Historic GP Zandvoort 2023: Masters Racing Legends for 66/85 F1 Cars

Michael Lyons (Lotus 92) soaked up endless pressure from teammate Nick Padmore (Lotus 77) and Mike Cantillon (Williams FW07C) to win the first of three Masters Racing Legends races at Zandvoort. The three finished just 1.6 seconds apart after an exciting race interrupted halfway by separate incidents involving champion Steve Hartley’s McLaren MP4/1, who continues his torrid season, Mark Higson’s MP4/1B and Arthur Bruckner’s Arrows A6.

“That was great fun!”, said a jubilant Lyons. “Here with the three-race format I was still using tyres from Hockenheim, so I had a tough but really nice battle with Nick. A couple of places I was stronger and in other places he was stronger, but it’s nice to race with people you can trust.”

“Because of Mike’s oil I could not see anything, so I wasted a tear-off on him!” said Padmore. “I was waiting for him to make a mistake but he didn’t. This was worth flying out for, especially after my initial flight got cancelled…”

“A good race after a difficult day with the car”, said Cantillon. “But we got it sorted after qualifying. I think it was a good race to watch, wasn’t it?”

On the spectacular 29-car grid, Matt Wrigley’s Penske PC3 charged up to fourth overall to take second in the pre-78 class, as he led home Pierre-Brice Mena’s Fittipaldi F8 and Ken Tyrrell’s Tyrrell 011, the latter recovering to sixth after a first-lap spin lost him fourth place. Behind them, Werner d’Ansembourg did extremely well to finish seventh on his debut in his father’s Williams FW07C. The young Belgian was chased across the line by Lukas Halusa’s McLaren M23 – third in the pre-78 class – and Warren Briggs in the McLaren M29, the Kiwi another one to recover from a spin.

“This is my first time here, so I’m pretty happy”, said Tyrrell. “A shame about the first-lap spin, I was a little too hot on cold tyres, but we kept it going and came back strong.”

“I really enjoyed that!” said Wrigley. “We had a tough qualifying, so today was about keeping our nose clean and move up as many places for Saturday and Sunday.”

“So nice to be here”, said Amsterdam-domiciled Austrian Halusa. “It’s a great track, and when the sun is shining, the Netherlands is a great place to be. It’s a tough place to overtake but I did make up a few places as others fell away. Still getting used to the car, though, it’s been a while since I last raced it!”

Jamie Constable’s Tyrrell 011B initially ran a strong third as the first of the Lotus chasers, but fell away towards the end, allowing Ian Simmonds’ Tyrrell 012 to take second behind Lyons in the post-82 class for flat-bottomed cars. The 012 finished 13th overall while in 18th overall, Georg Hallau’s Theodore N183 brought home third in the post-82 class. Meanwhile, Ewen Sergison starred by hauling his pre-72 Surtees TS9B up to 12th overall.

As a first, the 1966-’85 Formula One cars would race not twice, but three times during the weekend, so in perfect spring weather, the Masters Racing Legends cars lined up for their Friday race with a record number of 29 entries all raring to go. With Michael Lyons on pole in the Lotus 92 and team mate Nick Padmore sitting next to him in the Lotus 77, the field blasted away towards the Tarzanbocht. Constable in the Tyrrell 011B was third but in the Gerlachbocht, Ken Tyrrell spun away fourth place in his 011. This elevated Steve Hartley’s McLaren MP4/1 to fourth, with Mike Cantillon’s Williams FW07C up into fifth ahead of Warren Briggs in the McLaren M29, pushed by Pierre-Brice Mena in the Fittipaldi F8.

Matt Wrigley was ninth overall and second in the pre-78, the Penske PC3 driver, leading Tyrrell and the debuting Werner d’Ansembourg in the second FW07C, ahead of Lukas Halusa’s McLaren M23, third in the pre-78 class.

