Preview: HSCC Finals at Silverstone
Season-long battles for championship glory will be settled at this coming weekend’s Historic Sports Car Club’s Finals meeting on the Silverstone National circuit (Saturday/Sunday 21st/22nd October).
With nearly 300 entries for 12 grids and 19 races, it promises to be a fitting climax to the Club’s championship season and four titles in particular will be the subject of fierce competition.
Some of the toughest competition of all will be in the final two races for the HSCC Historic Formula Ford 1600 Championship where three drivers will settle a season-long title race that has consistently delivered sensational racing. Michael O’Brien, Callum Grant and Richard Tarling are the contenders and Tarling will head to Silverstone with five wins in the last six races.
Drivers must drop two scores and once this is factored in, it is all very close. O’Brien has scored in every race and has two 14s to drop, giving him 197 heading for Silverstone. Tarling only has eight to drop, putting him on 202 and Grant is on 193 after also dropping eight. There are many permutations, but a double win for any of them would clinch the title.
In the Historic Touring Car Championship, which has a superb 32-car entry, Singer Chamois racer Steve Platts has a modest advantage going into the Silverstone double-header but Peter Hallford, Jack Drury, Nigel Cox and Roger Godfrey all have a chance, albeit slim in some cases.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Historic Road Sports Championship decider will conclude a tremendous season for the cars of the 1960s. Heading the table is Peter Shaw in his Lotus Elan with 63 points while Will Plant (Morgan Plus 8) and Dick Coffey (Turner) are both on 60. With a class win at Silverstone Shaw will be champion, but if that does not happen it could all get very tight and may only be resolved on tie-breaks.
The final two rounds, and four races, of the HSCC/FJHRA Silverline Historic Formula Junior Championship will come down to a three-way battle between Justin Fleming, Peter De La Roche and Benn Tilley. De La Roche has the slight advantage and two class wins would make him champion.
Although other titles are settled, there will still be great racing across the programme with bumper grids for 70s Road Sports, Historic Formula Ford 2000 and Classic Formula 3/URS Classic FF2000. Out-going 70s Road Sports champion Julian Barter (Lotus Elan) will take on the in-coming champion, his father Charles (Datsun 240Z). Newly-crowned FF2000 champion Andrew Park goes up against Benn Simms, Ian Pearson and Callum Grant while Ian Flux (March 783), Tom Smith (March 793) and Cameron Jackson (Euroracing 101) add spice to the Classic F3 field.
Wrapping up what should be a great season finale will be the concluding rounds of the Derek Bell Trophy, Classic Clubmans Championship, Guards Trophy and the final round of the HSCC Historic Formula 3 Championship, which shares a grid with Historic Formula Libre cars. Despite problems in the last two race meetings, Jon Milicevic is favourite for the Historic F3 title at his home track.
On Saturday, the first of seven races will be at 13.30 after qualifying from 09.00
On Sunday, the first of 12 races will be at 09.55 after qualifying from 09.00
