeting

Oulton Park

Date: 3/4/1965

There was a real bang and crash start, involving Pierpoint and Whitmore, with Sears being pushed almost off the track, and Gardner‘s Willment lotus Cortina being sandwiched between the Mustang and the Whitmore Cortina. After the clatter of metal had subsided the race was on, with three somewhat battered cars leading into Old Hall in the order of Pierpoint, Whitmore and Gardner; the unfortunate Sears parked on the grass with ignition failure.
The traffic jam sorted itself out, with Fitzpatrick leading the rest of the bunch comprising Baldet, Baillie, Rhodes, Ratcliffe and Middlehurst. Pierpoint came through with Whitmore and Gardner close behind, and the Maroon Broadspeed Mini of Fitzpatrick cheekily leading Baldet’s fast Lotus Cortina. Michael Campbell-Cole’s Mini Cooper S headed up the up to 1-litre section.

 

Pierpoint, Whitmore, Gardner, Baillie, Fitzpatrick, Baldet – that was the order for lap after lap. Savoury stopped with his Don Moore Mini at Knickerbrook and abandoned. Tony Lanfranchi pitted his Alexander Mini-Cooper S. Goodwin packed up with his Anglia at Old Hall, while Chris McLaren parked his Jaguar at Old Hall.

 

Gawaine Baillie was now getting the hang of his Mustang, and giving the ebullient Whitmore no peace whatsoever, taking the Lotus Cortina on the eighth lap for second place behind Pierpoint’s similar car. Frank Gardner was also after Whitmore, while Baldet was duelling merrily with Fitzpatrick. Gardner pushed past Whitmore on lap 10, but next time round the Team lotus car was wallowing all over the place, and Whitmore parked it behind his team mate’s abandoned car with a flat tyre.

 

Banks had taken over the lead in the tiddler class from Campbell-Cole, and behind Baldet came Ratcliffe (Mini Cooper S), Newman (Lotus Cortina) Middlehurst (Mini-Cooper S) and Neal (Mini Cooper S). Baillie closed within 1 1/2 seconds of Pierpoint, the two red Mustangs cantering along unchallenged, with Frank Gardner some 17 seconds adrift.

Near the end, the Fitzpatrick-Baldet battle ended with both drivers inverting their cars, the exit of the former giving the class victory to John Rhodes in the works Mini-Cooper S, followed by Harry Ratcliffe in the Vitafoam machine.

 

Cars were timed over the measured tenth, the fastest in each class being Pierpoint with 118 mph, Gardner with 112.4 mph, Neal with the Arden Mini Cooper with 111.4 mph and Phil de Banks (Sutton Mini-Cooper S) with 107.4 mph.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	85	Willment	Frank Gardner,	3	1
754 URO	82	Private	Jack Newman	6	2
	81	Curtis Smith Racing Team	Robin Smith	9	3
JTW 496C	83	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	DNF
JTW 498C	84	Team Lotus	John Whitmore	DNF
	80	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet	DNF

 

 

Snetterton

Date: 10/4/1965

 

The tyre battle was hotting up! As the saloon cars lined up for their 15 lap epic it was seen that , of the Ford Mustangs, Roy Pierpoint used Goodyear, Sir Gawaine Baillie used Firestone and Mike Salmon Dunlop tyres; the fourth member of the front row, Alan Hutcheson in Bobby Buchanan-Michaelson’s ex-Alan Brown Ford Galaxie, had Goodyears. In the two litre class, the Team Lotus Cortinas used yellow spot Dunlop R7s, while the Willment car was shod with Goodyears. The works Minis, incidentally were fitted with green-spot Dunlop R6s.
It was Salmon who made the best start and, indeed, his Dawnay Racing/F English-entered Mustang was never to be headed. Hutcheson held second place for four laps, but then his engine blew in the biggest possible way past the pits and the Galaxie coasted to a halt at Riches. This is the second time Hutcheson has blown-up the Galaxie, having performed this feat practising for Brands Hatch in March. Pierpoint and Baillie were in third and fourth positions, the former, winner at Brands and Oulton, down on power as standard heads were fitted after a valve had dropped in practice.

 

For the third time running the works Lotus Cortinas were in trouble: Jim Clark and Jack Sears trailed the American cars for the first lap, but then Sears shunted Clark and had to stop at his pit for the bodywork to be straightened out. Then Clark was overhauled by Frank Gardner in the Willment Lotus Cortina; Gardner took Clark on the seventh lap and thereafter drew away. It seems that the new BRM-Lotus engines are slightly down on power on last year’s twin-cam units, for Clark could not equal his old lap times. (The new Dunlop R7s were initially troublesome in F1 and this could also be a contributing factor).

 

The 1,300 cc and 1,000 cc classes comprised the usual phalanx of Minis, with John Anstead’s Fiat Abarth 1000, just arrived from Italy, thrown in for good measure. At the end of the first lap Tony Lanfranchi in the Alexander car headed John Handley and John Rhodes in the Broadspeed and works car respectively, the three being virtually side-by-side. This couldn’t last long and it came as no surprise when it was learned that Handley was pushed off involuntarily at the hairpin when the three tried to go through altogether. Lanfranchi spun at Sear, so losing sight of Rhodes, but still finished second to the enterprising Cooper driver. Less fortunate was Richard Cluley, who rolled his Mini into a ball at the hairpin, but escaped unhurt.

Rhode’s team-mate Paddy Hopkirk had the job of “towing” Warwick Bank’s 970S Mini with his 1275S car, making sure that none of the Banks’ rivals could get near. Gerry Marshall’s Newtune Mini took a well deserved second place in the 1-litre class, keeping ahead of John Fitzpatrick’s Broadspeed entry.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	44	Willment	Frank Gardner	4	1
JTW 497C	41	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	5	2
JTW 496C	42	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	6	3
	46	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson	8	4
		Private	Jacquie Bond-Smith	10	5

 

 

International Trophy Meeting – St. Mary’s Trophy Race

Goodwood

Date: 19/4/1965

 

With the delay in restarting the F3 race and the time taken to clear the circuit of wreckage, the start of the saloon race was delayed. And just as the Saloon race was about to start yet another hail storm hit the circuit, so the drivers and mechanics sat in the cars on the grid until it had passed. Two warming up laps were then allowed for drivers to get the feel for the conditions, and 20 minutes late the field got away for a race cut from 10 to 5 laps.
Jim Clark in the works Lotus Cortina shot straight into the lead from Salmon’s Navy Blue Mustang which held pole position. Sears (No. 2 in the Lotus team) backed him up with second place. It was more or less a runaway victory in the wet for the Lotus Cortinas of Jim Clark and Jack Sears, once they had sorted out Salmon’s Mustang. The race was enlivened by the fantastic pace of John Rhodes in his works 1275 Mini Cooper S who hustled Salmon and actually finished in third place but was penalised 1 minute for allegedly jumping the start.
Warwick Banks (works Mini Cooper) and John Terry (Broadspeed Mini Cooper) shunted each other at the chicane on the first lap, and both were eliminated. The unfortunate Alan Hutcheson vainly attempted to drive the big Galaxie without wipers, and finally packed it in. The shortened race was not popular with Roy Pierpoint (Mustang), who was rapidly overhauling Salmon when the chequered flag fell on Clark. In the post race scrutineering Salmon’s Mustang was found to be running with a non-homologated rear axle ratio, and was excluded, making Pierpoint the big class winner. Rhodes penalty gave the class to John Handley in the 1275 Broadspeed Mini Cooper S, while Don Moore’s entry driven by Mike Campbell-Cole took the smaller category.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
JTW 497C	106	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
JTW 498C	107	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	2	2
BTW300B	105	Willment	Frank Gardner	4	3
758 FNV	109	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet	9	4
	108	John Coundley Racing	Tom Fletcher	11	5
	111	Private	Jacquie Bond-Smith	17	6

 

 

International Trophy Meeting – International “Senior Service” Touring Car Race

Silverstone

Date: 15/5/1965

Fastest in practice was current leader of the BRSCC touring car championship Roy Pierpoint in his bright red Mustang, with Sir Gawaine Baillie’s similar car second and the works Lotus Cortinas of Mike Spence and Jack Sears next up.

