CRISPIN DOUBLE SEALS THE TITLE
Report by Peter Scherer
Although Nick Crispin was on pole it was Andrew Bull that grabbed the early race one lead, with Crispin going three abreast with Brian Heerey and Ethan Sparrow for second exiting Cascades.
Sparrow had a straight on at Knickerbrook dropping him to fifth, leaving Crispin to head Heerey, Seb Jones-White, the recovering Sparrow and Kris Tovey as they headed off up Clay Hill in pursuit of Bull’s lead.
The top six had soon made a break with Crispin making his move as they crested Hilltop, and had the lead into Knickerbrook on lap two, as they continued in close formation.
Crispin and Bull then tried to escape, but Heerey’s challenge to hang on brought contact. “I ran into Bully when I was going to try a move on the inside, I changed my mind and then couldn’t stop, so lost places and did the rest of the race with a front tyre rubbing,” he explained.
Crispin was left with an increased lead, but Sparrow was now second, from Bull, Jones-White, Tovey and the recovering Heerey, while seventh had become a duel between Julie Walford and Simon Turner.
Behind them it was any one from three for ninth too, as Sam Archer fended off Martin Riman and Chris Yates.
Jones-White had managed to oust Bull on lap four and started to challenge Sparrow for second. Heerey was chasing Bull again for fourth, but Tovey had begun to lose touch, but remained a safe sixth.
“I had early contact with Brian as usual, but I was using a borrowed engine from Etch Racing. I got away from the queue and managed to get second from Ethan kindly at Druids, as I did it on some oil,” Jones-White explained after taking second on lap five.
Crispin’s lead had continued to grow, finally sealing his win by 3.545 secs over Jones-White. “I had a terrible start, but knew if I could just get to the front I would be OK. So I got behind Bully for a lap, then got clear and just had to manage the gap,” he explained.
Sparrow managed to pull enough of a gap too to retain a sold third. “It all went really well, I had pace and it was really good to be up at the front with them,” he said.
Heerey finally saw off Bull to take fourth, with Tovey completing the top six. “I had quite a bad oil leak and it got onto the brakes a bit. I lost some power and dropped off the back,” Bull added.
“It all got a bit too intense, but it was the right people at the front. Brian spun me at Island after I got him midrace, after that I just stayed out of it,” Tovey explained.
Turner finally made his move for seventh on the last lap, slipping ahead of Walford at Cascades. “I had messed up my exit from Old Hall and lost pace, then Simon got me,” Julie explained.
But Turner’s improvement didn’t last long. “I sized up Julie for a move a lap earlier. We couldn’t catch the leaders, but I was ahead of her for the first time as we went into Brittens chicane, but I went in too fast, lost the rear and hit the barrier,” he said.
So Walford regained seventh, with Archer eighth, after he had broken clear of his battle. “I got Martin on the last lap,” he added, leaving Riman to head home Chris Hall, as they competed the top 10.
“I spent more time looking in the rear view mirror than where I was going, but what a great race,” said Hall.
Yates finally settled in 11th after a Lakeside tank slapper on lap six and he did his best to lose it again at Knickerbrook near the end. “I tried to catch it but messed it up more, but the second time Chris Hall caught me out braking earlier,” he reckoned.
Glenn Oswin was next home, closely followed by Neal Graham, before Matthew Hollis led a three-car train for 14th from Roy Eastwood and Martin Sunderland.
Robert Dawson, Shirley Hennessy, Colin Etchells, John Widdowson and Ian Arnold completed the finishers.
Oulton Park 2025, Race 1 (Credit: Maria Cooke)
RACE TWO
It was a much better start from Crispin, as he led into Old Hall, from Bull, Heerey and Sparrow, with Jones-White trying to hold on in fifth.
Arnold was off the track, but safely out of the way, while at the front it was almost all change on lap two. Crispin’s lead was already over a second, from Sparrow, Bull, Heerey and Jones-White, with Turner heading a train for sixth from Yates, after Archer lost two places.
Bull took Sparrow for second into Knickerbrook, but Riman was now sixth, closely followed by Archer, Matthew Arrowsmith-Brown, Yates and Steve Walford, after Turner had lost five places.
“I was leading the group but braked in the wrong place for Knickerbrook, lost control, had contact with Sam and they all went passed,” Turner explained.
While Crispin continued to ease clear, it remained a three-way battle for second, but Turner had managed to regain all his lost places in one lap, as Riman lost out. “I don’t really know what happened, but I ended up on the grass, so I need to see the video,” he reckoned. “They’d all bunched up at Old Hall, so I drove though the middle of them,” Turner added.
On lap six though Heerey’s challenge was over, “the throttle cable broke,” he explained. Bull and Sparrow continued to battle it out for second until Sparrow got away. “There was a horrible noise, maybe a wheel rubbing, a great battle with Ethan though, he was very defensive though,” said Bull.
“As I knew I could run at the front I was more confident that I could hold onto second,” Sparrow replied, after equalling his best result of the season.
A second win of the day and by over five seconds, crowned Crispin as the 2025 Champion. “13 lucky for me, as it’s my 13th season. I have finished second and third in the Championship before, but the title at last, so t’s al been worth it.
Jones-White was a solitary fourth, with Turner completing the top six, after Yates retired. Archer was seventh and Riman just kept Arrowsmith-Brown at bay for eighth, with Hollis rounding off the top 10.
Jenny Hall was next home, heading Hennessy, Sunderland and Eastwood in a train for 11th, while debutant Oliver Grantham, Graham, Etchells, Lawrence Broadhurst, Widdowson and Arnold were the remaining finishes, as the curtain down on another terrific season of 2CV Racing.
Race 2 from the onboard Chris Yates’ car 40. Due to a self-destructing fan in qualifying, Chris started from last on the grid. Watch to see how he got on. (Spoiler alert – it’s worth watching to the very end!)