May 25th-26th | Series | Organiser | Car | Placing / Fastest lap |
Brands Hatch | Masters Historic Festival | Masters | TVR Griffith 200 | Finished: 5th |
May 25th-26th | Series | Organiser | Car | Placing / Fastest lap |
Brands Hatch | Masters Historic Festival | Masters | BMW 1800 TiSa | Finished: 14th First In Class |
Masters Historic Festival 25-26 May 2024
Gary Player, successful golfer, summed things up nicely fifty years ago: ‘It seems the more I practice, the luckier I get’. We get the point. So before the Masters two day historic meeting at Brands Hatch (25-26 May) Harry went testing. Round and round he went, checking out both TVR and BMW. Every couple of laps in the young man came asking for small changes, and it worked. He got quicker, and quicker. And as a result, over the weekend Harry got really lucky.
First up, the eighty minute Gentlemen Drivers Race for Pre-66 GT and Sports Cars. Twenty nine cars qualified, including four TVRs in the top five, Harry Barton, squeezed between top drivers John Davison and Mike Whitaker, fourth on the grid. And what a race. Our car finished fifth, just 0.276 seconds and only a coat of paint behind Mike. One has to ponder the question, what if Harry hadn’t suffered fading brakes and worn tyres with five laps remaining?
The rain held off again on Sunday giving drivers a clear run in the one hour Masters Pre-66 Touring Car Championship, first round. Harry loves Brands Hatch, in particular, the demanding 2.4 mile GP circuit. Of course, when you’re up against a host of big V8s, everything is relative. The BMW might only have four cylinders, but it was really playing all the right notes, in the right order, and from a lowly 24th start position, Harry gained ten places, not to mention, a class win along with a very helpful maximum point score, before the chequered flag. It’s alway nice to win a prize.