Round 1 - Castle Combe - Saturday 27th March

The first round of the 2004 Alfa Romeo Championship took place at Castle Combe on Saturday 27th March. Both Alfa qualifying sessions were made interesting by the weather and the races were very entertaining and full of incidents.

Firstly apologies if I have got any facts wrong. I didn’t pick up the results for either the qualifying sessions or races. I was relying on getting them from the MST (the people who do the official timing and stung us all £200 for a transponder). Last year their web site was usually up to date with all the results by the time I got home from the race meeting. Let’s hope it’s not a sign of things to come in 2004 but 24 hours after the racing has finished there are no results on their web site !!

The Class A – D cars qualified first. The damp conditions meant everyone was cautious but many of the drivers were not prepared for the unexpectedly wet and slippery conditions. Most of the Class A & B cars went out on slicks and were immediately experiencing severe grip problems. After the session most of the drivers came back with a story of a spin or a trip across the grass.

The surprising result of all of this was that the front row of the grid, Castle Combe is the only circuit where a 3 x 2 grid is still used, being made up of three production class cars – all running on the excellent Dunlop Formula R control tyres. On pole was Roger Evans in his Class D Alfa 155 with the Class C 156’s of Neil Smith and Chris Snowdon right behind.

One unlucky driver was Bob Godbold (Class B Alfa 33) who could not get his car started for qualifying and would have to do his three required qualifying laps with the Class E & F cars.

Ian Brookfield who has retired his Alfasud for the comparatively huge yellow 164 previously raced by Tony Soper was almost as unlucky but just got sorted out in time to complete a handful of qualifying laps in his competitive debut with the car.

Also going well was series newcomer Steven King in the ex-Bryn Griffiths 156 JTD SportWagon that for 2004 is racing in Class D.

By the time the Class E & F cars came out onto the circuit the track was fairly dry. Any driver who wasn’t rusty after the winter break and who’d kept an eye on the clouds would have done well to go for a quick lap immediately. After only a couple of minutes rain started to fall at the tricky Quarry corner. Andy Millar & Peter Woodard had already managed to spin in unison at Camp corner on the first lap of qualifying. After just a few minutes of qualifying the rain at Quarry had moved along to The Esses and got a bit heavier. As in the earlier qualifying session this resulted in most of the drivers returning to the pits with a story that involved a spin or slippery moment. By the end of the session though the time sheets had a fairly familiar look to them with Nik Mantikas sandwiched on the front row between Chris Forrest and the 16 valve 33 of Paul Lund. The second row of the grid had Andy Millar ahead of the first Class E car of 2003 Champion Graham Heels.

By the time the Class A – D race started the track was dry. Everyone was interested to see how the heavily modified cars that struggled in the mornings conditions would progress up the grid. Surely a Class C or D car couldn’t maintain its position at the front in dry conditions. Drive shaft failure left Andy Page stranded on the start line. Sam Laird charged into Quarry on the first lap in his Class A 75 just behind the leaders but locked it up under braking. His following spin put him the path of the unlucky Nev Simpson who caught the back of the 75. Nev retired without going any further and Sam returned to the pits for some lengthy repairs. At the front Neil Smith and Roger Evans were engaged in a great battle with Chris Snowdon and Nik Mantikas (getting some extra practice in his Class F specification 33) never too far behind. Two men on the move were Paul Buckley and Bob Godbold who were charging through the field. However just as Bob looked like he would become a major factor in the race result his car suffered an unfortunate fire when something caught alight under the floor of the car. Swift action by the Marshals put the flames out but also put Bob out of the race. The fight for the lead between Neil and Roger was getting very close when Roger got into trouble approaching Quarry. A trip across the grass with brakes locked up followed by a trip back across the circuit, narrowly missing Neil Smith’s 156, ended up with heavy contact with the tyre wall.

It now looked like Neil would cruise to victory but Paul Buckley had other ideas and the 75 chased Neil hard right to the line . . . just one more lap and the 75’s power advantage would surely have given it the victory. So the result was a brilliant race win by the Class C 156 of Neil Smith followed home closely by the Class A 75 of Paul Buckley – a great result after lots of hard work and setbacks for the Avon Racing team. Chris Snowdon was the next man across the line. Other notable performances were from Driver of the Day Keith Waite in his Class A 75, John Griffiths in his new (ex Bernard Pranic) 156 now running in Class B and Steven King who won Class D in his first ARCA race in the SportWagon.

Soon after 3.30 it was the turn of the Class E & F cars. In good weather the cars set off for their first race of the 2004 season. At the end of the warm-up lap the marshals were pointing out to the competitors that a quantity of oil had been dropped on the circuit on the approach and entrance to the fast final corner on the circuit – Camp Corner. Fourth place man Andy Miller got a poor start so the three Class F cars of Chris Forrest, Nik Mantikas & Paul Lund plus the Class E 146Ti of Graham Heels led the field on the first lap. Entering Camp Corner to complete the first lap Chris Forrest was in a fierce battle with Paul Lund and Chris seemed to turn in on the oil on the outside of the corner. It looked like he’d caught the slide but then the car gripped and came back across the circuit collecting the car of Paul Lund and forcing them both out of the race.

Nik now lead from Graham Heels with the recovering Andy Miller close behind. Andy followed Graham for a few laps before getting past him at Quarry Corner. Almost immediately though a board on the start finish line was displaying number 16 with the message “Stop Go Penalty” – a penalty for cutting the corner and removing the corner markers at the Bobbies chicane. Andy didn’t respond to this message and eventually this changed to a black flag – the sign that Andy had effectively been disqualified from the race. This didn’t stop Andy from chasing after Nik – a battle that had been joined by Harvey Townsen who had got past the Class E car of Graham Heels. Perhaps Nik had seen the flags and knew Andy’s fate. At the start of the final lap Harvey threw all his hard work away by spinning on the exit of Camp across the start line. This left the disqualified Andy Miller to cross the line first followed by Nik Mantikas and Class E winner Graham Heels. Other notable drives came from David Hughes, Peter Woodard and Alastair Iles. Another great drive, in his first race since converting his 146 to 2.0 litre Class E specification, was John Day who headed a group of drivers trying hard to get past him. This drive earned John the Driver of the Day award for the race.

