With our next two races for the JMC Racing Special Saloons & Modsports just days away, live-streamed from Brands Hatch, let's look back to last month. Our races were held in memory of the great Tony Sugden.
Stuart Homer kindly shared his watermarked photographs with us to use in this report, you can purchase originals from him directly: https://www.instagram.com/stuarthomerphotography/?hl=en-gb
Marcus Pye was there to capture the action, in his own words:
CSCC JMC RACING SPECIAL SALOONS & MODSPORTS, OULTON PARK, JULY 27-28
Southcott and Allaway score at Oulton Park Gold Cup
Andy Southcott continued his winning ways for a third successive year as the JMC Racing Special Saloons & Modsports series graced the Oulton Park Gold Cup historic event again, with a double-header remembering fallen hero Tony Sugden on July 27-28. The southern raider and his redoubtable 2.3-litre Vauxhall-engined Lenham Midget met their match in Sunday’s race, though, outrun by Lancastrian Simon Allaway in his hulking 5.5-litre Chevrolet-engined Lotus Esprit, after early leader Danny Morris’ Spirit of RPM Peugeot-Cosworth 309 turbocar broke.
A splendid field of 25 competitors formed the fabled CSCC circus - including some first timers from other CSCC series - when it pitched up in Cheshire for the third stop of the season. Southcott was quickly into his stride in the Mike Johnston-built spaceframer, his 1m46.404s (91.05mph) best lap shading Morris’ promising 1:46.633, achieved on his third lap of Saturday morning’s 20-minute qualifying session.
Locals Paul Dolan, in his immaculate bewinged Tango orange Lotus Elan, and Southcott’s class rival Ian Wilson (3.6 TVR Tasmin S6) formed the second row, with solid 1:52.172 and 1:54.985 shots respectively. Having substituted his 2.5 Ford Escort Mk2 for the programmed Anglia, Martin Reynolds bagged P5 with 1:55.846, almost two seconds quicker than row mate Allaway on his final lap.
Tom Carey (Honda Civic-BDG), Craig Percy (6.2 Morris Minor-Chevrolet V8) and Andy Willis (5.0 Austin A30-Ford V8) were next up, joined under two minutes by Paul Turner whose 1:59.692 in the 1056cc Kawasaki-motivated Suzuki SC100 ‘Whizz Kid’ was a tremendous effort rewarded with a class-leading 10th overall.
Three ‘SS&M samplers’ were next up, Darren Scholes (VW Golf GTi Mk2), CSCC chairman John Hammersley (Vauxhall Astra GTE 16v) and Whitchurch Motor Company proprietor Tony Maryon (Porsche 944 S2) separated by little more than a second. Scot Alastair Baptie was with them prior to an off which ripped his pristine MGB GT V8’s axle-locating panhard rod mount from the chassis, sadly ending his weekend.
Graeme Smith (Mazda MX-5 Mk1) sat a stout 15th, ahead of the closely-matched Neil Vaughan’s rampant Chevrolet Corvette C3 and Colin Claxton’s spectacular looking Escort. Series newcomer William Potter (MG Midget), Jerry Burgoyne (ex-Charles Barter 1120cc Davrian Solo Stiletto) and welcome returnee John Pugsley - the Devonian veteran out for the first time since 2012 in his Davrian Mk6, now sporting a lavish venturi beneath its 1240cc Imp engine - followed on. Fresh from their Zandvoort sojourn, Steve Mole’s BMW E30 looked resplendent in its marque stripes.
Steve Fray’s EUROCAR-type tubeframe Ford Mondeo, 750MC Classic Stock Hatch regular Lucas Dryden’s beautifully turned out Fiesta XR2, David Claxton’s turbocharged Triumph Dolomite kurzheck and British expat Roy Davis, back from Brisbane, Australia, and revisiting his Triumph ‘4000’ - powered by a straight six Ford Falcon engine and converted from a rally car in Oz and raced here in 2002 - completed the field.
Later in the day all but Baptie formed the first grid, 24 drivers coming under orders. Southcott judged the rolling start well, streaking his lightweight bolide down the incline into the right-handed Old Hall corner ahead of Morris, Allaway and Carey who outgrunted Dolan. By the end of the lap Southcott had plumped his lead out to 4.6s!
