EQUIPE DELIVER
A CLASSIC WEEKEND

Our annual visit to the wonderful Silverstone Grand Prix circuit never disappoints and this year featured races from all of our core series in action over two days.

Great racing, magnificent cars and everything else that makes an Equipe Classic Racing meeting such an enjoyable event.

Thank you to every single person that played their part.

Equipe 70s
On Saturday afternoon the Equipe 70s were first away for 40-minute pit stop race, the quality grid with a rolling start with the Ford Capri of Steve Dance harried by Rob Cull’s Escort RS1800 on the opening lap.

Dance was able to open a gap in his RS3100, Andrew Wenman in his Morgan Plus 8 and the Escort of Philip Walker battling for third. Cull pitted from second at the end of lap seven, Dance in two laps later while Andrew Wenman handed over to father David, Cull ahead of Dance after their stops but the Capri was soon back in front.

Walker was third after the stops but was passed by the Capri of Nick Matthews, who lost the place due to a drive through penalty. At the end it was Dance who was well clear and claimed the 70s win, Cull second and these two with a gap back to Walker who took third and Matthews.

“I was thinking Rob hadn’t pitted yet when I saw him in front!” said Dance. “I didn’t do such a good pitstop, but the car felt good.”

Equipe MG Cup
The invitation class MG Midget of Ian Staines led the MG field at the end of lap one with Mark Wright’s MGF Cup in second, while charging through from the back after a troubled qualifying was the ZR190 of rapid pairing Stuart Emmett and Dan Ludlow, who gained 11 places on lap one. Wright was challenging hard, the pair side-by-side down the pit straight heading into lap five, Wright going past only to lose out later in the lap, while the great start of the Emmett and Ludlow ZR was all for naught as the car retired after two laps.

A brief safety car period on lap five closed the field right up, Wright pitting and retiring, and once racing resumed Staines was in at the end of his ninth lap, coming out ahead with Alex Fletcher now second in his ZS. A superb drive in the ‘arrive and drive’ class A car saw Oliver Kerr running third from Gary Cook’s ZR170.

Staines stayed clear to take the win, Fletcher second but in turn well clear of Kerr and Cook, the lead four all taking class wins.

“I was having fun with Mark Wright’s MGF, but after the safety car I was on my own,” said Staines.

Equipe Sports Prototypes
The Equipe Sports Prototypes had a race a day and on pole for Saturday’s 25-minute round was Scott Mittell in his Mittell MC-41RR, the Revolution 500 EVO of Nigel Redwood alongside. At the start Redwood won the race down to the first corner, but Mittell immediately fought back and was ahead before Becketts.

Mittell led at the end of lap one, but already up to second from the back of the grid was the Jenvey-Gunn of Mike Jenvey, that had issues with a rear wheel in qualifying and didn’t set a time. Jenvey took the lead at Maggots on lap two, but his qualifying problem struck again and he pulled off at Club on lap five, Mittell again ahead with the Norma of Max Windheuser now in second and Redwood third.

Mittell duly claimed the race win, Redwood with Windheuser from mid-race and finally going past after the Norma had a moment at Village on lap 10. Windheuser held on to finish third with Clinton Newman’s Praga fourth and the Revolution of Eiten Zidkilov taking fifth.

“I had a problem with my front splitter from lap one, it was bottoming out and we were porpoising down the straight,” said Mittell. “Once Mike retired, I was managing the gap to behind and working out how hard to push as I had so much vibration, I needed to go just fast enough.”

In Sunday morning’s race it was again Redwood who made the best start with Mittell second, only to go straight on at Brooklands and retire, Windheuser leading at the end of lap one from Mittell with Jenvey, again starting at the back, up to third. Jenvey got past Mittell on lap two and went inside Windheuser at Village to take the lead a lap later.

As they got to the end of the lap Windheuser looked inside Jenvey through Woodcote and there was contact, Windheuser spinning then recovering only to go off at Copse, damage to a rear wheel sending Jenvey pitwards as the safety car came out. Racing resumed as they went into lap seven, Jenvey managing to just stay on the lead lap but a long way behind, Mittell heading the Chiron of Jonathan Edwards and Newman’s Praga.

Mittell made it two wins for the weekend with Newman passing Edwards on lap six, Jenvey recovering to take fourth.

“There was a lot going in in that race, I don’t think Mike saw Max looking down the inside,” said Mittell. “The car still isn’t working fully how I want it, we have more to do and we are still grounding at the front at speed, but more to come!”

Equipe GTS
John Caudwell was on pole for the GTS grid, but a getaway featuring too much wheelspin saw him down to fourth at the end of lap one, William Reed leading in his MGB from Robi Bernberg’s TVR Grantura.

Caudwell was keen to recover his lost ground and was up to second on lap two and into the lead two laps later, Simon Cripps also pushing hard in his MGB and claiming second.

Caudwell pitted at the end of lap seven to hand the TVR over to brother Brian, a lap after Cripps had pitted, Reed taking the GTS lead until pitting in turn after 10 laps. The Caudwell TVR thus was back in the lead, Cripps second and Mark Cloutman’s Austin Healey Sebring Sprite running third.

Caudwell took the GTS win and tenth overall in the large field, Cripps second while Reed was able to take third from Cloutman and open a gap.

“It’s good to put the work in and get the result,” said Brian Caudwell. “The car is going really well and John brought it in from P1 so all good.”

Equipe Libre
The stunning Libre field set off for their 40-minute race with the yellow Ginetta G4R of Neil Armstrong taking lead, with the Lotus Elan 26R started by Brice White in second, Paul Unsworth third in another Elan.

Armstrong opened a gap but by lap four it was Unsworth into second and chipping away at his advantage, White also slipping behind David Methley’s Marcos as that car took third. Armstrong made his stop at the end of lap six, Methley coming in from second a lap later and Unsworth pitting after nine laps.

White had pitted to hand over to Ed Keen and the Elan was flying, emerging from the pitstop cycle at the front with Unsworth second and Methley third ahead of Armstrong’s Ginetta. Keen pulled away for the win, Unsworth second while Armstrong took third on lap 13 and just missed out on second by a fraction of a second as he challenged Unsworth on the final lap.

“I got off the line well, then fell back a bit,” said White. “I’m glad I brought Ed along as he drove so well!”

“I had to work hard there and get in a flow,” said Keen. “The car was amazing and always good to take a win.”

Equipe Sports Racing Cars
The Equipe Sports Prototypes started off Sunday morning’s racing, the glorious-sounding Lola T70 of Graeme Moss taking the lead but with the Chevron B16 of David Bise right with him. These two came round at the end of lap one well clear of a train of cars headed up by the Lenham P68/9 Coupe of Jon Waggitt and Peter Needham.

Brise was able to stay with the V8 Lola until Moss pushed hard from lap five onwards, setting a series of fastest race laps to date and opening a gap on the two-litre Chevron. The Lenham was holding third and pitted for its driver change on lap nine, returning down the order after a long stop, Moss coming in from the lead one lap later and Brise to hand over to Alan Purbrick one more lap after that.

Moss was back in the lead and held that despite a quick pit visit to win at the end of the 50-minutes, Purbrick bringing the Chevron B16 home in second. The Chevron B6 of Robin Tuluie and Harry Rice claimed third, Nick Thompson on a solo drive, just holding off the charging Lotus 23B started by Adrian Holey and brought home by Samuel Harrison at the flag.

“I pitted again as I saw a board for a drive through penalty and I wasn’t sure if it was for me or not,” said Moss. “It’s my first time here in the car but I really got into the rhythm after a few laps and was able to really push.”