68 AUTOSPORT.COM 1 AUGUST 2019CLUB AUTOSPORT NATIONAL NEWS
SILVERSTONE CLASSICChris Middlehurst was disqualified
from the second Mini Celebration
Trophy race at the Silverstone
Classic for ignoring a black/orange
flag, then a black flag.
The former National FF1600
driver finished runner-up to Aston
Martin factory GT driver Darren
Turner in the first race and had
been leading the second.
But he was given a warning
mid-race after his rear bumper
came loose following contact.
Middlehurst passed the flag
three times before he was then
given a black flag, but he continued
to the end of the race and finished
second. He was stripped of the
result and given four penalty
points on his race licence after
not appealing.
“I got hit on the first lap as
I took the lead,” he said. “The car
didn’t feel quite right, there was
a bit of a vibration, but I was just
getting on with the race. I had
no reason to doubt anything.
“There’s far worse that gets
dragged along in British Touring
Cars. It doesn’t deserve a
mechanical [flag] in a celebration
race. I think it’s very harsh.”
MATT KEWFour licence
points for
Middlehurst
SILVERSTONE CLASSICBritish Touring Car Championship
outfit Motorbase Performance is looking
to expand into historics after team boss
David Bartrum made his racing return
at the Silverstone Classic.
Bartrum last raced in 2002 in
the TVR Tuscan Challenge, but last
weekend joined 2000 TVR Tuscan
champion Michael Caine in a newly
built Ford Mustang for the Transatlantic
Trophy for pre-1966 touring cars.
“I’d always hankered after one of these
[Mustangs], but I’d not sat in a race carsince 2002,” Bartrum said. “The idea is
to do more with it and I’ve been really
impressed with the Silverstone Classic.”
After contact on the first lap, the duo
retired – despite qualifying eighth for
a race won by BTCC driver Jake Hill.
Under the banner of ‘Motorbase
Classic and Performance’, the team is
looking to move further into historic
racing, but Bartrum ruled out expanding
the size of the company. Instead he has
suggested that the team’s operations in
the BTCC and/or the Porsche Carrera Cup
GB could be scaled back.
MATT KEWMotorbase eyes historic outings
after Bartrum races at Classic
JEPJE
PSILVERSTONE CLASSICColin Turkington retired after just
two laps of the Historic Touring Car
Challenge race at the Silverstone
Classic following engine trouble
in the ex-Steve Soper BMW M3.
The reigning British Touring
Car champion and current points
leader qualified the E30 in fourth,
but developed a power issue at the
race start and was forced to retire.
“These cars pick their moments, but
it seemed to be fine on the two green
flag laps,” Turkington said. “Then itTurkington’s
drive cut short
Bartrum and Caine had
to retire after contactTurkington drove
ex-Soper BMW M3just wouldn’t accelerate above 6000
revs, this car should go to above 8000.
I had no speed. The frustrating thing is
that the car’s been perfect all weekend.”
The Amspeed team that runs the M3looked at switching Turkington
into the Mark Smith/Arran Moulton-
Smith Warsteiner-livered E30 M3, but
Turkington had not qualified in that car.
MATT KEW