BRITISH SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT ARCHIVE

A Champion's end to the season for John Graham

Event 17 at Anglesey on 06/10/2019
John Graham Gould GR55B) made it a fitting climax to the 2019 British Sprint Championship by taking the final Run Off win of the season and sealing his first National Championship title from an equally pleased Pete Goulding (Mygale M13).

Matt Hillam (SBD Dallara) again topped the timesheets in qualifying over a second clear of Graham and Alan Mugglestone (Van Diemen RF96). Some changes had been made to the SBD Dallara overnight, particularly to the aero  to reduce its speed deficit to the more powerful cars on the International circuit's long back straight. Jeff Wiltshire (Zeus Challenger) made the cut and was the fastest Libre car with a new class record.

The final Run Off of the season was full of incident when Jeff Wiltshire lost the clutch on the line with his Zues Challenger, the Lola Tegra of Terry Holmes and Graham Porrett found itself stuck in first gear and the engine in Nick Algar's DJ Firehawk let go after sounding very rough as he left the line.

Through it all John Graham used the V8 power in the Gould on his final run to improve on Matt Hillam's time by half a second to take the win. Matt's strong week-end showing was enough to move him up to third place in the Championship.

And then Steve Miles committed a cardinal sin of shared drives by forgetting to return to the change over area to let his co-driver take his run! His excuse was that he had been running second all week-end until the final run of the day. However, Alan Mugglestone remained calm as the Van Diemen returned to the start area and posted a time good enough for third place ahead of Steve Broughton (SBD Dallara), Steve Miles (Van Diemen RF96) and Pete Goulding (Mygale M13) in a creditable sixth to complete a very successful season.

John Loudon (Force HC) rounded off his first season in single seaters with an eighth place and secured a 'number' for 2020 by finishing twelth overall in the championship.

Finally, mention should be made of the efficient manner in which Longton & District ran the fully subscribed event. A single practice, three timed runs and the Top 12 Run Off all completed by 3pm.

Results:

Anglesey International Oct 6 2019

Longton & District Motor Club

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 17

1. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 75.17secs
2. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 75.98secs
3. Alan Mugglestone (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 77.21secs
4. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 78.13secs
5. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 79.43secs
6. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 78.56secs
7. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 81.60secs
8. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 83.43secs
9. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 85.88secs
10. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 92.19secs
11. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 177.52secs

Final (after tie breaks) 2019 British Sprint Championship positions

1. John Graham 104pts
2. Pete Goulding 101pts
3. Matt Hillam 100pts
4. Nick Algar 97pts
5. Steve Broughton 82pts
6. Terry Holmes 81pts
7. Steve Miles 78pts
8. Graham Blackwell 78pts
9. Colin Calder 72pts
10. Simon Bainbridge 57pts
11. Heather Calder 52pts
12. John Loudon 40pts
etc.

Hillam's day at Anglesey

Event 16 at Anglesey on 05/10/2019
Matt Hillam (SBD Dallara) took an emphatic win on the Anglesey National circuit in the penultimate round of the 2019 British Sprint Championship while John Graham (Gould GR55B) edged closer to his first title.

Going into the event Graham was a single point ahead of Pete Goulding (Mygale M13) in the Championship but  taking into account dropped scores needed to score a 10 or better to improve his total while Goulding needed an 11.

Alan Mugglestone was making an appearance in the MOLE Racing Van Diemen RF96 and it was going to be interesting to see what performance gains the setup guru could find in the 23 year old spaceframe chassis.

As early as practice both SBD Dallara drivers were pronouncing that the car was the best it had ever been and was well suited to the shorter National circuit. Indeed, qualifying saw Hillam at the top of the timesheets a tenth ahead of Graham who was another tenth ahead of the other SBD Dallara driver, Steve Broughton. Actually, it was Goulding who set the fastest time in T1 and this was despite his helmet moving at speed and forcing his glasses off his eyes so he was having difficulty seeing where he was going!

The field was closely packed behind Goulding in fourth with Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) just behind and ahead of the MOLE Racing duo with Steve Miles a tenth ahead of Mugglestone. However, the guest driver was concentrating on getting the balance of the car right and to where it would behave as the driver wanted. This involved rear packers, ARBs, ride height and a bit of aero and the benefit was to be quickly revealed in the Run Offs..

Matt Hillam made a clear statement of intent with his first Run Off run posting a 45.91s with John Graham next up with a 47.13s. For the second run the skies clouded over and there was a suggestion of a light misting drizzle with most drivers unable to improve their times. The one exception was Alan Mugglestone who did a 46.92s to split Hillam and Graham to take an impressive second. They were followed by Broughton, Algar and Holmes.

Graham's 10 points moved him another point clear of Goulding whose 7 was not enought to advance his total.

Results:

Anglesey National Oct 5 2019

Longton & District Motor Club

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 16

1. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 45.91secs
2. Alan Mugglestone (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 46.92secs
3. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 47.13secs
4. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 47.26secs
5. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 47.68secs
6. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 47.76secs
7. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 48.13secs
8. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 48.20secs
9. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 50.43secs
10. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 50.88secs
11. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 51.05secs
12. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 51.85secs

Graham inches ahead as Holmes wins

Event 14 at Knockhill on 08/09/2019
A second place behind the Top 12 Run Off winner Terry Holmes (Lola Tegra) was enough to move John Graham one point clear in the 2019 British Sprint Championship ahead of rival, Pete Goulding (Mygale M13).

