CLASSIC CLUBMANS CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
Early dramas put both Peter Harper and Mark Charteris out of contention, and gave victory to the ever consistent Malcolm Jackson in the Oulton Park Gold Cup support race.
Harper took pole after morning qualifying by over a second in his Mallock Mk20B, with Charteris alongside. “Apart from Mark I was three seconds quicker than the rest, it’s really good. But my inside front brake kept grabbing at Old Hall, so it’s a problem that needs sorting,” said Harper. “I had a bit of understeer as there was not enough downforce. We are going for more and changing the wings for the race,” Charteris replied.
Jackson headed row two, “I have got to find a couple of seconds. It’s handling Ok for the race, but I’ve not been pushing hard enough,” he said. He had Mike Hickson’s Mallock alongside, despite an off at Cascades. “I took the front off again, after it was rebuilt from Castle Combe. I knew I could go quicker, but I caught some slower cars and had a touch with Jeremy Banks,” he explained.
Ray Harper was next up, still struggling with the nose of his Mallock. “I would like to be a couple of seconds faster, but the nose is vibrating and I tried changing the splitter. It feels loose at the back end too,” he said. Mike Evans also had problems. “It’s engine maladies, not picking up cleanly out of corners, especially the slow ones,” he explained.
After an 18 month lay off Geoff Cogan was seventh in his Gryphon, despite having water pump problems when the belt tightened. Gavin Childs made it an all Gryphon row when he lined up alongside. “I was trying to find out where the track went. It was slippery at first, but I still think I could have gone faster,” he reckoned.
Bob Crozier was ninth best, “I wish I was fourth for a change,” was all he had to say. Sam Lancaster completed the top ten, just ahead of team mate Robin Booth. Jared Wood’s 1300 Batten bridged the gap between the Class A and B cars, but would have liked to have been faster. “I lose out to their torque out of the chicanes,” he said.
Dave Facer’s Mallock had five seconds in hand over his class B rivals, but had Michelle Hayward’s Clubmans Cup car in between him and Mike Sales Phantom. “There may be more still to come, but it’s because Clive Wood isn’t here,” said Facer. Ian Mitchell was back in class B with his IM Mk1, “a bit of a culture shock after the class A car,” he reckoned.
Heading row eight was Robert Beazer after a dash back from Belgium. “I work for Hewland and had to attend the Champ Car race at Zolder. But as soon as it started I was on my way home to collect the Mallock and head for Oulton,” he explained. “I followed Ian Mitchell and it gave me a better line, but it’s incredible on the brakes,” he added.
Philip Allen’s class A Phantom was down in 18th, just ahead of John Deane-Bowers’ Class B Mallock. “I went off at Lodge on the out lap, dislodged the nose and came in to get it fixed, so only got one flying lap,” he said. “I just need some more speed,” said Graham Onion of his Myers Special. Banks had slight damage from his touch with Hickson and Bob Yarwood was not the slowest in his class C Mallock Mk18B.
Tony Harman brought out his Haggispeed for the first time in two years, ”It’s just nice to be out again and it went better than in testing,” he said. David Childs gave his Centaur another run out to help sort it,” it will handle really well when it is sorted,” he said. Ewan Bason’s Myers Special struggled with clutch problems while Alan Davenport brought up the rear, “the car’s together now we need to work on the driver,” he reckoned.
Keith Whyman failed to make it out for the session after his Mallock had a timing problem and distributor maladies.
RACE
Poleman Harper was side by side with Charteris through Cascades on the opening lap, before Harper put his nose ahead. Jackson latched on behind and all three had started to make a break before they reached Knickerbrook.
Charteris kept pressing and was out on the grass at Lodge, moving Jackson into a challenging second before he could recover. “Peter put me out wide so I had to put then with the car full of grass,” said Charteris.
But was Harper was in trouble too on the third lap and pulled off on the Fosters loop. “It was the headgasket I think,” he said. Jackson was then left in the clear and with Charteris touring towards the pits, Ray Harper was into second. Hickson had been challenging too until he went off at Shell. “The seat came loose from my off in the morning, it felt like I was sliding and went off over the grass,” he explained.
Evans moved up to third from Gavin Childs, with Hickson still circulating in front of the duelling Booth and Cogan, who had Lancaster slowly closing in. But Evans was forced out too with a sick engine after six laps. “It got progressively worse as the race wore on,” Childs and Hickson both moved up, but had Charteris back out and flying, after a pitstop to remove his grass. Having caught and taken Hickson for fourth on lap nine, Childs was soon reeled in and they crossed the line as one at the end of lap 10, before Charteris squeezed by at Old Hall. “Mark gave me a tap and I spun, it was a bit too close,” said Childs.
Jackson cruised through to a comfortable win, “a lot better, I stayed in touch and it felt totally different than qualifying,” he said. “It was nice to get a result, but it still wasn’t right with understeer and vibration,” said second placed Ray Harper. Charteris and Childs retained third and fourth, with Booth securing fifth after Cogan spun at Brittens to end their racelong duel, and Hickson pulled off with overheating. “I was determined after a pathetic practice, plus the engine was cleaner and I had better brakes,” Booth explained.
Lancaster was sixth, “I followed Robin and Geoff, Robin drove like a man possessed. A real dust up,” he reckoned. Wood was close too, but never quite managing to bridge the gap to the A class cars. “I got Bob Crozier at Cascades as that was the only place I knew I could get an A car, but nearly hit Sam at Shell too,” he said.
While Cogan recovered for eighth, Crozier held ninth with class B victor Facer in a class of his own for 10th. “Lonely but that’s how I wanted it to help keep in touch for the class title,” said Facer. Hayward eased herself clear of the rest of class B, with Sales just heading Mitchell and Beazer and closing up towards the end.
Deane-Bowers had run strongly before losing out to Mitchell and Beazer, but was still well clear of Onion. Yarwood survived to take class C as the only runner, while Harman, Banks. David Childs and Davenport completed the finishers.
Bason had retired at Cascades after breaking a driveshaft on his fifth lap, and Allen crashed heavily Lakeside on his seventh lap.
RESULT
1 Malcolm Jackson (Mallock Mk20B) 12 laps in 21m33.224s (89.926mph); 2 Ray Harper (Mallock Mk20B) 21m37.005s; 3 Mark Charteris (Mallock Mk20B); 4 Gavin Childs (Gryphon C73/75); 5 Robin Booth (Mallock Mk20B); 6 Sam Lancaster (Mallock Mk20); 7 Jared Wood (Batten MKI); 8 Geoff Cogan (Gryphon C73); 9 Bob Crozier (Mallock Mk11; 10 Dave Facer (Mallock Mk18BW); 11 Michelle Hayward (Mallock Mk27); 12 Mike Sales (Phantom P79); 13 Ian Mitchell (IM Mk1);14 Rob Beazer (Mallock Mk18); 15 John Deane-Bowers (Mallock Mk16); 16 Graham Onion (Myers Special); 17 Bob Yarwood (Mallock Mk18B); 18 Tony Harman (Haggispeed Mk10); 19 Jeremy Banks (Mallock Mk20); 20 David Childs (Centaur Mk14B); 21 Alan Davenport (Mallock Mk18). Class winners: Facer; Wood; Yarwood; Hayward. Fastest lap: Charteris 1m43.741s (93.417mph) (93.417mph).
NEXT ROUND: SNETTERTON, SEPTEMBER 22/23
Issued by Peter Scherer for the Clubmans Register, June 12th, 2007. Contact 01332 362577/07802 853244 peter@scher.freeserve.co.uk