The order up front settled down, with the silver Midget going away from the Pug, there were early casualties. Burgoyne’s Stiletto, spluttered back to the pits emitting an ominous smokescreen, but Wilson’s TVR required a tow vehicle. Fray’s Mondeo joined them in retirement after three circuits, but everybody else raced on.
Having set the race’s fastest lap - 1:46.044s (91.38mph) - on his second of nine circuits, Southcott took the chequered flag 11.479s ahead of Morris, whose Peugeot was fastest through all three speed traps at 132.6mph on Lakeside, 114.3mph atop Clay Hill and 124.2mph over the timing line respectively. Danny was 33 seconds clear of Allaway who survived a hairy spin through Druids on lap 7, but remained beyond reach of Carey, nursing a misfire from half-distance.
Tom had shaken off Dolan, who kept him in sight, and Reynolds whose Escort took the flag sixth. Sight of the race for the appreciative audience, basking in sunshine around the undulating parkland campus, was the steroidal BMC stablemates, Percy’s Minor and Willis’ A30 circulating together. Not quite as their designers Alec Issigonis and TK Garrett intended, but nonetheless fine homages on classic themes.
A lap down, Maryon made ninth his own, clear of Hammersley and Scholes in close company. Vaughan finished 12th, his Corvette enjoying an unlikely skirmish with Smith’s MX-5. Turner’s diminutive Suzuki, back inside two minutes on its first full-speed lap, pulled a stout 110mph on Lakeside and scuttled through Knickerbrook en route to a class-winning 14th.
Pugsley, Colin Claxton and Mole together, Potter, David Claxton, Davis and Dryden also reached the chequered flag. Despite his XR’s basic spec, Dryden drove it like the wind, slashing 2.7 seconds from his qualifying best which was meritorious. Fray, Wilson and Burgoyne unfortunately fell by the wayside.
Southcott took his familiar 10 place winner’s grid drop for Sunday - when all bar Mole and Pugsley formed the 22-car grid - but was fourth behind Morris, Carey and Allaway’s monstrous Esprit by the end of the opening lap. The Peugeot looked poised over the first couple of laps, pulling an improved 115.9mph off Clay Hill towards Druids, but alas its turbo whoosh diminished into Hislop’s chicane on the third and Danny crept back to the paddock. He subsequently discovered spark plug damage, possibly down to a head gasket issue.
Having blasted past Carey, Allaway thundered ahead, leaving Tom at the mercy of Southcott. Andy annexed second after a couple of laps, but now circa five seconds behind Simon it quickly became apparent that there was nothing he could do to erode the deficit. As Allaway’s speed trap readings in sectors one and three rose to race bests of 134.2mph and 125.9mph, the breathless Southcott finished 5.519s seconds adrift.
Allaway’s first win in the ‘new’ car - he’d scored a double at Donington in August 2013 in its predecessor - was dedicated to his hero Tony Sugden. “Suggy was a great help to me when I started, always very encouraging - but he never let me beat him,” smiled Simon, whose monster duly caught fire on the “cool down” lap. Fortunately marshals had the flames extinguished expediently before any serious damage was done!
Southcott worked hard for second. “After a good battle with Tom in the Honda I eventually got past [on lap 5], but by then it was too late.” Carey put his well-earned third down to his loyal mates. “I’m only here because they prepare the car while I’m working away,” he said.
Reynolds completed a class winning double in his Zippo Escort, improving from sixth to fourth second time out, this time keeping Dolan behind. Pursuers Willis, Wilson and Percy also completed the winner’s distance.
Vaughan cut his lap times by two seconds as he beat Scholes to ninth. Turner and Smith completed the top 12, clear of Potter, Colin Claxton and Burgoyne. Fray, Dryden and Davis also took the chequer, Lucas having deposed Roy on the penultimate lap in their catchweight contest. Hammersley’s Astra was a late retirement, having run ninth, but Maryon parked in the Hislop’s refuge on lap three, by which time Colin Claxton’s yellow Dolly was also out.