The Sunday part of the Knockhill double header was run on the clockwise track and saw a number of competitors encounter problems. The Nick Algar DJ Firehawk lost an oil breather leading to oil on the exhaust and a fire during practice. A large leak was also discovered and the car was withdrawn. The Terry Holmes Lola Tegra went off at the first right hander in practice but was repaired in time for qualification. The Simon Bainbridge SBR Chrono had a snapped outlet flange but a spare kept him running. Mark Anson had gear trouble in the Jedi while Graham Blackwell's Mygale had a blowing oil seal .

Through all of this Graham qualified fastest followed by Steve Miles (going well in the Van Diemen RF96), Holmes and Goulding.

In Run Off 1 Holmes posted the fastest time just ahead on Miles as Graham didn't put a time on the board. The second run saw Graham set the fastest time so far but the Lola Tegra's final time moved the Sussex driver a couple of tenths ahead to take the win. Steve Miles took the final podium spot and a bagful of points to go with his new 2 litre class record. The Blackwell Mygale lost its Turbo on the second Run Off run to finish seventh behind Goulding, Bainbridge and Graham Porrett (Lola Tegra).

John Loudon (Force HC) didn't set a first Run Off time and finished behind Anson's Jedi.

Results:

Knockhill clockwise Sept 8 2019

Knockhill Motorsport Club

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 14

1. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 90.04secs
2. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 90.30secs
3. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 91.90secs
4. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 92.72secs
5. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 95.30secs
6. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 95.92secs
7. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 97.13secs
8. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 102.26secs
9. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 106.88secs

Positions after Round 14

1. John Graham 101pts
2. Pete Goulding 100pts
3. Nick Algar 89pts
4. Matt Hillam 81pts
5. Graham Blackwell 78pts
6. Steve Miles 74pts
7= Colin Calder 72pts
     Terry Holmes
9. Steve Broughton 70pts
10. Heather Calder 52pts
11. Simon Bainbridge 51pts
12= Graham Porrett 35pts
        John Loudon
        Steve Brown

Note: Scores have been adjusted to take the best 9 scores following the cancellation of the MIRA round.

Graham draws level at Knockhill

Event 13 at Knockhill on 07/09/2019
The first day of the Knockhill sprint week-end, held on the anti clockwise circuit, saw John Graham (Gould GR55B) draw level on points with Pete Goulding (Mygale M13) after dropped scores were taken into account.

Overcoming a 3 second deficit to Terry Holmes (Lola Tegra) on Run Off 1, Graham improved his time to pip Homes by a few tenths as Holmes was unable to complete his second run. Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) was third, picking up a couple of bonus points for a new 2 litre record, ahead of Steve Miles (Van Diemen RF96) having a trouble free week-end for a change. Next up were the Mygales of Pete Goulding and Graham Blackwell separated by two hundredths followed by Simon Bainbridge (SBR Chrono) with a new Libre record.

The timed/qualification runs saw Pete Goulding suspecting a down on power engine but this was sorted for the Run Offs. Steve Brown suffered a serious oil fire in the paddock casued by a crankcase mounting hole failure and was out for the week-end.

Results:

Knockhill anti clockwise Sept 7 2019

Knockhill Motorsport Club

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 13

1. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 86.50secs
2. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 86.86secs
3. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 87.20secs
4. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 88.42secs
5. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 89.91secs
6. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 89.93secs
7. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 91.98secs
8. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 92.24secs
9. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 98.02secs
10. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 99.81secs
11. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) No time

Algar wins at the last moment

Event 12 at Kirkistown on 04/08/2019
With Colin Calder missing and Heather Calder out in a borrowed Ford Fiesta it was left to Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) to take a good win ahead of John Graham (Gould GR55B) who moved into second place on the British Sprint Championship leader board.

After the qualifying runs it was Graham who led Algar  - the DJ Firehawk only managing one run before clutch problems intervened. Graham set the pace on the first Run Off with a 111s while Algar was still finishing off the repairs to his car, missing his first run. He just made it in time for the second Run Off and posted a 108s leaving Graham to run last. However, a total power failure on the line ended his hopes of a Kirkistown One Two.

Steve Miles' week-end got better, putting in a storming second Run Off in the Van Diemen RF96 to pip Pete Goulding (Mygale) for third. Simon Bainbridge (SBR Chrono) suffered a partial drive shaft failure in qualifying and toured round on his first Run Off to take seventh and some decent points. He tried harder on his second run but couldn't quite get ahead of the single seaters.

The Pickles Jedi was suffering from a worsening oil leak and was beaten for the 1100cc class honours by Mark Anson (Jedi MK6) who went on to set a new class record and finish fifth in the Run Off just ahead of John Loudon (Force HC).

Of the locals present, the time Joe Courtney (F3 Dallara) would have been good enough to qualify fifth in the Run Off while FTD went to Nick Algar.

