By David Addison
The Masters Historic Racing season blasted into life in early April as part of the annual Catalan Classic Festival.
A superb grid of 31 cars helped to make the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship a superb spectacle, with Steve Hartley the man who won both races in his Arrows A4. Simon Fish (Ensign N180) claimed pole position ahead of local hero Joaquin Folch (Brabham BT49C), with Michael Lyons taking the family-owned Hesketh 308E to third and Pre-1978 class pole.
Lyons led away but the Hesketh hit electrical problems on lap nine allowing Fish to inherit the place. The Unipart-liveried car didn’t survive, though, mechanical problems sending Fish pit-bound. Masters returnee Hartley took over at the front with Folch glued to his tail, the two squabbling for the lead.
Behind them, Belgian touring car legend Jean-Michel Martin reminded people that he is as quick as ever by taking his unloved Fittipaldi F8 to third, while Katsu Kubota’s Lotus 72 was top of the 1978 class.
Hartley was unstoppable in race two as the Ragno-liveried Arrows secured a second win with Martin pushing him hard. Folch bagged third, but the star of the race was Lyons who started at the rear of the grid and stormed up to fourth and a Pre-1978 division win after an impressive drive.
The other Masters classes were dominated by Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield whose trophy collection chinked its way across Barcelona Airport in Sunday night. Three wins fell to the Anglo-Greek duo, their win in the opening round of the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship coming from pole position as their Lola T70 Mk3B dominated the race.
The ex-Sid Taylor Lola T70 Mk3B of Carlos Monteverde/Gary Pearson qualified second but couldn’t stave off the attack of the similar T70 of Jason Wright/Andy Wolfe which assumed second place, while American Charles Nearburg defeated many giants in his Lola T212 on his way to third ahead of Andy Newall’s Chevron B8. The best of the Pre-66 cars was the Lola T70 Spyder of Pedro Macedo Silva.
Wright and Wolfe paired up for the Gentlemen Drivers Pre-‘66 GT opener and bagged pole position their AC Cobra outpacing the similar car of Voyazides/Hadfield. However, a problem with Wright’s Cobra sent it pit-bound. That allowed Voyazides/Hadfield to dominate the race and claim honours from Carlos Monteverde/Gary Pearson (Jaguar E-type) and Jamie Boot who shared his TVR Griffith with former Formula 3 racer Martin O’Connell.
Pre-‘66 Touring Car honours also went the way of Voyazides and Hadfield as their Ford Falcon bested the similar car of Mike Gardiner/Phil Keen. Former Superkart ace Gardiner led early on but once Voyazides powered past, there was no stopping him. Gardiner/Keen too second while Graham Wilson/Andy Wolfe secured third in Wilson’s Lotus Cortina.
The Masters ‘70s Celebration runners joined a local and eclectic mix of cars in the Trofeo del Arco but established Masters racer Mark Bates (Porsche 911 RSR) was the man to beat winning both parts.
Bates took honours in part one from local ace Manuel Hermida (BMW M3), with Paul Pochiol/Jeremy Welch third in Pochiol’s Jaguar XJ12. Welcome visitors were the TR8 Squadron but luck wasn’t with them: Graham Miller failed to make the race and Baku-based Willy Toye retired eight laps in. Barry Riddell upheld the team’s honour taking fifth. Bates secured victory in race two, Hermida chasing him home once again while Tom Pochiol (Ford Capri) took third, while his dad, Paul, took sixth this time in his Esso-liveried Capri.
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