Heats
1979 Silverstone 2 
1978 Donington  Go  
1979 Silverstone GP 
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Donington

Donington Park National Circuit, Derby, Great-Britain

Date: 24/6/1979
Track length: 3.149 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters:
Finishers:

Pole position: Walkinshaw in 1.22,64
Fastest lap: Spice in 1.23,07 = 136,50 kmh

Distance: 20 laps
Average speed: 133,87 kmh
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1979 Cars

 

What a race! Allam grabs the initiative from the green light, under tremendous pressure from Graham, as polesitter Walkinshaw slips to fourth, behind Woodman. But wait, here's Graham in the lead! No, Allam's alongside again; side by side they dive into the chicane. Someone has to lose it! But no, Allam leads across the line, by a whisker from Graham. Woodman's still third, Walkinshaw fourth, keeping the Spice cars at bay. Another lap, and another; the three Capris up front are bumper to bumper, sliding around on the slippery track, but so skillfully controlled...

Walkinshaw has a nibble at third on lap three, but then the propshaft bearing breaks up and the Mazda starts vibrating madly. Walkinshaw can slip back down the order. His demise lets not Woodman but Spice, playing a cool, canny race up into third. Then he's second, as Graham copes with increasing oversteer on the Faberge Capri. Allam still leads though, magnificently holding sway as Spice pushes him harder and harder. Lap ten; he dives for the inside at the chicane. Allam won't have that, though and the two Capris squeeze side by side, door handle to door handle all the way through. Spice wins the drag race away, and thereafter it is business as usual.
Allam drove magnificently to second, comfortably ahead of Craft, who demoted Woodman for third. Graham? He spun down to fifth; "a silly mistake" he later admitted.

Jonathan Buncombe drove a steady race into sixth, ahead of the still less than 100% reliable Mazda. Walkinshaw nevertheless won the class, keeping well ahead of Greenslade and Marshall, while Brunt took fourth in class, "Whizzo" retiring with a broken fuel pump.
Down in the 1600 cc class, it was once again a delighted Percy who took home the laurels, Lloyd dropping back early on with a grass cutting excursion.
In the 1300 cc class it was yet again Longman, but only after a magnificent battle with Curnow, that lasted throughout the twenty laps. The cheeky Post Office man led on; a few occasions, but at the end of the day the British Champion came out on top. But Curnow, like Spice, Walkinshaw and Percy, broke the class lap record.

(Motoring News)

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   Gordon Spice Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Gordon Spice, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.14,24 4 1.22,96 1.23,07  
2 2   Allam Motor Services racing with BP
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Jeff Allam, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.20,37 3 1.22,80    
3 3   Gordon Spice Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Chris Craft, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.26,10 5 1.23,51    
4 4   Esso Uniflo
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Vince Woodman, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.30,71 6 1.23,82    
5 5   Fabergé Racing Lee Jeans
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Stuart Graham, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.32,29 2 1.22,74    
6 6   Esso Uniflo
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Jonathan Buncombe, GB
 2993 V6 D 20 laps, 28.35,68 8 1.23,91    
7 1   TWR Pentax
Mazda RX-7		 Tom Walkinshaw, GB
 2 x 573 R2 C 20 laps, 28.51,78 1 1.22,64 1.23,66  
8 2   Team Triplex with Esso and Motor
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Rex Greenslade, GB
 1998 L4 C 20 laps, 29.00,59 9 1.24,80    
9 3   Team Triplex with Esso and Motor
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Gerry Marshall, GB
 1998 L4 C 20 laps, 29.08,82 11 1.25,32    
10 4    
Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300		 Derrick Brunt, GB
 2279 L4 C 19 14 1.26,81    
  1   Team Toyota Hughes of Beaconsfield
Toyota Celica GT		 Win Percy, GB
 1588 L4 B 19 17 1.27,94 1.28,33  
  2   The Akai Golf
VW Golf GTI		 Richard Lloyd, GB
 1588 L4 B 19 16 1.27,08    
  3    
Chrysler Avenger		 Terry Watts, GB
 1594 L4 B 19        
  1   Patrick Motorsport
Mini 1275 GT		 Richard Longman, GB
 1275 L4 A 19 20 1.29,57    
  2   Datapost
Mini 1275 GT		 Alan Curnow, GB
 1275 L4 A 19     1.30,00  
  3    
Mini 1275 GT		 Tom Pitcher, GB
 1275 L4 A 19        
  4   Napolina Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti		 Jon Dooley, GB
 1286 B4 A 19        
  6    
Mini 1275 GT		 Jon Mowatt, GB
 1275 L4 A          
      Voxson Car Sound Systems
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Holman “Les” Blackburn, GB
 2993 V6 D          
DNF      
Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300		 Barrie Williams, GB
 2279 L4 C         Fuel pump