CTCRC - Thruxton Classic preview - 24th March 2002

[AndyF]

Some of the ten-tenths members have contributed to this article previewing the CTCRC Race meeting at Thrxuton on March 24th. My thanks for there help, and I hope this encourages some more ten-tenths members to come along!

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Classic Touring Car Racing Championships make a welcome return to Thruxton

For many enthusiasts, Motorsport means the thrill and glamour of Formula One, or perhaps the ultra-competitive nature of the British Touring Car Championship, which is beginning to revert to the same glory as in its halcyon days of Super Touring in the mid-90s. However, if you go back further in time, things were very different, when, in the 1970s, the Sunbeam Imp, Chevy Camaro and later the Japanese models like the Toyota were the cars to have. For those who look back fondly on those days, or remember even further back to the very beginnings of the BTCC and the days of Jack Sears and Jim Clark, then you are likely to find a common interest with the competitors in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club (CTCRC). The series has been re-launched for this season, after running under the guise of the Classic Saloon Car Championship (CSCC) since its inception in the mid- 1970s. The CTCRC caters for former Touring Car machines from the late 50’s to the last of the heavily modified saloons of the late 1980s. Running as a club series, it allows the drivers to race these machines at a greatly reduced cost than many did when they ran in the BTCC or similar championships. The CTCRC runs five different championships for models from each era of saloon car racing, while the championships are divided up into classes to ensure even more action and competition.

The Historic Touring Car Championship was formerly the Classic Saloon and Historic Touring Car championship, itself an amalgamation of two separate classes, merged to combat the falling number of racecars that are available for the series. The championship caters for Touring Cars built before 1966, and it includes a variety of American Muscle Cars as well as some of the British challengers of the time, including Jaguars and Lotus Cortinas. The championship has undergone a raft of changes for the 2002 season, with updated regulations initiated to keep the costs down and add to the spectacle on the track. Last season the title was claimed by one of the least powerful cars in field, the Morris Minor of Tony Lake, taking advantage of the CTCRC’s class system helps to provide even competition throughout the championship. The Post Historic Touring Car championship caters for the models built prior to 1974, and benefits from the explosion of interest in Touring Car Racing in the 1970s, with a wide variety of more technically advanced saloon cars, from the Ford Capri to some of the more powerful Rovers, Fords and Chevrolets. As with the Historic Touring Car Championship, the champion came from one of the smaller-engined classes, in this case, Glenn Canning racing a NSU. The Group 1 Touring Car championship is often the best supported of the CTCRC series, and caters for a great variety of saloon cars from the early 1980s, with models from Talbot, Toyota, Mazda and VW commonplace at most events. In 2001, Steve Cripps beat all-comers in his class on all but two occasions, and often humbled some of the Class A & B machines on his way to the Class C and Overall Title in his Ford Escort RS2000.

Racing under the Mallet Racing banner, Buckinghamshire driver Peter Mallett competes in a 3.0 Litre Ford Capri in the Group 1 Touring Car Championship, having cut his teeth in Formula Ford and latterly the MG Owners Club administered MG Metro series, in which he finished second in class in 1993. Peter began his Metro campaign despite limited finances. ‘I bought the Metro for £750 and got it built up by Malcolm Beer. I couldn’t afford an engine, so I made do with the standard engine, new shells and bearing, and polished the head myself’. Having upgraded to an ex-Modified Ford Saloon Car Championship Capri, he competes whenever business commitments allow. The CTCRC is widely recognised as one of the more welcoming series on the club racing scene, as Peter explains - ‘As a novice driver, I’d look seriously at the CTCRC championships, in particular the Classics, which are an ideal way to enter club racing. They’re relatively cheap to run because modifications are limited. There are a variety of cars to choose from and a lot of friendly advice available in the Paddock. The Club has its own hospitality bus and there’s always somebody willing to help if you get any problems.’
A driver who echoes Peter’s thoughts is Tony Palmer, a competitor in the CTCRC’s Classic Thunder championship who revealed his views on racing with the club. ‘They are a friendly bunch, the hierarchy are helpful and approachable and in the paddock everyone gets on well and seem willing to help each other where ever possible.’
The Classic Thunder Championship is a recent initiative of the CTCRC, and provides a home for the heavily modified machines of the 1980s, and well as those cars prepared to race in what was the BTCC supporting Classic Touring Car Championship of the mid-1990s. Tony, who drives a Rover SD1 in the Classic Thunder series, moved to the series two years ago after a limited experience in Hillclimbs. He says – ‘I grew up in the 1970s and so 70’s saloons and sports cars have always been my ‘thing’. They seemed to provide a good range of categories and classes. Whilst allowing some sensible modifications it appealed that one should be able to be reasonably competitive without having to be able to throw huge sums of money at the car.’

