Eighteen HSCC Races at Croft Nostalgia Weekend
The hugely successful Croft Nostalgia Weekend is the next date for the Historic Sports Car Club when many of the club’s categories race at the North Yorkshire track (August 4th/5th).
On a weekend that features varied period attractions, both on the ground and in the sky, the HSCC will run a busy 18-race programme on the popular and challenging track.
An excellent field of cars will contest rounds eight and nine of 13 in the HSCC 70s Road Sports Championship. Former Formula Vee champion Jeremy Clark is the major rival to championship leader Charles Barter (Datsun 240Z) right now after a strong opening half of the season in his Lotus Elan, while Will Leverett handles another rapid Elan.
Two rounds of the HSCC Historic Formula Ford Championship will surely deliver more fabulous racing from full grids. As the run-in to the title decider really kicks into gear, it is Ben Mitchell and Cameron Jackson at the head of the contest and Mitchell currently has a slender 13-point lead over Jackson as they head to Croft.
Two single-seater categories come together as the Historic Formula 3 and Formula Junior classes share the grid for two races. Reigning champion Peter de la Roche (Lola Mk3) could be the Formula Junior pacesetter, while Jon Milicevic will move closer to the Historic F3 crown if he can build on his remarkable sequence of seven wins from eight races.
The man to beat in Classic Clubmans is Mark Charteris in his Mallock Mk20/21 and aiming to take the fight to Charteris will be local racer Adrian Holey in his Mallock Mk20B. Class B, for the cars using 1600cc Ford Kent engines, is headed by Barry Webb in his Mallock Mk16BW, while the invitation class for period Sports 2000s is topped by the Royale S2000M of Roger Waite.
Croft marks the half-way point in the HSCC Historic Touring Car Championship as rounds seven and eight take the cars back to North Yorkshire. Current series leader Adrian Oliver (Hillman Imp) will go up against reigning champion Steve Platts in his similar Singer Chamois. Mark Watts (Ford Mustang) and Bob Bullen (Ford Anglia) are Oliver’s current title rivals, but local racer Philip House could be fastest of all in his Lotus Cortina.
Wonderful sports cars from the 1960s will grace the grid in rounds eight and nine of the HSCC Historic Road Sports Championship and the focus is on three drivers who are starting to edge clear at the head of the points. Dick Coffey (Turner Mk1), Kevin Kivlochan (Morgan Plus 8) and John Davison (Lotus Elan) are the drivers set to battle for the crown over the next six races.
As well as chasing the Historic Road Sports title, Davison is aiming to tighten his grip on a third straight Guards Trophy title in his 26R racing development of the Elan. A single 40-minute pit-stop race on Saturday afternoon will be race five of seven. Davison could be the GT winner at Croft, while the sports-racing cars will set the absolute pace and Philip Nelson’s Chevron B8 is a strong candidate for victory. Nelson’s opponents include the Elva Mk7s of Stuart Roach/Sam Wilson and Nick Pancisi, along with the Lenham P69 of local racers John Waggitt/Peter Needham.
The two strands of period Formula Ford 2000 racing come together in a combined race for the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship and the URS Classic Formula Ford 2000 Series. Heading to his home track at the top of the Historic points is David Walton from Ponteland in his Royale RP27, but he faces the return of reigning champion Cumbria-based Andrew Park who is back after missing the Cadwell Park races while busy getting married. Drew Cameron’s Van Diemen heads the Classic runners.
Finally, the Lackford Engineering-supported Sprite and Midget Challenge is a welcome guest race on the weekend’s programme for a pair of races.
On Saturday, the first of eight races is at 13.25 after qualifying from 09.30
On Sunday, the first of ten races is at 10.50 after qualifying from 09.30
