This courageous initiative against an industry-wide general rise in pricing is designed to bring more cars to the grid over the Club’s race meetings at Snetterton (22/23 April), Cadwell Park (6/7 May) and Silverstone Grand Prix circuit (27/28 May). The Snetterton event will include the Autosport 3 Hour race, which has an unbeatable entry fee when compared to the competition.

In the face of the current challenging financial situation for competitors and on-going increases in the cost of going racing, the HSCC has taken this very significant step to try and redress the balance and help its racers get back on circuit. The move has already been warmly welcomed by drivers.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC, said: “Clearly this is a bold move in the current financial climate and is designed to encourage more entries. We know that for many of our racers the cost of the entry fee is a critical factor when planning and budgeting their season.

“If we can achieve a modest increase in the grid size over corresponding 2022 levels by offering this reduction, then it is a win-win for everyone. We will continue to evaluate the situation as the season progresses with the intention of reducing cost further in line with entries received.

“I really hope that it will be a success and that we will be able to extend the discount across our full racing season. The HSCC has always been about providing good value racing for its members in a safe, friendly, competitive and sporting environment and this move underlines our commitment to giving our members the very best deal that we can.”

Bumper grids from a total entry of more than 270 cars delivered some great racing across two days under warm autumn sunshine on the Northamptonshire track.

Samuel Harrison had already won the Historic Formula Ford 1600 Championship but duly added two more wins to his tally and then made his Formula Junior debut to win twice in the Brabham BT6 normally handled by Michael O’Brien.

In both rear-engined Formula Junior races it was the similar BT6 of Alex Ames that led the chase and Ames closed the gap on Sunday to keep the winner under pressure for much of the 20-minute duration. Ultimately, Harrison just had the legs in a very well sorted car, which he took to in great style.

Harrison’s winning margin in the opening Historic Formula Ford race was bigger than it might have been after a mid-race safety car left his rivals caught behind a backmarker at the re-start as Harrison fired back into the lead. An opportunist move by Matt Wrigley took him up several places from the green flag but it was Sam Mitchell who took second from Wrigley with Simon Toyne and Rob Smith close behind.

On Sunday, Harrison made his escape as a four-car battle raged for second with Mitchell making the running from Wrigley, Smith and the impressive Ross Drybrough. That was how they took the flag but both Mitchell and Wrigley got a five second penalty over track limits, which elevated Smith to second and Drybrough to third.

The Guards Trophy title was settled on Saturday in a race of changing fortunes for the contenders. Peter De la Roche needed only one point to secure the title but spun early on at Luffield and was clipped by the Chevron B8 of Dan Balfour. De la Roche was out on the spot, with bent steering on the Lotus 23B. But in another twist Steve Nuttall lost the engine in his Chevron B8 and retired mid race, so De la Roche was champion after all.

Instead, the head of the race turned into a Lenham festival with four of the sports racing cars packing out the top six. Simon Jackson went solo and won by a handy margin from father and son Robert and Ben Tusting.

A fine field of nearly 30 cars lined up for the final of the Historic Road Sports Championship. It was Kevin Kivlochan in his AC Cobra who made the running from a squadron of Morgan Plus 8s, headed by William Plant and Oliver Pratt. The 70s Road Sports season ended with a victory for Julian Barter, who battled ahead in his TVR 3000M. He was never too far clear of the Marcos 3000GT of Nic Strong.

Young Harry Barton was confirmed as Historic Touring Car champion after the first of the two races with his BMW 1800. But at the head of the action, Neil Wood was peerless in his Ford Anglia and won both races in fine style.

A fine field of Aurora Trophy and Geoff Lees Trophy cars brought their season to a close and it was Mark Mercer who won the opener in his Ralt RT1 after leader Neil Glover had to retire his F5000 Chevron B37 with a loose rear wheel. Rory Smith, in his 1600cc Formula Atlantic Ralt RT4, chased Mercer home while on Sunday Glover stormed from the back of the grid to win as the safety car allowed Mercer and Martin Wood to be right on the Chevron’s tail when the results were taken at 15 laps.