As soon as the full field set off, it was obvious that this was going to be a tough contest. Saloon car drivers appear to do impossible manoeuvres all round the course, but each one gets away with it.

 

As to be expected, Pierpoint set the pace, with Baillie coming through to second place at the four lap mark ahead of the Lotus Cortinas of Sears and Spence. The battles in the 1000 cc and 1300 cc classes were tremendous: Warwick Banks and Mike Cambell-Cole disputed the smaller category splendidly, never being more than a door handle apart, while Tony Lanfranchi in the Alexander entry was battling out the 1300 cc class with John Fitzpatrick’s Broadspeed Mini. Lanfranchi was really enjoying himself to be an all-round driver.
With the 12 hectic laps up, Pierpoint headed Baillie home by 5.8 seconds, with Sears some 15.4 seconds farther in arrears. Spence was next up, then Frank Gardner in the Willment lotus Cortina and Tom Fletcher in the well-driven Coundley-entered Lotus Cortina. The Mini battle looked like going to Fitzpatrick, but Lanfranchi went round on the outside at Woodcote at an alarming pace to pip him by a wheel. Banks, too, out-fumbled Campbell-Cole for leadership among the 1-litre category, in which John Anstead’s little Fiat Abarth went very quickly to take third place.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
JTW 496C	30	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	3	1
JTW 497C	31	Team Lotus	Mike Spence	4	2
	33	Willment	Frank Gardner	5	3
??? VNK	36	John Coundley Racing	Tom Fletcher	6	4
758 FNV (No Reg)	32	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet	7	5
1 JON	34	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson
	50	H.W. Epps	Bill Vaughan

 

 

The Norbury trophy / The Anerley Trophy

Crystal Palace, London, Great-Britain

Date: 7/6/1965

 

Pierpoint made a copy book start to lead from the works Cortinas of Jimmy Clark and Jack Sears and the Willment Cortina of Frank Gardner. The first lap had been enlivened by Alan Hutcheson spinning the 7-litre Galaxie to the consternation of those behind who had to look hard to find a space to slip through – somehow they all managed! Pierpoint maintained his lead over Clark, while Jack Sears was kept busy by Gardner who was performing acrobatics in the red Willment Cortina. Further back Sir Gawaine Baillie was battling Jack Brabham – both were in Mustangs but Jacks’ didn’t seem quite as quick.

 

The up to 1300 cc saloon car race started and finished like a stock-car event. The winner was John Rhodes in the works 1300 Mini Cooper, who put on a splendid show. His race was made considerably easier when John Handley and Tony Lanfranchi collided on the first lap, the former continuing at reduced pace until bent bodywork burst a tyre, while Lanfranchi brought the Alexander car in immediately to retire, fuming!

 

Warwick Banks in the works 970S also had a contretemps, collecting John Cannadine in the Speedwell 1300 S on his second lap when the latter tried to pass on the inside at North Tower, the scene of the Handley/Lanfranchi melee. John Terry had the misfortune to lock a wheel at South Tower and hit the bank. After all these little excitements John Lewis held second place in his 1300 Mini-Cooper with Chris Craft third in the 1200 Anglia, and this was how they finished. John Fitzpatrick won the 1000 cc section for Broadspeed, somehow avoiding the pile-ups.

 

Gerry Marshall had a race-long dice with Mike Campbell-Cole, whom he succeeded in pushing off at the last lap by using him as a brake at South Tower. Up to this time these two had been neck and neck, first one leading then the other, but this last manoeuvre proved a little too much even for Campbell-Cole.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
JTW497C	110	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	2	1
	111	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	3	2
	112	Willment	Frank Gardner	4	3
	118	Private	Bill Shaw	7	4
758 FNV	113	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet	8	5
	114	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson	DNS
	119	John Coundley Racing	Tom Fletcher	DNS

 

Guards International Race Meeting – The Ilford Films Trophy

Brands Hatch

Date: 30/8/1965

True to form, the works Lotus Cortinas of Jim Clark and Jack Sears took the initial advantage, but Jack Brabham in Alan Brown’s Ford Mustang used brute power to get by along the straight after South Bank Bend. At Westfield Bend the yellow flags were waved when Sears ran into the back of the new World Champion and spun him round!
So at the end of the first lap, Brabham led Sears, Roy Pierpoint (Ford Mustang), who snatched second place away from Sears along the Top Straight, Mike Salmon (Ford Mustang) and Clark, who had restarted. After Frank Gardner in the Willment Lotus Cortina, the battle of the Minis was on – it was all Mini, too, for the two Superspeed Anglias were not allowed to start on a small scrutineering technicality and John Anstead in the little Fiat Abarth complained of lack of urge.
With South Bank Bend permanently shrouded in tyre smoke, the race kept the crowd amused. The Minis were being thrown sideways round the corners, and the works Cortinas were continually on three wheels.
On the fourth lap Clark went straight on at Bottom Bend, coming into the pits from the wrong side to have a flat tyre replaced. Now out of the running, Clark nevertheless came out for more and spent the rest of the race doing acrobatics in the Cortina, even cornering on two wheels! He set a new outright saloon car record of 1.54,2. during this display. Clark‘s progress was halted twice afterwards: first, the ignition terminal was replaced at South Bank Bend and secondly, he stopped at the pits to complain of faulty steering, later to set off to finish the race at reduced pace. Clark was, in fact, excluded from the results as a mechanic worked on the car away from the pits.
Brabham drew well away, with Pierpoint and Salmon in the Mustangs giving chase. Sears and Gardner were next up then Sir Gawaine Baillie’s Mustang. On lap 16 Salmon was black flagged; the near side rear wheel was wobbling violently and, on stopping, it was found that the hub was broken. Towards the end Pierpoint closed the gap on Brabham, but he left the challenge too late and finished 2,2 seconds behind.
John Fitzpatrick’s Broadspeed Mini led the 1 litre class until his seat broke, then Warwick Banks in the works car took command. Mike Campbell-Cole and David Miller enjoyed a glorious dust-up for second place, but the latter lost it at Hawthorne Bend on lap 7, spun and collected Campbell-Cole. Miller rolled the car, but Campbell-Cole got away with frontal damage.
With John Rhode’s car delayed while a lead off the coil was replaced, Paddy Hopkirk took command of the 1300 cc class for the works Cooper team. But then Paddy had a tyre go at Clearways and he stopped, which gave the class to John Cannadine from Gordon Spice. Tony Lanfranchi’s Alexander Mini was a second lap casualty with a disintegrated clutch and the carburettor falling apart, while John Handley’s Broadspeed entry had its clutch go as well. The pits were very busy.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
KPU 394C	182	Team Lotus	Jack Sears, GB	3	1
BTW 300B	183	Willment	Frank Gardner, AUS	4	2
1 JON	184	Farnborough Racing	John Nicholson, GB	10	3
JTW 497C	181	Team Lotus	Jim Clark, GB	DSQ/19
	187	Team Fife	Tom Simpson

 

 

International Gold Cup Meeting – Saloon Car Race

Oulton Park

Date: 18/9/1965

Class A – D Only

Unfortunately this race was something of an anticlimax, thanks to the gigantic mix-up in the first corner. Jim Clark and Jack Sears in the works Cortinas made superb starts and got into Old Hall clear of the howling pack, which was lead by Roy Pierpoint’s Mustang, Jack Brabham having muffed his start. Whether Pierpoint was nudged or not is not known, but his car went into a series of fish-tail slides in the corner which increased in amplitude. He was hit by at least four cars, the whole field telescoped, and the race virtually stopped.

