September/October 2019

Sunday 8th September and the second day of the 750 Motor Club's 80th Anniversary meeting on the National circuit layout at Donington Park, the home of the 750MC. With a huge entry of 360 cars across the weekend this was a show of strength from a club that puts it's competitors first with sensible entry fees and affordable categories for the club racer to take part in.
There were 16 races scheduled for Sunday following 4 qualifying sessions in the morning and racing kicked off with the 5Club Mazda MX5 Cup. A grand total of 35 of the little Mazdas were entered with quite a few BRSCC regulars getting track time. Michael Comber and Ben Short taking a win apiece.
Formula 1000 (nee Jedi) has transferred to the 750MC this season and it's hard to believe the series for the hillclimb derived Jedi chassis with 1000cc screaming motorcycle engines is in it's 23rd season of action. Matthew Booth and Lee Morgan sharing the wins.
The Clio 182 Championship raced just the once on Sunday with Ryan Polley taking the spoils after an early safety car following an off at Redgate on the first lap.
Christopher (Chippy) Wesemael's Mittell won the single RGB Sports 1000 race and with it the championship for 2019. Wesemael only started racing last year and intends to race in the British GT championship in 2020, one to watch in the future.
Te venerable Classic Stock Hatches provided the usual close racing and lurid lines with the Peugeot 205 GTi driver Matthew Stubbington taking the flag.
Formula Vee continues to provide some great single-seater racing on a budget. Daniel Hands winning Sunday's race after colliding at the Chicane on the last lap in Saturdays race on the last lap.
Peter Bove won both 750 Formula races as did Shaun Traynor in the Toyota MR2's.
The Historic 750 Formula grid was bolstered by an influx of Austin 7's and their first race was red flagged and restarted following an off at the Chicane. Last but not least saw a 32 car grid for the Hot Hatch Championship, resurgent after being relaunched in 2016. Ben Rushworth winning the first race in his Honda Integra but then spinning out of lead in the Craner Curves in the second race leaving Gary Prebble's Honda Civic to take the win.
With warm and sunny weather during the day this was a cracker of a days motorsport and bodes well for the next 80 years for the 750MC! Admission was £16 and a programme was £3
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Sunday 15th September and instead of British GT action at Donington, I decided to head to Silverstone (armed with a free BRSCC members ticket) for National circuit action organised by the BRSCC funnily enough!
12 races were on the cards and kicked off with Mazda MX5 Supercup who raced three times in all. A small but select grid of 12 cars for the trio of travails with championship leader Luke Herbert taking 2 wins out of 3.
Also having a threesome (so to speak...!) were the OSS (Open Sportscars) Championship, this time seeing a three time winner with the Jenvey-Gunn of Mike Jenvey dominating the action. The OSS regulars were joined on the same grid by visitors from the Irish Global GT Lights making the journey across the Irish Sea.
An enormous entry of 39 BMW Compact Cup cars provided thrills and spills as did the Civic Cup which saw Lee Deegan take both races, the second of which from 10th on a partially reversed grid.
Saving the best til last, the National Formula Ford 1600 championship races not only provided The Spectator his race of the day , it provided the race of the year! Category veteran Joey Foster had retired from Saturday's race in his Firman with a radiator problem so started the first race on Sunday from the rear of the 20 car grid. A huge 14 car lead train developed, and watching from Becketts corner, the progress of Foster was noticeable lap by lap until he emerged in the lead to take an amazing victory. Sadly Foster retired in the second race of the day which was won by Rory Smith's Medina. Foster being involved in a crash at Brooklands which led to the appearance of the safety car.
Another sunny Sunday and another cracking little meeting to report with the cream of the BRSCC crop on show on a circuit where there is always action. Admission was by free ticket and a programme was £3
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Thursday 26th September and something a little different with a factory tour of Tuthill Porsche in the village of Wardington near Banbury in the evening. Having joined the Motorsport UK Trackside initiative in the Summer, I was lucky enough to win  the chance to visit the Porsche specialists.

Greeted by Richard Tuthill, the boss of the firm that his father started, the group of guests was escorted first to the engine department and then to the magnificent open plan workshop that you can see in the photos. The attention to detail that was on show in each and every Porsche on show was incredible to behold. Mr.Tuthill was a very enthusiastic host and an enjoyable way to spend a Thursday evening!

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Sunday 20th October saw The Spectator attend what turned out to be my final race meeting of the season alas. This was BRSCC finals day, a traditional late October date at the East Midlands circuit and one where several championships are usually decided. 12 races on the timetable and not for the first time this season I witnessed the Mazda MX5 Supercup in action along with the OSS (Open Sportscar) Championship and Civic Cup.
The MX5 Supercup grid was larger than when I last saw them at Silverstone in September with 16 cars and provided some good racing with Luke Herbert earning a hat trick of Supercup titles with a 1st and 3rd in the pair of Sunday races.
Sadly the OSS Championship could only muster 10 cars and then 8 cars for its pair of Sunday races both won by Patrick Sherrington's MCR Sport.
The Civic Cuphad 24 cars on the tarmac for a pair of exciting races both won by 2019 champion Lee Deegan.
The TCR UK/Touring Car Trophy saw a 13 car entry for the final 2 rounds of a series that has struggled for numbers since its inception in 2018. Combining the TCR cars with BTCC spec machinery in a bid to bolster numbers has been a good idea and it was intriguing to see the respective strengths of each type of car. Indeed the first race was won by the TCR Cupra of regular BTCC driver Adam Morgan and the second race was won by the Team Dynamics BTCC spec Honda Civic of Henry (son of Matt) Neal.
The Steve Vince run Track Attack Race Club ran an all in end-of-season couple of 15 minute thrashes for a huge grid of various Nippon Challenge/Tricolor Trophy/MultiMarques machinery. The second race was won by the Renault Clio of David Baldwin who demonstrated some fantastic car control and had a novice cross on the back of his car. One to watch!
Single races took place for the Toyo Tires Porsche Championship, 12 cars only and a championship in need of a face lift plus the final ever round of the Alfa Romeo Championship to be run by the BRSCC before the Alfa's defect to the 750MC for 2020.
So that was the end of the 2019 season for The Spectator...the planned trip to Silverstone for the Walter Hayes Trophy falling through due to simply being too tired from a busy week at work. Fingers crossed The Spectator will return fully charged for the 2020 season...stay tuned loyal readers!