OULTON PARK GOLD CUP,  AUGUST 26th 2007

Fine weather enhanced this prestigious meeting, held traditionally over the August Bank Holiday and as usual the many spectators enjoyed spectacular racing at this scenic circuit.

Formula Junior participation extended to sufficient entries for two races.
The first was for FJ Class C2, together with a group of later period 1 litre F3 cars.
In this Race A, the fifteen FJs raced for points in the HSCC-Millers Oils Championship whilst the eleven F3s campaigned for their own Peter Hanson Trophy.
Race B was exclusively FJ with Classes A1, A2, B & C1 collecting Championship points and these 20 were accompanied by a few non points scoring C2 refugees who didn’t fancy the cut-n-thrust of Race A. Col Bob Birrell hedged his bets by placing young Mike Lyons in the Brabham BT6 for Race A, whilst he himself took the wheel for Race B.

Race A qualifying, on Saturday morning, saw Edwin Jowsey return to FJ, after a long absence racing in China and Australia. He clearly hadn’t forgotten how to get the best from his Lotus 22, as his pole position time of 1:53 indicated. Next up was Jorg Tobler’s F3 Chevron B17 and then Denis Welch in his familiar Merlyn who was joined on the second row by Mike Lyons who looked very comfortable in Col Bob’s Brabham. Geoffroy Rivet, the F3 series coordinator, was 5th  in his Brabham BT28 and then it was FJs all the way to 10th place ~~ in the order Robin Longdon & James Murray - both Lola 5A, Simon Armer~ Cooper T59, Robert Goodwin and Barry Westmoreland~ both Lotus 22.
Back in the paddock a few cars were requiring work. Notable amongst these were the normally reliable Hibberd equipe cars – Michael’s Lotus 27 had a minor gearbox malady, which prevented him from completing a lap and Andrew’s Lotus 22 developed a misfire.
A spark plug problem after one lap stranded Geoff Williams’ Lotus 22 at Old Hall corner and fuel starvation was afflicting Simon Smith’s Cooper T56. All these problems were rectified before the race on Sunday but unfortunately oil pump failure on Nick Lees’ F3 Barnett couldn’t be resolved so Nick sadly withdrew from the fray.

Race B qualifying, on Saturday afternoon, marked the first appearance in Formula Junior
of John Milicevic and his Lotus 18 and very impressively indeed he set pole time of 2:03.
Derek (Mr.Oulton Park) Walker was a close 2nd in his Terrier followed by Col Bob Birrell~ Brabhan BT6 and Paul Davis~ Lotus 20 completing the front two grid rows.
After the session was over Geoff O’nion’s gearbox in his Elva was quickly whipped out to reveal a mangled clutch operating fork but Iain Rowley’s Delta Motorsport outfit
rescued the situation with a  welded repair. Derek Walker’s Terrier had sheared a drive shaft flange and he raided a scrap yard in the small hours of Saturday night for sufficient parts to manufacture a new one, which he fitted on Sunday morning. David Crowther had a cylinder head problem, which unfortunately he was unable to rectify and withdrew.

Sunday morning witnessed a rare spectacle at a race meeting ~~ a Tug O’ War.
This was between the Marshals Club and Formula Junior, held on the infield grass field
at Old Hall corner. The Marshals mustered ten burly contestants who looked rather strong. They undoubtedly are; they drag racing cars out of gravel traps for a pastime of course.
Formula Junior members, including ladies, were lobbying for selection to our team and it was agreed with the Clerks of the Course that we could bring on a few subs as required,
to quell the bickering. The Marshals subs and supporters stood ready in full rescue attire complete with fire extinguishers in case of emergency and the engine of their nearby JCB was running, ready for the coupe d’gras if needed.
Mikki Truslove was appointed as our Team Manager on account of her Father being involved in Service Tug O’Wars many years ago and passing on the knowledge to her.
She huddled our team and briefed them on the essential tactics. Your scribe, as FJ representative, won the toss-up and chose the down side of the slight slope for the first pull.
After the rituals of centring the rope and taking the strain it seemed for a moment that the Marshals would immediately drag the entire FJ team away, but then our Team Manager’s rhythmical commands began to tell and accompanied by chants of Ea-sy, Ea-sy, Ea-sy
from our numerous supporters it was all over for the Marshals.
The ends were changed, breath was recovered and some subs were brought on ready for the second pull in this best of three contest. Again the Marshals immediate heave threatened to overturn our entire team but they held their ground and started another relentless backward stamp that within a short time had secured victory. Amid much mutual applause and congratulations all round we were presented with the prize, a case of excellent beer.
It would be good to do this again when the occasion allows. Goodwood hmm, I wonder ?.