Peter De la Roche and Ray Mallock were the class of the front-engined Formula Junior pack and took a win each. With a fighting drive in the second race Mallock forged ahead of the Lola and that was enough to earn him the front engine Formula Junior title.

The Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship ended with another very strong grid, close racing, and honours shared between Graham Fennymore and Benn Simms. While Fennymore won on Saturday by a quarter of a second, Simms was able to win on Sunday by a little over four seconds.

The Classic Formula 3 Championship ended with Stephen Barlow finally clinching the championship. In the opening race, guest racer Craig Dolby set the pace in the Ralt RT3 of Ian Ingram and was well ahead when the safety car came out after Barlow spun his RT3 into the gravel at Luffield.

Meanwhile, Richard Trott had spent the first part of the race parked up at Luffield after switching off his Chevron, believing he had a water leak. He then discovered that he’d picked up water from Dolby’s car and was able to restart his Chevron and take to the grid for the seven lap re-run, which he duly won from Paul Dibden’s Argo. Dolby had by now retired with a blown head gasket.

In the second race Dibden and Trott battled for the lead until Trott started to suffer from car sickness and retired. Instead, Barlow worked up onto Dibden’s tail and chased him lap after lap and crossed the line just 15 hundredths of a second adrift in second.

The Classic Clubmans season ended with a very encouraging grid of cars and some close racing as Tom Muirhead won the Class B title after chasing rival Clive Wood all the way to the flag. Up front Mark Charteris was able to ease clear and win by a handsome margin from John Harrison as series newcomer Steve Collier took third in his Mallock Mk 20/21.

Finally, the Classic Formula Ford Championship concluded with a win each for Richard Tarling and Jordan Harrison after two ferociously close contests. Tarling won the opener and took the chequered flag in the second race before being awarded a five second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage.

Two Closed Wheel races will run, one on each day of the prestigious Formula Ford knock-out event. Each race will feature a 15-minute qualifying session and a 20-lap (or 25-minute) race for an unrivalled entry fee of just £120.

The Saturday race will be for cars from Historic Road Sports, 70s Road Sports, Guards Trophy (GT classes), 80s Production and Historic Touring Cars along with an invitation class for similar cars. Sunday’s race will be for cars from the Thundersports series, Historic Modsports and Special Saloons, Classic Clubmans and the sports-racing classes form the Guards Trophy.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC, said: “We were keen to give something back to our competitors and I’m very pleased that we are able to make this rather special end-of-season offer. Around 40 minutes of track time for £120 is an exceptional deal and I look forward to seeing lots of our racing members taking advantage of this opportunity.”

The Historic Sports Car Club’s package of racing delivered the on-track action where the headline star was young Samuel Harrison who won four of the weekend’s races and secured the Historic Formula Ford title in the process.

Classic Clubmans opened the racing on Saturday, just as light rain started to fall. Unfortunately, Adrian Holey went off into the gravel trap at the first corner prompting a red flag and at the restart Trevor Welsh in his Sports 2000 Lola was in a league of his own and won at a canter on his home track.. On Sunday, Welsh led early on but Clive Wood was able to move ahead on a dry track and win.

An excellent grid of Historic Road Sports cars delivered two entertaining races in vastly differing weather conditions. On Saturday, John Davison (Lotus Elan) and John Shaw (Morgan Plus 8) pulled clear of the field with Davison going on to win by nearly half a minute. On Sunday, Kevin Kivlochan’s Cobra was a much happier beast, but Davison still had the legs to win commandingly as Kivlochan pushed Shaw back to third.

The Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship races were all about the title contest between Benn Simms and Graham Fennymore and it was Simms who won the opener on a wet and slippery track. Simms was aided when Fennymore spun into the Complex on the first lap and dropped back. On Sunday, after a red flag, Simms’s start was deemed to be too good and he picked up a 10s penalty which dropped him to fifth in the results. Instead, Fennymore took the win from the on-form Drew Cameron.

