Race Reports
and Results
Winton Historics
2007
(updated regularly)
Australian Historic Motor Racing Festival
13-14 October 2007
A clash of dates and several late withdrawals saw only 20 Sa/Sb/Sc cars venture to Winton for the Australian Historic Motor Festival. This was a little disappointing as a robust Group S program had been developed in consultation with the GSRA. The program for the meeting featured four Group S races over the long circuit, including two pointscore races of eight laps each.
But for those who went and whose cars survived the mechanical attrition, the meeting provided a great weekend of racing in pleasant weather conditions.
Qualifying saw three new Group S cars on the track, all quick. Apart from Perry Spiridis who put the De Tomaso on pole with a 1.37.7, Stan Adler fronted his new silver Porsche and Scott Farquharson debuted a 1977 Alfetta GTV – red, of course. Scott qualified in 1.40.5 which will sharpen up the Alfosi brigade and indeed some others in Sc.
But the attrition was already setting in with John Ingham’s D240Z back on the trailer and several other cars with bonnets up; so only 16 cars started Race 1, a five race sprint.
When the red lights went out for the start of Race 1, the deceptive Turn 1 was quick to claim a victim as Spiridis put the De Tomaso into the dirt leaving the pursuing pack to negotiate a nuclear-size orange brown dust cloud raised by the 5.8 litre heavyweight. Michael Byrne, as he was to do all weekend kept the Lotus Super Seven on the track and circulated at good pace for an easy win with Spiridis recovering and climbing through the field to finish second.
On the last lap Tony Jones driving Mike Jones D240Z, went rallying after failing to hold the racing line in the sweeper and George Nittis put the Shelby into the dirt at the start of the main straight, although George may well have been the victim of oil from the Lawlor Porsche.
Race 2 was the eight lap feature race starting last thing Saturday evening. The field was minus the Lawlor Porsche and Batchelor BMW. Spiridis, Jones, Nunn and Pegram all failed to complete the distance although the rest of the crew enjoyed a spirited eight laps of Winton’s long circuit. Farquharson brought the Alfetta home behind Byrne with the Shelby of Ian Ross third and Stan Adler fourth. John Ashby who was driving Steve Pike’s Sa Austin Healey 100 was last of the finishers.
Race 3, the second eight lap feature race started at 9.40 Sunday morning with the Farquharson Alfa livening up proceedings by spinning into the Turn 4 infield on the first lap. With the Spiridis De Tomaso struggling, Michael Byrne made it three wins in a row with the Adler Porsche coming home second. The Midget called it a weekend on lap three and the Ian Ross Shelby dropped out on lap five.
The De Tomaso of Colin Fulton reappeared from tent city and managed six laps while Phil Baskett and Alex Webster just kept truckin’ as they did all weekend. Max Pegram and Fred Brock both started and finished their respective bugeye Sprites after being plagued with mechanical difficulties in the earlier two races.
Race 4 on Sunday afternoon was the five lap handicap race starting from pit lane. The race got under way cleanly but very quickly a lot of transmission oil turned the track into a skid pan. A couple of spins saw everyone button right off, although Alex Webster, who seemed to have been given somewhat of a bonus by the starter cruised home out in front.
The auguries for next year are that the AHMF timings will revert to previous practice which hopefully will see the event much better patronised.
Click here to see the videos of the race