Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 25

The all-BugattiPlateauMauriceTrintignantwas amongthe highlights

at Angoulême’s Circuitdes Rempartson 20 September, a totalof 17

Type 35s, 37s and 51s producinga closerace over the tortuoushillside

circuit.RobertSpencerwon fromGregoryRamounaand Bo Williams,

all driving35Bs,whilefurtherdown the fieldwas the Type 35 driven by

84-year-oldCountLéo de MaletRoquefort.

The PlateauWimilleprovidedan eclecticarray of entrants and was

toppedby Rob Cobden’s 1937Riley special.Edwardiangiantssuch as

Tony Lees’ 1913 VauxhallViperSpecialand Andrew Howe-Davies’ 1911

SCAT Targa Florioprovidedmuchof the spectacle,but the field also

includedBernardAristegui’s 1932Alfa 8C Monzaand DominiqueBaldy’s

1938 Delahaye 135, as well as DanielKingsley’s 1923OgstonDeemster.

A numberof incidentsmarredan otherwiseexcellentday’s racing.

BarryFoster set the pacein the PlateauSommerbeforesufferinga heavy

accidentin his MG Montlhéry,whilethe GT final had to be stoppedwhen

RichardDepagneux’s Porsche911 caughtfire.

Bugattis dazzle in France

Healeys thrillat Autumn Classic

NickElliottand DavidPricetook

maximumpointsfromthe final

roundof this year’s BritishHistoric

RallyChampionship,the Trackrod

Cup,held on 25-26September.

SteveBannistermanagedoverall

victoryin his EscortMk2but was

not eligibleto score,so secondwas

enoughto confirmElliott/Priceas

victorsin Category3 afterrivals

MatthewRobinson/SamCollisand

JasonPritchard/PhilClarkeretired.

JohnPerrottandKeaton

WilliamsclaimedCategory2 in

theirEscortMk1aftera thrilling

battlewithWarrenPhilliskirk/

NigelHutchinsonandErnie

Graham/Will Graham.Bill Doug-

las/RogerNevitt,meanwhile,won

Category1 in theirBMW1800.

Tr ackrodends

inEscortwin

An outstandingBig Healeyscrap

broughta fantasticday’s racingto a

closeat the fourthCastleCombe

AutumnClassicon 3 October.

PatrickBlakeney-Edwardsmade

a brilliantstartbut soonretired,

handingthe lead to MarcCamp-

field.Formerhillclimbchampion

DavidGracewas on a mission,

though.WhenCampfieldcruised

to ahalt at halfdistanceGracemade

it a double,havingbeenforcedto

workhardin raceone by Jack

rial racein his name.Michael

Squiredidn’t put a wheelwrongin

his Mustang,takingthe flag more

than10 secs clearof ChrisClark-

son (Falcon),ChrisSanders(Lotus

Cortina)and Bob Bullen(Anglia).

In the F3 500s,AndrewTurner

was almost5 secs clearafter lap one

in his Cooper-JAP, but was reeled

in by the Starideof XavierKings-

landand DarrellWoods’ Cooper.

Turner held off Kingslanduntilthe

penultimatelap to finishsecond.

Sporting diary

Races,rallies, trialsand more

NOVEMBER

5-8Rallyof the TestsNewcastle

to Blackpool,via the Cumbrianand

PennineFells,plus YorkshireDales

01656 740275;www.heroevents.eu

7 Cotswold HistoricSportingTrial

Nailsworth,Glos.Stroud& District

MotorClubwww.hsta.co.uk

27-29RogerAlbertClarkRally

Basedin Sunderland:20 special

stagesincludingKielderForest and

Scottishborders 01355 276483;

http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

DECEMBER

5-8Le JogArduoustrial fromLand’s

End to John O’Groatswith overnight

stopsin Telfordand Newcastle

01656 740275;www.heroevents.eu

JANUARY2016

8-9The Exeter TrialYoungestof

the MCC’s ‘Big Three’beganin 1910

http://www.themotorcyclingclub.org.uk

For moreevents or to add your own, go to

http://www.classicandsportscar.com/diary

Rawles,18, who had takenpole first

time out in dad Bill’s 3000.

Blakeney-Edwardshadkickedoff

proceedings,winningthe VSCC

contestwithhisFrazerNash.Te am-

mateMartinHuntmadeit two with

victoryin the NormanDewis

TrophyRacefor pre-’66Jags, while

GrantWilliamsand AndyWallace

enjoyeda Mk1tusslefor fourth,

untilWallace’s car lost power.

Te rry Sangerwouldhaveloved

the Blue Ovalbattlefor the Memo-

ROOKIETAKES THE TITLE

RichardMitchelltookthe Historic

FormulaFord championship

at BrandsHatchon 26-27

September. Mitchellwas a

closerunner-upto Max Bartell

in the first race at the HSCC

fixture,with RobertWainwright

takingvictoryin the second.

VINTAGE MUDPLUGGERS

GarethGraham(Bentley 3/4^1 / 2

Litre)won his classand the

PresteigneTrophyon the Vintage

Sports-Car Club’sWelsh Trial on

10-11October.Othercompetitors

to win theircategoriesincluded

Matthew Blake (GN),Nigel

Glover (AustinSeven) and Dennis

Bingham(Ford ModelA).

Squirescoreda fine victoryin his Mustang

Blakeney-Edwards’wonVSCCrace in Nash

RawlesharrieseventualwinnerGrace in the first of two grippingAustin-Healey battles

Ramounain Type 35B

would finishsecondin

fantasticall-Bugatti

line-up;jubilantvictor

Spencersalutesthe

Angoulêmecrowd

Elliott/Pricestormto Category3 victory

ERIC

SAWYER