The Classic Touring Car Racing Club won plenty of new fans with a host of thrilling contests played out in front of a huge crowd at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend.
Two superb Pre-’66 Touring Car races topped the bill as reigning champion Ian Thompson took a pair of hard-earned wins in his Lotus Cortina.
Elsewhere, the relentless action resulted in further doubles for Jonathan Corker (Pre-’83), Ian Bower (Pre-’93) and the returning Don Hughes (Pre-’03). Piers Grange (BOSS) also bagged a brace, while no-one was worked harder for their double top than Thunder victor Colin Voyce.
Pre-’66 Touring Cars
An almost capacity entry of Classic and Historic Touring Cars put on a crowd pleasing display of little versus large. Ultimately, it was the medium-sized Lotus Cortina of 2024 champion Ian Thompson that prevailed. On another day it could easily have been the big V8s of Alan Greenhalgh and Piers Grange that came out on top, while Mini man Aaron Smith’s Sunday drive was arguably the performance of the weekend.
After a slightly subdued showing at the Donington Park opener last month, Thompson returned to form by topping the timesheets in qualifying. The Surrey man headed fellow Cortina pilot Garry Townsend by two-thirds of a second as the Detroit muscle of Grange (Ford Mustang) and Greenhalgh (Ford Falcon) locked out row two of the grid.
Class C champion Barry Sime was best of the Mini hordes, fifth fastest, just ahead of another giant killer in the form of 2021 title winner James Ibbotson’s Class E Hillman Imp. Jake Swann (Ford Anglia) and Mike Davies (Mini) would start the race from row four of the grid as Grant Williams (Jaguar Mk2) and Brendan Rooney (Imp) completed the top 10.
From the outside of the front row, Townsend jumped into the race lead but the Cortina’s creeping did not go unnoticed by officials who slapped him with a 10-second jump-start penalty. Thompson slotted into second, with Grange third. Greenhalgh briefly lost fourth to Sime before powering back ahead.
Grange’s Mustang, a winner at this event three years earlier, was looking on song and managed to pass Thompson on the inside of Paddock Hill Bend at the start of lap three. But smoke would soon signal that all was not well aboard the Yank tank and the Cheshire man was forced to retire with a failed differential pinion.
Also in the wars was Ed Gibbs’s Anglia, which succumbed to steering failure at the Druids hairpin. It ended a miserable day for the trio of Sheppey-based racers on their home track; a cracked cylinder head meant 2023 champion Billy Kenneally’s Anglia was a non-starter, while dad Pat hit distributor trouble on his Cortina.
A safety car to retrieve Gibbs’s car was eventually upgraded to a red flag, with the race restarted as a five-minute dash. Townsend’s penalty meant he dropped to 10th on the grid, promoting Greenhalgh to the front row and it was the Londoner who became Thompson’s chief rival in the restarted race.
Greenhalgh thundered past Thompson at the end of the first lap to lead, only to find the Cortina nipping back inside at Druids. The two very different cars continued to play cat and mouse until a mistake from Greenhalgh let Thompson escape on the penultimate lap. Forced to hold the car in gear while he steered with one hand, Greenhalgh ran wide at Graham Hill Bend, but he did hold on to second as Thompson took his first win of the season.
“Such hard work,” smiled a relieved victor. “The Falcon’s got so much power. To win it hard and fast and clean – fantastic.”
Behind the lead pair, Williams had made a terrific start and somehow squeezed the big Jag between the smaller cars in front to take third, a position he held to the flag. Though quicker through the corners, Sime could not find a way back past and eventually also lost out to Townsend’s recovery drive at the start of the final tour.
Before the red flag, Sime had enjoyed a good scrap with Swann but the latter did not get off the line well at the second time of asking and dropped down the order. His Anglia ended up retiring with bent steering, a kerb strike the likely cause. Father Kevin upheld Anglia honours and took second in class to Sime but was beaten to sixth overall by Class E winner Ibbotson’s Imp. Rooney’s similar Hillman was just half a second behind Swann and edged Davies’s Mini by the even smaller margin of 0.2s!
Sunday’s rematch was another thriller. Thompson was beaten off the line by Greenhalgh and then got squeezed back further as Williams and Townsend were among those to come past. Townsend’s charge took him past Williams into Druids and Greenhalgh at the next corner, and he held sway for the next few laps. But Thompson was working his way back through and retook the lead through Clark Curve on lap five of 16 as Townsend was slightly delayed in traffic.