Kirkistown August 4 2019

500 MRCI

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 12

1. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 108.24secs
2. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 111.55secs
3. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 112.69secs
4. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 113.27secs
5. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 119.47secs
6. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 121.46secs
7. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 121.78secs
8. Heather Calder (Ford Fiesta)  171.14secs

Positions after Round 12

1. Pete Goulding 107pts
2. John Graham 92pts
3. Matt Hillam 81pts
4. Nick Algar 77pts
5. Colin Calder 72pts
6. Graham Blackwell 71pts
7. Steve Broughton 70pts
8= Steve Miles 52pts
     Heather Calder
9. Terry Holmes 49pts
11= Steve Brown 34pts
       Simon Bainbridge

 

Graham takes the win as Run Off abandoned at Kirkistown

Event 11 at Kirkistown on 03/08/2019
The first day of the annual 500MRCI Sprint at Kirkistown saw the Top 12 Run Off abandoned as Colin Calder had a major accident when the right rear suspension broke on his Gould GR55 going through Debtors at high speed. The car was left severely damaged and the driver very shaken and sore but thanks to tight belts and a strong tub nothing worse. Colin was back in the paddock the following day talking about his future plans.....

Championship scoring was taken from the qualification runs with John Graham (Gould GR55B) taking the win from Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) and Colin Calder. Graham Porrett suffered an engine failure (cracked #1 cylinder liner) during his Run Off so he packed up, caught the night ferry and was back in Chichester on Sunday morning!

A surprise shower caught competitors out as they prepared for T1 but the track dried out for the later runs. Pete Goulding (Mygale  M13) maintained his Championship lead with a strong fourth and was joined by another ex Formula Ford Mygale for this event - the M12 of local man John Stewart.

Steve Miles had a trouble free week-end for a change in the Van Diemen RF96 and was encouraged to take sixth behind Graham Porrett. In the 1100cc class Mark Anson (Jedi) came out ahead of John Loudon (Force HC) although both were beaten by a non registered Martin Pickles (Jedi) who was awarded a Run Off slot and another Jedi driven by Trevor Roberts. Bringing up the rear was Heather Calder having suffered a broken drive shaft earlier and only had one qualifying run.

As is usual in NI there was plenty of local talent and FTD was set by Adrian Pollock's F3 Dallara followed by Stephen Gault's F3 Reynard with Pete Goulding just pipping Barry Rabbit's F Renault Tatuus for third.
 

Results:

Kirkistown August 3 2019

500 MRCI

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 11

1. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 117.86secs
2. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 119.73secs
3. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 121.93secs
4. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 122.61secs
5. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 123.71secs
6. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 128.83secs
7. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 131.17secs
8. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 135.65secs
9. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 140.53secs
10. Heather Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 140.67secs
 

Calder wins as Goulding keeps his lead

Event 10 at Lydden Hill on 13/07/2019

Colin Calder (Gould GR55) ran out an easy winner by 2 seconds from John Graham (also in a Gould) at Borough 19's Lydden sprint on July 13th. The result was fortunate on a couple of counts as the Calder equipe had to be towed by the Simon Bainbridge bus for final 7 hours of journey to the track and the Gould needed a bump start after the engine cut on final Run Off and, despite winning, missed out on bonus record point as a result.

Qualifying was a straightforward affair with 10 drivers getting under 70s with a fight taking place for the remaining two Run Off slots. These went to Mark Anson in the ex Harden Jedi MK1 and Simon Bainbridge in the big SBR Chrono after John Loudon, on his first visit was distracted by gear shift issues on the first corner, got loose and hit the Armco on the inside of the corner with The Force's front wing. The full paddock helped out with repairs but it wasn't enough to make the Run Off.

Also missing out was Carole Torkington (SBD OMS CF08) who, after some tuition from MOLE Racing) continually improved her times and with PBs but just missed the cut in 13th place.

In the Run Off, Matt Hillam continued his 'giant killing' performances in the SBD Dallara with a strong third place with some very consistent driving. His two qualifying runs were separated by just 0.03s and his two Run Off runs by the even smaller margin of 0.02s. He was backed up by Steve Broughton in the shared car (both drivers reporting that the car felt great and a joy to drive all the time ), taking fourth ahead of Terry Holmes in the Lola Tegra.

The two Mygales followed with Pete Goulding ahead of Graham Blacwell this time and with the three bonus points helping the former keep a strong lead in the Championship. These two were split by Steve Miles (no problems in the Van Diemen but not quite on PB pace) and Steve Brown in the JKS.

On his final run of the day Simon Bainbridge found 3.5secs with the warmer tyres making all the difference to take 11th ahead of Mark Anson.

Results:

Lydden Hill July 13 2019

Borough 19 MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 10

1. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 62.66secs
2. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 64.79secs
3. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 65.74secs
4. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 66.26secs
5. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 66.67secs
6. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 67.12secs
7. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 67.13secs
8. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) 67.79secs
9. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 67.95secs
10. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 68.92secs
11. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 69.59secs
12. Mark Anson (1.1 Jedi MK6) 70.68secs

Positions after Round 9

1. Pete Goulding 90pts
2. Matt Hillam 81pts
3. Graham Blackwell 71pts
4. Steve Broughton 70pts
5. John Graham 69pts
6. Colin Calder 62pts
7. Nick Algar 53pts
8. Terry Holmes 49pts
9. Heather Calder 44pts
10. Steve Miles 35pts
11. Steve Brown 34pts
12. Simon Bainbridge 22pts

 

Graham applies the pressure at Aintree

Event 9 at Aintree on 29/06/2019
At a hot and humid Round 9 of the British Sprint Championship at Aintree on June 29, John Graham (Gould GR55B) used his familiarity with the track to put pressure on the Calders (Colin and Heather in their shared Gould GR55) and ended up with a fine second place between winner Colin and third placed Heather.

