Rouse and Hall on top in Heritage GT opener at Donington
Former British Touring Car champion Andy Rouse was the man to beat in the opening rounds of the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge at Donington Park on Sunday (22 April).
In two thrilling finishes, Rouse won the sprint race and then shared the Chevrolet Camaro with Peter Hall to win the feature race, but the biggest winning margin over the two races was just one second.
For the Charterhouse Heritage GT Car Challenge, it was a fine start to the season with a bumper grid and close racing throughout the classes.
Qualifying
Rouse/Hall comfortably topped the times in qualifying, with Rick Lloyd and Peter Horsman sharing the front row in their Morgan Plus 8. Arthur and Boysie Thurtle were next up, but their Chevrolet Camaro had problems. "We had rebuilt the engine but had a problem, so ran it at a track day at Brands to make sure it was okay," explained Boysie. "Then the rear hub assembly broke in qualifying," he added. Mike Wilkinson and John Bussell were alongside in their Jaguar E-Type.
Peter Wheeler and Ben Samuelson headed row three in their Aston Martin DB4, fractionally ahead of Phil Hollins and John Burry (Morgan Plus 8), while Andy Jenkinson was running solo for the weekend in the Chevrolet Camaro of Alec Hammond. John Bussell doubled up to share Ian McCallum’s Aston Martin DB5 to qualify eighth best, leaving Bob Searles (Aston Martin DBS V8), and Roy and Spencer McCarthy (MGB) to complete the top ten.
Harvey and Chris Death (Mini Cooper S) and Peter Lloyd/Rob Schirle (Jaguar E Type) headed their respective classes, while Grahame Bryant (Morgan Plus 8), Jonathan Bloohn (Shelby 350GT) and Tim Glover (Ford Capri) all missed the session after problems at the noise test.
Race One
As the grid lined up for the Sprint race, the Lotus Cortina of Geoff Kimber-Smith joined Bloohn, Bryant and Glover at the back of the grid. "We didn’t get out to qualify as the clutch went. It’s my first time in the car since 2002,” said Kimber-Smith.
There was some anxious moments as a few drops of rain started to fall as the 33-car grid assembled, but the race went ahead unaffected. As the lights went out Rouse just had the edge over Lloyd on the thundering charge to Redgate as around 10,000bhp was unleashed, but it was the Morgan to the fore under braking for the chicane at the end of the opening lap. Thurtle and Bussell began to battle for third, with Rikki Cann’s Aston Martin DBS V8, Jenkinson, McCarthy, Wheeler, Hollins and Peter Lloyd filling out the top ten.
Bussell was able to move into a clear third when Thurtle came under attack from Cann on lap two, and Hollins eased ahead of Wheeler for eighth at the chicane. As Rouse continued to shadow Lloyd for the lead, Bussell also started to close in on the leaders. McCarthy and Jenkinson were contesting sixth place, while a four-car battle raged for ninth as Wheeler, headed Boot, Searles and Peter Lloyd.
Sadly, Thurtle’s challenge ended when he was forced to take the smoking Camaro into the pits on lap seven. Back at the front however, the battle was keeping the crowd well entertained as Rouse managed to nose ahead, only to lose out to Lloyd again into the chicane. Bussell was still a solid third, but following Thurtle’s retirement, Cann was up to fourth despite overshooting the chicane on the sixth lap.
The lead pair finally shook off Bussell for good during the second half of the race. "I had a couple of moments and remembered it wasn’t my car, otherwise I would have hounded them all the way," said Bussell. Rouse was still in determined mood and led again briefly on the 10th lap as the lead battle continued unabated.
Two laps later they were side-by-side exiting Coppice and Rouse got a clear run under the Dunlop Bridge and led into the chicane. "I got a really good exit from Coppice and all I can say is thank god for traffic," said Rouse after retaining the narrowest of advantages to the flag. "Everything went well, but I had a couple of scary moments when people spun and rejoined in front us," said second placed Lloyd.
Cann followed Bussell home in fourth, and Bryant charged from the back of the grid to claim sixth behind Jenkinson. "I was on seven cylinders after a plug lead came off, so it was a tall order from that far back," explained Bryant. After McCarthy had spun out at Coppice, Hollins claimed seventh. "I could have been sixth but was caught napping when Grahame Bryant got me," he said.
