Paddock pics: Sarah Bennett-Baggs – Track Action: António Paquete
The Algarve Classic Festival successfully wrapped up the 2016 racing season for many racers and the Algarve did not disappoint providing all the ingredients for a great weekend bathed in glorious sunshine.
Highlights of the racing included two 40 minute Historic Touring Car Challenge races – a combined grid with the Portuguese Series CSS – 34 cars took to the grid for two races with rolling starts and driver changes. Both race results looked pretty similar with Chris Ward in the JD Classics Jaguar XJS streaking away for two lights to flag victories, behind him the BMW E30 M3 of Nick and Harry Whale were the real winners, fending off a chasing Ric Wood in his monster Ford Capri who came third in both races. The Broadspeed Ford Capri of Gary Pearson should have been in the running for a podium had it not sadly expired during qualifying but engine builder Ric Wood kindly offered Gary a share in the spoils in race 1 in his Capri. Nigel Greensall and Adam Brindle were the winners in both races of the Tony Dron Trophy for running in period specification and the Whale family rightly so, took home the Traditional Oak Family Trophy.
Saturday evening Motor Racing Legends hosted the 2 hour – 50s Sports Car Race which ended rather dramatically with the Lotus 15 of Philip Walker and Miles Griffiths snatching the lead just 10 minutes from the end of the race from Greg Caton in the silver/blue Lotus 15 who had comfortably led from the start. Third across the line was the Lister Costin of Carlos Monteverde and Gary Pearson followed by the Tojeiro Jaguar of Cottingham / Massimiliano.
Further down the grid amongst the Woodcote Trophy cars, Fred Wakeman and Patrick Blakeney-Edwards were triumphant in the Cooper T38 at long last, followed by a brilliant result in the Healey 100S of Karsten Le Blanc and Nigel Greensall to come 2nd ahead of the JD Classics Cooper Jaguar T33 piloted by Chris Ward and Derek Hood.
Sunday morning was the turn of the GT & Sports Car Cup for Pre 66 cars where 28 cars took to the grid for 2 hours. The Jaguar E-Type of Calum Lockie and Julian Thomas led the grid off on the rolling start but it wasn’t going to be their day, as the Jaguar expired halfway through bringing out the safety car and allowing the Jaguar E-Type of Derek Hood, Chris Ward and John Young a clear path to victory. Following them was a trio of AC Cobras led by the Chiles family, Wakeman-Hall were 5th in another Jaguar E-Type and after that it was a battle of the big Healeys. All three Healey 3000s led the battle at one point in the race, but the final finishing order was Clarkson-Smithies-Pangborn, followed by Le Blanc-Greensall then Grace-Rawles.
Full results from the weekend can be found here
A great weekend, superb weather and an awesome track, all the ingredients for the perfect season wrap!