Apart from the unfortunate damage to some of the cars it was a very entertaining and eventful start to the season. The next event is a rare trip to the Silverstone International circuit on 17th April as a support race for the British F3 Championship.

Round 2 - Silverstone - Saturday 17th April

“Oh, what a wonderful championship” exclaimed the programme for our first visit to the Silverstone International circuit. The invitation to support a round of the British Formula 3 Championship was too good to miss and some 50 of our drivers thought so too!

Practice in cloudy but dry conditions was a mere 15 minutes and the 9 or 10 laps that most people were able to do were just about enough to learn the basics. Nonetheless, everyone was soon rushing through the daunting Bridge corner in fine style and the times were tumbling. E & F were out first and although Chris Forrest topped the time sheets for most of the session, it was Andy Millar who finally grabbed pole by just 0.13” with Nikolaos Mantikas and Harvey Townson making up the second row ahead of David Hughes. Class E leader Chris Finch made up row three with his 156, 0.13” clear of Graham Heels. A fine performance, 8th quickest, was that of Steve Fletcher with his newly built 33.

31 cars made a fine sight as they set out for the A to D session and here it was Tim Lewis who dominated proceedings in his Alfasud Sprint but he was also under observation for excessive noise. Sam Laird was enjoying himself in his 75 and would join him on the front row, chased very hard by Paul Buckley and Tony Soper. 5th quickest, it was good to see Julian Birley’s new 75 3.6 V6 at long last, with Nick Sismey the second quickest Class B runner despite only managing 6 laps before an electrical gremlin crept in. Castle Combe winner Neil Smith headed Class C from Nev Simpson’s Alfetta GTV while in D Chris Oxborough’s 75 proved fractionally quicker than Steven King in the 156 Sportwagon Diesel and Roger Evans overheating 155.

A race stoppage after 5 laps of the E & F race following an unfortunate accident to Ray Foley (see Latest News) meant that we effectively had a qualifying race followed by 10 more minutes racing that really counted. Up to the stoppage there had been a fine battle going on between Nik Mantikas, Andy Millar and Harvey Townson while Chris Finch had a comfortable cushion at the head of Class E.

After the break to release Ray Foley from his severely damaged car, battle was resumed in earnest and once again it was Nikolaos, Andy and Harvey who were the main protagonists. For a while it looked as though Nik had it well under control but he was in trouble with excessive brake wear and Andy closed right in, taking the lead on the final lap only to lose it again in a kerfuffle at the tight Farm Corner. The run to the flag was classic Class F, Nikolaos getting there first by a mere 0.14”. Harvey Townson was always well in touch and finished 3rd ahead of a frustrated Chris Forrest who appeared down on power. Chris Finch and Graham Heels were much closer this time but Chris was in determined mood and Graham had to settle for 2nd with Peter Woodard, 5th in F hard on his tail. Simon Hampton (in his first race), Emma Karwacki (from the back of the grid in the original race) and Steve Fletcher completed the top 10.

Tim Lewis had fitted a rather restrictive exhaust system to pass the noise test and as the red lights went off, the Alfasud Sprint bogged down, as did his fellow front row starter, Sam Laird! By contrast, Paul Buckley and the rest of the field were quickly away, Paul leading at the end of lap 1 from Julian Birley, Andy Page and Tony Soper with Sam Laird already back to 5th. On lap 2, Julian Birley showed that the new 75 was going to be a car to reckoned with and took the lead while Sam Laird was 4th ahead of Tony and Neil Smith who was battling it out with Keith Waite. At the end of the 3rd lap Tim Lewis dashed into the pits and rapidly emerged going rather more quickly than before!! Roger Evans was leading Class D but the person making the most progress was Anton Mets, up from 30th on the grid to 11th! A black and orange flag was now being shown to Julian Birley, to be followed by a black flag which he was unable to see until the penultimate lap, thereby incurring an inevitable penalty. Andy Page had passed Paul Buckley but then succumbed to an electrical problem, leaving Paul a clear and happy winner from Avon team mate Sam Laird who had finally got the better of Tony Soper. Neil Smith brought his 156 home a fine 4th to win Class C with Ian Brookfield 5th, chased to the line by Anton Mets. Chris Oxborough took class D after the retirements of Roger Evans and Steven King. Fastest car on the track, though, was the Sprint of Tim Lewis which, despite his pit stop, managed to get up to 9th overall and 3rd in Class B only 7 seconds behind John Griffiths.

There were contests going on all down the field, providing a highly entertaining 20 minutes racing and a very popular winner after a couple of years spent developing his 75 Turbo.

The Indochine “Driver of the Day” awards went to Emma Karwacki (E & F) and Anton Mets (A to D) while Martin Jones took the Alfasud Cup and Ian Fisher the Arese Trophy.

Round 3 - Oulton Park - Saturday 24th April

FOR THE REG VARDY STOCKPORT TROPHY

With only a week between Silverstone and Oulton Park, we knew that several competitors would not do both meetings. On the other hand there were others who had problems at Silverstone who were still determined to be at Oulton, notably Roger Evans with his Class D 155 and, to our great surprise, the Foley family who had rented a replacement Class F 33 from Tony Matthews for Steve to drive. Making their first appearance of the year were Phil Donaghy in his 145 Cloverleaf, Nigel Warne who had bought the ex Les Gorman, Martini liveried, 155 2.0 8v and Gary Walker (Alfasud Ti).

