Close racing at Brands Hatch in 1985
By then in my early 20s I loved the ‘ run what ya brung ’ concept of Thundersports . Unexpectedly , having contested very few Formula Ford and sportscar races ( but scored a couple of wins , one in an HSCC Mallory Park race in Paul Howarth ’ s Chevron ‘ B19 ’ in October 1982 ) found me in at the beginning . Over three seasons I took part in six Thundersports events , starting four and driving a different car on each occasion . A record of sorts ?
Playing a cameo role , sharing Britain ’ s best circuits with former Formula 1 and F5000 racers , sportscar veterans and future Formula Atlantic and touring car champions was a joy . That I had adored Chevrons and Lolas from an early age and got to compete in both marques , remains priceless . I ’ ve never asked to drive a car , and ( other than in my own ) only twice paid more than an entry fee for the privilege , but I ’ m grateful to good friends who have put me in to bat , sometimes in preference to an unknown wonga-wielding wannabe .
First time out a Porsche 934 was out of my comfort zone . A contact of longtime HSCC racer Wil Arif had bought the car and I was offered a few laps on a mid-week Brands ’ Indy circuit test day . I kept it out of the barrier following a blowout exiting Druids , then was invited to share with Wil in the first Thundersports race , on the GP circuit , on Easter Monday . Considering that the race was won by Derek Bell - then a three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner , he would add another two - and Siggi Brunn in the German ’ s stripey turbocharged Porsche 908 / 3 , resembling a flying barber ’ s pole , the playing field was far from level . Without quick-release wheels we lost minutes when the weather dictated a tyre change but finished 14th .
The performance of well-prepared modern Sports 2000s was telling . Underpowered in anything-goes company
David Kennedy in the Ford C100 at Thruxton in 1983
but ultra-reliable , the Pinto posse formed a strong sub-set . The Duttonrun Royale S2000Ms of Spax dampers ’ Jeremy Rossiter and spread magnate Richard Sutherland and Sutherland / Melton Mowbray publican Rob Littler finished second and third overall , three and four laps adrift of the 908 , chased by F5000 race-winning cousins Steve Thompson / Alan Rollinson in Gil Baird ’ s Tech-Speed Chevron B19 turbo , an unusual idea . John Morrison / Richard Jenvey ( TOJ-BMW SC205 ) and Barry Robinson / Dudley Wood ( Porsche 935 K3 ) completed the top six , ahead of ’ 73 European 2-litre champion Chris Craft and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason in Tony Birchenhough ’ s Dorset Racing Lola T290 / 298 ), four times a Le Mans starter .
Atlantic Computers boss and Brands Hatch Leisure chief John Foulston unleashed Can-Am Lola-Chevrolet T530 power ( with HSCC ’ s manager Brian Cocks ) in subsequent races at Snetterton and Brands . Foulston and the uber-talented John Brindley would win 12 races in the Lola and its VDSbodied evolution prior to his death testing a McLaren Indycar at Silverstone in 1987 . Centre-seat Can-Am leviathans were unbeatable in able hands , indeed at Brands in ’ 87 they filled not only the track but also the top three places , Ian Flux / Ian Taylor ( in a Burke Ratcliffe Racing T530 ) beating Robin Smith / Stefani Sebastiani ( aka ‘ Stingbrace ’) in the Italian ’ s March 827 and Foulston / Brindley .
My second appearance was in practice only for the 1983 Oulton Park Gold Cup where I qualified Ray Bellm ’ s Chevron- Hart B36 alongside Roger Andreason in both sessions as a contingency in case future triple World C2 champion Bellm - also racing at Silverstone with the HSCC - was delayed or weather conditions precluded his helicopter transfer to Cheshire . He made it , but the throttle cable snapped early in his opening stint . I recall Roger and the crew effecting a Heath Robinson repair , running a second cable from the pedal through
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