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Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch Short Circuit, Kent, Great-Britain

Date: 1/4/1978
Track length: 1.996 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters:
Finishers:

Pole position: LLoyd in 1.04,01 (race 1); Spice in 1.02,75 (race 2)
Fastest lap: Percy in 1.04,1 (race 1); Craft in 1.03,1 (race 2)

Distance: 25 laps (race 1), 23 laps (race 2)
Average speed: 106,80 kmh (race 1); 107,84 kmh (race 2)
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1978 Cars

 

Class A & B
After the start, Lloyd and Percy raced side by side as far as Paddock, but there the Golf driver got ahead, not to be seriously challenged for the rest of the 25 laps. As Lloyd streaked away in a race-long lead, Percy gave gallant chase in second place, while Longman valiantly fended off Brundle and Greenslade in a good scrap for third.
By the end of lap four Brundle was in front of Longman, and when Percy overcooked it at Clearways next time round, Brundle inherited second place. Percy was quickly back in the fray, rejoining between Brundle and Longman,
and within a couple of laps he was second again. But Lloyd was already too far in front to be caught, and try as Win might Richard's black and red Golf was still five seconds away at the finish - though it was Percy who established the class lap record. Once Percy had broken free from the three car cluster, Brundle was left with a narrow lead over Longman and Greenslade, but on the 15th lap Longman's Mini got to the head of the trio once again. From then on, Longman clung to his tiny class winning advantage until the end, but at the flag Brundle was still snapping at his heels and Greenslade was under three seconds back.

Class C-D
When the lights flashed green, Fitzpatrick was first to find traction at the front, and as they blasted into the gray curtain of mist Allam slotted into second place. By the main straight Fitz and Allam were leading Barrie Williams, up to a superb third despite the lack of either overdrive or an effective clutch. Marshall was fourth, and then came Spice, Dron, Craft, Rouse, Muir, Dougall and Woodman, the whole field closely bunched in a long, unbroken train of cars. Second time round Spice had moved up to third, while further down the order Dave Brodie became the first of many Capri drivers to spin into the liquid mud at Surtees. By lap three Spice was second, ahead of Allam. But still the first 12 drivers were all but tied together - Fitzpatrick, Spice, Allam, Williams, Dron, Marshall, Craft, Rouse, Muir, Dougall, Woodman and Graham, in that order, with Fitz and Spice very slowly drawing away from the rest.
On lap nine the inevitable happened: Rouse and Craft touched at Surtees, and slid to a wheel churning halt in the mud beside the track on the very apex of the second part of the ess bend. Moments later, Marshall also lost it in the water and charged straight across the earth, missing the cars and carrying on unscathed but scattering marshals in all directions. It was all so exciting, it took a few seconds to realize that Dron was now third, in front of Allam's Capri as well as Williams' Dolly.
On lap 11 Woodman skated into the quagmire leaving Surtees and added to the bogged down brigade, which were most dangerously parked as Rouse's BMW was only inches away from the edge of the track.
As Fitzpatrick and Spice roared up Paddock Hill for the 15th time they were nose to tail, and by the time they got to Clearways Spice's Capri was ahead. Almost simultaneously, Muir deprived Allam of fourth place, and Dougall snatched sixth from Williams, whose Dolomite began to slow as water seeped into the electrics, So now the order read Spice, Fitzpatrick, Dron, Muir, Allam and Dougall - but that was not to last long. Entering Surtees for the 17th time Spice almost lost control; Fitz backed off and aimed straight across the mud, threading between the abandoned cars. He almost took Dron with him, not realizing how close the rival Dolomite was, but Dron missed him and slipped into second place.
Then it was Allam's turn to spin at McLaren, and on lap 21 Muir was shoved off backwards at the apex of Clearways as Dougall forcefully strove past for fourth place. Then came the expected accident as someone hit Rouse's precariously perched machine. That someone, alas, was Rad Dougall, whose BMW hammered backwards into the side of its sister car, badly damaging both machines. And whilst that was happening, Fitzpatrick was also off the road, his Dolomite having slid straight into the barriers at Druids.
So it was Spice who won a race of incidents, beating Dron's class winning Dolomite by an eventual 6.4s - although it was Craft and Fitzpatrick who established the new Gp1 lap records for the club circuit. Graham found himself promoted to a lucky third by all his rivals' accidents, with Williams fourth ahead of Muir, Marshall and Allam, the only others to complete all 25 laps.

