1974 BSCC - round 12

	Heats
	1974 Oulton Park GC
	Go	1975 Snetterton
	1974 Brands Hatch MS
	Back to index page

Rothmans 5000 Snetterton

Snetterton, Great Britain

Date: 6/10/1974
Track length: 3.085 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters:
Finishers:

Pole position: Lloyd (C-D); Williams (A-B)
Fastest lap: Fletcher in 1.23,4 (C-D); Williams in 1.25,4 (A-B)

Distance: 20 laps
Average speed: 127,20 kmh (C-D); 126,28 kmh (A-B)
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1974 Cars

Race 1
Stuart Graham gave one more demonstration of his mastery of the big car class. With a display of controlled driving he gradually eased his immaculate Brut Camaro Z28 away from his rivals, not putting a wheel wrong, to eventually win by over 20 seconds.
Graham's usual sparring partner Richard Lloyd grabbed pole position with the Simoniz Camaro fitted with a 7.6-litre development engine built by Chris Oates but the anticipated battle never materialised as Lloyd spun early in the race and later retired with a blown head gasket.
It was the Purple People Eater Camaro of Les Nash which held second place throughout although both Vince Woodman and Jon Fletcher spun their Camaros when in a position to challenge him. Fletcher being delighted after practice with the improvement in his car after fitting a new set of Bilstein shockers at the front, set fastest lap before retiring against the Esses bank.
The smaller class battle was one of changing fortunes as each of the leading three protagonists in the championship took a turn at leading. Initially Tony Lanfranchi, with the Nicholas Van Der Steen BMW CSi, led but both Peter Hanson, with the Dealer Opel Team Commodore GSE and Tom Walkinshaw's Shellsport Capri had passed him by half-distance. The Scotsman headed the class from the Yorkshireman at three-quarter distance only to develop a puncture on the last lap which a disgruntled Hanson could not use to advantage as he was busy trying to coax the Opel over the finish line with very little fuel in its tank. A delighted Lanfranchi thus took the class win.

Race 2
Andy Rouse got the Broadspeed Dolomite Sprint off the front row quicker than pole position holder Barrie Williams in the Mathwell/Team Castrol Mazda RX-3, these two, with Gerry Marshall's 2.3 Magnum, making a fantastic start from the third row of the grid, headed the pack into Riches. At the end of the first lap, Rouse was still leading with the wildly sliding Williams and Marshall, being followed by the Dolomite Sprints of Fitzpatrick, Dron, Handley, Hine, Tim Stock's Magnum and small class leader Bernard Unett with the Hillman Avenger GT.
As both Williams and Marshall dropped down the field Tony Dron moved into second spot with the other Broadspeed car, supporting team leader Rouse for a few laps until he mysteriously started falling down the lap chart. John Handley then held runner-up spot until he was passed at half-distance by a recovering Williams. But when Williams spun once again on lap 15 in his efforts to get to grips with the disappearing Rouse, Handley looked set to follow the Broadspeed car to the chequered flag. Rouse duly received the chequered flag after another good drive but once again fate took a hand in the second place battle and the position went to Williams after Handley developed a puncture on the penultimate lap just managing to struggle home third with Hine fourth, Marshall fifth and Fitzpatrick sixth, after a spin early in the race.
Championship leader overall, Bernard Unett added another maximum to his score with an easy class win over team-mate Roger Bell. Both Stan Clark (Alfa Romeo Junior GT) and John Markey (Toyota Celica), who had been in contention, retired out on the circuit.
The results issued for this race were again provisional pending the outcome of several protests. One concerned the swapping of cars by Rouse and Dron, on team orders, which accounts for the formers near-miraculous cure from the overdrive bothers that had plagued it all day and the steady fall of the latter down the lap chart.

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 Fabergé Racing
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Stuart Graham, GB
5736 V8 D 20 laps, 28.54,0

2 2
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Les Nash, GB
5736 V8 D 20 laps, 29.15

3 1 Van Der Steen
BMW 3.0 CSi Tony Lanfranchi, GB
2985 L6 C 20 laps, 29.27,2

4 2 Shellsport
Ford Capri 3000 GT Tom Walkinshaw, GB
2993 V6 C 20 1.24,6 Puncture

3 VMW Motors - Team Esso Uniflo
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Vince Woodman, GB
5736 V8 D

4 Glazepta Products Ltd.
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Jon Fletcher, GB
5736 V8 D 1.23,4 Accident

3 Wisharts Garages
Ford Capri 3000 GT Chris Craft, GB
2993 V6 C

4 Dealer Opel Team
Opel Commodore GS/E Peter Hanson, GB
2784 L6 C

DNF A.J. Rivers Simoniz Racing
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Richard Lloyd, GB
7443 V8 D 1 Head gasket

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 Team Broadspeed Castrol
Triumph Dolomite Sprint Andy Rouse, GB
1998 L4 B 20 laps, 29.06,6

2 2 Team Castrol
Mazda Savanna RX-3 Barrie Williams, GB
2 x 491 R2 B 20 1

3 3 Roller Chain Distributors Ltd
Triumph Dolomite Sprint John Handley, GB
1998 L4 B 20 Puncture

4 4 Bill Shaw Racing/Shellsport
Triumph Dolomite Sprint John Hine, GB
1998 L4 B 20

5 5
Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 Gerry Marshall, GB
2279 L4 B 20

6 6 Gerry Edmonds
Triumph Dolomite Sprint John Fitzpatrick, GB
1998 L4 B 20

1 Chrysler Dealer Team
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT Bernard Unett, GB
1594 L4 A 19 laps, 29.12,0

2 Chrysler Dealer Team
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT Roger Bell, GB
1594 L4 A 19

3
VW Passat TS Melvyn Adams, GB
1470 L4 A 19

4
Hillman Avenger 1600 GT Colin Malkin, GB
1594 L4 A 19

Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 Tim Stock, GB
2279 L4 B

DNF Roger Clark Cars/Esso Uniflo
Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior Stan Clark, GB
1570 L4 A

DNF Dealer Team Toyota
Toyota Celica GT John Markey, GB
1588 L4 A