Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

24 Classic&SportsCarDecember 2015

FLYING FORDWINS AT SPA

SPORT COMPETITIONUPDATE BYJAMESPAGE

NewZealanderRogerWills’

10-yearquestto winthe SpaSix

Hours– the mostprestigiousprize

in historicenduranceracing– was

finallyrewardedin the23rd

runningof the annualeventorgan-

ised by Roadbookon 19 September.

Sharinghis Historic Automobiles-

preparedFordGT40withBriton

JamesLittlejohn,Wills overcame

the lossof thirdgearthroughout

his finalstintto beatthe similar

mountof Germany’s Michael

Funkeand MarcusGrafvon Oeyn-

hausen by 30 secs.

In a 104-carfieldheadlinedby

12 GT40s(themajoritylate-built

to FIAAppendixK spec)in the

GTPdivision,DutchmenAlexan-

der van der Lof,DavidHartand

NickyPastorellidrovebrilliantlyto

claimGrandTo uringhonourswith

thirdplacein Hart’s metronomic

ShelbyCobra.Theyoutranthe

bestof the JaguarE-types,three-

timeseventwinnerJon Minshaw

andPhilKeen’s DemonTw eeks

Directentry, whichfinishedfifth

in typicallytestingweathercondi-

tionsat Francorchamps.

Britishcompetitorsenjoyed

considerablesuccesson Belgium’s

majesticGrandPrixcircuit.

Father-and-sonMichaeland Will

Schryver/JoeTw yman(LotusElan

26RShapecraftcoupé),Mark

Bates/SeanMcInerney(Porsche

911)andDavidGarrett/Luke

Wos/AndyYool (FordMustang)all

beatstiff internationalcompetition

in memorablevictories.

Elsewhereon the programme,

LoïcDeman(Tyrrell010),Chris-

tophed’Ansembourg(Williams

FW07C)and veteranJean-Michel

Martin(Tyrrell009)scoredan

unprecedentedBelgian1-2-3in

the secondleg of the penultimate

FIAMastersHistoricF1 champ-

ionshipround.Japan’s Hitoshi

Katoalso attractedmuchattention

by bringingtworaucousrotary-

enginedMazdaR100Familia

coupésto celebrateJohnHineand

RogerEnever’s fifthplacein the

1970 Spa 24 Hours. Gardiner/KeenwonPre-’66TouringCars DemanscoredapopularwininTyrrell010

Cobrasbattlefortheleadintofirstcorner HorsmanheadsforsecondinHGPCArace

BMWofShaw/OliverleadsFordsinU2TC

Lightsablaze,theFord

GT40ofWills/Littlejohn

headsforvictoryatthe

dauntingBelgiancircuit

‘SharingwithLittlejohn,

Willsovercamethelossof

thirdgearthroughouthis

finalstinttowinby30secs’

WORDS:

MARCUS

PY

E/

PICS:

ERIC

SA

WYER