Britcar – A1GP Meeting – Race 1 Report, April 28
Good Race – But Who Won? Even three hours after the race had concluded, at 13.05, the official result hadn’t been released, confusion stemming from the fact that the commentators knew that the race would have to finish at the appointed hour, but the teams were expecting to run for the full 50 minutes – even as they started what turned out to be the last lap: the leader pitted with brake trouble, not realising that he could have almost coasted to the win. We’ll clear up the confusion at the foot of this page (or try to). Qualifying
A perfect April morning for the half hour qualifying session, beginning at 09.00, but within a few minutes, the track condition wasn’t perfect. Rick Kraemer’s former BTCC Focus split its oil filter casing, and Clearways / Clark Curve became very oily. Colin Simpson ‘lost’ the engine on his Marcos, while the Smith / Plotnek MG ZR was in engine trouble too – and the team tried, in vain, to have the spare fitted in time for the race. Old hands Michael Vergers and Phil Bennett decided to sit out the end of qualifying in the 650 bhp Nigel Mustill-owned V8 Star – “Nigel wanted to see what two fast drivers could do with it” – because of the oil, and were content to start ninth. Michael Vergers wouldn’t take long to improve on that position in the race. Pole went to the Chamberlain / Allen 935 replica (1:31.290), which John Allen was due to start. Richard Chamberlain was too busy anyway, kissing all the grid girls. Mike Jordan qualified Gerry Harrison’s ex-Jones bros. Porsche second (above), John Gaw took third with the Nobby’s Nuts Porsche, while the Corvette-engined Topcats Marcos was fourth. David Back was impressed with partner Aaron Scott’s 1:33.440 for fifth in the first of the Nero Motorsports Ferraris (and fastest in GT Cup) – which looked immaculate, despite a torrid time at the first round. Sixth was Mike Donovan – who last raced regularly in British F3, in 1986-87, while the likes of Johnny Herbert and then Andy Wallace were earning their titles. 20 years later (“I’ve missed it dreadfully”), a move to Florida – and now he picks and chooses his events on his return trips to the UK. He would drive alone in his IN2-run Porsche – and would drive very well indeed. The Jay Wheals / Dave Longstaff (ex-GNM) Marcos LM600 was seventh, Wheals setting the time right at the end, after the car had suffered with a shortage of brakes. More to come on that score… Round 1 at Silversone saw the undertray detach itself, and no testing since has left the team scratching at the surface of the big Marcos. Car owner Longstaff decided to let Wheals drive alone today. The second Topcats Mantis completed the top ten, ahead of the Pete Morris / Craig Wilkins Porsche and then Paul Hogarth, driving alone in the second IN2Racing Porsche. Darren Knutton’s turn on Sunday. Peter and Matt Seldon tied up the C1 class, no trouble at all (above), five spots ahead of the Symons / D’Cruze rival, but C2 was much closer, the Cunninghams (Mark and Peter, his father) on pole in their SEAT, just ahead of the Plotnek / Smith MG (the one having its engine changed). The grid had a real Porsche look about it at the front – but the early laps of the race, well, they didn’t, on the whole, see the Porsches shine. Race
Eight cars were late out of the paddock (making 40 starters in total), reason unknown, and the minutes lost at 12.15 would be chopped off the end of the (planned 50 minute) race – because the public were invited into the pits at 13.05, to see the A1GP teams. But although the commentators knew it…. But despite about four laps less than it might have been, it was still a very entertaining race. Britcar PR man Steve Wood predicted some of what happened in the early going. Porsche dramas began as the parade lap started, the pole car breaking a driveshaft. That held up the cars behind it, notably Rostaert in the Nobby’s Porsche, who was about to begin a frustrating stint. So was Gerry Harrison in the car Mike Jordan had qualified so well. Wheals in the big Marcos spun exiting Druids, surprised at how slowly the orange Porsche was travelling. Pete Morris took to the grass in avoidance, all this taking place behind a fast starting Mercer in the Marcos (-Corvette) and Aaron Scott in the GTC Class Ferrari. These two were 1-2 then, with Donovan up to third – while Harrison then spun into the gravel. Michael Vergers was bound to take advantage of all this, and at the end of an interesting opening lap, he was already past Donovan for third. Britcar doesn’t wait for the lapping to start for the passing to commence. Vergers and a V8 Star pounced on the Scott Ferrari down Pilgrim’s Drop on lap 2, and chased after Mercer’s similarly (American V8) powered Marcos, the gap between these two less than a third of a second after three laps. Scott and Donovan were still third and fourth – while fifth was a car we haven’t even mentioned yet. With six cylinder engined cars having a mainly bad race so far, it had to be another V8 machine: it was Kevin Clarke’s (sharing with Ian