Thereafter, Thompson’s biggest threat came from an unlikely source: Aaron Smith, from the back of the 29-car grid in the KAD Mini raced the previous day by McLaren bigwig Piers Thynne. Into the top 10 within a single lap, Smith continued picking off those in front and, after a short spell trading third with Greenhalgh’s Falcon, made the place his own just as Thompson was taking the lead.
Townsend was a tougher nut for Smith to crack. The Kent man eventually cleared the Cortina on the penultimate tour but ran out of time to close the gap to Thompson, who was delighted to secure his first-ever weekend double.
“The Mini is so nimble,” smiled four-time Miglia champion Smith, “and the engine that KAD has got in it – crikey, it goes like a missile!”
Third for Townsend was well-deserved after a busy weekend in which he also competed in three Civic Cup races. Greenhalgh took a class-winning fourth although he finished only 2.5s ahead of Grange who was another to have charged through from the back of the grid. Sixth was Williams after his battle with Sime ended when the latter’s gear-linkage broke. Stuck in second, Sime limped home 20th.
Despite starting at the rear, Jake Swann was best of the Anglias in seventh overall, fractions ahead of Bob Bullen’s similar car which edged Ibbotson’s class-winning Imp to eighth. Swann Sr pipped Davies to 10th overall, while another eye-catching drive came from Gibbs, 12th overall and with his own best lap quicker than five of those in front.
After mechanical dramas prevented him from racing at Donington, two-time champion Luc Wilson returned his Austin A40 to the fray and duly took double honours in Class D.
Pre-’83 Group 1 Touring Cars
The best entry since pre-pandemic times meant that the always popular Pre-’83 machinery thoroughly merited their own grid. And they made the most of it, with two excellent races won by Jonathan Corker in his unique Datsun 510.
Corker set the pace in qualifying ahead of a trio of Mk1 Ford Escorts. They were headed by championship newcomer Nic Grindrod, an experienced campaigner whose CV is as impressive as it is varied, who was making his debut after missing the season opener due to family commitments. The West Midlander edged local man Tom Harvey and Graham Smith who would fill row two of the grid.
Fifth fastest was leading Class B runner Nick Williamson, whose major overhaul of his Rover SD1’s V8 after its Donington problems included a new crankshaft. Making his seasonal debut, club stalwart Mark Cholerton put his Mk2 Escort RS2000 sixth, ahead of Mark Fowler (Mk1) and Steve Walden (BMW E30).
A flying start put Harvey into the lead of Saturday’s race before Corker charged around the outside at the start of the second lap. Grindrod also powered past Harvey a lap later to take second. The top three had the legs on everyone else, with the gaps between them concertinaing over the course of the race.
Corker held on to take victory despite worries over the health of the Datsun’s gearbox. The Escorts’ battle perhaps helped his cause as Harvey managed to dive past Grindrod for second into Druids at around two-thirds distance. The Rochester racer held on to the flag, delighted to have got his Shell Sport Escort running just right. A debut podium for Grindrod suggested he will be a strong contender for major honours this year.
Behind the lead trio, Blue Oval machinery filled the rest of the top seven, Smith heading Cholerton for fourth. The guesting Mark Thomas bested the Class B-spec cars in sixth overall with his very smart Capri, as Fowler finished seventh. Thomas had been pressuring Smith for fourth before slipping back as a lack of grip led to several hairy moments.
Class B may well have gone to Williamson before his smoking Rover slowed at the end of the first lap. He was very relieved to later find that the cause was no more than a loose breather pipe. Instead, Jake Margalies took the class laurels aboard his father David’s Alfa Romeo GTV6.
The top three again broke clear in race two. Initially holding grid order, it didn’t take long for Grindrod to power past Harvey for second. The trio then held those positions to the chequered flag, Harvey preventing a maximum points haul for Corker by snatching the fastest lap.
“I didn’t think the car was going to make it through that,” admitted Corker. “The gearbox is on its way out and the back axle is moving, so I was praying the safety car was going to stay out a bit longer.”
