Photos by Dave Brassington (For hi resolution copies click here) Words by Marcus Pye
The red and green flag of Portugal fluttered proudly over the podium at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve after father and son Rui and Pedro Macedo Silva, sharing their snarling AC Cobra with saloon car ace Joaquim Jorge, became first time winners in the GT & Sports Car Cup’s seasonal finale, highlight of the 8th Algarve Classic Festival on a glorious sunny Sunday morning.
The local heroes qualified fourth in a spectacular 43-car field of top quality Pre-1966 GT machinery, well in touch with the 4.7-litre Ford-powered Cobras of Jason Wright/Andy Wolfe and Simon Hadfield/Diogo Ferrao – the event promoter deputising for owner Leo Voyazides, sidelined by a knee injury sustained while playing tennis – plus Georg Nolte’s Chevrolet-engined Bizzarrini 5300GT with German pro Frank Stippler up. Jorge got them off to a flying start and was the architect of a superb 44.549s victory over Andrew Haddon and supersub David Pittard in the former’s Cobra, with Fred Wakeman/Patrick Blakeney-Edwards third in the unique Lister-Jaguar Coupe.
Wolfe’s 2m08.185s (81.19mph) pole time was 0.475s quicker than Hadfield’s, with Stippler a further quarter second adrift in the massive red and yellow Italian coupe. Haddon/Mark Martin (Cobra) and the Lotus Elan of Graham Wilson/Pittard should have shared row three. The impudent ‘26R’ was damaged in a previous race however and, with Martin nursing a shoulder injury, Haddon recruited young Pittard for a V8 baptism of firepower.
Julian Thomas/Calum Lockie were quickest of the Jaguar E-type crews, the VBox low-drag coupe seventh overall, with Steve Boultbee Brooks/Andrew Smith (Iso Grifo A3/C, essentially the Bizzarrini’s twin) and the Cobra of Chris Chiles/Chris Chiles Jr/Simon Garrad in pursuit. Days after the passing of Peter Lumsden, who with Peter Sargent took the spaceframe Lister to Le Mans in ’63, Wakeman/Blakeney-Edwards were 10th quickest, joined in the 2:12s by E-types of Martin Melling/Jason Minshaw and Katarina Kyvalova/Phil Keen.
RACE
With car owners obliged to drive a minimum of 50% distance in a two-driver team – a double stint in the two-stop strategy – or 33% as principal of three, Jorge blasted ahead of compatriot Diogo at the start. Thomas, after a lightning start from row four, Wright, Boultbee Brooks and Chiles led the chase. Haddon, who had contested the preceding race, was late on parade, thus forced to set off from the pit lane. Nonetheless, ‘Ralphy’ crossed the timing line 23rd, from the back of the 40-car field, at the end of the opening lap. Sixth within six laps, the initial chase just added to the fun.
Thomas ousted Ferrao’s black Cobra from second on lap two and set off after Jorge’s open-topped red one. Equipped with a taller diff ratio this year the Jaguar low-drag coupe was faster in a straight line, yet less accelerative out of the slower corners, but the leading cars’ lap times were very similar. Ford Escort ace Joaquim – who knows the 2.8-mile course better than most – resisted extreme pressure for 11 laps before Julian dived ahead. There the Jaguar stayed through the first stops until towards two-thirds’ distance.
Out after just three laps with a broken rear axle was de Gres’ Lotus Eleven, which left the similar machine of Peeters/Debraney the sole SP1 survivor as Zurstrassen/Mestdagh sadly non-started their Elva. Cooke’s Elan, Brian Lambert’s long-serving MGB (sheared oil pump drive) and, most uncharacteristically, the Ferrao-driven Cobra which pitted smokily with an oil leak, all retired after eight tours.
Amid plenty of spirited skirmishes throughout the pack, Ahlers’ early bid for GT3 supremacy took the British Racing Green Triumph-powered Morgan aerodyne clear of Clarkson’s Healey on the demanding switchback with its blind brows and borrowing swoops through the hills above Portimao. In GT2 the MG-engined TVRs of Bourne and Ward jostled past Tognola’s Porsche on the opening lap and eased away, initially divided by Corfield’s Healey from the heavier hitters.
The Haddon/Pittard Cobra ran second to the Thomas/Lockie Jag at the half-way stage, with Wakeman/Blakeney-Edwards a stout third. While the #88 Lister crew’s driver turnarounds were super-efficient as ever – a Blakeney Motorsport speciality – the Californian had to serve a drive-through penalty at the start of his closing stint because PBE had been clocked speeding in the pit lane.
Lockie handed the silver E-type over to Thomas for the deciding salvo, by which time the rapid Pedro Macedo Silva had replaced his dad in the Cobra on which national hopes remained pinned. Next to lead as the pit stagger unwound was the Wright/Wolfe Cobra – which had lost a lap when the safety car was sent out for the retrieval of Dumolin/Thibaut’s oily example, during which time the Collyer/Abecassis Healey shed a wheel – but the younger Macedo Silva was soon back ahead.
He had to get a shift on, for Thomas was on a charge and closing in. The Briton eroded his deficit to nothing and was preparing to pounce for victory when his fan belt snapped three laps from the finish. Macedo Silva took the chequer to a rapturous reception, 44.549s clear of Haddon/Pittard – adding to his growing reputation as a clean and super- fast driver – with Wakeman/Blakeney-Edwards third, only 10s shy.
Wright/Wolfe ended up fourth with fastest lap – Andy’s in 2:09.534s (80.33mph) – and the Drivers of the Day award, as chosen by the clerk of the course, for their tremendous pace and indomitable spirit. After a relentless chase, the bottle green Cobra growled past the Chiles/Garrad/Chiles Jr version on the final lap, tripping the timing beam 1.938s ahead.
Ahlers/Bellinger finished a brilliant GT3-winning sixth overall, 14 seconds clear of class rivals Clarkson/Smithies/Pangborn who were ninth, behind Boot/Bussell and Garside/Newall in the first Elan home. The only blot on the Morganeers’ copybook was a drive through for exceeding track limits, but it merely spurred them on. Despite not quite going the distance, Thomas/Lockie were classified 10th, ahead of Bond/Fell and Nolte/Stippler.
Kyvalova/Keen were 13th, but 10 seconds blanketed Melling/Minshaw, Emberson /Wykeham (third in GT3) and the GT2 protagonists of Bourne/Arif and Ward/Colman in their wake. The two TVRs flashed over the line 2.522s apart, the red one ahead of the blue, in a gripping climax to two hours of racing on one of Europe’s most exciting circuits. Chaser Ward’s fastest lap was the last! Outrun at the start, Tognola/Monk’s practice pacesetting Porsche was only 24s down, with the Barbot/Matos Elan glued to its tail having reeled it in.
Best of the MGBs was the Bechtolsheimer/Faulkner/Bianchi car which finished just ahead of SP1 victor Peeters/Debraney, with Bell/Parsons and Chase-Gardener/Jones, the Morley trio with new colours in their palettes having wrestled the shapely Corvette home, Worthington/Drinkall and Watson/Cox next back.