Donaldson) Torquespeed BMW, up from 13th on the grid. More Porsche-related dramas: the leader spun, avoiding the Harrison Porsche, which was dawdling, so Vergers led – by a whopping 5.4 seconds from Aaron Scott (above). Mercer was third, then Clarke and Donovan, then Peter Cook in his Porsche and Paul Hogarth in his. All very entertaining so far, with plenty more to come. Mercer and Clarke then powered past the GTC Ferrari, and after six laps, the Marcos trailed the Vergers V8 Star by eight seconds. Jay Wheals had set the fastest lap of the race though, in the recovering LM600 (below): he was up to ninth. As Mercer and Clarke diced entertainingly (above), Vergers drew away to a 12 second lead after 10 laps. The silver BMW had passed the silver Marcos by this point, at Druids – and with 15 minutes of the ‘50’ elapsed, Jean-Marc Rotsaert began the pit stops, leaving John Gaw to fight back from a lap down. After a brilliant display, Clarke ruined the Torquespeed speed race with a wild off as he headed onto the GP loop – “I got a bit out of shape. It’s a bit bruised, isn’t it?” – and with Mercer pitting quite early, suddenly Vergers was all on his own at the front. “But I had a vibration for the last two laps of my stint. The splitter has come loose.” Phil Bennett had the same only more so, and that was the V8 Star effectively out of it. Peter Cook (above) was one of the last to stop and he led until he did, but already there was a good race going on between Fores, now in the Corvette-engined Marcos, and Donovan in his Porsche. Where would the pit stoppers emerge relative to these two? Cook’s car had a battery problem at its stop – and suddenly, despite that lap 1 spin, Jay Wheals in the LM600 returned to the track in the lead, 15 seconds ahead of Hogarth in #6 Porsche, then Fores, Back in the (Scott started) Ferrari and Pelle in Cook’s Porsche. Donovan? He’d got mixed up in traffic approaching Druids, and swerved to avoid a Clio, sadly ending up in the gravel. “There were two lots of lapping going on, and the Clio driver seemed to be overwhelmed and stood on the brakes. I tried to go round him but it didn’t work.” The best race was now Fores catching Hogarth, the Marcos piling past on the pits straight, the Porsche winning out on the brakes. Marcos (Corvette) power then won through down Pilgrim’s Drop, and it was looking like a Marcos 1-2. 25 laps completed – and the commentators were sure there was one left. But Wheals was slowing, with no brakes: “I would have killed myself if I’d stayed out there – but wouldn’t have pitted if I’d known it was the last lap!” He was coasting towards Clearways, as Fores (below) and Hogarth consumed the gap – and rushed past to finish 1-2. Wheals was made aware of the situation in pit lane, and hurried across the ‘finish line’ ahead of Pelle, but behind the back Ferrari. Pete Morris / Craig Wilkins came home sixth in #31, second to the Ferrari in the Cup Class, Gaw racing through to seventh, the top ten completed by the second Top Cats Mantis, the big Adam Sharpe Motorsport Falcon and the McInerneys’ Porsche. Class One was fairly straightforward, Matt Seldon taking over in what he expected to be the lead – “But I was surprised to be second, having expected a 20 second lead,” although the team did have to tape up a window at the stop. Seldon was disappointed not to have a dice with Andre D’Cruze, who was leading: the diff. went on the #45 BMW. Mark and Peter Cunningham took Class two in their #76 Seat, ahead of the similar car of Clynes / Beaumont. Then it started to become very unstraightforward. Wheals protested the early finish to the race, the stewards spent some while deliberating – and meanwhile, the pit stop times arrived. Everyone was supposed to spend at least 60 seconds between pit-in and pit-out, but some spent less. The big loser was the GT Cup Class ‘winning’ Nero Ferrari of Scott / Back, which dropped from third overall to eighth, so Morris / Wilkins took this class. The final, still provisional result, looks like this (to be confirmed on Sunday), but Britcar had put on a thoroughly entertaining show.
MC NB. By Sunday morning, the result had been revised again - with the result back-dated a lap, so #17 wins... but it probably isn't going to rest there.... 1 #26 Mick Mercer / Richard Fores Topcats Marcos Mantis
2 #6 Paul Hogarth IN2Racing Porsche
3 #17 Jay Wheals DJR Motorsport Marcos LM600
4 #5 Peter Cook / Frank Pelle Porsche
5 #31 Pete Morris / Craig Wilkins ABG Motorsport Porsche 1st GTC
6 #24 Jon Harrison / Richard Gomes Topcats Marcos Mantis 2nd GTC
7 #20 George Haynes / Andy Ray Adam Sharpe Motorsport Ford Falcon
8 #34 Aaron Scott / David Back Nero Motorsports Ferrari 360 3rd GTC
9 #7 John Gaw / Jean-Marc Rotsaert Kinfaun Racing Porsche
10 #21 Michael McInerney / Sean McInerney Chad Porsche –1 lap 13 #3 Peter Seldon / Matt Seldon Serverware Group BMW 1st C One
15 #56 Steve Bell / Simon Leith Geoff Steel BMW 2nd C One
18 #76 Mark Cunningham / Peter Cunningham Seat Leon Cupra R 1st C Two
19 #69 Mark Clynes / Nick Beaumont MGA Motorsport Seat Leon Cupra R 2nd C Two | 
