Boss Racing blog

Classic Sports Car Club, Anglesey, 22/23 July

You had to be called Watson to win a Magnificent Sevens race at Anglesey. Our own Colin Watson was victorious in one of the two Gold Arts sponsored events at the Classic and Sports Car Club’s July meeting. David Watson (no relation), scored in his rapid motor-cycle-engined Spire the following day. Overall, though, it was another successful weekend for Boss Racing customers with a win, a third, several class victories, a pole and some stirring drives.

We arrived on the Thursday evening after an 8.5hr journey. The following day’s test sessions were run in wet and dry conditions. The main drama concerned Graham Charman, back in the Caterham fold after a spell with a Ginetta. He broke a gear selector spring and had to send to Essex for a replacement. By contrast, Jonny Pittard’s supercharged 2500 Caterham CSR was running really well and able to show its true potential at last. In the wet Tim Davis and Nick Powell and son, newcomers to our team, were the only Boss runners to venture on to the track.

Qualifying also produced its dramas. The weather continued changeable and rain started falling when the cars were in the assembly area. We had to change Jonny’s tyres several times but it was well worth the effort as he secured pole. Tim was second quickest, but then his car was side-lined when a stone entered the engine and snapped a valve. As it happened, we had a Supersport 1600 with us which we planned to run at a Silverstone track day after the weekend. Tim was able to use at Anglesey with the CSCC’s permission. Colin in our number 92 C400 2400 struggled with tyre choices but still set fifth fastest time, while Graham lined up eighth in his Superlight 1900. Hugh Coulter (C400 2000) was tenth and the Powells were 14th with their Supersport 1600. Peter French (Superlight 1800) was 37th, while Tim started from the pit lane.

Jonny took the lead when the lights went out but a small mistake dropped him behind the duelling duo of Colin and Gary Bate. After 19 laps and a mandatory pitstop, Colin took the flag to win by just under a second. Hugh lost a place due to a 60-sec penalty for pit lane speeding but still finished eighth and second in class. Tim, who’d stormed from a pit-lane start to 20th overall just failed to pip the Powells for fourth in class. Peter was 31st and second in class but Graham was a non-starter due to a second gear selector spring breakage.

The race had been run on Anglesey’s International circuit but the second, the following day, used the shorter Coastal Circuit which limited the number of competitors allowed to take part. Consequently, Tim and Graham were listed as reserves.

Colin took a winner’s penalty and lined up sixth but otherwise the field started according to the previous finishing order. The start was chaotic. David Watson stalled his engine and was rear-ended by another car. The red flag was shown, the race was cut to 20 min and the pit stop “window” kept open for the whole race.

Most runners took the opportunity of a virtual safety car interlude to make their pitstops but not Colin and Jonny. They missed our increasingly frantic signals from the pit-wall. We even resorted to shouting at them! The result was that they were leap-frogged by the rest of the field. Yet by the flag, Colin had recovered to ninth and Jonny tenth. Colin set the fastest lap of the race. Hugh was our highest-placed finisher with a terrific fifth overall in his class H car. There was another impressive come-back drive from Tim who was able to start, but from the pit-lane, finished 15th, a place behind the Powells. Peter French was 32nd after incurring a two-lap penalty for a pit-stop infringement.

The overall winner on track was Gary Bate but he too was penalised for pit-lane speeding so it was David Watson who was awarded the victory from a pit-lane start.

Keith Vaughn Williams was also in action over the week-end. In his 5-litre TVR Chimera he lined up 17th for the first of two (deep breath) Cartek Motorsport Modern Classics and Advantage Motorsport Future Classics Series races. It was Keith’s first outing on the International Circuit and he did well to finish 16th after incurring a 60-sec penalty for pit-lane speeding. For the second race, on the more familiar Coastal Circuit, his lap times improved consistently and he took an excellent eighth place and third in class.

We return to our home circuit for our next CSCC outing on 25/26 August.