Ethyl M.G. CAR CLUB
BCV8 CHAMPIONSHIP

www.bcv8.co.uk

2000 Season

Date Circuit Organising club
4 March Silverstone BRDC
26 March Cadwell Park M.G.CC
9 April Mallory Park BRSCC
1 May Castle Coombe BRSCC
7 May Brands Hatch M.G CC
13/14 May Brands Hatch BARC
16/17/18 June Silverstone M.G.CC
8/9 July Anglesey Jaguar CC
30 July Cadwell Park Jaguar CC
5 August Snetterton M.G.CC
19/20 August Pembrey BARC
2 September Oulton Park Jaguar CC
23/24 September Donington Park BRSCC
7/8 October Croft Jaguar CC
15 October Cadwell Park M.G.CC

NONE CHAMPIONSHIP INVITED RACES FOR 2000

Date Circuit Organisers
19/20/21 May Spa Francorchamps Barry SS
10 June Snetterton 750 MC
4/5 August Spa Francorchamps (6 hour Classic saloons) Barry SS
4/5/6 August Assen (Netherlands) Barry SS
26-27 August Donington (Le Mans) BARC
8/9/10 September Spa Francorchamps Barry SS
28 October Birkett 6 hour Snetterton 750 MC



Information kindly supplied by BRIAN PLAYFORD brian@playfordb.freeserve.co.uk

Tragedy strikes the Ethyl MG BCV8 Championship

The talented racer Peter Hall lost his life in a road traffic accident on Saturday 8 April. He was due to compete at Mallory on the 9th.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to all of his family, friends and fellow racers.

A minutes silence was observed at Mallory, and the race dedicated to Peter.

The winner of the race Peter Collis, along with all of the other drivers in the championship paid tribute to their fellow driver.

Round 1: Silverstone 4th March
report by Dave Stewart

The 22 drivers making it to the first round of the newly sponsored "Ethyl BCV8 Championship" were welcomed by a sunny, but bitterly cold day! The 15 minute race saw Peter Collis swiftly pull away from the lights in his class D, with Pete Hall, Brian Halford, Robb Huff, Brian Lambert, and the remainder of the pack all getting a good start. One man who wasn't so lucky off the start was Geoff Pyke, who after a bad start was demoted from 3rd on the grid to amongst the mid-fielders, leaving himself with a lot of work to regain his 'slot' towards the front of the field!


Brian Halford's MGB GT V8

As the minutes ticked away, Collis extended his lead from Pete Hall, with Brian Halford not to far behind. A little further back saw a gaggle of B's battling hard, with Geoff Pyke fast approaching to regain his take up position with the rest of the front runners. With the field becoming strung out, many smaller groups battled hard, with Lambert and Barry "Sideways" Smith in a borrowed MGC having a serious dice for most of the race. Towards the rear of the field, Ian Prior and Greame Willard were having a fabulously close race, until the inevitable happened andIan lost control, to end his race in the kitty litter. This should have left Greame with an easy class win, until his luck ran out and he slowed to astop coming out of Luffield 2, on the peultimate lap! All of this left Mike Harris to take the class victory, from Kay Watson.

At the front of the field however, Peter Collis lead the field home some 45seconds ahead of second placed Pete Hall, with Geoff Pyke just snatching third ahead of Brian Halford. The Lambert-Smith battle went right down to the wire, with Smith managing to squeeze past on the last lap to head home Lambert, with a delighted Peter Samuels finishing seventh overall, and second in class.

To add to what was already a perfect day for Peter Collis, he also secured fastest lap, managing a 1.05.37.


Peter Collis

All in all a good day was had by all, with even the seven non-finishers having a great days' racing and looking forward to the next round at Cadwell Park!

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 2: Cadwell Park 26th March
report by Dave Stewart

Twenty-four tired drivers made it to a frosty Cadwell Park, ready for the 2nd round, after losing an hours sleep due to the clock change. The 10 lap scratch race saw a welcome return to Northern boys Tom Stewart and Joe Parrington, who were determined to put on a good show after there '99 rest season.