However, to return to racing matters which began at 12 noon on Sunday when 27 engines fired up for Race 1, the combined FJ-F3 Race A.
Your scribe watched from the elevated bank alongside Dentons as Jowsey appeared in the lead with Tobler close behind. Welch was next, then Rivet and Longdon completing the leading pack of 5 cars. Rivet deposed Welch on the first flying lap and it stayed that way for the next lap. Then disaster for the F3s of Tobler and Rivet when they both went missing, Tobler to rejoin after losing many places and Rivet permanently. So the leading cars were Jowsey, Welch, Longdon and Murray, but Michael Hibberd was on a charge.
He had come from the back of the grid and was up to 5th place on lap 4 and he disposed of Murray and Longdon in the course of the next two laps to be 3rd at the finish.
Jowsey won convincingly with a best lap of 1:54, 8 seconds clear of 2nd place Welch.
Fastest race lap went to Tobler with a 1:53 and he was the first F3 finisher in 6th place.
The only DNFs were Rivet as mentioned, Max Blees Brabham BT15 out after lap 3 and Iain Rowley Lotus 22 who retired after 4 laps with fluctuating oil pressure.

Race 4, the exclusively FJ Race B got underway just before 2pm and Milicevic made good use of his pole position to lead away from Walker with Birrell and Davis keeping their positions. Mark Woodhouse was tigering his newly restored Dolphin, despite Goodwood the following weekend and got ahead of John Truslove’s Lola Mk2, which was ailing with differential problems. Over the next couple of laps Davis & Birrell swapped places several times but Birrell faded. Woodhouse moved up ahead of Davis after lap 3 with the Lotus 22 of John Sykes just behind but shortly to retire so 5th place was taken by John Hutchinson’s Lotus 18 who had come from 11th on the grid.
In the first few laps there were meteoric gains for Tony Martindale in the Skoda engined, Australian built, Essenkay who had shot up from 19th on the grid to be 9th after the first flying lap and for Pete Morton in the Lightning who lived the name with a terrific start from 16th grid place to 10th and they progressed to be 7th & 8th respectively for laps 6, 7 & 8 but Morton passed Martindale for the last 2 laps to finish 6th ahead of Martindale in 7th.
They both gave very impressive performances indeed.
Ahead of them the leading 5 in order Milicevic, Walker, Woodhouse, Davis & Hutchinson looked settled keeping station, but drama unfolded when on lap 8 Melicevic was seen to be falling back into the grasp of Walker who moved into the lead on lap 9. But Milicevic managed to nurse his failing clutch until at the last possible moment he made a lunge through Deers Leap to seemingly put the Lotus nose ahead on the line at the chequered flag by merely the thickness of a coat of paint. 
BJ Colaric was unfortunate in that his Elva engine expired within a few yards of the chequered flag. He raised his arm and prepared to coast over the line but was instead ushered down the exit lane into Parc-Ferme. This meant that initially he was classified
as a DNF but he made representation to the Clerks of the Course and was reinstated 17th.
Not so lucky was Andrew Robertson whose Crossle expired with a dead engine after just one lap and John Truslove a lap later with aforementioned differential damage to his Lola.
Roger Dexter’s problems continue, now the clutch on his Elva-DKW is playing up and forced him out mid race. Also a clutch problem delayed Peter Mullen right at the start.
He was so delayed in fact that although his lap times suggested a mid field result he never did catch up despite really pressing on in the OSCA.
Parc-Ferme was significantly busy with Formula Juniors where there was much post race scrutiny of tyres ~~ especially the tread pattern of some 15”. Eventually Dallas Smith resolved the dilemma by agreeing that our Dunlop CR65 pattern was indeed not manufactured in some width/diameter combinations, but as the rubber compound of the non conformists was correct, then all was well. But this procrastination did delay things and some people subsequently missed prize giving.

After the excitement had died down and amid much congratulating, Duncan Rabagliati announced all the Class positions as follows and awarded Trophys accordingly.
F3.  1st and Peter Hanson Trophy winner Jorg Tobler~ Chevron B17, 2nd Francois de Rossi~
       Chevron B17, 3rd Keith Norman~ Chevron B15C.
C2.  1st and Race A & Gold Cup winner Edwin Jowsey~ Lotus 22, 2nd Denis Welch~ Merlyn,
         3rd Michael Hibberd~ Lotus 27.
C1.  1st Paul Davis~ Lotus 20, 2nd David Hall~ BMC Mk2.
B.    1st and Race B winner John Milicevic~ Lotus 18, 2nd Mark Woodhouse~ Dolphin,
  3rd John Hutchinson~ Lotus 18.
A2.  1st Derek Walker~ Terrier, 2nd Bernard Brock~ Elva 100,
        3rd Geoff O’Nion~ Elva 100.
A1.  1st Ian Robinson~ Autosud, 2nd Gordon Wright~ Stanguellini, 3rd Peter Mullen~OSCA.

However, when the printed results sheets were published it was seen that in fact Derek Walker’s transponder crossed the line 0.001 seconds ahead of John Milicevic’s ~~ possibly due to it being placed at the front of the Terrier whilst the Lotus had it fitted further back.
So Derek was declared the winner and Jon, who had previously received the laurels and the winners cup on the organizers podium, generously handed over the spoils to Derek.
Food for thought, maybe.

Peter Jackson, The Cooper Cockpit Correspondent.