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1974 Snetterton 
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Brands Hatch Motor Show 200

Brands Hatch International Circuit, Kent, Great-Britain

Date: 20/10/1974
Track length: 4.206 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters:
Finishers:

Pole position: Woodman in 1.55,8
Fastest lap: Graham in 1.45,2 = 145,93 kmh

Distance: 20 laps, stopped after 18 laps
Average speed: 140,09 kmh
Weather: Dry start, then rain
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1974 Cars

Pictures

More excitement than usual was anticipated for this final Gp1 round, for upon it hinged the result of the Castrol Championship. Basically, Bernard Unett was assured of the title so long as he won his class, and even if he didn't Rouse had to win his own class to take it from him. In the manufacturers' section, a Dolomite had only to finish second in class to settle the result. The danger was that even after the race the championship may not have been decided, it could have depended on what the RAC decided about the Snetterton Dolomite switch. Practice took place on a damp, very slippery track on Sunday morning, and many were the incidents on the slippery surface. Vince Woodman was fastest in his Esso Uniflo/VMW Motors sponsored Camaro, which with the benefit of its superior Firestone intermediates got round in 1.55,8. Having to choose between slicks or wets, Stuart Graham was 1.2s slower, but Barrie Williams was the one raising the eyebrows as he flung the Team Castrol Mazda round in 1.57,4 to complete the front row.

Graham beat Woodman off the line with Hine nosing through into a momentary third place before Rouse slotted ahead at Paddock. These four were chased out onto Bottom Straight by Blackburn and Walkinshaw, with Unett naturally falling rapidly back to join the other 1600s. But next time round Lloyd rumbled into the pits, a victim of low oil pressure. Simultaneously Walkinshaw passed Rouse, yet could not get away from the smaller car, and as Williams passed Hine on the same lap all eyes turned to the battle for third place. In the bottom half of the order Unett had fallen to third in the 1600 cc class, being some way behind the Avengers of team-mate Roger Bell and of Jenny Birrell at this stage. As Graham and Woodman continued in solitary splendour at the head of the field, "Whizzo" made ever greater efforts to catch Rouse, reeling the Dolomite in with a new class lap record of 1.49,6.
On the seventh lap Unett suddenly got on with securing the championship and leap-frogged ahead of Bell and Birrell. Williams caught the Walkinshaw-Rouse duel at exactly half-distance so that three cars now fought for third place. But then a shower of rain made its presence gently felt, turning the already slippery circuit into a skating rink. Two laps running Williams entered Paddock right beside Rouse, but each time had to drop behind again. As they reached Druids on the 14th lap Rouse hung the tail out on the slipperiest part, but was still on opposite lock as his wheels gripped suddenly on the exit. The Dolomite lunged to the left, grazed the barrier and leapt into the air, thrusting a wheel out of alignment. Williams nipped through and, if anything, stepped up the challenge to Walkinshaw, while on the next lap Rouse went of again at the same place and this time could not find the grip to restart until the marshals came to his aid. Hine was now second in class, albeit some way behind the Mazda, and Rouse's chance of the championship had evaporated.
Then Williams bumped into Walkinshaw at Druids and both spun, resuming without any loss of places. In the meantime Chris Craft had spun the Arden Dolomite on Bottom Straight but got going again still behind Tony Dron's Dolomite, Blackburn and John Handley's Dolomite. John Markey had rotated his Toyota at Druids, while Stan Clark's Alfa Romeo had blown up in the early laps.
After all this excitement the order seemed settled, but far from it - the real drama was yet to come. Unett, Bell and Jenny Birrell were fighting out the 1600 class amidst a tight bunch of eight or nine cars. As they came into Hawthorn for the 16th time, Unett and Tim Stock were side by side, with Stock's Vauxhall Magnum on the inside. Magnum touched Avenger and suddenly all hell broke loose as half a dozen cars slammed into each other. Stock came out with no more than a scrape, but the Avengers of Unett, Bell and Jenny Birrell and Martin Birrane's Capri cannoned off each other, wrecking the lot. Alec Poole's Avenger arrived on the scene, tried one way, found it blocked, tried to swerve and was rammed from behind by Hine, who ploughed into the chaos, adding to the carnage. Amazingly, Alan Foster's Escort and Mike Chittenden's BMW 2002 squeezed past everything, and then the rest got the message, slowed right down and picked a path through the scrap yard, A minute or so later red and chequered flags came out together after 18 laps, two laps early. As neither Unett nor Rouse finished in the points, Unett was champion.
Graham won by 20 seconds, despite a leaking water pump, with Woodman second, a full minute in front of Walkinshaw's class-winning Capri. Williams brought the Mazda into fourth place and victory in the 2.5-litre class. Dron's fifth place, and second in class, was enough to assure British Leyland of the championship.


