Masters Historic Racing treated the Spanish crowd at Circuito de Jerez to six outstanding races on October 24-25, completing the first of a Masters racing doubleheader on the picturesque Iberian Peninsula.
Quality fields headlined the pair of Masters Historic Formula One races at the Jerez Historic Festival, Mike Cantillon (Williams FW07C) winning Race 1 from the pole in a commanding performance, while Marco Werner (Lotus 81) came through to vanquish Jamie Constable’s Tyrrell 011 right at the end of Race 2.
Photo: Masters Historic Racing
In the pre-78 class, Nick Padmore comfortably won the first race but when his Lotus 77 faltered, Miles Griffiths – in only his second Masters Historic Formula One race – took the spoils in Max Hilliard-Smith’s Fittipaldi F5A, taking third overall in the process.
In Masters Endurance Legends, Christophe d’Ansembourg claimed a double win, his Lola-Aston Martin DBR1 leading from the front in Race 1 and coming back at the Marco Werner/Nick Padmore Lola-Lotus B12/80 in the second race. Keith Frieser (Zytek 09S) was a strong third in both races while Jason Wright (Ferrari 458 GT3) and Aaron Scott/Bob Blain (Aston Martin DBR9) split the GT wins.
Steve Brooks and Martin O’Connell ran away with the win in Masters Historic Sports Cars, their Lola T70 Mk3B never headed during the entire one-hour race. John Spiers and Nigel Greensall took pre-66 Hulme-class honors in their McLaren M1B.
Photo: Masters Historic Racing
That was not the only silverware cornered by Spiers and Greensall: In the Masters Gentlemen Drivers race, they came through to claim what was probably the most fiercely contested victory of the entire weekend, Greensall (debuting in Spiers’ TVR Griffith) overcoming a mid-race pitstop error to pip the Lotus Elans of Andrew Haddon and Graham Wilson/David Pittard, while these were involved in a battle of their own.
Photo: Masters Historic Racing
Leaving the Jerez heat behind, the Masters Historic Racing regulars will cross the border into Portugal for the second leg of its Iberian autumn tour – the Algarve Classic Festival at Portimão on Oct. 29-31 October.
Meanwhile, in the States, the four-day HSR Classic 24 Hour at Daytona gets underway on Thursday, Oct. 27, before the Masters USA tour comes to an end at the HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour, Dec. 1-3.