However, it wasn't a straightforward event for many competitors. The conditions meant that times were slower than expected with John Graham and Steve Miles (Van Diemen RF96) well off their PBs although most runners hadn't been to the venue regualalry in recent years if at all.

The Calder Gould had a new radiator fitted in the paddock before proceedings began and then suffered a fuel tank leak in practice which was repaired before the timed runs. A new piece of pit equipment appeared - a 'ghostbuster style' backpack air blower, worn by the second driver while pushing the car, to keep the NME engine cool between run offs.  The team was assisted by John Hansell who also arrived with some new wing flaps for the SBD team.

Following their recent Abingdon incidents both Steve Miles and Graham Blackwell (Mygale M13) had new push rods fitted and set up changes. The SBD Dallara sported a new triple element front wing and a narrower rear wing assembly as well as some damper changes to help on the bumpy track. Local man, Mark Anson, in his ex Harden Jedi MK6 and Graham Blackwell found themselves over geared but had to make do.

John Graham used his local knowledge to qualify fastes just ahead of the Calders - all three drivers in the 38s. The only other driver under 40s was Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) who only took one run and a bonus point for a new class record.

With only 14 BSC cars making the timed runs it was Mark Anson and Jeff Wltshire (ZEUS Challenger) who missed out on the Top 12 Run Off.

With the humidity rising and a few spots of rain appearing most runners set their best time on their first Run Off attempt. This was just as well for the Calders as a failty pressure relief valve prevented them from taking thier second runs. As in the timed runs the three Goulds were close, all in the 37s with Colin Calder taking the win with a 37.09s from John Graham and Heather Calder. Next up was Nick Algar who was joined in the under 40s bracket by Matt Hillam, the team having reverted to their wider rear wing for the Run Offs. This also benefited Steve Broughton who finished sixth followed by the two Mygales with Grhama Blackwell coming out ahead of championship leader, Pete Goulding.

As the only Pirell runner on the harder Super Soft tyres and only three corners to get heat into them SImon Bainbridge was struggling in the big SBR Chrono although he managed to finish half a second in the Run Offs to finish tenth. Steve Miles was suffering from brake bias problems and finished tenth in front of Graham Porrett (running the Lola Tegra single handedly for this event) and John Loudon (Force HC).

Results:

Aintree June 29 2019

Liverpool MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 9

1. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 37.09secs
2. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 37.36secs
3. Heather Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 37.70secs
4. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 38.76secs
5. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 39.82secs
6. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 40.07secs
7. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 40.55secs
8. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 40.65secs
9. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 41.15secs
10. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 41.28secs
11. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 42.21secs
12. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 42.90secs

Positions after Round 8

1. Pete Goulding 80pts
2. Matt Hillam 71pts
3. Graham Blackwell 64pts
4. Steve Broughton 61pts
5. John Graham 58pts
6. Nick Algar 53pts
7. Colin Calder 50pts
8. Heather Calder 44pts
9. Terry Holmes 41pts
10= Steve Miles 29pts
       Steve Brown 29pts
12. Simon Bainbridge 18pts

 

A Calder one two at Pembrey

Event 8 at Pembrey on 02/06/2019
The Sunday part of the BARC Wales Pembrey Sprint week-end was held on the 'new' configuration which sees the track continue straight on at Paddock followed by a tight left leading back to the usual track at the Esses.

The weather forecasters got it right and it rained heavily throughout the morning, clearing up after lunch but leaving the track still damp for T2 when most competitors elected to stay on wets to give them the best chance of making the cut.

Much has been said about the performance of the Pirelli wets and this was a chance to see how they fared in practice. The answer was pretty convincing with the fastest two qualifiers, Steve Miles and Steve Broughton separated by a hundredth of a second (and FTD for Miles) and a couple of seconds clear of Terry Holmes and Colin Calder. The Calder Gould had a repaired radiator but was still experiencing cooling problems so the plan was to limit the number of runs to a minumum.

Graham Blackwell was running Michelin wets and was having traction control issues brought about by the different tyre sizes. The SBD Dallara broke a throttle linkage bracket needing a quick welding job during the lunch interval while Steve Brown had a wheel nut seize putting him out for the day.

The damp conditions (and tighter track) gave the SBD Westfield a chance which Chris Jones took to qualify for the Run Offs despite a lock up and off track excursion on T1.

By the time the Run Offs came around the track was dry and warming up. The Calders elected to take a sinlge run each which was enough for Colin to take the win from Heather by 0.7s. Terry Homes was about 3.5secs back with John Graham, continuing to improve to take fourth.

