Top gun Callum Grant’s five wins from six mastery of successive Historic Formula Junior, 1000cc F3 and FFord eras coloured 2026’s Oulton Park Gold Cup. But wonderful Vintage Sports-Car Club and Historic Grand Prix Cars Association headline action will long be remembered too. Restored to its August Bank Holiday slot, after four years in July, ironically the UK’s unprecedented summer sunshine gave way to rain on all three days.
Last run at Oulton in 1993, the VSCC’s Seaman Trophies races showcased eight ERAs in a stellar multi-marque field assembled by competitor Tom Hardman and subsidised by passionate sponsors, including Brian Redman! The spectacle of E-types GP1 and GP2 rasping round in official practice alongside their earlier perpendicular stablemates was superb, although James Baxter withdrew Jolyon Harrison’s GP2 with engine problems.
Remarkably a Bugatti topped Saturday’s timesheets, Ford Mustang racer Alex Read having found Canadian Brad Baker’s tall narrow-tyred Type 51 perfectly suited to wet conditions. However, Read’s prayers for heavy rain for the races were in vain. Although the bold combo led Sunday’s first lap, the Molsheim missile was outhandled on a drying track by the ERA brigade.
Mark Gillies prevailed in Dick Skipworth’s ex-works R3A, chased by David Morris (R11B ‘Humphrey’), American Michael Gans (ex-Dick Seaman R1B) and Baker (ex-Peter Whitehead R10B). Read took the chequer seventh, pipped by Charlie Martin in Gans’ Bugatti T37/35C ‘monoplace’.
Monday’s fiendishly slippery decider began with Gans – whose fastest lap was 22 seconds slower than Morris’ Sunday mark – slithering away from Read. With his eyes on the coveted aggregate prize, Gillies annexed P2 to earn Historic Seaman gold. Ben Fidler (ex-works/Raymond Mays ERA R4D) completed the podium. Read was fourth, with trike queen Sue Darbyshire’s Morgan Super Aero on the Bug’s tail. Martin was next, having shaded Baker and Morris.
Marking the centenary of three-time F1 world champion Jack Brabham’s birth in the presence of Le Mans-winning son David, Cooper and Brabham cars were to the fore in the HGPCA Gold Cup features. Alas a chain-reaction shunt at Old Hall after race one’s start, triggered when German Rudi Friedrichs in Brabham’s 1960 championship-winning T53 slid onto the grass, sidelined Nick Fennell’s Lotus 25, Brad Baker’s ex-Andre Testut Maserati 250F, Nick Topliss’ Cooper T53 and Teifion Salisbury’s ex-Stirling Moss Monaco GP-winning Lotus 18.
Child and Shaw spent much of the HGPCA races enjoying a close battle
Photo by: Mick Walker
Top qualifier Tom Waterfield (ex-Roy Salvadori Cooper T53) won the restart from Friedrichs after a scrap with the Tasman Brabhams of Scot Mark Shaw (BT4) and Tim Child (BT3/4). A touch between Friedrichs and Shaw at Lodge on the final lap meant the latter spun back to fourth. Friedrichs ceded his mount to preparer Charlie Martin – who had not raced it before, but won 2022’s Gold Cup race in Paul Waine’s T53 – to start from the back on Monday.
Waterfield’s engine died on the green-flag lap, leaving Shaw and Child to fight for victory. Mark was ahead when his transmission failed at Brittens, leaving Tim unopposed, his steed resplendent in David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce colours, in which Graham Hill won the 1964 Tasman Series finale at Longford, Tasmania. Martin hurtled to second, ahead of the T53s of Tony Lees and Justin Maeers, split by James Denty’s 1500cc Lotus 21.
Heavy rain heralded the 500cc F3 racers’ appearances each day. The Cameron clan, brothers Finley and Fergus and cousin Hamish (Cameron-Eveleigh) headed the pack in qualifying and set off apace from Sunday’s rolling start. After invitee Finley rotated his 1000cc JAP V-twin – 10mph quicker in a straight line than the 500s, but harder to stop and turn – into Hislops on lap one, and Hamish’s broke, 18-year-old Fergus brought Mike Fowler’s Cooper-Norton Mk9 home victorious, having beaten reigning champion Alex Wilson’s Mk10. Rookie James Hunt (Mk6) was a fine third. Finley and Hamish topped the sequel, chased by Wilson, Fergus, Stuart Wright (Cooper Mk11) and Darrell Woods (Staride-Norton).
