FERRARICOMPETITIONRESULTS
CompRes
WORLD CHAMPION!
ISSUE 029 OCTOBER 2007
CompRes Chevy Chase, Leeds Road, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 4JH T: +44 (0) 1757-702 053 F: +44 (0) 1757-290 547 E: cs.man@btinternet.com
CompRes is available by subscription and is published 10 times a year for the FERRARI OWNERS’ CLUB
FERRARICOMPETITIONRESULTS WORLD CHAMPIONS This issue of CompRes pays tribute to Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in the world drivers’ championship, bringing joy to all Italy and supporters of Ferrari the world over. His emergence as champion was far from a forgone conclusion to a hard fought season’s battle but those who maintained faith in Kimi’s incredible talent, including your scribe, were not disappointed. So, for the second time in as many months, this edition carries the special red celebratory stripe of Ferrari success. All of us at CompRes towers – Anne, me, and the indefatigable Miss Tonks – add our modest but heartiest congrats to the driver, the team, and especially Filipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton who, in one way or another, made it all possible. It wasn’t easy – and here I am not talking about Kimi’s victory but about getting a photograph of him for the cover where he is actually smiling! I am very aware that he isn’t paid to be Mr Nice Man and perhaps his lack of obvious emotion is no bad thing in the boiling cauldron of Formula One. This season of F1 has been more exciting than any I can recall in recent times. And, unlike many observers, I think all the intrigue and gossip, the spats and the backbiting, have added considerably to the drama. Far from bringing F1 into disrepute, I believe all the off-circuit shenanigans have given this year’s championship much needed extra spice. All sports thrive on controversy. Tennis fans lap up Martina Hingis’s alleged drug
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problems and the dodgy orientation of Amelie Mauresmo; rugby enthusiasts enjoy reading Catt’s and Dallaglio’s autobiographies and their rude comments about the longsuffering England coach. And we all love to hate those perceived to have behaved badly in sport: remember Giant Haystacks, Eric Cantona, Mike Tyson. So, for me, 2007 was a vintage year for F1. I loved the gloomy countenance of Alonso, the pained expression on Ron Dennis’s face. Long may the disharmony and sniping continue!
THE 2008 SEASON Back to what I like to think is the real world of motor racing, the Club’s circuit racing series and hillclimb championship, where genuine enjoyment abounds, smiles are unforced, and we don’t end up in court every five minutes. Plans are well underway for next year’s programmes of events. I am delighted to confirm that our good friends at Pirelli will be supporting our endeavours once again. As I have often said, without their enthusiastic support we would be unable to do many of the things that make our competitions so successful. The 2008 hillclimb programme is virtually sorted and the ambitious calendar of events is printed in RA’s column in this issue. The circuit racing is not quite so straightforward. Since, unusually, we arrange all our events ourselves rather than sublet them to one of the major clubs, piecing things together to spread the events evenly over
the season and, at the same time, include some really special race meetings is rather like negotiating a minefield. However, I hope that by the time of the next issue of CompRes (the November/ December edition) I will be able to publish a full programme of dates. For now, I can only give you some tasters of what we are planning. Firstly, for those of you who, for some reason I can only guess at, seem to have doubts about the continuation of our Open series, I can confirm that there is no doubt whatsoever about our running PFO in 2008. There will be a full programme of races and, if anything, it will be even busier than the season just ended. Readers may recall that I recently said that a joint PFfc/PFO race at Nürburgring was my overseas target for next season. I secured a date but unfortunately it was at a very busy meeting at the end of September which didn’t fit with other plans. Instead, I have contracted with the ADAC to take both series to SpaFrancorchamps as we did this year. The date will be the beginning of August, a time that gives every promise of good weather. Everyone who raced at Spa this year enjoyed themselves immensely and I don’t think there will be any cries of disappointment about repeating the experience in 2008. We like to try something new each season, and next year we are taking both series to Knockhill for a very special Scottish race weekend. I circulated a questionnaire about
the feasibility of going to Scotland and I was delighted with the positive response. We shall be basing ourselves at the delightful Dunkeld House Hotel & Country Club, where I have arranged an exclusive Ferrari Dinner on the Friday evening and a Dinner Dance for the Saturday. Menus will offer traditional Scottish fare and we shall even enjoy a demonstration of falconry while sipping Prosecco in the confines of the library. Full details will be available very soon but in the meantime I can confirm the date is 6-8 June 2008. Apart from the above key events, we shall be racing at all the UK favourites including Donington Park, Snetterton, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch, Castle Combe, Mallory Park (for PFfc only) and Silverstone. So make sure you and your Ferrari are ready for what promises to be another great season. It all starts in late March next year, which is only 18 weeks or so away!
GURSTON GLITCH For some reason, there were a couple of minor errors relating to the handicaps in the Gurston Down hillclimb results table published in the July issue. These have been corrected and the amended table is printed on page 25 of this edition. Our apologies go to John Day, whose success in the handicap competition went unrecorded. Quelle horreur!
from a severely pot-holed UK, the opportunity to stretch the Ferrari’s legs for mile after mile was quite delicious. However, a watchful eye open for the police, who seem to lurk in the most unlikely places, is a sensible plan. It was almost like Donington Park all over again, to be in the company of Simon Bartholomew and Nena in their 430 Ferrari spider, zooming through the countryside at a marginally illegal 125mph. Unlike two weeks earlier, this time we weren’t racing for the line but heading for the nearest tapas bar. If you haven’t sampled Spain and its uncongested roads recently I suggest you do so as soon as you can. This motorists’ heaven cannot last for ever. Our eventual destination was the race circuit at Guadix, owned and run by a great chum of mine, Clive Greenhalgh. Clive and I were deadly rivals back in the eighties with our 308s, and seeing him and his family again was like rolling back the years. His younger son, Michael, races in FIA GT and next season is teamed up with Eric Zwart, whose father, Klaas, is the boss of Ascari and used to race in our
own PMFC championship some years ago. Clive’s excellent circuit is around 3km long but a 1km extension is planned for the winter. It is used almost seven days a week as a test track by a number of high-level teams in GT and FIA saloon car racing as well as some well-known manufacturers. Recent clients who will be known to you include Robin Mortimer’s RPM team as well as Robin Ward’s Damax outfit. Clive also tells me that none other than Andy Priaulx and Lewis Hamilton have spent some time there this year . . .
THANKS As usual we give our thanks to those who wrote their ‘Winner’s Tales’ (we hope to publish more next month) for this issue as well as the keen photographers who sent us some well observed photos. In the latter list are Dave Clark (whose eye for a shot with his modest Canon equipment never ceases to impress) and Nikon aficionados Andrew ‘Mad Dog’ Holman and our resident ace, Simon Cooke.
END OF SEASON DINNERS We have covered both 2007 End of Season Dinners in this issue by reproducing photographs of some of the guests enjoying themselves. We hope it will convey some of the fun we had at two memorable occasions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUADIX This month’s CompRes is late and my excuse this time is that Anne and I went off to Spain during October on the Club’s hugely enjoyable Spanish tour. I hadn’t motored in mainland Spain for around fifty years (okay, I know it’s a long time ago but they had cars even back then). Today’s Spanish roads are a revelation and even their ‘yellow’ routes are ribbons of ultra high-speed delight. Coming
We send our best wishes to those who celebrate their anniversaries in December:
Peter Everingham with Clive Greenhalgh at Guadix circuit.
3
Steve Tandy
Snake
8
Henry Lawson
Rabbit
9
Chris Hitchman
Horse
10
Fred Honnor
Snake
11
David Ward
Pig
24
Phil Burton
Dragon CompRes 2
Racers Dinner Donington Park 2007 Photos: Simon Cooke
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RA’s HILLCOMMENT
Curborough results do not include a handicap and, as I am sure many of you know by now, we only run handicaps at hillclimb events. Why is this? Well, the Club has always run an annual Hillclimb Handicap competition, and the winner, determined from a compilation of the year’s handicap results, wins the Hillclimb Trophy. The handicap awards for each meeting, presented at the Prizegiving Dinner, exclude the Ferrari class scratch award winners, but these results go into the annual scores. Anyway at Curborough I was asked ‘Can we have a handicap today?’, and as there was no time to do one I said we could have a first and second for the biggest improvement on practice times. Well, Chris Butler must have been slacking: he made a 1.42 sec gain and we can banish him as he won on scratch. That leaves Andrew Holman the winner aided by a second run spin with 1.32 sec, and Pauline Goodwin second with 1.06 sec. I will find something to present them with eventually!