As though he'd never been away, the lights turned to green and it was Tom who made the better start from second on the grid to lead Peter Collis, with Joe beating Peter Hall to lead class C round the first corner. Amongst the rest of the pack, Brian Lambert led class B, with newcomer Adrian Hall leading class A. As always, the first lap saw the whole field bunched together, with Collis just inches from Tom's rear, these two already dicing hard for the lead. Next came Joe, with Peter Hall glued to his rear until an awesome manoeuver saw him through at the 'wiggle', followed by the battling duo of Geoff Pyke and Jason Bull a little further back. Further down the field, Russell McCarthy and Adam Warne were engaged in their own battle for second in class B, just in front of another gaggle of B's, the A class cars further toward the tail of the field.

An exciting race was developing, then on lap 3 Joe Parrington spun into the earth banking ending his race, and Russell and Adam had a coming together on Park Straight resulting in Russell being catapulted into the side of Dawn Marie Turner. Both left with badly damaged cars, their race was over. Adam continued but his race didn't last much longer and he retired on lap 4 after bodywork was catching the tyre.

Tom Stewart Lap 5 saw a new leader, with Collis getting a better run onto Park Straight passing Stewart, who now assumed a position just inches from Collis rear. By now Peter Hall had established a comfortable lead in class C, with Brian Lambert managing the same in class B. Adrian Hall led class A, but Ian Prior in a similar car was trying his very best to snatch the lead away from Adrian, these two having a close battle toward the tail of the field. These positions remained the same until lap 7, when Tom Stewart passed Collis at the end of Park Straight, only to find himself dismissed from the track under dubious circumstances, leaving Collis to lead the race and Stewart less than satisfied with a heavily damaged side to his car. Rejoining the pack, Tom took it easy for a couple of laps to check that the damage wasn't going to force him into retirement. Peter Hall moved into second place and elsewhere in the field, Lambert caught Jason Bull, who was seemingly suffering from mechanical problems, the rest of the field fairly evenly spread out, except for a couple of battles occurring further down the field.

Peter Collis ended up winning the race, doing 10 laps in 16:43.38 minutes, and also secured a fastest lap of 1:36.80, just 0.31 seconds quicker than Stewart. Tom recovered well and clinched back second by just two tenths of a second after passing Peter Hall on the start/finish straight, but ended up some 19 seconds behind Collis. Hall finished 33 seconds in front of his nearest competitor, that of Geoff Pyke, finishing fourth overall and second in class C. Other class winners were Brian Lambert, who finished fifth overall, and class A went to Adrian Hall, finishing thirteenth overall. Peter Hall had an outstanding drive on his way to class C victory, which reflected in his lap time- 1:39.66, some 2 seconds quicker than the previous class C record!

After the objection lodged by Tom Stewart against Peter Collis passing manoeuvre was deemed a racing incident, what will be in store for the next round at Mallory Park? Stay tuned to find out!!

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 3: Mallory Park 9th April
report by Dave Stewart

The day opened in sombre mood, the drivers and officials still reeling from the shocking news of Peter Hall's tragic death a day earlier. Due to race his class C car today, instead a minutes silence respectfully remembered this talented driver, good friend and devoted family man. Peter Hall will be sadly missed by all.

The 18 drivers who made it to the third round at Mallory Park were welcomed with cold, wet weather. The 10 lap race saw a mixed grid, after the wet qualifying meant that the slower class B cars on their road tyres, could mix it with the big boys in their class D machines. Unfortunately, the much anticipated race between Tom Stewart and Peter Collis would not materialise.

A spin into the fence that caused some bodywork and mechanical problems ended Stewart's day rather more quickly and abruptly than had been expected!

Joe Parrington couldn't repair the damage from Cadwell in time, which meant that in class C Geoff Pyke was the only entrant.

With respect to Pete Hall, the commentator said a few words and a one minutes silence preceded the race.

