RACE NEWS

2021

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Date

HSCC Gold Cup . .

Few circuits bask in August sunshine quite like Oulton Park, nestled accomodatingly within the Cheshire woodland. The infield retail stalls and displays may have been a tad reduced on previous years, hardly surprising considering the existing restrictions, but spectator numbers seemed very healthy.

Q - Historic Road Sports grid of thirty two cars was heavily populated with Lotus Elans, Morgans, Triumphs and TVR's, and Davison's Elan took pole from Kivlochans AC Cobra on a time sheet split decisively down the middle where the WSM MGB on Dunlop 'L' sections was 16th.

R - Davison held the lead until the second lap when Kivlochan thundered through. Nothing but tenacious, Davison clung on until the sixth lap when backmarker traffic started to hinder his challenge and the Cobra stretched away. The WSM MGB just escaped the Selwyn Elan for 18th but could'nt overhaul Pomeroy's Turner despite a faster lap.

Pits & Paddock . .

Young fans graduate to WSM . .

The familiar hat of Richard Cable was a welcome sight - our respective parents were very close for many years and the Cables are regular visitors at Oulton.

Good to see Brian and Pat Arculus, ex-WSM 202 owners and deserving thanks for resolving the WSM scrutineering issue. Brian cleaned up the Class E silverware in his trusty Lotus Elite, holding off Boland's Lotus Seven S2 at the line for 13th overall.

The Manx flag also flew on the 70's Road Sports grid where fellow islander Justin Wilson qualified 25th in his Lotus 7 S4. That lead to a race long scrap for 12th with Fisher's Arkley and Wagstaff's Alfa Romeo GTV.

Welcome Willmotts . .

A blisteringly hot week-end and a war of attrition in Saturday's 3 hour relay and Sunday's 40 minute race as every driver earnt their spurs. Jack Willmott made a stunning start to the relay from third spot, his AC Cobra launched in to the lead at Redgate and the first run down the Craner Curves. But 15 minutes later the Cobra expired and left younger brother Joe and father Rick to complete 2 hrs 45 minutes in Healey 3000 and Jaguar XKE respectively. They did endure amongst the twenty-six teams, and spectacularly well in fourth place to the winning 50's equipe of Maserati 250S and Lotus XV. Other Woolmer Classic Engineering entries included the Healey Hammers of Alex Hewitson and James Haxton in 9th, and Jonathan Smare in 11th-placed Oily Crankers.

Sunday's 40 minute Equipe Classic Libre race was equally well baked, with the WSM MGB and Jack's WSM 208 in close qualifying company at 26th and 27th and Rick's temporarily ailing XKE in 28th. Those positions soon changed in the race and Jack ignored team orders to razz off and play amongst the MGB's ahead. With adjustment made to rear suspension post-Silverstone, Jack revelled in the driveability and took home some Class 1 silverware, while Rick made up multiple places in the revitalised XKE with fourth fastest lap and fifth overall.

Pits & Paddock

• Good to catch up with the Woolmer Classic Engineering team and the Equipe organisers after a hefty break. Kairen Bartram is at the excellent hub of the Equipe grids, new drivers and cars proliferate, and Rob Cull and John Pearson have retained the friendly but competitive ethos of Christophe and Jim alongside a healthy dose of efficiency. WCE had twelve cars to cosset over the week-end, from MGB to Healey 3000 to Porsche 356 to WSM Sprite and AC Cobra, and all done so with a smile.
• Caught up with the Fast Moustache, alias David Beresford and one of the long standing founder Equipe drivers. He too remembered the 2005 Equipe race at Donington where the WSM MGB and David's white MGB duelled throughout for 7th spot.

Pic courtesy of Andrew Haywood Smith

Donington At Last . .

With travel restrictions lifted, the WSM MGB is entered for the Sunday 18th July Equipe GTS 40-minute race. Alongside will be Jack Willmott in WSM 208 who was out in June at MGCC Silverstone on the Pre-63 Equipe grid alongside brother Harry's Jaguar XK.

A full day of testing on Friday at the Leicestershire circuit precedes the MGCC 3-Hour relay week-end and should shake out the cobwebs that have gathered since the Gold Cup in August 2019 . .

Equipe Fix . .

Impressive list of races and venues from the Equipe organisers for the 2021 season. The 40 minute races include pit-stop and optional two driver. Now all we need is travel unfettered . .