MG Owners Club Racing Championship 2001

A packed programme for the days racing would ensure that the crowd would be well entertained, and the prospect of a fine day would also enhance the quality of the days racing. The previous weekend here at Brands Hatch the circuit had played host to the opening round ot the British Touring Car Championship. Former MG Maestro racing driver Jim Edwards Jnr. now competes in the production class of the BTCC, and we wish him luck in his first year in this premier motorsport championship. The crowds today not so big as for the touring cars, but the racing was to be just as, if not more competitive!
As mentioned it was a packed programme the Class A MGs were race three and Class B & F were race 8. Almost every race throughout the day had incidents which made the timetable run late . One group of MG racers made good use of the long gap between qualifying/practise and the race by having a BBQ. Darrly Davis (MGF driver) was celebrating his birthday and decided to make good use of the available time!

The Class practice session produced the times as listed below. Gary Smith of 'Summit MG' put himself on pole with some quick times. Gary Smith had not expected to put himself on pole but his lap time had improved because his brakes had failed, so he was unable to slow up much at the corners, the result he found just that little bit extra to deny Lorraine Clark pole. After her maiden win last time at out Mallory Park it would hve been nice to have secured pole here at Brands Hatch to reinforce 'Girl Power' !

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH
1  Gary SMITH           MG Midget    1:01.640           71.61
2  Lorraine CLARK       MG Midget    1:02.088  +0.448   71.09
3  Peter ST BARBE       MG Midget    1:02.130  +0.490   71.05 
4  Dave REES            MGB GT       1:02.293  +0.653   70.86
5  Jim BAYMAN           MGB          1:02.307  +0.667   70.84
6  Christopher POLLARD  MG Midget    1:02.317  +0.677   70.83  
7  David AMPHLETT       MGB Roadster 1:02.843  +1.203   70.24  
8  Paul NAISH           MG Midget    1:02.232  +1.592   69.81  
9  Jonathan Kimber      MGB Roadster 1:03.382  +1.742   69.64
10 Kelly MERCER         MG Midget    1:03.530  +1.890   69.48
11 Roy CLARKSON         MGB Roadster 1:03.699  +2.059   69.30
12 Ian MCCORMACK        A H S        1:03.794  +2.154   69.19  
13 Gerry THORN          MGB GT       1:04.195  +2.555   68.76
14 Philip WATERMAN      MG Midget    1:04.252  +2.612   68.70  
15 John  KIMBER         MGB GT       1:04.406  +2.766   68.53
16 Harry SINCLAIR       MGB GT       1:04.470  +2.830   68.47
17 Darren YOUNG         MGB GT       1:05.263  +3.623   67.63
18 Trevor DIXON         MGB GT       1:05.462  +3.822   67.43
19 Philip TROTT         MG Midget    1:07.250  +5.610   65.64  
21 Paul KEEN            MGB GT       1:14.217 +12.460  59.47

Another dry practice session for the Class B and Class F race cars. Pole position on the grid was hard fought between the MGFs (Class F) of Darryl Davis and David Mellor. It was the Pink coloured MGF of Davis that took the honours, with Mellor just 100th of a second behind. Next quickest was Andy Campbell, the current the Class B champion. Paul Roberts in the number 25 car qualified 5th behind Nick Evans. Paul Roberts qualified 5th, his best grid placing to date was at the previous race at Mallory Park when he qualified 4th? The next Class F car was the MGF of Mick Weidner, who rolled the car the last time he was here at Brands.

POS    Driver            Car           Time      Gap     MPH

1  Darryl DAVIS        MGF            1:00.967          72.40  
2  David MELLOR        MGF            1:01.067  +0.100  72.28 
3  Andy CAMPBELL       MG Maestro     1:01.638  +0.671  71.61
4  Nick EVANS          MG Maestro EFi 1:01.659  +0.692  71.28  
5  Paul ROBERTS        MG Maestro     1:01.926  +0.959  71.28 
6  Darren WINTER       MG Maestro     1:01.931  +0.964  71.27
7  Michael WEIDNER     MGF            1:01.152  +1.184  71.02 
8  Nick GOLHAR         MG Maestro     1:02.194  +1.227  70.97
9  Kevin BULL          MG Maestro EFi 1:02.267  +1.300  70.89
10 Simon BYRNE         MG Maestro EFi 1:02.347  +1.380  70.80
11 John DEVINE         MG Maestro EFi 1:02.382  +1.415  70.76 
12 Simon KENDRICK      MG Maestro EFi 1:02.566  +1.599  70.55
13 James PERRY         MG Maestro EFi 1:02.589  +1.622  70.52 
14 Scott TANNER        MG Maestro EFi 1:02.889  +1.992  70.19
15 Ian EVANS           MG Maestro     1:02.943  +1.976  70.13  
16 Doug COLE           MG Maestro     1:02.963  +1.996  70.11
17 Kieron WILLIAMS     MG Maestro     1:03.035  +2.068  70.03
18 Paul NAISH          MG Maestro     1:03.193  +2.226  69.85
19 Craig SLATER        MGF            1:03.197  +2.230  69.85
20 Martin GILCHRIST    MG Maestro EFi 1:03.528  +2.661  69.48
21 Paul STANWORTH      MG Maestro EFi 1:03.730  +2.763  69.26    
22 Jonathan PERRY      MG Maestro EFi 1:05.396  +4.429  67.50  
23 Steve GRAY          MG Maestro     1:05.775  +4.808  65.11
24 Philip COOK         MGF            1:07.009  +6.042  65.87  

