When the gearbox of the Blakeney-Edwards/Diffey Alta broke after just two laps of Friday’s practice, owner John Ruston arranged for another gearbox to be transported out to Spa from the UK and – working through the night – the team had the car running in time for the Saturday morning race. For spectators as well as the drivers, it was well worth the tremendous effort involved.
Starting second on the grid behind poleman Gareth Burnett in the Talbot 105, James Diffey took first stint in the Alta and a spectacular battle ensued. Lap after lap saw Burnett and Diffey exit La Source neck-and-neck, and hare down the hill into Eau Rouge. The sight of the Alta wriggling around as it tackled the uphill section, with the Talbot only feet away, was hugely entertaining both for grandstand spectators and the teams crowding the pit wall for a better view. The close-fought action continued after Patrick Blakeney-Edwards took over for the second stint in the Alta, but he was sadly forced to retire when the Alta’s rear axle developed a worrying noise a couple of laps from the end. Burnett was then free to take the chequered flag almost three minutes clear of the second-placed Alfa Romeo Monza of Peter Neumark and James Baxter.
In third place, and winning its class, was the Frazer Nash Supersports of Patrick Blakeney-Edwards and Charles Gillett, while fourth place and class victory went to the Aston Martin Speed Model of Michael Dee and Andy Bell.
Not far behind, there was an extended dice to the finish between the Frazer Nash Supersports of Phil Champion and Steve Stanton, and John Guyatt’s Stutz Blackhawk. The Champion/Stanton pairing did particularly well to fight their way up from 20th on the grid – a result of a minor fuel problem in qualifying. At the end of the hour-long race, their Frazer Nash finished just five seconds ahead of the Stutz to scoop fifth place. The Stutz’s sixth place, however, earned a class win for John Guyatt.
The Spa round closed the 2005 Motoring Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series. Next year will see another season of racing in conjunction with major events at the best European circuits.
 |
 |
