As sponsors of the HSCC Thundersports series, we were pleased to see such an exciting 15-lap race at the Silverstone Classic over the weekend despite the poor weather.
After a restart due to the heavy rain forcing a change from slick tyres, pole-sitter Calum Lockie set the fastest lap in a March 717, with Dean Forward spinning his McLaren M8F into the wall at Brooklands in worsening conditions.
After Lockie lost time at the pit stop, the Lola T292 of Tony Sinclair went ahead but Lockie continued to chase throughout the second half of the race despite being stuck in fifth gear. Sinclair eventually took the chequered flag with Lockie only a third of a second behind - another lap and his March would surely have caught the Lola.
Battling the rain and spray, Sinclair had pushed as hard as he could, “I just got my head down and I couldn’t see where I was,” admitted Sinclair as he picked up the win along with a bottle of our Racing Spirit Gin.
Third place went to Kevin Cooke's March 75S. The podium finish was a well-deserved reward for the Nine-W team who had to rebuild the car's gearbox after an issue in testing but got it finished and ready to race just 15 minutes before qualifying on the Friday.
Chris Porritt and Ed Thurston pedalled their Chevron B19 to fourth and Greg Caton was the first of the GT cars in fifth in a Lotus Esprit. The Lola T210 of Nick Pink completed the top six.
Whilst all of the top HSCC Thundersports finishers gave impressive performances, we have nothing but admiration for all of the drivers who took historic machinery out onto a wet track over the weekend for the entertainment of a hardy crowd who loved to see such a Classic Racing Spirit!
[Photos and race notes from HSCC]