The only single race of the weekend was the 40-minute enduro for the Guards Trophy and it was Simon Jackson, racing his Lenham P70 solo this time, who took control and ran out a healthy winner with a 22s margin over the Chevron B8 of Steve Nuttall. John Davison was the best of the GT cars in his Lotus Elan 26R.

Jeremy Clark was the star of the 70s Road Sports races, winning twice in both wet and dry conditions. On Saturday, he was headed on the road by the 80s Production Vauxhall Carlton of Cliff Butler. But in the dry on Sunday, Clark was peerless in his Lotus Elan and won at a canter as Antony Ross brought his TVR 3000M up into second.

The opening Aurora and Geoff Lees Trophy race took in the worst of the conditions on Saturday and two red flags led to the result being declared after two racing laps. At the time Richard Evans was narrowly leading in his March 782 from the Formula Atlantic Ralt RT4 of Rory Smith. In the dry on Sunday Evans led briefly before retiring the March and it was Smith who took over to win, but not by much as Graham Ridgway in his March 742 finished less than four seconds down.

Racing on his home track, Samuel Harrison was the star of the Historic Formula 3 Championship as he took two commanding wins in his Chevron B15. In both wet and dry conditions, Harrison won by around 40 seconds. On Saturday, behind Harrison, Josh Sharp and Simon Armer battled for second and it was Sharp who got the nod by just over half a second. On Sunday, Armer was able to turn the tables and take second by three quarters of a second with Peter Hamilton’s Tecno chasing them home.

Harrison also starred in the Historic Formula Ford Championship races to take a double win and secure the 2022 crown. In Saturday’s rain he won by nearly 40s as Oliver Chapman’s Lola took second. On Sunday, Harrison did it again but this time it was Callum Grant who starred by bringing his Merlyn from the back of the grid to second over Rob Smith and Chris Porritt.

Both Classic Formula Ford Championship races ran on in the dry of Sunday and it was Grant who completed a fine weekend with a double victory. In the opening race, a fine three-way lead battle also involved Tom MacArthur and Jordan Harrison but, unfortunately, they tangled on lap 10 and that brought out the red flag. At the end of Sunday afternoon, Grant had things a little easier as MacArthur and Harrison both started from the back of the grid.

From a good grid of Historic Touring Cars, it was the Minis that dominated in Saturday’s rain as Barry Sime narrowly led Philip House home. Roger Godfrey and Steve Youle battled for third while Neil Wood, Mark Watts and Warren Briggs were all further back as they struggled in their various Fords. In the dry on Sunday it was Wood’s Anglia that moved ahead of the Minis and win at a canter as Briggs brought the Mustang through to second place.

Continuing his rise to prominence, young Samuel Harrison took two consummate wins in the Historic Formula Ford races. The victories also added his name to the Paul Simms Memorial Trophy presented by Paul’s son Benn.

It was the first of the HFF races that started the days programme of races. A lap one incident when Scott Rawlinson had a brake pad pop out leaving him stranded, luckily without too much damage to his Merlyn. That resulted in a red flag with a full 20-minute restart for everyone else.

Off the line it was Harrison from Ted Pearson with Chris Porritt coming through in third place. Harrison gradually increased his lead over Pearson to a comfortable gap, which was fortuitous as a split rim on the rear wheel of his Merlyn resulted in a puncture towards the end of the race which Harrison nursed home to win by just 1.5s. The battle for third was more intense, with Rob Smith, Porritt, Ross Drybrough and Paul Unsworth all engaged in battle

In the second of the HFF races Harrison drove a conservative race to win by just over 12s. The focus this time was on the progress of Scott Rawlinson who, with his car repaired, started from the back.

Rawlinson soon got into his stride, setting fastest lap and mixing it with the train of cars fighting for second place. In the early laps second position had been held by Pearson, but his start had been deemed too quick and he was carrying a ten second penalty. But by staying with the five-car train contesting second place he only lost one place in the results, dropping from fifth to sixth. The train was eventually headed by Porritt who took second from fellow Over 50s class runner Smith, with Porritt also taking the fastest lap.