Beforehand over tea, the Spicers had kindly organised a quiz which was won by Richard Prior, and there was also a season’s picture show from the Preece & Holman Audio Visual Co. After Dinner, we duly applauded Richard Prior, our 2007 Ferrari Hillclimb Champion, plus Chris Butler and Geoff Dark in second and third place respectively. The Paddock Cup went to Sergio Ransford, the Newcomer of the Year to Jeff Cooper, and the Alan Peer Cup to Andrew Holman. There were the usual PFHC special awards, some more serious than others. Geoff Dark received a ‘PFHC Lifetime Achievement’. A previous Championship winner on several occasions, Geoff has entered nearly every round since the series started 21 years ago. Jon Goodwin received a ‘Spirit of the
Series’ award for his good natured and very sporting approach. There were many others that caused some mirth, culminating in Andrew Holman being found guilty of Hillclimb Hooliganism. To much hilarity he received an ASBO from Judge Richard Prior, dressed appropriately and complete with wig! Our 21st Anniversary was also celebrated at the Dinner. Amidst all this fun it was slightly sad for me as this is my last year organising things, and as you may know we will be under new management next year of which more anon. Anyway, Richard Prior, on behalf of the competitors, made some presentations to me which were really splendid -a picture is in here to illustrate if you were not Photo: Linda Allen
A Late End to the season at Curborough, on October 21st , is reported in this issue - a season remarkable for the strength of entries seen at nearly all rounds of the PFHC series. No nail biting finishes this time – well, not for the overall winner, but there was for third and that lasted right up to Curborough. The next CompRes will carry the usual season’s review when we will heap praise on our winners who, as you will see in the pictures taken at Moore Place Hotel, got away with some big silverware!
The PFHC Prizegiving Dinner was once again a lot of fun quite besides the serious business of the presentations.
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able to be present. I have already sent out a letter of thanks, and as I said it is a great pleasure working for such really nice people. The 2008 PFHC Calendar has been circulated and is reproduced here.
likelihood of a round in 2008 at St Goueno. The Technical & Regulatory Committee met at Moore Place immediately before the Dinner. Only one competitor put in recommendations on a change to the points system and
Rnd
Day
Date
Event
1
Sun
March 16
North Weald
2
Sat/Sun
April 26/27
Prescott
3
Sat
May 10
Harewood
4
Sat
May 24
Prescott
5
Sat/Sun
May 31/June 1
Shelsley Walsh
6
Sat
June 14
MIRA
7
Sat/Sun
June 21/22
Doune
8
Sun
July 6
Longleat
9
Sat
July 12
Loton Park
10
Sun
July 13
Loton Park
11
Sun
July 20
Gurston Down
12
Sun
August 17
Curborough
13
Sun
September 14
Cadwell Park
14
Sat
September 20
Harewood
15
Sun
October 5
Curborough
Fifteen rounds so far and maybe one more if something nice that fits can be found. The ‘overseas’ round is now Doune! Thanks to energetic work by our northern representative, Chris Butler, there may be as many as fifteen Ferraris going north of the border for this top Doune meeting, which is a round of the British Hillclimb Championship. Like Bouley Bay, this event is going to be a mini holiday and we will be providing a local accommodation package, which will include a special dinner on the Saturday evening. Full details will be circulated soon, but in the meantime I can tell you that Chris has secured a super deal for us at The Dunblane Hydro Hotel at very preferential terms. Doune is not to be missed, as there is now no
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one of the tipo PEPs. We spent much time reviewing these aspects of the Sporting Regulations, eventually deciding that the present ones are working well and equitably. There will be no change to the Technical Regulations other than that catalytic converters must be fitted to cars registered in the UK since January 1st 1993. There is, though, always the possibility that the MSA could change the General Regulations, for example making fire extinguishers mandatory, but we have seen nothing different yet and do not believe it is of any concern. Performance Equaliser Percentages are a fascinating subject and will never be an exact science. They are, of
course, for tipos and not drivers! To be really equitable we would need to adjust them according to venue and there is no chance of that as our mission is to keep things as simple as possible. You only have to look at the results to see that time and time again the PEP-adjusted times for the top point scores are very close – sometimes just hundredths of a second apart. At Curborough less than half a second separated the first four PEP times, and of course Jon Goodwin’s Lusso, on 35.99, remarkably took the 20pts. Some people say the system favours the newer cars – well I drive a newer car and find it difficult to get points, but that is probably because I am not going fast enough. Interestingly, in 2001 my time with the 328 of 36.13 took the twenty, and this works out at 35.95 when PEP’d all very close so nothing much has changed! PFHC Clothing is on the agenda again and last year you will remember John Swift very kindly organised for us our own red polo shirts. For 2008 we are endeavouring to arrange some jackets with Pirelli and the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship logos on them (more details soon). Gurston Down was a long time ago and it has only recently come to light that we made a pig’s ear of the handicap awards. John Day was the worthy winner with his 328GTB and Mark Hargreaves second, as you can see from the results shown again in this issue on page 24. Our apologies to John; a new appropriate trophy is being prepared both for him and also for Mark. The Jackson Archives are an invaluable source of information for our competitors and also, of course, for getting the handicaps something near the mark. A big ‘thank you’ then to Brian for all the work he puts in keeping these records up to date! Hathaway Hooked on circuit racing after taking part in
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Formula Classic this season. David is now looking to do the Pirelli Ferrari Open as well as the Classic – should keep him busy at race meetings! Right now he is looking around for a F355 Challenge. John Day is similarly thrilled about circuit racing and naturally I hope these two will still have time for the hills. Although there is little doubt that when you are closely contesting position on the circuits it is very exciting, I have to say that if you find yourself on your own, many race tracks can be relatively boring to drive compared to the best hills. Pirelli Tyres we are very pleased to announce, are continuing their sponsorship of the PFHC for 2008, and it seems opportune to remind you of the very favourable prices for competitors electing to use their excellent PZero tyres. If you need any for next season, now is
the time to be thinking about it – not two days before the first meeting! To organise your requirements the procedure is as follows: 1. Call Pirelli’s Daniel JenkinsFerguson, tell him the size of tyre you need and ask for the price. 2. State your contact details (name, address, telephone or mobile number). 3. Daniel will call you back with information on price and availability. 4. Send your cheque, made payable to Pirelli Ltd, to: Daniel Jenkins-Ferguson Pirelli Tyres Ltd Derby Road Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire DE13 0BH 5. Remember to include the delivery address for the tyres. 6. On receipt of your cheque the tyres will be despatched.
