Silverstone’s 1.64-mile National Circuit is challenging to master consistently. High-speed Copse corner and Woodcote reward the brave, but Becketts hairpin - with exit speed onto the Wellington Straight crucial - Brooklands and Luffield compress packs, often undoing hard work, particularly in traffic. With 315 entries across 23 races, last weekend’s Historic Sports Car Club Championship Finals event featured remaining title winners being crowned and ultra-close finishes. Epic Formula Ford action is a given, but a brilliant Historic One-Litre F3 finale, in which outgoing champion Peter de la Roche aced fellow Cheshire man Ollie Musgrave by 0.042 seconds, was sensational.
De la Roche arrived buoyed by his Castle Combe double in the ex-Ken Sedgley Alexis Mk17, but Donington Park meister Jason Timms (Brabham BT21) was favourite to be his successor, with Musgrave - rookie of the year - an outside bet with the ex-Rene Ligonnet Chevron B15. Honda Civic graduate Musgrave landed pole, but de la Roche beat him to Saturday’s chequer in drizzle. Ross Drybrough (ex-Patrick Champin Merlyn Mk14A) led but finished third ahead of a conservative Timms, Jason becoming champion five years after cousin Jeremy Timms in his ex-Reine Wisell B15.
