Le Castellet Motors Cup 2019: Masters Historic Formula One

Matteo Ferrer was never headed as the Italian powered his Ligier JS11/15 to a commanding win in the first FIA Masters Historic Formula One race of the season. Mastering the Paul Ricard track from pole, Ferrer racked off a string of fastest race laps to edge away from Jamie Constable who finished in a strong second place in his Tyrrell 011, 8 seconds in arrears of the Ligier.

“It was very enjoyable”, said Ferrer. “It is never easy, but it’s always nice to be in control.”

Constable initially fought Mike Cantillon’s Williams FW07C but was handed a breather when the Williams headed into the pits on lap 10. This gave third overall to dominant pre-78 class winner Henry Fletcher in the Jägermeister-liveried March 761.

“I could see Mike behind me but then he disappeared. After that, it wasn’t really a nice for anyone”, said Constable who was surprised to be able to keep Cantillon at bay and to be as well ahead of rivals like Christophe d’Ansembourg and Joaquin Folch as he did. “We were hoping to make the car as fast as the Williams, but I guess the boys did even better. I’m really proud of them.”

In the pre-78 class, Fletcher ended up well ahead of Patrick d’Aubréby’s F&S Properties-liveried 761 and Jason Wright’s Shadow DN8 who battled over second place in class all race, as they finished eighth and ninth overall.

“It was quite uneventful”, said Fletcher, “but I’m pleased with the pace. The only problem was the car losing performance on used tyres but that was consistent with what we expected.”

Fletcher was followed home by the Brabham BT49s of Christophe d’Ansembourg and Joaquin Folch, the Williams FW07 of Charles Nearburg, and Fabrice Lhéritier in the Tyrrell 010. Mark Hazell won the post-1983 class in the Williams FW08, finishing tenth overall. Bruno Ferrari’s pre-71 March 701 was 12th.

“I had nobody in front, but I knew that Joaquin was closing so I had to push to the end”, said d’Ansembourg, who admitted that before the start of the season he hadn’t expected Ferrer and Constable to be that far in front. “No, completely not, that was a real surprise!”

At the start, Ferrer immediately opened up a four-second lead by lap 4, leading Constable and Cantillon warring over second place. Dropping away in fourth was pre-78 class leader Henry Fletcher, with a further gap to Christophe d’Ansembourg in fifth, having taken over from Steve Hartley whose carbon-monocoque McLaren MP4/1 was in the pits after a single lap, the same applying to James Hagan’s Hesketh 308 and Philippe Bonny’s Trojan T103.

As the Italian in the lead continued a string of fastest race laps, Constable’s Tyrrell began to ease away from Cantillon’s Williams. At the start of lap 7 it became obvious as to why – the Williams was into the pits, handing third overall to Fletcher’s class-leading March. Further back, in eighth and ninth overall respectively, Patrick d’Aubréby (March 761) and Jason Wright (Shadow DN8) fought hard over second place in the pre-78 class, as they headed post-83 class leader Mark Hazell in his newly acquired Williams FW08.

“I had a very good race”, said d’Aubréby, “it was a great fight with Jason!”

Wright meanwhile rued changing the gearing ahead of the race. “I was in the rev limiter at the end of the straights. In the corners I would close up, and then it would start all over again. I thought that I have him on the final lap but then we caught up with [Richard Hope in] the Osella-Alfa Romeo, and that was it.”

In fifth and sixth, and Charles Nearburg (Williams FW07C) and Joaquin Folch (Brabham BT49C) had their Reutemann-vs-Piquet-inspired battle while closing up on d’Ansembourg’s ex-Patrese BT49 in fourth. On lap 10, Folch passed Nearburg for fifth to set after the Belgian’s similar car, with Fabrice Lhéritier’s Tyrrell 010 in a lonely seventh place. Folch was unable to pass d’Ansembourg, so ended up in fifth overall while the Belgian claimed the final post-78 podium spot.

Matteo Ferrer made it two from two by storming to an emphatic win in the second FIA Masters Historic Formula One race at Paul Ricard. Leading after one lap having started from the fourth row of the reversed grid for yesterday’s top eight, the Italian romped home unchallenged in his Ligier JS11/15.

“That was very enjoyable, no issues at all”, said a phlegmatic Ferrer. “It was a fun first lap, with some very opportunistic moves, profiting from others making mistakes. The perfect weekend, yes, I’m very happy with that. I won’t always be having these so I’ll take them when they come!”

On lap 10, Mike Cantillon moved his Williams FW07C past Jamie Constable’s Tyrrell 011 to claim second place. Charles Nearburg ran second early on but finished fourth in his Williams FW07C, heading Steve Hartley’s McLaren MP4/1 in fifth.

“It took a bit of time”, said Cantillon about finally making the move on Constable stick. “But it was good clean racing with Jamie, I really needed that after yesterday’s mishap.”

“He passed me on the straight”, said Constable. “He just had a little bit more power.”

Patrick d’Aubréry took his March 761 to a pre-78 class win, leading Jason Wright in the Shadow DN8 and Philippe Bonny in the Trojan T103. Yesterday’s class winner Henry Fletcher ended up bringing up the rear after a pitstop during the safety-car period from lap 3 to lap 6.

“It was good”, said d’Aubréby, having started from the reversed-grid pole. “I had to be careful letting the post-78 past, though. After that it was quite easy.**

Ferrer’s demon opening lap from seventh on the grid was good enough to lead after one lap, from Nearburg and Constable, with Cantillon moving up to fourth on lap 2, having passed pole man Patrick D’Aubréby and Jason Wright. Christophe d’Ansembourg and Henry Fletcher had dropped back behind Mark Hazell’s Williams FW08 but when Hazell spun on lap 3 and was left stranded facing in the opposite direction, the safety car was called.

On lap 6, the field was released again. As Ferrer instantly broke away, Constable stormed past Nearburg to take second on lap 7. Further back, d’Ansembourg and Hartley removed d’Aubréby from fifth. On lap 8, Cantillon grabbed third, pushing Nearburg down to fourth and immediately setting after Constable who was now trailing Ferrer by 8 seconds. One lap later, Cantillon was past. Meanwhile, d’Ansembourg spun away fifth place, the Belgian dropping down to seventh.

In front, Ferrer doubled up to cap a perfect weekend, with Cantillon and Constable in second and third. Nearburg was four seconds down on the pair in fourth, ahead of Hartley’s McLaren. In sixth, Patrick d’Aubréry won the pre-78 class, ahead of Jason Wright and Philippe Bonny.

“It was jumping out of third gear”, said Wright about being unable to put a challenge to d’Aubréby. “And I had changed fifth gear to a longer ratio, after I had been hitting the rev limiter yesterday, but I lost that after two laps… So it was quite a struggle.**

Four cars failed to make the start, having run into trouble in yesterday’s race: Joaquin Folch (Brabham BT49) was joined by James Hagan (Hesketh 308), Georg Hallau (Theodore N183) and ‘Mr John of B’ (Ligier JS11/15). The field then also lost Fabrice Lhéritier’s Tyrrell 010 after it came to a halt on the warm-up lap when it was due to start from the first row.

After Hazell’s demise and Hallau’s non-start, Richard Hope was the only man left standing in the post-83 Lauda class, proving the reliability of his Alfa Romeo-powered Osella FA1E by bringing it home for the second time running. Bruno Ferrari’s March 701 again claimed pre-71 Stewart Classc honours.