Touring Cars class A-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   Fabergé Racing
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Stuart Graham, GB
5736 V8 D 18 laps, 32.52,6 2 1.57,0 1.45,2  
2 2   VMW Motors - Team Esso Uniflo
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Vince Woodman, GB
5736 V8 D 18 laps, 33.12 1 1.55,8    
3 1   Shellsport
Ford Capri 3000 GT
Tom Walkinshaw, GB
2993 V6 C 18 laps, 34.13,0 6   1.50,2  
4 1   Team Castrol
Mazda Savanna RX-3
Barrie Williams, GB
2 x 491 R2 B 18 laps, 34.20,0 3 1.57,4 1.49,6  
5 2   Team Broadspeed Castrol
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Tony Dron, GB
1998 L4 B 18        
6 2   Hermetite Products
Ford Capri 3000 GT
Holman “Les” Blackburn, GB
2993 V6 C 18 7      
7 3   Roller Chain Distributors Ltd
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
John Handley, GB
1998 L4 B 18        
8 3    
BMW 3.0 Si
Tony Lanfranchi, GB
2985 L6 C 17 9      
9 4   Shellsport Arden
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Chris Craft, GB
1998 L4 B 17        
10 3   Glazepta Products Ltd.
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Jon Fletcher, GB
5736 V8 D 17        
  1 70 Dealer Team Toyota
Toyota Celica GT
John Markey, GB
1588 L4 A 17 laps, 34.32,6        
  2    
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT
Alec Poole, IRL
1594 L4 A 17        
  3    
VW Passat TS
Melvyn Adams, GB
1470 L4 A          
       
Ford Escort Mk.I RS 2000
Alan Foster, GB
1993 L4 B          
       
BMW 2002 TII
Mike Chittenden, GB
1990 L4 B          
      Team Broadspeed Castrol
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Andy Rouse, GB
1998 L4 B   4 1.57,8    
      Bill Shaw Racing/Shellsport
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
John Hine, GB
1998 L4 B   5      
      DNRT Marlboro Team
Opel Commodore GS/E
Huub Vermeulen, NL
2784 L6 C   10      
    12  
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Malcolm Wayne, GB
5736 V8 D          
DNF     A.J. Rivers Simoniz Racing
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Richard Lloyd, GB
7443? V8 D         Oil pressure
DNF      
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Les Nash, GB
5736 V8 D         Gearbox
DNF     Roger Clark Cars/Esso Uniflo
Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior
Stan Clark, GB
1570 L4 A         Blown engine
DNF     Chrysler Dealer Team
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT
Bernard Unett, GB
1594 L4 A 15 8   1.53,6 Mass accident
DNF     Chrysler Dealer Team
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT
Roger Bell, GB
1594 L4 A 15       Mass accident
DNF     Halesfield Motors (Telford) Ltd.
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT
Jenny Birrell, GB
1594 L4 A 15       Mass accident
DNF     Adlards of Brixton
Ford Capri 3000 GT
Martin Birrane, IRL
2993 V6 C 15       Mass accident
DNS     Dealer Opel Team
Opel Commodore GS/E
Peter Hanson, GB
2784 L6 C         Because of an accident, not enough practice laps