Autosport – 18 April 2019

RE

AD

18 APRIL 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 69

NATIONAL NEWS CLUB AUTOSPORT

IN THE HEADLINES

YOUNGEST FUN CUP WINNER

Riley Phillips became the youngest

ever Fun Cup winner when he

shared the winning DespatchBay.

com car with Andy Bicknell and

Marcus Clutton at Oulton Park

last weekend. Phillips, who will

be 17 in May, will be sharing the

car again with Bicknell at the next

round at Croft, where the previous

youngest podium finisher Harry

Mailer joins them.

CORRECTION

Last week Autosport printed a

photo caption of Alex Taylor’s

Mazda RX-7. This car is owned

jointly by Taylor and his father

Trevor, and was converted for

circuit use by Taylor Sr. It was

never raced in Australia.

RODNEY GOOCH 1946-2019

Rodney Gooch, Castle Combe’s

long-time inspirational marketing

director, died last week having

battled cancer for two years.

A keen motorcycle racer, Gooch

joined the fabled Aerosigns

company, masterminding

trackside hoardings, before

joining John Webb’s staff at

Brands Hatch. When the late

Howard Strawford approached

him to bolster his team at Castle

Combe he never looked back,

staying for more than three

decades before retiring in 2018.

FIRST TEST ON MALLORY OVAL

Pickup Truck Racing Championship

drivers have conducted a first test

on the Mallory Park oval (below)

ahead of its return to use after a

14-year hiatus. Two Pickup meetings

will be held on the Leicestershire

oval this season, ensuring that the

category retains an oval circuit on

its calendar following Rockingham’s

closure at the end of last year. Round

one of the championship takes place

at Brands Hatch this weekend.

CROFT

Drivers have given their approval to the

newly resurfaced Croft circuit after it

was christened in competition for the

first time last weekend.

Competitors noted that the new surface

offered more grip and several lap records

were broken during the weekend. The

surface was also considered to be

smoother and kinder to tyres,

although the circuit remains bumpy.

“It’s very fast compared to the last time

I was here,” said Mini Miglia racer Lee

Deegan. “I’ve been here in three different

cars, and just jumped in the Mini and it’s

already a second under the Mini Miglia

lap record. There’s going to be a lot of

lap records beaten this year. It’s improved

the track; you can keep it flowing.

“The bumps are still there, and

sometimes they do catch you out

because there are probably slightly

different places where there are

bumps where there weren’t before.

“If it rains, because you can still smell

the Tarmac, I think the oil will start to lift

through the Tarmac and there won’t be a

dry or a wet line like there normally is.”

Reigning Max5 champion Paul Roddison

added: “I’m pleased they haven’t taken all

the character out of it and made it billiard-

table flat. It’s still got character; into Tower

you’ve still got a little bit of a crest.”

Work on the resurfacing began in

early April, and was completed less

than two weeks later.

GRAHAM KEILLOH

SILVERSTONE

A third June Silverstone club race meeting

has been cancelled by the circuit’s bosses

to allow resurfacing work to take place.

Last month it was revealed that both the

MG Car Club’s MG Live event and a two-day

750MC meeting had been axed by the circuit.

A two-day MotorSport Vision fixture

on the National Circuit has now also been

canned so that resurfacing can be carried out.

The 29-30 June event was due to play host

to the GT Cup, one of MSVR’s most popular

categories, along with the F3 Cup, Heritage

Formula Ford, Elise Trophy, Radical SR1 Cup,

Trackday Championship and Focus Cup.

MSVR is looking at alternative options

but will not run a meeting at Silverstone

on a different date.

An MSVR spokesperson said: “We have

huge sympathy with the competitors and

championship coordinators who have been

disrupted by this late change, and appreciate

their support and understanding while we

arrange revised calendars for their series

across other events and venues. This is

very much an ongoing process.”

The 750MC has secured a fresh date at

the Northamptonshire venue on 27 October.

It will use the GP layout a day after the

traditional season-closing Birkett Relay event.

The MGCC revealed last month that it

will not run MG Live this year.

STEPHEN LICKORISH

Third meeting cancelled due to

resurfacing work at Silverstone

LAP TIMES TUMBLE AS DRIVERS APPROVE OF NEW SURFACE

GT Cup

round will

be affected