Once again we had the support of local Alfa dealers, Reg Vardy Stockport, led by the ever enthusiastic Dax Pearce who brought along some 30 guests to enjoy an excellent day’s racing. Classes A to D were the first to qualify, and there were dramas before we even got on the track as Julian Birley was told that his 75 was too noisy, as initially was Sam Laird, while Roger Evans was subjected to a random swoop by the UK Sport drugs squad that resulted in him missing half his qualifying session – not the best timing in the world!

Paul Buckley and Tim Lewis ended up very closely matched at the end of the session, just 0.21” separating them, with Sam Laird and Andy Page completing the second row. 5th fastest and heading Class C was championship leader Neil Smith but an oil pipe had split half way through the session and a quick trip to Demon Tweeks was arranged to pick up an oil cooler (which turned out to have the wrong fittings when it arrived!). Neil was being chased very hard by Nev Simpson’s Alfetta GTV which seems to get more competitive with every meeting. Roger Evans eventually managed 6 laps to head Class D in front of the Class B 156s of Westley Evans (suffering a gearbox problem) and John Griffiths.

Looking at the Class E & F time sheets, the big question was whether Paul Lund or Andy Millar would achieve their first ever wins – Paul was on pole with his 16v 33 just 0.11” ahead of Andy but of course both would have to watch Nikolaos Mantikas, 3rd quickest, who was going for his 6th straight Class F win. Harvey Townson and Steve Foley were evenly matched in their 33s but a surprise on Class E pole was Phil Donaghy’s 145, just a fraction ahead of Chris Finch’s yellow 156.

Despite not qualifying, Julian Birley was allowed to start from the back of the grid as he had tested the day before, his exhaust having being made sufficiently quiet, and it was clear that we were in for an exciting chase from the rolling start. A sad non starter was Nev Simpson whose Alfetta had been too damaged in the Super Coupe Cup race during a stirring drive by Ian Stapleton. Paul Buckley made the best getaway with Tim Lewis looking threatening and the first five laps featured a splendid battle, sometimes side-by-side, between these two with Sam Laird falling away but heading Neil Smith, Roger Evans and a fast starting Paul Lund. However, by the end of lap 2, Julian Birley had stormed through to 4th place, demoting Sam on lap 5, Paul on lap 7 and then closing in on Tim who he charged past on lap 10. All seemed set for a return of Julian Birley to the winner’s circle. Then at the end of lap 12 Julian slowed as he passed the pits with a dead engine and finally pulled off at Cascades. More out of hope than anything else, he switched off and then switched on again – the engine fired, all appeared normal and off he charged but by now back in 4th place again. Tim Lewis now led and eventually crossed the line to take his first win of the year, 8 seconds clear of Paul Buckley with Julian back to 3rd a further 9 seconds in arrears, but having set a new lap record on the way. Sam Laird finished 4th ahead of John Griffiths (second in B), and the first two Class C cars – Kevin Evans and Paul Lund, Neil Smith having retired with an unhappy engine. Andy Page had a recurrence of his misfire and dropped back through the field but at least he did pick up some points after a couple of zeros in the opening races.

The Class E & F race was to be an even closer contest with Paul Lund taking an initial lead from Nik Mantikas and Andy Millar with Harvey Townson chasing hard and Phil Donaghy leading Class E on lap 1. On lap 3, Nik had on off track moment which left Andy Millar to push Paul Lund every inch of the way, finally taking the lead on lap 8. Nik Mantikas had recovered to 3rd but ended his race at Druids four laps from home leaving the place to Harvey Townson ahead of David Hughes, both moving up right at the end when Paul Lund suffered an alarming steering failure at Lodge on the final lap, almost within sight of the finish. So Andy Millar’s win was in the end a very comfortable one to the delight of everyone in the David Thomas Garages team who had seen so many opportunities frittered away in the past year or so. Chris Finch managed to get past Phil Donaghy early on to lead Class E, but Phil never gave up, the two of them also being engaged in a battle with Alastair Iles Class F 33, Alastair having possibly his best race to date.

Indochine Driver of the Day awards went to Kevin Evans (A to D) and Phil Donaghy (E & F).

Reg Vardy Stockport reckoned they had sold four new cars at the end of the day – what better reason could you have for supporting the Championship?

Rounds 4 & 5 - Silverstone - Sunday 30th May

The Four Corners of the Quadrifoglio at Silverstone – May 30

You couldn’t want a better situation than to have four races and four different winners. That was exactly what happened in the four races counting for Rounds 4 & 5 of the BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship at Silverstone on May 30.

Held on the National circuit this time, we had wondered whether or not the late insertion of the April 17 Silverstone International circuit date into the programme would affect the end May entry. In the event the numbers were almost the same. This shows the benefits of the large pool of competitors we have. Some did the April Silverstone and not the May double-header and others vice versa. However, for those showing a serious intent towards winning the overall Championship or one of the six classes, presence at the latter date was important although Andy Millar had looked at the situation in Class F and reckoned that he could still go on holiday!

It was good to see Nick Humphrey making his first racing appearance of the year in the 75 1.8 Turbo owned by Kerry Gardiner but it was Tim Lewis and Paul Buckley who fought it out for pole position in the 30 car A to D field, Tim heading the timesheets by half a second with Nick 3rd ahead of Tony Soper (his GTV now Le Mans Motorsport yellow) and Sam Laird. Neil Smith’s 156 headed C but was being strongly challenged by Anthony George’s 33 16v while Roger Evans was quickest in Class D with his 155 ahead of Simon Arber’s 75 3 litre.

22 Class E & F cars emerged for their practice session and there was to be a surprise on the front row. James Burland was immediately rapid with his 16v engined 33 and was joined by the experienced, although not in F, Steve Foley with Chris Finch and David Hughes on the second row.

