NEWS
AC/GN ‘Cognac’ the toast of the VSCC Autumn Sprint
Wednesday 28 October 2015
The rain could not deter Tony Lees as he piloted the ex-Ron Footitt AC/GN Special ‘Cognac’ to an impressive ‘Fastest Time of Day’ at the Autumn Sprint Speed Season Finale at Goodwood on Saturday 24 October.
The Leicestershire-based racer mastered the testing conditions as he overcame the challenge of the much-fancied ERA R4A of Nick Topliss to take the victory, with a trio of Morgan Three Wheeler Competitors hard on their heels, led by Sue Darbyshire, a winner in the wet back in 2013.
Practice passed with little incident as the entry of over 100 Pre-war and Historic Racing and Sports-Cars enjoyed running in the mild, dry morning before a rain shower at the end of the session and across the Lunch Break ensured a challenging afternoon ahead. The treacherous conditions were soon apparent with a number of ‘offs’ amongst the early runners, with drivers claiming the track to be extremely slippery and impossible to read, many finding themselves drifting sideways on the greasy surface, even on the straights.
Fortunately there were no injuries to any drivers, with only damage to metal and pride to report. However, the number of incidents throughout and subsequent recovery time meant that progress was slow and the sensible decision to curtail the competition to a single timed run was taken, met with no resistance from the day’s participants.
Unsurprisingly, experience appeared to be the ultimate telling factor, with a number of Class leaders from across the season enjoying success on the day, including victories for Kevin Morton’s Riley 9 Special, Dudley Sterry in his HRS and David Pryke’s dominant Morgan/Riley 4/4 amongst the Sports-Car classes, and Julian Grimwade’s Frazer Nash Norris Special a winner again in the Racing Car classes, whilst experienced Historic racer, Spike Milligan topped the Post-war Class in his Connaught A7.
But it was Lees who prevailed, expertly sliding his chain-driven Vintage machine around the challenging circuit to beat the Pre-event favourite ERA by over a second, as R4A struggled to put down the power out of the corners on the damp surface. Following victory at the season opening Curborough Speed Trials in May, it was a bookended success for ‘Cognac’ across the Club’s 2015 Speed calendar.
We would like to thank all Competitors and Spectators who attended, and all the Senior Officials, Marshals and other volunteers who gave up their time to ensure another safe and enjoyable day of Vintage motorsport.
Provisional Results are now available to download from the event page, where you can also view a selection of photos from the day (CLICK HERE).
You can also read a report and review a selection of photos from Mark Willison of All Car Central Automotive Magazine Online (CLICK HERE).
Practice passed with little incident as the entry of over 100 Pre-war and Historic Racing and Sports-Cars enjoyed running in the mild, dry morning before a rain shower at the end of the session and across the Lunch Break ensured a challenging afternoon ahead. The treacherous conditions were soon apparent with a number of ‘offs’ amongst the early runners, with drivers claiming the track to be extremely slippery and impossible to read, many finding themselves drifting sideways on the greasy surface, even on the straights.
Fortunately there were no injuries to any drivers, with only damage to metal and pride to report. However, the number of incidents throughout and subsequent recovery time meant that progress was slow and the sensible decision to curtail the competition to a single timed run was taken, met with no resistance from the day’s participants.
Unsurprisingly, experience appeared to be the ultimate telling factor, with a number of Class leaders from across the season enjoying success on the day, including victories for Kevin Morton’s Riley 9 Special, Dudley Sterry in his HRS and David Pryke’s dominant Morgan/Riley 4/4 amongst the Sports-Car classes, and Julian Grimwade’s Frazer Nash Norris Special a winner again in the Racing Car classes, whilst experienced Historic racer, Spike Milligan topped the Post-war Class in his Connaught A7.
But it was Lees who prevailed, expertly sliding his chain-driven Vintage machine around the challenging circuit to beat the Pre-event favourite ERA by over a second, as R4A struggled to put down the power out of the corners on the damp surface. Following victory at the season opening Curborough Speed Trials in May, it was a bookended success for ‘Cognac’ across the Club’s 2015 Speed calendar.
We would like to thank all Competitors and Spectators who attended, and all the Senior Officials, Marshals and other volunteers who gave up their time to ensure another safe and enjoyable day of Vintage motorsport.
Provisional Results are now available to download from the event page, where you can also view a selection of photos from the day (CLICK HERE).
You can also read a report and review a selection of photos from Mark Willison of All Car Central Automotive Magazine Online (CLICK HERE).
