Knockhill 21st August 2022 Race Reports
The usual SMRC Scottish championships were joined by Scottish Legends Cars Championship, they normally race with KMSC, but it was good to see them back. Racing was good all day, and the sun was shining though it was breezy.
Scottish Mini Cooper Cup and Cooper S R53 Cup in association with Project 21 Detailing, supported by Yokohama Tyres & Wheels Around.
Race 1, 12 laps
The three Cooper S class cars led the field away. They stayed close all race, often running nose to tail each lap. Craig Blake led from pole, then brother Jamie took over on lap 3 going up the hill. Andrew Lamont was right with them in 3rd. They flew in this close formation until lap 9 then Craig regained the lead and held on all the way to the flag. Lamont dropped back a couple of car lengths from lap 9, but at the finish just 1.6 seconds covered them all. Craig said, ‘ it was hard work, these two were pushing me hard. Its good to see close racing and no contact, it proves it can be done’.
In the Mini Cooper Cup, Champion Michael Weddell had qualified last (15th ) after technical problems, and a fluid leak meant he didn’t get on track for this race, as his car was back being repaired. Chad Little his main title rival was on pole, but Neil Hose beat him into Duffus to lead. Hose led a 4 car train at the front with Chad Little, Ian Munro and Jack Irvine, which slowly pulled 2 seconds clear of Gordon Long, who had Daniel Paterson on his bumper. On lap 6 this all changed. Neil Hose still led but as the pack exited the chicane two cars behind him clashed and fired off, and the third slowed, so Gordon Long and Daniel Paterson raced past them and took over 2nd and 3rd, but they quickly had Ian Munro and Chad Little for company. Around 4 seconds back was Ewan Robertson, with Ryan Smith on his bumper. Back at the front, Hose was over 3 seconds clear on lap 8. This lap we had 4 cars again squabbling over 2nd. Munro moved past Paterson to run 3rd and a lap later he was 2nd . He stayed there chasing Hose, who was away down the road. Chad Little got into 3rd on the last lap, leaving Long to again hold off Paterson. Into 6th came Ryan Smith, he’d passed Ewan Roberson on lap 9 and pulled out a couple of seconds gap. Dan Martin nipped past Robertson late on and they finished nose to tail in 7th and 8th.
Race 2, 12 laps
Cooper S class Craig Blake led lap one chased by Jamie Blake, but he lost 2nd at the hairpin to Andrew Lamont. On lap 3 Lamont took the lead at Clark corner. Jamie Blake moved into 2nd on lap 5. The top 3 were still running nose to tail, then Jamie took the lead on lap 7 at Clark diving up the inside. On lap 9 Craig took over at the front, and on the last lap the two brothers swapped places a couple of times. Craig Blake won by less than a tenth of a second from Jamie Blake. In 3rd Andrew Lamont was just over a second back. It had been a good tussle for the S class.
The 16 Mini Cooper Cup cars had their own battle behind the S cars. Neil Hose led with Ian Munro and Chad Little right behind him. Michael Weddell started last, but rocketed through the field. He passed 6 cars on lap 1, and by lap 4 was 5th in this class, having passed 11 cars. Lap 3 saw him work through a 5 car train in no time. Up front Hose led from Munro and Little, with Daniel Paterson 4th but 2 seconds back. Then on lap 6 Hose went wide exiting MacIntyres and was on the dirt. He lost 3 places as Munro now led from Little, and Paterson was now right with these two. Hose was around 2 seconds back with Michael Weddell on his bootlid. The front three ran nose to tail, but Weddell moved up to 4th on lap 9, leaving Hose in 5th heading a 3 car train with Gordon Long and Jack Irvine for company. Weddell closed down a 2 second gap to be right with the leading group, but it was now the last lap. The top 3 all went in tight at the final corner, defending the line. So in 4th Weddell went on a wide line at the hairpin, and slipped past Paterson to take 3rd. The winner was Chad Little who had got past Ian Munro on lap 7 at Clark. Weddell was 3rd but post race this became 2nd as the 2nd placed driver on the road Ian Munro received a 3 second penalty, dropping him to 5th behind Daniel Paterson and Neil Hose. In 6th Jack Irvine was also top newcomer. He’d started at the back of the grid one place ahead of Weddell, and had put in a determined drive passing 9 cars. He was only half a second behind Hose.