The second race was the first of the combined races with Historic Touring Cars being joined by the Historic Modsports and Saloons. Because of the differences between the classes the Historic Touring Cars were first away with the Modsports following after a 20s delay. For two laps Neil Wood in his Ford Anglia had the honour of leading the pack followed by Peter Smith (Lotus Cortina) but at the end of the second lap the leader was the TVR Griffith of eventual winner Nigel Reuben.

With Reuben in the lead a dominant win seemed likely but Myles Castaldini, who had to qualify out of session when a loose wire on the ignition prevented him from setting a time in his Davrian, had different ideas. Starting from the back Myles quickly scythed through the field to close in on Reuben. With three laps to go Castaldini had got within striking distance of the TVR but was unable to make a pass and finished just three tenths of a second behind.

Wood retained the lead of the Historic Touring Cars whilst holding third overall on the road until being passed with two laps to go by the Modsports Fiat X1/9 of Alistair Baptie. Smith finished second in the Historic Touring cars with third place taken by fellow Lotus Cortina racer Nigel Cox. The Historic Touring cars had a second race later in the day, this time without the Modsports. Wood claimed his second win of the day from Steve Platts and Cox.

The Historic Road Sports had one 25-minute race, won by Kevin Kivlochan in his repaired AC Cobra sporting the damage patina from his Cadwell Park incident. All of the excitement was in his wake and Peter Garland (Morgan Plus 8) kept Kevin in sight throughout the race, finishing 2.7s behind.

Mark Charteris was in top form and dominated both of the Classic Clubmans races to score two easy wins. In the Class B Kent engined Clubmans classes race one featured a great dice between Adam Paterson and Tom Muirhead and the day resulted in a double class win for Paterson. Stephen Barlow topped the Classic F3 runners from Neil Jenkins.

The 70s Road Sports contenders, like the Historic Road Sports, had a single 25-minute race. Charles Barter in the Datsun 240Z made a demon start from third on the grid, but he and Steve Bellerby (TVR 3000M) were awarded 10 second penalties for false start. John Williams (Porsche 911SC) ran second for much of the race keeping Charles within his sights but retired on lap nine with a broken drive shaft. With a 15s margin back to Jeremy Clark, Barter was able to claim the top spot despite the penalty.

After a three year absence, this headline event at the Darlington circuit will return with its winning mix of on-track racing, parades, demonstrations and off-track activities all celebrating a period ranging from the 1940s through to the 1980s.

The HSCC will be managing the race programme which will include sports and GT racing from the Guards Trophy, 70s Road Sports, Historic Road Sports and Classic Clubmans.

Single-seaters play a major part in the event, topped by the Formula 5000, Formula 2 and Formula Atlantic cars in the Aurora Trophy. One of the fastest cars of the weekend will be local ace Richard Evans from Whitley Bay in his Formula Atlantic March 79B. Richard’s father Jim was a regular winner at Croft in Special Saloons in the 1980s.

More top flight single-seater action will come from Historic Formula Ford 2000, Historic Formula Ford, Historic Formula 3 and Classic Formula Ford Championships. In Historic Formula Ford, Ripon teenager Samuel Harrison has been the star of the season and could clinch the title at his home track before looking to move further up the racing ladder, such is his natural talent.

It is a bumper programme of racing with double headers for many of the categories while the Guards Trophy will be a 40-minute pit-stop race for 1960s GT and sports-racing cars. The Historic Touring Cars are always crowd pleasers and the early entries include former BTCC racer Simon Blanckley in an Austin A40.

