The balance of the programme comprised a poorly supported one-hour enduro for production cars (eight of them, in five separate classes), monoposto (delayed when a car caught fire on the grid and led to the circuit being smeared with assorted fluids) and a couple of what were essentially Formula Libre races for sports and saloon cars.
The first of these attracted a decent field featuring everything from Tony Hunter’s winning Renault Clio via a brace of Davrians to an MG Maestro and octogenarian Phil Barak’s wild-looking Lotus XI replica, which finished second.
Respected photographer Jakob Ebrey also took part and secured a class-winning fifth in his Porsche 944. “I’ll take that,” he said afterwards. “The cars that beat me were all on slicks, but I’ll be able to drive mine home exactly as it is.”
Motor racing as it used to be…
British Automobile Racing Club
Brands Hatch, November 14
A tripod is ever-essential at Britcar’s Into the Night event – now an annual staple – but conditions were so dark that I wondered whether I might need to unpack it before lunchtime. It didn’t help that a couple of friends kept messaging me from the Race of Remembrance, to let me know Anglesey was bathed in sunshine and that Snowdonia looked gorgeous…
For all that Britcar’s profile has grown in recent years, this still felt like a traditional winter clubbie in the manner of yore, the impression embellished by the presence of a full grid of original Minis. The overly frequent use of red flags served as a reminder, however, that this was the 21st century. I understand that safety is paramount, but stopping a session when a car is stranded adjacent to the Paddock Hill Bend tyre wall, well away from the track, does little to avert risk and serves only to frustrate. Interestingly, when time was starting to run short during the afternoon, a more pragmatic approach was taken when cars strayed deep into the gravel and racing continued.