STYL
ESST
YLESSTYL
ESThe Euro cars led the
race overall with BNLL 2
(right) taking the spoils22 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 75SNETTERTON
BARC
16-18 AUGUST
Team Gadget Racing won the Classic
2CV 24 Hours at Snetterton after holding
off a late challenge from the Tete Rouge
Crisis team.
The Gadget squad last won the event
in 2008 and has been waiting for another
triumph ever since, but Tom Perry, Lien
Davies, Ainslie Bousfield and double
series champion Simon Clarke were able
to deliver victory this time around.
The race itself was dominated by two
European BMW-engined cars; rather like
Le Mans, the prototypes streak away into
the distance leaving the other classes to
run their own races. The BNLL 2 car of
Michel Crespin, Mehdi-Rik Bouchereau,
Philippe Denis and Claude Crespin
defeated the faster sister car of Philippe
Courtois/Yves de Kelper/Mathieu Devos
due to the latter crew spending a lengthy
period in the pits and doing well to
work their way back up to second.
Gadget Racing was fourth overall, behind
the two BNLL cars and the Mini of Slarky
Malarky, made up of Mighty Minis regulars.
Tete Rouge was fifth, having regained the
place from Mini runners-up Team Toyshed.
Just two hours from the end, Gadget
had looked under threat from Tete Rouge.
The Gadget car was ahead by one and a half
Gadget squad masters the 2CV
itself classified by reappearing for the last
couple of laps. The Burton 2CV prototype
of Gascard Racing Organisation only
managed 14 laps before expiring for good.
The unluckiest classified car was
probably that of Hollis Racing, which
finished despite a roll in the night, at
least one fire and mechanical issues.
No Sleep Til Sunday rolled a Mini but it
hardly affected the handling, according
to team member Lisette Ogborn.
The drivers of all-female team Blueberry
Tarts were just glad to finish and Jelly
Snake Racing just avoided having to strip
the engine from a team member’s 2CV
van in order to get to the chequered flag.
RACHEL HARRIS-GARDINERlaps, its lead having been reduced by a
drivethrough penalty for overtaking under
a safety car. Tete Rouge was gaining and,
what was more, had completed its scheduled
pitstops, while Gadget still had one to go.
If Tete Rouge had not suffered contact
and slowed, Gadget’s victory would
not have been assured.
The favourite, Team Lion 1, finished
seventh and third 2CV. Multiple race
winner Pete Sparrow’s team hoped to
avenge its defeat at the hands of Beacon
Downe in last year’s 24 Hours. Both
teams spent considerable time in the pits
and Lion 1 was especially impressive in
coming back from last after a timing issue
necessitated an overnight engine change.
Prior to the timing going awry, Lion had
been up there with Gadget and Tete Rouge
and it was fitting that they finished next
to each other in the standings.
The race win was out of reach for
Sparrow, but he still had a title to retain.
His nearest rival, Nick Crispin of GS Racing,
needed to finish second for a chance at
the championship but he and his team-
mates were eighth, just behind Lion.
For such a long race, there were
remarkably few retirements, due to the
snap-together nature of the 2CVs and
Minis that made up the field. Mini team
APO Sport led its class early on but had
to pack up due to a porous cylinder head,
although Lyford Racing’s Mini just gotWinning Team
Gadget Racing car
leads last year’s victor
Beacon Downe, which
took fourth2CV 24 HOURS
Euro BNLL 2 (Michel Crespin/
Mehdi-Rik Bouchereau/Philippe Denis/
Claude Crespin)
2CV Club Team Gadget Racing (Tom
Perry/Lien Davies/Simon Clarke/
Ainslie Bousfield)
Mini Grand Slarky Malarky (Neil Slark/
Ian Slark/Ben Butler/Steve Miles)HONDA VTEC AND CLASSIC VW CUP
Races 1 & 2 Luke Schlewitz (Honda Civic)HYUNDAI COUPE CUP
Races 1 & 2 Wayne Rockett (below)BARC SALOONS
Race 1 Mark De’ath (Subaru Impreza)
Race 2 Steve Rothery (Peugeot 308)WEEKEND WINNERSFor full results visit: tsl-timing.com