Championship points and some reliving of past glories led to a full entry list for the 2 day event with the BRSCC at Lydden Hill.  Some had very long memories!  It was the scenes of Col Bob Birrell’s debut event in his Austin Healey Sprite in 1965 and Marcus Mussa held the Formula 4 lap record in 1969 with his Vixen-Imp! Fast forward another 20 years and to the Monoposto Racing Club events in 1989 and 1990 and it was like a rerun, with the 500’s and FJ’s together again, and twenty years on since Duncan’s very first race, in the Alexis, here, at that first event.

John Chisholm (Gemini Mk3A) and John Dowson (Elva 200) were suffering from the rigours of the Eifel last weekend, and Justin Fleming’s Elva rebuild, now equipped with Chassis 100/42, after the demise of 100/27 at the Mallory Park HSCC meeting, was still a few days away from completion.  In addition poor Peter Mullen (Kieft) was in bed with flu.  At the last minute James Hicks (Caravelle) was added to the list for a test run prior to the Algarve, after its post Thruxton engine rebuild but for Saturday only.

James Owen (Elva 200) was back after his knee op, local man Chris Featherstone (Gemini II) was back, he too being a long time Lydden participant. He and Alan Baillie (tending Marcus Mussa’s BT2) recalling racing together in Lotus and Lola T60 respectively in Monoposto racing in the 1960’s.  We welcomed Septuagenarian Jaguar racer Colin Youle, having a guest drive in Sir John Chisholm’s Gemini II, so John was pleased to bring out the Arnott 500, for the first time this year, after a course of treatment with a recovering Simon Frost, we are delighted to say. Of the 500’s, Roy Hunt, too, was a participant in those 89/90 Lydden events, indeed the latter year ending up with a banana shaped Jason 500 – Roy was to continue his antics this weekend!
The early drizzle disappeared and it was dry by 10. Practice ran according to form, except for Chris Featherstone who was off the track in the first lap, and later ended in the infield when a wheel nut loosened itself and Gemini and wheel parted – very fortunately just where the Armco had ended! Geoff O’nion was misfiring, and outfoxed by Duncan, but otherwise the grid was much to order, with Jon Milicevic (Cooper T59) and Marcus Mussa (Brabham BT2) on row one and the Class D cars of James Hicks and Chris Drake on Row 2.
All lined up in the paddock for race 1 mid afternoon. Although Jon had a comfortable win, the little track was full of activity in a 46 second lap!! Marcus held on, but Jon gradually disappeared.  Chris Drake just had the edge on the Caravelle, who had a thrusting Jack Woodhouse not far behind, while John Boyes and Crispian Besley fought close to the end behind him.  David Hall (BMC Mk2) ground to a near halt with only a few laps to go  - first diagnosis was lack of petrol, but electrics may also have had their sway.

We were pleased to see Justin Fleming and Wendy, albeit without car, but with Crispian unable to compete on Sunday, he very kindly lent the Elva (and David Abbott) to Justin, and having had a test session in his tintop here at Lydden last week, and with all drivers signing a waiver, he rushed back to the Midlands to collect licence and kit, fortunately the race on Sunday being after lunch.

We then enjoyed the first 500 race – 18 cars, even more than the FJ’s! – Nigel Ashman (Cooper Mk VI) has had the measure of his competition this year, but there were some great dices and huge reliability, the only retirement being Peter Kumlin’s Effyh with a broken gear lever! John Chisholm ran well, picking up places as he regained his 500 feet, just being pipped by Dr Mike Gilbert, veteran (since 1957!) 500 racer as John crossed the line with the fuel tank empty! Paul Hewes enjoyed a race long battle in his yellow Cooper with the yellow Effyh of Rickard With, it being great to see four Swedes, including also Per Hågeman and Olle Linde, making the trip, and they then provided a real Swedish Herring (not an “Ikea” one as Duncan and Mair had organised at Goodwood, in the absence of any Nordic competitors). For those who could then stagger round the corner, Nigel Challis, Martin Sheppard et al in the 500’s put on a superb BBQ meal for all the FJ’s and 500’s – a great evening – and the weather stayed warm and dry all night!
[N.B Peter Kumlin still has the Condor S III, Ford rear engined FJ, and is undecided whether to sell – but a good offer might tempt away this unique drum braked FJ.......]

