JONESJEPHill (166) limped to Mustang
win after contact with Davies
during brilliant tin-top diceJONES
JONESJEPRACE CENTRE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC
46 AUTOSPORT.COM 1 AUGUST 2019A mighty effort from the underrated
Jonathan Kennard topped both of the
Masters Endurance Legends races.
From the start of the 40-minute,
pitstop first race, Kennard battled with Le
Mans podium finisher Emmanuel Collard
in an all-Pescarolo LMP1 contest and set
up co-driver Mike Cantillon for victory in
a race interrupted by a safety car and an
early finish as the 2100 curfew arrived.
Collard powered his Judd V10 ahead
from the rolling start and began to edge
away, but Kennard was more than equal
to the task and went after his more
experienced rival in Cantillon’s Judd V8
version. By lap seven Kennard was back
on Collard’s tail and was close enough
to attack into the Becketts complex, but
passing in such evenly matched cars
would never have been easy.
As soon as the pitstop window
opened, Collard dived in for his stop but
Kennard stayed out and proved his point
by setting the race’s fastest lap once he
had clean air. But the turning moment
came as Collard rejoined when a clash
with the Peugeot 90X of Kriton Lendoudis
sparked a sizeable accident into Village.
The safety car was deployed and time
ran out before racing could resume,
leaving Cantillon ahead having run less
than a racing lap after taking over from
Kennard. “That was a clean battle in two
great cars – I loved every minute of it,”
said an elated Kennard (below, left).
Kennard built a big gap in race two,
enough to hand the lead to Cantillon
despite the handicap of a 20-second
pitstop penalty for Saturday’s success.
PAUL LAWRENCEPESCAROLO
PROTOTYPES
SPAR AT SUNSETSeven rampant Ford Sierra Cosworth
RS500s peppered the Historic Touring Car
Challenge’s top 12 in qualifying, but two
broke in the race and two were beached in
gravel beds. Michael Lyons commanded
proceedings in Kiwi Peter Sturgeon’s
Eggenberger car, but Craig Davies worked
overtime in the ex-Brooklyn/Chris Hodgetts
version to deny Steve Dance – Lyons’ early
playmate – second in his shrill Capri.
David Hart/Nicky Pastorelli (Capri
RS3100) improved to fourth, ahead of Calum
Lockie, who survived a hairy spin at Farm
in the Kaliber RS500 started hard by Julian
Thomas. David Tomlin’s Escort RS1800
completed the Blue Oval rout after electrical
bothers hobbled BTCC champion Colin
Turkington’s BMW M3 from the start, Harry
Whale parked father Nick’s E30, and RickCortinas of Andy Wolfe and Steve Soper
homed-in. With marshals tending cars in
the gravel at Vale and – unbeknown to
the leaders – Richard Dutton’s Cortina
abandoned beside the pitwall a lap earlier,
Club was a yellow zone, thus the quartet
finished together.
Following a kiss from a Jaguar at Copse
on lap one, Julian Thomas escaped the
International Trophy Pre-’66 GT race’s
“rough and tumble” in his Cobra Daytona
Coupe replica as David Hart’s similar car and
Jon Minshaw and Graeme Dodd (E-types)
locked horns at Brooklands. Thomas relayed
experienced Scot Calum Lockie to victory- a Silverstone Classic first for Racelogic
principal Thomas – over young Olivier Hart,
James Dodd and the resurgent Minshaw. Best
four-cylinder finisher was ‘Ralphy’ Haddon’s
Lotus Elan, ninth despite being cannoned
into the pitlane “by a friendly Cobra”.
HGPCA Pre-’66 Grand Prix and Tasman
polesitter Jon Fairley’s stab at wet settings
for his works Brabham BT11/19 miscued,
thus Miles Griffiths eagerly shot ahead from
third in Philip Walker’s Lotus 16. Even he
couldn’t keep Will Nuthall or Sam Wilson
behind in a heady ‘Jack Brabham (Cooper
T53) v Jim Clark (Lotus 18)’ flashback to
- They finished that way, pursued by
Michael Gans (Cooper T79) and Griffiths.
Formula Junior standout Wilson
triumphed on Sunday in Sir John Chisholm’s
car, extending his record of winning at the
Classic every year since 2011. Fairley, back on
dry settings and reeling the older car in, was
second ahead of Nuthall. Griffiths topped the
front-engined finishers, from Tony Wood
(TecMec) and Marino Franchitti (in father-
in-law Nick Mason’s Maserati 250F).