As the lights turned to green, Peter Collis stormed away into a lead he would not lose. Further back, the more powerful class C and D cars pulled past the class B cars, the weather now bright and sunny. Lap two saw Collis pulling further into the distance, with Brian Halford leading Geoff Pyke in their class D and C machines. Rob Huff's class B was only just in front of Dutchman Jan de Jonge's class D, and Pete Cox pulled past Spencer McCarthy along the start/finish straight into Gerrards. Further down the field, Peter Samuels was fast approaching the rear of Spencer's similar car with a large gap developing to class A leader Adrian Hall who had Ian Prior on his tail intermittently with Jonathan Wheeler. Towards the back of the field, class A drivers Neil Elvy, Graeme Willard and Mike Harris were having a close scrap of their own, followed by Northern-boy Maurice Standish and Allan Ross-Jones in their class B cars, with Dawn Marie keeping herself out of harms way at the rear.

These positions remained fairly static throughout the race, with Collis battling against the clock, some three quarters of a lap ahead! The main excitement of this race came from the titanic battle for second place, with Brian Halford, Geoff Pyke, Jan de Jonge, Rob Huff, and Peter Cox all nose to tail. Peter Samuels managed to catch and eventually pass Spencer McCarthy at the Esses on lap 7, with the battle of the A's seemingly going right down to the wire!

All starters finished the race, with Peter Collis comfortably winning the race, the battle for second being headed home by Brian Halford. Geoff Pyke came home in third to take class C honours, with Rob Huff putting on a terrific show to keep up with the battle for second, winning class B, Adrian Hall taking the class A win from Ian Prior. Next in class A was Neil Elvy, followed very closely home by Mike Harris and Graeme Willard. Maurice Standish, Allan Ross-Jones and Dawn Marie completed the field.

Pictures

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 4: Castle Combe 1st May
report by Dave Stewart

The 22 drivers who made it to Castle Coombe were blessed with rather unusual sunny weather on this Bank Holiday weekend.

Practice saw a couple of incidents, notably Jason Bull with mechanical problems, and Brian Cakebread with bodywork damage, both their days ending early. Another casualty was Spencer McCarthy who also suffered from mechanical problems, although he managed to make the grid following a hectic time repairing.

The start of the race saw Peter Collis fly into a lead he would not lose, followed by Jan de Jonge, with Geoff Pyke, Joe Parrington and the rest of the field bunched up close behind. As the first couple of laps saw the field spread out, a number of battles were beginning to take place, especially that of Geoff Pyke and Joe Parrington who were battling for third and fourth places. By lap 3, Joe managed to squeeze past Geoff, although Joe appeared to be leaking something.

Further down the field, Rob Huff was enjoying himself in the lead of class B, and was even managing to keep within the slip stream of Brian Halford's D class V8. The battle for second in class B was being furiously fought between Spencer McCarthy, Peter Samuels and Neil Cawthorn, this trio not too far behind Rob Huff. A little farther down the field saw A class leader Adrian Hall battling with Mark Lambert and Sean Valentine's B class cars, and Ian Prior's A class getting in on the action.

By lap 4, Collis was extending his lead on Jan de Jonge, with the battle for third looking to come to end with Joe being black flagged, although he didn't seem to see it and carried on! Geoff Pyke was still hanging on behind, and Brian Halford was now running a lonely race after Rob Huff had dropped back somewhat to battle with Spencer, Peter Samuels and Neil Cawthorn. The A/B class battle was still raging, with positions continuously changing throughout the race.

Disaster struck for Rob Huff on lap 6, when he found himself gearless', forcing him into retirement. This left Spencer McCarthy to lead class B, from Peter Samuels and Neil Cawthorn. Towards the front, Joe Parrington acknowledged the black flag and pulled off, leaving Geoff Pyke to take a lonely class C victory. Lap 9 saw misfortune for Peter Samuels, whose half shaft came adrift, leaving him with no option but to retire.

The remainder of the field managed to make it across the finish line, with Peter Collis easily winning from Jan de Jonge, with Geoff Pyke coming home third to take class C. Spencer McCarthy won class B, Adrian Hall taking class A. Collis also took the fastest lap, managing a 1.17.33. All in all, a good days racing was had, with the next meeting at Brands Hatch just a week away!