Race 3 Cooper Cup cars only – 9 laps
This race had a reversed grid for the top 7 Cooper Cup finishers in race 2. Gordon Long was on pole, but was beaten to the lead by top newcomer Jack Irvine. Gordon Long then came under pressure from Ian Munro, as race leader Irvine slowly got clear of the pack. On lap 3 Munro took 2nd and headed a 5 car train fighting over 2nd . Race leader Irvine was now 2 seconds clear. Gordon Long grab 3rd with Michael Weddell a close 4th . Then came Chad Little with Daniel Paterson on his bootilid, and 2 car lengths back was Ryan Smith. On lap 3 Chad Little took 4th from Michael Weddell late on in this pack. But a lap late Weddell retook 4th and was only 2 car lengths behind 3rd placed Long, who was sitting on Munro’s bootlid. On lap 5, into 5th came Neil Hose. He had been 4th on Lap 1 then ran wide at Clark and lost a few places. He’d dropped to 8th by lap 2, so this was a fight back. By lap 6 Irvine was well clear leading by over 4 seconds, Munro, Long and Weddell ran nose to tail disputing 2nd . They had a second gap to Hose who had Little on his bootlid, then 2 car lengths back was Ryan Smith. One lap later Michael Weddell got up the inside of Gordon Long at Clark corner to be 3rd . But he didn’t get past Ian Munro who held 2nd to the flag, as Jack Irvine won with ease. Gordon Long took 4th a couple of seconds behind Weddell. We saw Neil Hose drop back on lap 8 leaving Ryan Smith to finish 5th , but Hose took 6th on the final lap beating Daniel Paterson by a tenth of a second. Chad Little dropped to 8th late on after running 5th on lap 6. Jack Irvine remarked that it was alright, though his tyres were going off in the last 4 or 5 laps, but he liked the battles. Ian Munro said it was quite a calm race and he was happy with 2nd.
SMTA Citroen C1 Cup
Race 1 – 10 laps + 2 safety car laps
Sam Corson led away from pole as the 17 cars all ran close on lap 1. Ayden Wilson was slow away
and got swamped, dropping from 2nd to 10th. This let in Finlay Brunton and he was rapidly on Corson’s bumper. These two then spent the rest of the race tied together. They also moved quickly away from the cars behind, and had a 2 second gap by lap 3. They extended this to 3 seconds by lap 6. Then we had a safety car period of a couple of laps, to recover Gordon Melville from the gravel at MacInytres, but he drove away so any damage was minimal. Racing was soon back on, and the front two got quickly clear of the pack, who loitered on the restart lap. Brunton took the lead on lap 9 at the hairpin, but on the last lap he went wide exiting Macintyre and Sam Corson was back leading, and went on to win the race. Into 2nd came James Hitchen, he’d run 3rd all race, constantly under pressure from champion Ross Dunn. Brunton kept his foot on it and regained the circuit in 4th but retook 3rd late on, leaving Dunn a close 4th. Thomas Comber held 4th on lap 1, was passed by Ross Dunn at the hairpin on lap 2 and then stayed close in 5th , with Andrew Davidson on his tail in 6th from lap 4, after he’d passed Henry Gillespie who would finish 9th. But late on Paul Winfield passed Davidson for 6th . It had been an entertaining race. Sam Corson said it was good fun, a fantastic battle with Finlay. While Finlay Brunton said it was his fault at MacIntyres and lesson learnt.
Race 2 – 5 laps
New for 2022 is a reversed grid in race 2, following a draw like Mini Cooper Cup cars.
