Silverstone Racing

M.G. Car Club - Silverstone Championship Car Races
Saturday 14th June, 1997

Silverstone-Circuit-Map
The Silverstone International Circuit




Moss International MGCC - BCV8 Championship


The opening race of the day was thrilling, it was to set the the tone for the rest of the days racing, which was absolutley fantastic! It was a hard fought battle, on the fast 'International Circuit' with the front runners of the race Brian Lambert and Peter Hiley trading places as they battled their way round Silverstone! As the duo exited 'Luffield' towards 'Woodcote' on the final lap, Hiley made one last attack on the lead, with Lambert successfully defending his posistion.
Classes A&B
1..Brian Lambert  (MGB 2000cc)
2..Peter Hiley    (MGB 2000cc)
3..Angus Dent     (MGB 1950cc) 
4..Graham Grove   (RV8 3.9) 
5..Peter Govaerts (MGB 1950cc)
6..Adam Warne     (RV8 3.9)
Fastest Lap: Brian Lambert 1m 43.02s @ 78.69mph
    Peter-Hiley
     Pete Hiley is runner up!



Halfords MG Midget Challenge 1997
Class C - Roadgoing

After 8 laps of racing around the two and a quater miles or so of Silverstone, it was Rob Futcher who emerged as victor, but it was not easy! Futcher had qulified on pole position ahead of current champion Bill Lancashire. As the lights turned green, Bill Lancashire made a storming start, and quickly took the lead. A former champion, Peter Hall, also passed Futcher, which now put him in third, with the advantage he had earned as polesitter wasted!
On lap two, Futcher began to fight back first picking off Hall, and then mounted his attack on Lancashire. By half distance he had done it, but Lancashire again fought back and retook command a lap later. The battle was now really hotting up, as on the next lap, lap six, oil flags were waved frantically by the marshalls at 'Priory'. Futcher seemed oblivious to the warnings, and outbraked Lancashire to regain the lead once more. The momentum, which, Lancashire had lost as he slowed for the 'oil flag', allowed Hall to snatch second place. As all three raced hard thru 'Woodcote' and across the finish line, the gap between first and third was less than half a second.
1..Rob Futcher     (Midget 1275cc)
2..Peter Hall      (Midget 1275cc)
3..Bill Lancashire (Midget 1500cc)
4..Hugh Colman     (Midget 1275cc)
5..Chris Hart      (Midget 1300cc)
6..David Pymm      (Midget 1275cc)
Fastest Lap: Rob Futcher 1m 49.73s @ 73.88mph 
       Bill-Lancashire-Leading
       Ahead, but not for long!



MGCC North West Centre ACEquip Championship

Race three saw another race featuring mostly MG Midgets, and a battle for the lead which kept the spectators thrilled, David Ecob was always threatning, but was not able to match the pace of the on-form John Paul Ivey.
1..John Paul Ivey (Midget 1380cc)
2..David Ecob     (Midget 1380cc)
3..Ian Hodkinson  (MGB 1950cc)
4..Andrew Storer  (Midget 1380cc)  
5..Chris Groves   (Midget 1380cc)
6..John Hewitt    (Midget 1380cc)
Fastest Lap: Jonn Hewitt 1m 40.83 @ 80.40mph
      Jon-Paul-Ivey
        Ivey's Mighty Midget!



Classic Sports Car Race
T-Register Challenge

Race four and it was the turn of the T-Types, thrown in there as well, were a few MGA's, and, what the race programme described as 'other appropriate cars of a similar era'! Sadly there were a few retirements but most of the field (27 cars), made it to the finish line. It was David Clewley in his MG TB who was to get up on the podium in first place.
1..David Clewley (MGTB)
2..Paul Smeeth   (MGTC)
3..Malcolm White (RGS-MG Special) 
4..Peter Edney   (MGTA) 
5..Marc Giusti   (MGTB)
6..George Edney  (MGTB)
Fastest Lap: Malcolm White (RGS-MG Special)
       George-Edney
     6th place for George Edney



Halfords MG Midget Challenge 1997
Class A - Fully Modified & Class B - Road Modified
&
Moss International BCV8 Championhip
Class C - Full Race 4-Cylinder and controlled 3.9 litre
Class D - Full Race V8

The Combined Halfords Midget (Modified classes) & the Moss Europe BCV8's race was another excitmement filled scrap. Three contenders battled for the lead, trading places at every corner, keeping the excellent Silverstone commentry team on their toes. Malcolm Beer, fell back in the later stages, with the win going to Steve Williams.
1..Steve Williams (BV8)
2..Malcolm Beer   (BGTV8)
3..Peter Collis   (BGTV8) 
4..Tom Stewart    (BGTV8) 
5..David Tiley    (BV8)
6..David Shannon  (Midget)
Fastest Lap:Williams 1m 34.34s @ 85.93mph 
      Peter-Collis
     Collis & his beautiful V8