Daniel can be contacted on 07974-153 616 (mobile) or 01283-525 300 (office) for prices, availability, or if you have any questions. The PFHC New Management is not that different as Richard Prior, who is taking over my role, has been practising all season. Richard Preece will assist him, and you are in very good hands as Anne Swift continues as Championship Co-ordinator - she is vastly experienced as you know. Sally Maynard-Smith’s work for our annual Prizegiving Dinner has been prodigious over very many years, and her touch could be seen all over the arrangements at Moore Place on October 27th. A big thank you to Sally - she has said that if I carry on doing my part she will continue too, and who could refuse an offer like that!
ere we go then for the sixteenth and last round of the 2007 Championship, at that internationally famous motorsports venue Curborough, or the Côte d’Curbro as we called it on October 21st due to the unprecedented sunshine writes RICHARD ALLEN. Usually (and especially in the summer) it mostly rains here, as the Ferrari drivers suffered at the two-lapper meeting back in August. This MAC event had been postponed for three weeks and was just six days before our Prizegiving Dinner – none too handy trophy wise as third overall was still hanging in the balance, with Geoff Dark now exposed to the attentions of Nick Taylor. Once again there was a strong entry of Ferraris, with
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Photo: Dave Clark
PIRELLI FERRARI HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP: ROUND 16 CURBOROUGH SPRINT 21st October 2007
Jon Goodwin took the 20 points after an outstanding run in his Lusso.
twenty two on the list – just as well as we lost four on the day, with David Tomlin, Len Watson, Mark Buckland and Lorraine Hitchman failing to appear. We
did have Peter and Chris though, so there were still enough Hitchmans to go round. There looked to be some hot competition, with Chris Butler, on
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Photo: Dave Clark
Photo: Dave Clark Photo: Dave Clark
have moved Mike Spicer. Tracey Haynes on since then, knows her way around here now but on the first and she was on 39.36 with her practice just 328GTB, just three hundredths seven cars behind husband Charles and his broke forty, 348GTC. with both After these sessions Nick Goodwins in Taylor was looking good for the thirty snatching the Championship third nines along from Geoff Dark. He needed to with finish ahead of Geoff by two Whitehead and points and this meant finishing Prior, Taylor one PEP point place ahead if near alone at thirty the front, but anything else would Sergio Ransford drove his nicely presented eight not be enough. Problem was 308GTB in spirited fashion. something, they both had to drop a twelve a big roll lately scratch win wise, and then Holman and Allen in the point score, meaning that he the favourite. Nick Taylor though thirty sevens. Butler meanwhile needed the fifteen points for third looked likely to give him a run for was keeping his powder dry on PEP - fourth is worth thirteen his money in Tomlin’s absence. topside of forty. only, adding one to his score. Geoff Dark had ditched his F355 Things warmed up for P2 as Then they would be equal and a and got back in his old warhorse the sun came through and the ninth round taken in to account, 308 – a good strategical move in times tumbled. the circumstances. Jon Goodwin Allen was still was expected to go well in the ahead with his 250GT Lusso, and so was Andrew F355 on 36.27, Holman with his decibel closely followed delinquent 348tb following his by Nick Taylor second overall here at the August his 348GTC on meeting. 36.48. Chris Although the weather Butler was forecast was good, the day beginning to get dawned foggy, it being late up to speed at October, and this persisted 36.98, whilst through scrutineering causing a Andrew Holman, delay to the start of practice. showing some of The Ferraris were eventually his old style, called up and again were in gyrated wildly ‘Mad Dog’ Holman showed some of his old gyratory random order rather than seeded coming out of style but recovered later to post 4th quickest time. fastest last – none too handy if the bottom the weather does interfere. hairpin. which theoretically would give In the old days anything Our 2007 Championship Geoff the points. I hope you can under 40 seconds at Curborough winner, Richard Prior, would have understand all this as I’m was considered quick and been in here, but his 348 had a damned if I can! heading for a class win. Things top end misfire that was knocking Anyway the lounging around some speed over the lunch break in the off the car. sunshine was nice, and an Geoff Dark opportunity to meet one or two of was looking the top single-seat drivers who good, but his always turn out for this end of 37.61 was term meeting. Our old pal regrettably to multiple British Hillclimb be his best of Champion Roy Lane was driving a the day, 580 bhp Porsche 911RSR with whilst Philip the biggest wing imagineable. Whitehead He still holds the outright record was best of for Curbrorough in 25 point the rest: his something seconds – even faster F355 down to than Chris Butler! 37.98 and There was no ice cream van, Your reporter, RA, was on top form all day, being ahead of the but the rudimentary catering beaten by only the narrowest of margins for FTD. similar car of shack turns up some useful
Photo: Dave Clark
Photo: Dave Clark
fodder, and it was all very sociable. Barrie Wood had come along to watch us at work, as had Brian Jackson, busy updating the Jackson archival vault. It was soon time to roll the Ferraris down to the start line assembly area, and the conditions, whilst not up to summer warmth, were great for some good times. The order at the front on this first official run did not really change, with an untidy Richard Allen still leading after clipping one of the plastic marker poles with his F355 but now down to 35.67. Nick Taylor held second with 36.20, and the impressive Andrew Holman now third on 36.42, whilst Chris Butler was unusually back in fourth with 36.45. Richard Prior was gamely hanging in there at 37.37 – his 348 only pulling 83mph over the finish line. Sensational though was Pauline Goodwin, taking her 328GTB - after yet another stunning start - around in 37.39
Tip top and topless, 2007 PFHC champion Richard Prior at work in his trusty 348tb.
Down to the final run then and we can look at how they all made out. Peter Wilson had gone off piste with his 348 on the first official and he slowed to 41.17 – not as good as his practice time. Peter Hitchman got the Mondial around in 39.91, but was overcome by a determined Tracey Haynes – her 328GTB on a useful 39.56. Sergio Ransford always drives his nicely presented 308GTB in a spirited fashion and he clocked a best of 39.24. Jon Goodwin, just to show it was no fluke, went a little faster still with the Lusso, finishing on 38.70 – a time that was to take the maximum points, and Chris Butler (F355) was the Man of the Match. very well earned too! – a time that was to place her Charles Haynes is raising his ahead of Geoff Dark on scratch game or lowering his handicap: for the first time ever. No mean he got the 348GTC around in achievement! Jon Goodwin kept 38.61 – not far behind the it in the family too as he rocked experienced Chris Hitchman, his and rolled his way around in the F355 on 38.34. swinging sixties Lusso, producing Jeffrey Cooper has continued an astounding 38.75 – a time you to get the hang of the 360 and would have thought impossible popped in a very respectable with such a relatively archaic 37.96, just behind Mike Spicer – piece of kit! he was on 37.84 first time around This put Jon on to the 20 and then, making a big effort, he points, with Holman looking good fell off on the first corner, for 17 and Allen on 15; it now spinning harmlessly into the looked very tough for Nick Taylor. infield. It was not Geoff Dark who was Geoff Dark had turned in a the problem, it was all these 37.63 on his first outing, was other people getting in the way! slower on his second and a little
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off his best pace here. Philip Whitehead, a man with not much Curborough experience, was down to 37.48 - pretty good but behind Pauline, who finished in sixth overall. Richard Prior did well with his dyspeptic 348 to clock 37.37, and Andrew Holman did even better – he finished fourth overall, thanks to a remarkable time of 36.37. Somebody said he had been to Curborough for a whole day’s practice earlier in the year, so maybe we should all do this! Nick Taylor tried hard with the 348GTC, but his second was slower than his first – he placed third overall, but slipped down the points adjusted times. Your reporter was less erratic, but went wide exiting the bottom hairpin and although still in the thirty fives, was fractionally slower. That just left Chris Butler, who finds it hard to survive without class wins nowadays. He finally got his act together with a smooth fast efficient run - the F355 stopping the clocks on 35.56 to take the lead by a tenth of a second – enough! Richard Prior soon had all these times on our famous portable scoreboard, and whilst Nick Taylor was on 12 pts and Geoff Dark on 10pts, this made no difference at all as they were both dropping twelves – they really should have stayed at home! So our congratulations to Chris Butler for the class win, Jon Goodwin for the 20 point takeaway, Geoff Dark for hanging on to third overall this year, and of course Richard Prior, our 2007 Ferrari Hillclimb Champion.
CURBOROUGH SPRINT 21st OCTOBER 2007 Round 16 Pirelli Ferrari Hill Climb Championship Driver
Tipo
Pract 1
Pract 2
Run 1
Run 2
*64 ft
Chris Butler
F355
40.61
36.98
36.45
35.56
2.54
Richard Allen
F355
37.26
36.27
35.67
35.84
*Speed
PEP time 36.36
Pts
95
PEP % 2.25
2.30
96
2.25
36.47
13
17
348GTC
38.06
36.48
36.20
36.35
2.55
91
2.50
37.11
12
Andrew Holman
348tb
37.69
45.08
36.42
36.37
2.55
90
0.00
36.37
15
Richard Prior
348ts
39.02
38.26
37.37
37.49
2.68
83
0.00
37.37
9
328GTB
39.94
38.45
37.39
37.81
2.30
84
- 0.50
37.20
11
Nick Taylor
Pauline Goodwin
F355
39.42
37.98
38.14
37.48
2.74
89
2.25
38.32
8
Geoff Dark
308GTB
41.08
37.61
37.63
38.16
2.52
87
- 1.00
37.25
10
Mike Spicer
F355
40.74
38.47
37.84
?
