With the temperature at a wonderful 28 degrees C and a bit of a breeze, Dijon in France offered the perfect summer weather for racing over the two-day Dijon Motors Cup, a new historic racing event held for the first time on 12-13 July 2013. Spectator access was free and there were just six races across the two days, so the atmosphere was one of a relaxed private race meeting rather than the sometimes frenetic race weekend schedule. On track action was interspersed with barbeques and plenty of informal partying.
A quick glance at the results of the one-hour Stirling Moss Trophy race might suggest that the podium places were a foregone conclusion, but nothing could be further from the truth. The pole-sitting Lister Jaguar Knobbly of Gary Pearson threw a rod in practice and didn’t take the start, hence Bobby Verdon-Roe’s Ferrari 246S – starting from second on the grid – was in a strong position from the outset. Putting heavy pressure on Bobby, however, was the Lotus 17 Prototype of Dion and Gabriel Kremer which, sadly, had to pull into the pits after just a few laps because of a simple mistake (the wrong fuel pump was switched on at the start). Once that error was rectified, the Lotus was back out on track but only managed to claw its way back to 11th place by the finish.
With the threat of the Kremers’ Lotus removed, Verdon-Roe did manage to put distance between himself and the rest of the pack to finish more than a lap ahead when the chequered flag fell, but the car that came second – the Lister Knobbly of Stefan Ziegler and Sam Hancock – only just managed to pass the Lola Mk1 Prototype of Keith Ahlers and James (Billy) Bellinger in the closing stages, having fought its way up from 14th place after the pit stop.
The Lotus XI of Jean Jacques Gravier, who drove solo and hence suffered a 30-second penalty, managed to pip the Lotus XI Le Mans of Phil Champion and Sam Stretton to fourth place overall – but it was a close-run thing.
Also worthy of mention is car no.14, the Lotus XI Le Mans Series 1 with its 1100cc engine, which was running in 9th place when Jacques Naveau took over from David Axisa at the pit stop – and which re-emerged onto the track making horrendous noises that seemed to suggest serious engine problems, but which hung on in there to achieve second in class and 13th overall at the finish. The mechanical malady turned out to be a malfunctioning battery cut-off switch: nothing major to repair, but a serious challenge for Naveau in the race.
And the final word goes to Gregory De Prins, who has previously suffered persistent problems and a series of non-finishes with his Rejo Mk VI, but came through in fine style at Dijon – driving arguably the best race of his life to finish a commendable 10th overall.
TOP FIVE FINISHERS
Car no.40 – Bobby Verdon-Roe, Ferrari 246S Dino
Car no.27 – Stefan Ziegler and Sam Hancock, Lister Knobbly
Car no.29 – Keith Ahlers and James Bellinger, Lola Mk1 Prototype
Car no.157 – Jean Jacques Gravier, Lotus XI
Car no.4 – Philip Champion and Sam Stretton, Lotus XI Le Mans
Via http://www.motorracinglegends.com | Photography John Retter