At the front, Padmore in the pre-78 class-leading Lotus 77 put pressure on Lyons, as Constable kept pace with the two Lotuses up front. After three laps, however, Constable was caught by Cantillon who had passed Hartley, with Menu up next ahead of the charging Wrigley. Tyrrell chased Briggs for eighth, with Simon Fish in the Arrows A4 now in front of the young d’Ansembourg and Halusa. Meanwhile, Ewen Sergison did well to have the oldest car in the field, the pre-72 Surtees TS9B, up into 16th place.

Four laps into the race, the lead five were split by a mere three seconds, with Mena now up into sixth ahead of Wrigley, Briggs, d’Ansembourg, Fish, Halusa, James Hagan’s Tyrrell 011, Max Werner’s Hesketh 308C and Mark Hazell in the Williams FW07

And then, moments after Hartley had retaken Cantillon for P3 on lap 5, it was mayhem as the safety car was brought out, subsequently followed by a red flag, Mark Higson’s McLaren MP4/1B having blown up braking into the chicane to leave Arthur Bruckner’s Arrows A6 spin off on its oil trail while Hartley’s McLaren simultaneously went straight on into the barriers in the Gerlachbocht.

After the cars were pushed back into their order to line up behind the safety car, the race was restarted following a break of some 15 minutes. Lyons and Padmore immediately picked up their lead battle, now followed by Constable, Cantillon, Mena, Wrigley, Tyrrell, Briggs, d’Ansembourg and Fish. The next time around, the top-seven were again a mere three seconds apart, with Briggs dropping down to 13th after an error, opening up a seven-second gap to d’Ansembourg in eighth.

With five minutes remaining, the first seven continued to run nose-to-tail, and this time around it was Mark Hazell dropping back after having been caught out by the challenging Dutch track, the FW07B now languishing in 20th. Halusa and Werner had entered the top-ten while in third and fourth in the pre-78 class respectively. One lap later, Wrigley took Mena for fifth overall in another storming drive by the young Briton, while Fish passed d’Ansembourg for eighth.

As the final minutes ticked away, Lyons kept soaking up the pressure from pre-78 class leader Padmore and Cantillon in the FW07C, as the top three gradually broke away helped by Constable being the next to run into trouble. This meant that Wrigley was now fourth ahead of Mena and Tyrrell, with a gap to d’Ansembourg, Halusa, the recovering Briggs and Werner.

After 11 tense laps, Lyons took the spoils, six tenths from Padmore who just held Cantillon back for second. Wrigley took second in the pre-78 class, with Halusa third, in eighth overall. Lyons was the post-82 class winner as well, ahead of Ian Simmonds’ Tyrrell 012 in 13th, the latter profiting from Constable’s late demise, with Georg Hallau third in 18th overall.

Passing polesitter Warren Briggs’ McLaren M29 on lap 7, Tyrrell’s Tyrrell 011 kept pre-78 class winner Matt Wrigley at bay as the Penske PC3 driver himself beat Mike Cantillon’s Williams FW07C to second place, the Irishman not actually finishing the race after his off at Scheivlak caused the race to be cut short with a minute still remaining on the clock. On countback, however, he still held on to third place.

“It was fantastic!” said a beaming Ken Tyrrell. “This is one I have been working to do for quite a while. I couldn’t be happier. I felt I had the speed, so it was about methodically getting by the other without getting involved in any incidents. It’s such a cool track, and it’s a joy to participate in its 75-year anniversary!”

“This might have helped!” Briggs quipped, pointing at groin area of the overalls on loan from Cor Euser. “My overalls didn’t pass, and this one has lots of space here… I loved it, it was good fun. Once I settled a bit, I felt comfortable – and it helps that this is such a great track.”

“I turned into the fast righthander a little too late”, said Cantillon about his last-lap slip-up. “The left rear wheel got on the grass on exit, and the car rotated. Matt was gone, and I had a safe third place in the bag. I didn’t to push on that lap – but the car is fixable and we’ll be back tomorrow!”