The expected 2litre battle failed to materialise as the SBD Dallara broke its drive shaft as it left the line for its first run. It was four years old and the team has decided to change them bi-annually in future! The Mygales were closely matched with Graham Blackwell coming out on top (in sixth place) on this occasion by 0.14sec but the result still left Pete Goulding leading the Championship

Results:

Pembrey (new track) June 2 2019

BARC Wales

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 8

1. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 100.61secs
2. Heather Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 101.31secs
3. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 104.16secs
4. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 105.57secs
5. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 106.93secs
6. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 107.53secs
7. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 107.67secs
8. Jeff Wiltshire (1.5t Zeus Challenger) 112.47secs
9. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 113.84secs
10. Chris Jones (1.6t Westfield) 117.26secs

Positions after Round 8

1. Pete Goulding 74pts
2. Matt Hillam 62pts
3. Graham Blackwell 57pts
4. Steve Broughton 54pts
5. John Graham 47pts
6= Terry Holmes 41pts
      Nick Algar 41pts
8. Colin Calder 38pts
9. Heather Calder 34pts
10. Steve Brown 29pts
11. Steve Miles 26pts
12. John Loudon 13pts

Holmes wins as Calders retire

Event 7 at Pembrey on 01/06/2019
The first day of the BARC Wales Pembrey sprint week-end saw Jeff Wiltshire return in his Libre Zeus Challenger and Dave Cutliffe make one of his sporadic (but usually successful) appearances in his 1.3t Van Diemen DC93. Steve Miles was back with a new rear end (corner, floor and repaired wing) following a big shunt at Llandow a couple of weeks earlier.

Carole Torkington (OMS CF08) was out on Pirellis for the first time as was Simon Bainbridge (SBR Chrono) who had to make suspension adjustments for both a different size and radial construction. Simon was using Super Softs in a GT size while Carole, like the other single seater runners, was using the Ultra Soft compound.

The weather was warm and sunny with a good chance of setting new records. Colin Calder was easily the fastest qualifier but the big Gould quickly began experiencing cooling problems with a leaking radiator so he and, champion Heather, sat out T2. Unfortunately repairs weren't effective so they withdrew from the Run Offs letting in John Loudon (for his first Run Off appearance) and Dave Cutliffe. Jeff Wiltshire had been hoping to give the SBR Chrono some competition in the Libre class but found the Zeus so overgeared he wasn't using sixth at all and finished a few seconds adrft.

Carole Torkington was finding her new Pirellis much to her liking and set a PB on T1 although Simon Bainbridge was finding the Super Softs needed a few corners to come in so was having to adjust his approach. It worked and a further three seconds on T2 saw him qualify comfortably. The SBD Dallara of Steve Broughton and Matt Hillam qualified third and fifth, running with a new aero set up for the first time. Chris Jones was out in the SBD Westfield again and finding Top 12 qualification out of reach on this quick track but a new Mod Prod record earned a point.

In the Run Offs Terry Holmes was in a class of his own and was never headed. Behind him the SBD duo were looking for a good result but their hopes appeared to have been dashed when Matt, running first broke a CV joint despite setting a good time. The team set about replacing the part to be ready for Sunday when Simon Bainbridge suffered a front suspension breakage throught the fast Dibeni corner and ploughed straight off onto the grass. The SBR Chrono's loss was the SBD Dallara's gain as the ensuing recovery delay was sufficient for the repair to be finished and ready for Run Off 2. Steve Broughton put in a storming run to take second, less that 1sec behind Holmes with Matt Hillam following suit to take third.

They were closely followed by Steve Miles and then the consistently quick Pete Goulding (Mygale), John Graham (slowly re-capturng the form he showed a couple of years back in the Gould GR55 and following a lot of development work) and the other Mygale of Graham Blackwell. Just behind was Steve Brown in the JKS hoping to earn another "Ecoboost Kill" sticker but not this time.

Dave Cutliffe posted a very competitive Run 1 but something broke and he was out for the week-end.

Results:

Pembrey June 1 2019

BARC Wales

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 7

1. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 93.05secs
2. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 93.82secs
3. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 94.82secs
4. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 95.17secs
5. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 96.36secs
6. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 97.42secs
7. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 98.56secs
8. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) 98.71secs
9. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 99.51secs
10. Dave Cutliffe (1.3T Van Diement RF93) 100.13secs
11. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra T90) 100.32secs
12. John Loudon (1.0 Force HC) 101.48secs

Calders again at sunny Blyton

Event 6 at Blyton Park on 19/05/2019
The second day of Longton & District's Blyton Sprint week-end was a warm and sunny affair and, to a large extent, a repeat of the previous day.

The 2 litre cars (Algar, Hillam and Broughton) were again close in qualifying, separated by around half a second and the Goulding Mygale was similarly right with them. Steve Brown (JKS) and Simon Bainbridge (SBR Chrono) both overcame their problems from the previous day and got into the Run Offs. Joining them (for the second time in British Sprints) was Piers Thynne in his Radical SR8.

Alan Mugglestone just pipped Chris Jones in qualifying but with other competitors getting their acts together, neither made the cut. After being put off by an early problem with the dash on Saturday Carole Torkington had a much better Sunday with a couple of PBs despite missing out on the Run Offs.

In the Run Offs Heather Calder again put in a strong first run well ahead of the rest until, Colin Calder, running last, looked like he was going to match it but came up just short. Terry Holmes was third only a fraction ahead of the mightily impressive Mygale of Pete Goulding.

On to the second runs and Heather Calder posted a stunning time 2.5s better than her first which drew gasps from the watching crowd and confirmed by the 155mph speed trap figure. However, a motivated Colin Calder pushed the Calder Engineering backed Gould hard and managed to improve on his daughter's time by a couple of tenths to take the win.
 