Off track, there will be much to entertain the whole family with a real festival feeling. Live music, traditional fairgrounds, car club and vintage displays are all part of the weekend and spectators are encouraged to arrive in period of dress ranging from the 1940s to the ‘50s and the swinging ‘60s. Hundreds of classic cars are expected at what is one of the premier events of the genre in the North-East.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC said: “After a sabbatical, we are delighted to be playing a key role in the return of the Croft Nostalgia Festival. We’re taking a full programme of HSCC racing to what has always been a very popular event at a popular track. It should be a great weekend as we head into the closing stages of our 2022 racing season. I’m sure there will be some great battles as championships start to be won and lost.”

Good grids, and lots of close and exciting racing typified the weekend although the issue of track limits did have an impact. Notably, in the Formula Ford races a range of penalties were handed out and impacted the final race results.

It was a remarkable weekend for young Benn Tilley in the Aurora Trophy races and he ended up winning both races as red flags played to his advantage. In the soaking rain on Saturday Tilley was sublime in his Formula Atlantic Modus M1 and was able to exploit the cars sure-footed pace far better than Michael Lyons who was battling with the Formula 5000 Lola T400. Lyons worked hard to try and get some power onto the wet road and finally squeezed ahead into Redgate going into lap eight.

However, at much the same time, Michael Bainbridge spun his Brabham BT35 at the Old Hairpin which required a red flag and on countback, the result went to Tilley. In the dry on Sunday, Lyons was off like a rocket and built a big lead as he roared the 5000 around.

Unfortunately, in the closing stages of the race a tall plume of smoke from the back of the Lola showed that all was not well and Michael sensibly parked it as quickly as possible. However, the car was in a position that again required a red flag and though the result was taken back a lap the fact that he was not running at the time of the red flag meant that Lyons was not classified as a finisher. At much the same time, Mike Bletsoe-Brown had battled his Chevron B27 up from the back of the grid to sneak ahead of Tilley. But once again, the result was taken back a lap and so Tilley took a double win.

Richard Tarling kept his head while others had moments in the opening Classic FF1600 race. Henry Chart and Tom McArthur were his big rivals as Jordan Harrison fought back after an early moment. But both Chart and McArthur then had moments of their own, three spins in one lap in the case of McArthur, and that left Tarling with a handy lead.

Sunday’s Classic FF race looked like going to McArthur who escaped clear at the front and built a handy lead as the others fought in his wake. Tarling pushed hard to fend off Harrison and Chart with Rick Morris sitting at the tail of the pack. But Tarling went out after a clash of wheels at Redgate and when MacArthur and Chart picked up track limit penalties, Morris was declared victor by a whisker from Harrison.

Steve Nuthall was the class of the Guards Trophy in his Chevron B8, despite limited experience in this type of car. He was well clear of father and son Westie and Ben Mitchell in their B8 after 40 minutes. In the GT class John Davison just held off Sam Smith in a battle of the Lotus Elans.

Samuel Harrison started Saturday with a resounding victory in the Historic Formula Ford opener as both Tom McArthur and Callum Grant lost time with moments and had to fight back to pick up the remaining podium positions.

Sunday’s Historic FF1600 race was a curious affair after a monster battle at the front between Harrison, Grant and McArthur. There was a brief safety car period after Cormac Flanagan sent pulse rates rocketing when he spun in front of a pack on the exit of Coppice. Ultimately, track limit penalties and a ride height issue for Jamie Vinall-Meyer finally handed victory to Grant, who had taken the flag in fourth.

In the first Thundersports Mark Richardson was another driver making up ground after an early moment and he had to work his way ahead of the mighty McLaren M8E of Warren Briggs. The soaking conditions made life difficult for the McLaren and Richardson was able to push his Lola T290 ahead for a classy win as Simon Watts rounded out the podium in his Chevron B26.

With Richardson missing Sunday’s race and the McLaren destined not to finish after transmission failure, Watts took a clear victory from Gary Furst (Lola T212) and Robert Parker (Osella PA5).

Julian Barter scored a resounding 70s Road Sports victory in his TVR 3000M. Though Jim Dean’s Lotus Europa led the first four laps Barter was menacing from the start and eased ahead of the Lotus into a lead he would never lose.