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 5: Brands Hatch 7th May
report by Dave Stewart

The initial 25 entries for Brands Hatch were reduced to 22. John Hutson, John Yea and Jason Bull being the three who couldn't made it. Another change saw Barry Sidery Smith drive Andy Young's B class MGC.

Trouble struck even before practice, as Peter Lord and Allan Ross Jones both failed the noise regulations, and therefore were not allowed to compete until suitable action was taken to reduce the noise levels. Practice saw only one casualty, with a returning Russell McCarthy pulling off with a bad dose of the misfires. Russell returning after a break to his wrist saw him unable to compete.

Peter Collis stormed away from the grid in his spare D class roadster, his GT having a few engine repairs. Joe Parrington tucked in right behind, just in front of Geoff Pyke, Peter Cox, Barry Sidery Smith and a slow Jan de Jonge, who was suffering with gearbox problems. The rest of the field streamed through, with Allan Ross Jones and Peter Lord at the back after starting with a ten second penalty.

Lap 2 saw Spencer McCarthy pass Rob Huff to take second in class B, this pair catching class leader Sidery Smith, who in turn were being caught by Jan de Jonge having now found his gears. Barry Sidery Smith found himself losing out at Druids Hairpin, after the trio of Spencer, Rob and Jan all passed him, with Jan trying desperately to pass the B class cars in front of him and get on terms with the leaders.

Another man flying through the field was Russell McCarthy, who after starting way down the field after problems in practice, was now in 9th place and catching Barry Sidery Smith.

By lap six, Peter Collis had disappeared into the distance, to leaving Joe Parrington and Geoff Pyke to provide the entertainment at the front, these two having a fantastic battle for second and class C honours. A little further back, Peter Cox had now been caught by flying Dutchman Jan de Jonge who's earlier problems seemed non-existent in this titanic battle for fourth and fifth places. Russell McCarthy passed Sidery Smith at Druids Hairpin and pulled away slightly along Cooper Straight, only to find himself behind again across the Start Finish Straight. This battle allowed Peter Samuels and Neil Cawthorn to catch up, providing a colossal 4-way battle which lasted until Russell was forced out after his plug lead came adrift.

Class A saw Adrian Hall lead from Graeme Willard and Ian Prior with Mike Harris and Neil Elvy not to far behind. This battle raged lap after lap providing some spectacular passing attempts and very close racing. Adrian Hall taking the class win, just a tenth of a second them at the flag.

Peter Collis won yet another race, Joe winning class C, just feet in front of Geoff Pyke, with Rob Huff heading the class B battle home. Collis once again took the fastest lap, with a 55.03. Is there any beating this man? Stay tuned to find out!

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 6: Brands Hatch 13-14th May
report by Dave Stewart

Brands Hatch was the venue for the next round, with the C/D classes being poorly contested due to clashing dates with Spa - only 1 per class. However, these and the 18 other entries were welcomed with another fine day.

Practice wasn't so fine for the Lambert family, however, as Mark had gearbox problems which couldn't be repaired in time. Barbara was the other Lambert casualty, her bonnet flying up, although she made it to the grid after some modifications were carried out to keep the bonnet in place. Misfortune also hit Jonathon Wheeler, as he saw fluid on his screen, although he too made it to the grid.

With Peter Collis competing at Spa, it was Joe Parrington who led Jan de Jonge into Paddock, followed by Brian Lambert, Rob Huff and the rest of the field. Adrian Hall led class A, with Den Lyon losing several places after running wide at the bottom of Paddock. Round Graham Hill, Russell McCarthy and Brian Cakebread had a coming together which resulted in both completing an impressive 360: spin and continuing, although Brian pulled off and reflected upon what has been a poor season. Russell resumed some way down the field, and set about charging his way back up.

Lap two saw a stupendous battle for the lead with Joe fending off Jan's every move, although a dive through the narrowest of gaps at Paddock saw Jan take the lead, much to the excitement of the spectators. With the order now reversed, Joe now set about trying to regain the lead, whilst further down, Rob Huff sneaked passed Brian Lambert to lead class B. Spencer was engaged in battle with Peter Samuels, Spencer having all 4 wheels on the grass in his attempts to pass at one point! Russell McCarthy was also providing a dazzling show in his charge up through the field who, after passing Mick Darcey on lap 4, had his brother Spencer in his sights.

