Formula Junior at Croix en Ternois 14-16 July 06

Croix en Ternois is the only French racing circuit North of Paris, and is less than two hours from Calais, even when towing.    It is compact and offers a greater variety of corner than say Mallory Park there being one hairpin but no really high speed corner to test the nerve.    Run-off areas are adequate, so not too much risk to precious metal.      It is a family-owned enterprise and the organisation is slick but not in the least officious.   They were very helpful in lending us their arc welder to repair the trailer.

We arrived well after dark to find the bridge over the track just too narrow for our motor-home, but there are gates, not locked at night, allowing large vehicles to drive across.    This access also available at lunch time, which, being France, is always taken as a full hour.

Only six Juniors, all from Britain, had entered, the event clashing with Spa.    As the organisers results sheets are rather too feint to scan, I have typed in details only of the Juniors, the rest of the field being single seaters from Brabhams with twin-cams, some Formula Fords, down to Scotty Taylor’s Cooper T45 resplendent in polished aluminium and bearing the name of Jim Russell.     There was un-timed practice on the Friday at €50 / half hour, and we made good use of the opportunity.

There was never a cloud in the sky during the three days, though there was a keen breeze for the first two.     The organisers must be used to this, as there was a plentiful supply of hold-down weights around the paddock for lashing down awnings and canopies.    These weights consist of a metal loop set in a small tub of concrete.     Other circuits please copy!

Saturday for the juniors was a single timed practice:

Nobody reported any particular problems during practice, while it was apparent that even John Truslove was likely to get lapped a couple of times during the race by the likes of Matthew Watts (Brabham BT6) and Ian Gray (Brabham BT30).     The whole field were Brits. as were most of the drivers in other classes; Historic Saloons (Cortinas, Minis, Anglias) Jaguars, Spridgets, etc.    Our practice being over before lunch, some of the drivers and friends went off to the nearby battlefield of Agincourt where the Brits. did well (in the rain) in October 1415.

The first FJ race was off at 0900 on the Saturday.     John Truslove made use of his grid position to lead throughout despite suffering from a burnt back, the heat source being the (inboard) left rear brake drum, the rear brakes now contributing as they should, following adjustments during practice.    Doug Martin was initially very close, and looked a real threat, but later it was apparent that he was searching for gears; he had only second and fourth, and finally a grub screw in the change fell out so he stopped on the circuit.     John Chisholm, who was right up in second at the end of the first lap, was last by the end of lap two having spun, something he was to do twice more.    His trouble turned out to be a fractured line to the rear brakes.    Bill Grimshaw, always up with Martin, took second when the Elva gears became un-selectable, and finished only some 15 seconds behind Truslove, though 2 laps down from the race winner, Truslove just missing being lapped twice by the winner, Ian Gray.      Michael Treganowan had circulated reliably but was seriously over-geared, never getting up into fourth.    Bernard Brock’s recently replaced clutch played up, but after John Chisholm had got the feel of having front brakes only, he recovered well to take third, half a minute behind Bill Grimshaw or ten second per spin.

The FJ placings were:

Gap is relative to the race winner.

Before the second race, due off at 1500 but delayed by safety car periods in other races to almost 1530, there was some concentrated work on cars.   None more so than on John Truslove’s Lola, where extensive ducting for the rear brakes was fabricated from materials to hand; bits of the motor-home, tool boxes, etc.     A new rear brake pipe was made up for John Chisholm’s Gemini,  Doug Martin’s gear change was re-connected, while Bernard Brock hoped that a small screw to extend the clutch push rod would do the trick.

In the second race John Truslove led from start to finish, no longer receiving punishment from his rear brakes.    The air temperature though was well up on the morning’s 20.7°C with 34°C.     The track seemed to be slower, and most people could not match their morning (or practice) lap times.   The competition for second to fourth places was the feature of the race.    At the end of lap one it was Chisholm, Martin and Grimshaw, but by the end of lap four Doug was through and looked to be pulling away.     However he did not manage to establish any lead, and John was by again at the end of lap 12.     Bill Grimshaw was always close enough to take advantage of any opportunity, and on lap 17 he was past Chisholm.     After the race these three were reminiscing every move of their ‘dice’, good sportsmanship and FJ at its best, showing than you do not need to have the very best of front-running cars to have a memorable race.     The organisers stopped the race after little more than 20 of the 30 minutes it was due to run, presumably an attempt to get back on schedule.      Michael Treganowan had a rather lonely race as Bernard Brock’s clutch would not transmit drive and he completed only two laps.

The FJ result was:

The overall winner was again Ian Gray (Brabham BT30) followed by Lola T200, Brabham BT14 and Titan Mk4.    These all have more power and wider tyres than FJ so there was not much prospect of an FJ driver getting on the podium.    Of course, with a full FJ grid ..………..

The Organisers did not issue combined results, but to me it seems that the FJ result for the meeting was:

The two ‘all comers’ races at the end of the schedule did not take place; presumably everybody had had enough!      Despite entertaining friends to a meal we made the nine o’clock (French time) ferry and were back in the Midlands by midnight (our time), for us not much further than a trip to Snetterton, Cadwell or Croft.

We ate out a couple of times in the nearby town (St. Pol-sur-Ternoise) a short taxi ride away – usual fine standard of French cooking and service.      The whole trip was very enjoyable at not much disruption to the working week.

John Greenwood 18 JUL 06