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Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch “Indy” Circuit, Kent, Great-Britain

Date: 25/8/1986
Track length: 1.938 m
Attendance:
Entries accepted:
Starters: 13 BSCC, 9 Brands Hatch XR3i
Finishers: 12 BSCC, 9 Brands Hatch XR3i

Pole position: Rouse in 0.50,33
Fastest lap: Rouse in 1.01,95 = 112,56 kmh

Distance: 40 laps, shortened to 20 because of heavy rain
Average speed: 110,72 kmh
Weather: Heavy rain
Ruleset: Group A and Brands Hatch XR3i
Car info: 1986 Cars

 

'Ooh,' the crowd gasped, as the grandstand took to its feet to watch Mikael Sundstrom just hold off last round victor Peter Hall at the flag. For yet again, despite the thin numbers, the RAC Saloon boys had put on a terrific showing, Sundstrom giving the spectators a giant-killing act as he finished third overall: and that was after starting from the pit lane. The Finn was undoubtedly the star of the show, but from Andy Rouse we had another faultless performance, the ICS Sierra showing its dominant form again, splashing to victory in front of a large contingent of ICS guests.
Bolstered... hampered? ... by the inclusion of the Brands instructors in the familiar Racing School Escorts, the usual 40-lapper round Brands' Indy circuit had been halved for the tin-top regulars, and there was but one practice session on the Monday The usual triumvirate took their respective poles, all under the existing lap records: Rouse only managed some 1.2 laps before a nut at the end of the hub shaft broke - at Paddock - but it was enough to give him the premier slot. Richard Longman put in a sensational lap, the red Datapost car puffing smoke to take the B slot (third overall), and 1.22s below the record, while Chris Hodgetts did the same to the C record (1.29s below) to take the C pole, the Team Toyota car sixth overall.
However, any efforts towards a race set-up proved useless, the dry practice session giving way to rain - and lots of it - not much later in the day. Wets, and a change to softer settings, were the order of the day, most of the C runners having to swap to Michelin covers while Dunlop develops a suitable rain tyre.
With a two-by-two grid formation, the drivers donned snorkels and flippers for two warming up laps in the atrociously wet conditions. Longman, in fact, managed to spin at Surtees -and was to look very twitchy there during the first few laps. As the lights flicked green through the murk, Rouse let out the clutch, the boost came in, the wheels spun, but not a lot of forward motion was in evidence. As the blue car dragged slowly away, Mike O'Brien, sitting next to Rouse on the grid, judged it nicely, but missed a gear as he approached Paddock. Andy, now into his stride, found his path blocked by a suddenly slowed O'Brien. A grassy moment ensued for the Sierra. But at the end of lap 1 O'Brien had kept the Castrol/Connells Vitesse ahead of Rouse, Longman, Mark Hales, Hall, and Hodgetts. Next lap round and the Sierra was in the lead, O'Brien following the blue car home to the flag. Behind them, Hales had moved up to third, the Duckhams/Motor RST soon to fade however, with no front end 'bite'.
But if the first two positions were settled, it was worth watching things at the back. Sundstrom started from the pit lane, part of the clutch linkage having come undone in the warm-up and Alan Curnow started from the back of the grid with a 10s penalty, the car 5 kgs underweight after practice. These two sliced through the field. By lap 4, the little Peugeot was up into 11th place. By the eighth tour he had moved past Curnow in a lurid manoeuvre at Clearways, and by lap 11 had involved himself in a superb dice for third involving Longman, Hodgetts, Hall and Mike Newman. The 205 was sideways everywhere, but the Finn's left-foot braking was obviously proving useful. On the 13th tour, the 205 was sideways at Surtees, but past the ICS Rover.
With plenty of power, Hall could pull alongside the 205, but under braking for Paddock, Sundstrom would shoot past, down the hill sideways in front of the ICS boss! Third for the Finn was fine reward. Newman held fifth until a last lap spin dropped him back, while Hodgetts and Longman turned in an increasingly heated dice. Eventually, a contretemps at Surtees on the last lap saw Longman spinning. Afterwards, Richard protested Hodgetts' driving, but this was not upheld. So a surprised Curnow took Class B having driven exceptionally well, the two John West Alfas in third and fourth, Longman having recovered to take second. In the XR3i section, Stuart Cole won from Chris Creswell. (MN)