The first A to D race was led initially by a fast starting Nick Humphrey but some brave driving by Tim Lewis and a couple of mistakes by Nick gave Tim the lead and demoted Nick to 9th at one point. Tony Soper was running strongly and had headed Paul Buckley at the end of lap 1 but Paul went by a lap later keeping the place to the finish. Tony held 3rd for most of the race ahead of Sam Laird but Sam’s 75 overheated at two thirds distance and a recovering Nick Humphrey took over a final 4th place ahead of Bryan Shrubb and an impressive Ian Brookfield. Neil Smith had found himself embroiled in a battle with Anthony George for Class C, crossing the line just 0.22” ahead and having to give away fastest race lap, a new Class C lap record at last.

James Burland had the first E & F race under control from the moment the five red lights went out at the start, leading home Chris Finch (winner of Class E), Alastair Iles and Phil Astell. There were some fine battles throughout the field, including that featuring Simon Hampton, Peter Woodard and Shaun Hazlwood. Mel Healey created a stir with by far the best performance of her career in either Alfas or Seats by finishing 8th overall and 7th in class with her 16v 33.

Tim Lewis’s start to A to D race two was a definite improvement on race one and he took an immediate lead from Nick Humphrey and Paul Buckley, Tony Soper and Bryan Shrubb. Nick Humphrey was not going to make any mistake this time and went ahead of Tim on lap 6, drawing away to a 10.2” lead as Tim eased off a little towards the end as his engine temperatures rose. Ian Brookfield had also made a splendid start and after 4 laps was in tight formation with Tony, Neil Smith and Anthony George. Anthony and Neil were having one of the closest Class C battles we have seen in years and lap 9 saw Anthony ahead , staying there to the end. “I didn’t expect that!” said Neil afterwards. Paul Buckley finished 3rd overall and 2nd in A to consolidate his championship position while Ian Brookfield came home a couple of seconds behind Neil Smith. Tony Soper had slowed considerably during the second part of the race and Bryan Shrubb had made a quick pit stop. Towards the end of the 14 laps, Ian was being caught by Kerry Gardiner, now getting to grips with his 75 3 litre and preferring the drive ability of the normally aspirated car over his 1.8 Turbo.

Chris Finch made an excellent start in the second E & F race, reaching Copse before James Burland and hanging on in front throughout the 15 minutes to take the first ever overall win by a Class E car in a joint E & F race. James never gave Chris the opportunity for a mistake and finished right on his tail with the ever improving Alastair Iles closing in and being a mere 1.025” behind at the flag. David Hughes, Peter Woodard and Harvey Townson came home 4th, 5th and 6th with just 1.5” separating them with Simon Hampton dropping back to 7th ahead of the again impressive Mel Healey. Steve Foley at last enjoyed a complete race, coming from the back of the grid to finish 9th.

At the end of a hectic day’s racing, Paul Buckley retains his overall Championship lead, with Chris Finch now 2nd, 12 points adrift but 2 points ahead of Tim Lewis. John Griffiths and Neil Smith share 4th. Roger Evans has overtaken Chris Oxborough at the head of D while Alastair Iles had suddenly popped up to head of the Class F table with Andy Millar and Harvey Townson just 2 points behind. Perhaps Andy wasn’t so wrong to take a holiday now after all! And what a day it had been for Bianco and Adie Hawkins Motorsport, Adie’s engines taking three overall wins.

Rounds 6 & 7 - Pembrey - Saturday 12th / Sunday 13th June

Championship weekend in glorious Wales!

The weather could hardly have been better for the Championship’s first visit to Pembrey in ten years and everyone who went seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves both on and off the track! Andy Millar and Nick Humphrey took wins on both Saturday and Sunday but there was plenty of action behind them, particularly in the Class E & F races. However, there was some frantic work before anyone even started qualifying. Ian Brookfield’s 164 engine had overheated in Friday testing and was being rebuilt while Chris Finch’s bonnet had come up and smashed the windscreen, Debbie Clark scouring the countryside on her mobile to find a replacement that was fitted at 7.15 on the Saturday morning.

Nick Humphrey surprised us all by arriving with his own white “Totip” liveried 75 Turbo instead of the red Kerry Gardiner owned car that he raced at Silverstone. He promptly put in on pole although 0.24” ahead of Paul Buckley. However, had Paul not had a gravely moment near the end of the session, the result might have been different. Bryan Shrubb would line up and excellent 3rd alongside a flying Neil Smith with Roger Evans and Simon Bird on row 3.

Andy Millar and James Burland fought for pole in the E & F qualifying, with Graham Heels leading Class E and Alastair Iles completing row 2. At this point, Jeff Kite and Gethin Llewellyn were only giving us a glimpse of what might happen in the races, lining up 5th and 6th with Mel Healey and Emma Karwacki in the next row.

In the Saturday A to D race, Nick Humphrey was chased all the way by a flying Bryan Shrubb who outpaced Championship leader Paul Buckley who had written off his new splitter in the gravel during qualifying. . Andy Page was delighted to have sorted some of the gremlins in his Giulietta to finish 4th followed home by Neil Smith and Ian Brookfield, Neil winning Class C and Roger Evans Class D.

On Sunday, Nick Humphrey was put under pressure by Andy Page who had used his soldering iron to good effect, the Giulietta chasing hard and both setting much quicker lap times than on Saturday. Bryan Shrubb again drove well to claim 3rd in front of Paul Buckley who had made a poor start, completing lap 1 in 10th place. Ian Brookfield beat Neil Smith home this time, but Neil’s 100% points score would take him to within 2 points of Paul Buckley by the end of the weekend. 2nd in Class B behind Bryan Shrubb was a delighted Simon Bird whose 33 had never gone better while Roger Evans headed the returning Martin Williams again B.

