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SKF Trophy for Group 2 cars

Mallory Park, Leicester, Great-Britain

Date: 1/10/1972
Track length: 2.173 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters: 7 (race 2)
Finishers:

Pole position: Mason in 0.54,6 (race 1), Gardner in 0.49,6 (race 2)
Fastest lap: Buncombe and Mason in 0.54,0 (race 1), Gardner in 0.49,0 (race 2)

Distance: 20 laps
Average speed:
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 2/70
Car info: 1972 Cars

Pictures

Race 1
The grid lined up with Rob Mason's Ken Costello Mini on pole flanked by Jonathan Buncombe's Richard Longman Mini while the outside position on the grid was vacant, as Vince Woodman's Escort had ruined yet another engine, the oil pump having seized in practice and ruined the bearings. From the word go, Mason and Buncombe fought for the lead with never more than inches between the cars. Mason's car appeared quicker along the straights, probably by virtue of Buncombe's slipstream, as the apple green Longman machine contrived to do most of the leading.
Mason lead across the line on two occasions and more frequently at other points on the circuit in the first half of the race but in the closing laps, Buncombe looked well in command of the situation and stayed ahead to take the chequered flag by 0.2s. Brian Peacock was unable to match the speed of the leaders with his Woodhead Shock Absorbers Escort GT but for his part he was never bothered by the other 1300 Minis and ran out a secure third.
Jon Mowatt, his Mini repaired since last weeks roll at Silverstone, claimed fourth after an early battle with Alan Jones in yet another Mini, while fifth was Chris Montague (Mini), Jones having retired with engine trouble. In the closing laps, McGovern closed right up to Montague but just failed to take him. In the smallest class, Ivor Greenwood (Imp Sport) was the closest to McGovern but by the finish he had been lapped by the leaders.

Race 2
A disappointing field of only eight turned up for this race and this was reduced to seven when Dave Brodie withdrew the Norman Reeves/Stirling Cooper Escort with serious engine maladies. In practice both Frank Gardner (SCA Freight Camaro) and Brian Muir (Wiggins Teape Capri RS) clocked 49.6s while Dave Matthews joined them on the front row with a 50.0s in the Melton/Broadspeed Escort. Tom Walkinshaw was the sole occupant of the second rank in the David Wood Escort following Brodie’s demise while of the third row runners,
Willie Green was fastest in Willy Kay's completely privately run Escort. He was flanked by the Willment Escort of Mike Crabtree, which in practice had touched the kerb at the hairpin and bent its front suspension, and Terry Sanger's Camaro.
The first lap saw all the action and from then on the race was virtually over. Gardner suffered a surfeit of wheelspin when the flag fell so that Muir led round Gerards with Gardner and Matthews side by side. Once on the back straight, Gardner really trod on the loud pedal and moved up on to the inside of Muir. These two massive cars took the Esses absolutely side by side but Muir got on the grass and almost fell into the clutches of Matthews. From then on there was nothing the Capri could do about the flying Camaro, although Matthews was as usual doing his David and Goliath act and hanging on to the Capri. At twelve laps, Muir fell by the wayside when the differential cracked up, allowing Matthews to run out a comfortable second and take the class.
Of the others, Terry Sanger held up the Escorts for four laps but once past, Walkinshaw and Green pulled quickly away, with Green looking particularly spectacular. Walkinshaw placed third but Green touched the hairpin kerb and stopped to check for damage so that he finished behind Sanger and Crabtree, the latter having driven most of the race with virtually no brakes.


Touring Cars class A-B
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine
Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)
Engine
Type
Group Distance,
time
Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 61 Richard Longman & Co.
BMC Mini Cooper S
Jonathan Buncombe, GB
1293 L4 B 20 laps, 18.18,2 2   0.54,0  
2 2 62 Ken Costello
BMC Mini Cooper S
Rob Mason, GB
1293 L4 B 20 1 0.54,6 0.54,0  
3 3 52 Woodhead Shock Absorbers
Ford Escort 1300 GT
Brian Peacock, GB
1298 L4 B 20        
4 4 59  
BMC Mini Cooper S
Jon Mowatt, GB
1293 L4 B 20        
5 5 63  
BMC Mini Cooper S
Chris Montague, GB
1293 L4 B 20        
6 1 1 George Bevan
Hillman Imp
Bill McGovern, GB
998 L4 B 20 laps, 19.01,4     0.55,0  
7 6 68  
BMC Mini Cooper S
Gordon Dawkins, GB
1293 L4 B 19        
8 2 79  
Sunbeam Imp
Ivor Goodwin, GB
998 L4 B 19        
9 7    
Ford Escort 1300 GT
Jeremy Nightingale, GB
1298 L4 B 19        
10 3 80  
Hillman Imp
Melvyn Adams, GB
998 L4 B 19        
DNF      
BMC Mini Cooper S
Allan Jones, GB
1293 L4 B 12       Engine
DNF   55 VMW Motors
Ford Escort 1300 GT
Vince Woodman, GB
1298 L4 B 19       Engine

Touring Cars class C-D
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine
Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)
Engine
Type
Group Distance,
time
Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 5 SCA Freight Ltd.
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Frank Gardner, AUS
5736 V8 D 20 laps, 16.49,0 1 0.49,6 0.49,0  
2 1 30 Melton Racing with Broadspeed
Ford Escort RS 1600
Dave Matthews, GB
1798 L4 C 20 3 0.50,0 0.50,0  
3 2 40 David Wood Engineering
Ford Escort RS 1600
Tom Walkinshaw, GB
  L4 C 20 4      
4 2 10 Research Consultants Ltd.
Chevrolet Camaro
Terry Sanger, GB
  V8 D 20 8   0.49,0  
5 3 26 John Willment Racing
Ford Escort RS 1600
Mike Crabtree, GB
1930 L4 C 20 7      
6 4 32 Willy Kay
Ford Escort RS 1600
Willie Green, GB
1850 L4 C 20 6      
DNF   8 Malcolm Gartlan Racing/Wiggings Teape Ltd.
Ford Capri RS 2600
Brian Muir, AUS
2940 V6 D 12 2 0.49,6   Differential
DNS   4 W.M.G. Marketing
Chevrolet Camaro
Martin Thomas, GB
  V8 D         Differential
DNS   28 Norman Reeves/Stirling Cooper
Ford Escort RS 1600
Dave Brodie, GB
1987 L4 C   5     Engine