SMRC May 6th Knockhill Race Meeting
Run on the reverse direction layout on a sunny day in Fife, the club had a 14 race programme. There were some new winners, a lot of good close racing and a couple of unfortunate accidents. The reverse direction means its downhill to the hairpin which becomes the first corner, and uphill at Duffus, which is now the final corner, so its a completely new track.
Scottish Formula Ford Championship
Two races for the single seaters, with grids boosted by 6 guest drivers, all using the meeting to get experience prior to next weekend’s BRSCC FF races in the TCR meeting. Race 1 – defending champion Ross Martin held off a race long challenge from 2 guests. Firstly Matt Round-Garrido, who sat on his exhaust pipe for 10 laps, but then he ran wide at the now downhill hairpin approach, letting in Hugo Bently-Ellis for 2nd, but Matt kept 3rd. Seb Melrose was 6th and 2nd Championship registered car home. Race 2 – Ross Martin led for 3 laps, then Matt Round-Garrido got past him and opened out a 5 car length gap, which he held until the flag 8 laps later. The race was red flagged with a lap to go, after Gary Sykes spun at the hairpin entrance and was beached on the kerb. Results were declared after 10 laps so Martin was 2nd and Matt Round –Garrido a close 3rd. Seb Melrose finished 4th after a good start saw him run 3rd over the early laps. He dropped to 4th on lap 3, then pulled away from national racers Eastwell and Smith, who scrapped behind him.
Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup
Three close Mini Cooper races, but no Kyle Reid who won the first 3 rounds in April. Race 1 former champion David Sleigh led all the way, heading a 5 car train for much of the race. It was a really good performance by Sleigh, who only returned to Minis in April after a 3 year break. John Duncan took 2nd having been 4th on lap 1. After a safety car period he passed Dominic Wheatley for 3rd then Michael Weddell for 2nd, on consecutive laps mid race. Wheatley fell to the back of the race after slowing on lap 7. Weddell ‘s 3rd place was taken away post race by officials, promoting Ross Wilkinson to the podium, a good result for him after starting 8th. Race 2 David Sleigh led until lap 3, when John Duncan got past as they exited the hairpin. Despite non-stop pressure from Sleigh, Duncan took the win. These two were well clear of a big scrap for 3rd which sometimes saw 7 cars run nose to tail. By the flag David MacNaughton took 3rd after a fine determined drive, going up from 13th with a damaged car, that had no front or rear screen, after he had a slow roll in race 1. Race 3 the top 5 home in race 2 were reversed on the grid. Poleman Craig Blake lost out to Ian Munro on the race to the first corner. Munro led until lap 4, when John Duncan outbraked him at the hairpin to lead. Duncan started 5th but was in 2nd on lap 2. He pulled easily away to win by nearly 3 seconds, as 3 cars fought over 2nd. Ian Munro finally got 2nd with David Sleigh and Craig Blake very close behind.
Scottish Legends Cars Championship
We had a good 19 car grid and some surprises. In April Champion John Paterson won all 3 races. But in May Heat 1 was won by David Hunter. It was not until lap 4 that Hunter took the lead, passing Steven McGill. Jordan Hodgson followed him grabbing 2nd on lap 6, then he ran wide at the hairpin and dropped well down the order. This promoted Dave Newall to 2nd after he started 9th. Third went to Duncan Vincent, having his first Legends Cars race in 3 years, and he drove well just holding off McGill. John Paterson was 9th having moved up just 2 places, so a mechanical issue was suspected. Heat 2 Paterson was back, he went from 6th to lead by lap 2, passing Ivor Greenwood into the hairpin. He then slowly eased clear as Greenwood was pressed by Newall, and these two swapped places on lap 5 at the hairpin. Newall then quickly pulled away, as Greenwood dropped back into the pack with a rough sounding car. Stewart Black had moved up from 8th on lap 1 and took 3rd on lap 6 which he kept. Duncan Vincent moved into 4th with just over a lap to go, and held off Ryan McLeish in a very close finish. The Final sees the day’s top scorers start at the back. So we had plenty of overtaking. Colin McNeill led for a lap, then Steven McGill took over, before Jordan Hodgson led on lap 4, after passing Duncan Vincent and Steven McGill in one lap. Veteran Ivor Greenwood was the races’ 4th leader. He took over from Hodgson on lap 6, just before a safety car period to remove a car from Butcher’s. Greenwood then held off Hodgson and McGill over the last 3 laps to win. Duncan Vincent went off with suspected brake failure at the hairpin when fighting for 3rd a lap after the safety car came in, but hit the rectocell barrier and didn’t seem to damage the car. McLeish got 4th while on the last lap Hunter retired, and Paterson limped in 14th and last. They both collided with Colin McNeill as they all fought over 5th.