Adrian Hall had his work cut out once again leading class A from Ian Prior, Mike Harris, Graeme Willard, Andy Cakebread and Neil Elvy, with Jonathon Wheeler's class B in amongst the action. By lap 5, Wheeler had pulled his way up behind Adrian Hall and these two pulled away to battle between themselves.

Back at the front, Jan de Jonge had distanced himself slightly from Joe Parrington, as had Rob Huff from Brian Lambert who was now battling with Peter Samuels and Spencer McCarthy. Russell was now only a couple of lengths behind his brother, who made a brave passing manoeuvre stick, going around the outside of Peter Samuels at Druids Hairpin. Russ, however, was keen to out-do his brother, and passed both Peter and Spencer at Druids one lap later.

The battle for the best of the rest' in the A class continued right up to the flag, a mere 3 seconds covering them all. It was Jan de Jonge who took the chequered flag, with Joe Parrington coming home second to win class C, Rob Huff third to take class B. Jan completed his day by gaining fastest lap with 55.16.

With the next round being the MG Silverstone Day, what action lies in store? The news that both Tom Stewart and Steve Williams will be competing could mean we're in for an interesting race. Find out exactly what happens here!!

Round 7: Silverstone 16-17-18 June
report by Dave Stewart

In loving memory of Peter Hall, the talented driver tragically killed earlier this year, the BCV8 round at Silverstone on the 17th June 2000 was declared the Peter Hall Memorial Race. The memory of Peter Hall will remain within the championship always, and our deepest sympathy goes out once again to his family, who were present on the day to award the Peter Hall Memorial Trophy to each class winner. I would like to take this opportunity to, on behalf of the championship, thank Peter's family for this kind gesture.


As many of you will probably know, the MG Silverstone Weekend is the biggest MG event of the year, and so naturally attracts a large turn out. This year was no exception, with an amazing 46 entrants. All were welcomed by glorious weather, the weekend being dubbed as the hottest of the year so far.

With so many drivers entering, the class A cars were transferred into race 6, alongside the Metro's, therefore allowing everyone a race. Qualifying saw only one major problem Peter Hiley ended his day with engine problems that couldn't be repaired before the race.

Race 1 saw the class B, C and D cars combined, with a brutal front row comprising of poleman Steve Williams, with Tom Stewart and Peter Collis alongside on this 3 x 2 x 3 grid. The spectators eager for a spectacular lead battle.


The awesome front row incorporating Steve Williams (98)
Tom Stewart (93) and Peter Collis (1)

As the lights changed from red to green it was Tom Stewart who got the better start to lead the field down to Copse, closely followed by Steve Williams, Peter Collis and the rest all battling for positions. As the field stormed there way around Maggots and Becketts, leader Tom Stewart applied to much power to quickly and found himself spinning in front of the pack. Thankfully everyone missed him and he stopped at the side of the track, out of harms way. Rejoining at the back of the pack, Tom Stewart put pedal to metal and thundered his way back up through the field. At the front, Steve Williams and Peter Collis were having a fantastic scrap for the lead, these two swapping places at every opportunity. A little behind, Geoff Pyke's class C was battling with Nick Parrot's class D, Joe Parrington's class C closing in after a poor start.

Lap two saw Tom Stewart now much closer to the leaders, albeit still some way down the field. A horrendous accident at Bridge corner saw Geoff Pyke, Nick Parrott and Joe Parrington all out of the race, Geoff and Nick having touched on the entrance, and Joe ending up being T-boned by Nick as he took evasive action. Peter Cox found himself in trouble as he retired with overheating problems.

Lap three and the leaders were still battling, with Tom Stewart now into the top 10, after passing seemingly endless amounts of cars in his effort to catch the leaders. Further down the field, the class B cars were having there own scraps, this providing some exciting racing all the way through the pack for the spectators. As the battles continued, Tom Stewart was up into third place by the end of lap 4, and was contributing some real action for the on-looking crowd many of who were cheering him on!

