Jochen Rindt was king of Thruxton, Bernie Ecclestone’s protege winning the super-fast Hampshire airfield track’s first three European Formula 2 Championship rounds from 1968-1970. Fittingly, the ill-starred Austrian’s prowess is recalled in the centrepiece of the venue’s annual summer historic racing, music and lifestyle event, rebranded Thruxton Retro last year.
Originated by Rob Manger, the 2026 Rindt Trophy contests featured thrilling duels between previous unrelated victors Rory Smith and Tom Smith, driving 1600cc FAtlantic chassis harnessing technology a decade apart. Both won a leg, 2023 winner Rory taking the aggregate verdict by 1.043 seconds in his ex-Charlie Batka/Jeff Krosnoff Ralt RT4/82 wing car over 2024 victor Tom aboard his conventional flat-bottomed ex-Bruce Jensen March 74B.
The fixed-spec carbureted engine category adopted by the UK and Ireland, USA and Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia and Japan visited Thruxton infrequently from 1971. No exponent was quicker than Gunnar Nilsson – the gifted F1-bound Swede taken by cancer aged 29 – who mastered the 2.356-mile circuit in 1975. Nilsson qualified the Tony Harvey-prepared Rapid Movements Chevron B29 on pole in 1m12.6s, eclipsing David Morgan’s 1974 B25 standard, and similarly dominated.
Current performances are enlightening. On Saturday, Tom Smith snared pole in 1m12.814s (116.48mph), 0.048s quicker than his namesake, whose ground-effect machine hugged the ultra-fast sweepers, but lost the equivalent time in straight-line speed. Later, Rory triumphed by 2.971s over Tom, with defending champion Chris Porritt’s ex-Divina Galica F2 Chevron-BDG B40 a misfiring third. Brothers Mark and Neil Harrison chased in their ex-Ricardo Zunino and David Franklin Hart and BDG powered March 772s.
Iain Rowley (ex-Howdy Holmes March-BDA 79B) finished sixth, ahead of Anthony Hancock, flying in his Patrick Head-designed FF2000 Delta T81. Classic F3 standouts Gaius Ghinn (ex-Fredy Eschenmoser Ralt-VW RT3) and Richard Cooke (March-Toyota 793) were next, followed by impressive race debutant Matthew Smith (March-BDA 712).
Rory and Tom were locked in combat again in Sunday’s decider, held in higher ambient temperatures, following a safety car to remove 1970s FF1600 veteran Geoff Hoodless’ immobile ex-Larry Perkins Ralt RT1. Exiting the final element of the Campbell-Cobb-Segrave complex in traffic, Rory was boxed momentarily behind Alan Lancaster’s FF2000 Pilbeam. Tom pounced and held him off by 1.928s, although a trail of exhaust smoke from the final chicane heralded a holed piston.
“It’s fantastic that we can race wheel to wheel in very different cars, with total trust – Tom drove brilliantly,” said Rory. With Porritt a non-starter and Mark Harrison out on lap one when a front suspension joint failed approaching the chicane, Neil Harrison and Rowley were classified third and fourth overall, ahead of Hancock and longtime scrutineer Matthew Smith.
Ellis evoked memories of Hazlewood in DAF as he beat Barnard’s Escort
Photo by: Steve Jones
SuperSaloon pioneer Tony Hazlewood was remembered in the Scottish Motor Racing Club Classic/Historic Modsports & Special Saloons races. Immortalised by setting Thruxton’s first 100mph saloon lap, a 1m24.6s in his self-built DAF-Oldsmobile V8 on 26 October 1973, the iconic hybrid took centre stage. Owner Andy Wilson’s decision to put ballsy Matt Ellis in it achieved a 1m26.793s (97.72mph) pole in four laps, but a broken exhaust spring spelled lap-one retirement.