The start of the race had mixed fortunes, both Gary Smith (polesitter) and Lorraine Clark had poor starts. Peter St. Barbe got a flyer going into the lead at 'Paddock'. As the cars came around and down 'Paddock Hill Bend' Gary Smith went sidesways and spun out of the race. The race soon settled down and the front runners St Barbe, Baynam and Clark pulled away from the rest of the pack. There were one or two dust clouds on 'Paddock Hill' as cars ran wide. Both Jim Baynam and Lorraine Clark tried to close down on Peter St Barbe, but were unable to close that second and a half gap.

CLASS A - RESULT 
 POS Driver            Car           TIME   LAPS   GAP     MPH      BEST  
 1 Peter St BARBE    MG Midget    12:36.978  12           70.06   1:01.941  
 2 Jim BAYNAM        MGB          12:38.333  12  +1.571   69.92   1:02.140 
 3 Lorraine CLARK    MG Midget    12:38.657  12  +1.697   69.91   1:02.239  
 4 Paul NAISH        MG Midget    12:44.810  12  +7.832   69.35   1:02.243  
 5 Dave REES         MGB GT       12:45.788  12  +8.810   69.26   1:02.632  
 6 Ian McCORMACK     AHS          12:50.874  12  +13.896  68.80   1:03.013  
 
 Not Classified  
 Gary SMITH          MG Midget               0   D.N.F.          
                   
 Fastest Lap                 
 Peter St BARBE      MG Midget    1:01.941 @ 71.26 mph    

The race for Classes B and F was almost an hour late, and track temperature was cooling! There were some casulties very early on in this race, both Sott Tanner and Simon Kendrick both only completed one lap. Kendrick put his car into the gravel on Paddock Hill, with the car rolling a couple of times. Simon was able to scramble out quickly unhurt. Up at the sharp end the two brightly coloured MGFs fought hard. Davis seemed to have the edge, though Mellor did manage to take the lead for a short time, but Davis was having none of it and retook the lead as Mellor ran wide wide (something Montoya would never do!!)
Nick Evans was the victor of in the Maestro class, followed by Nick Golhar and Paul Roberts who both had some very close racing! Roberts had also had a very close race with an MGF, and then held off Andy Campbell, who took the honour of fastest lap, but a rare mistake, and with Paul Roberts ahead, meant he (Campbell) could only finish in sixth

CLASSES B & F - RESULT 
 POS Driver            Car           TIME   LAPS   GAP     MPH      BEST  
 1 Darryl DAVIS        MGF         13:01.332 12           67.88   1:01.401
 2 David MELLOR        MGF         13:02.229 12  +0.907   67.80   1:01.641  
 3 Nick EVANS          MG Maestro  13:03.493 12  +2.171   67.69   1:01.717 
 4 Nick GOLHAR         MG Maestro  13:04.558 12  +3.236   67.60   1:01.822  
 5 Paul ROBERTS        MG Maestro  13:07.684 12  +6.362   67.33   1:01.933  
 6 Andy CAMPBELL       MG Maestro  13:08.154 12  +6.832   67.29   1:01.551  
 
 Not Classified     
 Martin Gilchrist      MG Maestro  5:03.536  2  D.N.F.          
 Simon KENDRICK        MG Maestro  1:15.625  1  D.N.F.   
 Scott Tanner          MG Maestro  1:16.156  1  D.N.F.
 Steve Gray            MG Maestro            0  D.N.F.   
      
 Fastest Lap                 
 Darryl DAVIS          MGF         1:01.401 @  71.89 mph    
 Andy CAMPBELL         MG Maestro  1:01.551 @  71.71 mph