Thruxton Easter Revival 2014 – Report and Photos

The Thruxton Easter Revival 2014 was held 19-20 April at the 11-turn, 2.356-mile Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, England. Thruxton was famous in the late sixties for the Easter bank holiday F2 race meeting, where current F1 drivers raced at Thruxton in the impressive F2 category. 2013 saw the return of the Easter meeting with 2014 set to be even bigger.

The first day of the Thruxton Easter Revival meeting witnessed outstanding wheel-to-wheel racing, dramatic twists and turns and wall-to-wall sunshine as the ‘fastest circuit in Britain’ played host to some of the most legendary cars ever built. Organised by the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), the second edition of the popular event attracted large grids and a similarly large crowd, as single-seaters, sports cars and tin-tops from years gone-by returned to the track with just as much verve as in their heyday.

Oliver Ford and David Tomlin waged a pulsating duel for ‘70s Road Sports glory, with the latter’s Ferrari 308 GTB reeling in the pole-sitting Lotus Europa and pouncing when Ford found himself delayed by a backmarker in the chicane.

The duo continued to run nose-to-tail and occasionally side-by-side as they boldly monstered Thruxton’s kerbs, and Ford had just regained the lead when Tomlin suffered a late-race puncture that pitched him into a spectacular 360-degree spin and left him pitlane-bound.

Ford thereafter enjoyed an untroubled run to the chequered flag, with fellow Europa driver Jim Dean – who had briefly challenged for the lead on the opening lap before being forced to give best to Tomlin’s superior V8 power – placing second. Peter Shaw completed the podium in third at the wheel of his TVR Tuscan.

Teenage phenomenon Callum Grant recovered from a wheelspin-plagued start to the Historic Formula Junior race in his Merlyn Mk5/7 to hunt down pole-sitter Andrew Hibberd’s Lotus 22 for the race lead. The pair subsequently engaged in an earnest battle, until mechanical maladies hobbled Hibberd’s bid, allowing Grant to make good his escape.

Andrew’s pain, however, was father Michael’s gain, as the elder Hibberd overhauled Steve Jones’ Cooper T67 for the runner-up laurels in his famous 1963 ex-works Lotus 27.

The opening round of the new HSCC Super Touring Car Championship was one of the undisputed highlights of the day, and the racing had the crowd on their feet from lights-out to chequered flag. James Dodd led away from pole position in his Honda Accord at the rolling start and proceeded to establish a comfortable advantage over the fraught four-way fight behind for second place, involving both John Cleland’s Vauxhall Vectra and the Peugeot 406 of Patrick Watts.

Stewart Whyte made it a Honda one-two by working his way through into second in his Accord, before spinning it away on the exit of Church Corner. A late-race driveshaft failure for Dodd then promoted Cleland into the lead and former sparring-partner Watts to second as the Super Touring legends wound back the clock with a popular result.

Paul Smith ended up third in his BMW 320, ahead of Simon Garrad’s Williams Renault Laguna, which had earlier gone doorhandle-to-doorhandle with a behemoth from a different era – Craig Davies’ flame-spitting Ford Sierra RS500.

“The first few laps were pretty hectic, and after that, James was gone and driving very well,” conceded a magnanimous Cleland, BTCC Champion in both 1989 and 1995. “I could see I was catching him at times, but I thought he was just playing with me. I’ve raced against James a few times now and I have huge regard for him; if he was in the current BTCC, I really think he would shine there, too.

“Unfortunately, the car let him down today, but Patrick and I were there to pick up the pieces. I’ve always loved racing at Thruxton – it really rewards the brave!”

Cleland has never been short of bravery, and Watts concurred that he had thoroughly enjoyed rolling back the years: “That was a lot of fun. It’s great to drive these cars round Thruxton and really give them some welly – and back in the day, if I had finished just a few seconds behind John here, I think the Peugeot team would have been very happy!”

Following a feisty opening salvo from an ultra-committed Martin Stretton in the Elva Mk7S, the Guards Trophy Sports Racing Car encounter soon developed into a cat-and-mouse affair between Chris Goodwin in his McLaren M1B and James and Graeme Dodd in their Ginetta G16. In the closing stages, the chasing Goodwin – who had not driven at Thruxton for 20 years – inexorably homed in on Graeme Dodd in the lead, but fell just under three seconds shy at the flag.