Scottish Classics
This is a class based championship. It was two V8 powered cars leading the field home in race 1, as John Kinmond’s big Rover SD1 saloon powered well away from the Triumph TR8 sportscar of Andrew Graham. Jimmy Crow drove well to get on the podium with his MK1 Ford Escort, though well back on the TR8. Raymond Boyd had 4th in his 911 from the start. But the Porsche had a new engine and seemed down on power, as he struggled to hold off Alastair Baptie who passed him for 4th on the last lap in the little Fiat X1/9 sportscar. Race 2 John Kinmond led by 3 seconds on lap 5 from Andrew Graham, then Kinmond couldn’t get a gear and retired the Triplex liveried car. Graham took over the lead and went on to win, as Alistair Baptie took a fine 2nd in the 1500cc X1/9, after he caught and passed both Boyd and Crow early in the race. Crow kept 3rd after also passing a fast starting Boyd on lap 2. William Conway brought his MK1 Mini home 5th. Top XR2 was again Martin Ramsay.
SMTA Fiesta, Hot Hatch Championship
Wayne Macaulay dominated both races winning as he pleased in his new car which he described as ‘cracking’. Mark Geraghty the current Mini Cooper champion entered as a guest, and was 2nd in both races, driving well in his first taste of STs. In race 1 he pulled away from Blair Murdoch. It was Murdoch who took 3rd easing clear of Cameron Bryant. In race 2 Bryant started well and passed Murdoch by the first corner. He was 3rd all the way, pressing Geraghty for the first half of the race. John Balfour also passed Murdoch at the start and held him off all race, to be 4th. Balfour also kept close to Bryant until the last couple of laps.
Scottish Saloons and Sportscars
The modified cars run in 6 classes with 3 of these allowing full race tyres. They are quick and powerful. Race 1 Ron Cumming stalled at the start, but his pole position Nemisis kit car was missed by everyone, and he got away last. In the race 5 new class lap records were set, but it was stopped by red flags after 6 full laps and the results declared back on 5 laps, after another start was aborted. In race 1 Alan Doncaster led with his EVO before retiring on lap 5. Then Robert Drummond took over with his Escort Cosworth having been 3rd behind Doncaster and Colin Simpson’s Marcos early on. He was still there when there was a big accident. Ron Cumming has shot through the field and was up with the leaders in 3rd, but he clipped a backmarker on the run down the hill. This put him spinning onto the grass at the hairpin, the car dug into the gravel trap and rolled a couple of times. The race was stopped immediately, as the Nemises finished up on track at the hairpin exit. A restart was cancelled after Mark Dawson’s Seat also slid off at the hairpin on lap 1 and T boned Colin Simpson’s Marcos sportscar. Both cars were out on the spot. Oliver Mortimer took Mini Cooper S Cup honours again finishing a good 7th with Paul Wilson the Cooper S class runner up. Race 2 saw Drummond lead until lap 3, when former champion Andrew Morrison raced past in a bold move at the chicane. Morrison’s TCR Seat Leon pulled easily away. Drummond was short shifting, to keep the revs down in the Cosworth turbo engine, but he had enough pace to hold 2nd to the flag. In 3rd defending champion William Robson kept close with his Ford Focus RS, couldn’t close the 3- 4 second gap to Drummond. The impressive Oliver Mortimer had the Cooper S well up in 4th, though he was chased hard by Paul Wilson in another Cooper S, and just over a second separated them at the end. We had 5 Cooper S cars again, and they all finished after some spirited dicing.