Bolton bullet Callum Grant’s victory rout began in Sunday’s Formula Junior races in John Sykes’ ex-Denis Welch Merlyn Mk5/7. His task was eased in the opener when pursuers Sam Wilson (Lotus 20/22) and Stuart Roach (Alexis Mk4) skittered off at the foot of Cascades, before escaping. It wasn’t plain sailing for Grant though. Catching backmarkers twice into yellow-flag zones, cost 8s and 6s respectively, thus Wilson finished in his slipstream.
They were more spread out later, chased again by Roach and Rufus Flann (Lotus 22). Points leader Nathan Metcalfe (Lotus 20) notched another class double. Ray Mallock (U2 Mk2, debuted at Oulton by father Arthur on 1960’s August Bank Holiday) and Adrian Russell (Condor S2) shared front-engined honours.
Using Hoosier wet tyres on Jon Milicevic’s Brabham BT21B – a permitted stopgap until the championship’s Nova supply comes on stream for 2027 – Grant romped Sunday’s One-Litre F3 opener from Merlyn-mounted Ross Drybrough (Mk14A) and Ben Colburn (Mk10), his first single-seater podium.
Martin weathered the rain and rivals’ woes to take F3 win in De Sanctis
Photo by: Mick Walker
Grant was clear on Monday when a gear selector fork failed, stranding him. Peter de la Roche (Alexis) and Drybrough had gone off on oil at Island, which had caught out Nick Fennell (Tecno) at Shell Oils a lap earlier, thus Charlie Martin screamed past to win in Paul Waine’s De Sanctis, raced by Tony Re in Morocco in 1970! Jason Timms (Brabham BT21) and Mark Carter (Titan Mk3) rounded out the podium.
Two superb Historic Formula Ford 1600 races completed triple champion Grant’s score on Monday. A fabulous duel with Tom McArthur (Titan Mk4) went to Lodge on the final lap when the clutchless McArthur, who had repassed the Merlyn at Druids, locked his rear wheels under braking and spun. “We almost both went off,” said Grant later. Rob Wainwright (Elden), Swiss Gislain Genecand (Crossle) and Benn Simms (Jomo) led the chase. ‘Tommy Mac,’ from the back, progressed to second later, but championship leader Simms’ brave dive into Old Hall demoted him to third.
Derek Bell Trophy action was condensed into a single Monday race. Poleman Marc Mercer’s unique choice of slicks looked misplaced when his Formula Atlantic March 78B fell to 12th, but proved inspired as the track dried and he charged down F2 battlers Mark Dwyer (March 742) and Chris Porritt (Chevron B40) to win. “I did nine years of Club 100 karting on slicks in all conditions,” Mercer grinned. Chris Perkins (F1 Surtees TS16) and American Gary Lapidus (F5000 Lola T400) exited Cascades abreast onto Lakeside in a slugfest for fourth, having overpowered Scot Jim McGaughay’s FA Swift-Toyota DB4.
Lenhams finished 1-3-4 in the Guards Trophy race after Ben Tusting’s chaser Sam Harrison’s late Lotus 23B stop dropped him to sixth. Elliot Paterson (Ginetta G16) pipped the spider of Mark Dwyer/Matt Wrigley to second, while Jon Waggitt/Peter Needham’s coupe shaded James and Simon Hadfield’s Lotus 47 and early class winner Harrison. In a thin but fiercely competitive Thundersports field, German veteran Silvio Kalb made his Oulton Park debut unforgettable by beating Matt Wrigley (Interserie March 717) and Adam Sykes (Harrier LR5) in his immaculate Lola T298.
John Williams’s Porsche 911SC outran George Daws’ Datsun 240Z and Beau Parry’s Ford Escort RS2000 in both 70s Road Sports rounds. British Touring Car racer Adam Morgan and Oliver Law (Lotus Cortinas) entertained but couldn’t match Mark Godfrey’s Lotus 7 in the Historic RS mix. Frazer Gibney (Elan) grabbed runner-up spot on Monday, having broken his gear lever in the opener. Graham Seager (147) and Irishman Barry McMahon (Giulia) won the Alfa Romeo races, Seager having hounded down George Warren’s GTV on Sunday.
Andy Southcott’s Millington–powered MG Midget clone won Monday’s opening Special Saloons & Modsports race from Irishman Bernard Foley’s MGB GT V8 and James Janicki’s Nissan Skyline. When Southcott broke in the sequel, Mark Primett scored his first win in the ex-Southcott Vauxhall-engined Midget, from Tom Carey (Honda CRX-BDG) and Janicki, who deservedly won the Tony Sugden Trophy. The race was flagged with Paul Dolan’s Lotus Elan-Vauxhall ablaze atop Clay Hill.
Godfrey’s 7 heads a sideways Morgan, Gibney and Law en route to Historic Road Sports glory
Photo by: Mick Walker
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– The Autosport.com Team
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