Lap five saw even more retirements, the race turning into a survival of the fittest. A collision with a back-marker resulted in a damaged wheel for Peter Collis and his departure from the race. This left Steve Williams in the lead, and promoted the ever-catching Stewart to second place. On lap 6, the race was rudely interrupted with a waving black and yellow flag which remained till the end of the race. The flag was shown as Geoff Pyke's car was deemed to be in a dangerous position (even though it hadn't been moved for the previous four laps!!). This meant that the leader, Steve Williams, should have slown down to around 50mph to act as a pace car, allowing everyone else to catch up without overtaking. However, nobody seemed 100% sure what to do, everyone slowing down immediately, but not catching Steve, who apparently didn't slow down enough.

The race order remained the same until the end, Steve Williams taking the win from Tom Stewart who had put on an outstanding performance after coming from the back of the field. Brian Halford was third, class C victor Jason Bull fourth, and eventual class B winner Rob Huff fifth.


Initial winner Steve Williams' car sat in the pit lane.
Steve was unfortunately disqualified.

Across the finish line, Steve Williams had his win taken from him his driving having been deemed illegal after failing to slow down sufficiently at the black and yellow flag. Disqualified, the win was given to second placed man Tom Stewart who, delighted to win the Peter Hall Memorial Race, completed his day with fastest lap 1.32.823 a new lap record.

Tom Stewart's winning V8.

The A class cars appeared in race 6, alongside the Metro's in a 30 second split grid. In what was to be an interesting race, it was grid leaders Adrian Hall, Andy Cakebread and Ian Prior who got the best start, the rest of the field tucking in closely behind.

As the lead battle raged throughout the course of the race, Ian Prior dropped back into hi own battle with Graeme Willard. A couple of laps later, Hall made a mistake and spun at the complex, leaving Andy Cakebread with a healthy lead. As Adrian Hall began working his way back up through the field, Nigel Purnell and Kay Watson provided some excitement as they fought closely for the better position. Hall was the man to watch, however, as he stormed his way back up through the pack, consistently catching leader Andy Cakebread.

As Graeme Willard and Ian Prior continued in combat, Adrian Hall passed them both, with Ian following him through. Now in second, Adrian Hall concentrated on catching Andy Cakebread, a feat he conquered, passing Andy to win the race for class A honors. The rest of the field crossed the finish line, with no major incidents to report. Dawn Marie Turner and Gomez Tijpras finished off the runners respectively.


Sarah Hall presenting class A
winner, Adrian, Hall with the
Peter Hall Memorial Trophy.

Dave Stewart <racin_snake@hotmail.com>

Round 8: Anglesey 8-9 July 2000
report by Dave Stewart

A mere 9 drivers entered the eighth round of the BCV8 Championship, the venue being Anglesey. All the drivers were new to the circuit however, as this was the first visit for the championship, and so practice was taken carefully by all. The only driver having difficulties during practice was Adrian Hall who found himself ‘hanging on’ whilst settling into a steady rhythm.

Geoff Pyke took pole in his C class roadster, from the only D class entrant Peter Collis. Joe Parrington was third, and alongside him was A class poleman Mike Harris. Adrian Hall and ‘head B’ Brian Cakebread were on row four, Ian Prior, Allan Ross-Jones and Kay Watson completing the grid.

After a dry qualifying session, the heavens had opened for the race, and so it was decided to give two warm-up laps due to the conditions. Geoff Pyke only managed one, however, as he was forced to retire even before the lights changed to green.

Back on the grid, and as the lights turned to green, it was Peter Collis who got the better start from Joe Parrington. These two fought ferociously throughout the race, slipping and sliding their way around this tight little circuit. Adrian Hall and Mike Harris had a close battle for class A honours until the latter spun, leaving the former to lead home class A, finishing third overall. Mike Harris made a mighty come-back, however, battling his way from the back to finish fourth overall.

