The British racing series "Masters Historic Racing" has set itself the goal of reviving motorsport from the second half of the 20th century and organizes race weekends on the world's most famous racetracks. On May 28 and 29, 2022, they were guests at Brands Hatch. The race track in Kent began life as a grass track in the 1920s and has a correspondingly long motorsport history. The British Grand Prix was held here every two years from 1964 to 1986, and an endurance race over 1000 kilometers was held at varying intervals from 1966 to 1988. There are also countless small club and national championships.
Touring cars, sports prototypes and Formula 1 racers once raced here. They all came together once again for the "Masters Historic Festival" and were driven just as competitively and at full throttle as they were 50 years ago. Even the route through the forest has hardly changed since then. Six races were on the program this weekend, with Saturday morning being used for qualifying and Sunday being the main race day.
The first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon was the first round of the "Masters Racing Legends" for Formula 1 cars from 1966 to 1985. However, none of the nine participants brought a car from the sixties to the start. Victory went to Miles Griffiths in the 1978 Fittipaldi F5A, 39 seconds ahead of Mark Hazell in the 1983 Williams FW08 C. Third place went to Steve Brooks in the 1980 Essex-Lotus 81.
The formula cars were followed by the first round of the "Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge" for touring cars up to 1990, which offered the most heterogeneous field from the Zakspeed Escort to the fire-breathing turbo Volvo, from the Plymouth 'Cuda to the Trabant 601. BTCC fans will have been pleased: the race was won by Daniel Brown in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. Glenn Dudley in the Lola T90/90 followed 14 seconds behind in front of Aaron Moyce in the TVR Tuscan.
The "Gentlemen Drivers" race for GT sports cars built up to 1966 was the longest and also the last of the Saturday. A 42-strong field of Lotus Elan, Shelby Cobra, Jaguar E-Type and the like battled it out on the narrow track for over 90 minutes. John Davidson in the TVR Griffith crossed the finish line first after 49 laps. Twelve seconds behind him was Mike Whitaker, also in a TVR Griffith. Third place went to Ron Maydon in the Ginetta G4 R.
Sunday was opened by the unmistakably named "Pre-66 Touring Cars", whose field was dominated by Ford Cortina Lotus and Mini Cooper from Austin and Morris. Only very few corners were taken on four wheels. Overtaking was always done with "full contact"; a small nudge to the rear announced the intention to overtake before the bend. Despite the British dominance, three American cars took the podium: Sam Tordoff in the Ford Falcon was at the top, flanked by the Ford Mustang of Craig Davies and Alex Thistlethwayte.
The "Endurance Legends" with modern endurance prototypes were followed by the field of "Sports Car Legends" with their historic counterparts. Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield drove the Lola T70 Mark 3B to a superior victory with a 45-second lead. Although Chris Beighton drove the same model, he was unable to keep up with the pace over 60 minutes. James Claridge and Gonçalo Gomes took third place in the Chevron B23.
The second round of the "Racing Legends" was won by Steve Hartley in the 1982 McLaren MP4/1, followed by the previous day's winner Miles Griffiths. Third place went to Warren Briggs in the 1980 McLaren M29. The second race of the "Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge" would have ended the same way as the first had Daniel Brown not retired in lap 15. Glenn Dudley crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead of 1:23 ahead of Aaron Moyce. The smiling third was Andy Robinson in the Ford Falcon.
The weekend concluded with the "Equipe GTS" for sports cars built up to 1966. The battle between the Triumph Spitfire and Shelby Cobra in one class may not have seemed quite fair, but it was entertaining. Christian Douglas' TVR Girffith was one of the cars with the larger displacement, followed by two Lotus Elan 26Rs: Bruce White's works coupé in second place and Robin Ellis' Shapecraft coupé in third.
What many missed at the ADAC 24h-Classic at the Nürburgring, spectators at the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch were treated to: uncompromising historic motorsport with a varied field. For photographer Stuart Adams, it was a fantastic step back in time and into the "golden era" of English club racing.