 

Six cars were off the track, and the Cortina drivers watching in their mirrors wondered if they would be the only competitors left in the race. Only one car failed to restart – the Mini Cooper of John Lewis which collected a severely concave near side. The damage caused to other cars involved in the concertina became apparent later in the race by the number of pit stops to check bodywork, and a few retirements with radiator leaks and suspension damage.
Jack Brabham extricated his big brute from the melee and went to the front during the second lap, and from there only Jim Clark could keep him in sight. Interest inevitably centred on the 1-litre class, in which Warwick Banks had to get his Mini into a higher position than that occupied by Pierpoint in the big class if he was to win the championship. Banks was under constant pressure from John Handley’s Broadspeed Mini and the duel kept the interest alive to the end, when Banks got the decision by 0.2 sec.
However, Gawaine Baillie’s retirement and Jack Brabham’s subsequent exclusion left Roy Pierpoint with an unexpected class win and, it seems, the title. Brabham’s Mustang was excluded due to the triple valve springs fitted were not shown on the homologation form.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
JTW 497C	105	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
JTW 496C	106	Team Lotus	Jack Sears	2	2
754 URO	101	Private	Jack Newman	4	3
	102	Curtis Smith Racing Team	Robin Smith	9	4
	107	Willlment	Frank Gardner

 

 

 

NON-CHAMPIONSHIP

International “Britax” Touring Car Race – British Grand Prix support race

Silverstone

Date: 10/7/1965

Both the saloon practice sessions were without any real drama. Most surprising time recorded was a lap in 1.54,8 credited to John Lewis’s Alexander-prepared Mini Cooper S. The Mustangs weren’t trying that hard, being more or less assured of the front row. Both Mike Salmon and Sir Gawaine Baillie were running replacement engines – Salmon having blown his in private practice while Gawaine’s had gone during the first session. The works lotus Cortinas of Sears and Whitmore had the 1600 cc section all their own way, getting down to 1.51,8 and 1.52 respectively. Whitmore’s car obviously wasn’t quite as fast, for when Sears and Jimmy Clark tried it they couldn’t do better than 1.52,6.
Apart from Lewis, the other Minis seemed fairly matched, Warwick Banks, Tony Lanfranchi, Harry Ratcliffe and Steve Neal all doing around 1.56. The Anglias of Chris Craft and mike Young weren’t fast enough, Mike young’s fastest lap being 1.58.

Alan Hutcheson had wretched luck when a chafed tyre blew at a critical moment and he put the big Galaxie into the bank at Copse. Unfortunately it was too badly damaged to be repaired in time for the race.

 

The start of the 20-lap Britax Trophy race was enlivened by Roy Pierpoint flicking out the tail of the Alan Brown Mustang, just touching Sir John Whitmore’s Lotus Cortina, which was coming through fast from the second row. At Copse the three Mustangs arrived simultaneously, Michael Salmon emerging ahead in Dawnay’s dark blue car. Behind, Pierpoint was ahead of Sir Gawaine Baillie, the latter being passed by the works Cortinas of Jack Sears and John Whitmore before they passed the pits at the end of the first lap.

This was to be a race of mechanical failures, the first of which befell Roy Pierpoint who headed straight for the pit road after a single lap – the Mustang boiling merrily as the fan belt had gone missing. With Pierpoint’s demise from the scene, Salmon forged ahead, Sir Gawaine Baillie getting the better of the works Lotus two laps later and moving up into second place some 5 seconds behind. The works Cortinas were secure in third and fourth overall placings circulating only feet apart in hair-raising slides, ahead of Fletcher’s similar Cortina. A little further back Andre Baldet was getting away from John Lewis’s Alexander-prepared 1300 Mini-Cooper which was easily leading its class.

 

Baillie was now really getting to grips with his Mustang, going great guns, and steadily closing on Salmon. Just after half distance Gawaine put in a couple of quick laps in the region of 1.50 and went past Salmon into the lead. Farther back, Sears and Whitmore were really giving the crowd their money’s worth, swapping places at the most unlikely angles. Tom Fletcher was doing very well in the Coundley-entered Cortina, keeping the works cars in sight. Baldet had now shaken off Lewis, the latter still easily leading the now somewhat depleted Mini class. John Fitzpatrick had blown up in a big way just past the pits, Warwick Banks had retired the works car with a very rough sounding engine and Steve Neal had his engine seize when he lost his fan belt. Tony Lanfranchi, who together with Banks and Fitzpatrick so often provides the excitement, was well back, his engine suffering from shot piston rings. Christian Nellemann added to the Mini retirements by putting his car into the wall at Stowe, fortunately without personal injury. Mike Campbell-Cole was yet another to lose a fan belt, and retired with overheating, not surprisingly!

 

Gawaine maintained his advantage till the finish, although Salmon succeeded in equalling his new class record in his endeavours to close the gap. Sears and Whitmore crossed the line in a perfect dead heat. in order to perform this last manoeuvre Whitmore had to take to the grass as Sears was monopolising the rest of the road. Fletcher took a well deserved third place in this class ahead of André Baldet, both having faultless runs.

 

John Lewis won the Mini class by some 16 seconds, although Rauno Aaltonen put in a couple of quick laps just before the finish and closed up considerably in Don Moore’s 1300.

One of the best dices of the race was between the Trustram Anglias of Mike Young and Chris Craft and the yet unsorted BMW 1800 TISA entered by Alan Foster and very ably conducted by Keith Greene. These three had a splendid carve up, with the BMW pulling out a 2 seconds advantage in the last couple of laps.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
JTW 496C	36	Team Lotus	Jack Sears, GB	3=	1=
JTW 497C	37	Team Lotus	John Whitmore, GB	3=	1=
	30	John Coundley Racing Partnership	Tom Fletcher, GB	5	3
758 FNV	33	Moto Baldet Racing Team	Andre Baldet, GB	6	4
1 JON	32	Farnborough Racing Enterprises	John Nicholson, GB	DNF
	31	Shaw-Johnson Racing	? Bill Shaw, GB	DNS

BTCC 1966

 

The BRSCC adopted Group 5 regulations for the 1966 season, which allowed much more significant modifications to engines, transmissions, brakes and suspensions. Changes to the body shape were not allowed though. The new regulations brought the Ford Falcon and Hillman Imp to the BSCC.
The Ford Falcon should have dominated the over 2000cc class as it had the same engine as the Mustang but was significantly lighter. John Whitmore showed the car’s full potential when he raced an Alan Mann prepared example at Silverstone, but this was Mann’s only such entry. Baillie did well with his example, winning the class championship, but Pierpoint’s Falcon was unreliable for most of the season, probably due to its supercharged engine.
Team Lotus and the Lotus Cortina dominated the over 1300cc class, though as in 1965, Jim Clark wasn’t able to participate in every round and so they couldn’t compete for the overall driver’s Championship (Peter Arundel came third).
The Group 5 regulations brought about the end of the Mini’s domination of the lower capacity classes. In the 1001-1300cc class, the Mini only won one race, but because Anglia wins were split between Mike Young and Chris Craft, John Rhodes’ very consistent 2nd placings gave him the class championship.
The up to 1000cc class was dominated by the Anglias and Imps and there was no Mini driver in the top four of the class championship. John Fitzpatrick won the class and overall drivers championship in his Broadspeed prepared Anglia, though he actually tied on points with John Rhodes.

 

 

Archie Scott-Brown Memorial Trophy Meeting – Saloon Car Race

Snetterton

Date: 8/4/1966

 

Class A – D Only
Jim Clark put his car on pole position with a very sideways 1.54,6 Jack Brabham was next on the list in the Alan Brown Mustang 0.2 seconds slower, Peter Arundell completing the front row with a time of 1.55,8 in the second works Lotus Cortina. Brian Muir was very impressive in the big Willment Galaxie, and managed a 1.56,2. But the real show stopper was Chris Craft who motored with such purpose in the Superspeed 1200 Anglia: not only was he fastest in his class but also fifth quickest overall, with team-mate Mike Young not far behind. Mike Salmon practised the dark blue Mustang on the wrong axle ratio but still managed sixth place on the grid. In the 1000 cc class John Fitzpatrick and Peter Procter in the beautifully prepared Broadspeed Anglias were several seconds quicker than the Fraser Imps. Fuel starvation caused the supercharged Ford Falcons of Roy Pierpoint and Sir Gawaine Baillie much trouble and neither put in representative times for the cars obviously have great potential.