The class B cars were having their own typically close battle, with Allan Ross-Jones and Ian Prior getting the better of Brian Cakebread, who made a wrong choice in the tyre department!! Kay Watson completed the field.

It was Peter Collis who took the race win over Joe Parrington by the narrowest of margins. Joe taking the fastest lap, managing a 1.02.90

Round 9: Cadwell Park 30 July 2000
report by Dave Stewart

Fourteen out of the seventeen entered drivers turned up to Cadwell Park for the ninth round of the championship hosted by the Jaguar Car Club. A little variety was added to this race as class A of the Anglia Phoenix was incorporated into the BCV8, although only 3 Phoenix drivers were present.

Qualifying ran smoothly in the warming conditions, with no major incidents to speak of. One of the MG Midgets from the Phoenix championship pulled into the pits early where it remained for the duration of the session. Peter Collis made for the paddock early, complaining of a sticky throttle cable, a problem which maybe helped him gain pole - just 0.066 seconds quicker than Tom Stewart!

The conditions for the race imitated those of the Silverstone round a few weeks ago, with temperatures soaring into the mid-high 20's! After a notably slow warm-up lap, the cars lined up on the grid and as the lights quickly changed to green, it was Tom Stewart who stormed away from the line to lead Peter Collis into Coppice Corner. Joe Parrington tucked in close behind, just in front of Jason Bull, Geoff Pyke and the ex MGF Cup car of Rob Mears.

Around Charlies, Rob Mears somehow passed all 3 class C cars to lie third, although already some way behind the leaders who were busy rocketing down Park Straight. Rob Mears must have thanked his lucky stars he passed the class C bunch when he did, for they went from 3 to 1 at Park corner. Joe and Geoff being forced to retire after the three made contact, Jason Bull continuing in his very battered car!

Further down the field, Russell McCarthy led class B with the battling duo of Spencer McCarthy and Peter Samuels close behind. Stuart Musk was next in his MG Midget, with class A leader Adrian Hall doing his best to stay ahead of the other class A runners, all of whom were battling for position. Den Lyon and Dawn Marie Turner rounding out the field.

As the race progressed, Tom Stewart put on an absolutely outstanding performance to pull away from Peter Collis who was doing his very best just to keep Tom in sight! Tom clearly enjoying his race, laying trails of rubber wherever he could, especially over The Mountain where all 4 wheel were off the ground on a couple of occasions!

The remaining class C runner Jason Bull's charge back up through the field was not to be however, smoke billowing out from the engine signalling the end of his race. Class B leader Russell McCarthy also suffered from engine problems forcing him too into retirement. This left brother Spencer to inherit the class lead, Spencer having distanced himself somewhat from Peter Samuels. The class A battle didn't last long either, with the runners settling down into a steady rhythm, finishing nearly 20 seconds apart from each other.

Back at the front, Tom Stewart was still enjoying himself immensely, keeping the crowd entertained with his fantastic display of car control combined with lots of wheel spin wherever possible and the raw power which rocketed him down the straight! Peter Collis wasn't having so much fun though - engine problems causing him to nurse his car to the finish line.

Den Lyon must have been kicking himself after spinning his way to retirement on his last lap, a spin half way up The Mountain and the rough grassy terrain seemingly ripping the exhaust from the car meant he wasn't going any further!

No such problems for Tom Stewart who won the race by virtually 50 seconds from Peter Collis, who stopped immediately after the finish line - nothing Peter could do but watch as steam surged from the engine. Rob Mears' MGF was third, winning the Phoenix race, with class B victor Spencer McCarthy finishing fourth. Class A winner Adrian Hall finished seventh. Tom Stewart also achieved fastest lap with a 1.36.775, rounding out a perfect day for Tom Stewart and Team CTS Racing.

Donington Invitation - 26/27 August 2000
report by Dave Stewart

Donington Park was the venue for this invitation race, with a selection of MG races being the support action for the sole UK round of the World Sports Car Racing Series. This report is on the ‘slick-shod cars’, which comprised everything from the extremely powerful V8’s to MG Metro’s and even and MG Saloon! Racing in front of a larger than usual crowd, all of the drivers were eager to perform well!