Andy Millar may have won both Class E & F races but the “star” was undoubtedly Gethin Llewellyn. When did we last see an Alfasud in the top three, let alone second? We would have to go back to a one-off outing by Adie Hawkins at Snetterton back in 1999. On both days, Gethin chased Andy Millar hard but also right in the mix was Jeff Kite who also led briefly on the Sunday. James Burland had started Saturday’s race on the front row but spun on some oil left by Graham Heels’ damaged 146, as did Alistair Iles and Peter Woodard. After 13 frantic laps on Saturday, Jeff Kite took a fine Class E win but had to give best to Chris Finch on Sunday. James eventually took two class 3rds while the best placed of our women drivers during the weekend was Emma Karwacki.

Peter Woodard had a much more enjoyable Sunday race, finishing 6th overall and 4th in Class F, just ahead of Alastair Iles and Phil Astell, their race long battle being observed by Graham Heels, his repaired 146 taking 3rd place in Class E.

Gethin Llewellyn took the Alfasud Cup on both days, likewise Jeff Kite the Arese Trophy.

Round 8 - Brands Hatch - Sunday 4th July

Tim Lewis & Andy Millar in dominant form at Brands.....

Dismal, cool weather at Brands Hatch on July 4 meant that it was hard to raise enthusiasm for a circuit that seems to lack charisma as the years go by. The track itself is still fun to race on but some of the infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired, despite the arrival of Jonathan Palmer’s Motorsport Vision. A new coat of paint won’t change the long walk from the paddock to race control and the assembly area arrangement always seemed more efficient when it was near the competitors and not at the end of the congested, behind the pits, roadway.

Nevertheless, the circuit always produces good racing and July 4 was no exception when over 40 Alfa Championship racers were in action. It was good to see Nick Sismey back again but he even he could not match the speed of Tim Lewis’s Alfasud Sprint, now revving to over 9000 rpm and producing some 230 bhp. Tim’s best lap was a 53.61”, a second clear of Nick although was confident he could give the Sprint a good run in the race. A rejuvenated Andy Page would line up 3rd ahead of Paul Buckley, Graham Presley, Ian Brookfield and Neil Smith.

A last minute dash for dry tyres after most people had arrived in the assembly area on wets after some earlier rain delayed the start of the A to D race but there was no holding back Tim Lewis. Andy Page’s Giulietta led Nick Sismey for a satisfying 4 laps before the 33 went and finished only 5 seconds behind after 20 minutes racing. Another welcome return was that of Graham Presley, his familiar 75 now boasting a new light blue and “tiles” livery and finishing an excellent 4th ahead of Class C winner Neil Smith, Ian Brookfield, Anthony George and Roger Evans, again taking Class D in front of the hard trying Martin Williams. Anthony George had Neil well in his sights for most of the race although Ian Brookfield got between them half way through. Nonetheless he was able to take a valuable 2 fastest lap points away from him.

Paul Lund took his second pole position of the year for the E & F race with his 16v 33. Sadly right at the end of the session, the cam belt snapped, damaging the engine too badly for Paul to be able to start. This left Andy Millar all on his own on the front row with David Hughes and Graham Heels on row 2 ahead of Phil Astell and Steve Foley. The race was to produce David’s best drive of the year although he had initially fallen behind Graham Heels, as Andy Millar strove to establish a comfortable cushion in front. David passed Graham on lap 3 but couldn’t reel in Andy, having to be content with a fighting 2nd place. There was much rumbustious driving going on just behind, from which Gethin Llewellyn emerged, driving another storming race (although quite often on the grass!) to finish just ahead of Phil Astell , Alastair Iles and Steve Foley. Jeff Kite finished 2nd in E, having been right in the thick of it early on, ahead of a clutch hobbled Chris Finch.

Gethin Llewellyn and Jeff Kite were again the recipients of the Alfa Cup and Arese Trophy respectively.

Round 9 – Cadwell Park - Sunday 25 July

Miller & Lewis again!

Andy Miller and Tim Lewis again dominated their respective races at Cadwell Park on July 25. The weather played a major role, heavier rain after an already wet E & F qualifying led to fears that the A to D session might have to be run behind a pace car and the grid set by the championship co-ordinator. However, things did improve although the track remained very wet for the session. Running some 9 seconds off lap record pace, Andy Millar took the E & F pole three quarters of a second ahead of Nik Mantikas with Phil Snelling, having his first race for some time, 3rd fastest. Nick Suiter headed class E in his ex Danish Touring Car Championship 146 Ti. Paul Buckley was outstanding in the A to D session, lapping 2.6” quicker than Tim Lewis with David Thomas and Andy Page 3rd and 4th. Clive Hodgkin had looked quick from the word go in his Class D 75 but Roger Evans was unobtrusively faster by the end of the session, 7th overall. We had expected Anthony George to challenge Neil Smith in Class C but he was suffering from an alternator problem, pulling off before the end of the session.

The track had was mainly dry in time for the E & F race which was totally dominated by Andy Millar. For a couple of laps, Nik Mantikas looked as though he would make a race of it, but a mistake on lap 3 dropped him back to 9th and he spent the next few laps climbing back through the field to 2nd where the finished. Nick Suiter was classified 3rd, winning Class E, while Phil Astell got the better of a tough battle with Simon Hampton for 4th. Shaun Hazlewood came home 6th ahead of David Hughes and John Symes, John moving himself steadily up the order race by race.

In A to D, Tim Lewis wasted no time in getting to the front, initially ahead of Paul Buckley, but Paul started to drift back with a split intercooler on lap 4, leaving David Thomas in second place, being chased by Bryan Shrubb. Bryan eventually took away the runner-up position on what turned out to be the final counting lap as Neil Smith, running 5th, hit the kerb at the Mountain and broke his suspension, bringing out what many felt was an unnecessary red flag. As 12 of the 20 minutes had already been run a result was declared with Tim Lewis the winner, from Bryan Shrubb and David Thomas. Paul Buckley retained a useful 4th, and a Class A win, while Roger Evans took Class D, a fine 5th overall, ahead of Graham Presley, Ian Brookfield and Clive Hodgkin. The incident that befell Neil Smith and the non starting of Anthony George meant that Class C went to a surprised Sean Woodard ahead of John Symes, Mark Bevington and Bill Parker.

