Prosport LM3000

[Ian Sowman]

I only have programmes back to 1996 with me here - I am visiting the parents tomorrow so may peruse the previous ten years there.

But in 1996 the BRSCC Pro-Sport 3000 Championship visited Mallory Park on 11 August for a 22-lap race (then that would have been considered something of an endurance event by club standards!).

Sixteen cars entered and qualified in the following order:

Eugene O'Briene (De Wallens Racing), William Hewland (Hewland Engineering Motorsport), Michael Millard (Gold Center Jewellers), Nigel Greensall (Nigel Greensall Motorsport), Tom Reeve (HEM), David Jacklin (Mark Bailey Racing), Phillip Bullman, Nigel James, Barry Shaw, Kevin Sherwood, Phill Armour, Geoff Janes, Dave Brunsdon, Chris Gilbert, Chris Lord and Gene Gibson.

Unfortunately, I can't find in my archives the race report and results I produced for that one.

For the equivalent meeting on 7 September 1997, the entry was down to 11, but with one withdrawal. Millard, Gilbert, Brunsdon, Lord, Shaw, Tavo Hellmun (Mark Bailey Racing), James, Bob Light, Martin Harrison, Armour and John Lee were the entrants, although Brunsdon withdrew.

I have found my report on this meeting, but clearly the 25-lap ProSport 3000 race didn't make much of an impact as it didn't get a mention.

A few weeks later, on 26 October, the championship finale took place at Donington Park. There were 12 entries this time - John Barnard being the extra one. According to the points in the programme, Michael James had already wrapped up the title quite convincingly.

By 1998, for the Mallory Park meeting on 21 June, the championship had been re-named "BRSCC Sportscar LM3000/Protosport EVO 3 Championship". EIght cars entered the LM3000 class - Nigel James, Millard, Armour, Brunsdon, Gilbert, Barnard, Lee, Howard Spooner. Mat Howard entered the Protosport EVO 3 class (of which I have no recollection whatsoever!), but he withdrew. Nigel James took the win to extend his lead in the points.

Another change for 1999, to the "Open Sports Car Championship" - a title that would be revived for 2005 by the BARC with no success whatsoever. This time there was a nine car grid for a 30-minute race at Mallory Park on 3 May - six LM3000s for Millard, Brunsdon, Jonathan Jones, Armour, Lord and Spooner, as well as three Radicals in a separate class.

At the end of the year, on 17 October, the championship visited Donington. A few more LM3000s were out - 10 of them - with Harrison, Gilbert, Barnard and Lee the additions. Two Class B cars - a Mallock and a Phantom.

And that, as far as I can remember, was pretty much that...