Healeys, MGBs and Lotus Elans top Castle Combe Autumn Classic
by Marcus Pye · AutosportSpecial Austin-Healey Ian Cox Memorial contest provides great spectacle while growing grid of family MGB racers made the Generations Trophy another highlight
British sportscar icons of the 1960s - Austin-Healey 3000s, MGBs and Lotus Elans - coloured last weekend’s 15th Castle Combe Autumn Classic. As a warm, dry Saturday gave way to a dreich Sunday, fine driving and close finishes thrilled onlookers. The paddock vibe and relaxed ambience underlined why it has long been competitors’ favourite event.
The return of big Healeys provided a magnificent spectacle as Saturday’s Ian Cox Memorial race celebrated the Piper Cams boss, an ardent 3000 pedaller. Dutchmen Christiaen van Lanschot and Karsten le Blanc’s DD300 - the triple Le Mans car raced here by John Chatham in the 1960s and 1970s - evoked poignant memories for many.
For classic motorcycle ace Michael Russell it was a red letter day. Pole position and his first overall win on four wheels were memorable. A grassy detour in lappery left him much to do to catch hard-charging Marc Campfield, but Russell had set fastest lap when the flamboyant Campfield missed a gear and buzzed his engine. Race sponsor Bill Rawles, Alex Hewitson and Oliver Marcais led Russell’s pursuers. Dominic Mooney (Ashley GT) beat Richard Woolmer (Sebring Sprite) in a frenetic small-capacity duel.
Porsche Cayman driver Aimee Watts and father Patrick emerged narrow victors of Motor Racing Legends’ brilliant Generations Trophy MGB race, which in its first full season brought 25 families - embracing many raw novices who drove brilliantly in the most testing of conditions - out to play on the historic circuit. With slower drivers starting, and pitstop weightings reflecting experience to balance performance across three classes, a gripper evolved.
Rod Adlington led Aimee to the stops, Nick Whale - initially second - having relayed son Harry as the window opened. Patrick Watts jumped Toby Adlington in the pits but, after a great stint by Emily Welch, dad Jeremy chased Watts Sr to the chequer. The Adlingtons completed the podium as all but four cars finished. Emily Welch and Jess Mooney joined Watts Jr as proud father-daughter combos won each division.
The GT & Sports Car Cup enduro went to the wire, with Steve Jones (Elan 26R), handed a good lead by Ben Tinkler, resisting Jack Rawles in Hewitson’s Healey, by 0.267 seconds after 90 minutes. Marcais/Jeremy Welch (Healey) were third ahead of GT2 winners Christian Albrecht/Kyle Tilley in the latter’s ex-Peter Arundell Lotus Elite, Stuart Morley/Richard Hudson’s Lister-Chevrolet and Andrew Haddon/Max Lynn’s Ford Mustang.
Elites dominated FISCAR’s half-hour contest, early stopper Brian Arculus victorious on his 200th race start in his trusty example having overtaken polesitter Andrew Mitchell and Mark Morgan’s into Quarry. Morgan +4 veteran Mark Hoble landed a breathless third with Tania Pilkington’s Maserati 300S, Jonny Shears’ flat rad Morgan, Neil Burnside’s MGA and Jamie Mason in Nigel Winchester’s Lotus 7 in line astern.
Fifty years and a day since programme cover stars Gerry Marshall and ‘Baby Bertha’ won on their only appearance here - at Howard Strawford’s inaugural Castle Combe Circuit Ltd event - and watched by Gerry Johnstone, who built the legendary Vauxhall Firenza V8 Supersaloon, Joe Ward came within 0.247s and 0.088s of beating Steve Barnard’s spaceframe Ford Escort-BDG in the Scottish Motor Racing Club Classics/Historic Modsports & Special Saloon races in it. ‘Giuseppe’ dug ever deeper, bounding to a 1m13.295s fastest lap, the weekend’s best.
In the Mini 7 Racing Club’s 60th anniversary year, Alec Issigonis’ pocket rockets entertained in their usual slipstreaming style over four races. Se7ens table topper Daniel Munro arrived with one win on his slate, but qualified quickest and left with two more as Damien Harrington and Darren Thomas bagged a second apiece. Saturday’s race was red flagged when S-Class title contender Bertie Woollard’s car went “end over end” off Howard’s Way into Gooch’s. Amazingly, it was massaged back into shape and Woollard won the entry class in Sunday’s wet bout!
The Miglia battles were closer still as the 1293cc 130bhp cars slipstreamed past 125mph. Points leader Aaron Smith shaded namesake Jeff by 0.098s on Saturday, with Matt Ayres and Sam Summerhayes in front-row seats. After Aaron’s hairy rotation out of Camp on Sunday - he missed Phil Bullen-Brown by millimetres as he fought the tank-slapper cross track onto the infield - Jeff became the season’s eighth winner. Ayres, Kane Astin and Martin Wager filled his mirrors as he landed the Rick Cutting Memorial Trophy, named for the double Combe winner who died last year. Silverstone International triple-headers will decide the crowns next month.
As last year, the Ferrari Club Classic races fell to different Prancing Horsemen. John Danby brought a V12 soundtrack to the top for the first time on Saturday, opening a strong lead in the Superformance stable’s 456 GT then staving off poleman Tim Mogridge and Wayne Marrs (355 Challenges) in a haze of power-steering fluid towards the end.
The glorious front-engined coupe did not reappear on Sunday, when Gary Culver (328 GTS) landed his sixth Combe win in four years and Marrs the finale, thankful for a big early buffer that enabled him to repel resurgent rivals with “horrible, horrible noises” emanating from his steed. “It felt like the front brakes were going to fall off,” said the fast fruiterer.
The intrepid Vintage Sports-Car Club brigade has never been averse to lack of grip, thus Frazer Nash ace Patrick Blakeney-Edwards gleefully held his Super Sports in wonderful powerslides on Sunday. “What’s not to like about 120bhp, skinny tyres and a wet Castle Combe,” said the Cheddar-born puddle-jumper. PBE outran Oliver Llewellyn’s gruff eight-litre Bentley special - “she had her 100th birthday last week” - which spun its wheels at will, and Fin Cameron’s raucous Morgan tail dragger.
Front-wheel drive was king in two of the three Historic Racing Drivers Club contests on a Sunday over which every time a drier line began to appear fresh drizzle blunted lap times. Ryck Turner relayed top qualifier Rupert Deeth into his Mini Cooper S for Top Hat victory on the latter's racing return, two months after a massive shunt at Thruxton wrecked his Miglia. Deeth saw off Jack Ruddell’s Mustang and John Spiers, who bested the other V8s in his Lotus Cortina.
James Colburn bucked the trend in the Allstars/Classic Alfa Challenge, keeping Mike Thorne’s Alfasud Ti behind his Giulia Sprint GT. Allstars winner Mark Williams (Ginetta G4R) caught and passed fellow Bristolian David Smithies’ Elan 26R, while Westbourne Motorsport boss Richard Colburn (James’ father) outran Tina Cooper among the Minis.
Completing a family treble tops, Ben Colburn drove a blinder to win the Gerry Marshall Trophy in Phil Bullen-Brown’s Datapost Ford Fiesta, robbing Spiers - rueing a Quarry off - in his Capri. Runaway early leader Tom Waterfield’s Capri conked-out at Folly, but Jake Margalies - underlining his reputation as a chaser - hunted down James Slaughter’s Capri for third in the sonorous ICS/Andy Rouse tribute Alfa GTV6 started by dad David.
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