Though Dean tried to chase, he soon had series returnee John Williams (Porsche 911SC) on his tail after the Porsche had edged Jeremy Clark’s Lotus Elan back to fourth early on. It took Williams until lap 13 to find a gap in Dean’s defences but Dean re-took the place as they raced through traffic in the final laps.

Young Samuel Harrison was the class of a bumper Historic F3 pack and won commandingly in both wet and dry races in his Chevron B15. In increasingly wet conditions on Saturday Harrison was away and gone on the first lap and extended a big lead over Ian Bankhurst and Jeremy Timms. It was closer on Sunday but Harrison still went clear as Timms and Bankhurst led the pursuit. This time they traded podium places as Timms took second while Armer was fourth.

In the Sunday morning Historic Formula Ford 2000 race Benn Simms made much of the running, but Graham Fennymore was a constant threat and squeezed ahead later in the race. Later, a jumble the first corner allowed Adrian Reynard to jump into the lead and stay there for several laps, until Simms got organised and swept ahead. Reynard then defended his second place for several laps until Fennymore dived ahead. But by then, Simms was well clear and Fennymore had to settle for second as Reynard claimed a podium finish.

Bob Bullen set the early Historic Touring Car pace in his Lotus Cortina but when he retired Neil Wood was able to move ahead and score the first of what would be a weekend double in his rapid Ford Anglia. At the end of Sunday, Mark Watts led the chase of Wood with his Mustang as Bullen started from the back of the grid and battled through to fourth.

Kevin Kivlochan switched his Morgan Plus 8 to the Historic Road Sports race and headed a whole squadron of Morgans for a hard earned victory. In the early laps team mate John Shaw was mighty as he took the fight to Kivlochan but later in the race it was Robin Pearce and Peter Garland who took up the pursuit of the leading Morgan.

It took him a few laps to depose early leader Mike Lane in Classic Clubmans, but once ahead Spencer McCarthy took control of the race. Alan Cook tracked McCarthy and edged Lane back to third while Barry Webb had to keep pushing to fend off Tom Muirhead for the Class B spoils.

A safety car and an early red flag failed to unsettle Ashley Dibden in the opening Monoposto race as he took his Dallara F301 to a fine win in horrible conditions. In the other Monoposto race, David Heavey was victorious in his Leastone despite the best efforts of James Rimmer. In the dry, wins went to Tony Bishop and Billy Styles.

Despite Sunday’s terrible conditions, the full programme was completed safely thanks to the dedication of the marshalling team and the co-operation of all the competitors.

Saturday’s racing ran on a dry track but in cold conditions while Sunday was a battle against heavy rain and standing water. Notable winners included double victors Michael O’Brien in Formula Junior, Graham Fennymore in Historic Formula Ford 2000 and John Shaw in Historic Road Sports.

The two HFF2000 races were decided by a total margin of little more than half a second as Fennymore and Benn Simms battled furiously. After some wheel-to-wheel action Fennymore just got the nod on both days to bring the season tally to five wins for Simms and three wins for Fennymore.

On Saturday, young Ben Glasswell drove a strong race to take third and was never too far back from the leading duo while staying well clear of Lee Bankhurst’s Royale RP30. On Sunday Bankhurst moved up to complete the podium ahead of the ever- improving Ollie Roberts.

Historic Formula Ford 1600 victories were shared between Samuel Harrison and Tom McArthur. On Saturday, they battled mightily until McArthur’s Titan speared off at the Mountain and rattled along the barriers, smashing a brake disc in the process. That left Harrison well clear of Danny Stanzl, who hurled his Elden Mk8 around in acrobatic style over the twists, turns and brows of Cadwell. Relative newcomer Oliver Chapman was a strong third after fending off over 50s winner Rob Smith.