The tussle over third was only resolved on the very last lap, as Chevron B8 twins Phillip Nelson and Peter Thompson duked it out tooth-and-nail right the way to the line – even going either side of a backmarker through the chicane. Nelson’s blue Chevron ultimately got the verdict over Thompson and driving partner Charles Allison’s red model by less than two tenths-of-a-second.

The blue riband Derek Bell Trophy race staged a showdown between the thundering, five-litre Formula 5000s and their lighter and nimbler Formula 2 rivals. As his qualifying form had suggested he would, Neil Fowler streaked clear of the opposition in his March 782 and ultimately emerged victorious by a commanding 26 seconds to strike a blow for Formula 2 – but the action was all taking place in his wake.

Reigning champion Neil Glover’s Formula 5000 Lola T330/332 was all over Mark Charteris’ Mallock Mk20/21 Clubman from the start and he blasted his way into second on lap three – but against all odds, the indefatigable Charteris clung on and refused to admit defeat. The pair’s enthralling duel went right the way down to the flag, with Glover narrowly prevailing but having been given absolutely no margin for error by his plucky pursuer.

One of the most exciting races of the day was undoubtedly the Guards Trophy GT battle, as Paul Tooms in his Lotus Elan nabbed the lead from pole-sitter Mike Whitaker’s V8-powered TVR Griffith at lights-out. Although the latter soon regained the upper hand, Tooms would remain a thorn in his side throughout as the pair sprinted away from the chasing pack.

Weaving incisively through the traffic with their headlights blazing a path past the backmarkers, there was nothing to choose between Whitaker and Tooms and they pitted together at the end of lap 12 – emerging in the same order. Following an exhilarating display, the result was only determined in the very closing stages, as Whitaker – increasingly struggling with his rear tyres – overcooked it on the final lap, allowing Tooms to gratefully sneak past to a superb success. Craig Davies’ Chevrolet Corvette Stingray completed the podium in third.

Historic Touring Cars had fans all around the circuit gripped by a sensational scrap for the spoils, as Neil Brown’s iconic Ford Mustang, Tim Davies’ similarly Alan Mann Racing-liveried Lotus Cortina, Sean McInerney’s BMW 1800Ti and Mike Gardiner and David Tomlin’s Lotus Cortinas went at it hammer-and-tongs for lap-after-lap. As Brown’s snarling, 3.7-litre V8-engined Mustang bottled the field up, the action was fierce and frantic as positions regularly changed hands.

A sideways slide by Brown through the chicane on the penultimate lap enabled Davies to pull alongside and with the inside line for Allard, the late-braking Lotus Cortina snuck through into the lead with just 2.356 miles to go. He maintained that advantage all the way through to the chicane again – where Brown returned the favour to prevail by a nose. McInerney wound up third at the end of a truly breathless encounter.

The final outing of the day saw the Historic Formula Fords fire into life, with Michael O’Brien in his Merlyn Mk20, Maxim Bartell in a Merlyn Mk20A, Thruxton favourite Tiff Needell in a Lotus 69 and Benn Simms in a Jomo JMR7 fighting it out at the front. First Bartell and then O’Brien spun away their chances, leaving a straight scrap between Simms and Needell that the former Top Gear presenter got the better of on the very last lap by a scant six hundredths-of-a-second. Novice driver O’Brien recovered to salvage third.

“I won my first ever race here in this car back in 1972,” enthused a jubilant Needell once the chequered flag had fallen, “and now, more than four decades later, I’ve won in it again. It was a tremendous race, needing to look in both mirrors all the time – great fun!”

Thruxton Easter Revival 2014 – Day One (Saturday) Race Results

‘70s Road Sports
1) Oliver Ford (Lotus Europa): 13 Laps
2) Jim Dean (Lotus Europa): +16.667
3) Peter Shaw (TVR Tuscan): +56.096

Historic Formula Junior
1) Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk5/7): 14 Laps
2) Michael Hibberd (Lotus 27): +34.780
3) Steve Jones (Cooper T67): +35.424

Super Touring Car Championship
1) John Cleland (Vauxhall Vectra): 15 Laps
2) Patrick Watts (Peugeot 406): +7.244
3) Paul Smith (BMW 320): +17.397

Guards Trophy Sports Racing Car
1) James Dodd / Graeme Dodd (Ginetta G16): 28 Laps
2) Chris Goodwin (McLaren M1B): +2.734
3) Phillip Nelson (Chevron B8): +43.464