Touring Cars class A-C and Brands XR3i
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine		 Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)		 Engine
Type		 Group Distance,
time		 Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 1 Industrial Control Services Ltd.
Ford Sierra XR4 TI		 Andy Rouse, GB
 2320 tc L4 A 20 laps, 20.59,40 1 0.50,33 1.01,95  
2 2 7 Linden Racing/Connels Estate Agents
Rover Vitesse		 Mike O'Brien, GB
 3532 V8 A 20 laps, 21.10,21 2 0.50,77 1.02,04  
3 1 61 Peugeot Talbot Sport UK
Peugeot 205 GTI		 Mikael Sundström, SF
 1580 L4 C 20 laps, 21.36,38 13 0.53,76 1.02,15 Started from pit lane (clutch cable)
4 3 2 Industrial Control Services Ltd.
Rover Vitesse		 Pete Hall, GB
 3532 V8 A 20 laps, 21.36,75 4 0.51,22 1.02,28  
5 2 66 Team Toyota GB / Duckhams
Toyota Corolla GT AE86		 Chris Hodgetts, GB
 1587 L4 C 20 laps, 21.50,02 6 0.51,99 1.03,54  
6 1 33 Royal Mail Datapost
Ford Escort RS Turbo		 Alan Curnow, GB
 1598 tc L4 B 20 laps, 21.51,33   time disallowed 1.03,30 Started from the back, 10 second penalty for being underweight at qualifying
7 2 44 Royal Mail Datapost
Ford Escort RS Turbo		 Richard Longman, GB
 1598 tc L4 B 20 laps, 21.59,09 3 0.50,98 1.03,39  
8 4 5 Burlington Wallcoverings Ltd.
BMW 635 CSi		 Mike Newman, GB
 3475 L6 A 20 laps, 22.44,53 5 0.51,35 1.02,92  
9 3 31 John West Foods - Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo 75 V6		 Jon Dooley, GB
 2491 V6 B 19 laps, 21.02,64 8 0.52,09 1.03,69  
10 4 38 Terry Drury Racing
Ford Escort RS Turbo		 Mark Hales, GB
 1598 tc L4 B 19 laps, 21.06,57 7 0.52,00 1.04,74  
11 5 30 John West Foods - Alfa Romeo Dealer Team
Alfa Romeo 75 V6		 Rob Kirby, GB
 2491 V6 B 19 laps, 21.09,98 11 0.52,79 1.04,74  
12 1   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Stuart Cole, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 19 laps, 22.02,05 (2)   1.07,75  
13 2   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Chris Creswell, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 19 laps, 22.02,05     1.08,14  
14 3   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Rick Shortle, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 18 laps, 21.14,87 (1) 1.01,26 1.09,03  
15 4   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Pete Rogers, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 18 laps, 21.15,11     1.08,24  
16 5   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Peter Argetsinger, USA
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 18 laps, 21.18,57     1.09,30  
17 3 62  
Toyota Corolla GT AE86		 Tony Crudgington, GB
 1587 L4 C 18 laps, 21.20,13 12 0.53,02 1.06,41  
18 6   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Ben Edwards, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 18 laps, 21.23,09     1.09,70  
19 7   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Lucy Rogers, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 18 laps, 21.46,03     1.10,86  
20 8   Brands Hatch Racing School
Ford Escort XR3i		 Pete King, GB
 1598 L4 Brands XR3i 17 laps, 21.05,39     1.10,86  
DNF   69 Brooklyn Motorsport / ECS
Ford Escort RS 1600i		 Paul Taft, GB
 1598 L4 C 1 10 0.52,58 1.18,42 Gear linkage