In the 2 litre battle the SBD pair were trying to put into practice some driver coaching they had been given by Alan Mugglestone while walking the track the evening before. In the first Run Off Steve Broughton was on for a very good time but missed his braking point for the last corner by a couple of lengths and spun to a halt. Matt Hillam put is a 'so, so' and messy first run but an air valve failure on his second left him unable to change gears so was unable to defend his championship lead properly. This left Nick 'one good run a day in me' Algar to find nearly three seconds from somewhere to take the 2litre class and take third well clear of Terry Holmes. Pete Goulding continued his run of good form to take fifth and the overall championship lead.

John Graham's disappointing week-end finished with a spin at the last corner on his second run while Terry Holmes did the same thing but just after the finish line leaving the Lola covered in dust.

Longton & District MC's well run event saw the Run Offs take place between T2 and T3 which ensured that other competitors were on hand to watch the spectacle of the fastest cars in the country in competition.

Thanks to Anthony Mitchell Photography for the images

Results:

Blyton Park Outer Circuit May 20 2019

Longton & District MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 6

1. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 51.17secs
2. Heather Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 51.36secs
3. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 53.28secs
4. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 55.42secs
5. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 55.65secs
6. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 56.57secs
7. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 56.62secs
8. Simon Bainbridge (4.2 SBR Chrono) 57.05secs
9. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 57.44secs
10. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS) 59.13secs
11. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 59.52secs
12. Piers Thynne (2.7 Radical SR8) 62.09secs

Positions after Round 6

1. Pete Goulding 55pts
2. Matt Hillam 52 pts
3. Steve Broughton 43 pts
4. Graham Blackwell 42 pts
5. Nick Algar 41 pts
6. John Graham 31pts
8. Colin Calder 26pts
9. Steve Brown 24pts
10 Heather Calder 23pts
11. Terry Holmes 19pts
12. Stewart Robb 10pts
 

A Calder one-two at Blyton

Event 5 at Blyton Park on 18/05/2019
Eighteen British Sprint compettitors arrived at Blyton for Round 4 of the British Sprint Championship (Croft having been cancelled) and welcomed the first appearance of the year of Piers Thynne (Radical), Alan Mugglestone (Fulcrum) and Simon Bainbridge (SBR Chrono). Missing were the Miles Van Diemen and the Robb Pilbeam following their recent problems and the Bennett/Jones Force which was still minus an engine. Chris Jones, however,  was guesting again in the SBD Westfield, fresh from some rear spring and suspension changes, and looking to provide some competition for the Mugglestone Fulcrum and make the Run Offs. Incidentally, it was announced at the drivers briefing that Alan Mugglestone will be taking over responsibility for managing the Blyton Park facility from Richard Usher in October 2019.

The Terry Holmes/Graham Porrett Lola appeared with a newly rebuilt (by Graham) engine with fresh cams and was, once again, showing oil pressure!

The Saturday event was held on the Eastern circuit which features a fiddly section soon after the start and a very tight finish which presented something of a challenge for the bigger cars. The single, cold and dusty practice run followed by a damp T1 caused a number of difficulties. Piers Thynne and Steve Broughton (SBD Dallara) both locked up into the final corner, sliding off before recovering to at least finish the course. T1 saw John Graham put four wheels off and Mark Anson have a spin while Steve Brown did much the same (locking up and sliding off) in T2 before putting in a blinder on T3 but too late. The biggest problem befell the SBR Chrono which broke its diff. The team were hoping that it wasn't due to the re-mapped engine and improved MOTEC traction control and set about installing a new diff for the Sunday.

These problems allowed the Mugglestone Fulcrum and Jones Westfield to comfortably qualify for the Run Offs, separated by half a second.

In Run Off 1 Heather Calder put in a quick time, closely followed by Terry Holmes' Lola and the Goulding Mygale (after gear selecttion software problems early on) with Championship leader Matt Hillam just behind. Then Colin Calder, running last, set a new benchmark of 60.14s and over a second clear. Run Off 2 followed a similar pattern after Heather posted a 59.78s only for it to be well beaten by Colin's 58.43s. Terry Holmes wasn't far behind with a 60.28s while Nick Algar, who reckons to "have one good run a day in me and it is all about thiming it right", did just that to take fourth with his final run. Pete Goulding took and excellent fifth while the Jones Mugglestone battle saw their qualifiying positions reversed with Jones taking 11th from Mugglestone by half a second. After experiencing a lot of understeer in the morning, Graham Blackwell put on some more front wing and improve in the Run Offs.

Mention should be made of a pair of former British Sprint competitors who were taking part in the 'B' meeting. Glyn Sketchley took the 'B' FTD (and a couple of PBs) with his Force and would have qualified easily for the Run Offs while Martin Pickles was the fastest 1100 ('A' or 'B') in his MK1 Jedi.