That lengthy safety-car period was required after a very unfortunate incident left the cars of Thomas and Cholerton in a sorry state. A mid-corner twitch sent Thomas through the Paddock Hill gravel and, as it rejoined the track, the Capri was flicked into the passenger side of Cholerton’s passing Escort, clobbering it at speed. Cholerton’s car was sent into a wild spin up the hill and left facing the oncoming traffic but he was able to quickly drag it to the Druids infield, while Thomas headed for the inside barriers. Thankfully, both were able to exit their heavily damaged cars unharmed.
Three more racing laps after the restart did not affect the top positions, Smith following the leaders home in fourth. Fowler was fifth on the road but would be demoted to 12th by the clerk after a mix-up under the safety car.
The winner of a close battle for Class B honours thus inherited fifth overall, and that was Neil Philpotts. The Wirral racer’s superb Mitsubishi Lancer’s qualifying was hampered by a mystery problem, before turbo trouble restricted him in Saturday’s race. But with the car on song, he held off Williamson’s burn from the stern as Margalies slipped to third in class, eighth overall.
Class D honours went to James Dunkley’s new-for-2025 Ford Fiesta Mk1 in both races. The two-time BOSS champion twice headed Phil Waller’s Chrysler Sunbeam which did well to make the finish after a wild ride in avoidance of Carl Shreeve’s spinning Triumph Dolomite at the start of Sunday’s contest.
Club returnee Mike Broadway was the only entrant in Class A and duly took the laurels in both races aboard his ex-Simon Lewis Jaguar XJ6.
Blue Oval Saloon Series
A thinner field of Fords than at Donington was twice headed by three-time champion Piers Grange in his Smith & Jones-powered Mk2 Escort.
Grange set the pace in qualifying ahead of Martin Reynolds’s similar Group 2-style car, although the pair were split by the leading four Pre-’93 Touring Cars with which they were sharing a grid.
As the only two drivers in the Slicks class, overall honours were always likely to be a two-way contest between the pair and so it proved in the races.
In the opener, Grange saw off the challenge of Pre-’93 top man Ian Bower before pulling away, while Reynolds’s chances were hindered by first having to dispatch the other Pre-’93 BMWs. He rose to third at the flag, second in BOSS, but was 12s behind the victorious Grange.
Sunday’s rematch was a closer contest, particularly after Grange was slow away and slipped behind Bower. But Reynolds couldn’t take full advantage as he himself was crowded out despite a better start. Grange dispatched Bower at the second corner but it took Reynolds until the penultimate of 18 laps to finally get past the BMW in traffic. So Grange took the win by 3s.
Among the classes, Cliff Pellin’s Mk7 Fiesta twice finished third in BOSS en route to Class C honours, enjoying a battle with Daniel Gandesha’s Pre-’93 BMW on the way.
Reigning champion Tim Mizen’s Mk3.5 Fiesta had the legs on the newer models of Robert Taylor and Todd Hawkins in Class D, while getting involved with some of the Pre-’03 cars.
Pre-’93 Touring Cars
Two-time champion Ian Bower kept up his 100% record in 2025 so far with another pair of dominant wins in Pre-’93 Touring Cars.
Bower’s BMW M3 E36 was fastest in qualifying by almost half a second from Will Davison’s similar model. Shaun Morris and Kevin Willis were next, ahead of 2025 newcomer Daniel Gandesha and club stalwart Graham Myers among a field comprised solely of the Class B BMWs.
Southampton-based Bower was completely untroubled en route to Pre-’93 victory in the first race aboard his CiBiEmme tribute machine. Instead, he was able to engage in battle with BOSS man Piers Grange for victory on the road. He kept Grange in sight but wasn’t quite able to dislodge the bewinged Escort.
Behind, a good start from Morris catapulted him into second, with BOSS contender Martin Reynolds as a buffer back to Davison. When Reynolds got past, it allowed Davison to challenge Morris. It didn’t take long for the yellow E36 to demote Morris’s Bastos-liveried example and their positions then remained unchanged, with Morris just holding off Willis for third.
Bower’s biggest threat came at the start of race two, when Davison ran side by side with him through Graham Hill Bend. But Bower hung on to the lead and then powered away to another victory.
Willis jumped Morris for third and was left to drive a relatively lonely race after the latter was forced to retire with clutch failure soon after half-distance.
Pre-’03 Touring Cars
An improved entry of Pre-’03 Touring Cars included a welcome return for one-time Pre-’83 champion Don Hughes and his Peugeot 306 XSi.