Qualifying for the 7 lap race took place on Saturday in absolutely horrid conditions, with the rain never letting the whole day through. Tom Stewart was the first to suffer – a minor electrical problem left Tom with no option but to coast to a halt at the Old Hairpin. About half way through the session, a Midget left stranded facing the wrong way on the racing line at Goddards was enough to signal the red flag whilst he was moved – a blessing in disguise for Tom who managed to rectify his problem and continue! No more major incidents occurred after the session was allowed to continue, although a variety of spins and near misses throughout the duration of the session kept the crowd entertained!

The conditions of qualifying resulted in a bizarre grid, with Don Kettleborough’s MGF taking pole with a 2.04.610. Amazingly, the leading V8, that of Peter Collis, was back on row 3 with a best time of 2.11.714.

After the rain on Saturday, a misty start on Sunday gave way to glorious sunshine and a perfect summer’s day. Something of a rarity for a bank holiday weekend!

As the cars lined up for the 10.45 race, tensions were rising as everyone knew that the big V8’s would devour the grid off the start! The revs rose as the lights showed red and as they changed to green, it was the two V8’s of Tom Stewart and Steve Williams who absolutely burst into action. Steve secured the lead after starting from row 4, whilst Tom shot up to 7th from 17th on the grid! As the field pushed and shoved their way around Redgate and down the Craner Curves for the first time, the order was Steve Williams from Peter Collis, with Tom Stewart continuing to muscle his way through the field.

Around the Old Hairpin and it was Andy Holmes who got it all wrong, spinning after trying too hard to make up positions, leaving himself with lots of work to do once again. As the pack hopped the curbs at the Esses, contact was made between Roy McCarthy and BCV8 Chairman Brian Halford. It was quick reactions by Brian that prevented him from spinning! Down towards the Melbourne Loop for the first time and more action! Don Kettleborough’s MGF sliding into the back of Joe Parrington’s V8, who in turn was pushed into the path of Richard Wildman’s MG Midget. Joe managed to continue, although the other two retired. Meanwhile, Tom Stewart was storming through the field – up to 3rd by the Melbourne Loop! Another man on a mission was Jason Bull who, after starting from the back with a 10 second penalty, was already picking off the back markers.

As the leaders powered their way through Redgate for the second time, Tom Stewart spun his 3rd away, leaving him to continue back down in seventh. Jason Bull was continuing to pass the slower cars left right and center, and was now into a midfield position, whilst Steve Williams was pulling away slightly from Peter Collis at the front, with Tom Stewart re-gaining those positions which he’d lost! Lap 2 saw disaster for Tim Forewood in his Midget, Tim being forced to retire.

Lap 3 saw the field settle down into several groups of battling cars. Tom Stewart was back in 3rd position by Coppice Corner, although some way down on the leaders. Jason Bull was still pushing forward, although his charge was slowing as he approached the faster cars.

The remainder of the race saw positions remain fairly constant, only the occasional place swap between the midfield battles. Jason Bull retained his eighth place – a result from a 32nd place start on the grid!

Steve Williams took victory by some 6.8 seconds, also managing fastest lap with a 1.47.491 – an unofficial lap record! Peter Collis took second while Tom Stewart held onto his third place.

*****

Although I can’t give a full report to the road-tyred MG race, congratulations to Robb Huff and Peter Hiley who put on an excellent show! Peter led until contact with another car saw him drop back, allowing Robb into lead and on to win, with Peter recovering to second. Well done lads!!

*****

Well, what can I say? A good days racing was had by all! However, this is the last report I will be writing for the BCV8 Championship after we have decided not to compete any longer. After 8 years of enjoyable racing, Team CTS Racing would like to say a big thank you to everyone in the championship for making us welcome!

I would also like to thank everyone for taking the time to read these reports, and for all your the e-mails. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing them and it’s good to know you enjoy reading them!

If anyone would like to receive reports of how Tom Stewart does in whatever he races next, e-mail me and I will keep you informed with running reports of our (hopeful) success!

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