FEATURE : THE HSCC IN 2003
Sleeman and Smith battle at Mallory Park
At the drivers ’ briefing at Phoenix Park , the clerk of the course commented : “ It ’ s a dangerous circuit and we will probably run a bit late , but that ’ s normal here .” Everyone came home unscathed from a very enjoyable and sociable weekend .
Later in August , the Oulton Park Gold Cup celebrated the 50th year of the venue , which hosted its first race meeting in the summer of 1953 . Joining the regular HSCC categories were races for the BRDC Historic Sports Car Championship , HGPCA races for drum-braked sports and pre-1966 Grand Prix cars and a race for Historic F1 and F5000 cars from the FORCE organisation of David McLaughlin .
To mark the anniversary of the Cheshire track , and the heritage of the Gold Cup race , a star-studded line-up of guests was arranged for the weekend . HSCC Patron Sir Stirling Moss was joined by Sir Jackie Stewart , Sir Jack Brabham , Derek Bell and Roy Salvadori . Moss had an outstanding record in the Gold Cup , winning the first two editions of the original race in 1954 and 1955 and then taking a hat-trick of win in 1959 , 1960 and 1961 before his crash at Goodwood in April 1962 curtailed his Grand Prix career . He later won the race again in 1981 when it ran as a one-off historic race , back at the wheel of a Maserati 250F .
The 2003 event marked the 35th anniversary of Stewart ’ s only Gold Cup
win in the Ken Tyrrell-entered Matra MS10 in 1968 . Brabham won the Gold Cup four times between 1957 and 1967 , while Salvadori won the 1956 race in a Cooper T41 Formula 2 car . Stewart drove Tyrrell 001 and also officially opened the circuit ’ s new race control and media centre building .
On the race programme , Martin O ’ Connell ( Lotus 69 in the FORCE and Derek Bell trophy races ) and Edwin Jowsey ( Formula Junior ) were double winners in single-seaters and Frank Sytner won the first HGPCA race after starting his Brabham BT4 from the pit lane .
In November 2003 the club received an invitation to provide a grid of historic sports-racing cars for a support race at the Macau Grand Prix . The famous round-the-streets race was celebrating 50 years and the promoters wanted a historic race to add to the usual Formula 3 and Touring Car feature races .
The deal for competitors was incredibly attractive and included shipping for the car , airplane tickets , race entry and hotels . The date fitted well with the end of the UK season and the race was oversubscribed for the 30 places available on the grid . For many of the drivers , it was a racing experience of a lifetime .
From a superb grid , Frank Sytner ( Lola T70 Spyder ) headed Simon Hadfield ( Lotus 30 ) and Denis Welch ( Lotus 23 ) in the first race before the top two positions were reversed for the later race . Ted Williams , Julian Bronson , Bob Birrell , Gary Pearson , Barry Cannell , John Harper and John Clark were all on the grid .
By the end of the season , the club ’ s eight titles were won and lost and notable champions from the 2003 season included Classic Racing Car champion Matthew Watts , who took the first of two championship victories in his Brabham BT16 , and Derek Bell Trophy winner Paul Smith in his FF2000 Reynard SF79 .
Adam Bagnall ( Triumph GT6 ) retained his 70s Road Sports Championship and Dick Coffey drove the doors off his diminutive Turner Mk1 to win the Historic Road Sports Championship for the first time . Both Neil Fowler ( Lola T200 ) and Adrian Oliver ( Hillman Imp ) were in the middle of a run of titles in Historic FF1600 and Historic Racing Saloons respectively .
As well as celebrating the club ’ s 2003 champions and award winners at the annual dinner dance , there was further reason to celebrate over the winter months as the club was named ‘ Historic Competition Club of the Year ’ at the inaugural International Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh in February . At much the same time , the club office moved within the Silverstone site to offices that would be home for at least the next 13 years .
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HRS champion Laurence Bailey