RACES 1&2 : 10&11 April 2010
report by Nicky Paul-Barron

Finally the months of waiting were over. It was suddenly Spring and our Club’s circuit racers mustered at Snetterton. There was an excellent entry of 26 cars for classic. We did however lose four cars before the weekend even started, there seems never enough time to prepare a car for the start of a new season. The biggest impact amongst these were no less than three potential front runners, Gary Culver, Graham Reeder and Chris Compton-Goddard.

Qualifying was dry and quite warm. Ben Cartwright (328) took the honours from Dave Tomlin (328), Fred Honnor (308) and Nick Taylor (Mondial). Next up were William Jenkins (308), Peter Everingham (328), and Chris Butler (328). Jim Cartwright had experienced a licence problem (didn’t arrive in time) and would have to start Race 1 from the back of the field. Father Nick Cartwright fell foul of a scrutineer, with an errant cut-out switch, and would have to do likewise.

It was good to see Ray Ferguson out in his Mondial which was beautifully prepared as expected. Also Mondial mounted was Martin Hart, who was going very well. Notable too was Wayne Marrs, having his first outing in the ex. Marco Pullen 328 GTB which is now a much more attractive racing red. Wayne qualified mid-pack but is bound to improve.

Seconds Out – Round 1

The grid at Snett. is set far too tight, particularly as there seems to be no particular reason to set it this way. Do you go on the lights or when the car in front moves? If anyone gets a poor start others get delayed and it can greatly effect the race. One to watch of course was Jim Cartwright, who in normal circumstances was a potential race winner. Starting from the back how would he fare?

At the end of lap 1 it was Tomlin, Ben C, Evers, Honnor, Jenkins and Chris Butler. Jim C had progressed to 11th on lap 1! Things were not at all well in the Mondial of Nick Taylor. What is that banging noise in corners and why is the engine misfiring? He couldn’t possibly have left a 20 litre metal Jerry can in the Mondial’s boot, could he? There is a lot of electronics in the boot of a Mondial. Ummm, let’s just say that after plodding around for a while Nick retired, and leave it at that.

Let’s jump to the end of lap 5. By now there was a clear leading pack. Tommo, Ben C, Evers and Jenkins all pretty close. Honnor a little further back, being chased hard by Jim C, whose progress was as startling as his driving sometimes is. On lap 6 Jenkins got by Evers. QV London bosses Mick & Phil were there to see the Gulf-coloured 308 that they prepare for William going so well. These two have been involved with our Club racing scene from the very beginning and maybe it is about time that they received some recognition from the Club for such a great contribution.

The lead four were in a tight pack, which was great to watch. Jim C was closing fast on our Club Secretary however. The change came about on lap 12. Jim made a move on the outside of the entry to Russell Chicane. This is what can be called a stop move, in that it totally relies on the car in front allowing it to happen. If the lead car takes his line (as he is entitled to do) there is an accident.

Fortunately for Jim, Peter is a very experienced racer who certainly has no desire to damage his car. He saw Jim coming, let him through, and lost the place. I think that’s a beer due to Evers. There were very decent scraps through the field and the race was an excellent advert for the series.

The 20 minute, 14 lap race saw a very deserved win for David Tomlin, who had driven immaculately from lap 1. Ben C was next up, from brother Jim C, who had managed to pass William Jenkins before the end. William got delayed so it was Evers next up, from a rather quiet Chris Butler and Wayne Marrs. Fred Honnor had slowed to finish in 14th place. His “new” aftermarket clutch had cried enough. Under warranty surely Fred? DNFs were Nick Taylor (unmentionable) and Geoff Neal, who had suffered the common 328 oil cooler fracture.

Class winners were William Moorwood – GT4 (class 1), William Jenkins – 308 GTB (class 2), Tomlin – 328 GTB (class 3) and Jim Cartwright 328 GTB (class 4).

Race 2

The grid positions for Race 2 were based on the finishing order from round 1. This put Jim C on the second row, making him most people’s favourite for a race win. Jim’s is a Class 4 car, and therefore should be a little faster than Tomlin or Ben C, who are both in the less modified Class 3.

However you have to be in it to win it and as the cars left the collection area there was no Jim. Dad Nick’s car was a non-starter due to a mechanical issue, but Jim was just plain late. He would have to start from the pit lane. The race was set for a longer than usual 30 minutes. This is right on the limit for fuel in any car running with a single tank.

Lights out and away they go again. Best starter was Chris Butler, who I suspect had given himself a stern talking to the night before. I don’t know what Chris does off the line sometimes that is different from everyone else, but if you could bottle it you would make a fortune [he's a hillclimber of course - Ed].

Leading lap 1 however was Ben C, from Tomlin, Butler, Everingham, Marrs and Jenkins. William’s modified 308 is not as easy to get going as some others. Perhaps a more standard clutch/flywheel arrangement would actually provide a net gain for him? By lap 5 Evers had got past Butler but most other positions had remained the same. Honnor had made it up to 7th from 14th, and Jim C had got to 12th from the pit lane start.

By Lap 10 the front two had pulled a decent gap from Evers who himself had gained a decent lead from Butler. Jim C by now was 5th from Honnor and Wayne Marrs. Wayne was struggling with locking brakes into the Russell chicane. There had been a brake pad change overnight, but quite why it had become so bad is a mystery. Nick Taylor was progressing well at this point.

Midway through the race some oil had been put down on the circuit. This particularly effected the braking area into Russell. Drivers were having difficulty stopping and several missed the chicane altogether. A few years ago this would have been deep gravel. A few years before that it would have been a case of hitting something solid. Today the error seems to be pretty much penalty free. This is how racing has changed over the years.

The Clerk of the Course should decide if any advantage had been gained and act accordingly, with a time penalty or drive through etc. Missing the chicane once is OK, and maybe twice could be OK if no positions are gained. How many times did Jim C miss it out? I lost count at 4. It could have been more!

The front two had remained pretty static. I always felt that Tomlin could challenge Ben in time and I suspect he was being patient. However one or two tiny mistakes later and the chance was gone. Ben C drove to a well deserved win and he was completely delighted. Tomlin had dropped back 14 seconds by the flag, and Jim C was a further 15 seconds behind that. In fact Evers. had started to close Jim down, and with a few more laps my well have challenged again for 3rd position.

Fred Honnor was 5th from Butler, Jenkins and Nick Taylor who enjoyed a much better day. There were no incidents of damage, and everyone was happy with a great weekend’s classic racing.

Class winners were William Moorwood – GT4 (class 1), Fred Honnor – 308 GTB (class 2), Ben Cartwright – 328 GTB (class 3), and Jim Cartwright – 328 GTB (class 4). The Hackwood formula classic 'Driver of the Meeting' was Fred Honnor. His overnight clutch change and general “never say die” attitude, coupled to a very decent pace made him a deserved and popular winner.

Our PFfc series is in great health. I know that motorsport is a sport of “ifs”. But IF everyone ever turns out for one of these races don’t for goodness sake ever miss watching it. At Snett there were at least ten potential winners. I have followed our Club racing scene from day 1. Believe me, it has never been like this before. I am told the 30 or so Anglia Group members who came along on the Sunday enjoyed their day at the races. Well done AGO Andrew Holman for making the necessary arrangements.