The race in front of packed grandstands at the Dutch circuit saw a lengthy safety-car period after first-turn contact between Jonathan Holtzman’s Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler and Peter Williams in the Lec CRP1. On the restart, Pierre-Brice Mena was in the wars with a failed outside pass into Tarzan turning into a spin into the gravel for his Fittipaldi F8. The race director then wisely decided to red flag the race and turn the clock back to ten minutes of race time for the 26 cars in the field.

“It was a good race”, said a happy Wrigley. “I don’t have the raw pace against some of the ground-effect cars but yesterday I got from tenth to fourth, and from sixth to second today! I feel confident in the car now, so let’s what tomorrow brings…”

Behind the top three, Briggs kept Friday’s winning duo Nick Padmore and Michael Lyons to fifth and sixth, Padmore taking second to Wrigley in the pre-78 class, while in seventh and ninth overall, Lukas Halusa in the McLaren M23 kept ahead of Max Werner in the Hesketh308C for third in class, sandwiching Werner d’Ansembourg in the Williams FW07C.

Lyons was the runaway post-82 class winner ahead of Jamie Constable whose Tyrrell 011B surged to the front after starting at the back of the grid. Passing class rivals Ian Simmonds (Tyrrell 012) and Georg Hallau (Theodore N183) on his way up, Constable allowed Simmonds to claim third in class in a straight fight with his German rival. In 13th overall, Ewen Sergison’s Surtees TS9B doubled up on pre-72 class wins.

On a hot and sunny second day of a vibrant Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the grid – reversed for the first nine in Friday’s race – saw Warren Briggs’ McLaren M29 line up on pole, with Lukas Halusa’s McLaren M23 next to it. Werner d’Ansembourg’s Williams FW07C and Pierre-Brice Mena’s Fittipaldi F8 followed, with Ken Tyrrell’s Tyrrell 011 and Matt Wrigley’s Penske PC3 lining up on the third row. Mike Cantillon’s Williams FW07C, Nick Padmore’s Lotus 77 and Friday winner Michael Lyons in the Lotus 92 headed James Hagan’s Tyrrell 011, with Max Werner’s Hesketh 308C and Ewen Sergison in the Surtees TS9B up next. Right at the back was Steve Hartley’s McLaren MP4/1, mended after its off on Friday.

Three cars had gone missing after the first race, but still 26 cars roared off into Tarzan corner for their second 20-minute race in front of the packed grandstands. However, it didn’t take long for the safety car to come out, as Jonathan Holtzman’s Tyrrell P34 sixwheeler and Peter Williams in the Lec CRP1 came to blows in the run to the first corner, while Brad Hoyt in the Hill GH1 finished a slow first lap in the pits, the Hill’s battery having failed. On the next slow lap behind the safety car, Mark Hazell was also in, in a Williams FW07B that was leaking oil from its gearbox, the Brands Hatch star not having his weekend so far. Well behind the field, Hoyt and Hazell eventually ventured out again.

As the clock ticked away while the two stricken cars were recovered, less than seven minutes of actual racing remained. This meant that the frontrunners on the reversed grid had a great opportunity to finish well up, but again the race failed to get underway properly – this time, Mena tried a pass on the outside at Tarzan but on cold tyres spun off into the gravel. Wisely, the clock was stopped and reset to ten minutes, to still give the crowd some proper Formula One racing.

Praying that they would all behave now, the capacity crowd saw Briggs and Halusa lead away for the third time. Into lap 7, they came round clean, now with Tyrrell at the front, ahead of Briggs, Wrigley, Cantillon, Halusa, Padmore and Lyons, as the young d’Ansembourg tumbled down the order, the Belgian now chased by Werner, Hagan, Sergison and Marc Devis in the Lotus 78. Simmonds in the Tyrrell 012 and Georg Hallau in the Theodore N183 were fighting over second place in the post-82 class in 13th and 14th overall.

