Back at a very different-looking Silverstone to that at which Jenny Nadin (later Birrell) won the first British Formula Vee race on 18 June 1967 – a fortnight before Formula Ford debuted at Brands Hatch – Dubliner Dan Polley moved two steps further towards the 750 Motor Club’s championship at its annual International circuit weekend. A consummate brace of victories in the fabled WEV (Worm’s Eye View) made it nine wins from 10 rounds, a Cadwell Park retirement the only blemish on his campaign.
Rearmed with an AHS Dominator, Maciej (say “Magic”) Hamera provided Polley’s closest opposition. Second, with fastest lap, on Saturday was Hamera’s first podium, having previously bested at seventh in a GAC. That pace was no fluke, for he matched the result on Sunday, when Welshman Vaughn Jones (Storm) bagged another third and Rik Lanyi (AHS Dominator) cut fastest lap on a determined charge to fifth behind train driver Bradley Tarlton (GAC).
The Irish Formula Vee championship’s long-planned visit was a joy, rewarded with its largest grid in years. Replete with champions galore, a posse of returning legends and promising young bucks, the 33-strong pack’s depth was remarkable. Veteran Garry Newsome (Sheane) beat Kieran Hannan (Leastone) and Conor Melia (Sheane) on Saturday. Points leader Jack Byrne was fifth, behind Gavin Buckley. Melia was victorious in Sunday’s sequel, from Newsome who snatched second from 18th birthday boy Harry Fagan (Leastone) in a single-lap dash following a safety car.
Honours were equal in the Ireland vs UK challenge finale. From a drawn grid, Michael OIdknow (GAC) led initially, before Polley – straddling both sides – swept ahead. Francis Twyman (Storm) and Tarlton led the chase as the modified 1300cc cars narrowly had the edge over the torquier standard 1600s of visitors Byrne, Melia and Buckley. Byrne’s improved 1m16.889s Irish best lap was only a second from Polley’s 1m15.864s.
Huge 116 Trophy fields delivered plenty of action
Photo by: Mick Walker
Although the BMW 116i competitors are jumping ship to the British Racing & Sports Car Club for 2027, the robust hatchbacks impressed as ever. Outgunned by the four 120i coupes of Anthony Seddon, Ethan Hall, Alan Corfield and James Hipkins, Peter Keen – cousin of modern GT virtuoso Phil – earned top honours in both Saturday sprint races. Luke Fox and Jack Godden focused the Reading racer, beaten only once this term by Jamie Dunne at Snetterton.
Sunday’s 90-minute two prescribed pitstop 116i enduro boiled up to a gripping climax with Seddon/Corfield, Charlie Devlin/James Poole, soloist George Heler, Matt Highcock/Ben Willshire and Connor Anderson/Luke Fox nose-to-tail four laps from home, with leader Scott Jeffs/Callum Cripps five seconds up the road. A hit at Club skittled Heler back to fifth, leaving polesitter Highcock and Fox to chase the victors.
Celebrating 30 years of the Jedi championship – with marque founder John Corbyn’s original 1/84 speed event chassis restored and in attendance – table topper Tom Westworth and Matt Higginson maintained their F1000 ‘duopoly’ as 16 cars, the season’s biggest grid, came under orders. Westworth won Saturday’s race from past champion Craig Pollard and US-based Briton James Clennell, who commutes from New York.
Team chief Scott Mittell, enjoying an open-wheel taster in Higginson’s T-car, led Sunday’s top-10 reversed grid race initially, before Higginson charged past to keep his outside title hopes alive. Westworth peeled off the Hamilton Straight into retirement, but student Eric Cowell chased Higginson down, setting the only sub-63s lap as he shadowed the vivid green car over the line. Mittell was sixth, behind Pollard, Clennell and Bert Chapman.
The 5Club MX-5 massive provided three great shows from a staggered grid stretching back round Club corner. Former Formula BMW racer Simon Walker-Hansell aced the first two, from Matt Highcock and Jake Paice respectively. Walker-Hansell and Paice each reset the lap record across the races. Championship sponsor Bradley Gaunt and Philip Rawson’s charges from 44th to 17th and 16th respectively in the first two races were exciting.
Highcock jostled back to beat SW-H in the third, partially-reversed grid affair, led initially by Gaunt. He finished fourth behind Paice, and Rawson sixth, split by former Castle Combe FF1600 racer Matt Hallam.
Highcock battles to keep ahead of double winner Walker-Hansell in MX-5 Cup finale
Photo by: Mick Walker
Charles Hall narrowly outran Leon Morrell in both Radical Club Challenges, denting his team boss’ title aspirations. Like Bristol-based Brazilian challenger Pedro Oliveira from class B with his SR3, Morrell – whose team prepares a third of the field’s cars – came to Silverstone with only one defeat on his slate. Oliveira was a division-winning fourth, behind Aaron Rose, in both races, thus now holds a slender points advantage. Robert Souster finished first SR1 both times.
Two more wins – 10 out of 10 – secured the Hot Hatch crown two rounds early for Dronfield’s Lewis Barker in his Honda Civic. Zac Bunnell led the chase in race one, but Barker’s brother Ryan finished closest in the safety car-interrupted second stanza. Gordon Macmillan roared his bewinged BMW Compact from the back to third behind the Barkers, who shared fastest lap points across the legs.
The Type R Trophy remains unresolved. Hexham Street Diner proprietor Jon Labella served up a tasty winner in the opener. Although he finished second on the road to Trafford King, the defending champ was penalised a place for straight-lining the Club chicane on the final lap as he struggled with brake issues. Nimbus Motorsport’s Danny Hobson beat Labella and rapid Warrington lad Jackson Carden second time out.
Cayman S drivers Christian Walker and Warren Allen scored a CALM All Porsche Trophy victory apiece. Walker was set for a double when he parked opposite the pits in race two, promoting the Oxford man. Suffolk-based Australian Richard Neall (911), Christopher Mills (996) and Colin Tester (Cayman S) led the pursuits.
The colourful SP2 class duel that raged between Ethan Hall and Jason Pelosi (Boxsters) concluded with Pelosi prevailing and landing sixth overall after several exchanges in the first bout. Hall’s retirement later ended an action replay. Father and son Nick and James Carey claimed an SP3 win apiece in their shared 968.
Walker was one of two different drivers to head the CALM All Porsche field
Photo by: Mick Walker
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– The Autosport.com Team
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