Race report: Thruxton – 22nd & 23rd April
Toyo Tires/Watchdogapp.com Jaguar Saloon & GT ChampionshipFor rounds 3 & 4 of this 16-round championship we returned to Thruxton, the UK circuit with the highest average lap speed . The site was originally constructed in 1942 as RAF Thruxton, a World War II airfield which was home to both the RAF and USAAF and was used for troop-carrying aircraft and gliders, including operations during the D-Day landings. It is still an active airfield.
At nearly 2.4 miles, the circuit follows the line of the airfield's perimeter road, was established in 1968. From 1950–1965, motorbike races had taken place on the runways and perimeter road. Owing to planning restrictions, the circuit can only run 12 days of motorsport each year.
In 2016, Tom Butterfield took a brace of wins on his way to taking the championship.
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Qualifying
Gary Kane was an unfortunate withdrawal as a recent motorcycle accident left him with painful ribs. We welcomed experienced Sports 2000 racer Colin Peach for his first outing with us in the Howard Kirkham, Becks beer F1 liveried XJ40. Hopefully the first of many drives with the Jaguar. A welcome return by Dean Sewell hoping to break the duck of his previous seasons’ misfortunes.
17 Jaguars took to qualifying on this superfast track. Colin Philpott & James Ramm continued their battle from rounds 1 & 2 At Snetterton, with Philpott taking pole with a time of 1.30.072, impressively just over 2 seconds from Ramm. Adam Powderham got further to grips with his supercharged XJR to take 3rd & leading Class D car, joined on row 2 by Rodney Frost. The similar XJR of Tom Robinson was on row 4, in only his 3 rd race. Fastest Class A (standard) was Simon Blunt in his beautifully turned out XJS. Nick Wade posted 2nd class A on the very first qualifying lap, having very cleverly ‘got a tow’ from Dave Bye’s rapid Class C XJ Coupe. 7th to 10th on the grid were covered by a single second, promising a very close race.
Kevin Dickens had a moment at the chicane but recovered well. A number of drivers had spins in an effort to find, and sometimes, exceed the limit. Patrick Doyle took to the grass on the approach to the chicane and reversed into the bank, taking off the rear styling kit, but happily no other significant damage.
First Race
As the pack stormed away from the start, a fast starting Ramm took the lead from a challenging Philpott. These were to battle throughout the race. In an audacious move, Philpott passed approaching the chicane & held Ramm off until the penultimate lap when he straight-lined the chicane. Thinking he may be penalised, he allowed Ramm through but again attempted his first lap move but this time, Ramm was prepared. Meanwhile, the chasing pack entertained with some very close racing all through the field. Notable was the battle between the Doyle 6 Litre XJS, with the 4 Litre version of Richard Coppock glued to his tail. Doyle was flagged in on lap 12 with a fluid leak & Coppock continued to a well-earned drive of the day.
Race long battles throughout the race included a 4-car train of Holt (XJ40), Blunt (XJS), Stewart (XJS) & Robinson (XJR). However Stewart spun on lap 5 & Blunt went off on the chicane approach, necessitating overnight work to fettle the previously immaculate blue XJS. Chris Boon (Covcats) & Laurence Ball deciding that Simon would get a race on Sunday & rolled up their sleeves to do some mild panel beating and restore the front spoiler to some semblance of order – a good weekend for suppliers of XJ-S styling kits!
An excellent class win for Michael Holt in only his third race whilst Sewell broke his jinx with a class 3rd . Kevin Dickens was unlucky to run out of fuel after a long battle with Simon Dunford. In a smooth drive, Rodney Frost took Class B & Adam Powderham Class D after being involved in the early dice with the leaders.
First Race Gallery
Second Race
If Saturday's race was close, then Sunday's was fantastic. Colin Philpott’s superb qualifying efforts rewarded by finally leading Ramm across the line by .066 seconds! Doesn’t get much closer or exciting than that!
In his efforts to make up for Saturdays disappointment, Doyle got sideways at the Complex but recovered to continue the battle with Coppock & eventually claw his way up to 4th, behind Frost & leading Class D. This involved negotiating a race long battle with Bye & Powderham. Bye is a master of defensive driving & lead a train of Frost and Powderham for many laps.
Robinson spun at the Complex on lap 1, dropping to the back of the field, but produced Drive of the Day by climbing to 8th in the supercharged XJR. Blunt, in the repaired XJS powered through to class 3rd . Meanwhile at the front Ramm fell back mid race to recover and pressure Philpott to the line. Wade reversed Saturdays Class A result by turning the tables on Holt. Other personal Class A victories included Simon Dunford absorbing an amazing two- race long pressure from Kevin Dickens in a manner which belied his short race experience. And Daniel Stewart achieving a competitive lap time
Second Race Gallery
Race Results
Fastest Laps
| Fastest Lap | Driver | Class | Race Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Nick Wade | A | ||
| Class Simon Lewis | B | ||
| Class Cliff Ryan | D |
Results for Class Adam Powderham
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Bruce Cologne-Brookes
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Chris Boon
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Chris Pizzala
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Cliff Ryan
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Colin Peach
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Colin Philpott
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Daniel Stewart
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class David Bye
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class David Howard
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Dean Sewell
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Derek Pearce
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Gary Davis
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Guy Connew
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Howard Kirkham
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class James Ramm
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Kevin Dickins
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Lawrence Coppock
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Michael Holt
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Nick Wade
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Patrick Doyle
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |
Results for Class Paul Merrett
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Richard Coppock
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Richard Crossley
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Richard Knott
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C |
Results for Class Rodney Frost
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Roger Webster
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Simon Blunt
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Simon Dunford
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A |
Results for Class Simon Lewis
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Thomas Butterfield
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | B |
Results for Class Tom Robinson
| Position | Driver | Total Time | Fastest Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D |