Round 10 – Donington - Saturday 31 July

Kevin Griffiths Trophy races bring surprises galore!

Donington was the venue chosen for this year’s running of the Kevin Griffiths Trophy which already carries the names of Julian Birley & Ian Flux (2002) and Ray Mears (2003). Who would have bet on Tony Soper for A to D pole in the Le Mans Motorsport GTV 24v, now being tended by Brunswick Motorsport? However, the exciting thing was that the first five drivers – Tony Soper, Tim Lewis, Nick Humphrey, Graham Presley and Paul Buckley were covered by just 0.56”. And none of them would win! That honour fell to Andy Page (6th in qualifying) whose Giulietta Turbo proved prodigiously quick in the race, breaking the outright Alfa Championship lap record in a heart-stopping battle with Tim Lewis after Tony Soper had led for the first 5 laps and then pulled off with a suspected gasket failure. Nick Humphrey retired with a loss of power on lap 10 while Paul Buckley managed to grab 3rd place after a last lap error by Graham Presley. Kerry Gardiner and Ian Brookfield fought out 5th overall, Kerry just getting ahead at the end whikle Neil Smith took a full quota of points in Class C leading home Chris Snowdon while Martin Williams won D from Peter Sloan. John Griffiths drove and excellent race in his 156, the car once again running well after Chris Snowdon had discovered an injector problem. Once again there was a fine Class C “ Group 2” battle amongst various 8v and 16v 33s and this time it was a delighted Chris Healey who headed Bill Parker, Mark Bevington and John Symes, taking 3rd in Class in the process

Paul Lund was the only driver to break the 1 minute 30 second barrier in qualifying as a quick shower disrupted the session, Graham Heels and James Burland being the only other two drivers to set anywhere near representative times. Shaun Hazlewood, who always goes well at Donington, would line up 4th in front of Simon Hampton and Phil Astell.

Round 11 – Snetterton - Sunday 29 August

A slice of luck for Lewis and Lund

Competitors had a month's break after Donington to rest, repair and fettle machinery and as a result 45 cars visited Snetterton for the eleventh round. Julian Birley was back with his brutish 3.6 V6 24 valve 75 hoping for some reliability to go with his outright pace, while Adie Hawkins was having his first outing in the ex Simon Griffiths/Dave Streather/Andy Curtis Class B 33 16 valve.

The Class A cars were expected to use their grunt down the long runways to top the timesheets but no-one had told Tim Lewis or Bob Godbold who formed the front row. Lewis took pole in 1.17.91, a tenth under Godbold's lap record. Third overall and on pole in Class A was Julian Birley from Andy Page and Graham Presley. With Paul Buckley on holiday, Neil Smith was looking to consolidate his overall championship lead but Class C competition was very strong and Smith found himself in an unfamiliar third place behind the immaculate 33 of Anthony George and Ian Stapleton making a rare appearance in the venerable GTV. Drama struck in Class D as Roger Evans heard nasty noises coming from under the bonnet and left Chris Oxborough to take a comfortable pole.

Paul Lund and Nik Mantikas were split by and astonishing 0.001 seconds in Class F qualifying. Third went to class leader Andy Millar from James Burland and the surprise of the session: Steve Foley proving that being quick in a 75 does translate to a 33. Chris Finch was far more comfortable in Class E than should have been the case as Jeff Kite could not find gears and that left Andy Inman in second, continuing his progress in the 156.

Tim Lewis and Andy Page took up where they left off at Donington trading fastest laps at the front of the pack. Behind there was action all the way down the field and most interestingly Julian appeared to be winding up the 75, moving into third and starting to close in on the leaders. By the end of lap 5 Adie Hawkins was beginning to make progress after a poor start, passing Class C leaders Neil Smith and Anthony George and beginning to chase down Tony Soper’s GTV. Judging by qualifying Chris Oxborough was going to cruise to the Class D win but early on Chris started to hear worrying noises from the transmission which turned out to be the handbrake cable wrapping itself round the prop shaft! Surely one of the most bizarre mechanical failures of the year? Chris slowed allowing the similar 75 V6’s of Martin Williams and the ever improving Peter Sloan into first and second respectively.

Back at the front Julian was getting down to near lap record pace and was soon past Andy Page and Tim Lewis although Tim stayed in touch and kept the pressure on. On Lap 12 the wisps of smoke that had been emanating from Birley’s 75 became much larger and it coasted into the pits. Lewis took a fortunate overall victory comfortably ahead of Page and Godbold. The Adie Hawkins 33 came home a commendable fourth and entertained the crowd with some two wheel curb-hopping antics. Neil Smith was happy to concede the Class C win to Anthony George as his championship challenge was still well on course.

The story of the E-F race was Chris Finch’s Class E 156. His blinding start off the third row dispensed with everyone except Paul Lund and this effectively decided the Class F race as Paul was able to build a comfortable gap while 33’s bottled up behind the determined Finch. 2nd to 10th was covered by just 4 seconds and an entertaining battle ensued. Mantikas managed to get through but Lund was away and clear while a train including Andy Millar and James Burland at the front and Steve Fletcher and Emma Karwacki at the back diced, often wheel to wheel. Scariest moment of the race occurred on lap 8 when Millar attempted to create a gap inside Finch round the very fast Coram. As the cars approached Russell contact was made and Finch looked to be heading for the marshals post but thankfully slewed to a halt broadside across the track…phew!

Round 12 – Mallory Park - Sunday 12 September

Smith maintains title challenge

While being no reflection on the competitors present, Mallory Park was a poor reflection of what the Alfa Championship can and should be. There was a feeling this was a day to get through rather than enjoy.

