Capacity Heritage Donington opener
A capacity field for a pair of races to start the 2007 Heritage GT Car Challenge will be one of the highlights of the weekend at Donington (21/22 April) as the Heritage cars race on the British F3/GT programme.A full grid, plus reserves, of racing GT and saloon cars from the 1960s and 1970s will do battle over a pair of races, with two drivers in many of the cars and compulsory pit stops adding to the excitement. The 2007 season is set to be the best yet for the Heritage series and the weekend's races mark the start of a year that takes the drivers to some of the biggest race meetings in Britain this season.These cars are from an era when power invariably exceeded grip, and with many cars running 4-litre, 5-litre and even 6-litre engines, cars sliding around is the norm in Heritage races. Add in the spectacle of some of the rapid smaller cars trying to do some giant killing and you have all the ingredients for two real crowd-pleasers.Over the winter, some fresh cars have been prepared and others have undergone some development work, so it all starts afresh at Donington. However, sure to be at the head of the action is the Chevrolet Camaro of Peter Hall and four-time BTCC champion Andy Rouse. Several more Camaros and a gaggle of very potent Aston Martins will take the fight to the Rouse/Hall car, but the biggest threat for overall victory could be father and son team Grahame and Oliver Bryant in their thundering Morgan +8. Oliver will combine the HGT races with his British GT campaign. Another very quick father and son team is Roy and Spencer McCarthy in their hard-charging MGB GTV8, while Aston regulars Chris Scragg/John Bussell switch to a classic Jaguar E Type to go head to head with the similar car of Peter Lloyd/Rob Schirle. Among the older Aston Martins, the DB4 of former TVR boss Peter Wheeler and Ben Samuelson will take on the similar car of Conor O'Brien in Class C, which is also home to the Morgans. Joining the flying Bryant +8 will be similar cars for Rick Lloyd/Peter Horsman and Phil Hollins/Paul Burry.The top class, for full race modified cars over 4600cc, has a bumper entry including the Hall/Rouse Camaro and the 6.2-litre Camaro of Arthur Thurtle/Roger Bennington. Andy Jenkinson/John Young will also be contenders in the Camaro of Alec Hammond, while Bob Searles is back with his mighty Aston Martin DBS V8. Currently on the reserve list is the potent Ford Mustang of David Yates/Graham Scarborough.Not to be out-done by the top two classes is Class B for mildly modified cars, which should be headed by the Lloyd/Schirle E Type. However, the Morgan +8 of Tony Lees will be quick, while the class also marks the race debut of the famous ex-works Lotus 47 of Pat Thomas, back racing after a gap of at least two decades.The Classic Saloon class is also strong, with a gaggle of Mini Coopers sure to thrill the fans. However, the pace should be set by the Lotus Cortina of father and son pairing Geoff and Tom Kimber-Smith. Geoff is something of a racing veteran, while Tom has shown superb pace in single-seaters. Ranged against them will be the remarkable Ford Anglia of Gordon Streeter – possibly the fastest Anglia in the world!