21 exhilarating races hit Anglesey as the 750 Motor Club returned to the Welsh circuit. Superb racing was the order of the weekend and the Tillotson Formula Vee championship produced two traditional slipstreaming dices where reigning champion Paul Smith (AHS Dominator) and current championship leader Martin Farmer (GAC) shared the honours.
Smith and Pete Belsey (Spyder Mk2) were involved in a titanic contest in the opening race where the pair slipstreamed each other around the coastal circuit. Smith eventually got the better of Belsey when the latter outbreaked himself at Rocket and slid back to third behind Daniel Pitchford, who was aboard his new AHS GAC. Belsey repassed Pitchford but the move did not count as the red flag flew immediately afterwards due to numerous stricken cars around the track. Martin Farmer was battling strong but fell to fourth when he also ran out wide at the Rocket hairpin. Peter Studer (Sheane EWS) beat Ian Jordan (Sheane Jordan) to fifth in their tight tussle where Studer claimed class B honours, a long way clear of Ed Lowndes (Scarab Mk2) and Sam Engineer (Sheane).
Sunday’s encounter saw Smith and Farmer battle for the lead, in which Farmer powered into the top spot on the penultimate lap. He then held off the reigning champion to take the victory. Pitchford finished in third, less than a second the winner – he was never able to challenge the top two though. Belsey, Studer and Jordan completed the top six. Studer’s fifth place took him to another class B win with Jack Wilkinson (Sheane Mk3) and Lowndes completing the top three.
Bernard Galea dominated the opening Tegiwa Civic Cup race. Luke Sedzikowski and Robert Baker battled for second but both ran wide at Rocket which promoted Rich Hockley into that position. Baker then tried to challenge Sedzikowski for third but outbreaked and dropped sixth. He got back past Tim Evans but Danny Winstanley held on for fourth.
Race two featured a reverse grid which produced some excellent racing, especially over the first few laps as the fast drivers had to fight their way up through the field. Baker quickly moved through the pack and passed Brook Pitchford for the lead on lap four. Baker was able to pull out a gap and took the honours. Hockley made a move on Tim Evans for third but lost out when he went off at Rocket attempting to pass Pitchford. Maltese racer Galea was another driver to run onto the grass when he challenged Evans on the final run into Rocket. This left Pitchford to take second ahead of Evans, Hockley and Galea in fifth.
Patrick Fletcher and Matt Fincham beat 2014 debutee Trevor Gregory off of the line in the opening K-Tec Racing Clio 182 Series battle. Fletcher held off attacks from Fincham, Gregory and Mark Hammersley to win in his heavy Clio. When Fincham missed a gear, it allowed Gregory to take second. However, he flat-spotted his front left tyre which forced him into retirement. This left Hammersley to chase Fletcher with Fincham beating Martin Ward to third. Trevor’s Father Bill ran in a strong fifth before car issues gifted the position to Matt Holtom who claimed his best car racing finish.
Trevor Gregory took a convincing lights-to-flag victory in race two when ABS was refitted to his car. Bill Gregory made a good start and drove magnificently to run in second until the final lap when Hammersley challenged him. Gregory ran out wide which allowed Hammersley, Fincham and Fletcher to squeeze through.
Matthew Palmer and Jim Davies shared the wins in the Millers Oils Toyota MR2 championship. Palmer sprinted ahead of Davies on the run up to Rocket on the opening lap of both races. In the first Davies was always on the bumper of Palmer but the less powerful Roadster was never in a place where Davies could take the lead. Davies made a brave move in the second encounter which allowed him to beat Palmer.
Shaun Traynor kept the leaders in view in the opening race but was unable to challenge them. Stuart Nicholls was also on the tail of Traynor and they switched places a couple of times. Their battle was a similar story in the second contest but Nicholls came out on top. For the first time in 2014, there were two Mk1 competitors and Gareth Newton claimed the honours in class A on both occasions.
John Cutmore (Spire GT3) took both honours in the Disklok RGB championship in dominant fashion. After hitting trouble in qualifying Matthew Higginson (Spire) had to fight through the field in both encounters. He managed fifth and second. Despite a worse grid position, the better finish came on Sunday. Alastair Boulton (Spire) beat Scott Mittell (Mittell MC-52B) to second after a race long dice on Saturday before both drivers had off track excursions on Sunday which meant Mittell retired. This left Paul Rogers (Contour RGB09) behind Cutmore and Higginson.
Colin Spicer (Wildmoor DM1 DS1) triumphed on Saturday in the front-engine class with a magnificent effort. He beat James Walker (Phoenix) to that position even though Walker led the early stages. Walker only finished third in race two which was won by David Watson (MNR GM2) over Austen Greenway who was in only his second meeting aboard the MNR GM3.
Christian Pederson (Austin 7 Supercharged) and Roger Rowe (RWR) shared the victories in the 750 Trophy Series. Pederson dominated the race on Saturday with Andrew Kemp sprinting through, in only the second meeting for the Racekits Merlin, to finish second ahead of Michael Harvey (JB Special). Don Rawson (Rawson Climax) beat Harvey to second on Sunday despite Rawson spinning out at Church on lap one which dropped him to last.
David Whetton (Austin 7) claimed the first victory in class A where he beat Alastair Frayling-Cork (Austin 7) and Mike Whitby (Austin 7 Mason Special). Sunday’s encounter was an epic duel between the trio with the cars changing positions countless times. Frayling-Cork passed the chequered flag first ahead of Whetton and Whitby.
The Eclipse pair of Paul Boyd and Clive Hudson shared the victories in the Protech Sports Specials championship. Hudson led the start of Saturday’s encounter but locked up at Rocket which allowed Nick Holden (Ariel Atom) to lead before Boyd, Hudson and Edward Ives (Elite Pulse) passed him. Hudson was never challenged on Sunday despite the top four runners finishing 1.23 seconds apart. Ives initially ran in second but outbreaked himself twice which allowed Holden and Boyd through. Colin Benham (STM Phoenix) and Adrian Cooper (Procomp LA Gold) both won in class B.
Mathew Brooks won both of the Demon Tweeks/Yokohama Locost championship races ahead of Michael Roots. Particularly on Sunday, the rookie pair slipstreamed past each other multiple times heading into the Rocket hairpin. Danny Andrew and Nick Selby took a third place finish each. Andrew had to work hard on Saturday to earn his podium as he battled hard with Matthew Booth and Selby. Selby’s third came easier as he had a lonely race where he was never close enough to challenge the leaders.
The 5Club Racing MX5 Cup enjoyed a triple header for the first time this season and Brian Chandler took all three races. Chandler has won every round that he has competed in this season. Ben Short took second in each encounter but led two of them before Chandler battled his way in front. Sam Gendy took two third place finishes but James Rogers had that position on Sunday morning.
Billy Albone (Batten 3) was only able to win one of the Premier Choice Group 750 Formula championship races as in the first encounter car issues struck the series leader. This allowed a flying David Bartholomew (PRS 1B) to take the victory ahead of Bill Cowley (Cowley Mk4) and Andrew Kemp (Racekits Falcon). Bartholomew took second in the Sunday’s contest despite a poor start which dropped him down to seventh. He passed Cowley for the position on lap seven. Despite his sick Racekits Falcon Ian Barley finished both races to claim class B honours as he was the only runner.