Searles emerged from a great scrap for eighth. "I lost places at the start by getting sideways on the Craner Curves, so I played catch up and the car was also losing a lot of water," he said. Class B winner Peter Lloyd finally overcame Boot’s challenge as they completed the top ten. "I was locking up too much, both at Redgate and the chicane," said Boot.
Pat Thomas’ Lotus 47 'snorkel car' took second to Lloyd in Class B, with Tony Lees' Morgan third, despite running out of fuel at Coppice on the last lap. Harvey Death's Mini was the Class A winner, with Gordon Streeter’s three-geared Ford Anglia well clear of Nathalie Boyd's Mini for second.
Results
1 Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro) 15 laps in 20m06.846s (87.55mph); 2 Rick Lloyd (Morgan Plus 8) 20m07.200s; 3 John Bussell (Jaguar E Type); 4 Rikki Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8); 5 Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 6 Graham Bryant (Morgan Plus 8); 7 Phil Hollins (Morgan Plus 8); 8 Bob Searles (Aston Martin DBS V8); 9 Peter Lloyd (Jaguar E Type); 10 Jamie Boot (TVR Griffith). Class winners: Harvey Death (Mini Cooper S); Peter Lloyd; Rick Lloyd; Rouse. Fastest lap: Rouse 1m18.224s (90.10mph).
Race two
Towards the end of the afternoon, another tremendous field of cars lined up for the 45-minute two-driver race. Lloyd set the pace again from the start, from Bussell, Peter Hall (Chevrolet Camaro), Oliver Bryant (Morgan Plus 8) and Jenkinson. But fresh from competing in the British GT race, Bryant quickly picked his way past his rivals and, after going side by side into Redgate with Lloyd on lap six, took the lead into the Old Hairpin.
Bussell had slipped to fourth on lap three, but continued to shadow Hall, leaving Jenkinson and Hollins filling the top six. But everyone moved up when Lloyd pulled off at the Old Hairpin after nine laps. "The motor just went pop," he explained.
Bryant was left with an increased lead, which was held as father Grahame took over the car. But with Hall handing the Camaro over to Rouse, the chase
was on for the second half of the race. "I had a strategy which was to get out of the car as soon as I could and give it to Andy," said Hall.
Apart from the lead pair, the order was now settling down, with Jenkinson, Paul Burry in the Hollins' Morgan and Ben Samuelson's Aston Martin DB4 making progress to fifth as both he and Joe Cann’s Aston Martin demoted the Wilkinson/Bussell Jaguar E Type.
But all eyes were on the contest for the lead as Rouse hunted down the Bryant Morgan. Rouse’s charge finally paid dividends on lap 24, when he dived inside the Morgan at Redgate to take the lead. Bryant tried all he could to re-challenge, but Rouse just had the edge and took his second win of the day. "I closed on the brakes but he had the puff on the straights every time," said Bryant after an absorbing contest.
Jenkinson was an excellent third overall after a strong solo drive, while Burry/Hollins retained fourth despite a grassy excursion on the Craner Curves. Samuelson/Wheeler closed slightly on Burry towards the end and the Aston Martin DB4 was well clear of the Cann’s DBS V8 at the flag. Boot clinched seventh with a couple of laps left to run, moving ahead of the Wilkinson/Bussell E Type and leaving John Shoesmith/Ray Barrow (Chevrolet Camaro) and Tony Lees (Morgan Plus 8) to complete the top ten.
"That's my first ever class win," said a delighted Lees after clinching class B. Harvey and Clive Death once again headed Streeter in class A with their hard-driven Mini Cooper S.
Results
1 Peter Hall/Andy Rouse (Chevrolet Camaro) 34 laps in 45m23.518s (87.94mph); 2 Oliver Bryant/Grahame Bryant (Morgan Plus 8) 45m24.561s; 3 Andy Jenkinson (Chevrolet Camaro); 4 Paul Burry/Phil Hollins (Morgan Plus 8); 5 Ben Samuelson/Peter Wheeler (Aston Martin DB4); 6 Rikki Cann/Joe Cann (Aston Martin DBS V8); 7 Jamie Boot (TVR Griffith); 8 Mike Wilkinson/John Bussell (Jaguar E Type); 9 Ray Barrow/John Shoesmith (Chevrolet Camaro); 10 Tony Lees (Morgan Plus 8). Class winners; Harvey Death/Clive Death (Mini Cooper S); Lees; Bryant/Bryant; Hall/Rouse. Fastest lap: Rouse 1m16.376s (92.2mph).
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