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Race Two - St Mary's Trophy

Our two-part format replicates the St Mary's race at Goodwood. Usually a Pro-Am line-up with a race each on the Saturday and Sunday, we pack it all into three six-car heats on Saturday morning. Keeping the Gold-rated drivers apart, we were also able to run nine cars, with four drivers - Isaac, Duncan, John & Ash - doing double-duty. Each member of a pair drive one 10-minute heat, the score for the team being the aggregate of the two heats. The line-up had six Fords - two Mustangs, two Cortinas, a Galaxie and a Falcon - plus a Chevy and two Jags...

   

Heat One was a cracker. Last year's top two - the blue Falcon and the big red Carrera Chevy - went head-to-head with John and Andy driving. Neck-and-neck for the first few laps, John managed to get away in the better-handling Ford. However, the more frugal Chevy stopped just once, dropping Andy back into contention and finishing on the same lap - a score of 36 for both...

   

Behind, Ash brought the dark green George Turner Jaguar Mk1 home in third with 34 laps - just ahead of Dean with the grey Scalextric Jag. The Fullers' Scalextric Mustang was fifth with Isaac driving a very good race. Duncan was sixth with the Revell Mustang GT350, which looked far better than it performed.

Heat Two saw the other three cars in action for the first time, along with the Chevy, Falcon and Alex's Jag completing their race. This was an incredibly close 10-minutes with great racing. Ash led after 5 minutes in the Chevy, but on the same lap as Pete in the George Turner Cortina, Mike with the Falcon and Alex in the Jag - three George Turner models led by a Carrera tank. Oliver was hanging on in fourth with the Monogram Galaxie and Duncan was just a lap and a half down in the Scalextric Cortina...

   

The excitement continued right to the end of the race - some great side-by-side racing and mostly very gentlemanly conduct through the single lane chicane before the pit straight...

   

Ash managed to splash & dash and maintain the lead with a minute to go. Mike was up to second, but got a bit messy trying to trim the Chevy's lead. Right behind were still Alex and Pete. As time ran out, Ash had already started his 37th lap - giving him an all-important lap advantage over the chasing trio. The first three pairs to finish saw the Chevy with 73 laps, the Falcon on 72 and Alex's Jag on 70. Could the other six pairs go better and grab the St Mary's win?

   

The final heat did not live up to the precise, clean racing of the first two races. Right from the opening lap, it was carnage! In amongst the chaos, Ryan was knuckling down with the George Turner Cortina and getting on with the job in hand - equalling or beating 37 laps for the aggregate win. A typically blistering drive from Ryan saw him negotiate traffic, execute two perfect pit stops and avoid any trouble. He completely annihilated the rest of the field...

   

But would it be enough? Ash's run to 37 laps had been nigh-on perfect and to equal that score would give Pete & Ryan the win on fastest lap. However, as the clock ran down, Ryan just got through the line to start his 38th lap - a massive score and one worthy of a St Mary's Victory for the George Turner Cortina, decorated by Pete to emulate his dad's old car. Terry's second place with 34 laps was enough to place the Galaxie fourth overall. Simon's Mustang expired, leaving him and Duncan last in the heat and overall...

   

Huge congrats to Pete & Ryan on their victory. It was another cracking St Mary's race with some wonderful saloon cars on the grid. These are all the stats...

   

And here are some video highlights...



That was the end of the morning session. We took time for a lunch break and the Concours d'Élégance competition - which was won on the popular vote by Alex for his Ferrari GTO re-livery...

   

That would be racing after lunch in the Kinrara Trophy team race.