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Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch Short Circuit, Kent, Great-Britain

Date: 25/5/1981
Track length: 1.996 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters:
Finishers:

Pole position: Percy in 0.51,70 (race 1); Brundle in 0.53,72 (race 2)
Fastest lap: Hodgetts in 0.59,11 (race 2)

Distance: 25 laps
Average speed:
Weather:
Ruleset: Group 1B
Car info: 1981 Cars

 

Nick Whiting scored the first Tricentrol win of his career when he successfully negotiated the puddles and the backmarkers at Brands Hatch on Monday. The foul weather played havoc with the many slick shod cars and only those on intermediates or full wets got away without any dramas. Whiting relieved Win Percy of the lead on the half-way mark, leaving the Mazda driver to fend off the TWR Rovers of Jeff Allam and Peter Lovett. With many of the leading drivers making pit-stops to change tyres, some of the lesser known competitors got into the limelight, such as Mike Kimpton and Phil Martin-Dye. As it was gone seven o'clock in the evening before the race finished, it makes one wonder if the organisers hadn't bitten off more than they could chew with an ambitious programme including two Gp1 races and a lengthy Formula Atlantic race.

In race 2, Barrie Williams led all the way from start to finish, concentrating on getting clear of the rest and staying out of trouble. Once he had shaken off the fast-starting John Morris, the popular Colt driver had only to pay attention to his mirrors to ensure victory.
Morris opted for full wets and fell back as the track dried out, eventually coming home in fifth place. The man who relieved him of second place was Dave Morgan who soon came under pressure from the Toyota of Chris Hodgetts, making a fabulous recovery from his lowly grid position. But as this pair entered Paddock for the third time they touched with the result that Hodgetts spun off into the catch fencing, and stayed there until the unfortunate driver had extricated the car himself. Morgan however was only briefly reprieved before Moss flew past and looked to be shaping up for an attack on Williams. However, with a dice for the lead in prospect, Moss suddenly slowed and retired to the pits with yet another throttle linkage failure.
His place was taken by the amazing Metro of Neil McGrath who closed right up on the Colt and made a few half-hearted challenges before settling for third place and a class win first time out. David da Costa recovered from an earlier indiscretion to pass Jon Dooley's Alfasud, the Metro of Longman and, right at the end, the unlucky Morris. Hodgetts set about the class record as some form of consolation and eventually left it at 59.11 while pole position man Brundle retired on the first lap with gear selection problems.
(MN)

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   Richard Grant Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Nick Whiting, GB
 2993 V6 D 25 laps, 26.00,00 4 0.52,88    
2 1   Mazda Motorsport/TWR
Mazda RX-7		 Win Percy, GB
 2 x 573 R2 C   1 0.51,70 x Spin
3 2   TWR - Daily Express
Rover 3500 S 		Jeff Allam, GB
 3495 V8 D   5 0.53,03 x  
4 3   TWR - Daily Express
Rover 3500 S 		Pete Lovett, GB
 3495 V8 D   2 0.52,49    
5 4   Richard Grant Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Mike Kimpton, GB
 2993 V6 D   13 0.55,55    
6 5   Gordon Spice Racing
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Phil Martin-Dye, GB
 2993 V6 D   14      
7 6   Equipe Esso VMW Motors
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Vince Woodman, GB
 2993 V6 D   6 0.53,31    
8 2    
Ford Escort II RS 2000		 Mike Buckley, GB
 1993 L4 C   16      
9 3    
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 John Bishop, GB
 1998 L4 C   15      
10 7   Patrick Motorsport
Rover 3500 S 		Rex Greenslade, GB
 3495 V8 D 24 11      
11 8   Patrick Motorsport
Rover 3500 S 		Brian Muir, AUS
 3495 V8 D 24 7 0.53,34    
12 9   Carroll Shelby
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Wayne Wainwright, GB
 2993 V6 D   10 0.54,15    
13 10   Track Marshall
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Chuck Nicholson, GB
 2993 V6 D   8 0.53,50    
14 4    
Triumph Dolomite Sprint		 Terry Nightingale, GB
 1998 L4 C   17      
15 5   Castrol Denmark
Ford Escort II RS 2000		 Erik Høyer, DK
 1993 L4 C   12 0.54,97    
       
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Dennis Leech, GB
 2993 V6 D   9 0.53,87    
DNF     CSH Racing with Esso and the Daily Mirror
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Andy Rouse, GB
 2993 V6 D   3 0.52,66   Accident

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   The Colt Car Co Ltd
Mitsubishi Lancer GSR		 Barrie Williams, GB
 1597 L4 B 25 laps, 25.54,55 3      
2 2   The Colt Car Co Ltd
Mitsubishi Lancer GSR		 David Morgan, GB
 1597 L4 B   2 0.54,90    
3 1   Everest Double Glazing with Linden Racing
Austin Metro 1300 HLS		 Neil McGrath, GB
 1275 L4 A   12 0.58,78 x  
4 2   Haynes
Ford Fiesta 1.3		 David da Costa, GB
 1298 L4 A   6 0.56,23    
5 3   Morris Vulcan Ltd
VW Golf GTI		 John Morris, GB
 1588 L4 B   7 0.57,14    
6 3   Napolina Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti		 Jon Dooley, GB
 1286 B4 A   4 0.55,62    
7 4   Team Datapost Racing with Hepolite and Esso
Austin Metro 1300 HLS		 Richard Longman, GB
 1275 L4 A   5 0.55,91    
8 4   Hughes of Beaconsfield/Toyota GB
Toyota Celica ST		 Chris Hodgetts, GB
 1588 L4 B   15 0.59,31 0.59,11 Accident
9 5   Napolina Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint		 Rob Kirby, GB
 1498 B4 B   8 0.57,82    
10 5   Sigma
Austin Metro 1300 HLS		 Roger Saunders, GB
 1275 L4 A   10      
11 6   P.J. Green Racing
Mini 1275 GT		 Tim Goss, GB
 1275 L4 A   13      
12 7    
Ford Fiesta 1.3		 Colin Hawker, GB
 1298 L4 A   20      
DSQ?      
VW Golf GTI		 Andy Driver, GB
 1588 L4 B 23 17      
13 8    
Ford Fiesta 1.3		 Alex Moss, GB
 1298 L4 A 23 18      
14 6   Demon Tweeks
VW Golf GTI		 Alan Minshaw, GB
 1588 L4 B   19      
      John Noyes Racing
VW Scirocco GTI		 Peter Buxtorf, CH
 1588 L4 B   14 0.59,28    
       
Toyota Celica LB		 Robin Carlisle, GB
 1588 L4 B   16      
      Team Datapost Racing with Hepolite and Esso
Austin Metro 1300 HLS		 Alan Curnow, GB
 1275 L4 A   9      
DNF     Team BP Audi
Audi 80 GLE		 Martin Brundle, GB
 1588 L4 B 1 1 0.53,72   Gear selecter
DNF     Team BP Audi
Audi 80 GLE		 Stirling Moss, GB
 1588 L4 B   11 0.58,47   Throttle linkage