On the weekend where British Racing Motors (BRM) celebrated its 75th anniversary, Andy Willis appropriately guided one of its machines to the headline prize in the showpiece Historic Gold Cup this afternoon (Sunday).
At the wheel of a BRM P48-7, owned by fellow racer Charles McCabe, Willis had finished third in the initial heat on Saturday. This placed him behind Sam Wilson and Rudi Friedrichs on aggregate times ahead of today’s 20-minute contest.
Friedrichs made the best start in his Cooper T53, launching past Wilson’s Lotus 20/22, to lead as the pack streamed into Old Hall. But misfortune awaited each of the leading duo, with Wilson dropping out of the race with just two laps completed.
After the Lotus retired, this left Friedrichs with a little breathing room, but he was only able to continue for a further lap before slowing on the run down The Avenue and bringing the car to a stop on the Fosters Circuit.
From there, Willis was left to drive home to the chequered flag to claim both a race and aggregate win, fittingly at the wheel of a BRM.
Peter Horsman inherited second in his Lotus 18/21, following a spirited display in which his car displayed lively body language on several laps. He was just ahead of Tom Dark’s Cooper T51 by the time the race finished. Geoff Underwoood and Rod Jolley completed the top-five.
Behind that, Mark Daniell and Nick Topliss crossed the line sixth and seventh just under a second apart in sixth and seventh with Eddie Williams and Teifion Salisbury just a little further back. McCabe finished 10th but briefly joined Willis on the podium as the owner of the winning car.
Historic Grand Prix Car Association ‘Historic Gold Cup’ Race 2
- Andy Willis, BRM P48-7
- Peter Horsman, Lotus 18/21, +11.746s
- Tom Dark, Cooper T51, +13.838s
- Geoff Underwood, Cooper T53, +20.821s
- Rod Jolley, Cooper T53, +30.581s
- Mark Daniell, Cooper T45, +48.573s
- Nick Topliss, Cooper T53 Low Line, +49.235s
- Eddie Williams, Cooper T43, +1m11.735s
- Teifion Salisbury, Lotus 18, +1m45.505s
- Charles McCabe, BRM P57-3, +2m03.600s
Click here for a full list of results from this year’s Oulton Park Gold Cup.