On lap 8, Tyrrell still led but now had Wrigley chasing him in the lead pre-78 car. Cantillon had moved into third while Padmore put Briggs under pressure for fourth. Lyons did similarly with Halusa, while d’Ansembourg held firm against Werner and Hagan. One lap later, Tyrrell’s lead of Wrigley had grown to 1.1 seconds, with Cantillon now five seconds adrift. Briggs continued to hold off Padmore but Lyons had managed to jump Halusa. Behind Ewen Sergison in the pre-72 Surtees TS9B, Steve Hartley’s McLaren and Jamie Constable’s 011B had risen to 13th and 14th but soon swamped the cars in front to be tenth and 11th.

One more minute remained when the red flag was issued once again, as Hartley tried to pinch back the spot he just lost to Constable and ran out of space into Tarzan. Simultaneously, Mike Cantillon went off at Scheivlak to bring out another red flag – and this meant the end of it. And so, on countback, Ken Tyrrell became a first-time winner in historic Formula One racing, the American holding off pre-78 class winner Wrigley and Cantillon, while Briggs held Padmore and Lyons to fifth and sixth. D’Ansembourg was eighth, sandwiched by Halusa beating Werner to third in the pre-78 class as the Austrian and the German ended up seventh and ninth respectively. Constable salvaged tenth from his start from the back to take second in the post-82 class ahead of Simmonds and Hallau. In 13th, Sergison racked up another pre-72 class win.

Not having enough with his debut win in the category the day before, Ken Tyrrell took his second 1966-’85 Formula One victory in the space of two days when the American prevented a shock overall Masters Racing Legends win for Matt Wrigley in the leading pre-78 machine. Tyrrell led away from pole but after a mid-race safety car, Wrigley’s Penske PC3 caught Tyrrell on the hop at the restart. However, the Tyrrell 011 driver got the bit between his teeth and managed to reclaim the lead two laps from the end of what was uniquely the weekend’s third race.

“I feel good!” said a happy Ken Tyrrell. “It was a nice race with some strong competition. At the start it was good to get away and get a little break but at the restart I floored the throttle on the covered oil trail in the final corner so I slipped sideways – that was the catalyst for Matthew to get right on me…”

“I missed a gear!” said Wrigley about being forced to allow Tyrrell back past. “And the tyres were gone anyway so it was really close with Nick right at the end. In fact, we were side by side around the back on the final lap… Still, two class wins and a second place overall is good!”

The pass allowed Nick Padmore in the Lotus 77 to also have a go at Wrigley, as the two fought hard over pre-78 class honours, but Wrigley held the spot by a mere 0.115 seconds in a photo finish for the second and third-placed car. In the Lotus 92, Michael Lyons sat and watched it all while claiming fourth overall as well as the post-82 class win while Werner d’Ansembourg starred by getting his father’s Williams FW07C up to fifth on his debut weekend in historic Formula One.

“So close, but not enough!” said Padmore about his attempt to steal the class win from Wrigley. “It was a good race and really enjoyed that, but I needed two more laps…”

“I’m happy, very happy!” said d’Ansembourg, delighted with his post-78 podium on his debut weekend. “I tried to keep it steady and it paid out. Good memories to take home – the first of many, I hope!”

Jamie Constable (Tyrrell 011B) and Steve Hartley (McLaren MP4/1) drove fighting races coming from the back, Constable ending up sixth ahead of Lukas Halusa who in the McLaren M23 took third in the pre-78 class, while Warren Briggs in the McLaren M29 held Hartley to ninth. Pierre-Brice Mena’s Fittipaldi F8 completed the top ten ahead of Max Werner’s Hesketh 308C while Ewen Sergison (Surtees TS9B) made it three from three in the pre-72 class. In the post-82 class, meanwhile, Ian Simmonds (Tyrrell 012) ended a race-long battle with Georg Hallau (Theodore N183) as they warred over third in class.

