FUELFORCE CLASSIC CLUBMANS 2005
Haggispeed- non championship race
A fantastic turn out of Clubmans racing heroes past and present, was supplemented by some rarely seen machinery at Silverstone, to celebrate 40 years of Clubmans racing.
Among the line up of drivers, many of whom were former champions, were Vernon Davies, Geoff Friswell, Alan Webb, Richard Cresswell, Tim Goss, Peter Gaydon, Glen and Dan Eagling, Richard, Ray and Michael Mallock, FIA President Max Moseley and many more.
“I won the title in 1972 and 75 and haven’t raced cars since 1978,” said Friswell. Car racing is too expensive for me now, but I loved it and my time in Clubmans. I now race in veteran speedway,” he added. “I found it just great to see the old faces again, but when I got back in a car I was shit scared,” said Davies. Alan Webb was pleased to see his last regular mount still in competitive action. “I raced the Mallock that Malcolm Jackson has now and won on the Grand Prix circuit 20 years ago and broke the lap record,” he explained.
As well as representatives of almost every Mallock made, some of the rarer Clubmans chassis were also either displayed or in action on the track. Gryphon’s, Phantom’s, Dart, IM, Diamond, Haggispeed, Myers Special, Batten, Wells, Aerofan Special, Ardmore, Chevron, Lotus, IBEC, Conrad, Avalan and Doris were all to be seen.
Many of the guests had a chance to try the cars in the lunchtime parade, which also featured six of the Mallock dynasty. Richard and Sue, Ray and Elaine, plus Michael and Charles from the younger generation.
The afternoons racing featured two Haggis Memorial Trophy races for Ricardo Clubmans Cup cars and the Fuelforce Classics. Reunited with Howard Payne’s Mallock Mk20 that took him to the 2002 title, Dan Eagling set the pace in qualifying for the Cup cars, with Michael Mallock, Mike Evans, Alex Osborne and Glen Eagling all covered by 0.709s.
Adrian Lester and Vaughan Thomas were next up, with current championship leader and defending champion Barry Webb, down in eighth. Ian Crombie completed the all Mallock top nine, with Jamie Champkin’s Phantom tenth.
Mallock led the 26 car field into Copse from the start, but Dan Eagling powered ahead on the club straight. With Evans slotting into third, Glen Eagling and Osborne had a couple of early exchanges, before Osborne nosed in front.
The top five were in the clear early on and Eagling showed he had lost none of his pace as he cruised to a comfortable win. Mallock eased clear of Evans to consolidate second, while Osborne gradually saw off Glen Eagling’s threat. Webb was a solitary sixth, with Crombie seventh, after battling past Champkin on the fourth lap. Adrian Brown and Marcus Bicknell also worked their way past Champkin in the closing laps, leaving the Phantom driver to complete the top ten.
The Classics had a healthy 26 car grid with Malcolm Jackson’s Mallock pipping Peter Harper for pole by 0.013s. As with the more modern cars, the top seven qualified well within one second, as Ray Mallock, Andrew Marler, Antony Denham, Mike Hickson and Ray Harper joined the lead pair.
Unfortunately Denham’s Doris broke its gearbox and was sidelined, while poleman Jackson was virtually left at the start. “I missed second gear,” said Jackson. Harper also had problems from the off, the gearbox mount broke on the warm up lap and when I missed a gear Ray got a run on me,” explained Harper. Mallock had the momentum to snatch the lead on the inside as they dived through Brooklands, with Harper defending second from Marler (Diamond) and Hickson (Mallock).
Marler briefly made second at Maggots, before running wide at Luffield and dropping back to fourth. Hickson seized the opportunity to make it a three-car break for the lead. As in the previous weeks Oulton Park race, Hickson spent lap after lap in Harper’s wheeltracks, but to no avail. “He drives a wide car, I had the pace in to the corners but he matched me on the exits,” said Hickson.
Mallock just held off Harper’s late challenge to win by 0.719s, “Peter kept the pressure on me and was able to have a go at me in traffic ear the end,” he explained. Behind Hickson, David Childs’ Phantom eased clear of Marler’s Diamond for fourth from lap five, leaving Marler to keep Geoff Cogan’s Gryphon at bay for fifth, after Jackson had spun at Becketts.
Mark Charteris continued his recent domination taking his Mallock to a class win by over 10 secs from Dave Facer (Mallock), who was equally well clear of Alan Davenport’s Mallock. The other class winner was Jared Wood, whose Batten had 12 secs in hand over Chris Denham’s Wells.
Issued by Peter Scherer for the Clubmans Register May 16th 2005. Contact 01332 362577/07802 853244 or peter@scher.freeserve.co.uk