2.63
91
2.25
38.69
6
Jeff Cooper
360 Modena
41.87
38.64
37.96
38.10
2.73
93
2.25
38.81
5
Chris Hitchman
F355
40.20
38.70
38.34
38.52
2.62
90
2.25
39.20
3
Charles Haynes
348GTC
41.67
39.33
38.61
39.13
2.60
89
1.50
39.19
4
Lusso
39.51
69.33
38.75
38.70
2.72
79
- 7.00
35.99
20
Sergio Ransford
308GTB
41.83
39.45
39.24
39.67
2.52
81
- 2.00
38.46
7
Tracey Haynes
328GTB
41.51
39.36
39.56
39.83
2.74
88
- 0.50
39.36
2
Peter Hitchman
Mondial t
42.92
40.95
39.91
40.07
2.75
84
0.00
39.91
1
348tb
43.65
40.23
65.54
41.17
2.73
54
0.00
41.17
1
Philip Whitehead
Jon Goodwin
Peter Wilson * first run
Class Awards:-
1st Chris Butler
2nd Richard Allen
3rd Nick Taylor
Final Championship Points after 16 rounds Richard Prior
151
Philip Whitehead
53
Charles Haynes
25
Chris Butler
141
Jeffrey Cooper
47
Tracey Haynes
24
Geoff Dark
119
Mike Spicer
47
Peter Wilson
23
Nick Taylor
118
Richard Preece
45
Adrian Wilson
18
David Tomlin
115
Brian Jackson
45
Mark Buckland
16
Andrew Holman
107
Nick Frost
43
Peter Hitchman
12
Jon Goodwin
100
John Day
42
Colin Campbell
11
Richard Allen
89
Barrie Wood
40
Mark Hargreaves
10
Pauline Goodwin
80
John Swift
38
Edward Briscoe
5
John Marshall
64
Chris Hitchman
37
Lorraine Hitchman
4
David Hathaway
57
Charlie White
32
Andrew Duncan
2
Sergio Ransford
54
Peter Rogerson
26 CompRes 10
Photo: Simon Cooke
Round 12: DONINGTON PARK Sunday 30th September 2007
ONINGTON PARK was the arena for the final race of the 2007 Pirelli Ferrari formula classic series. The meeting, another 1day affair, was again organised by AMOC whose events these days are friendly, not overcrowded, and generally have a nicely ‘clubby’ atmosphere. They also include additional races, particularly the Intermarque championship, in which Ferraris are eligible. Donington is a circuit that usually features high on most drivers’ list of favourites. It is acknowledged to be exceptionally safe, with barriers that are set well back from the track. The facilities, upgraded last year, are also very acceptable although one might have expected loos to be incorporated into the rebuilt pit garages. With almost no changes to the layout over the years, lap times at Donington give a useful
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benchmark to performance. We spin. Nicky Paul-Barron can compare speeds of past PMFC (328GTB) was called up to see cars quite easily with our current the Clerk of the Course when he crop of Classic and Open series missed seeing the chequered flag Ferraris. marking the end of the session, The weather for the meeting but escaped with just a wag of a was good: pleasantly warm early finger. autumn sunshine, with no threat The timesheets were headed of rain. The PFfc field of 21 cars by Nicky P-B, who lapped the had bolstered with late entries circuit in 1:23.947 in his Gp2 from the father and son equipe of 328GTB. Gary Culver (Gp3 Peter and Chris Hitchman, and Peter Fisk, at the wheel of his silver Mondial 3.2. The short 15-minute qualifier went off without any incidents of note, although we saw Fred Honnor’s 308GT4 in the gravel at Coppice after Rea rear. Chris Rea’s GT4 is fully loaded as he drifts it through Redgate Corner. an involuntary
Photo: Simon Cooke
DONINGTON PARK: THE FINAL SHOOT OUT
Photo: Simon Cooke Photo: Simon Cooke
328GTB) was a soupçon behind to take the other front row grid position. Around a second adrift from these lap times, Marco Pullen (Gp2 328GTB) and Graham Reeder (Gp3 328GTB) posted 1:25.278 and 1:25 342 respectively. Sadly there were no Gp1 Ferraris present at this meeting. Following qualifying we noticed that David Tomlin was hard at work trying to improve his 328’s braking performance. He had been out-qualified by Nigel Jenkins’s and Simon Bartholomew’s Gp2 cars and it seemed to hurt acutely. The mid-afternoon race was, like the qualifying session, limited to 15 minutes, which is not really long enough. I shall have to persuade AMOC to increase the length of their events if we are
racing with them next season. by Chris Rea (308GT4) from From the lights, pole man Richard Moseley, Hathaway, Nicky P-B maintained his Honnor, and Buckland, the latter advantage and led the field into Redgate, hounded by Culver, Pullen, Reeder, Bartholomew and Jenkins. Buckland got two wheels in the gravel, spinning his 328 down the order. The one that got away. Peter Fisk overdoes When things in his Mondial. they came round the second time, Gary recovering fast and getting ahead Culver had the lead from Nicky, of Pauline Goodwin. although Pullen was right up with The order at the front was them. Then unchanged for the next nine laps, there was a with N P-B always within a length little gap or two of Culver but Pullen, with opening up to slight brake problems, falling Tomlin back in third. Tomlin looked safe (whose in fourth with a couple of seconds brakes were advantage over the similarly now working paced Jenkins. Reeder was properly), experiencing difficulty engaging Reeder, gears and although still in 6th was Jenkins, being overhauled by the close Bartholomew, group of four Ferraris behind – Allen and although within a metre or two of Swift. There each other – consisting of Allen, was another Bartholomew, Swift and Moseley. gap to the On the last lap Reeder lost David Hathaway (19) had a spirited race-long dice next gaggle his position as gear selection with Chris Hitchman, finally settled in David’s favour. of cars, led became more difficult, and
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Photo: Simon Cooke
The start of something good. The grand finale at Donington was one of the best races of the season. From the off, Gary Culver (34), Nicky Paul-Barron (17) and Marco Pullen (13) dispute the lead into Redgate.
Photo: Simon Cooke
Peter Hitchman moves his Mondial t across to let the warring quartet of Richard Allen (328GTB), Simon Bartholomew (328GTB), John Swift (308GTB) and Richard Moseley (308GTB) get through.
had gained a lap earlier, and to his great delight took the chequered flag a quarter of a second in front of Culver. Pullen held on to third ahead of a closing Tomlin with Jenkins very close behind, in 5th. Of the others, Mark Buckland did a great job of playing catchup, just pipping the battling Chris Rea for 10th place. Further back, David Hathaway held off a hardtrying Chris Hitchman and Peter
Moseley by the skin of his teeth. Fastest laps were recorded by Nicky Paul-Barron in Gp2 (1:24.125) and Gary Culver in Gp3 (1:23.824), both new lap records for the series. Suzanne Everingham presented the trophies to the leading drivers after we had all returned to the paddock. It had been another good, closely fought race with no car contact – just what we want!
Photo: Simon Cooke
dropped to twelfth spot. However, the cars immediately behind got caught out as he slowed, and there were some hectic avoidances at the Goddards chicane. The benefactor was young Moseley, who snatched a place from your reporter when Bartholomew’s 328 got sideways under braking. Up at the pointy end, however, Paul-Barron managed to hold on to the slender lead he
Nip and tuck to the end, but it was Nicky Paul-Barron who got home first.