The top 8 finishers from race 1 were reversed on the grid. Pole sitter Max Watt dropped to 3rd on lap 1 as Andrew Davidson led from Paul Winfield. Davidson was never headed, in a race that would be shortened by a red flag stopping the action. Finlay Brunton started well going from 6th to 4th . He took 3rd on lap 2 and then 2nd at MacInytres on lap 5. The race was stopped as lap 7 began as Thomas Comber rolled his car at Butchers when running 8th and in a 6 car train disputing 3rd. The race results were tracked back to the end of lap 5, which benefitted Max Watt who had spun exiting the chicane on lap 6 and dropped back from 3rd on the road. Post race Brunton was excluded on a technical issue. So we had Davidson winning from Max Watt, then Paul Winfield and James Hitchen. Only half a second covered 2nd to 4th. Next up came Championship contenders Ross Dunn who was 5th and Sam Corson 6th.
Scottish Fiesta ST Cup supported by Reis Motorsport Insurance, Yokohama tyres and Wheels Around
Race 1 – 7 laps (restarted after red flag)
This race was run over 7 laps after it was initially red flagged at the end of lap 5. Then Liam McGill had led from Steven Gray with Kieren Preedy 3rd but he pitted on lap 4. Then Stephen Ward went off when running down the field on the approach to MacIntyres. The officials stopped the race. So a new race would be run.
Steven Gray beat Liam McGill into Duffus and led all race. There was around 5 car lengths between them from lap 4. These two eased away from the field. Iain Blackley held 3rd all the way despite Andrew Mackie staying close to him in 4th. Into 5th came Gerald Hendry, who had restarted in 6th and took 5th from Brody Orr on lap 6, after sitting on his bumper from the start. The commentators thought Orr was slower up the hill, but quicker around the bends. Orr took 6th ahead of veteran Peter Cruickshank in 7th, who held off Lorn Murray then Kieren Preedy who took 8th late on. Steven Gray said he was saved by the red flag as he didn’t think he’d catch him (McGill). Then got off the line quicker on the restart.
Race 2 – 12 laps
Liam McGill beat Steven Gray into Duffus and took the race lead. He kept it all the way to the flag. Gray was around 5 car lengths behind for much of the race, which extended to 10 lengths by lap 7, but Gray closed the gap over the final 2 laps to under a second. There was an early battle over 3rd. Iain Blackley held it until lap 4 under pressure from Gerald Henry, who passed him and slowly got clear. This left Blackley in 4th to fend off Kieren Preedy for the rest of the race, and they finished only a couple of tenths apart. In 6th was Andrew Mackie who survived lots of early pressure from Broddy Orr, then slowly got a 1.5 second gap over Orr by the flag. Liam McGilll said that after the 1st race we had engine overheating issues, but steel sealant in the radiator and it held together. Gerald Hendry said that it was the first weekend in this car, and after an initial qualifying down in 7th for race 1, to get a podium here was really good.
Scottish Classic Sports and Saloon Car Championship in association with Edinburgh Watch Company
Race 1 – 12 laps
David Brown was on pole in the TVR Griffith, but front row qualifier John Kinmond was a dns as his diff had gone in the big Rover saloon. Brown led all the way from lights to the chequered flag. He was chased by Andrew Graham in the TR8, but was 3 seconds clear by lap 2. He doubled his lead by lap 5 and finished just over 14 seconds ahead at the end. The TR8 got away from guest Martin Reynolds in his Escort MK2 with its wide arches. There was a battle over 4th . Mario Ferrari was back with a real a 308GTB. He was 6th on lap 1 then moved up past Charlie Cope’s VW Golf and Alasdair Coates MGB GT on lap 2. But on lap 5 the Ferrari pulled off the circuit at Leslie’s. This left Charlie Cope 4th about 3 seconds ahead of Alasdair. During the next 5 laps the MG closed on the Golf and passed it on lap 10. But on the last lap they swapped places. Then Alasdair retook the place to be 4th. Charlie Cope was 5th winning his class. Craig Houston’s Lotus Eclat which had moved up to 6th then Adam Kinmond in a Rover SD1 from Jimmy Crow’s MGB GT.
