Under normal conditions, the participation of a newly built Tyrrell P34 Six Wheeler in the Masters Historic race weekend at Brands Hatch on August 22 and 23, 2020 would be worthy of a major headline. In times of the ongoing pandemic, however, the organization of the event alone is a sensation.
The Masters Historic team, together with the people from Brands Hatch, organized a total of seven historic races. Although a few "stars" of the scene had to miss out, such as the absence of current Historic F1 champion Martin Stretton, the event nevertheless ended in an ecstasy of hard-hitting racing action, the smell of petrol and rubber in the air and the roaring sound of engines.
The historic premier class
The historic F1 starting field, with all the usual attractions consisting of cars from Lotus, Williams, Tyrrell, McLaren, Surtees and others, had a very special highlight. Jonathan Holtzmann made his debut in a breathtaking Tyrrell P34 Six Wheeler, with which he attracted a lot of attention in both races. The celebrity starter was former F1 professional Johnny Herbert in an Ensign.
The first race was won by Martin O'Connell in the Tyrrell 011, followed by Hartley in the McLaren MP4/1 and Thornton in the Lotus 91/5. The second race then went clearly to Greg Thronton in the Lotus 91, who led the race from flag to flag. O'Connell was second and Hartley third. Unfortunately, the P34 didn't look as good in the classification as it did on the track, but what is not is still possible ...
Sports car spectacle
A total of 21 drivers competed against each other in the race of the sports car icons. A number of Lola T70s (a spectacle in itself) battled for positions on the track against several variants of Chevrons and Ford GT40s, as well as a McLaren M1 and a Cooper Monaco. The one-hour race was dominated by the Lola T70 Mk3B, piloted by Brundle and Pearson. Jonathan Mitchell in the Chevron B19 delivered a tough chase, which earned him second place. Claridge and Gomes finished third in the Chevron B23.
Crazy minis
A total of seventeen wild Minis, all from the years before 1966, fought a showdown for victory. Mini maestros Nick Swift and Nick Padmore impressively demonstrated the art of going full throttle, coupled with little braking, lots of sliding and how to take 80% of the kerbs. Two races were held. The winner of the first race was Jeff Smith, the second was won by Joe Ferguson.
Wide-ranging touring car field
A wide selection of the best of pre-1966 touring car racing battled wheel-to-wheel for victory in the "Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars" race and, in typical touring car style, gave nothing away.
Ford Mustangs, Lotus Cortinas, Alfa Romeo Giulias, Mini Cooper S and BMW 1800 Ti/SA and others were whipped around the track by some experienced drivers, such as Steve Soper, Tiff Needell, Greg Thornton, Bill Shepherd and Rob Fenn.
The thirty-lap race was ultimately won by Rob Fenn in his Mustang, followed by Oliver Taylor in a Lotus Cortina and the two Letts brothers, also in a Lotus Cortina.
Icons in the Gentlemen's Driver class
The Gentlemen's Driver class featured some absolute dream cars, such as Ginetta G4s, TVR Griffiths, Lotus Elans, Shelby Cobra Daytonas, Jaguar E-Types, Porsches, Aston Martins and more. As the name suggests, the field consisted of drivers with several years of racing experience. For example, well-known names such as Mike Wilds, Calum Lockie, Gary Pearson, Mike Whittaker and more were at the start.
The race lasted an hour and there were battles for position up and down the field. In the end, Mike Whittaker in the TVR Griffith took home the win. Second place honors went to the Shelby Cobra Daytona driven by Thomas/Lockie. Third place went to Spiers and Needell in another TVR.
Fierce battles in the Historic Grand Prix Association races
The Historic Grand Prix Association completed two races with a starting field consisting of historic formula cars from Brabham, Lotus, Maserati, Ferrari, Cooper and others, all built before 1965.
Jon Fairley in the Brabham BT11 dominated both races and took home two trophies. However, Will Nuthall in the Cooper T53 always put up stiff resistance, which earned him second place twice. There was often barely a hand's breadth of space between the two.
Large field at Equipe Classic Racing
The last event was the "Equipe Classic Racing", which boasted an enormously large and diverse starting field. Austin-Healeys, MGBs, Coopers, Lotus, TVRs, Turners, McLaren Elvas, Jaguars, Triumphs and a few others took part in classic club racing.
The race was fiercely contested across the entire field with many class battles and strong candidates for overall victory. This ultimately went to Tom Smith in an MGB. Ryan's Triumph TR4 took second place and Atkins in the TVR Grantura third.
