Oulton Park Gold Cup 2016

The 2016 edition of the historic Oulton Park Gold Cup took place in its traditional August Bank Holiday slot last weekend…

A huge crowd enjoyed races for everything from 90’s Super Touring Cars to thundering 70’s Formula 5000 single seaters as the HSCC (Historic Sports Car Club) continued to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary season last weekend (27th to 29th August). Plus visitors were able to enjoy demonstration laps of an ex-Jim Clark Lotus H16-engined 43 driven by Andy Middlehurst – Jim Clark competed at the 1966 Gold Cup ultimately in a Lotus Climax having had issues with the BRM…

The well known former Team Lotus race mechanic Bob Dance, presented a trophy to Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21) after a double win in the HGPCA (Historic Grand Prix Cars Association) races for pre 66 GP cars. Other notable wins for Lotus’s over the weekend included Jim Dean in an Europa in the HSCC 70s Road Sports Championship race – Dean had to get past a hard peddling Charles Barter in a Datsun 240Z who swept into an early lead. Russell Paterson in a Morgan Plus 8 was also making both drivers work hard…

Bank Holiday Monday races included two fantastic Historic Formula Ford 1600 races, ultimately Sam Mitchell and Benn Simms shared a win each after some serious six way battles at the front of the pack. All action in race one included Benn Tilley flipping over after a touch of wheels with Simms. In race two, Mitchell was forging ahead with a good lead until he spun at Old Hall and as the flag was waved Benn Simms steamed through beating Bartell by a whisker.

The Morgan 8 of Kevin Kivlochan and Lotus Elan of John Davison went down to the wire, a fantastic recovery drive after a spin by Davison at Druids they went over the line, Kivlochan clinching it by a 5th of a second.

It was two firm wins for Mark Dwyer driving a Formula 2 March 742 in the Derek Bell Trophy, in hot pursuit, the F5000 Chevron B37 of Neil Glover who was being hounded by the Chevron B24 of Paul Campfields.

A big grid in the Historic Touring Car races made for some entertaining competition but the Mustang of Warren Biggs secured both wins from a marauding pack of Cortinas. Young racer, the 16 year old James Clarke securing second place in race two…

The much loved Super Touring Cars were out to play with legend John Cleland out in his Vauxhall for the first time in a while, but it was a double win for Stewart Whyte in the end in his Honda Accord, with a 2nd for Cleland on the Sunday and a 2nd on the Monday by the Renault Laguna piloted by Mark Jones.

In the Formula Juniors, Elva driver Mark Woodhouse was the fastest man out there in the front-engined division, however he was made to work hard for the success as Mike Walker in a Bond chased hard. In the rear engined class, it was a double win for Andrew Hibbered.

FF2000 witnessed Andrew Park take both wins and secure the championship – 9 wins from 11 rounds so far in this 2016 season. It was a succession of second places for Osella driver Tom White. Other wins from a great weekend included Crossle 22F driver John Murphys who competed in the Classic Racing Cars and Classic FF2000 races and Mark Charteris in Classic Clubmans.

Full results and times can be found here.