The Walker Freight Services Ltd. MMM Race

This race feaured many cars that has given the MG marque it's 'Racing Heritage' with the average age of the vehicles I guess at being about 50 years, then when you look at the lap times and compare it to the other races on the day, these vintage MG's were not far behind their modern counterparts! As the tyres squeeled and the superchargers whined (along with a slight blue haze from some of the exhausts!) they thundered into the first corner. Early leader Ann Templeton, came to an untimley halt as she exited 'Becketts' coasting to an almost standstill at 'Ireland', the whole field of race cars thundered past, as she struggled to restart the engine. It was not clear what the problem was, ( fuel supply perhaps?) but the car fired up again and Templeton set off in her MG KN Special in 'hot pursuit'. It was an inspired drive, true that that several retirements enabled her to move up the field, but to finish fourth after being so far behind, was incredible!
1..Mike Dowley         (MG PB)
2..Len Thomson         (Lgonda Rapier)
3..George Rozwadowski  (MG K3 Replica)
4..Anne Templeton      (MG KN Special)
5..Michael Allison     (MG NB)
6..Charles Jones       (MGL Magna)
Fastest Lap: Thompson 1m 56.89s @ 69.35mph 
       Anne-Templeton
       Tremendous Templeton!



MGCC Anglia Phoenix Championship

This was a terrific race, full of action, right up to its premature finish, after an incident at 'Copse', left a couple of cars in a dangerous position. The incident happed when car No.30, an MGB driven by Brian Playford, was pushing hard with a Midget in front and a Midget to the rear. As the three approached 'Copse' the Midget in front got his braking all wrong and went spining out, Playford managed to go around without a problem, the following Midget chose the wrong way around, and ended up on its side in the gravel trap.The marshalls were unable to remove these quickly, so the race was red flaged and stopped. Don Kettleborough top qulifier, had pole position, but made a terrible start and dropped back to fifth almost instanly. He must have been really cross with himself, which fired him up, as he drove a brilliant race. The MGF was really flying, the car certainly looked a lot quicker than at any other time previously this season, and even though it was a shotened race he took the chequered flag with honour!
1..Don Kettleborough (MGF) 
2..Tim Bardon        (Midget)
3..Gary Townsend     (Midget) 
4..Tony Howe         (Metro Turbo) 
5..Colin Jones       (MGA Twin Cam)
6..John Specer       (Midget)
Fastest Lap: Tim Bardon 1m 41.90 @ 79.56mph 
       Atkinson-Fights-Off-Playford
           A battle of the B's



Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup 1997

As the Metro's came out onto the circuit, the weather began to deteriate, clouds that had been threatning rain began to release those tiny drops of water on to the tarmac of the Silverstone circuit. Luckily it did not turn in to a torrential downpour, just a steady drizzle, giving the drivers in the Drayton Manor Park Metro Cup somthing else to think about, as they hurried their little MG Metros around the race track.
1..Paul Ellis      (MG Metro Turbo 1295)
2..Robert Croft    (MG Metro Turbo 1275)
3..Malcolm Wiggins (MG Metro 1293)
4..Glen Bowker     (MG Metro 1330)
5..Brian Goodliffe (MG Metro Turbo 1275)
6..Steve Dowler    (MG Metro 1293)
Fastest Lap: Paul Ellis 1m 49.92s @ 73.75mph 
       The-Paul-Ellis-Metro
      The winning MG Metro



Flemings Thoroughbred Sports Car Championship

As the 'Thoroughbreds came onto the circuit the rain which had bugun to fall in the previous race began to fall a little harder! But despite the conditions, which at time were certainly tricky, Joe Ward in his powerful TVR, (ClassD) kept himself and the car under control to take victory ahead of team mate Chris Conoley. Further down the field the MGA's of Russ Taylor (Class A) Neil Cawthorn (Class B) were class winners
Classes A/B/D
1..Joe Ward        (TVR Griffith)
2..Chris Conoley   (TVR Griffith)
3..Howard Brearley (TVR Tuscan)
4..Edd Sharpe      (Aston Martin DB4) 
5..Pete Foster     (Aston Martin DB4) 
6..John Korrison   (Aston Martin DB4) 
Fastest Lap: Joe Ward 1m 50.38s @73.44mph
Neil Cawthorn & Russ Taylor
were both class winners, both in MGA's
             MGB-No-Match-For-TVR's!
               Rod Longtons MGB



Two Driver Pit Stop Race

This time the MG' F' got the full the race distance - 8 laps, to backup its earlier win in the shortened 'Anglia Phoenix Race' Like the Phoenix, it was Bardon in his Austin Healey Sprite MKIII, who took second place some 19 seconds behind, the wet conditions proving unfavourable!
1..Kettlborough/A.N.Other (MGF)
2..Bardon/Henderson       (AH Sprite)
3..McCallum/Bussell       (Aston Martin DB5)
4..Edney/Edney            (MG TB)
5..Innes-Ker/Cawthorn     (MGA)
6..Brieskhom/A.N Other    (Frogeye Sprite)
Fastest Lap: McCallum/Bussell 1m 53.71s @71.29mph
      MGF-Wins-Again
        Two races, two wins!



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