Thanks to Anthony Mitchell Photography for the images

Results:

Blyton Park Eastern Circuit May 18 2019

Longton & District MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 5

1. Colin Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 58.43secs
2. Heather Calder (3.5 Gould GR55) 59.78secs
3. Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola Tegra) 60.28secs
4. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 60.84secs
5. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13 61.44secs
6. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 61.66secs
7. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 63.57secs
8. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 63.86s
9. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra) 65.38secs
10. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 66.09secs
11. Chris Jones (1.6t Westfield) 66.48secs
12. Alan Mugglestone (2.0 Fulcrum) 66.96secs

Graham's Anglesey double

Event 3 at Anglesey on 07/04/2019

John Graham (Gould GR55B) made it a week-end double on the Anglesey International circuit but had to put in a record breaking second run to overcome Matt Hillam (SBD Dallara) who lead after the first run and who also took the lead in the 2019 British Sprint Championship.

Competitors were able to enjoy another dry and sunny day (including views over snow capped Snowdonia) with many making full use of the opportunity to take up to eight timed runs - due mainly to the slick running of the event by Longton & District. In qualifying Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) led the field with a 75.96s run which was to stand as FTD. He was closely followed by Matt Hillam who was finding the changes made overnight to the car very much to his liking although less so to the other driver of the car, Steve Broughton, who still managed to qualify third. The SBD Dallara duo had been using the same set of Pirelli tyres for a number of events (estimated to be 48 runs) and decided to try a new set for the second timed runs but surprisingly found little difference in performance!

These three drivers were followed by John Graham and Steve Miles, the latter recovering from his Saturday problems but then suffered a broken drive shaft on his first Run Off attempt. Stewar Robb was missing from Sunday's event for reasons not known at the time of writing.

In the Run Offs, Nick Algar was the 'best of the rest' to take the final podium spot closely followed by Steve Broughton. Despite problems with a coolant hose, Pete Goulding managed to reverse the position of the Mygales from Saturday and take fifth place with a PB.

Results:

Anglesey International Circuit April 7 2019

Longton & District MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 3

1. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 76.34secs
2. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 76.67secs
3. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 77.01secs
4. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 77.63secs
5. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 78.37secs
6. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 80.68secs
7. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) 81.92secs
8. Jeff Wiltshire (1.5t Zeus Challenger) 84.20secs
9. John Loudon (1.1 Force HC) 84.83secs
10. Mark Anson (1.0 Jedi MK6) 85.75secs
11. Carole Torkington (1.6 OMS CF08) 89.89secs
 

Positions after Round 3

1. Matt Hillam 36pts
2. Pete Goulding 33 pts
3.= Steve Broughton 31 pts
      Graham Blackwell 31 pts
4. John Graham 24 pts
5. Nick Algar 20 pts
6. Steve Brown 18pts
7. Stewart Robb 10pts
8. Steve Miles 9 pts
9. Jeff Wiltshire 8pts
10. Dave Cutliffe 7 pts
12. Chris Jones 6 pts

 

Graham takes sunny Anglesey

Event 2 at Anglesey on 06/04/2019

Despite it being (very) early April competitors enjoyed a sunny and dry Anglesey Sprint week-end even if it was a little cool and windy. Following mechanical problems at Combe a couple of weeks earlier the Calder Gould and Holmes/Porrett Lola were missing but the Robb Pilbeam appeared with a new main plane fitted to the rear wing. John Graham (Gould GR55B) and Nick Algar (DJ Firehawk) were making their first appearance at a British Sprint round in 2019 and single seater debutant, John Loudon, in his (ex Michael Andrews) Force HC was quickly settling in to his new surroundings and finding that getting the car off the line wasn't as difficult as he feared.

The fastest qualifiers were the SBD Dallara (running with changes to the braking system and aero following Combe) duo of Matt Hillam (FTD) and Steve Broughton in the 46s followed by Stewart Robb and John Graham, a hundredth apart in the 47s. Steve Miles' Van Diemen pipped the two Mygales but, with car performing well and setting a PB, a software issue sadly sidelined the MOLE Racing car for the rest of the event. The Blackwell Mygale was running well and so was the driver - but not in a good way! Something he ate apparently and the problem persisted throughout the week-end.

Jeff Wiltshire confessed to not putting the spark plug and coil pack on the Zeus properly which accounted for a power deficit early on but this was cured for the run off. Mark Anson was out in his T car(!) while both Steve Brown (JKS) and John Loudon put is strong qualifying performances. The Algar car blew a temperature sensing boss out of its manifold and required repairs to the exhaust to get through the day.

The Run Off turned out to be a battle between Graham, Hillam, Robb, Algar and Broughton who were all in and around the 46s mark. Matt Hillam put in a solid first run to lead the standings but John Graham put in a strong second run to take the Run Off with a 45.95s. Stewart Robb aslo improved to take third place.

Steve Broughton had a problem with his wheel speed sensor on the first run and by the time he took his second run track temperatures had fallen leaving him back in fifth place. Graham Blackwell was sixth narrowly ahead (0.06s) of the other Mygale of Pete Goulding while Carole Torkington completed a good day (after some coaching from Steve Miles), finding nearly 2s on her last run to finish close behind Mark Anson and Jeff Wiltshire.

