Evoking memories of local hero Jim Russell, the three-time Autosport national 500cc Formula 3 champion whose fiery 1959 Le Mans crash in a Cooper T49 Monaco changed his priority to the racing school he founded, Ollie Crosthwaite and Nick Finburgh’s maiden Stirling Moss Trophy victory in a sister car was the talk of Motor Racing Legends’ new Snetterton Historic event. Russell had won a race at Snetterton in a Monaco a month before his career-changing day – watched by our photographer, aged nine!
Third time out in future F5000 team owner Jackie Epstein and Bill Wilks’s 1963 Targa Florio mount – owned by Crosthwaite & Gardiner’s MD for 15 years but only recently restored – Ollie chased top qualifier Peter Ratcliff (Lister-Jaguar Knobbly) initially before relaying his great mate Finburgh. Nick chased down Ratcliff’s partner Luke Stevens and went ahead when a “catastrophic diff failure” sidelined the former Caterham champion, autocrossing at Brundle. Stevens did well to keep it out of the barriers and limp back to the pits. Stuart Morley thundered Richard Hudson’s Lister-Chevrolet home second, having survived a huge spin at Riches lapping Peter Snowdon in David Reed’s Aston Martin DB2.