On Sunday McArthur was at the back of the grid but mastered the conditions to battle up the order and headed Samuel Harrison by three seconds at the flag, with Chapman completing the podium. McArthur also took Sunday’s win in Classic Formula Ford 1600 but on Saturday had been convincingly out-paced by Jordan Harrison in his Lola T540E. In Sunday’s rain, McArthur got the Merlyn ahead, but was only a third of a second clear at the flag as Jordan Harrison mounted a sterling challenge.

Michael O’Brien, as expected, was the class of the Formula Junior field and won both races at a canter in his Brabham BT6 as Benn Simms lead the chase in the drum-braked Caravalle Mk2 of Jim Blockley. The story was much the same on Sunday when the remaining runners were combined into one grid. Nic Carlton-Smith headed the earlier cars with his Kieft in Saturday’s race, and then rounded out the overall podium on Sunday behind O’Brien and Simms.

A strong 70s Road Sports grid delivered two good races and on Saturday it was Julian Barter who fended off the challenge of Jeremy Clark to win in his first race of the season in his TVR 3000M. Julian’s father Charles was back in third where he held off the Lotus Europa of Paul Tooms. However, on Sunday, it was Tooms who took control in the rain and fended off Barter Sr by seven seconds, with Julian back in third in the TVR in a fine battle with Adam Bagnall (Jaguar E-type) and Clark (Lotus Elan).

The Classic Clubmans field produced another Harrison win on Saturday, the third for the name as John Harrison held off a determined challenge from Alan Cook to take the spoils, while young Tom Muirhead drove well in the Formula Ford engined class to head Adam Patterson and Barry Webb. The second Clubmans race on Sunday was eventually dropped as a number of the drivers elected not to race in the difficult conditions.

When Kevin Kivlochan slid his AC Cobra into the tyre wall at the hairpin in Historic Road Sports qualifying, he left the way open for John Shaw to take a commanding double win in his Morgan +8. In the dry, Jonathan Stringer’s Lotus Seven was a constant threat as the gap ebbed and flowed in traffic, while on Sunday it was Mark Godfrey who led the chase of the impressive Shaw in his Ginetta G4.

Sharing a grid each day were the Historic Touring Cars and the first pilot race for the HSCC’s new Historic Modsports and Saloons category. On Sunday morning, the three Modsports and Saloons moved to the front of the field as Myles Castaldini scored an emphatic win in his Davrian Mk8 from Steve Watton’s Turner and the Ford Escort of Ronnie Haines. Dan Cox, who was standing in for Jimmy Fuller, was best of the Historic Touring Car pack in Fuller’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint.

The story was similar later on Sunday in the second race as Castaldini won well with Watton second, while the best of the Touring Cars was the BMW 1800 Ti of young Harry Barton. Finally, two guest races up for the Northern Saloon and Sportscar Championship delivered two wins for the Subaru Impreza of Chris Huntley.

On a cold but dry weekend the 70s Road Sports Championship opened with a double-header and two enthralling races delivered victories for Kevin Kivlochan and Charles Barter.

In the opening race Barter set the early pace in his Datsun 240Z until a misfire set him and sent him to the pits. Jeremy Clark wriggled his Lotus Elan to the front and withstood lap after lap of pressure from Kivlochan’s Morgan Plus 8. Clark drove a superb race and seemed to have just done enough until he ran wide at Graham Hill Bend on the last lap. That was all that Kivlochan needed to dive ahead and steal victory. Paul Tooms brought his Lotus Europa home third while fourth overall was a fantastic result, the best yet, for David Tomkinson in his giant-killing TVR Vixen.

Later, the cars were back out for the second race and Kivlochan led as far as Druids on the opening lap before the Morgan plunged off into the gravel. After a red flag, the Morgan was pulled out of the gravel and Kivlochan re-took his pole position to lead once more over the early laps as Clark and Tooms lead the chase.

Meanwhile, Barter had started dead last on the grid but stormed up the order to move into fourth and then started attacking the leading trio. At the same time, Kivlochan started to lose ground and eventually slipped to fourth as Clark took the lead. But Barter dived ahead on what proved to be the lap that mattered as the Morgan dumped all its oil going into Surtees and the race was halted.

