After going in to hibernation following March’s Autumn Festival, and with a surprise extension to the gap between the two meetings, we were thrilled to finally get back to the track this weekend for the 2020 HSRCA Spring Festival. Let’s take a few moments to recount the action and enjoy some photos.
In our introduction to the wrap-up of the Autumn Festival we noted that it was a meeting that very nearly didn’t go ahead. Such is the nature of this year that, almost six months on, the same fate nearly befell the Spring Festival.
As we were wrapping up preparations for the meeting; preparing entry lists, programs and garage allocations, we received news of a change in regulations that meant we could no longer run. However, thanks to a lot of work behind the scenes and the support of Wakefield Park, we were able to pull through and secure a new date for the meeting – this past weekend over the 31st of October and 1st of November.
Weather predictions in the week leading up to the event were fairly dire, and Saturday morning bore them out with a damp start followed by a proper downpour in the late morning. This gave a few groups a chance to work on their wet weather racing, but the downpour passed before long and an absolutely stunning Saturday afternoon emerged.
While Sunday didn’t reach the heights of those conditions, we also didn’t have the rain. This gave competitors a chance to dry out the circuit and by Sunday afternoon even the small lake at the entrance to the kink was preparing to depart.
Speaking of those competitors, we came close to doubling the entries to the Autumn Festival, with 150 names on the entry list and a slightly smaller group making it down to Wakefield Park. Formula Ford, Groups K, L, M and Formula Junior, Groups O, Q and R, Group N, Group S, Formula Vee, Regularity and Super Sprint all ran during the weekend.
With no set feature and a more relaxed schedule, we were able to provide some special events on Saturday, such as separate races for Group N under and over three-litres, and Group Sa & Sb and Group Sc races. It was actually the first Group N over three-litre race that endured the initial onslaught of the rain on Saturday, Brad Tilley taking the win ahead of Noel Roberts, despite Noel actually setting fastest lap of the race by nearly two seconds.. These grids put fewer cars on the track, but are a boon to competitors who enjoy running together with cars of similar performance characteristics.
The BMC Challenge also made a return and ran in golden light on Saturday afternoon. Damien Meyer repeated his win from the Autumn Festival in his MG Midget, followed by Brian Weston, also aboard a Midget, and Andrew Bergan in a ‘63 Morris Cooper S.
The Regularity enduro went out early on in Sunday’s running order, with the still-wet track giving drivers challenging conditions to manage over the course of 26 minutes. The BMC team of Richard Rose, MGA, Ed Gavin and Luc Botton in Morris Coopers and Brett Eggleston in a Cooper S won the event, with the team comprised of Kevin Clark, Brian Parkinson and Patrick Townsend runners-up.
Out just before the Regularity enduro was a Group N trophy race, which saw a podium lockout claimed by the Ford Mustangs of Jamie Tilley, David Stone and Harry Bargwanna.
Due to the prevailing global condition, the Spring Festival ran once again with hard limits on attendance numbers and strict controls and checks upon entry. This meant that we were once again unable to welcome spectators, so the pits, paddock and spectator viewpoints around the track were quieter than usual. However, entrants and their nominated support people made up for it with good spirits and industrious tinkering, and made the circuit just as pleasant a place to be as always.
We do miss the buzz and atmosphere that comes from being able to welcome the broader motor sport community, and look forward to the days when we can welcome everyone again.
We would like to send a most hearty ‘THANK YOU!’ to all of the volunteers who dedicate their weekends, knowledge and skill to supporting the club. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you, and we are forever grateful for the opportunities you provide.
Our thanks as well to Wakefield Park for hosting our meeting, and for their continued support in navigating not only the prevailing condition, but the ever-changing landscape of community motor sport as well.
And finally, a huge thanks to everyone who joined us and supported the Spring Festival! It was great to be back together again after all that’s transpired this year. We can’t wait to do it all again in just three weeks at the Summer Festival.
With that, it’s on to the photos. Please enjoy the following galleries, with thanks to Campbell Armstrong Rider, Riccardo Benvenuti, Jeremy Dale, Mackenzie Green, David Jenkins, Wayne Jones, Steve Koen, Ken Meredith, Mark Richards and Seth Reinhardt. Please click on their names to link through to their websites to see more of their work, or order photos. If you’d like to get in touch with Jeremy, Mackenzie, Steve or Seth, send Seth an email at seth@hsrca.com.
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Campbell Armstrong Rider
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Riccardo Benvenuti
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival, by Jeremy Dale
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Mackenzie Green
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: David Jenkins
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Wayne Jones
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Steve Koen
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Ken Meredith
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Seth Reinhardt
2020 HSRCA Spring Festival: Mark Richards