Derek Bell Trophy
1) Neil Fowler (March 782): 16 Laps
2) Neil Glover (Lola T330/332): +26.293
3) Mark Charteris (Mallock Mk20/21): +27.263

Guards Trophy GT Race
1) Paul Tooms (Lotus Elan): 23 Laps
2) Mike Whitaker (TVR Griffith): +9.568
3) Craig Davies (Chevrolet Corvette Stingray): +53.349

Historic Touring Cars
1) Neil Brown (Ford Mustang): 12 Laps
2) Tim Davies (Ford Lotus Cortina): +0.320
3) Sean McInerney (BMW 1800Ti): +2.396

Historic Formula Ford
1) Tiff Needell (Lotus 69): 9 Laps
2) Benn Sims (Jomo JMR 7) +0.062
3) Michael O’Brien (Merlyn Mk20): +12.637

Thruxton Easter Revival 2014 – Day Two Race Report and Photos

Rain failed to dampen spirits or dilute the atmosphere on the second day of the HSCC-organised Thruxton Easter Revival 2014, as outstanding on-track action, worthy winners and riveting racing kept the hardy spectators entertained from lights-out to chequered flag and sent them home with smiles on their faces.

On a sodden track, Callum Grant doubled up on his Saturday success in Historic Formula Junior, dominating proceedings once again behind the wheel of his Merlyn Mk5/7. The real action took place behind, however, as former British Champion Christopher Drake in an Elva 300 and Steve Jones in a Cooper T67 fought over the runner-up laurels.

They were joined later in the race by pit-lane starter Andrew Hibberd, who had gone off on gearbox oil in the previous day’s encounter whilst holding a commanding lead. The Lotus 22 relieved Jones of third at the chicane and looked set to similarly deprive Drake of second until a final lap spin relegated Hibberd to fourth and safeguarded Drake and Jones’ podium spots.

Mark Charteris was just as impressive in the second Derek Bell Trophy outing of the weekend, coming home almost 40 seconds clear of runner-up Neil Fowler in his March 782 to claim a famous victory for the front-engined Mallock Mk20/21 Clubman. Indeed, Charteris had lapped everybody bar Fowler by the chequered flag, with the latter lifting the coveted Jochen Rindt Trophy for being the weekend’s best Formula 2 performer.

Meanwhile, a titanic scrap was being staged for third place, as John Harrison’s Mallock Mk21 overhauled Jon Finch’s Chevron B34, with a charging Gregory Thornton scything his way through from the back of the pack into fifth spot in his powerful ex-Peter Gethin Chevron B24, very nearly pipping Finch to fourth in a drag race to the line.

“I just love this little car!” enthused Charteris, who had diced energetically with Neil Glover’s fearsome Formula 5000 Lola T330/332 on Saturday. “My 15-year-old son James has helped me all weekend, and 185bhp is perfect for this kind of weather.

“We completely rebuilt the car over the winter, and I want to thank my wife who put up with all my late nights in the garage. I cannot believe it. I’m over-the-moon. Thruxton is a wonderful circuit and lends itself to this car just perfectly. What a fabulous weekend.”

The second Super Touring Car Championship race of the weekend was like stepping straight back into the 1990s, as Saturday winner John Cleland and runner-up Patrick Watts shared the front row of the starting grid. Cleland led away in his 1997 Vauxhall Vectra, with Watts’ 1998 Peugeot 406 and Simon Garrad’s 1999 Williams-Renault Laguna in hot pursuit in a three-way tussle for supremacy.

With Garrad snapping at Watts’ heels, Cleland initially edged clear, but as the Peugeot increasingly found the grip around the damp track, Watts snatched the lead and Garrad wasted little time in following through into second. With Cleland slipping back to a distant third at the flag, Watts – revelling in the tricky conditions – set a new fastest lap to assert his advantage and gradually eked away to a popular triumph.

“I think I’ve just made history!” quipped the former historic rallying champion. “I must be the first Peugeot driver in touring cars ever to have a Williams-Renault in his mirrors – other than when being lapped! Rain is always a great equaliser, and in the wet, the sophistication of the chassis and extra few horsepower go out-of-the-window. It was a lot of fun!”

Benn Sims in his Jomo JMR 7 avenged his Saturday defeat by Tiff Needell’s Lotus 69 in the Historic Formula Ford race, with the pair again engaging in a frenetic, breathless cat-and-mouse duel as the sun briefly re-emerged.

