Racing

MG Car Club Racing News - Oulton Park April 19th

This page is sponsored by Andy Jennings - currently Breaking MG Midget


Compiled and edited by Kelvin Fagan

Moss Europe BCV8 Championship (Classes A-B) 10 Laps
& Acequip Cockshoot Cup Class B (10 Laps)

It was an exciting three way tussle at the front of the Moss Europe BCV8 Challenge. Front running rivals, Mark Ashworth, Peter Hiley and Brian Lambert. The first three laps saw all the front runners trying to stamp their authority on the race, by lap four it was Peter Hiley who had the lead and was just about holding off Ashworth and Lambert.
Lambert for his part had got the bit between the teeth and was always a threat. The last two laps were absolutely thrilling, with at least four exchanges for the lead.
So, it was the smallest of margins, as they crossed the finish line, just 0.19s, to give the win to Hiley.

Results
1..Peter Hilley.......MGB
2..Brian Lambert......MGB
3..Mark Ashworth......MGB
4..Mike Entwistle.....MGB
5..Steven Cartwright..MGB
6..Geoff Pyke.........MGB

Acequip Cockshoot Cup Classes A & C (10 Laps)

The Midgets of Jon Paul-Ivey and John Hewit got into a bit of a tangle at the first corner, which David Ecob monopolised on, he was able to maintain his new found position and went on to win. Hewit was later to recover and managed to drive his Midget to finish fourth. Second and third places were taken by the MGB of Ian Hodkinson and Arto Kesterlian respectively.

Results
1..Dave Ecob........MG Midget
2..Ian Hodkinson....MGB
3..Arto Kesterlian..MGB
4..John Hewitt......MG Midget
5..Andy Storer......MG Midget
6..Chris Groves ....MG Midget

Once again our thanks for the follwing report supplied by Allan Patterson.

Back at Oulton (Fosters Circuit) for the third round of the Championship and an early start was greeted with an overcast but dry morning, bitterly cold and not suggesting spring at all!
This was an MG Car Club event with a full programme of MG races.
The ACEquip Championship had so many entries the Classes were split into two races. Modified Class C cars and Standard Class A cars in race five (still a full grid!) and Road Going Modified Class B cars in the BCV8 round for similar cars in Race 4.

I was also entered in Race 9 with Graham Jones for the two driver pitstop race. We were sharing Graham's car as he was returning the favour of sharing mine in the first meeting of the year at Cadwell. For the first time in thirteen years I was going to race someone else's car, very interesting and just a little frightening (how would I do?).

I made it further than the pitlane in practice, unlike Round 2, and felt the car was going quite well although I could not match the times from the previous weekend (1.18.91). My in car timing gear showing no faster than 1.20.21. However, in the paddock afterwards everyone was talking about how much slower it was than last weekend so I felt a little better. My official time turned out to be 1.20.20 good enough for fourth on the grid. However a true measure of how competitive the Standard Class of the ACEquip Championship is was the fact that from 2nd to 8th on the grid the cars were covered by just eight tenths of a second! 1.20.05 to 1.20.87 to be exact. Now that's close! Somebody had clearly not told Ian Wright the plot though, as he was quicker than the previous weekend and ahead of the pile on an astonishing 1.18.95. John Hewitt was again on Pole spot with his Modified Midget.

Just for a change I got a poor start and went from fourth to seventh by the first corner. My old sparing partner Jim Dodson was quickly dealt with down into Fosters for the first time but Mark Prutton proved a little trickier. I out braked him and myself into Lodge thus letting Mark back through but B's handle better into Fosters and a repeat of the Jim Dodson manoeuvre left me fifth. By now the front four had stretched a little lead, as it turned out, just as well. On lap four coming up Deer Leap Peter Harrison touched Bill Hewitt and spun, rolling back into the middle of the track just as I arrived! However the gap gave me time to take avoiding action but let the leaders stretch in front once more. I slowly but surely closed on the leaders and had a grandstand view of an epic dice between Ian Wright and Graham Jones, Graham finally pulling the rabbit out of the hat at Lodge on the last lap to win by 1.2 seconds. Despite a mistake by Bill Hewitt at Cascades which involved ! a little grass cutting(!), I could not quite catch him and we settled for third and fourth respectively the gap being just 0.6 seconds across the line. A fast improving Andrew Bentley (my Best Man!!) was fifth.