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   Richard Lloyd Racing Ltd.
VW Golf GTI		 Richard Lloyd, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 27.12,4 1 1.04,01    
2 2   Way Valley Racing / Bradshaw Plant Hire
Toyota Celica GT		 Win Percy, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 27.17,4 2 1.04,4 1.04,1  
3 1   Patrick Motorsport
Mini 1275 GT		 Richard Longman, GB
 1275 L4 A 25 laps, 27.24,5 3 1.04,47    
4 3   John Brundle Motors Ltd.
Toyota Celica GT		 Martin Brundle, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 27.25,3 4      
5 2   Napolina Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti		 Rex Greenslade, GB
 1286 B4 A 25 laps, 27.27,2 6   1.04,5  
6 4    
VW Golf GTI		 Martin Grant-Peterkin, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 27.48,9 5      
7 5    
VW Scirocco GTI		 Jim Marsden, GB
 1588 L4 B 25 laps, 28.10,9        
8 3   Stanfield and White (Caravan Hire) Ltd.
Chrysler Avenger 1300 GT		 John Spiller, GB
 1295 L4 A 24        
9 4    
Mini 1275 GT		 James Burrows, GB
 1275 L4 A 24        
10      
Toyota Celica GT		 Gordon Mayers, GB
 1588 L4 B 24 7      
      Candor Motors Ford Colchester 71171
Ford Fiesta		 Stuart McCrudden, GB
 1295 L4 A          

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   Gordon Spice Group
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Gordon Spice, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 26.50,5 1 1.02,75    
2 1   Leyland Cars
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Tony Dron, GB
 1998 L4 C 25 laps, 27.02,9 2 1.02,76    
3 2   FabergĂ© Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Stuart Graham, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 27.19,0 13      
4 2   Ian Bracey
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Barrie Williams, GB
 1998 L4 C 25 laps, 27.32,5 6     Clutch
5 3   Browne & Day Ltd.
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Brian Muir, AUS
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 27.34,1 4     Spin
6 4 14 Triplex Safety Glass
Ford Capri II 3.0S		 Gerry Marshall, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 27.42,2 10      
7 5   Allam Motor Services Ltd. Racing with Nu-Luxe Foam
Ford Capri II 3.0S		 Jeff Allam, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 27.43,5 5     Spin
8 3   Dick Lovett Specialist Cars
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Pete Lovett, GB
 1998 L4 C 24        
9 6   Carrier Properties Ltd.
Ford Capri II 3.0S		 Lawrie Hickman, GB
 2993 V6 D 24        
10 4   Stratstone Ltd.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Tim Goss, GB
 1998 L4 C 23        
DNF      
Ford Capri II 3.0S		 Dave Brodie, GB
 2993 V6 D   12     Accident
DNF     Hermetite Products
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 John Fitzpatrick, GB
 1998 L4 C   3 1.03,2 1.03,2 Accident
DNF     Gordon Spice Group
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Chris Craft, GB
 2993 V6 D   7   1.03,1 Accident
DNF     BMW (GB)
BMW 530i		 Andy Rouse, GB
 2985 L6 D   9 1.03,7   Accident
DNF     Equipe Esso
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Vince Woodman, GB
 2993 V6 D   11     Accident
DNF     BMW (GB) Racing with Toleman
BMW 530i		 Rad Dougall, ZA
 2985 L6 D   8 1.03,66   Accident