13 CompRes
Photo: Simon Cooke
Giant Killer. Nicky PaulBarron is presented with his winner’s trophy by Suzanne Everingham
DONINGTON PARK 30th September 2007 ROUND 12 Pos
No
Driver
Tipo
Group
Laps
Time
Best Lap
Qualify
Pos
1
17 Nicky Paul-Barron
328GTB
2
11
15:37.764
1:24.125
1:23.947
1
2
34 Gary Culver
328GTB
3
11
15:38.011
1:23.824
1:24.149
2
3
13 Marco Pullen
328GTB
2
11
15:55.900
1:25.157
1:25.278
3
4
6 David Tomlin
328GTB
2
11
15:57.727
1:25.566
1:27.070
7
5
54 Nigel Jenkins
328GTB
2
11
15:59.027
1:25.637
1:26.730
5
6
45 Richard Allen
328GTB
2
11
16:16.401
1:26.912
1:28.715
9
328GTB
2
11
16:16.779
1:27.164
1:26.927
6
7
1 Simon Bartholomew
8
16 Richard Moseley
308GTB
3
11
16:18.051
1:26.123
1:29.993
12
9
11 John Swift
308GTB
3
11
16:19.447
1:26.615
1:28.982
11
328GTB
2
11
16:25.613
1:27.336
1:28.661
8
10
9 Mark Buckland
11
28 Chris Rea
308GT4
3
11
16:35.403
1:28.216
1:28.931
10
12
23 Graham Reeder
328GTB
3
11
16:38.703
1:25.945
1:25.342
4
13
19 David Hathaway
328GTB
2
11
16:54.188
1:29.615
1:30.516
15
14
26 Chris Hitchman
328GTS
2
11
16:58.320
1:28.870
1:29.993
13
15
15 Peter Moseley
328GTB
2
11
16:59.677
1:29.421
1:30.323
14
16
33 Pauline Goodwin
328GTB
2
10
15:38.903
1:30.940
1:30.827
16
17
20 Fred Honnor
308GT4
2
10
15:52.802
1:33.274
1:33.039
17
18
30 Peter Fisk
Mondial 3.2
3
10
16:20.366
1:31.857
1:35.914
18
19
24 John Day
328GTB
2
10
16:35.039
1:36.952
1:37.774
20
20
27 Peter Hitchman
Mondial t
2
10
16:49.573
1:37.865
1:36.690
19
21
52 Len Watson
308GTB
3
10
16:57.310
1:38.978
1:38.033
21
Fastest Laps:
Gary Culver
Group 3
1:23.824 (84.05 mph)
Lap Record
Nicky Paul-Barron
Group 2
1:24.125 (83.75 mph)
Lap Record
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he Aston Martin Owners Club were hosts to the final race in the 2007 Pirelli Ferrari Open series, at a sunny Donington Park on Sunday, 30 September. The format was the usual AMOC recipe of a 15-minute qualifying session followed by a short race of similar duration – hardly time for the order to shake out before the chequered flag although there were other races for which our Open cars were eligible. Fifteen Ferraris were listed in the programme – the highest number this season – but this was reduced to just 13 on the day with the continued no-shows from Mos Morris and Rory Fordyce. One wonders if Mos’s and Rory’s cars really exist although hopefully they might materialise next year to prove they do. Of the baker’s dozen of Ferraris, we noted that Mike Reeder’s yellow F355/Ch had been repaired following its Spa
15 CompRes
problems, when the engine was apprehension about the Craner buzzed after gear selection Curves. difficulties. Graham Reeder was The rest of the field were down to drive this one, regular drivers in the Open this presumably a reward by Mike for year including our much travelled his impressive showing at friend from Belgium, David Edge Rockingham in July. The other (F355/Ch with its fruity exhaust). Challenge car from the Reeder Richard Atkinson-Willes was stable, the recently acquired red again campaigning his pretty machine, was entered by Mike 206PS replica while work on his following its outing at Oulton Park 308GT4 Classic race car is two weeks before. completed. We were pleased to see An early start saw problems Yorkshireman Robert Pulleyn for Alan Cosby in his F512M, back again in his nice blue F355. Robert might regard Donington as something of a Nemesis after coming to grief a year or two ago on a dangerously wet track day. Happily his confidence is back and he Robert Pulleyn was a welcome returnee with his seems to have nicely presented F355 Challenge car. shrugged off his
Photo: Simon Cooke
Photo: Simon Cooke
Round 11 DONINGTON PARK Sunday 30th September 2007
Photos: Simon Cooke
Top: Mike Reeder was going well at the beginning in his ‘other’ 355 until all the warning lights started to flash Middle: Richard Atkinson-Willes brought his pretty 206SP rep out for a spin, which is just what he ended up doing Bottom: Tris Simpson’s 328GTB was uncommonly free from its usual fits of capriciousness.
whose gearbox inconveniently became stuck in 2nd. Graham Reeder brought the yellow F355 into the pit lane with a dreadful sounding engine: run main bearings were diagnosed as the reason and the car was promptly wheeled away. Continuing its habit of discarding large bits of its bodywork, the engine deck of Tris Simpson’s 328GTB flew off and hit the windscreen of Pulleyn’s F355 which was unluckily just behind at the time. A cracked screen was the result but the outcome could have been more serious. Tris will really have to see his car is better screwed together in the future. We noted that Tim Mogridge took a liking to the gravel at Coppice but was extricated without any apparent damage to his Challenge car. There were three F355s vying for pole position but the quickest, with an electrifying lap in 1:16.801, was Mark I’Anson’s. This is a seriously quick time by any standard. The quickest F355/Ch pace in PMFC was 1:17.555 (set in 2004 by David Back) while Witt Gamski holds the current Open class ‘C’ record in 1:19.214 (2006 season). It also compares well with Ian Hetherington’s PMFC class ‘M’ record of 1:16.869 set in his F50 in 1999. Ed Bourn (1:17.550) and Mike Reeder (1:17.930) were not far off Mark’s speed but Marco Pullen trumped them both with a 1:17.191 in his 328GTB class ‘S’ car to take up the other front row position. The Open race was the second event of the afternoon. The field was reduced to twelve cars with the demise of Graham Reeder’s F355/Ch. When the lights went out, I’Anson surged into Redgate with Pullen, Bourn, Reeder M, and Charlie White baying for blood at his heels. And it wasn’t long before young Marco managed to snatch the lead, with Bourn slotting into second ahead of the pole man. For I’Anson, after his
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Photo: Simon Cooke
Ed Bourn was unfortunate to find an oil slick at Redgate which brought his impressive run to an untimely end.
Dead lucky. Wayne Marrs was fortunate to escape without damage after his triple salchow coming out of Goddards.
it was showing some of the speed we know it is capable of. By lap 5, Tris was in a solid 5th position and only looked to be vulnerable to the steadily advancing Cosby. Another driver initially showing good pace was Mike Reeder, lying in 4th spot a couple of seconds behind the leaders. However, after intermittent flashes of warning lights on the dashboard, on lap 3 an engine bank cut out and he toured into the pits to retire. Meanwhile, up at the front, Pullen was keeping his yellow 328 a length or two ahead of an onform Bourn. Their lap times, although around a second slower than their qualifying pace, were significantly under that Gamski
17 CompRes
a splodge of oil on the racing line and the culprit appeared to be Cosby’s F512M, which was emitting an ominous haze of smoke from its engine room. So, with half the race to run, we now had the flying Marco in front of Charlie, with Tim Mogridge two seconds behind, in third. Pullen looked to have the measure of his pursuers although you never can tell with this series. With two laps to go, Wayne Marrs, who had been minding his own business just ahead of David Edge’s similar Challenge car, suddenly found himself spinning as he exited the Goddards chicane. The car spun wildly not once but three whole revolutions and looked as if it would hit the wall on the inside of the circuit. Happily, Lady Luck must have been on hand and looking after the driver. Miraculously Wayne did his final pirouette on
arrears, was a menacing Charlie White, ready to pick off those in front if they made a mistake. And on lap 6, what Charlie was waiting for, happened. A lap earlier AtkinsonWilles had suffered a lurid slide into the gravel at Redgate. Then on the following lap, Bourn suffered a similar fate. The reason Hair oil? Alan Cosby’s 512 had its best outing of the seemed to be season despite emitting a worrying haze of smoke.
