HSCC/FJHRA Millers Oils Snetterton Doubles
1st July 2006

Scrutineering was under way when I arrived at Snetterton on the morning of the race. It was already very warm.
Peter Jackson had evidently had a nasty moment on his way to the circuit, when his trailer tyre burst on the A11, a lot of damage to the trailer but happily his Cooper was OK.
There was some confusion about noise levels for our race and most drivers opted to run silenced to be on the safe side.

Qualifying was for fifteen minutes and started right on time. Front runner on the road was Mark Woodhouse in his Lotus 20/22 sounding much crisper that it had at Dijon the previous weekend. Also looking quick and recording good times were Mike Hibberd and Andrew Hibberd in Lotus 27 and Lotus 22 respectively.  Stuart Roach in the Alexis Mk 2 was storming round and his times were well below a lot of the rear-engined runners. Bill Grimshaw was going well in the Moorland. Peter Jackson on his first visit to the circuit since 2001 was having a pretty torrid time in his Cooper T56, he was on the grass several times, used the escape road at the end of Revett straight etc.
It was good to see four Lotus 18's out in this session, Kevin Musson was setting the pace for these cars. Mark Green’s car is looking back to it's best after it's accident at Brands Hatch last year.
Mike Hibberd in the Lotus 27-claimed pole position with a time of 1.20.338, Mark Woodhouse 20/22, was second with 1.21.473. Andrew Hibberd third on 1.21.687. Paul Smeeth 22 was fourth on 1.24.621. Stuart Roach a very good fifth in the Alexis on 1.26.458 to head class A2.
John Monson Lotus 20 completed the top six runners with 1.26.855.
Kevin Musson was best class B with 1.28.488.
John Chisholm’s Gemini Mk3A stopped out on the circuit on his first lap, but luckily had his Jaguar race before the Juniors, so qualified under the MSA exemption.

Race three was scheduled for twenty minutes and again started right on time.
As the lights went out pole sitter Mike Hibberd Lotus 27 made a tardy start and was left on the line by Mark Woodhouse 20/22and overtaken into the first corner by Andrew Hibberd in his 22, as the cars reappeared at the end of the first lap round Coram curve Andrew had his Lotus past Mark’s similar car to take the lead. What followed had this writer lost for words, Mark Woodhouse began to drop back with a sticking throttle, Mike Hibberd moved his 27 up into second place, behind Andrew Hibberd and they began to circulate nose to tail at ever increasing speed. The lapping of slower cars especially on the pit straight was scarey to watch.  Peter Jackson in the Cooper T56 was having a good race chasing Mike Waller in the Kieft and keeping the Cooper Mk 11 of Jeremy Bouckley nicely at bay until he saw the leaders catching him up; he was so busy watching them approach, that he lost it at Riches and had a spin right in front of them.  No harm done; they were past and away.
By the end of the race Andrew's Lotus 22 had pulled out a useful 10sec lead over his Dad's Lotus 27. Paul Smeeth had moved his 22 into a secure third. Barry Westmorland had his 22 in fourth  ahead of Mark Woodhouse 's 20/22. John Monson was sixth in his Lotus 20.
Stuart Roach's Alexis was eighth and winner of class A2. Ahead of the Mallock U2 of David Stevenson and the Bill Grimshaw Moorland. Ninth was the Gemini Mk 3A of John Chisholm who took class C1
Kevin Musson in the Lotus 18 was tenth and best of class B ahead of Mike Waller in his Kieft third in this class was Jeremy Bouckley in his Cooper Mk11 after the mis-adventures of Peter Jackson in his Cooper T56 had moved him back out of contention.

Race seven the grid positions in this race were determined by finishing position in Race three. This put Andrew Hibberd Lotus 22 on pole.  Mike Hibberd was a non-starter due to engine worries, this left a space on the front row. Paul Smeeth who was uncertain about his clutch's reliability elected to start from the rear of the grid, and , unbeknown to the drivers, the HSCC had published a revised grid sheet just before the race.
The cars joined the circuit straight from the assembly area and completed the assembly/green flag lap. As soon as they were all formed up on the grid in their original grid positions,a signal "delayed start" was given and whole of the grid was repositioned; well as you can imagine confusion followed, as well as boiled engines, with David Stevenson’s waterless U2 the principal victim.
For three cars, however , this delay was very fortuitous, as Paul Hewes and Bill Grimshaw had been parked out at the entrance to te circuit , and had been helping Erika pilkington fit a silencer to her Gemini, and had not heard the “call to arms”, so when the original green flag lap had started, they were not even in their cars, let alone in the assembly area !!Mair chased out to summon them, and this very lengthy delaybefore a second green flag lap was signaled, enabled them to charge down the pit lane just in time , and start from the end as the grid passed.
The start proper saw Andrew Hibberd in the Lotus 22 take up where he left off in the first race, and a race long dice with Mark Woodhouse in his Lotus 20/22 ensued with it looking as if Andrew was about to repeat his first race win. It was not to be though as he had a spin at the entrance to Russell's on lap ten, this dropping him back into second  about the length of the pit straight in arrears, but unabashed he set about catching the leader, cutting the lead at the flag to 0.9 sec. setting fastest lap of the race in the process. While all this was going on at the top of the race Barry Westmoreland in his Lotus 22 was holding third place ahead of a hard charging Paul Smeeth Lotus22 who had progressed through the field from last to fourth.
Stuart Roach was fifth one lap in arrears and class A2 winner ahead of Bill Grimshaw in the Moorland. Keith Roach in his Gemini Mk2 was third in class.
Peter Jackson had a better race and was ahead of David Brown Brabham BT6 until the last lap when he ran wide letting the Brabham pass, Peter still held on to take class C1.after a very unlucky John Chisholm pulled off near the end with a puncture
Jeremy Bouckley was the class B winner in this heat.
Two Ausper T3 's Driven by Vernon Williamson and Alexander Morton were both still racing at the end; getting quite a habit to see two Auspers in action, and we hope to see one of the T4s out again soon in new hands.

Nineteen cars started in this second race, three failed to finish, including Duncan, whose newly rebuilt engine blew a cylinder head gasket – twice in two weeks.

What a day for the Hibberd family, the blend of exhilaration and anxiety on the pit wall for all of Team Hibberd, was heady stuff indeed. Congratulations Andrew.

Combined Race Results.

First on Aggregate, winner race three, second place race seven.  
Andrew Hibberd          Lotus 22.  Class C2.

Second on aggregate, fifth in race three, winner race seven.
Mark Woodhouse        Lotus 20/22.  Class C2.

Third on aggregate, fourth race three, third in race seven.
Barry Westmoreland   Lotus 22.  Class C2.

Fifth overall winner Class A2, Stuart Roach Alexis Mk 2

Seventh overall and winner Class B, Kevin Musson Lotus 18.

Twelfth overall and winner class C1 Peter Jackson Cooper T56.

Fastest Lap Race one Andrew Hibberd 1.21 .270 (86.25mph)

Fastest Lap Race two Andrew Hibberd 1.20.678 (87.10mph)

Later that evening, most of the drivers and their entourage forgathered at Troston Hall, where Paul and Jenny Hewes put on a tremendous spread in glorious family surroundings , not least perfoming, jointly, some madrigals for the assembled company ; a lovely evening on all counts  - thank you both

Stan Hibberd 4thJuly 2006.