A more central location and the chance to run at an iconic venue resulted in nine BARC SBD Speed Championship competitors assembling in sunny Northamptonshire. And sunny was the word; it was even hotter than Gurston! Clive can testify that running in triple layer Nomex lost him a kilo in weight – a far cheaper option than Carbon bodywork!
Steve Riddle, running in Class SB – Standard Saloon & Sportscars 1400cc up to 2000cc, kicked things off and secured a fine third place on 65.21 seconds – good result Steve!
Helen Currie in Class 1B – Saloon Cars 1400cc up to 2000cc, went two better and took top spot with an excellent 63.83 seconds – That’s Girl Power!
In Class 1C – Saloon Cars over 2000cc, Emma Hunt didn’t just face an uphill battle against Justin Andrews Impreza, more an Everest sized mountain to climb. However, she recorded 67.98 seconds for second place. I’m guessing the power difference was somewhere around 400bhp!
In Class 1G – Road-Going Lotus Elise and Other Non-Ferrous Chassis Construction Cars up to 2200cc – my favourite class title of all time – Elen Worthington not only cleaned up, but took the Ladies FTD award too! A time of 60.53 seconds nearly beat the Caterhams in the next class up as well. The usual Worthington hospitality tent was open for business and the Simon also fettled Clive Wooster’s Radical as a sideline.
In Class 2A – RG Kit, Replica & Space Framed Cars up to 1700cc Car Derived engines – Not quite as snappy as my all time favourite class title, but certainly in the running – Graham Holdstock took another class win, his Caterham 7 putting in a 60.46 seconds.
James Hunt‘s BMW E30 was now running sweetly and he took the Class 3C – Modified Production (S12) over 2000cc spoils home on a great 60.65 seconds. However, this didn’t stop him changing springs halfway through the morning to soften up the front end.
In Class 4A – Sports Libre & Hillclimb Super Cars (S123 & S14) Cars up to 1700cc & Hillclimb Super Sports, Clive Wooster‘s Radical SR4 took the class on 51.88 seconds. As mentioned, Simon Worthington fixed a broken seat, a broken clutch slave and with a kilo less, Clive also managed forth place overall.
In Class 5C – Formula Ford 1600cc Racing Cars Manufactured Pre 1st January 1994 1100cc up to 1600cc, Nicholas Scott in his Force HC took third place on 54.38 seconds.
In Class 5D – Formula Ford 1600cc Racing Cars Manufactured Pre 1st January 1994 1600cc up to 2000cc, Keith Sollis‘s beautiful Ralt RT55 won the class on a 55.33 seconds. Knowing Keith’s preparation standards, there’s still much more to come!
Finally, Andrew Till in his MG ZR 105 took the win in Class 6.5 – Group 1 Standard M.G’s up 1500cc, with a great 65.44 seconds.
So, after a week or two break, it’ll be off to Curborough Sprint Course on the 1st and 2nd July.
