There’s close racing and then there’s Classic 2CV Racing, which once again redefined just how close it can be.
Podium MotorWorks’ Seb Jones-White came away from Pembrey with wins under his belt in both the first Sprint race and the 90 minute Enduro, where he was joined by Luca Proietti
RACE 1
With Martin Sunderland’s Infinite Improbabililty car suffering an engine failure on the green flag lap, it was 18 cars that took the start in the opening race of the weekend.
It was three abreast into Hatchets off the start, before poleman Kris Tovey snatched the lead for SL Racing, from Habit-ABull Leisure @ Tete Rouge’s Andrew Bull and P2W’s Nick Crispin.
Both Matthew Hollis and Sam Archer were off though, Archer continued but it was race over for Hollis.
Tovey and Crispin shared early exchanges but over the line to complete lap one, it was Tovey, from Bull, Crispin, Jones-White, Crisis @ Tete Rouge’s Brian Heerey and SCA’s Ethan Sparrow.
Both Heerey and from the back of the grid Armageddon’s Alec Graham soon made progress, as Jones-White slipped to seventh, but it was nine for the lead.
Tovey locked up into Hatchets on lap three, which gave Bull the lead, but they swapped again at Dibeni as Crispin and Heerey were poised to challenge.
Bull was back in front by the end of the lap, only for Tovey to repass into Hatchets again. But Podium MotorWorks Robert Dawson pulled off, as the nine-car lead battle intensified. “The steering rack broke and it wouldn’t turn right, so I was off,” said Dawson.
As they rounded Honda to complete lap four, Tovey still lead but Heerey ousted Bull. Crispin was fourth as Graham and Jones-White challenged, but while Sparrow was just holding onto sixth ahead Team 2CV Lion’s Max Wyer and Classic 41 ‘s Martin Riman both started to lose touch.
Heerey, Crispin and Bull all led over the next few laps, but both Jones-White and Graham lost ground bouncing over the grass at Brooklands.
Bull and Crispin headed for Hatchets on lap seven side by side, but Graham came flying through on the inside to lead until he flew off at Honda, which moved Sparrow into third.
It took until lap nine for the lead trio to make a slight break, after Crispin had led a lap earlier, with Jones-White second at the crossing, from Sparrow, Bull and Tovey.
“I thought my Silverstone podium was a fluke, but proved I can do it now. I was briefly second and got away with the top three, but then I tried a move on the outside to challenge and lost places,” Sparrow explained.
Tovey went wide again onto the grass a lap later, but it was a dramatic final lap, when Bull challenged Crispin on the outside into Hatchets, led briefly, but Crispin made it decisive at the Senna Esses, split by just 0.179 secs at the flag, as Jones-White snatched a late second, from Bull, Sparrow, Tovey and Heerey.
“I was going for a move on the last lap, I went inside for Spitfires and Dibeni, but had contact and got pushed wide back to third, but the car was great,” said Bull.
“It was an aggressive pack at the front, I tried to be patient which hindered me, but Ethan and I worked together and had to rely on the pack to pull me along,” Jones-White explained.
Heerey was later disqualified for a yellow flag incident, which promoted Riman to seventh, while both Graham and Wyer fell back on the last lap after further grassy excursions.
“My car hadn’t run for over four years, no testing but it seemed OK as I was there to support my brother Neal. But the coil packed up in qualifying and I had to start at the back. So I just worked my way through but struggled in right handers as a shocker had gone, and I had wheel wobble on left handers. I did lead briefly but it cost me and I went off at the end too,” Graham explained.
Archer completed the top 10, from Chris Yates, Martin Arrowsmith-Brown, Shirley Hennessy and Colin Etchells, after Julie Walford, Simon Turner and Neal Graham had all retired to the pits four laps in.
RACE 2
From lights out poleman Bull had the early lead from Crispin, as Sparrow and Jones-White dualled for second. After Heerey went very wide he lost ground, rejoining in eighth behind the already flying Graham.
Crispin led into Hatchets for the second time, but Jones-White was on the attack and was ahead into Honda, in close formation with Bull, Crispin, Sparrow and Heerey, who had Graham and Archer inches behind. It was four for the lead five for fifth place!
As Sparrow started to drop off the back of the lead group, he was caught by Heerey, but at the front Bull challenged for the lead into Honda, only for Crispin to pass them both.
Bull and Jones-White battled inches apart as Crispin briefly lost touch, while both Sparrow and Heerey swapped once more end edged closer to the lead trio.
With four for the lead Bull and Crispin were as one at the front, with Heerey attacking Jones-White for third, going through at Hatchets a lap later, Sparrow was following, before Jones-White retook fourth at Dibeni.
Heerey went wide again onto the grass on lap eight, handing third back to Jones-White, but it remained desperately close with Crispin heading the pursuit of Bull’s lead.
Bull’s defence was breached at Hatchets a lap later, while Sparrow jumped Heerey as Graham closed in. But Bull was back in charge by the end of the lap, from Crispin and Jones-White, with Heerey fourth again and Graham fifth, after Sparrow took to the grass.
Crispin was poised to challenge Bull again as they rounded Dibeni, but at the crossing Bull suddenly slowed and pulled off and with Crispin so close he was almost off in avoidance, as Jones-White, Heerey and Graham had all gone by, before he regained his pace for disappointing fourth.
“The engine went so violently, so Nick had to avoid me. It dropped a valve, I was in third gear and it went bang. It could have been two wins, so it’s cost me in the Championship,” Bull explained.
“I had expected third at the end, as I wasn’t fast enough to be with the leaders and not close enough for the slipstream. A very lucky win,” Jones-White admitted.
“It was a good race, but I wasn’t in it at the start as I missed a gear,” Heerey admitted.
“I had the same problems as in race one, but back of the grid to the podium was Ok and after the frontrunners had got away,” said Graham.
Sparrow was fifth and Riman just managed to hold off Archer to complete the top six. Glen Oswin, Turner and Wyer rounded off the top, while after a fantastic start, Yates finally settled in 11th, as Steve Walford, Hennessy, Etchells, Neal Graham and Laurence Broadhurst were the final finishers.
“I was there or there abouts,but struggled with straightline performance. It was harder race for me as the top three got away sooner,” said Sparrow.
RACE 3
Tovey, Jones-White, Heerey and Bull soon made a break in the 90 minute Enduro, with Bull taking charge from lap eight.
As Tovey started to lose ground Nick Roads and Sparrow started a duel for fourth.
30 minutes in and it was Bull, from Jones-White and Heerey still, until the mandatory stops came around the hour mark, with most crews making their stops in close succession.
Bull was the first of the leaders in and handed to Alec Graham for the second half, while Heerey and Jones-White followed on consecutive laps.
Luca Proietti took over from Jones-White and after rejoining had the lead with 17.6 secs in hand over Graham and the solo running Heerey.
While Proietti went on to seal the win by over 16 seconds, Heerey and Graham shared a number of exchanges, before Heerey finally clinched second place, with just 0.215 secs to spare.
“They ripped me out of the car at the stop and pushed Luca in and the same at the second stop and we came out as clear leaders,” said Jones-White.
Sparrow was fourth a lap down, as Tovey/Crispin, Roads/Turner rounded off the six, with Archer, Wyer, Laurence/George Broadhurst and Arrowsmith-Brown/Oswin the rest of the top 10.