This year’s Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series got off to a flying start at the Top Hat Donington Classic Meeting on May 1 st. The race – the first in the Series to be held in the UK – was run in two stages, both won convincingly by Roger Saul and Calum Lockie in Saul’s stunning P3 Alfa Romeo.
Victory for the Alfa, running here in two-seater form, was assisted by the sidelining of both Bill Ainscough’s very quick 8C Alfa with engine problems, and Gareth Burnett and James Diffy in John Ruston’s 105 Alpine Talbot. Second place on aggregate went, eventually, to Phil Champion and Steve Stanton in Champion’s Frazer Nash Supersports, with third overall going to the Alfa Romeo 6C of David Cooke and Neil Twyman – a very strong performance against a tough field.
The most dramatic moment came in Race 1 when a fuel pipe fractured on Chris Chilcott’s Frazer Nash, causing Chilcott to bail out while the car was still in motion. Despite the dramatic blaze, Chilcott and Stretton managed to repair the damage in time to finish a very creditable second overall in the second race.
There was close competition throughout the field. Aggregate results from the two races saw Class A honours go to Phil Champion and Steve Stanton in Champion’s Frazer Nash – Chilcott/Stretton being relegated to second due to their earlier fire.
Class B ended up a battle between Stutz, Invicta and Bentley, once Peter Swete’s Talbot 90 pulled up. John Guyatt and Colin Warrington finally took honours here in Norman Barrs’ wonderful Stutz Blackhawk. Class C fell to Adrian Van der Kroft and Jack Bellinger in the former’s Morgan TT Replica from Peter Fenichel’s MG K3. Class D awards went to the Saul/Lockie P3 Alfa in first place, with the Cooke/Twyman Alfa pipping Nick Hine’s Lagonda LG45 to second.
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