All day, the tension had been building in the paddock and on the grandstands packed with thousands and thousands of Dutch historic motorsport enthusiasts, as straight after lunch the Masters Racing Legends machines lined up for their third race of the weekend – a first in the history of historic Formula One racing for cars from the 3-litre era. The grid was formed according to Saturday’s finishing order, meaning that Ken Tyrrell’s Tyrrell 011 was joined on the front row by Matt Wrigley’s pre-78 Penske PC3. Next up were Mike Cantillon’s Williams FW07C and Warren Briggs in the McLaren M29, with Nick Padmore’s Lotus 77 and Michael Lyons in the Lotus 92 sharing the third row.

21 cars remained of the original 29 that were entered for the events, as the previous two races had taken their toll, but it was still a strong field for Zandvoort’s humid final day of a very well attended Historic Grand Prix event. As the lights switched to green, Tyrrell led Wrigley and Cantillon, but Padmore had already found space to overtake Briggs, and further into the opening lap, so had Lyons. Lukas Halusa in the McLaren M23 and Werner d’Ansembourg in the second Williams FW07C hung on to their places, as did Max Werner in the Hesketh 308C, but Jamie Constable was already up into tenth in his flat-bottomed Tyrrell 011B.

The next time around, however, Cantillon had gone, his Williams stranded around the back, with Devis also failing to appear, and as a result of the Irishman’s fate, Padmore, Lyons and the result all moved up a spot. The Belgian’s trouble consisting of an engine that had let go in the final banked Arie Luyendijkbocht, and so the safety car was dispatched to ensure the safe cover-up of the trail of oil dumped by the Lotus 78. Meanwhile, moments before the pace car’s deployment, Steve Hartley in the plagued McLaren MP4/1 had reached as high as ninth as he followed Constable up through the field.

While the track was being cleared it was decided to lengthen the race to ten minutes once the safety car pulled in, instead of the six minutes that actually remained, so at the green flag, Tyrrell once again stormed off for what would be another five or so laps. Wrigley, however, had the American covered and was hot on his heels towards Tarzan. Tyrrell defended the inside line, but the pre-78 class leader managed to pull off the move anyway! Padmore and Lyons continued to chase, but behind them d’Ansembourg had made it stick on Briggs while Constable had passed Halusa for seventh. Further back, Pierre-Brice Mena – another one to come from the back in his Fittipaldi F8 – vaulted up to 11th by passing Sergison’s Surtees and Ian Simmonds’ Tyrrell 011 in one go.

Eight laps done, and both Constable and Hartley weren’t done moving up, the Tyrrell claiming sixth from Briggs while the McLaren robbed eighth from Halusa. Meanwhile up front, Tyrrell wasn’t allowing Wrigley to disappear, and indeed had opened up a modest gap to Padmore and Lyons.

Affairs remained static all throughout laps 9 and 10, but Tyrrell had closed right down to the Penske, as the leading pair were now covered by less than three tenths. Further back, Paul Grant’s March 761 nipped past Geoffroy Rivet’s Trojan T103 for 16th while Brad Hoyt in the Hill GH1 took Arthur Bruckner’s Arrows for 18th.

With less than two minutes to go, Tyrrell got back at Wrigley to reclaim the end, as Padmore in the second pre-78 car inched towards Wrigley for the coveted class win. Meanwhile, behind Halusa in ninth, Mena moved into the top ten by passing Werner. So with one more lap remaining, Ken Tyrrell went from no wins to two 1966-’85 Formula One wins in the space of two days. Padmore almost beat Wrigley to the line, but the Penske won the pre-78 class by a whisker. Lyons was fourth and the post-82 class winner, with d’Ansembourg a strong fifth on his debut weekend in the category. In sixth, Constable took second in the post-82 class, and Halusa brought the M23 home third in the pre-78 class, ahead of Briggs, Hartley (who slowed towards the end), Mena, Werner and pre-72 class winner Sergison. In another close battle, Ian Simmonds’ Tyrrell 011 beat Georg Hallau’s Theodore N183 to third in the post-82 class.