Sunday’s race day weather was far more conducive, being warm and sunny by contrast to Saturday’s overcast and strong winds.There was a slight change of contestants on Sunday with Crispian and the Hicks family elsewhere, and Chris Featherstone’s clutch gone, but with Just Fleming in Crispian’s Elva, and Colonel Bob in the yellow BT6 escaping from Saturday’s military duty, the net loss was only one.
Race 2 grid was the finishing positions of Race 1 on Saturday but with the additional runners at the back.
The race start line is at some distance from the tribunes on the high ground but from this vantage the entire circuit can be seen, with the exception of a very short section in a dip.
Marcus Mussa in 2nd place made a superb start in his Brabham BT2 and closed on pole man Jon Milicevic’s Cooper T59 but Milicevic stabilised the gap and then started to draw away by the time these two began to ascend the rise up to the top hairpin.
Chris Drake in his Elva 300 kept these two in sight for many laps and was clearly trying very hard, as evidenced by a few locked wheel braking moments in his pursuit, but these three gradually became more and more strung out.
John Boyes, as always very smartly presented Lotus 20, maintained 4th place although eventually lapped by Milicevic.
Sadly, Geoff O’Nion’s Elva 100 broke a drive shaft at the start and he coasted just a few yards into retirement. This was a very poor return for all his hard work on the car over the weekend, which included changing most of the electrics; and the radiator only shortly before the race.
Jack Woodhouse continued his impressive form and finished 5th in the family Elva 100, his smooth driving style unsurprisingly very similar to that of his father Mark.
Simon Hamilton tried in vain to catch John Hutchison and their similar traditionally liveried Lotus 18s were never very far apart, finishing midfield.
Uncomfortably close on many occasions were the Brabham BT6 of Col Bob Birrell and Colin Youle in his first ever open wheel race driving Sir John Chisholm’s Gemini Mk2. After 8 laps trying to pass Youle on this twisty and busy little one mile circuit Birrell retired frustrated, before any damage ensued.
David Hall’s petite BMC-Huffaker Mk2 was going well and he moved his way up from a low grid place, due to Saturday’s DNF which was believed to be caused by a fault in his team’s modern high-tech fuelling apparatus (a low-tech period correct wooden stick doesn’t fail, David !). Unfortunately an electrical Gremlin sneaked aboard on Sunday and having just crept round the top hairpin amid much spluttering on lap 11, the car carried just sufficient momentum to then roll down to a safe retirement place.
James Owen was thoroughly enjoying his ex Doug Martin Elva 200 throughout the race and was visibly quicker than on Saturday, so he was very pleased with his 8th place result, passing Duncan early one, and escaping into the distance.
Duncan kept the Youle, Birrell battle behind him, but when Bob had called it a day, Justin Fleming really got going, and pushing Youle, the two of them eventually catching and passing Duncan, Justin too taking Youle at the hairpin.
Gordon Wright’s beautiful Stanguellini was significantly out foxed on this power on/off circuit and sadly its wonderful barking exhaust note was muted by regulation.
Nonetheless Gordon was his always smiling self, the compleat FJ racer.
Richard Utley, as ever the epitome of sartorial correctness dressed in collar & tie only a few minutes prior to the call to Assembly, continues to enjoy racing the Caravelle’s that he created in association with co-founder Bob Hicks and he brought Mk 1 home visibly catching our noble leader Duncan Rabagliati pressing on in his famous Alexis HF1, but Duncan responded with a fastest final lap, to cross the line a fraction ahead.
Meanwhile leader Milicevic stretched his lead over Mussa and Drake to finish 13 seconds clear at the flag after an astonishing 26 laps, but with Drake also winning his class there was no change in the overall Championship lead position.
So it all goes down to the wire at the Silverstone finals meeting with Milicevic a mere 2 points ahead of Drake ~~~  may the best man win !

The day finished with the second 500 race – another Ashman benefit, but Mike Fowler, using a borrowed Norton in his Cooper V kindly loaned by Mark Palmer, came through very well from the back, behind second man Gordon Russell, who might be seen in a Junior next year, as well as his Vintage bikes, and 500’s!! Mike Fowler’s progress had included a monumental dice with Roy Hunt (Martin), the latter spinning in front of the Timekeepers box (and Clerk of the Course) – stalling, pushing the car back on to the track, leaping in, jump starting down the hill, and away!! – that is subject to one further excursion, one spin ending up going backwards – and a final revisit to the Clerk of the Course – Lydden is certainly a track to remember for Roy!!

Peter Jackson, the Cooper Cockpit Correspondent / DCPR  04.10.09