The weird and wonderful from national racing this week

An unusual combination: Focus estate and Escort Mk1

The British Racing and Sports Car Club’s Modified Fords series caters for an eclectic group of machinery carrying the Blue Oval. From classic Anglias and Mk1 Escorts to Sierra Cosworths and four-wheel-drive Escort WRCs, via spaceframe specials and more modern Fiestas.

Wayne Crabtree debuted his Mk1 Escort, complete with 2.3-litre Duratec engine tuned by Tim Swadkin, at Brands Hatch last weekend. Resplendent in iconic Gulf livery, it uses a shell imported from Australia. Fabrication was by Neil Sanderson, with the car finished off by British GT racer Greg Caton’s G-Cat concern. Brake issues and gearbox failure meant Crabtree failed to finish either race.

REPORT: The best of the action from Croft, Donington Park and Brands Hatch

Former Time Attack competitor AJ Howe’s Focus estate provided stark contrast. Howe’s former road car, it now has an uprated ST180 EcoBoost powerplant delivering 320bhp to the front wheels. After qualifying mid-grid, Howe climbed to seventh in Sunday’s last race.

An e-vent-ful victory: Christopher Keir's troublesome Clio

Photo by: Steve Jones

It's the last thing you need when attempting to win for the first time. Christopher Keir found himself in the lead of the second Renault Clio Sport Championship contest at Croft last weekend and, although he successfully defended from reigning champion Jack Dwane, it was far from a straightforward victory.

“The right-hand air vent popped out of the dashboard and got caught under the pedals – I spent a lap trying to fish it out with my hand and managed to sling it over my shoulder, only for the left one to then do the same!" Keir explained.

“Luckily I managed to grab that one too and throw it in the boot with the other one. They spent the rest of the race rattling around behind me.”

Unfamiliar surroundings: Mike Simpson in Fun Cup

Photo by: James Roberts

Ginetta development driver Mike Simpson swapped his usual GT and prototype machinery for something quite different last weekend as he made his Fun Cup Endurance debut at Oulton Park. He shared the Kaizen Motorsport car with Ginetta Academy driver Ravi Ramyead and Riley Phillips, finishing fourth.

“There was a spare seat for the race and Ravi offered it to me,” Simpson said. “It was great fun, nice people and very close racing - it was proper endurance racing and I would certainly do it again.”

History-maker: Cian Carey's lap record

Photo by: Michael Chester

Resurfacing of a large portion of the Mondello Park National circuit is part of a number of upgrades at the Irish venue for 2022. The increased grip meant that lap records would be under threat in the Irish Championship Circuit Racing opener and, with conditions cold but clear, the timekeepers were kept busy last weekend.

Notably, Cian Carey’s Dallara F317 took the outright record, eclipsing Nigel Greensall’s mark of 50.220s, set back in 1997 in a Formula 1 Tyrrell. Carey left the mark at 49.275s, but opined that a 48s might have been possible in better conditions.

Elsewhere, Paul Parr was dominant in Supercars and bested Johnny Whelan’s 2005 time by two tenths of a second, leaving the mark at 59.069s. Stephen Traub broke his own Irish Touring Car best from 2021 on his way to a double win in his Honda Integra, while Michael Cullen broke his Stryker lap record twice, leaving it tantalisingly close to the magic minute at 60.353s.

Unwanted parental intervention of the week: Dave and Jack Gadd

Photo by: Gary Hawkins

There are plenty of father-and-son pairings in national motorsport and some of them are very successful. But things don't always go quite to plan, such as in the third Modified Fords race at Brands Hatch.

Jack Gadd's Mk1 Escort RSR looked to have the advantage over Malcolm Harding's Mk2 model in the closing stages. That was until it came to Gadd lapping his father Dave's Mk1 on the final lap. He hesitated when making the move, which allowed Harding to pounce and leave Gadd Jr wondering what might have been.

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