Class E-F qualifying was, as usual, remarkably tight with the top six being covered by under a second. Chris Finch was clearly going to be the star of the weekend with the 156 16v and so nearly grabbed pole position with a blistering 56.08. That was half a second quicker than the Class E lap record set by Bryn Griffiths in the same car. Just pipping him however was Paul Lund with a 56.05, third was Nik Mantikas followed by Phil Astell and Jeff Kite who was second in Class E.

The battle for pole in A-D between Nick Sismey and Tim Lewis never materialised, as Lewis was late and only managed 4 laps. Sismey’s howling 1.9 litre 33 16v set a 52.32, well over a second clear of Lewis. Next up and taking Class A pole was Ian Brookfield from Neil Smith, Sam Laird and John Griffiths. All were in the 54s although Sam was disappointed not to be quicker as his 75 was now fitted with supercharged 3 litre 24 valve engine.

Lund and Finch led away the first race of the day but the man on the move was Jeff Kite in fourth who is starting to make such Alonso like starts his trademark. Light contact in the midfield during a Class F race is often unavoidable and relatively harmless but occasionally the lightest of touches in the wrong place at the wrong time can have serious consequences. This was the case as David Hughes and Steve Fletcher touched on the approach to the hairpin spearing Fletcher’s 33 into the barrier at unabated speed. Emma Karwacki had nowhere to go and collected the rebounding Fletcher resulting in two wrecked cars and Emma on her way to hospital for a check up (she was released later, bruised and battered but determined to fight another day).

After a long stoppage Paul Lund was away and clear again at the restart but behind him Phil Astell and Nik Mantikas were past Finch and looking to close the gap. Despite Nik managing to edge into second and take the fastest lap he had already lost too much time to Lund who took the flag 2.8 seconds ahead. Chris Finch won Class E and broke the lap record in the process (56.35) ahead of Jeff Kite and Andy Woodall.

Nick Sismey got a great start to lead away the A-D race but the clerk of the course ruled that it was just a bit too good and handed him a 10 second penalty. Despite this Nick continued to push but brake problems meant he couldn’t hold off Tim Lewis and led to his retirement on lap 13. Neil Smith completed a terrifying high-speed spin coming out of Gerards but miraculously kept off the armco and out of the lake to rejoin and battle back to second overall. This meant full points for Neil in Class C and a big boost to his overall championship hopes as Paul Buckley and Andy Millar had decided to pull out of the Mallory meeting.

Further back Kevin Evans in his 155 2.5 V6 capped a very competitive showing with second in Class C but not before a controversial moment with John Griffiths at the Esses left the latter’s 156 in a cloud of dust and out the race. Ian Brookfield and his team have shown total commitment in their Class A campaign with the “Big Yella” 164 and took a deserved first win, battling with Smith’s 156. This also kept the pressure on points leader Paul Buckley who could not afford any mistakes in the final two rounds. Unluckiest man of the day was Roger Evans who suffered drive shaft failure on lap 24 of 29, loosing a certain Class D win to Martin Williams in the process.

Round 13– Rockingham - Saturday 9th Octiber

The Championship’s first visit to Rockingham in 2003 had produced mixed reactions – interesting circuit with a 2.44 mile layout crowded into a very small overall area, 20 seconds flat-out motoring round part of the oval but with the negative of a ridiculously small and crowded paddock. The entry then had also been poor so we were determined to do better for our second visit. Happily, the final number that took to the track for qualifying was 41 – divided equally between A to D and E & F- while allocation of the outer paddock also gave us much more room – and closer proximity to the catering facilities as it was a very cold day!

A number of drivers had tested on Friday but when official qualifying got under way on Saturday morning it was soon clear that, barring the unforeseen, Andy Millar was going to dominate E & F proceedings with his David Thomas Garages prepared 33 8v. A surprising second quickest was David Hughes, albeit a massive 2.3” slower than Andy, who edged out Nikolaos Mantikas and James Burland, the latter in the leading 16v 33. Graham Heels emerged fifth quickest overall in his 146 Ti to lead Class E with Chris Finch’s 156 surprisingly far back behind the Class F cars of Alastair Iles, Phil Astell and Peter Woodard.

Nick Sismey went for a late flier to annexe pole position in A to D with the Lahoma 33 16v and was to share the front row with Tim Lewis’s Alfasud Sprint. Graham Presley was back on form with his 75 Turbo after a disappointing outing at Snetterton and with third quickest time led Class A ahead of Tony Soper (GTV) and Andy Page (Giulietta Turbo). Championship leader Neil Smith headed Class C in his 156, and just pipped Class D leader Roger Evans (155 3.0) on the time sheets. Sam Laird had hoped for a good day with his supercharged 75 3 litre but the car was soon in the pits with oiled up plugs.

Both races were to be of 20 minutes duration and the E & F start saw Chris Finch make a phenomenal start and the 156 was quickly up behind Nik Mantikas and Andy Millar. Andy wasted little time in taking over the lead but Nik held on all the way and at the finish was only just over 4 seconds adrift . Chris Finch was sliding his 156 around in somewhat lurid fashion but holding on to third in front of James Burland, a recovering David Hughes, Alastair Iles and Graham Heels . David and James were engaged in a fierce duel but this was to end with an engine problem for David with just a couple of laps to go. As the race progressed, Graham Heels lap times dropped and he was able to slip past James Burland and move to within two seconds of Chris Finch as he challenged for the Class E lead but was unable to get any closer before the flag came out. Alastair Iles finished a comfortable 5 th overall and 4 th in F ahead of Nick Suiter’s 146 (3 rd in E), Peter Woodard (5 th in F) and Mel Healey (6 th in F).

