The Classic 2CV Racing Championship continued where it left off a couple of weeks ago at Snetterton, with two action packed races on a rare visit to Mallory Park, both going in defending Champion Nick Crispin’s favour.
From the start of Saturday’s race Crispin, Seb Jones-White and Andrew Bull got away, with Ethan Sparrow doing his best to hold on in fourth. Simon Clarke was in fifth and behind him Howard Wright and Chris Yates disputed sixth.
Sparrow managed to close in on Bull and was into third by the end of lap four, as Bull then started to lose touch. The fight for sixth was intensifying too as Wright had Martin Riman threatening, after he, Simon Turner and Sam Archer had all got passed Yates.
Although Crispin was managing to keep his nose ahead, he couldn’t break the tow and with Bull closing up again, it was now four for the lead. “I thought I had lost them, but got my head down, concentrated hard and reeled them in again,” said Bull.
Sparrow snatched second 11 laps in, leaving Jones-White under pressure from Bull. Clarke continued to run in a solitary fifth, but a complete reshuffle for sixth brought George Broadhurst to the fore, from Archer, Turner, Riman and Yates, after Wright had dropped to penultimate place.
“I was exploring the limits and learning what I need to do with the car. But I saw Simon and Martin ahead of me, thought there was a space on the outside, lost the rear and eight places too,” Wright admitted.
Crispin and Sparrow briefly gapped their rivals, but Jones-White and Bull soon closed it down again. But with a couple of laps left Bull managed to oust both Sparrow and Jones-White, but was still 0.635 secs adrift of Crispin at the flag, while Sparrow snatched third from Jones-White too and the final lap.
“A pretty hard race, I wasn’t brave enough or confident enough at the Esses though. We worked well together though, the car was great, but I didn’t realise it was the last lap,” Crispin explained.
“I got Ethan with slipstream to the Esses and then Seb around the outside at the Hairpin. I was looking for a last lap move on Nick too, but there was debris at the Esses,” Bull explained.
“It was really good to be back at the top again and eighth to second on the first lap. I was following Nick every lap at the Hairpin and briefly nosed ahead at Gerards, but on the wrong line,” said Jones-White.
Clarke lonely race continued throughout to net him fifth, but a huge sort out at the Esses a lap from home, left Yates in sixth, from Archer, Broadhurst, Turner and Chris Hall.
“That was an excellent race and really good start, fourth into Gerards. Then I got mugged and lost places and George and I tried to work together in the sixth battle. I got away from the trouble at the Esses, but found I had only one blade on my fan at the end,” Yates concluded.
“Four of us side by side into the Esses didn’t work. Chris got inside, George ripped my wing off and then he and Simon both spun. But my fuel coupler had broken and it was race over,” Riman explained.
“I was right in the middle of it, I had been pushing George for most of the race. I got through, but at the end of the race the engine seized,” Archer added.
“I had been picking cars off and got into the sixth place battle, I got to the front and then we had four of us at the Esses. I was alongside George after Chris went inside, but got tapped and went off backwards,” said Turner. “I was the sandwich filling at the Esses, got a few pushes, but the most exciting race I have ever had,” Broadhurst admitted.
RACE TWO
Crispin managed to get a length ahead into Gerards from the start of Sunday’s race, with Bull, Sparrow and Jones-White three abreast on the exit. But Turner’s charge was soon restricted, “I tried to go on the inside of the pack, but turned in too much, lost the rear and spun,” he explained.
Crispin continued to increase his lead on he second lap, while Bull and Sparrow slipstreamed down the Stebbe Straight to try and close. But Jones-White was gradually losing ground on the lead trio.
Wright and Julie Walford completed the early top six, before Walford lost sixth to Nicholas Home, who then closed on Wright too.
As in race one Crispin was unable to consolidate his lead, as Sparrow and Bull shared a couple of exchanges before half distance. “I got away and then they started working together again,” said Crispin.
Home had caught and passed Wight on lap eight, but their dual continued, but Walford began to slow and finally pulled off. “At first I thought it was the group catching me, then realised I was slowing and it cut out at Gerards. Just call me the car breaker,” she reckoned.
Riman therefore led a train of cars for seventh, from Archer, David O’Keeffe and Yates.
While Home and Wright shared further exchanges for fifth, Bull began to press for the lead but Sparrow followed, taking the Esses almost side by side on lap 13. Sparrow was forced to back out, but Bull now led, before Crispin retook into Gerards.
A couple of laps later Jones-White pulled off on the Stebbe Straight. “It just wasn’t there from the start and got worse. Then there was a horrible noise and I stopped,” he explained.
Wright was fourth into Gerards again but couldn’t hold it, while behind his dual with Home, it was anyone from Archer, O’Keeffe, Yates and Riman for sixth.
Exiting Gerards for the penultimate time Bull led again. They were locked together over the final tour too, but Bull just had the edge through Devils Elbow, only for Crispin to win the race to the line by just 0.152 secs over Bull, with Sparrow equally close in third.
“Championship defending form, but I had to go for it at the end,” said Crispin. “I had a chance to take them both but yellow flags were out, then I just worked with Bully to stay close,” Sparrow added. “We worked well together to stay with Nick, but so close at the end,” said Bull.
Home finally came out on top of his dual with Wright, by just 0.410 secs, while Yates lost out to both O’Keeffe and Archer a lap from home, in his quest for sixth. “After I got Howard again three laps from the end I started to feel more confident, but great race,” said Home. “It was back and forth with Nick, slipstreaming, but he finally got me on the straight,” Wright replied.
“A really good race, but David just got me,” said Archer.
Riman finally came in ninth, with Turner recovering to complete the top 10, aided by Glenn Oswin spinning. Jennifer Hall, George Broadhurst and Matthew Hollis were the final finishers, after Hollis had pitted with “warped tyres.”
“I had a straight on at the Esses after a tap from David, when I was trying to challenge Sam,” said Riman. “A midfield tussle with Martin, Sam and David, but it went wrong a lap from home,” Yates concluded.