Race 2 – 12 laps
The TVR of Kenneth Brown again led all the way, and won as he pleased by over 17 seconds. Andrew Graham was 2nd all race in the TR8 and eased away from Martin Reynolds Escort MK2. Into 4th came Charlie Cope, his VW Golf was a few car lengths ahead of Alasdair Coates MGB GT until lap 10 when the MG got past. Charlie finished 5th but importantly won his class again. In 6th was Craig Houston with his Lotus Excel less than 2 seconds back. Adam Kinmond had the only Rover SD1 saloon in the race and ran 7th early on before having a moment at the hairpin and dropping back. Jimmy Crow then took 7th and diced with Nikki Dickson’s Lotus Cortina MK1. Dickson passed him on lap 6 but Jimmy regained the spot two laps later. They finished close at the end of the race. Duncan O’Neil won the XR2 class again. Ian Mitchell won class A again with the Nova in 10th behind Michael Andersons Fiesta.
Scottish Legends Cars Championship
Heat 1 – 8 laps.
The grid was drawn at random and Billy Wait led a tight bunch at the front on lap 1. In 2nd was Ben McNeice, and he took the lead on lap 2.Wait ran 2nd with Ben Mason a close 3rd .On lap 3 Mason took the lead at Clark corner. But chasing up through the pack was championship leader Stewart Black. He’d started 10th and was up to 3rd by lap 3, and sitting on McNeice’s bumper. He took the lead on lap 5 having passed McNeice a lap earlier. Ben Mason stayed right with him and they ran nose to tail for a couple of laps, then Mason retook the lead on lap 7 and held on for a narrow win. He was just over a tenth of a second ahead of Ryan McLeish, who had started 12th and grabbed 2nd on the last lap demoting Stewart Black to 3 rd . The top three were covered by less than half a second. Into 4th came Ben McNeice who had dropped a few seconds back but was clear of the 5th place battle as Billy Wait held off Pino Palazzo, with Brent Bowie less than a second back in 7th.
Heat 2 – 8 laps
This race had a good close battle at the front for all 8 laps. The grid was reversed from race 1. Ryan
McLeish was on pole and led lap 1, with Stewart Black tied to his bumper. Black took the lead on lap 2 but less than a second behind in 3rd was Ben Mason. He had shot up from 8th grid spot to be 3rd on lap 1. He stayed at this gap behind the 2 leaders until the last lap. McLeish had regained the lead on lap 4 and had Black all over him. On the last lap Mason went for an overtake at the final corner the hairpin, he made it into 2nd but Ryan McLeish held on for a close win. Only 4 tenths of a second covered the top 3 at the flag. It was another quality race at the front. Over 10 seconds down the road was another 3 car battle over 4th . Billy Wait took the place having battled with Pino Palazzo all race and they swapped places mid race, before he retook 4th on the final lap. Pino dropped to 6th as Ben McNeice out dragged him to the line on the final lap. McNeice had slowly caught the battle over 4th reducing a large gap during the race, having started near the back of the grid.
The Final 10 laps.
The highest points scorers of the day start at the back of the final. So overtaking is guaranteed. Peter McKernan led lap 1 as a train of cars chased him. With a magical first lap from Stewart Black and Ryan McLeish they went from the back of the grid to the front. Black was leading on lap 2 and
McLeish up to 2nd in a lap, helped by a car going off at Butchers. Black and McLeish rapidly pulled away from the field. Ben McNeice took 3rd on lap 3 from McKernan, who held off Mark French for a couple of laps, then French took 4th on lap 6. Into the picture late on came Ben Mason. He’d started 12th but was held up and still ran 11th on lap 2. He moved up but was only 8th by mid race, and there was a second gap here and there between mid field runners. On lap 7 he took 5th from McKernan, and then he sat on Mark French’s boot and passed him at Clark corner also on lap 7. He was now 4th but too far back to get near the top 3 and was around 7 seconds behind McNeice at the flag. The top 2 were out of sight, as McLeish won by 2 tenths of a second from Black.
Kevin Pick
SMRC