The combined Formula Atlantic and Classic F3 races were won in style by Rory Smith in his Ralt RT4. Mark Mercer led the opening laps of both races in his earlier March but could never hold off the flying Ralt as the race developed. Once ahead, Smith romped clear for two commanding wins.

Mercer well deserved his second place on Saturday as young Samuel Harrison finally got the better of Robin Lackford’s GRD 272 to bring his Lola T240 home third. On Sunday, Mercer was a late retirement, so Harrison moved up to second place. Best of the Formula 3 pack was Tony Hancock in the Lola T670 who had a little in hand over David Thorburn’s Ralt RT3.

Formula Juniors had a single race for each grid and in the quicker rear-engined set Michael O’Brien was a commanding victor in the Speedsport Brabham BT6. In the early laps, a fine four-way battle ran at the head of the race, as Horatio Fitz-Simon, Clive Richards and Andrew Hibberd chased O’Brien. While O’Brien then eased away, Fitz-Simon and Richards battled mightily for second until Fitz-Simon lost engine power at Clearways and cruised to the pits. In the largely front-engined race Chris Drake won at a canter in his Terrier as Nic Carlton-Smith had to race hard in his Kieft to fend off Alex Morton in the Condor.

Benn Simms set a fierce pace in the opening Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship contest. Twice Simms got away from the start and went clear of fellow former champions Graham Fennymore and Andrew Park but the red flag came out after Ian Foley and Jason Redding tangled at Paddock. The second attempt lasted only a lap or two and the third attempt was rescheduled for Sunday morning when Simms again took control.

The second FF2000 Championship race went the same way as Simms once again got off the line superbly and made his break on the opening lap. Fennymore and Park were the best of the rest and this time Fennymore was fractionally ahead when the race was halted after 13 laps with Gary Fletcher’s Delta stranded in the gravel at Paddock.

John Harrison was the class of the Classic Clubmans field and held Spencer McCarthy at arm’s length in both races for a fine pair of wins on his home track. Behind McCarthy, Mike Lane and Alan Cook rounded out the top four. In the B Sport class Clive Wood took a double win, though his progress to victory was aided by problems for Barry Webb.

The opening Historic Touring Car race was a real highlight. Four cars set the pace, topped by Jack Moody in his newly-built Lotus Cortina while Bill Sollis threw his Mini Cooper around to head the chase. Mike Gardiner and Bob Bullen were right in contention and it was Gardiner who picked his way to the front when Moody slowed with a misfire, Bullen had oil pressure issues and Sollis ran short of fuel thanks to a carburettor problem. With his fuel flow restored, Sollis charged ahead in the second race when early leader Gardiner briefly faltered.

The Historic Road Sports race was a fine affair and the result was in doubt until the last corner. Frazer Gibney worked his Lotus Elan ahead at the start but then had the AC Cobra of Kevin Kivlochan pressing hard. Eventually power told, and Kivlochan moved ahead but Gibney was not about to give up and gave mighty chase. Into Clearways for the final time, Gibney gave it his best shot with a bold attack and came so close to getting under the Cobra. Peter Garland worked his Morgan Plus 8 ahead of Jonathan Stringer’s Lotus 7 to take third.

Four free practice sessions will be held on the Saturday morning of the race weekend and again on the Sunday morning before the start of qualifying. The 20-minute sessions will be split into open and closed wheel groups and will be free of charge to HSCC racing members, with priority given to those entered to race over the weekend.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC, said: “On the back of a successful 2021 season, we thought it would be good to give something back to our members. We recognise that the time and cost of a dedicated pre-season shakedown can be prohibitive, so this is the perfect way for our racing members to give their cars a run before going into the first qualifying session of the season.”

Though priority will go to those racing at Brands Hatch over the weekend, subject to availability, this will be a chance for all HSCC racing members to get some track time.

A booking form for the free practice sessions is here:

https://hscc.org.uk/event/brands-hatch-indy-2-3-april/