Photo: Simon Cooke
lap record time. In third, consistently about a second in
Photo: Simon Cooke
brilliance in qualifying, it was downhill all the way from then on. By lap 3 he had gravitated to 6th place and he must have been wondering where it had all gone wrong. In sharp contrast to the downward gravitation of I’Anson, Cosby was making good progress from the back of the grid, picking up a place almost every lap. By lap 2 he was ninth; lap 4, 7th, and on lap 8 he had insinuated his 512 into 5th. Tris Simpson was also making excellent headway, his 328 being uncommonly free from its usual fits of capriciousness. With lap times in the mid-1:18s,
Photo: Simon Cooke
Marco Pullen acknowledges the applause after a faultless drive to victory.
the grass without coming into contact with the unforgiving concrete. A group of spectators cheered and gave him an involuntary round of applause for
his efforts. Perhaps in another sporting discipline it would rate a 10/10 for artistic impression. And that’s how it ended. Marco Pullen took the chequered
flag to end a wonderfully successful season and Charlie White smoothly took the runnerup position in his F355 with its his Union Jack inspired livery. A popular third was Tim Mogridge in his Challenge car. Alan Cosby had the distinction of setting the fastest lap in the race. His time of 1:17.624 is seriously quick and should give him lots of confidence for 2008. Charlie White’s ‘C’ class best of 1:17.800 was almost as fast and of course both these times are new lap records for the Open. In company with the day’s successful competitors in the Classic series, the podium drivers were presented with their trophies by Suzanne Everingham in the paddock.
DONINGTON PARK 30th September 2007 Round 11 Pos
No
Driver
Tipo
Class
Laps
Time
Best Lap
Qualify
Pos
1
13 Marco Pullen
328GTB
S
12
15:47.466
1:18.388
1:17.191
2
2
76 Charlie White
F355/Ch
C
12
15:51.407
1:17.800
1:19.513
6
3
70 Tim Mogridge
F355/Ch
C
12
15:52.210
1:18.032
1:22.891
9
4
2 Alan Cosby
F512M
S
12
16:07.319
1:17.624
1:52.032
13
5
30 Mark I’Anson
F355/Ch
C
12
16:07.421
1:18.102
1:16.801
1
6
46 Tris Simpson
328GTB
S
12
16:18.947
1:18.770
1:20.526
7
7
85 David Edge
F355/Ch
C
12
16:56.983
1:21.531
1:25.836
11
F355/Ch
C
12
16:03.302
1:23.509
1:26.047
12
F355/Ch
C
11
15:56.665
1:21.708
1:24.260
10
F355/Ch
C
6
7:54.867
1:18.330
1:17.550
3
206 Replica
S
5
6:53.400
1:20.847
1:21.246
8
3
4:13.203
1:19.108
1:17.930
4
1:19.147
5
8 9 DNF
7 Robert Pulleyn 60 Wayne Marrs 6 Edward Bourn
DNF
27 Richard Atkinson-Willes
DNF
31 Mike Reeder
F355/Ch
C
23 Graham Reeder
F355/Ch
C
NS
Fastest Laps:
Alan Cosby
S
1:17.624 (90.77 mph)
Lap record
Charlie White
C
1:17.800 (90.56 mph)
Lap record
CompRes 18
Photo: Simon Cooke
WINNERS’ TALES Driver:
David Tomlin
Tipo:
328GTB
Class:
Gp2
or the last three years I have been a competitor in the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship, and have really enjoyed the camaraderie and competitiveness of the events. However, through 2006 I became restless and yearned for more racing. The Club organised ‘An Introduction to Circuit Racing’ course last October at Mallory Park which sounded interesting. By the time the event came around I was already committed to circuit racing, having gone out and bought the first Classic 328GTB that was available: a car belonging to Christian Mineeff called ‘Rosie’ in rosso corsa with Martini stripes. The car apparently had ‘history’ and had raced for many years in the Maranello Ferrari Challenge championship and, as recently as 2004, it had been a class winner. Christian was proud of the fact that he had changed all the suspension settings and made a ‘sweet handling’ hill climb car. The introduction to racing event went well and I was given a lovely trophy for being the Most Promising Driver. No pressure for the future, then. Through the winter the car had a fire extinguisher fitted by my mate Kevin, and we spent a lot of time finding a wide race seat and
19 CompRes
This story could easily be labelled ‘Star Pupil comes top of the Class’. DAVID TOMLIN beat all comers at the Club’s ITCR course in 2006, and followed this up by taking the Group 2 winners’ trophy in his very first season. His seemingly laid-back approach belies his hugely competitive nature. Fellow drivers should look out next year; this man means business!
holiday booking to the States. My first race was going to be Brands Hatch on May 7th but by this time I had driven the car just 8 miles to the MOT station! I turned up at the Silverstone track day and did a couple of sessions before I had to leave for an important meeting. My next problem was that I had to have a knee cartilage operation which was scheduled for May 2nd with a prescribed 10 days of recuperation. I turned up at Brands just five days later on crutches!
positioning it so that a 6’2” overweight driver could be comfortable. This involved chopping a section of the floor out and lowering the seating position by four inches. With the car ready to race I decided to try a track day at Mallory in early March. On the day the damned thing wouldn’t start and no one there was able to get the engine to fire. So I went home - what a waste of time! The problem turned out to be a simple blown fuse in the fuel pump circuit. The first event of the season was a double header at Snetterton. I unfortunately had always known that I would not be there having had a long standing
The day started badly. The M25 was closed due to an accident, so in convoy with Len Watson we made a late dash, arriving just an hour before qualifying got underway. As I unloaded the car from the trailer I noticed the rear screen was smashed (presumably from a flying stone on the M25). Everyone rallied around to help clear the glass but I give particular thanks to Gary Culver and David Preston who carefully checked and removed glass that was near the cambelts. As we shall see later, I did not learn from this experience! There was plenty of advice about tyre pressures, fuel levels, etc, for which I was grateful. The
Brands Hatch – my first race
with the likes of Bruno Senna was a new experience but I was inspired to qualify well up the grid on a track which will take me a few years to master. Two class wins (3rd and 5th overall) were a fantastic reward for a great weekend. Silverstone gave me my sixth signature on my licence (I had done another race at Castle Combe against 5 litre Cobras for the other one!) so now I was able to upgrade to a National ’A’ licence necessary to enter Spa!
Spa-Francorchamps Spa was the highlight of my season. My wife, Hilary, had avoided Silverstone claiming there was too much hanging around but for Spa she packed a few books and off we went. I was so excited that we arrived a day early so I took Hilary sightseeing to the SpaFrancorchamps motor racing museum in Stavelot. I had watched many in-car videos of the circuit so when we finally got out onto the track on Friday I actually knew where I was going! Spa is a fantastic circuit and it is difficult to explain to someone who has not raced the track just how steep and fast it is. Corners such as Eau Rouge, Pouhon and Blanchimont are Photo: Mary Harvey
Photo: SwiftyPix
myself aquaplaning towards the infield. Unluckily for Marco Pullen and Simon Bartholomew, who were right behind, they skidded to the outside colliding with each other and the barriers. An hour’s delay sitting on the start line in pouring rain is no fun and, with the concerns over Marco’s well being, it was difficult to get any enthusiasm for the racing. For the record, I had a 2nd in class and The start of it all. David is presented with a class win in the two the Most Promising Newcomer award at races, which included the Club’s ITCR course in 2006. what turned out to be scrutineers didn’t notice I had no the scariest moment in the whole rear window and out onto the season when I spun in the middle track I went for that first of the track coming out of qualifying session. The car Gerards whilst in the lead, and seemed to go rather well and I seeing Peter Everingham and did seem to pass a few people Gary Culver coming straight but I assumed they were holding towards me! They avoided me back for a quick lap later. To my but I am sure I saw the whites of delight I found I had qualified 3rd their eyes! quickest, ahead of experienced racers Mike Spicer and Graham Silverstone GP Reeder, and just behind Gary The next Classic event was Culver and William Jenkins. Silverstone for the ‘Ferrari Racing I will probably never forget Days’ anniversary meeting, again that first start. I was up to a double-header. This was a second and tucked in behind fantastic event and luckily the car Gary Culver when the race was went well. Rubbing shoulders red flagged following an incident at Druids. The race went well for me and I finished 3rd overall and took a class win in Group 2. The clutch was slipping on the straights so Kevin at Migliore Cars had some work to do before the next weekend: a double header at Mallory Park.