 

Jack Brabham made the best start in the fuel-injected Alan Brown Mustang pursued hard by Jim Clark in the works Lotus Cortina and Mike Salmon in a Cobra engined Mustang. On the second lap, much to Clark‘s disgust, Salmon rushed by and Brian Muir moved up in the 7-litre Galaxie to contest the issue as well. Meanwhile, Brabham had pulled out a useful couple of seconds by virtue of being uninvolved by the scrap behind him. At one third distance, Muir slipped the Galaxie inside Salmon at Russell to claim second place, having already passed Clark two laps previously. The next lap and Clark had passed Salmon, the latter having slowed appreciably due to failing brakes. From there on the first three positions remained unchanged until the finish. On the first lap, Roy Pierpoint had really charged through the field in his supercharged Falcon, but it had blown a head gasket, forcing his retirement. Sir Gawaine Baillie in a second Falcon came up steadily through the field to equal the new lap record set by Brabham and Muir of 1.54,2 and took fourth place overall.

 

In the 1300 cc class Chris Craft was having a ball and was even holding seventh place overall finally finishing sixth after Salmon had been black flagged for a loose exhaust system. Craft put a new lap record under his belt with a time of 1.56,6. His team mate Mike Young was forced out after losing his oil when holding an unchallenged second place. The fastest 1300 Mini-Coopers were way behind, John Rhodes leading Tony Lanfranchi and Harry Ratcliffe across the line. Most of the race, John Fitzpatrick, in his Broadspeed 1000 cc Anglia, had diced with 1300 Minis but Ralph Broad slowed him down lest he got involved in any melee. Fitzpatrick also set a new lap record with a time of 2.01,2. His team mate Peter Procter was slowed by a continual misfire originally thought to be plugs but later traced to a blocked carburettor jet. The Imps had an unhappy race, Nick Brittan blowing his engine and Bill McGovern suffering lack of oil pressure, the placed Rootes machine being Ray Calcutt’s in third place in the small class behind Paul Webb’s Anglia.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	112	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	3	1
PHK 614D	114	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	5	2
		Willment	Tony Dean	7	3

 

 

 

International Trophy Meeting – St. Mary’s Trophy Race

Goodwood

Date: 11/4/1966

 

Class A – D Only

Mike Salmon forged in front with McNally’s blue Mustang, harried by Muir (Galaxie), Clark (Lotus Cortina) and Sir Gawaine Baillie (Falcon) in that order. Peter Procter overturned his Anglia at St Mary’s, the car caught fire and Peter was taken to hospital with bad burns. Later he was transferred to East Grinstead by aeroplane. He had been in company with Chris Craft’s bigger engined Anglia, who was chasing John Rhodes’s works Mini Cooper S.

Bill Bradley’s Triumph 2000 took to the grass at Madgwick but rejoined the race. Roy Pierpoint was not so lucky, for he tore into the countryside at St Mary’s, bending the front end of his Falcon more than somewhat.

 

On lap 6 Muir pushed the big Galaxie ahead of Salmon, and Jack Brabham had brought the brick-red Alan Brown Mustang up into third place. Chris Craft was disputing the issue with Rhodes, and John Fitzpatrick’s “small” Anglia was easily leading the fancied Fraser imp of Ray Calcutt. Nick Brittan was going splendidly with an 850 cc motor in his Fraser Imp, keeping in front of Mylius’s Fiat Abarth.
Two laps from the end and Brabham slipped in front of Salmon to take second spot behind Muir. Brabham was finding his car difficult to handle, with one brand-new unscrubbed tyre on the front. In point of fact, he was all but beaten into third place by Jim Clark in the Lotus Cortina, only 0.8 seconds separating them at the end. Muir had driven a splendidly calculated race, proving that the 7-litre Galaxie in the proper hands is a force with which to reckon in saloon-car dicing. Chris Craft and Fitzpatrick humbled Mini-Cooper and Imp respectively in the smaller classes. All class records were smashed, and Muir’s 1.32,2 (93.71 mph) was the fastest ever in a saloon car at Goodwood.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	91	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	4	1
PHK 614D	92	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	5	2
	93	Willment	Tony Dean	7	3
758 FNV	97	Autocadia Racing	Brian Newton		4

 

 

 

International Trophy Meeting – International Saloon Touring Car Race

Silverstone

Date: 14/5/1966

The Alan Mann Ford Falcon driven by Sir John Whitmore walked away with the disappointing 35-lap saloon car race, which lacked the spectacle of former years. Sir John set a new lap record of 1.45,0 to be the first saloon to lap in excess of 100 mph.

 

At the start Whitmore had led the pack into Copse, his car conspicuous in its Alan Mann colours. Behind the red and gold Falcon came the Willment 7-litre Galaxie, Brian Muir driving with great verve. Muir passed Whitmore, but Whitmore retook the lead at the first part of Woodcote and was never challenged again. The pair were chased by Mike Salmon in Lord Downe’s dark blue Mustang and Sir Gawaine Baillie in his supercharged Falcon – Gawaine won last July here. Close on the Falcon’s tail came the works Lotus Cortinas of Peter Arundell and Jacky Ickx, the latter standing in for Jim. Then came the first of the 1300s, Mike Young in the Superspeed Anglia having to go for all he was worth to stay ahead of John Rhodes and Tony Lanfranchi. Very early on John Handley came into the pits with his works Min Cooper to change plugs. Markey in one of the two Paul Emery Imps also came in to replace the fan belt.

 

Chris Craft’s Anglia had broken its crankshaft on the second lap, leaving the responsibility of the class win with Young. Judging by the antics of Rhodes and Lanfranchi, Mike could have done with Chris’s moral support. The 1300 Minis are ideally suited to the Silverstone circuit.

Meanwhile, John Whitmore had been steadily pulling away, his task being made all the more simple when Muir retired the big Galaxie with a blown head gasket. Alan Brown’s supercharged fuel injected Ford Mustang driven by Jack Brabham had suffered piston failure in practice and was a non-starter. This left Salmon’s Mustang in a comfortable second place for he had a 7 second lead over Baillie and the two Cortinas. But Salmon was out of luck, a battery lead chafing through, igniting the rear seats; he stopped on the Hangar Straight, put the fire out and continued 8 minutes in arrears.
McGovern, in the other Emery Imp pulled out quite a lead from the “works” Alan Fraser Imps with John Fitzpatrick snapping hard at his heels in the Broadspeed Anglia. Then on the 6th lap at Copse, these two touched, spinning wildly and McGovern retired; Fitzpatrick toured round to the pits to change a punctured tyre. Anita Taylor, to the delight of the majority, took the lead in the 1-litre class on lap 6 ahead of the Fraser Imps of Ray Calcutt and Nick Brittan and Paul Webb’s Superspeed Anglia.
There had been other dramas at Stowe when Gordon Spice in a Downton-prepared Mini-Cooper S got mixed up with Keith Greene’s BMW – both spun and somehow nobody hit them. Club corner saw John Lewis shunt his Mini Cooper S in a big way without personal injury.
At half distance, the progress of the red and gold Falcon still continued, Whitmore further extending his lead. Sir Gawaine Baillie had at last got the better of the works Lotus Cortinas, Arundell and Ickx now occupying third and fourth places overall and leading their class. Arundell, in fact, had been in second place on odd occasions but the Falcon had fabulous acceleration and would pull away out of the corners. Ickx made an ultra-rapid stop to have his steering checked and was off again without losing a place.
The Anglia-Mini Cooper duel had cooled a fraction. Tony Lanfranchi falling back slightly with valve trouble, leaving Rhodes to make life as difficult as possible for Mike Young – something he was succeeding in doing with a fair degree of success, the pair for ever swapping places. Rhodes led until the 10th lap when Young slipped through for just part of a lap, but they switched back and it was only on the 17th of the 35 laps that Young again led the Mini. He managed to stay in front until lap 29 when Rhodes played the same trick and passed him for a short spell, but from then to the flag the Anglia held a half second lead.
Anita was doing a great job in the Broadspeed 1000 Anglia still leading her class by a long way – her pit were actually slowing her down. The Fraser Imps of Calcutt and Brittan just did not seem to have the necessary steam.
Towards the finish, Whitmore visibly slowed, confident of success and Gawaine Baillie, going faster and faster, closed up to finish 16 seconds behind. Peter Arundell set a new lap record equalled by team mate Ickx with a time of 1 min 48 seconds, which is moving for a 1600.
The Young-Rhodes battle was the best duel of the race, with Young winning the class for Superspeed by a couple of lengths. Anita, despite being slowed down by her pit, still finished 30 seconds ahead of Ray Calcutt’s Imp to win the 1-litre class for Broadspeed – although Fitz set the new class lap record.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	41	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	3	1
PHK 614D	42	Team Lotus	Jacky Ickx	4	2

 

 

 

Crystal Palace

Date: 30/5/1966

Race A
Mike Young made the running in his Superspeed 1200 Anglia, team mate Chris Craft having been put out at the start when his car locked in first gear and later overheating. After the start Young had pulled out a useful lead over John Rhodes in the works 1275 Mini-Cooper S which in turn was a few lengths ahead of a group which comprised the Mini Cooper Ss of Tony Lanfranchi, Gordon Spice and Harry Ratcliffe. This little group in turn were being pressed by the 1000 cc class leader John Fitzpatrick in his Broadspeed Anglia. Spice and Lanfranchi were enjoying some side by side rubber burning exercises until a brakeless Ratcliffe shunted the Yorkshire driver up the rear, sending him off backwards at North Tower and leaving Spice in an unchallenged third place.

