Hello everyone,
Firstly, I must apologise to all the drivers that raced at Brands Hatch on 27th April for an error made by myself and steering group member Mark Charteris. Anthony Denham asked us if he could race without rear mudguards due to a broken mudguard stay. It was close to race 2 and as Mark and I were racing ourselves, time was limited. We made a judgement based on our race numbers and wanting Anthony to be out racing with us all. We should, of course, have obtained agreement from all the drivers on the grid. This error was, quite rightly, brought to our attention after the race by one of you. We apologise unreservedly to you all for not following proper Championship protocol.
At Brands Hatch we had 2 newcomers. Cody Tree in the invitation class with a Sports 1600 Phantom who qualified an excellent 3rd overall but failed to finish both races due to unfortunate mechanical problems. We hope to see Cody out with us again soon. Martin Walker was racing in Phil Hart’s B class car. Martin acquitted himself very well and will certainly be moving up the grid throughout the season. Well done Martin.
The day and presentation was, of course, tinged with sadness due to the news of Steve Clamp’s illness. He hopes to attend our race meeting at Snetterton to see us all again. Sheila and I visited Steve and Stella last week. His positive attitude was inspirational and he sends his thanks and regards to you all for the friendship and warmth you showed him at Brands.
Finally, Mark Charteris raced his HF2 March at the Masters meeting at Brands GP. There was a high quality international grid of 35 cars. Mark brilliantly qualified on pole and was comfortably on course for a win when his gearshift broke. He still finished 3rd overall with car jammed in top gear. In his 2nd race Mark was holding a strong 3rd place when fuel pressure fluctuations caused him to retire on the last lap.
Classic Clubmans was given much positive coverage over the week-end – well done Mark !
That’s all for now, regards, Mike Sales – Classic Clubmans co-ordinator
