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14th August
Twenty drivers contested two races, both of which ended in victories for Stan Bernard (Porsche 911).
This maintained his position at the head of the overall championship. His closest rival, John Marshall,
suffered engine failure at the end of practice and was unable to start either race. This would prove to be decisive at the end of the season.
Harry Simpson entertained the crowd in a guest drive of Willie Robertson’s Datsun 240Z, coming second in race one. He achieved fastest lap in race two, but failed to finish due to gearbox problems.
Alasdair Coates joined the championship in a Jensen Healey, previously campaigned by Bob Trotter in the
HSCC 70’s Road Sports series.
3rd & 4th September
The attraction of large crowds brought twenty-nine cars to the grid of two non-championship races, held during the BTCC weekend. Barry Riddell (TR8) had his first victory, in race one, and finished second to Andy Smith (Morgan +8) in the second outing.
Sadly, there was considerable damage to the cars of Ian Morton and Liz Swan, the result of being struck by the fast-starting Caterham of Derek Hastings which began race two at the back of the grid.
National TV exposure provided an excellent platform to promote Scottish Classic racing to spectators and future competitors.
10th September
Perhaps inevitably, the concentration of events during the previous six weeks meant that fewer competitors
than normal entered this meeting. Damp conditions prevailed during practice and race one, however they improved for the second race. Close battles were evident, especially between Robin Benn (Capri) and Tim Reid’s Marcos. The Gilmour Austin A30, making its’ first appearance, added to the already diverse range of machinery.
John Marshall returned to his winning routine, followed closely by Stan Bernard in each race.
Class A was won by George Leitch (Mini Ogle) and Roger Motherwell (Alfasud) in races one and two respectively.
Willy Toye’s TR8 maintained a period of fine reliability as top Class D entry.
9th October
Twenty-five starters at the final Championship event was very respectable, considering the long season - associated costs - and mechanical maladies which had befallen some potential entrants.
Stan Bernard had almost guaranteed the overall championship before the start of racing – he only needed to finish race one. He did so in style, as runner-up to John Marshall. Andy Smith won race two with Marshall and Bernard second and third.
The highly competitive action throughout was very satisfying for on-lookers – I’m sure it was similarly rewarding for drivers. Donald Laird (Lotus Elan) led Tim Reid (Marcos) by 0.1 seconds at the end of race one,
followed by Richard Merrell (Alfa Giulia GT) merely 0.6 seconds adrift ! Laird had a similarly close end to race two, only 0.2 seconds behind the TVR3000M of Matthew Gordon.
Final Championship positions :
Class C & overall Stan Bernard (Porsche 911)
Class A Roger Motherwell (Alfasud Sprint)
Class B John Marshall (Ford Escort)
Class D Andy Smith (Morgan +8)
Photos
#73 Andy Smith
#68 Roger Motherwell
#1 John Marshall
#4 Stan Bernard
#15 Donald Laird
#46 Robin Benn , #14 Tim Reid
Scottish Classics will also appear in two races on 30th October, organised by The Knockhill Motor Sports Club.
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