BELLM & REDHOUSE FIGHT FOR TOUR BRITANNIA COMPETITION VICTORY
JOHN RUSTON MAINTAINS TOURING-REGULARITY LEAD
RUDIGER FRIEDRICHS CLAIMS HEALTHY LEAD FOR OVERALL TOUR BRITANNIA HONOURS
The fight for victory in the Competition category of Tour Britannia is a neck and neck affair between the two V8 powered machines of Ray Bellm and Howard Redhouse. After the third leg of the event, that covered a compact route around beautiful English countryside and again in warm sunshine, sees the GT40 and Lotus 30 crews split by just 17.2 seconds going into the final race at Silverstone today. In the Touring-Regularity category, Talbot 105 driver John Ruston has marginally extended his advantage to 18.3 seconds over Martin Emmison in the 1963 AC Cobra. Overall Tour Britannia honours, based on Index of Performance, are currently wrapped up in the hands of Rudiger Friedrichs. The German started the day with a one minute 16.8 second lead but extended that over yesterday’s eight competitive sections to two minutes 3.4 seconds.
Wednesday’s action took in a feast of famous speed test venues, with each run twice, kicking off at the famous power climb at Shelsley Walsh. In its centenary year, Shelsley Walsh is one of the oldest motor sport venues in the world, the ‘Monaco’ of all hill climbs that has played host to some of the sports greatest. After two runs up the hill the crews headed to the challengingly technical hill climb in the beautiful deer countryside of Loton Park, near Shrewsbury. After lunch, the crews headed to Weston Park, the ancestral home of the Earl of Bradford in the heart of the English Midlands, before rounding off the day at the famous sprint venue at Curborough.
In the Competition category, the day was essentially dominated by Howard Redhouse in the 1965 Lotus 30. The Irishman claimed five competitive section victories today, holding off fierce challenges from equivalent V8 machinery. He won both runs at Shelsley and Curborough, and one run at Loton Park. The only other drivers to claim wins today were Adrian Newey, with two at Weston Park, and Michael Schryver at Loton. With Bellm never outside the top four in each of the days eight sections, Silverstone looks set to host a thrilling battle for the Tour Britannia Competition victory.
Touring-Regularity honours will be fought out between John Ruston/Jeremy Haylock and the father and son partnership of Martin and Edwin Emmison. Despite problems during the leg, Ruston set two perfect times with the Emmison’s matching his performance at Loton Park. The crews go into the final day of the event split by just 18.3 seconds.
The overall Tour Britannia trophy is based on Index of Performance, a handicap system that balances the performance of all the Competition crews. Rudiger Friedrichs and Wolfgang Kalf have led from the outset and the Germans, driving the 1932 Alvis Speed 20, have a two minute 3.4 second lead over John Sheldon.
Thursday’s grand finale takes the crews from Stratford-upon-Avon on a scenic route to Silverstone, where the Historic Grand Prix Circuit will play host to the climax of the inaugural Tour Britannia. Two races around the famous circuit will decide the outcome in all three categories, before the prize-giving ceremony in the BRDC Clubhouse.
QUOTES FROM THE CREWS – LEG 3
#1 John Ruston/Jeremy Haylock (GB/GB) – Talbot 105
“We’ve been lurching a bit without first gear, and from crisis to crisis, and the lead seemed to be going with it.”
#2 Marc Vandendijk/Stefan Vandendijk (B/B) – Triumph TR2
“We had a problem with the fan belt at Shelsley, right at the start of the first run, but really enjoyed Loton.”
#3 Kurt Engelhorn/Raul Contreras (CH/E) – Jaguar XK 150S
“It’s fascinating to come to such a traditional place as Shelsley Walsh and we enjoyed the hill climb very much.”
#4 Michael Campbell/Robin Widdows (GB/GB) – Bentley Derby Special
“We were minus a clutch after the first run up Shelsley, no fluid. But, to our rescue came Alec Poole. He was under the car and gave great spirit to get us going. The fluid he put in will be rewarded with the same later! Loton was great fun with lots of different bends, but the gear selection is difficult.” (Michael Campbell). “Unfortunately the smile on my driver’s face during this event is embarrassingly large!” (Robin Widdows)
#6 Martin Sharp/Jerry Williams (GB/GB) – Porsche 356 B Super 90
“Loton was great fun, a lovely hill climb.”
#8 Christian Chiaravita/Jean-Marie Lurquin (F/B) – BMW 3.0 CSI
“Shelsley; c’est magnifique!”
#12 Rudiger Friedrichs/Wolfgang Kalf (D/D) – Alvis Speed 20 S.A.
“Shelsley; how typically British to build a hill just for racing! Again, Loton was lovely and although the engine wasn’t running well in the first run, we’re really enjoying these hill climbs. I really have to say though that all these marshals, everywhere, are so friendly and enthusiastic; a big big thank you to everyone.”
#14 Gareth Burnett/Ed McDonough (GB/USA) – Talbot 105
“When the car is older than the co-driver, it’s a bit tough! The roads are good, but it’s a lot of hard work.” (Ed McDonough). “Loton Park was difficult for a big car as it’s a small hill climb. It was all a bit fraught at the start of Curborough as the gearbox adjustor nuts came off and got jammed in the gears. The team worked superbly to get us going, and we even had help from the Tuthill guys, which was really nice. It’s been a nice day, pushing on all the time and we’ve been on our toes constantly. All the marshals, officials and competitors have been exceptionally friendly and helpful; it’s been great.”
