If you ever needed proof that you don't need big grids for
thrilling racing, then the opening meeting of the Historic Trophy this weekend
was about the best evidence you could ever hope for.
At the start of round 1, 4 cars lined up on the grid of
Brands Hatch's famous Indy circuit, and once the flag dropped, the action was
non-stop for the next 20 laps. Kurzheck took the early lead in her Capri, With
Meatball's Mustang alongside into Druids.
Meatball's Mustang probably wasn't the best suited for such
a tight track, and in the early phase of the race a couple of uncharacteristic
minor errors dropped the season 1 champion down to the rear of the field.
Just after half distance, Kurzheck succumbed to pressure and
RichXM655's Cortina slipped into the lead, and while this was going on,
meatball had got the hammer down on a recovery drive - overtaking Boozy's
Alpine and then setting after the leading pair.
By the end of the race, Rich held on, just, taking the win
by less than half a second.
Round 2 started in similar fashion, with cars 3-wide into druids
on lap 1. Kurzheck took the lead early on and was able to build a small gap as
RichXM655 and Meatball46 engaged in a long dice for second place. Meatball
would nab second, briefly, into druids, but then RichXM655 would use the
Cortina's superior cornering to hold on around the outside of the hairpin and
retake the lead down into graham hill bend.
Eventually, an unforced error around lap 15 took the white
car into the gravel at the exit of clearways allowing Meatball through cleanly.
From that point on, it seemed the race was settled until another error, this
time coming out of druids on the final lap, saw RichXM655 fully spin the car
and lose third place to Boozy.
Coming away, the pairing of a win and a second place puts
Kurzheck on top of the table, 9 points clear of RichXM655 in second place.
Meatball is only one point behind, and boozy props up the table for now.
With two dropped scores in the championship, there's still
all to play for, as any new entrants who race in all the remaining rounds have as much of a chance of taking the
title as anyone else.
Next week, the focus will switch from roadgoing cars to
brutal prototypes as the Can-Am series gets underway, bringing the thunder to
Lime Rock. With another short track, coupled to fearsomely fast cars, the
racing, once again, promises to be fast and intense.
(Many thanks to Kurzheck for the Race 2 photos. The full set can be seen here)
Round 1: Results
| Position | Name | Finishing Time | Gap | Best Lap | Overall Points |
| 1 | RichXM655 | 19:17.639 | 57.882 | 30 | |
| 2 | Kurzheck | 19:18.065 | 0.426 | 56.869 | 25 |
| 3 | Meatball | 19:18.523 | 0.884 | 56.56 | 20 |
| 4 | Boozy | 19:29.800 | 12.161 | 57.807 | 16 |
| 1 | Kurzheck | 19:12.576 | 56.068 | 30 | |
| 2 | Meatball | 19:16.767 | 4.191 | 56.723 | 25 |
| 3 | Boozy | 19:29.559 | 16.983 | 55.979 | 20 |
| 4 | RichXM655 | 19:35.291 | 22.721 | 57.835 | 16 |
Standings
| Kurzheck | 55 |
| RichXM655 | 46 |
| Meatball | 45 |
| Boozy | 36 |