Up in the Modified Class John Hewitt and John Paul Ivey had a first corner coming together which saw a nice pirouette into the potato fields at The Avenue/Lakeside, John eventually storming to fourth, hence opening up the Class battle nicely.

In the B Class (Race 4) Mark Ashworth made it three on the trot despite a rear spring breaking with two laps to go, it and he held on to beat a very fast improving Steve Cartwright, who may yet give Mark a run for his money.

All three classes are shaping up nicely for a season long battle, our next outing is at Mallory Park on the first May Bank Holiday Monday (5th). Do come along to give us some support.

The two driver pitstop race was great fun. Looking at the entry there was only one other standard car to beat, a Midget, so I was determined just to enjoy the drive. As it turned out we beat four cars including a modified B which we overtook in the pit lane with a deft driver change. Great stuff. Now that we have driven each others cars we have decided we like each others cars better than our own, so we might be swapping more often! No, seriously, it is quite interesting to see how two cars built to the same rules and able to lap in similar times feel so different. Grahams was much quieter and more kart like, whilst mine is louder, more softly sprung and with just a bit more at the top end. Interestingly a friend timed me in both cars at exactly the same time to the hundredth of a second.
You can E-mail your thoughts, or comments to me at either: AllanPaterson1@Compuserve.com
0r 106036.2011@Compuserve.com

Drayton Manor Park Metro Cup (10 Laps)
The MG Metro racing, of the Drayton Manor Park Cup, is always close and exciting, and today was no exception. Paul Ellis's addrenalin must have started to pump after an early mistake at 'Old Hall', because by the second lap he had overhauled first lap leader Chris Hughes. Hughes fell back to fourth but must have shared some of the addrenalin of Ellis, as he fought his way back to second place.

MG Metro1.3 Driver: Malcolm Wiggins

Results
1..Peter Ellis......MG Metro Turbo
2..Chris Hughes.....MG Metro Turbo
3..Robert Welch.....MG Metro
4..Glen Bowker......MG Metro
5..Malcolm Wiggins..MG Metro
6..Brian Goodliffe..MG Metro

Anglia Phoenix Challenge (10 Laps)

The first five laps of the Phoenix, around Oulton Park, saw the MGF out at the front. As the race passed the halfway point, so did the MG Midget of Andy Storer, past the MGF of Don Kettleborough!
From this point on Storer took control and went on to win.

Results
1..Andy Storer........MG Midget
2. Don Kettleborough..MGF
3..Tony Howe..........MG Metro Turbo
4..Andrew Scothern....MG Metro Turbo
5..Andrew Talbot......MG Metro
6..David Brooke.......BGT V8

Halfords MG Midget Challenge Class A&B (10 Laps)
& Moss BCV8 Championship (Classes C-D) 10 Laps

A walkover win for Graeme Adams as he was never really challenged, his only problem was an early assault by Paul Sibley, which he sucessfully fought off. Running concurrently was the Moss Europe BGTV8 classes C & D, this was won by Joe Parrington.

A 3.9 MGBGT V8 in action!

Results
1..Graham Adams..........MG Midget
2..Paul Sibley...........MG Midget
3..Edward Reeve..........MG Midget
4..David Brooker-Carey...Midget
5..Joe Parrington........BGTV8
6..David Ecob............Midget

Halfords MG Midget Challenge Class C (10 Laps)

It was a disastrous start for current champion Bill Lancashire, after a spin at the the first corner, on the firt lap! But it is obvious why he is the champion, because, amazingly, he pulled back 9 places to take a well deserved victory.

Results
1..Bill Lancashire
2..Rob Futcher
3..Hugh Coleman
4..Chris Hart
5..Ian Burgin
6..John Faux

Cockshoot Cup Round 2 (12th April)
Anglia Phoenix (6th April)
Snetterton (5th April)
More racing news
UK events page

Back to the News content

Made in England