750 MC: Brands Hatch round-up

The 750 Motor Club visited Brands Hatch last weekend as it showcased its usual fantastic array of grass-roots racing.

Action came from Formula Vee, 750 Formula, Stock Hatch, Formula 4, Kit Cars, Locost, RGB and Saxmax at the Kent circuit.

Formula Vee

Martin Farmer grabbed the lead of the championship with his third win in as many rounds in Saturday’s final and a strong second place on Sunday. He fought hard with John Hughes in the early stages of Saturday’s race until Hughes’ engine blew and then held off Paul Smith to take the win. Ashley Sutton was third. On Sunday Sutton clinched his first-ever FVee victory after squeezing past Farmer in the closing stages, while Ben Anderson was third, having retired with gearbox problems the previous day.

750 Formula

Saturday’s 750 Formula final was a photo finish in every sense as the timing screens couldn’t spate Rodney Rowe’s Centaur and the Davis T7 of Nathaniel Cooper. The decision eventually went to Rowe, with Peter Bove (ADR 750F) in third. Cooper got revenge by winning race 2 on Sunday by a relatively comfortable 4.67 seconds from Bove in second and Rowe, third.

Locost

The Locost races were similarly tight. Tom Coller scored a first ever win from pole position in race 1 ahead of Jon Lanceley and Scott Mittell, but it was Mittell who clinched race 2 honours by just 0.01 seconds from David Black, who was fourth in the earlier event. Coller completed the podium.

Stock Hatch

Another packed Stock Hatch entries saw heats decide two 26-car finals won by the Citroen Saxos of Andrew Tibbs’ and Joe Ferguson. The two men were the class of the field at Brands, each finishing second in the race they didn’t win. Patrick Fletcher and Robbie Boon, also both driving Saxos, had a podium apiece.

Saxmax

It was a fantastic weekend for Anthony Whorton-Eales in the Saxmax championship as the youngster won both races, leading all but one lap across the two events. Chris Warburton was briefly ahead in race 1, but had to settle or second behind the in-form Westbourne Motorsport driver, while Aaron Trigwell was third. In race 2, Whorton-Eales cruised away from the chasing pack as Scott Moakes and Warburton claimed best-of-the-rest honours in second and third.

Formula 4

Jonathan Weston-Taylor’s Mygale won both Formula 4 races. He beat Robbie Watts’ Van Diemen RF09 in race 1, with Lee Cunningham’s VD RF98 in third and then cruised away in race 2 as Malcolm Scott clinched second in his VD and Chris Kite rounded out the podium in a Dallara 393.

RGB

Paul Rogers continued his impressive start to the RGB season with two wins at Brands, his second and third in four races so far. Rogers’ Contour RGB09b finished almost six seconds clear of John Cutmore’s Spire GTR in race 1, with the similar car of Matthew Green in third. The podium places were repeated in the same order in race 2.

Kit Cars

Andy Hiley also enjoyed a double-win in the Kit Car races driving his Taydec Mk2. Race 1 saw him comfortable pull away to victory from Rob Johnston in the Cyana MX500R, while Stephen Lansley’s Procomp LA Gold collected third. Race 2 was a little closer, but Hiley was still untouchable, finishing ahead of John Moore’s Sylva Phoenix and the Eclipse SMI of Paul Boyd.

Watch 750 Motor Club action from Brands Hatch on Wednesday 19 May at 7.05pm on Motors TV.


Andy Wilkinson

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