 

When leader Mike Young lost a wheel, Rhodes inherited the lead and went on to take the flag six seconds ahead of Spice. John Fitzpatrick had a tremendous battle with his last year’s team mate, John Handley who was in the second of the works Mini Cooper Ss. Fitz led most of the way but he eventually let Handley by to finish 0.2 seconds behind – not bad for 1000 cc. Anita Taylor had been holding her own in the second 1000 cc Broadspeed Anglia although hard pressed by Bill McGovern in the leading Imp. Towards the end McGovern slipped by on the inside of Ramp Bend to snatch second place in the class.

 

Race B
The big saloon car race was robbed of some of its spectacle as Brian Muir had shunted the 7-litre Galaxie in practice and wasn’t competing. Roy Pierpoint led away in his unsupercharged Falcon, which is now fitted with Webers while behind him, all crossed up and obviously enjoying himself, came Peter Arundell in the fuel-injected works Lotus Cortina. These two indulged in some breath-stopping cornering until the Lotus Cortina went out with a blown head gasket, leaving Roy to an unchallenged first place. Mike Salmon held third place for the first lap but by second time round, Jack Brabham in the Alan Brown Mustang and Jacky Ickx in the second works Cortina were by him. Salmon fell back, his Mustang having blown both head gaskets and was later gobbled up by Sir Gawaine Baillie’s charged Falcon at half distance.
Jacky Ickx and Brabham put on an exciting show, both obviously enjoying the race. Jacks’ car is back on straight fuel injection, the services of the supercharger having been dispensed with. Roy Pierpoint, the reigning British Saloon Car Champion, cantered home to victory 5.2 seconds ahead of Brabham and Ickx who finished nose to tail. Paul Hawkins had the crowd on their feet at South Tower with his antics in the Willment Lotus Cortina with which he managed a second place in his class. Bill Bradley in his fuel injected Triumph 2000 stayed with Hawkins all the way to finish third in his class.

 

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	73	Team Lotus	Jacky Ickx	3	3
	62	Willment	Paul Hawkins	6	2
	77	Autocadia Racing	Brian Newton		4
	74	Private	R. Burton
	76	Curtis Smith Racing Team	Robin Smith
	72	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	DNF

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter England Trophy, GP support race

Brands Hatch

Date: 16/7/1966

The saloon car practice times told of the close racing that was to follow in the Peter England Trophy. Sir Gawaine Baillie had been fastest on the first day in his supercharged Falcon but Roy Pierpoint had really got his foot down in the second session and the Weberized Falcon had pipped pole position with a lap in 1.51,2. Sir John Whitmore and Jackie Ickx in works Lotus Cortinas fitted with fuel injection, and Jack Oliver in the Mustang (with discs on all four wheels) all got down to 1.52,2, to provide the opposition. All these times were comfortably better than the outright saloon car record which stood to Jimmy Clark, but of course his times were with the Group 2 Lotus Cortina.
At the start everybody got a little sideways and it was John Whitmore who made the best getaway, leading them all into Paddock. At the end of the first lap Whitmore still led but was hard pressed by the Falcons of Roy Pierpoint and Gawaine Baillie, both of which passed him on the way up to Hawthorne’s. Behind, all sideways, came Oliver in the DR Racing Mustang and Jackie Ickx who had passed Brian Muir in the 7-litre Galaxie on the inside of South Bank, to take fifth place. The 7-litre monster was being its usual handful, Muir being hampered as he had no brakes. Also in trouble was Mike Salmon in the Mustang. He should have started on the third row of the grid, but arrived late and started at the rear of the grid. He came up to 7th place by the fourth lap only to have a plug lead come loose.
Roy Pierpoint had now established a comfortable lead but second man Baillie had to battle with Whitmore initially, and later Oliver, when the Mustang succeeded in getting past the Lotus Cortina. The sight of Oliver and Whitmore pressing on had the crowd on their feet all round the circuit.
In the 1300 cc class John Young in the Superspeed Anglia (in eight place overall) was holding off John Rhodes fairly easily in the works Mini-Cooper S. Young’s team mate, Chris Craft, was eliminated early on by a locked limited slip which caused him to spin on the bottom straight. In the midget class the Fraser Imp of Bernard Unett was having a devil of a dice with John Fitzpatrick in the Broadspeed Anglia (now fitted with a five speed gearbox). Anita Taylor in the other Broadspeed Anglia retired with handling troubles after completing lap 6. On lap 10, exactly half distance, Unett Slipped by Fitz and Handley to take the class lead. This was the first time the Imps have ever headed the Anglias.
Still at the head of the field Roy Pierpoint continued to lead, with Oliver now in second place after passing Baillie on lap 8. In the closing stages Gawaine Baillie had a real go to retake second place and very nearly did it, but Oliver got all sideways on the last lap and the Falcon had to back off to avoid contact. Pierpoint took the flag for his fourth successive win over the last few weekends. He was a full 6 seconds ahead of Oliver, Baillie and the 2-litre class winner, Whitmore, all three of which were separated by less than a second. John Young’s Anglia easily won the 1300 cc class from the Mini-Cooper Ss of Rhodes and Gordon Spice.

The real drama was in the 1000 cc class where Unett had led right up to the 18th lap when fuel surge caused by an almost empty tank had forced him to drop right back, letting Fitzpatrick go on to win yet again for Broadspeed.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 614D	85	Team Lotus	John Whitmore	4	1
PHK 615D	86	Team Lotus	Jacky Ickx	5	2
	81	Vince Woodman	John Hine	13	3
	83	Willment	Tony Dean	22	4
	82	Autocadia Racing	Brian Newton	24	5
	84	Private	Will Beers	DNS

 

Note. Engine fire in KPU 396C in practise.

 

Guards International Race Meeting – The Edward Lewis Trophy

Brands Hatch

Date: 29/8/1966
This was the first race of the day and the track was streaming wet after a heavy downpour in midmorning. Jim Clark’s Cortina streaked off the line and won the first corner, and from then on the World champion kept his handy mount clear of the pursuit by the heavy metal, which was led in wonderful style by Jack Oliver in the Mustang. Basil van Rooyen crashed his Mustang at Sterling bend after four laps, and Roy Pierpoint’s Falcon lost its oil pressure at half distance. Gawaine Baillie’s blown Falcon developed expensive noises with three laps to go, and Brian Muir’s Galaxie ran short of brakes, giving best to a very determined Peter Arundell in the second works Cortina.
Mike Young immediately established a stranglehold on the 1300 cc class with John Rhodes next up and Paddy Hopkirk finally displacing Gordon Spice for third place in the class. It was the 1-litre class that provided most of the excitement. Initially, Trevor Taylor had it all his own way, but then Bernard Unett and Nick Brittan joined battle with him in earnest. There was momentary contact between Taylor‘s Anglia and Brittan’s Imp on more than one occasion, but only glassware suffered. Unett led for a time, but then got a flat tyre, and thereafter it was Brittan who kept the class sewn up. Strangely enough, although the strife in this class was the most intense, it was the only class in which the lap record remained intact.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	215	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
PHK 614D	216	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	3	2
	218	Private	Brian Newton		3
	217	Willment	Tony Dean
BJH 417B	220	Private	G Amos

