Mitchell stars at HSCC Cadwell Park
Teenager Sam Mitchell was one of the stars of the weekend at Cadwell Park during the Historic Sports Car Club’s Wolds Trophy race meeting (Saturday/Sunday 21/22 June).
Mitchell, having his first races of the season following the conclusion of exams, took a classy pair of wins in the HSCC’s Historic Formula Ford Championship in his family’s Merlyn Mk20. In the opening race, the Gloucestershire youngster went well clear of the pack but in the second race he had to fend off Benn Simms (Jomo) as little more than a second split them at the flag.
The result overturned an even closer finish two weeks earlier at Snetterton when Sam’s father Westie was beaten to the flag by Simms with a margin of just one-thousandth of a second.
As Cadwell Park celebrates its 80th birthday season, the bumper programme covered a broad range of sports cars, touring cars and single-seaters from the late 1950s through to the early 1980s and included the Justin Haler Trophy races for the Historic Formula 3 Championship. The very rapid David Methley took a double Historic F3 win in his Merlyn Mk14A.
The HSCC Classic Formula 3 Championship also featured a double win as the considerable talent of Simon Hadfield took his ex-Rupert Keegan March 743 to a brace of wins. Meanwhile, in the HSCC Classic Racing Car Championship wins were shared by Michael O’Brien (Merlyn Mk20) and Antony Ross (Lotus 59).
Other double winners included Tim Davies (Lotus Cortina) in the ByBox Historic Touring Car Championship and Mark Charteris (Mallock Mk20/21) in the HSCC Classic Clubmans Championship.
In taking a double win in the HSCC 70s Road Sports Championship, Oliver Ford had to see off two different drivers in the same car. In the opening race defending champion Ford kept his Lotus Europa narrowly ahead of Julian Barter in the Lotus Elan of Iain Daniels. In the second race, Daniels took over the Elan and ran Ford just as close. HSCC Historic Road Sports Championship wins went to Peter Thompson (Marcos 1800GT) and Patrick Ward-Booth (Ginetta G4).
Graham Fennymore was the man to beat in the HSCC Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship, taking a brace of wins in his Reynard SF81. However, neither win was easy as Tom Smith (Royale RP27) and Benn Simms (Royale RP30) chased Fennymore home.
Finally, with separate grids for the front and rear-engined cars, the Millers Oils Formula Junior Championship featured four races. Former champion Jon Milicevic (Cooper T59) won both rear-engined races, while Mark Woodhouse (Elva 100) and Stuart Roach (Alexis) shared the front-engined wins.
The HSCC season continues on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the Historic Super Prix (12/13 July).