Thruxton debutant Steve Barnard won decisively in his ultra-low Ford Escort BDG – a distinctive period racer of yet unknown provenance – from David Morrison’s MG Midget, Dean Clayton’s VW Golf GTI and Scottish visitors Adam and John Kinmond, hustling their Rover SD1s round in lurid powerslides. Ellis rumbled the 420bhp DAF from the back to snatch the lead into Allard on lap four of Sunday’s sequel and completed a fairytale 3.851s victory over Barnard. Morrison’s false start penalty promoted Clayton to third again, ahead of fellow local Tom Owen’s Peugeot 205 and Adam Kinmond’s more potent Rover.
Gerry Marshall, who repassed Hazlewood to win in the DTV Firenza ‘Old Nail’ 53 years ago, was celebrated in the Historic Racing Drivers Club’s 45-minute finale. Eight cars started, but for the first half the Ford Capri V6s of John Spiers, James Slaughter, Andrew Willis and Mark Thomas wailed round together.
Poleman Slaughter seized his chance when Spiers understeered at Campbell, and was still ahead when John emerged from his stop. Willis – in his lovingly restored ex-Marshall Triplex car – lost 45s in the pits, but charged down Gregor Marshall, Gerry’s son finishing Thomas’ car, for third. Jake Margalies’ superb closing stint netted fifth in the Alfetta GTV6 shared with dad David.
Spiers won the earlier Allstars race after a protracted TVR Griffith scrap with Peter Thompson, whose car broke while ahead. Ben Adams (Jaguar E-type) and Alex Thistlethwayte (AC Cobra) led his pursuers, with Gavin Watson’s GTAm best of the Classic Alfas.
Alex Read won a wonderful Ford Mustang joust with young Jack Ruddell in the Top Hat race, with Thistlethwayte/Henry Mann’s lumbering Fairlane completing an Alan Mann Racing 1-2-3. Mike and John Davies inherited fourth when Harry Hickton’s fellow Mini Cooper S giant-slayer expired.
Read and Ruddell enjoyed fantastic Mustang scrap at the head of Top Hat field
Photo by: Steve Jones
Second qualifier Piers Grange’s Ford Falcon took Saturday’s Classic Touring Car Racing Club Pre-’66 chequer, but a 10s penalty for creeping at the start – ironically in third gear, thus the monster was almost last away – dropped him to fourth behind Ian Thompson and Simon Gusterson’s Lotus Cortinas, separated by Thistlethwayte’s Mustang, stuck in top. Thistlethwayte won Sunday’s bout from Grange, Gusterson and Gary Prebble (Imp), who reduced the class record to 1m36.876s with only third and fourth cogs!
Nick Vaughan enjoyed the perfect Classic Thunder weekend, sizzling his road-legal Audi A3 turbo down to 1m19.541s (106.63mph), having traded the lead multiple times with Joe Collier (BMW E46 M3), also inside 1m20s. Surrounded by family, Vaughan dedicated Saturday’s win to his hero, father Alan, who died recently.
BMW battlers coloured the later Touring Car sets, Kevin Willis and Ian Bower each beat the other for Pre-’93 and overall honours in E36 M3s, outrunning Pre-’03 victor Cavan Granger’s E46. Jonathan Corker’s two-litre Datsun 510 and Tim Clarke’s Rover SD1 topped the Pre-’83 division.
Welshman Tom Nippers thought he was doomed when a plug tip melted in Saturday’s Heroes of FF1600 qualifying, but endoscopy revealed all to be OK. From sixth, he fired his Van Diemen to third at the start of the opener, then rounded Rory Smith (Medina) and Charlie Mann (Ray) majestically into the chicane to win. He repeated later, over Mann and Richard Tarling (Reynard) after Smith retired.
The first of two frenetic MG Owners’ Club rounds rewarded Somerset’s Matt Harvey, who skillfully crafted his maiden victory from pole, chased by Scott Bugner and Connor Lawson. Jake McDermid won later, from Harvey and Bugner.
McDermid (r) won the second MG bout despite this chicane-cutting moment
Photo by: Steve Jones
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– The Autosport.com Team
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