Hughes had completely rebuilt its engine after a catastrophic failure at Mallory Park last year. The Hampshire man certainly had the 306 on song, earning a pair victories.
Hughes edged Donington victor Joe Dorrington’s Honda Civic EG by a couple of tenths in qualifying. Third quickest – within a second of their pace – was novice driver Dave Cave, making his debut aboard the ex-Andy Abrams BMW 328 E36.
Non-scoring guests Andy Woods-Dean (Civic EP3) and Byron Aldous (Volkswagen Corrado) came next on their first appearances of the season.
Hughes and Dorrington were closely matched in the opening race. The Civic made the early running before Hughes made his move on the fourth of 18 laps. Dorrington stayed with him but was exploring the track limits in doing so, and had to settle for second.
Sadly, the duo’s Sunday rematch didn’t last long. Dorrington’s Civic, which had just taken part in the Track Action qualifying session, succumbed to clutch failure after just a couple of laps. That meant Hughes could take a pressure-free victory.
Second, and winning Class A for the second time, was Cave, well clear of Simon Mann’s recalcitrant E46 version of the BMW 328.
Classic Thunder & Historic Thunder
The entry of Classic and Historic Thunder machinery was a little down from the usual level but still packed with outlandish motors. Setting the pace all weekend were the quickest cars in each section, Adrian Bradley’s Classic BMW M3 E46 and Colin Voyce’s Historic Ford Escort Mk1 turbo.
Bradley took pole position by just 0.145s before the pair served up two thrillers. Behind them on the grid for the opener came Ian Bower’s E36, doubling up from Pre-’93, Ian Craig (E46), followed by Rikki Cann, whose Aston Martin V8 Vantage was the second Historic car, and Joe Collier.
The latter’s session was cut short when his engine dropped a cylinder, initially traced to a bent spark plug. But when it went lame again on the second lap of the opening race, ending his weekend having been running in fourth, Collier began to suspect a more serious valve problem.
Bradley’s Beemer took a while to get up to speed in the race as Voyce’s Mountune-powered Escort screamed into an early lead. Bower too was able to get in front of the smartly-liveried Team Legacy machine. In fact, it wasn’t until mid-race that Bradley really hit his stride. With a succession of quick laps, Bradley reeled in and charged past Bower into Paddock Hill Bend and then began catching Voyce.
Voyce sensed the danger and responded with a new fastest lap but the contest was effectively decided when Bradley had a big moment through Graham Hill Bend on the penultimate tour. Both went quicker still on the final lap as Voyce held on to win by 1.8s.
Bower was a distant – albeit class-winning – third, more than 14s further adrift, with almost as much margin in hand over fourth-placed Cann. Craig in fifth had Cann in his sights, comfortably clear of Ronan Bradley (E36) who just pipped the returning James Janicki’s Nissan Skyline to sixth.
Ronan Bradley’s flying start to Sunday’s sequel amazingly took him from sixth to first. It seemed almost too good to be true, and was confirmed as such when it earned him a 10s jump-start penalty. It proved somewhat immaterial as he gradually slipped back down the order, crossing the line in sixth which became eighth once the penalty was applied.
Voyce’s battle with the other Bradley was therefore for the de facto lead of the race, and the pair again put on a show. They ran side by side through Graham Hill before Bradley edged in front, almost letting Bower slip past Voyce too.
After the pair picked off the Team Legacy E36, Voyce pumped in a quick lap to close up to the new leader. But try as he might, he could not find a way past. That was until the closing stages, when Voyce got a run out of Clark Curve heading onto the final lap and thundered past. In clear air, Voyce set the race’s fastest lap on the final tour as he took the win by 2.4s.
Bradley still claimed Classic Thunder honours in second overall, 12s clear of the third-placed finisher. That was Martin Reynolds, runner-up in Historic aboard his second Mk2 Escort. Having retired with a broken axle the day before, Reynolds scythed through from the back of the field in impressive fashion. He completed his climb by lining up Bower around the outside of Druids which became the inside for Graham Hill.
Bower still won his class in fourth, while Craig impressed again on his way to fifth. Anton Martin’s E46 M3 completed the top six, while Cann was the third Historic runner home in seventh overall.
Full results are available via the TSL website.
All images courtesy of CTCRC official photographer Steve Jackman/Eat My Pixels