Results:

Anglesey National Circuit April 6 2019

Longton & District MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 2

1. John Graham (3.5 Gould GR55B) 45.95secs
2. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara) 46.25secs
3. Stewart Robb (5.0 Pilbeam MP88B) 46.30secs
4. Nick Algar (1.3t DJ Firehawk) 46.62secs
5. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara) 46.90secs
6. Graham Blackwell (1.6t Mygale M13) 47.76secs
7. Pete Goulding (1.6t Mygale M13) 47.82secs
8. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) 48.21secs
9. John Loudon (1.1 Force HC) 51.24secs
10. Jeff Wiltshire (1.5t Zeus Challenger) 54.05secs
11. Mark Anson (1.0 Jedi MK6) 54.54secs
12. Carole Torkington (1.6 OMS CF08) 55.13secs

 

 

 

 

 

 

An SBD/Pirelli one two at Castle Combe

Event 1 at Castle Combe on 23/03/2019

Steve Broughton and Matt Hillam took first and second in the British Sprint Top 12 Run Off at Castle Combe in their shared SBD Dallara and scored the first National Run Off win for Pirelli tyres. Having qualified second (to Colin Calder) with a new record, Steve put in a ‘banker’ on his first Run Off run and then went for it on his second. The run was a bit ragged but enough to seal the win and set a new record for another bonus point.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the team though. Despite rebuilding the braking system over the winter both drivers were having to pump the brakes all the way round each lap. The inner fingers of the carrier plate were binding with the castellations of the disc so when it all got a little warm the expansion of components solidified the structure and knocked the pads off the disc when braking.

The first event of any season is the opportunity for each competitor to reveal the efforts of the winter. Some opt for the ‘grand reveal’, whilst the more enthusiastic have been providing detailed updates throughout the winter so this was the first opportunity to view the advertised work.

The one tweak that many opted for were Pirelli tyres. There seems little debate over their advantage against the traditional tyres used throughout the paddock and several drivers were rather effusive on cockpit exit about the improved grip (and PBs most of them were setting!).

Of the British Sprint field, at least five contenders had made the switch to Pirelli. They were also joined by the SBD Westfield, guest driven for this event by Chris Jones. He later set a new Mod Prod record, this in a car he had never driven before. Chris was also very enthusiastic over the levels of lateral G he was able to obtain without upsetting the car or racing line…..’there is more to come’ was his ominous comment.

Competitors arrived at Castle Combe for the first major Speed event of the year to cool and overast conditions but as the day wore on were pelasantly surprised to enjoy warm and sunny conditions much better that the forecast had predicted. Less enjoyable were the mechanical misfortunes to befall a number of fancied British Sprint competitors including all of the larger engined single seaters.

Struggling with oil problems in practice and timed runs the Calder (Colin & Heather) Gould GR55 was leading qualifier in the hands of Colin taking FTD with a 115.08s but large pools of oil beneath the McLaren engine were rightly causing some concern. The fault was traced to an air relief tube attached to the oil filter which was insecurely attached, the O ring seal not properly clamped. It was a case of you could see the problem but couldn’t fix it.

Heather attempted a Run Off run but suffered a rear rocker arm failure causing a spectacular display of sparks up Avon Rise. A similar fate was waiting for Stewart Robb who had qualified the Pilbeam third but his rear wing parted company from the car up Avon Rise on his second timed run. This being the fastest part of the track, Stewart was fortunate indeed to keep the spinning Gould on the tarmac and avoid contact with the barriers.

The other big single seater, the Lola T90 of Terry Holmes and Graham Porrett managed a single Run Off run in the hands of Graham before low oil pressure led to an early retirement for the team. Jeff Wiltshire’s Zeus Challenger suffered a (very) bent rear pushrod on its first timed run and Carole Torkington had to run all day without any dash read outs which made getting the most out of the the OMS CF08 very difficult.

Another Steve, this time in the Miles camp had a non-starting engine. This after a winter of maintenance upgrades both mechanical and software. The fault was traced to an ‘E gas safety sweep’ in the software which was providing inconsistent readings each time the starting was attempted. Success was a random affair and traced to a faulty potentiometer.

Of the rest, Chris Jones reporting a dull thud over Avon rise on his second practice run. The team set to work examining suspension, bodywork, anything mechanical that could move and anything that couldn’t in case it had. Nothing. So they carried on and Chris qualified for the Run Off and took the Class win with a new record. The car is very much a test bed for SBD and MBE with the turbocharged 1.6 Ecoboost engine producing massive power and torque and the software managing to transmit it to the road. So well, in fact that the car set the best 64ft time of the day.

The Mygale of Pete Goulding and Graham Blackwell were once again very much on the pace with the Goulding car putting in a strong second Run Off run to pip Steve Miles for the final podium position after the MOLE Racing Van Diemen’s water temperature rocketed on the second run. The Blackwell Mygale was just behind these two and ahead of Dave Cutliffe’s Van Diemen and Steve Brown’s JKS.

Results:

Castle Combe March 23 2019

Bristol MC

SBD Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship Round 1

1. Steve Broughton (2.0 SBD Dallara F3) 115.67secs
2. Matt Hillam (2.0 SBD Dallara F3) 117.42secs
3. Pete Goulding (1.6T Mygale M12) 118.52secs
4. Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen RF96) 118.91secs
5. Graham Blackwell (1.6T Mygale M13) 119.97secs
6. Dave Cutliffe (1.3T Van Diement RF93) 121.68secs
7. Steve Brown (1.6 JKS JR01) 124.31secs
8. Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola Tegra T90 125.27secs
9. Chris Jones (1.6T SBD Westfield) 128.82secs
N/S Colin Calder
N/S Heather Clader
N/S Terry Holmes