There was a long and cold wait for the A to D race as the Radical red flags delayed proceedings and dusk was approaching as the eventual twenty starters took to the track. It was Nick Sismey who lost out this time, not having the confidence in his brakes to battle it out with Tim Lewis, Graham Presley, Tony Soper and Andy Page into the first, tight, corner. However, Nick wasted little time in getting ahead of Andy and then homed in on Graham and Tony who were engaged in a most entertaining battle for third second place. On lap 4, Nick rushed into second behind Tim Lewis, setting a new Alfa lap record in the process but a lap later there was another shuffle as Graham Presley re-took second place. Tony Soper overshot the chicane and this resulted in yet another change-around with Nick back in second , the hard charging Andy Page third and Graham Presley fourth in front of Tony Soper and this was how it stayed to the finish, the flag coming out dead on the 6 o’clock curfew with the light deteriorating fast. Another win for Tim Lewis then but Nick Sismey was satisfied with second place and the lap record. Neil Smith took an easy Class C win and moved closer to the Championship title while Roger Evans had no real challenger in D.

A much more enjoyable visit to Rockingham, despite the low temperatures and the long wait for our second race. The general view seemed to be that circuit was remained interesting to race on with the rarity of the flat-out oval and everyone felt that a future visit would be well supported.

Rounds 14 / 15 – Brands Hatch - Saturday 6th& Sunday 7th November

Fireworks at Brands

A chilly double header in November with only mathematical chances for change in Class A and the overall championship should have produced small grids and slow times. What we got instead was over thirty cars and not a lap record left intact.

The two overall winners from the weekend and our new champion undoubtedly have immaculately prepared and very quick cars but this means nothing without quality behind the wheel. Tim Lewis, Lee Penn and Neil Smith were all a match for their machines around the busy little Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Qualifying for A-D held no surprises at the front as Tim Lewis blitzed round under the lap record and over 1.2 seconds clear of the rest. You could say the track was ideally suited to the nimble Sprint but then again is there a track it’s not suited to? Behind there was one of the best Class A qualifying battles of the year as Paul Buckley, Graham Presley and Tony Soper all took turns at the front. Paul looked to have it in the bag with a couple of minutes left but was black flagged for oil smoke and that was enough time for Graham and Tony to squeeze ahead by just a tenth.

Back luck struck potential Class B front runner Nick Sismey who pulled off after just four laps with terminal gearbox issues. Ian Stapleton was also having mechanical difficulties with his C Class GTV and was way off the pace leaving Neil Smith with a clear class pole from Chris Snowden and a returning Simon Arber, swapping 75 3 litre for 156 twin spark. Roger Evans was lonely but fast as ever in Class D.

E-F had a fresh look and two very fresh looking 33s at the front. The Adie Hawkins prepared cars of Lee Penn and Dean Spurr, both making their debuts this season were split by Paul Lund.

Graham Presley launched his turbo 75 from the outside of the front row to take a brief lead in the first A-D race but Tim Lewis was soon back in front after a brave move round the outside into Paddock. From there it was game over as Lewis stretched away to win by 17 seconds and take the Class B lap record with a 53.39 on lap 5. Behind it looked like Tony Soper’s GTV may challenge for second but this faded into retirement by lap 15. Ian Brookfield put in a stirring drive from the back of the field to fourth but it wasn’t enough to stop the final undecided class going to Paul Buckley. Neil Smith was immaculate as ever and became a worthy Alfa Romeo champion and behind him Roger Evans battled with the 156s and broke the Class D Brands Indy record, lapping in 57.46 early in the race.

Damaged Class F cars and Brands seem to go together and unfortunately this weekend was no different. At Druids on the first lap Ray Foley tangled with Graham Heels leaving both deep in the sandpit. Worse was to come next time round as Alan Hudd lost the back of his 33 down paddock, dug into the gravel and gently rolled. Alan was fine apart from some bruised fingers but the red flag duly came out much to the delight of James Burland who had a second chance after a scary mid pack moment. At the front the restart had little effect on Lee Penn who controlled a slender lead to the flag ahead of Paul Lund and Nik Mantikas. Jeff Kite’s 75 had a clear run to Class E after the early exit of the Heels 146.

Lewis and Presley lead away the third Alfa race of the weekend from a fast starting Neil Smith, while Keith Waite showed well in the early running. The interest of the race was provided by Tony Soper and Adie Hawkins, both starting from the back after retirements. Adie’s beautiful 16v 33 screamed through the field, dealing with traffic in a distinctly Class F way and having a nice tussle with Presley on the way to second (the power of the BLS 75 surprising Hawkins in an exciting wheel to wheel moment on the pit straight). Tim Lewis meanwhile was having a rest and things were getting close at the front. This encouraged Adie Hawkins and Graham Presley to set fastest laps, the latter being a new Class A record, before the 75 retired on lap 14. Tony Soper took his 3.3 litre GTV to a hard earned class win while Neil Smith really let loose after wrapping up the championship and lapped in 56.27 on lap 2 to break the Class C record at Brands.

Lee Penn appeared to have selected reverse as the lights went out for Sunday's E-F race leaving Paul Lund a clear lead for the early laps. Although Penn recovered to second it looked as though Lund was in control but further back in the pack a very heated battle was about to boil over. Jeff Kite had made a stunning start, using the 75 twin spark’s rear drive to catapult forward a number a rows and then attempted to hold back the 33 hoards. This made for exciting but slightly concerning viewing as moves became ever more robust. As Phil Astell attempted to move inside Kite on the run to Druids contact was made resulting in the 33 of Astell spearing off sharp left at an alarming rate. Quite correctly every care was taken by the medics and the race was duly stopped although Phil was soon back in the paddock looking fine if a little sore. The restart over eight minutes was declared a new race and Lund lead away again but Lee Penn took advantage of this second chance with the move of the weekend into Druids. A nice faint to the outside was followed by a full blooded lunge and Lund played his part by giving just enough room - good racing. The final two lap records were broken by Penn (57.67) and Kite (59.05), who proved there was plenty of life left in the 75 after a manic battle with the ever entertaining David Hughes.