Running wheel-to-wheel and exchanging positions with boyish enthusiasm, both survived a scare when backmarker Gary McVeigh spun his Merlyn Mk11A directly in front of them to take the chequered flag less than three seconds apart. Michael O’Brien replicated his Saturday third place in his Merlyn Mk20.

The Historic Touring Cars outing once more pitched Ford Mustangs against Lotus Cortinas and Hillman Imps, but ultimately, it was Saturday podium-finisher Sean McInerney who saw them all off in his BMW 1800Ti to take a comfortable victory ahead of the duelling Roger Godfrey in his Austin Cooper S and Tim Davies’ Cortina.

The Historic Road Sports was a race of two halves, after darkening skies and a torrential downpour brought out the red flags. Upon its resumption, Robin Pearce flew into an immediate lead in his Morgan Plus 8 as Larry Kennedy’s Lotus Elan S4 tore through the starting grid from the fifth row to second position.

A huge spin at Goodwood subsequently sent Kennedy plummeting back down the order and enabled Pearce to make good his escape, but the former was quick to regain second place – until another spin later in the race promoted Ben Adams’ Turner MkII and Andy Shepherd’s Lotus Seven S2 into podium contention. Pearce remained in a league of his own to the flag, with fastest lap for Adams on the final tour just staving off Shepherd’s assault on the runner-up spoils.

Due to the rain-enforced delay, the Classic Formula 3 and Classic Racing Cars were amalgamated into one race on separate grids. As in qualifying, Richard Trott’s Chevron B43 narrowly saw off David Shaw’s Ralt RT1 for the Formula 3 laurels, with third-placed Marcus Mussa in his March 763 more than a minute in arrears. Michael O’Brien added to his weekend silverware with Classic Racing Cars glory in his Merlyn Mk20, ahead of Jonathan Baines’ similar car.

Benn Simms claimed his second victory of the day as he shone through the plumes of spray in Historic Formula Ford 2000, with his Reynard SF77 sprinting away to win from Andrew Park’s Reynard SF81 and Colin Wright’s Reynard’s SF79.

The final race was for Classic Clubmans, which witnessed a sparkling showdown between Ray Mallock’s Mallock Mk18b and the Mallock Mk20/21 of pole-sitter Mark Charteris. The pair went at it hammer-and-tongs throughout, as Charteris stalked Mallock before stealing the lead and retaining it to the flag. Mallock held on for second, with John Harrison recovering from an early spin at the Complex to finish third in his Mallock Mk21.

Thruxton Easter Revival 2014 – Day Two (Sunday) Race Results

Historic Formula Junior
1) Callum Grant (Merlyn Mk5/7): 12 Laps
2) Christopher Drake (Elva 300): +32.875
3) Steve Jones (Cooper T67): +36.366

Derek Bell Trophy
1) Mark Charteris (Mallock Mk20/21): 15 Laps
2) Neil Fowler (March 782): +39.543
3) John Harrison (Mallock Mk21): +1 Lap

Super Touring Car Championship
1) Patrick Watts (Peugeot 406): 14 Laps
2) Simon Garrad (Williams-Renault Laguna): +2.007
3) John Cleland (Vauxhall Vectra): +19.624

Historic Formula Ford
1) Benn Sims (Jomo JMR 7): 13 Laps
2) Tiff Needell (Lotus 69): +2.778
3) Michael O’Brien (Merlyn Mk20): +38.131

Historic Touring Cars
1) Sean McInerney (BMW 1800Ti): 12 Laps
2) Roger Godfrey (Austin Cooper S): +34.819
3) Tim Davies (Ford Lotus Cortina): +36.207

Historic Road Sports
1) Robin Pearce (Morgan Plus 8): 8 Laps
2) Ben Adams (Turner MkII): +18.908
3) Andy Shepherd (Lotus Seven S2): +19.503

Classic Formula 3 / Classic Racing Cars Combined
1) Richard Trott (Chevron B43): 8 Laps
2) David Shaw (Ralt RT1): +0.893
3) Marcus Mussa (March 763): +1:07.132

Historic Formula Ford 2000
1) Benn Simms (Reynard SF77): 8 Laps
2) Andrew Park (Reynard SF81): +21.979
3) Colin Wright (Reynard SF79): +25.229

Classic Clubmans
1) Mark Charteris (Mallock Mk20/21): 10 Laps
2) Ray Mallock (Mallock Mk18b): +11.882
3) John Harrison (Mallock Mk21): +45.841

[Source: Thruxton Easter Revival; photo credit: PSP Images]