 

 

International Gold Cup Meeting – Saloon Car Race

Oulton Park

Date: 17/9/1966
Over 1300 cc Race
The Lotus team had an expensive time in practice, with Jim Clark blowing up one engine in a big way; this meant transferring Clark to the spare car, and depriving John Miles of his first works saloon-car drive. One interesting new entry was the Red Rose Racing Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA for Brian Redman to drive. Brian has certainly made his name in the big Group 7 sports-racers this season, but this was his first Saloon Car Championship drive. The GTA was brand new, Conrero-tuned, and Italian registered. Much of Friday’s practice had been spent “sorting” its tyres and suspension.
The big saloon car race was just as hair-raising. Robin Smith broke his Lotus Cortina’s gear-lever on the warming up lap. Jimmy Clark made his usual superb start in his works Lotus Cortina, chased hard by the Mustangs of Jack Oliver and Richard Bond. Brian Muir got the Galaxie all sideways at the start and lost valuable time. Bill Bradley did not even make the first corner, his fuel injected Triumph expiring on the grass at Old Hall. The power of 4.7 litres of modified Cobra engine told on the straight and Jack Oliver whistled by to take the lead from the works Cortina, while Muir shot past Richard Bond’s ex-Sir Gawaine Baillie Mustang to take third spot. Oliver was timed at 128 mph down the hill into Knicker Brook. Behind Bond came Sir Gawaine Baillie in his supercharged Ford Falcon and then Peter Arundell in the second factory Lotus Cortina, ahead of Teddy Savory’s Mustang and Brian Redman in a GTA Alfa Romeo.
On the second lap Peter Arundell and Teddy Savory made contact at Deer Leap – Savory Stuffed it into the bank and Arundell had the Cortina on its side but righted it and continued after a quick pit stop. On the following lap Brian Muir got the 7-litre Galaxie ahead of Clark and started off after Oliver. Further back Gawaine Baillie, who obviously did not like the idea of being behind his last year’s mount, passed Bond into fourth place. Brian Redman tried a new line at Esso in the GTA but it proved a wrong one and he spun, dropping back behind the lotus Cortinas of Brian Newton and Ralph Graveley and Alan Foster’s BMW 2000 TI.
At the halfway stage Oliver, despite a record lap in 1 min 52.4 seconds, was not getting away from Muir, and Jimmy Clark was performing his usual acrobatics and closing up under braking on the Galaxie at every corner. The three leaders had pulled well clear of Gawaine Baillie who, in turn, was comfortably ahead of Richard Bond. Muir made a big effort, braking the lap record on the twelfth lap and closing on Oliver, but both were obviously suffering from brake problems. Further back Redman and Foster in Alfa and BMW respectively had disposed of the local Lotus Cortinas. The circuit was getting more slippery every lap – as Richard Bond found, spinning the Mustang at Old Hall without contact and continuing without losing a place.
The dramas came four laps from the end when Oliver had a stub axle go, losing a wheel and igniting the grass with the red-hot brake disc. This let Muir into the lead with Clark hard on his heels. Then two laps later, with only two laps more to go, Muir arrived at Old Hall pumping the brakes hard to find the pedal right on the floor. The car went off into the wooden sleepers at a great rate, damaging itself badly before bouncing back across the circuit. Clarks‘ reactions were instantaneous; as quick as a flash he nipped round the back of the Galaxie to go on to an unchallenged victory.
This quick change of events saw Gawaine Baillie’s Falcon in second place and winner of the big car class with Richard Bond third overall and second in class. Brian Redman’s enthusiastic drive in the Alfa was rewarded by second place in the 2-litre category ahead of Brian Newton’s Lotus Cortina. Peter Arundell lost a whole lap after his contact with the Savory Mustang but still managed to climb up to fourth place in the class before the finish.

 

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
KPU 396C	89	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
	85	Private	Brian Newton	5	3
PHK 614D	88	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	6	4
	83	Goodwin Engineering	Ralph Graveley
	80	Molyneux, West & Co. Ltd	Ken Coffey
	81	Molyneux, West & Co. Ltd	Cyril Williams
	84	Curtis Smith Racing Team	Robin Smith
	86	Willment	Tony Dean

 

 

 

BARC International Motor Show 200

Brands Hatch

Date: 30/10/1966

 

Heat 1

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
PHK 615D	51	Team Lotus	Jim Clark	1	1
PHK 614D	53	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	3	2
758 FNV	58	Private	Brian Newton		3
	57	Molyneux, West & Co. Ltd	Cyril Williams
	54	Vince Woodman	Vince Woodman
KPU 396C	52	Team Lotus	Jacky Ickx	DNF

 

 

Heat 2

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	52	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	2	1
	58	Private	Brian Newton
	51	Team Lotus	Jim Clark
	57	Molyneux, West & Co. Ltd	Cyril Williams
	54	Vince Woodman	Vince Woodman

 

 

Aggregate

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	52	Team Lotus	Peter Arundell	2	1
		Private	Brian Newton		2
	51	Team Lotus	Jim Clark		3

 

1967

Again, after Ford’s Cortina and Mustang won a championship each in the last two years, another Ford would claim the championship before the last race, it would be either Fitzpatrick in a Broadspeed Anglia or Australian Frank Gardner in the American Falcon. In the end, the title went to Australia with Fitzpatrick second and Rhodes (Mini) third.
Class divisions for 1967 were: 0-1000 cc, 1000-1300 cc, 1300-2000 cc and over 2000 cc.

Race of Champions

Brands Hatch

Date: 12/3/1967

Heat 1

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	42	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	2	1

Heat 2

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	42	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	2	1
	46	Private	Brian Newton		3
	45	Frami Racing Holland	Frans Lubin		4

Aggregate

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	42	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	2	1
	43	Team Lotus 2	John Miles	DNF

 

Snetterton

Date: 24/3/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	162	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	4	1
		Team Lotus 2	John Miles

 

Silverstone

Date: 27/3/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	3	1
		Team Lotus 2	John Miles	DNS

 

Ovaltine Trophy

Silverstone

Date: 29/4/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
CTC14E	43	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	DNF
		Seigle-Morris	Bill Vaughan	DNF
CTC24E		Team Lotus 2	John Miles	DNS

 

Mallory Park

Date: 14/5/1967

Class C and D

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Team Lotus 2	Jacky Ickx	3	1
		Private	Brian Newton	4	2
		Private	Willy Kay		3
		Team Lotus 2	John Miles	DNF
		Private	Keith Wright	DNF
		VMW Motors	Vince Woodman	DNF

 

Martini Trophy Meeting

Silverstone

Date: 20/5/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
CTC24E	45	Team Lotus 2	Paul Hawkins	4	1
CTC14E	44	Team Lotus 2	John Miles	6	3

 

British Grand Prix Support race

International Touring Car race for the Ovaltine Trophy

Silverstone

Date: 15/7/1967

Silverstone saw an exceptionally interesting front row for the touring car event proceeding the Grand Prix. On it sat Frank Gardner in Alan Mann’s, Falcon, Jack Oliver’s Mustang, Brian Muir’s supercharged Falcon, and Lucien Bianchi in a works Ford Cortina powered by an FVA engine: the forerunner of the subsequent RS 1600s.
Gardner, an irrepressible Australian who remained a great favourite with British crowds for many years (partly because of his driving, but mainly for his unfailingly dry, candid and often rather rude comments over the PA) quickly pulled away to win. Oliver got his Mustang into all kinds of unlikely angles to fend off Muir for second place, while further down the order there was a fabulous class battle between Steve Neal’s Arden Mini and John Rhodes’ works Cooper S. In the end, Neal won that dice. Hawkins claimed the 2-litre honours, and Unett won again in the small class with a 1-litre Imp.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
CTC 24E	45	Team Lotus 2	Paul Hawkins	4	1
CTC 14E	44	Team Lotus 2	John Miles	6	3
UVX 565E	46	Ford Motor Co.	Lucien Bianchi	DNF