Mallory Park Mallory can be a miserable place when it’s wet, and on race day it was very wet. Practice was scary but to my astonishment I had qualified on pole! Urgent advice was requested of my fellow competitors regarding ‘Green Flag laps’, Safety Cars, etc. By the start of the first race the track was crossed by rivers of water. Having made a cautious start around Gerards I braked for the Lake Esses only to find
Mallory Park. “On race day it was very wet.”
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Photo: Stefan Eckhardt
“Spa was the highlight of my season.” David and Rosie, his 328GTB, at Les Combes.
names of legend, and there was I on the track with 23 other Ferraris - Heaven!. The racing was great but it was the second race in particular where I felt for the first time that I could compete in the series. The four lead cars of Gary Culver, Graham Reeder, Nicky PaulBarron and myself had a race long dice with the positions swapping constantly. My kamikaze dive up the inside of Graham Reeder at Bus Stop on the last lap for second place was my most stupid moment, locking up and finishing fourth overall, but it was a great race and I had been part of it!
Castle Combe Castle Combe was another learning experience. Having qualified third, the mst-timing shows that I actually crossed the start line 4th but I was penalised for a jump start and incurred a 10 second penalty. I did not know this at the time and clearly my fellow competitors didn’t either because we had a great race, with me leading from lap 2 to the last lap, when Gary got past. Castle Combe, with the fantastic crowds, the intimacy of
21 CompRes
the pit area (we were all packed together with no one in antisocial garages), and the wonderful lunch and Ferrari hospitality made for a great day out.
Oulton Park Oulton Park was the penultimate race of the season and the only one I would not finish. On the final lap of qualifying I went wide at Druids and ended up in the gravel trap. I drove the car back to the pits, went through scrutineering, but as I got back to my pit space there was a metallic grinding noise and then . . . nothing. A stone had fallen under a cam belt causing the belt to snap. There was nothing to do but load the car up and watch the race - a strange experience when you expected to be out there.
Donington Park – the last race of the season Donington was only two weeks away. The car was delivered to Migliore Cars on the Monday following Oulton, and Kevin was asked to stop everything else he was doing and get the car fixed. 16 new valves
and new cambelts were fitted to the engine. It was the first time I had driven Donington in the 328 but it is a good fast circuit. The 4th place finish was a great way to round off the season and on to the Presentation Dinner in the evening. I am immensely proud to have won Gp2 in my first season. Many thanks go to Hilary for her (almost) continual support, to Kevin at Migliore Cars for keeping Rosie going, but also to my fellow competitors who were always willing to give quality help and advice. This was typified at the last meeting at Donington where Gary Culver stripped down my rear brakes and calipers to allow me to get out for qualifying. It’s been a great year in a great racing series, superbly run by Anne and John Swift. I hope my experiences can inspire other newcomers to join the series so we can have more racers at more events. I can’t wait for next year!
Photo: SwiftyPix
WINNERS’ TALES
HEN JOHN asked me to write a few words on this year’s racing, my immediate thought was to talk about how great this developing new Open Series is becoming and what a brilliant club racer the F355 Challenge Ferrari continues to be. All true, but for me, the most important element has been the incredibly friendly people I have met as a result of competing with the Club. As a new FOC member and novice racer, I arrived at the inaugural Open Series race at Donington last year not really knowing what to expect; I was still getting to grips with my new car and using Sat Nav for directions around each new circuit. From that very first event I discovered what a great bunch of people race in the various different series which are organised by the Club throughout the year. I have to admit that I suspected there would be a group of stereotype Essex boys (and girls) in Ferraris who might enjoy posing more than driving, but in both the Classic and the Open there are some really talented drivers - and this year, just one Essex boy! For me, a race weekend should be enjoyable on and off the track and this year has had a perfect mix. Many of us are competitive once the lights
Driver:
Tim Mogridge
Tipo:
F355 Challenge
Class:
C
Grid sizes in PFO may not have been big this season but to get on the podium needed a lot of skill and application. Lacking none of these qualities is TIM MOGRIDGE who had great success and was rarely seen without a broad smile on his face. go out but it’s often the evenings down the pub afterwards that make it all so special. I have now raced with a few different clubs at various events but I have to say it’s the Ferrari crew that are always the most welcoming. Although smitten by racing as a young boy after a trip to Silverstone, I avoided actually participating on the theory that it was an expensive hobby that would take too much time and so I stuck to good old track days for an adrenalin rush. However, I reached that pivotal mid-life crisis and on the basis that I was soon going to be too old (wife agrees) and the family could now starve (wife disagrees) I ended up with a 355 Challenge. I actually cannot remember how it was that I decided to race a Ferrari but, thanks to Anne Swift, I was put in touch with the car that I now own and that has served me well over the last two seasons. I seem to recall that after
shadowing my good friend Pete Foster at a few AMOC events, I discovered that the expense of historic racing cars may not be ideal for a beginner, yet I wanted to race a marque of some prominence. No introductions needed for the Prancing Horse. I cannot praise these F355 cars enough. Given that they have generally been raced all their lives and are now getting on a bit, they still offer a fantastic combination of relative simplicity with great performance and are a real pleasure to drive. In two seasons I only had one DNF and, given that most of us do this as a hobby away from work, this consistency is quite important. Additionally, since I take part in as many races in the Intermarque Championship as in the Open, my poor car is worked hard. Clearly all race cars need to be prepared and maintained well and it’s a real reflection on my preparers, Charles and Gavin Dunn, that my car has been so reliably competitive this year. I owe them both a huge thank you. Last year was a steep learning curve when I joined the Open, since up to that point, I had only ever experienced two races and still carried that yellow cross on my back. Also I did not want not to make an idiot of myself amongst seasoned competitors. Each new venue offered different challenges and all the time I was learning the
CompRes 22
Photo: Stefan Eckhardt
“Spa is one of life’s Must Do activities.”
23 CompRes
calendar thanks to John’s perseverance with this new series and his optimistic expectancy of eventually attracting larger grids. Unfortunately, the first race at Snetterton saw a really poor turnout but nevertheless the die was cast for some really close racing that continued all year. In the first race that weekend I think Mark I’Anson, myself and Edward Bourn all crossed the line within a second of each other. With such parity between cars and drivers, as the season progressed it became clear that you had to be one hundred per cent ‘on it’ throughout the race because if you made one mistake
Photo: Mary Harvey
characteristics of my first ever mid-engined car. I was also trying to shake off certain track day habits and concentrate on how to race, which seemed to need more patience than I had anticipated. Donington 2006 started badly. I arrived late, my slick shod wheels would not fit the car, and I think I qualified and finished last. No need for Ferrari to terminate Schumacher’s contract on my account. In actual fact the season was dominated by Witt Gamski although both Charlie White and Mark I’Anson often gave him a good run for his money. In my case, as I gradually lost my virginity at each venue (automotively speaking, that is) and started to understand the car’s handling, improvements began to develop. The 355 brakes are astonishing and with more experience I was able to brake later at each circuit, and even now I am sure there is still potential to go later. By the end of 2006 I had enjoyed some really good racing, had improved consistently and had gained many like-minded friends. So, in 2007 it was off again but this time with a significantly increased
or ran even slightly off the pace, you would quickly slip back through the field. All year in class C (Challenge cars), it was really close, with a variety of race winners and some great scraps throughout the field. Although entries remained relatively low, the quality of drivers was high and almost any race could have been won by one of five or six drivers and at Rockingham (a race I missed) race order was turned upside down in classic weather changing conditions. It makes it really exciting when lap times throughout the field are close and every time you have to go out and race your best. This year saw some of the S Class cars become more competitive, with Marco Pullen achieving some exceptional results in his 328GTB. There were a number of highlights for me this season and Spa probably tops them all. I had never raced abroad before but the opportunity to race a Ferrari around this famous ‘driver’s circuit’ could not be missed. My family even had to plan our holiday around this sacrosanct event. Those who travelled to Francorchamps will need no further explanation from me, but to anyone considering this in the future I can only say its one of life’s ‘Must Do’ activities
At Oulton Park, performance was severely compromised when the F355’s gear lever came off in Tim’s hand.
