Castle Combe’s Autumn Classic race meeting – held on 6th October safely combatted the dismal weather with seven electrifying races, awe-inspiring historic vehicle demonstration laps and an unending array of static car displays.
Highlights of this year’s step-back-in-time was the Dream Garage paddock in the middle of the venue’s display area. This time celebrating Le Mans winners, the area was dominated by ex-competition Ford GT40s that were there to commemorate the car’s outright win at Circuit de la Sarthe back in 1968.
The GT40s were in great company, too – namely Mark Finburgh’s incredibly rare Porsche 917 – a machine that dominated in several endurance races across the globe in the early ‘70s before going on to star in Steve McQueen’s Le Mans Hollywood blockbuster.
As for the racing highlights:
Michael Squire won the Touring Car Challenge race and in the process took the Terry Sanger Memorial Trophy. Squire dominated the seventh and final race of the day; the inaugural Castle Combe Racing Club (CCRC) competition for Pre-’66 Touring Cars, seizing the lead on the opening lap and eventually bringing his Ford Mustang home 9.7secs up on Julian Thomas’ Ford Falcon.
Squire had been only fifth in a rain-hit qualifying, beaten by a quartet of Austin Mini Cooper Ss led by Steve Maxted. However, with the Wiltshire track drying out as the day went on, the pendulum swung back in the favour of the more powerful Mustang, with Squire never threatened en-route to the top step of the podium.
“I was facing a large gaggle of Minis, but fortunately the weather changed, which made all the difference. I was also scared of Julian overtaking me [at the start] and thought I had to get this off the line and somehow it worked and that was that I guess!” said Squire.
Meanwhile, pole man Maxted had to settle for the final spot on the rostrum, while Westbury On Trym’s Chris Clarkson was the top local racer in P5, one spot up on fellow Bristolian Nick Stagg, with Brent Knoll’s Tom Jones eighth and Frampton Cotterell’s George Douglas 12th.
In the Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC) Formula Vintage race, the opening one of the meeting that took place in very wet conditions, eventual winner Mark Gillies enjoyed a great scrap with Tom Waterfield, before eventually finishing 6.3secs ahead in his Aston Martin. Christopher Mann was third, more than 45secs back.
“It was good fun,” said Gillies. “The conditions were changing every lap and you just had to drive by feel. The Aston is not as quick off the corners as the [Frazer] Nash, but it is magic through the corners. I always think that old age and experience can sometimes beat youth and speed, but I got lucky as he had problems. It was a good race and these sports cars are really terrific to drive.”
“We were having a great race to start with,” added Waterfield. “But the engine went flat and wouldn’t rev. It then cleared and I caught back up but it went dead again and I just thought I’d try and hold onto the position. I had a fantastic race and really enjoyed myself.”
John Young beat Julian Thomas to take the Norman Dewis Trophy for Pre 66 Jaguars, Richard Bradley was another to make the most of pole position to win the FJHRA/HSCC Silverline Historic Formula Junior Championship race in his Brabham BT2 1100, despite slipping to second on the opening lap.
In the FISCAR Historic Inter-Marque Race, Martyn Corfield brought his Frazer Nash Le Mans Rep home 6.9secs ahead of Stephen Bond, with Marc Gordon third.
The Austin Healey 3000 of Bruce Montgomery swept to a lights-to-flag victory in the Phil Broster Memorial Race for Healeys early on in the afternoon. The Healey 100/4 of Mike Thorne vied for the lead with Bruce in the early laps, before the Healey 3000s of both Oliver Chatham and David Grace found their speed and passed both looking to challenge the leader.
Oliver Chatham survived a spin at Quarry to lose a place and regain it, in the Gracey – Chatham battle for 2nd, David Grace found the standing water little help for overtaking and hence took a field trip spinning deep into the corn field. Leaving Bruce unchallenged to take the win, Oliver to take 2nd and Mike Thorne (super star hubby) to take third and Driver of the Day for beating a class field of Healey 3000s and Sprites, with a 4 cylinder Healey 100.
As for the GT and Sports Car Cup – the hour-long penultimate race of the meeting which twice saw the deployment of the safety car – Gary Pearson emerged victorious in his Jaguar E-Type, 11.2secs up on Mark Williams’ AC Cobra 289. Martin Hunt and Patrick Blakeney-Edwards completed the podium.
Full results can be found here
Photos by Dave Brassington (For hi resolution copies click here)