Of course Motorsport, even at club level, is an expensive pastime for these drivers, yet the CTCRC championships do offer excellent value for both novice drivers, and the more seasoned classic racing enthusiast. There are events all over the country, with races at most of the UK’s top circuits, including Oulton Park, Silverstone, and the very highly publicised CSMA event each May at Brands Hatch. Last season, this event attracted a larger crowd than either the BTCC or Formula 3 championship meetings. The CTRCR also co-ordinates a non-championship race at Spa-Francorchamps and a two-driver event at Pembrey, in South Wales.

Another driver who competes in the Classic Thunder series is Jos van de Perre, who took his VW Scirocco to the G1 class championship title last season. He joined the CTCRC because ‘The cars are cheapish and not too sophisticated, the series is friendly and the racing is not cut throat – there’s almost certain to be someone of your own calibre to race against.’ Another with a background in sprints and Hillclimbs, Jos had also previously raced in the Marranelo Ferrari Challenge, and later in the Tin Top Hat series, in which he drove a shared Volvo 122s. However, while running the Volvo at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, he met up with CTCRC racer Peter Nixon, and after sharing his car in a two driver, one-hour event, Jos became hooked and moved into the series.

Jos’s Scirroco is also eligible for the remaining CTCRC championship, the Pre-90 Touring Car class, which caters for Touring Cars built between 1983 and 1989. The series was introduced part way through last season, and although it has yet to be granted championship status by the MSA, a series of races will be run this season for the BMWs, Jaguars and Fords, amongst others, which epitomise this era of racing history.

Both Jos and Peter have their cars maintained and stored by Ken Clark Motorsport, which reduces the cost and time the drivers have to spend on their cars, and also solves the garaging problems experienced by many racers.

However, the driver’s dreams of climbing up on the top step of the podium or even finishing the race, don’t always go as planned, as Jos explains. ‘When my wife asked me if I’d had a good day at Cadwell, I gave her the twig that was imbedded in the radiator of the Golf after a tree had jumped out at me and written the car off! We turned up with the Sciroco bought to replace it at Brands two weeks later having thoroughly checked it over – on the first lap of practice we discovered that is only had a four-speed gearbox and that it was geared for hill climbs. This meant my top speed was under 80mph – but it got there very quickly!’

Both Jos and Tony hope to be in action at the season opening event at Thruxton, Hampshire on Sunday March 24th. The meeting features races for the CTCRC’s Post Historic, Group 1 and Classic Thunder Championships, as well as events for the Porsche Classic, Austin Healey, Classic Clubmans and Classic Formula Ford championships. Admission for adults is £10, while accompanied children are free, as is spectator entrance to the Paddock. Following the success of last year’s event which saw six of the eight events won by a margin of less than 1.5 seconds, the ‘Thruxton Classic’ should once again live up to its name! Look out for a full report here soon.

To find out more about the CTCRC, the following links may be of use.

The CTCRC website – www.classictouringcars.co.uk
Information about the Thruxton event can be found at www.barc.net
And for more on Peter’s racing exploits, go to his website at www.malletracing.co.uk

2002 Calendar:

24th March Thruxton B C D
7th April Mallory Park A B C E
27th April Croft B C (d/h) D E
18th/19th May Brands Hatch ALL
29th/30th June Snetterton ALL
27th/28th July Lydden Hill A(d/h) B C E
17th/18th August Silverstone A B(d/h) C D E
31st Aug/1st Sep Pembrey ALL
13-15th Sep Spa (Belgium) Non Championship
15th September Cadwell Park ALL
28th September Oulton Park B C D

A = Historic Touring Car Championship
B = Post Historic Touring Car Championship
C = Group One Touring Car Championship
D = Classic Thunder Championship
E = Pre-90 Touring Car Championship

(d/h denoted double-header meeting)


Andrew Frampton

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[AndyF]

Image attachments:

Tony Palmer (Rover SD1) in action at Lydden Hill in 2001.

[AndyF]

Jos van der Perre (VW Scirocco) in action at Knickerbrook, Oulton Park, 2001

[AndyF]

Peter Mallett - courtesy of www.mallettracing.co.uk

[josvandeperre]

Andy was asked to credit to the phot - thanks Carrie

[Peter Mallett]

Very good article Andy. Thanks very much.

[AndyF]

My sincere apologies Jos and Carrie

For: 'Jos van de Perre (Vw Scirocco) in action at Knickerbrook, Oulton Park, 2001'

Please Read: 'Jos van de Perre (VW Scirocco) in action at Kickerbrook, Oulton Park, 2001' - photograph courtesy of Carrie Hill.



Peter, glad you like the article!!

Andy

[Maisie]

Andy, that's a great article! Hope it brings even more people to CTCRC (that's gonna take some getting used to!) to find out what they've been missing

[Dan Friel]

Good stuff.. see you on Sunday. in the sun??!!??

[Peter Mallett]

Good luck folks. Hope its fine and suny down there in Hampshire.

[ozywoodwards]

At the moment its overcast, with no immediate threat of rain. Don't know about the forecast 4 2morow though.