 

Guards International Meeting – Lombank Trophy

Brands Hatch International Circuit

Date: 28/8/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
CTC24E	114	Team Lotus 2	Jacky Ickx	2	1
		Team Lotus 2	John Miles
	116	Private	Brian Newton	DNF
CTC14E	112	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	DNF

International Gold Cup Race Meeting

Oulton Park

Date: 16/9/1967

Class C and D

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Private	Brian Robinson	7	2
		Private	Brian Newton	8	3
		Private	Willy Kay	9	4
CTC14E	105	Team Lotus 2	Graham Hill	DNF
CTC24E	106	Team Lotus 2	Jacky Ickx	DNF
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	DNF
		Team Surtees 2	Roger Clark	DNF

 

Guards Motor Show 200

Brands Hatch International Circuit

Date: 22/10/1967

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	18	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd. 2	Brian Robinson	4	1
	16	Private	Brian Newton
	15	VMW Motors	Vince Woodman
	17	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	DNF

1968

For the second year running, Australian Frank Gardner was the British Saloon Car Champion, but it all happened in a different way to 1967. Then he was driving Alan Mann’s big Ford Falcon and winning races outright. In 1968, with Mann’s team contracted to race the new Escort Twin-Cams on behalf of Mr Ford, and with the car not homologated for the beginning of the season, they had to start off with a Cortina Lotus (actually one of the ex-Team Lotus cars) and found the going a bit hard.

Big difference in the international scene was that, on the Continent, Group 5 was the saloon car formula, too, but it wasn’t quite the same Group 5 as used in England and so there was not as much commuting across the Channel and North Sea from either direction as might have been anticipated. Biggest difference is in the interpretation of the rules so far as engine modifications are concerned, where the speed-mad Britishers let almost anything go, including the number of valves per cylinder. The somewhat narrower European view demands the same number of valves and so four-valve FVA Cortina engines are out over there and not many of the Continentals bothered to come over here.

As usual, the British Saloon Car Championship (an RAC responsibility these days rather than a BRSCC affair) was based on success in a competitor’s own class and the divisions were at 1000, 1300 and 2000 cc, so that the champion could come from the under-1000 cc class (as it did for John Fitzpatrick in 1966) as easily as it could from the over 2000 cc group as in 1967.
Instead, Gardner got it in the 1300-2000 cc class with little opposition in his own category after Vic Elford in Bill Bradley’s Porsche 911 left the scene to concentrate on other things. While Gardner invariably won the class without much difficulty, he was usually near enough the front to put a bit of spice into a race while the big Falcons with Brian (‘Yogi’) Muir, Roy Pierpoint (another former saloon champion) and David Hobbs as main contenders for the flag, Muir driving Bill Shaw’s car, Hobbs being in that entered by Malcolm Gartlan and Pierpoint being his own boss. There was no real opposition to the Falcons from cars of their own size, Malcolm Wayne’s Camaro picking up some championship points at the beginning of the year when nobody else was around to fill third place in the class as did Jack Oliver in his Mustang, but they sometimes had big trouble with some of the Imps, Anglias and Minis in the process.
On the other hand, part of the Alan Mann strategy was to run a second Escort with ‘supercharger’ (actually a car heater electric blower in the induction system) which lifted it into the over-2000 cc class – supercharged cars have their true engine swept volume multiplied 1.4 times – to arrive at their normal capacity – and this first appeared in mid-season with Peter Arundell at the wheel and was shopped around to various drivers, including world champion-elect Hill, rally star Roger Clark and (with most success) by Jack Oliver. However, this car never achieved its object of seriously interfering with the real big bangers by achieving a class win and the only time it had any serious impact in the points position for the championship (when Oliver forced Muir down to third place in the class at Brands Hatch on September 2), Gardner was already virtually home and dry and, indeed, clinched the championship at that very meeting.

Race of Champions Meeting – Guards Trophy

Brands Hatch

Date: 17/3/1968

The first meeting of the 1968 season was the support race of the “Race of Champions”
Muir won the race with his Falcon, despite a slow puncture – he could just stay ahead of under-2000 winner Elford. Gardner did not figure at the front, since his Cortina broke its half shaft – he could continue however.

Heat 1

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
UVX565F	112	Alan Mann Racing 2	Frank Gardner	3	2
	115	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Brian Robinson	5	3
	118	Private	Willy Kay	10	4
	114	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	14	5

Heat 2

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	115	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Brian Robinson	3	2
	114	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Tony Dean	4	3
UVX565F	112	Alan Mann Racing 2	Frank Gardner	5	4
	118	Private	Willy Kay	9	5

Aggregate

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
UVX565F	112	Alan Mann Racing 2	Frank Gardner	3	2
	115	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Brian Robinson	4	3
	114	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Tony Dean	7	4
	118	Private	Willy Kay	8	5

Q Trophy

Thruxton

Date: 15/4/1968

Some cars came fresh from the ETCC race on Snetterton (last Friday) and were a bit tired perhaps. Elford’s Porsche had blown there and here a problem with the throttle link mechanism prevented a finish higher than 4th in class. Muir won outright with Hobbs second overall; Gardner won his class, with the FVA engine again after a swap for a TC engine at Snetterton – European rules being stricter than the British ones.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
UVX565F	10	Alan Mann Racing 2	Frank Gardner	3	1
	11	A.G. Dean (Racing) 2	Brian Robinson	4	2
	14	A.G. Dean (Racing) 2	Barry Pearson	9	3
	12	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Tony Dean	DNF

 

Duckhams Trophy

Silverstone

Date:27/4/1968

The Falcons were easily quickest at Silverstone at the end of April, but although still saddled with the Cortina, Gardner was up behind the Muir-Hobbs battle and inherited second place when Hobbs pitted with ignition bothers. Then Gardner had his own troubles when the Cortina’s fuel pump packed up and he had to drive with one hand, switching the electric fuel pump on and off with the other, so he was passed by Pierpoint’s ailing Falcon and the Porsche which Elford was, in fact, driving for the last time in the season.
John Rhodes was nearly led home by Fitzpatrick in the Team Broadspeed/Bristol Street Group Escort which really got into its stride, only to slow in sight of the flag with a locking differential.

(Motor Racing Year 1968-9)

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
UVX 565F	34	Alan Mann Racing 2	Frank Gardner	4	2
	30	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Tony Dean	6	3
	35	Private	Willy Kay	9	4
	32	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Brian Robinson	DNF
	31	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Barry Pearson	DNF

Crystal Palace

Date: 3/6/1968

For Crystal Palace and its traditional Whitsuntide (also Spring Bank Holiday) meeting, Gardner had the Escort-FVA and took a prophetic lead but Muir got the Falcon in front and stayed there, letting Gardner and Hobbs fight it out until the latter’s Falcon expired, leaving Pierpoint second in the class and Syd Fox in Martin Birrane’s Falcon third. As at Thruxton, Brian Robinson took second place in the 1301-1600 class to Gardner in one of Tony Dean’s Cortinas and he always showed up well, although always overshadowed by Gardner. However, he ended up joint third in the championship with John Rhodes, having failed to score in only two of the eleven qualifiers.
Steve Neal in the second ‘works’ Cooper won the 1300 class with John Handley in British Vita Racing’s Mini (driving the spare works car since his own blew up) second and Rhodes third on a wet track which found the Broadspeed entries without proper tyre wear after being fastest in the (dry) practice.
(Motor Racing Year 1968-9)

Class C and D

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	9	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	2	1
	12	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Brian Robinson	4	2
		A.G. Dean (Racing)	Barry Pearson	6	3
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Peter Arundell	DNF

 

BRSCC Guards 4,000 Guineas Car Races

Mallory Park, Leicester, Great-Britain

Date 23/6/1968

At Mallory Park at the end of June, Arundell had the ‘supercharged’ Escort for its first outing but it was Gardner who got among the Falcons despite a bad start, grabbing second place from Pierpoint and very nearly catching Muir on the last lap.
(Motor Racing Year 1968-9)

Class C and D

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	103	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner,	2	1
	104	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Peter Arundell	4	3
	102	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
	106	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd	Tony Dean	6	3
	101	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd	Barry Pearso	7	4