race and registered another lap record. Then there were the inevitable but unexpected moments that seem to be part of the joys of motor racing and for me came in the last two rounds of the season. At Oulton Park I had decided to do a test day and on the last lap of the last session my gear stick broke clean off in my hand. Fixing this was more complicated than I realised and finding a new assembly late on a Friday night (thanks to Jason at JMH ) and then fitting it all for racing again the next morning, severely compromised my socialising that evening. Of course, all this year’s competitors have managed to evolve a driving style to avoid various parts of Tris ‘Unlucky’ Simpson’s 328GTB bodywork which is regularly deposited around the track. It’s always an extra challenge to apex around a blue boot lid or bonnet, and I have often wondered who collects the parts at the end of the day. To his credit, Tris never gives up and always has a smile. This
year’s Donington saw some real pace in his car, which gets lighter as the race progresses! My worst moment came in qualifying at the season’s last race, at Donington Park. Approaching Coppice, my brakes locked and then failed completely, sending me straight into the gravel. With a diagnosis of “ECU problem” and the claim that “It’s all fixed”, it took a while to believe the car would actually stop when I wanted it to during the race. A midfield run to third was another rewarding result and an unexpected podium. Looking back, this has been a season of competitive racing with a great crowd of people. We need to encourage more members to come and join in the fun and make the Open series a permanent fixture for many years to come. Anne and John deserve a special mention for all their hard work but as for me, if 2008 is as exciting as this year, it cannot come too soon!
Photo: Simon Cooke
if you have any motorsport blood in your veins. Charlie White was back and on form for Spa, having had his badly damaged car repaired. In Race One we had an extremely close contest with fastest lap to me but the race win to him. Mark I’Anson would have almost certainly won Race Two had his clutch not exploded. To stand on the podium after both races at Spa was quite special. It was also good to race with the Classic series and meet many of the competitors who, in the normal rush of UK events, you do not have the chance to do. With brilliant weather and great company, that long weekend in Belgium stands out as the most memorable event of the year. Brands Hatch in the wet is another fond memory. Having been stuck on the M25 for hours, I arrived late and only just managed to qualify in time (but on the wrong tyres), so a race from near the back to finish second was very rewarding. Silverstone will always be special as this is where I won my first
“Silverstone will always be special. This is where I won my first race.”
CompRes 24
GURSTON DOWN Hillclimb 15 July 2007
Round 10 Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship (amended table) Driver
Tipo
Pract 1
Pract 2
H/C
Run 1
0/64
Split
Speed trap
H/C pos
PEP %
PEP time
Pts
F355 348tb 308GTB 575M
40.84 39.84 41.13 39.46
39.24 38.93 39.20 39.99
38.00 38.00 38.00 38.00
40.04 40.10 40.28 40.38
2.65 2.57 2.51 3.05
21.50 21.72 21.78 22.49
88 85 82 89
3 6= 8 9
+2.25 0.00 -1.00 +1.50
40.94 40.10 39.88 40.99
15 17 20 13
348GTC F355 F355 Spider 328GTB 348tb 348ts 308GTB 328GTB 328GTB
41.41 43.52 40.88 42.53 43.17 42.40 42.47 --50.38
38.90 40.38 39.01 40.94 39.82 41.69 45.31 40.62 45.99
37.50 39.00 38.50 39.80 39.50 40.50 41.50 39.50 44.00
40.64 41.09 41.25 41.30 41.60 42.59 43.38 43.52 49.38
2.99 2.91 2.89 2.47 3.12 2.68 2.58 2.28 3.45
22.65 22.33 22.83 22.41 22.79 23.04 24.12 23.67 28.58
87 86 83 80 84 82 76 80 70
11 4= 10 1 6= 4= 2 12 13
+2.50 +2.25 +2.25 - 0.50 0.00 0.00 -1.00 - 0.50 - 0.50
41.66 42.01 42.18 41.09 41.60 42.59 42.95 43.30 49.13
10 9 8 12 11 7 6 5 4
F355
NS
---
---
+2.25
---
David Tomlin Richard Prior Geoff Dark Richard Allen Nick Taylor Philip Whitehead Charlie White John Day Andrew Holman David Hathaway Mark Hargreaves Pauline Goodwin Tracey Haynes Barry Wood BARC Class Awards:
1st David Tomlin
2nd Richard Prior
FOC Handicap Awards:
1st John Day
2nd Mark Hargreaves
3rd Geoff Dark
F355 Spider
1998 S reg LHD in red/nero 23,000 miles with only 3 owners Full Ferrari/Specialist service history 2 sets keys plus red master fob Class winner at 2005 FOC Concours Red interior Ferrari dust cover Available to view in Surrey ÂŁ43,000 Contact: Charlie on 07796-996 723 or chwhite@excite.com
WANTED
F355 Challenge wheels
Complete set or just rears Contact: Charlie on 07796-996 723 or chwhite@excite.com
25 CompRes
Dover – Calais: P&O, Sea France Portsmouth – Le Havre: P&O Portsmouth – Bilbao: P&O Hull – Rotterdam & Zeebrugge: P&O Harwich – Hoek: Stena Channel Islands – St Malo: Condor Lines Ireland: Irish Ferries, Stena, P&O Isle of Man except TT and Manx GP DFDS Seaways from Newcastle & Harwich
Tel: 01759 301010 Email: motorsport-tvl@btconnect.com Web: www.motorsport-travel.com
CompRes 26
QV LONDON FERRARI SPECIALISTS
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BORLA PERFORMANCE EXHAUST SYSTEMS, ECUs, VALVE GUIDES,
Q.V. FOR PARTS SERVICE REPAIRS CRANKSHAFTS, DISTRIBUTORS, AIRHORNS, BRAKE DISCS SPRINGS,
STEERING WHEELS, PISTON RINGS, INTERIOR TRIM, ANTI-ROLL BARS, SERVO UNITS, CAMSHAFTS, AIR BOXES, CROWN WHEEL & PINIONS, PARTS BOOKS, FLYWHEELS, DRY SUMP KITS, GEARBOX INTERNALS, SEAT ADJUSTERS, PISTONS, FUEL TANKS ALTERNATORS, BUMPERS MASTER CYLINDERS, DRAIN PLUGS, CYLINDER BARRELS, METERING DEVICES, BONNETS, LIGHTWEIGHT BODY PANELS, STARTER MOTORS, ADJUSTABLE WARM-UP REGULATORS, CARPETS, CARBON CANISTERS, OIL FILTERS, CAM PULLEYS, GEAR KNOBS, STUFF
Mike and Graham Reeder Performance and Specialist Cars
Maranello Ferrari Challenge Champions 1998 and 2000 Fixed Price Servicing - Race Preparation and Track Support - Tyres Supplied and Fitted Electronic Wheel Balancing - Personal Service Guaranteed
The Garage North Newnton Pewsey Wiltshire SN9 6JU Tel 01980 630327 Fax 01980 630015 E-mail enquiries: gcreeder@aol.com
JOHN POGSON’S
ITALIA AUTOSPORT SERVING THE FERRARI MARQUE SINCE 1975
SALES SERVICE RACE PREPARATION
RESTORATION TRANSPORTATION
www.italia-autosport.com Meltham Holmfirth West Yorkshire HD9 4DS Tel: 01484-852544
Choose from a Turn Key Service to Technical Support On the day. Various Packages available
27 CompRes
WREN CLASSICS
‘The South’s Premier Preparers’ Contact: Steve Farthing Tel: 01747 852899 Fax: 01747 854988 enquiries@wrenclassics.com