Donington Park Saturday/Sunday 18th/19th March 2017
Saturday was forecast to be dry AM and damp PM...alas the meteorological "experts" got it very wrong and it was definitely a case of Wet AM, Damp and eventually drying PM!!
The 750MC never ceases to amaze with it's portfolio of Championships and Series almost always producing large entries and entertaining racing.
Saturday's timetable looked to be the better day of the weekend and this proved to be the case. 2 red flags in the morning's qualifying sessions and an oil spillage in the Sport Specials session that had to be jet-washed off the already wet circuit, led to an early lunch break being called which turned out to be a very wise decision.
Wise because the days last race for the combined BMW 330 Challenge/Super Cooper Cup finished in complete darkness at 6.30pm!
Bikesports had the honour of being the first race of 2017. With a grid mostly consisting of Radicals with the odd Spire thrown in, the motorcycle engined sportscars easily provided the weekend's fastest action, despite the greasy circuit conditions. Steve Burgess winning both races in his Radical SR3 and interestingly being followed by Joe Stables & Phillip Knibb in race 2. Interestingly because the pair had collided in Race 1 at the Old Hairpin when Knibb out-braked himself and punted Stables off into the vast gravel trap.
The Classic Stock Hatch Championship kicked off with the obligatory red-flag in Race 1! With one car off on the run up to McLeans it would appear that there was a collision and roll (under Yellow flags...) on the next lap. Cue Red Flag..Andrew Thorpe's Citroen AX won the re-start and Lee Scott's Fiesta took the spoils on Sunday.
As previously mentioned the combined BMW 330 Challenge/Super Cooper Cup thankfully saw cars with headlights for their second race on Saturday. The Beemer's and Mini's would appear to be evenly matched and it will be fascinating to see if one or both series grow in future years to provide a stand alone grid. The 750MC has a history of starting and nurturing new series that eventually become a huge success.
The 45 minute Roadsports race saw a very truncated opening with the first 4 laps featuring 2 separate appearances of the Safety Car! A confusing end to the race too, with the on-road winning Lotus not only being penalised for pitting after the pit stop window had closed but also disqualified altogether for tyre regulation irregularities according to the results sheet.
Saturday saw another 2-driver 45 minute race with the first ever Championship ( as opposed to Series) race for the Armed Forces Race Challenge. Along with the Roadsports, a massive grid of varied Sportscars & Saloons raced hard for 3 quarters of an hour. It's obvious too that serving in the Armed Forces leads to incredible bravery being displayed on a daily basis. The occasional massive shunt or two holds no fear in this Championship....Simon Frowen rolling his Fiesta in the Craner Curves gravel trap shortly followed by Richard Evans hitting the wall very hard where the Spitfire used to be, testifying to the drivers bravery! Indeed I was concerned for a few seconds following Evans shunt but he hopped out of a battered BMW moments later.
The last time I saw the Batten 3 of Bill Rutter it was on the back of a recovery vehicle at Mallory Park last June having suffered heavy damage in a crash at the Esses. It was good to see it out in the 750 Formula races this weekend, although Rutter couldn't get off the line properly in both races which saw Robin Gearing win both in his Darvi. The Sunday race also saw numbers 1,2,3,4,5 finish 1,2,3,4....& 6th!! No.5 nearly finished 5th too so very close to the perfect result.
Sunday thankfully stayed dry all day but a bitingly cold wind meant The Spectator preferred the rain of Saturday....
The 750 Trophy has been re-named the Historic 750 Formula Series for 2017 which one thinks could be precursor to merging with the "modern" 750 Formula at some stage in the near future. The GP circuit not ideal for these cars certainly and Christian Pedersen winning easily.
Sport Specials (nee Kitcars) saw a healthy grid of cars, although the aesthetics of several cars leave a lot to be desired!
Paul Smith's Crossle95 won both Bernie's V8/Sports Racing & GT/Crossle Racing Drivers Club races feathuring a varied mix of machinery best of which was Marcus Bicknell's mighty Ford Mustang Mach 1. A car that looks evil to drive but very entertaining to watch...tyres screaching even in a straight line it seemed.
The best racing on Sunday was provided by the Toyota MR2 Championship. A massive grid of the Mk2 version of the the MR2 plus a few Roadsters in the mix always give a good race in a car that is very forgiving and races very well.
Not so interesting was the 2 hour Club Enduro race, yet another big grid but a race for the drivers involved not so much for the spectators watching. The longer distance races in club racing are increasing amongst all clubs. Great for honing driving skills and sharing entry fees but hard work watching.
Two very long days at Donington with an ambitious timetable as always from the 750MC that was only just squeezed in both days. As for Donington itself, the take over by Motor Sport Vision doesn't appear to have kicked in as yet. The only subtle change I noticed was the naming of the infamous tunnel under the circuit (see below) between McLeans and Coppice in honour of Tom Wheatcroft's protege Roger Williamson who was tragically killed in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
A very nice touch and one that may see the tunnel used regularly in the future for spectators to drive their cars into the infield for the first time in many years. The circuit is badly in need of a fresh change and the full MSV affect can't come soon enough.
It was good to be back trackside again and dust off the thermos and rucksack. Thanks to the trusty Donington Supporters Club membership I was discounted £5 on Saturday and £2 on Sunday for some reason. Oh well it's better than nothing!
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