British Grand Prix Support Race

Brands Hatch

Date: 20/7/1968

For the British Grand Prix meeting at Brands Hatch, Hubert Hahne, better known for his BMW drives, was in the Malcolm Gartlan Falcon instead of Hobbs and justified his place with fastest practice lap, but it was Gardner who took the lead initially.
Muir got past, as did Hahne, while Roger Clark blotted his copybook with the ‘supercharged’ Alan Mann Escort by going off into the trees together with Robinson’s Cortina and was not seen in the British championship series thereafter. Muir also went off and Gardner took the opportunity to retake the lead from Hahne who was the sole finisher in the over 1600 class.
This result put Gardner in the lead for the championship for the first time.
(Motor Racing Year 1968-9)

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	35	Alan MannRacing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	1	1
	22	B’speed/Bristol Street  Esc GT	John Fitzpatrick	3	1
	30	A.G. Dean (Racing)	Barry Pearson	4	2
	23	Dagenham Motors Esc  GT	Alan Peer	5	2
	33	Dagenham Motors Esc TC	Roger Taylor	10	3
	21	B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	Chris Craft	12	7
	32	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd	Tony Dean	16	4
	34	Alan MannRacing Esc GT	Roger Clark	DNF
	31	A.G. Dean (Racing	Brian Robinson	DNF

 

Duckhams Q Trophy

Silverstone

Date 27/7/1968

At the Martini Silverstone meeting a week later the Falcons were uncatchable but diced merrily with each other, Pierpoint leading initially until clutch slip slowed him slightly but Muir and Hobbs scrapping mightily. They came together at Woodcote with a lap to go and Hobbs spun to resume without losing second place and, on the last lap, Muir’s offside front tire burst and a furiously determined Hobbs found himself the winner after all, with Muir limping home second and Pierpoint third but Gardner toddling around swiftly enough to gain his class win.
(Motor Racing Year 1968-9)

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	33	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
	31	A.G. Dean	Brian Robinson	5	2
	30	A.G. Dean	Barry Pearson	7	3
	25	Team B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	John Fitzpatrick	8	1
	26	Team B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	Chris Craft	10	2
	36	Dagenham Motors Esc  TC	Roger Taylor	12	4
	27	Dagenham Motors Esc GT	Alan Peer	16	5
	34	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Peter Arundell	26	5

 

Croft

Date:10/8/1968

The saloons provided the main race for Croft’s (and the Northeast of England’s) first ever International meeting and, despite the circuit’s twisty nature, the Falcons were fastest, Hobbs winning the first half of the two-part race from Pierpoint by one-fifth of a second while Muir retired to the pits to report poor handling whereupon it was found that a hub had broken and the wheel was held on by the brake disc!
In the second half, Hobbs tried to keep inside one-fifth of a second behind Pierpoint but spun on the final lap. Gardner drove a subdued race to take his class again, Oliver having a first outing in the ‘supercharged’ Escort and being third behind the Falcons.

Heat 1

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Jackie Oliver	3	3
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	6	3

Heat 2

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Jackie Oliver	3	3
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	6	3

Aggregate

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Jackie Oliver	3	3
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	6	3
	15	B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	John Fitzpatrick	7	1
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Barry Pearson	9	4
		Dagenham Motors Esc GT	Alan Peer	10	3
		B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	Chris Craft	DNF

 

Oulton Park Gold Cup

Oulton Park

Date:17/8/68

Practice for the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting was wet and the Falcons were not happily placed on the grid, Muir being on the third row, Hobbs on the fifth and Pierpoint on the 10th, but race day was dry and first time round Muir charged through to the front, taking Graham Hill, who was trying his hand with the ‘supercharged’ Escort, and Gardner, with Hobbs running fourth and Pierpoint seventh. Soon the Falcons were in line astern, Pierpoint grabbing second place from Hobbs, and Hill’s spirited pursuit ended when the handling went off as a result of a slow puncture and the car went off at Lodge Corner retiring the bruised Escort to the pits.
Gardner was content with a fourth place and class win in the Escort ahead of the consistent Robinson, while sixth came Charles Lucas in a very standard Porsche 911.
Fitzpatrick was dogged by throttle slide bothers but Rhodes hit a bank and Chris Craft in the second Escort GT pipped Neal on the last lap after a very poor start.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	82	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
	79	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
	83	John Willment Escort TC	Mike Crabtree	8	4
	78	Broadspeed/Bristol Street Escort GT	Chris Craft	9	1
	81	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Barrie Maskell	11	5
	93	Dagenham Motors Ford Esc GT	Alan Peer	12	3
	84	Private Escort TC	Ken Coffey	21	7
	87	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Graham Hill	DNF	3
	81	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Barry Pearson	DNF
	77	B’speed/Bristol StreetEsc  GT	John Fitzpatrick	DNF

Evening News Trophy

Brands Hatch

Date: 2/9/1968

Gardner clinched the championship at the Bank Holiday Brands Hatch meeting, taking a safe fourth place overall while again winning his class and the ‘supercharged’ Escort achieved its object in the hands of a determined Jack Oliver, beating Muir soundly for second place, but Pierpoint was quicker still to win convincingly.
Fitzpatrick had the only Broadspeed Escort GT at Brands Hatch for the Bank Holiday meeting and this was eliminated in a start-line pile-up along with several other cars and so Rhodes had an undisturbed class win from Alan Peer in the Dagenham Motors Escort which had taken third places at Croft and Oulton Park, Rhodes also making sure of a class win in the seasonal championship at the Brands Hatch, Bank Holiday meeting.

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Jackie Oliver	2	2
		Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner	4	1
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Brian Robinson	5	2
		Private Escort TC	Mike Crabtree	6	3
		Dagenham Motors Escort TC	Roger Taylor	8	4
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	9	5
		Dagenham Motors Escort GT	Alan Peer	11	2
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Barry Pearson	DNF
		B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	John Fitzpatrick	DNF

 

Motor Show 200

Brands Hatch International Circuit, Kent, Great-Britain

Date 20/10/1968

The championship won, Alan Mann gave Gardner his head for the final race of the series, at Brands Hatch in October, when the ‘Motor Show 200’ took its title from a race length of over 200 kilometres. Gardner celebrated by practising at two seconds a lap less than his own class record. Hobbs led for 15 laps from first Pierpoint and then Gardner, while Muir had a monumental blow-up on lap 1 to expire from the championship in a cloud of smoke while already having secured the class.
Once in the lead, Gardner romped away, particularly when Hobbs lost all gears except top, but by then Pierpoint had retired with some accident damage after contacting Costello’s Mini when Pierpoint and Hobbs lapped a whole pack of back markers, going either side of them all on the approach to Paddock Bend. Third place was taken by Toine Hezemans from Holland in a Porsche, one of several Continental visitors to make this the most international meeting of the British championship series during the year.
The Broadspeed pair of Fitzpatrick and Craft did it all wrong after running in convoy with an easy lead, Rhodes being outpaced while using unsuitable, but long-lasting tyres for the l50-miles odd. Thinking they had won (because of a track-side indicator board’s incorrect message) the two toured round side by side on the last lap, much to the annoyance of David Hobbs who was still racing in the Falcon, and they then pulled into the pit road, were waved back on to the track by a frantic Ralph Broad, but not before Alan Peer got his Escort up to second spot…

Registration No.	Race No.	Team	Driver	Pos’n Overall	Pos’n Class
	15	Alan Mann Racing Esc TC	Frank Gardner,	1	1
	19	A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd. Ford Escort TC	Brian Robinson	4	3
		Dagenham Motors Ford Escort TC	Roger Taylor	6	4
	25	Team B’speed/Bristol StreetEsc GT	Chris Craft	7	1
		Dagenham Motors Ford Esc GT	Alan Peer	8	2
		Team B’speed/Bristol Street Esc GT	John Fitzpatrick	9	3
	17	John Willment Ford Escort TC	Mike Crabtree	13	6
		Frami Racing Ford Cortina Mk 2 Lotus	Frans Lubin	17	7
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Tony Dean	NC
		A.G. Dean (Racing) Ltd.	Barry Pearson	DNF