#15 Nick Finburgh/Ollie Crosthwaite (GB/GB) – Jaguar C-Type
“I was trying not to damage the car because its owner was sitting alongside me!” (Ollie Crosthwaite, Loton Park). “Overall it’s been a fantastic day, especially when you think we’ve been to four venues and done two runs at each; who would have thought you could do that in England. On other events we get two practice runs and then two actual runs, and that’s it.”
#20 Amnon Needham/Dermot Healy (GB/GB) – Lotus Europa TC Special
“I had lunch between the first and second runs at Loton and made a mistake because the event catering was so good!”
#21 Barrie Williams/Alan Newton (GB/GB) – MGB
“The first Loton stage was okay, but we went off three times in the second run and were even up on two wheels at one point; trying too hard. I reckon if we’d gone up the whole way on the grass we’d have been quicker!”
#22 David Betts/Caroline Betts (GB/GB) – Shelby GT350
“We’re having fun and Shelsley was over too quick; we could’ve stayed there all day long! Weston Park had tight corners and it wasn’t really good for our car because of its size. Shelsley was better for us.”
#23 Doug Allen/Richard Lugg (USA/GB) – Ford Mustang
“During the first run we had to learn Shelsley, but our second run was brilliant; longer would have been even better. Loton was another fine stage. We went too quick through the hairpin at Weston Park and made a bit of a mess of it, but it’s been good fun.”
#26 Mike Smith/John Howells (GB/GB) – Ford Escort
“We’re one of the few crews without support and I could do without all the weight in the boot, especially with our lack of horsepower! I preferred Loton to Shelsley as Shelsley is a power climb and Loton has more twists and hills, which helps us.”
#27 John Day/Charles Reynolds (GB/GB) – Alpine Renault A110
“It’s a long time since I was at Loton, maybe on the Avon Tour of Britain. Very exciting, and we’d like another 17km of that please! Shelsley is rich in history and it was brilliant to go there but we dropped time at Weston. The HT lead fell off in the stage and we had to stop and fix it, but it’s been a marvellous day and we live to fight another day.”
#40 Ray Bellm/Paul Lanzante (GB/GB) – Ford GT40
“I think we took the prize for the biggest and longest striped black lines at Shelsley; fantastic! I could give up rallying and go hill climbing… I prefer the hill climbs to the stages, as they’re better for our car.
#41 Adrian Newey/Dean Lanzante (GB/GB) – Ford GT40
“Shelsley was my first ever hill climb and I really enjoyed it; a short burst of adrenaline. It’s probably good we only did two runs, as it could’ve got lairy! Loton was challenging but you had to balance having a good time against the unforgiving run-offs. We’ve enjoyed the day very much but the finish of Curborough was a bit tricky.”
#43 Philippe Olczyk/Raja Mamhoudy (CDN/MA) – Bizzarini P538
“Shelsley was very nice; a fantastic place and very typical of an old English racing hill climb; fantastic.”
#44 Robi Bernberg/Steve Winter (GB/GB) – Porsche 911 GTS
“Tour Britannia has short road miles and lots of competitive sections; it feels like we’re in competition all the time. The road section between Shelsley and Loton was fantastic. We’ve been busy all day without hundreds of road miles; brilliant.” (Steve Winter)
#46 Howard Redhouse/Richard Shaw (IRL/GB) – Lotus 30
“Curborough wasn’t as clean as we wanted it to be, but Shelsley and Loton were very good for us. We’ve taken a bit of time out of Ray today and it’ll be a fight to the chequered flag.”
#47 Ted Williams/Chris Clarkson (GB/GB) – Chevrolet Sting Ray
“The speeds at Shelsley were amazingly high for such narrow roads, and Weston was a bit of a garden path at 100 mph! Overall it’s been a lovely day and finishing at Curborough was short, tricky and technical, but I made it.”
#49 David Smithies/Eric Wooley (GB/GB) – Ford Mustang
“The clutch failed before the start of Loton, but more significantly we had a bit of a moment with Charles Reynolds at Weston, when they rejoined the stage in front of us at 100 mph… It’s been an excellent day with lovely variety and a great buzz.”
#53 Michael Schryver/Simon Hadfield (GB/GB) – Chevron B6
“Shelsley was brilliant; amazing. I’ve never been on a hill climb before and now I know what the fuss is all about! Curborough was interesting and it’s been a really good day overall. We’ve had no real problems with the car, other than a leaking caliper which we can change tonight. It’s been fantastic.”
#57 Nick Whale/Sally Wood (GB/GB) – Porsche 911 Carrera RS
“I came to Shelsley for the first time in 1981 and drove three times a year for six years, so I’m very familiar with the place and its lovely setting.”
#58 Bill Wykeham/David Fitzsimons (GB/NZ) – Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS
“We had a bit of a moment at Curborough and spun off the stage on the last bend. It’s been a great day though and the combination of races and stages works well.”
#66 Richard Lloyd/Alan Rivers (GB/GB) – Chevrolet Camaro
“I drove my first ever competitive section today at Curborough and it was fantastic, although steering this car is like stirring soup! It was a baptism of fire, but I kept it on the road; a great day.” (Alan Rivers)
#74 Ned Spieker/Norman Thersby (USA/GB) – Ferrari 250 GT SWB
“We had an electrical problem out of Stratford this morning so haven’t done any competition today. Everything’s now been fixed and we’ll be back for the final race at Silverstone.”
