The final two races of the Covid shortened 2020 championship took place as usual at the Silverstone Finals meeting and attracted our best entry of the year in both numbers and quality. The championship was to be decided between leader Benn Tilley and former champion Steve Maxted, their cars bookending the classic f3 period’s development perfectly. Out for the first time this year were Conor Murphy (ex Mike White March 803), Tony Hancock (Lola T670), Keith White (ex de Angelis Ralt RT1), Paul Smith (Ralt RT3) and Hugh Price (ex Warwick Chevron B38). Sadly testing the previous day ended the hopes of Fraser Grey (ex Gilbert-Scott Ralt RT3) when the VW engine decided to end it’s season early and David Shaw who blew a head gasket in his ex Piquet Ralt RT1. Efforts to find a replacement for Fraser failed leaving the Scotsman with just the long trip home to look forward to. The URS chaps were down in numbers this week but pleased to see Steve Nichols back following his Cadwell shunt and the addition of Murray Shepherd in the Hancock VDRF82 and Eric Pagano VDRF82. Missing was champion Ben Stiles.

Qualifying began early on a dry but chilly track with rumours of 57 second laps needed to be at the front. That raised a few eyebrows in the paddock but it soon became clear it was what was needed as the bar was pushed into the 50 second bracket, finally being left at 57.571 seconds. Pole finally went to newcomer Murphy, a splendid effort on his F3 debut, closely followed by Andy Smith, a new engine following the Oulton failure. Tilley, Hancock, Maxted, Wrigley, Thorburn, White and Paul Smith, the top nine all under 60 seconds. The final two cars, both in the 60 second bracket, were Price and Dibden who struggled with brake problems in the ex Sears Glover Oil Argo JM6. Hugh Price joked that he was 0.4 sec faster than last year when he was third and was now 11th! The URS cars lined up behind the F3’s in the order Mercer, also under last years times, Pagano, Shepherd, Wood, Nichols and Toft.

Race 1 started cleanly following the usual rolling start and at the end of lap 1 it was Hancock who led, just, from Murphy and Andy Smith with the rest in a long line behind. By lap two both Murphy and Andy Smith had passed Hancock and a couple of laps later Tilley got by as well. Smith now pressed Murphy hard and on lap 12 finally found a way by when Murphy couldn’t find 5th gear and pulled a small gap until lap 17 when the Smith March lost all drive and coasted into the pits. Hancock had already retired with a dead battery and all this activity left Murphy to take the win from Tilley and a delighted Maxted who had kept his championship hopes alive with third. Thorburn was next, as usual enjoying driving the RT3 making the long trip from Scotland worthwhile, followed by Wrigley, White, Paul Smith and Dibden, now with some brakes and Price who got pushed wide on lap one at the hairpin was passed by the FF2K cars and found his car slow on the straight so couldn’t get by again. Andy Smith took fastest lap at 57.386 seconds on his last lap. In the URS race pole sitter Mercer and Shepherd battled the whole race with Shepherd getting ahead at the start and just holding off Mercer at the flag by less than 1 second. Pagano slowly dropped away from these two but held on for third ahead of Wood, Nichols and Toft.

Overnight Andy Smith fixed a broken gearbox input shaft and Hancock added an extra battery so everyone got a second race. When the grid was published it mirrored qualifying not finishing positions in race 1, leaving some drivers unhappy and you had to feel for Maxted who had to find 4 points more than Tilley to take the championship and found himself starting fifth again. The moral of this is read the Final Instructions carefully. At the start Andy Smith took the lead from Murphy and Tilley and at the end of lap one they headed Wrigley, Maxted, Hancock, Shepherd in the lead URS, Thorburn, White, Dibden, a slow starting Paul Smith and Price. On lap three it was Murphy’s turn to hit trouble when the coil failed and he coasted in to retire leaving Andrew Smith with a handy gap to the pack. By lap four Hancock had moved up to third from sixth and eventually took second from Tilley who with Maxted in fifth and Wrigley between them had the championship in his grasp. The following Thorburn, Dibden and White battle was still raging until lap 14 when Paul Smith had a breakage leaving him with his three wheeled RT3 stranded at Copse. Paul fortunately was fine but the safety car was deployed and with the race end in sight the red flag was shown to end the season early leaving Andy Smith to lead Hancock, Tilley who was 2020 champion, Wrigley, Maxted, Thorburn, Dibden, White and Price home. In the URS trophy Shepherd and Mercer continued their race 1 scrap, getting amongst the F3 at times, and finished in that order. Pagano again took third a few seconds back leaving the remaining runners a lap down in the order Wood, Nichols and Toft. So ended the shortest and most unusual racing year any of us can remember. At least it closed on a high.

Thanks must go to the HSCC for managing to organise some racing in these challenging times and to all those who took part. Congratulations to Benn Tilley on winning at his first attempt, (Benn also won the Roger Andreason Chevron Trophy for pre 79 cars), please come back next year and defend it, and to Steve Maxted for pushing him so hard. Hopefully next year we will have a more “normal” year so now is the time to start getting your Classic F3 and URS car ready for next year so you can join the fun.