Masters Historic Festival: Masters Racing Legends

Werner d’Ansembourg emerged victorious in the opening Masters Racing Legends race at Brands Hatch after a dramatic contest where the race was re-started and two, short safety car periods.   

Starting from pole position in his Williams FW07C, d’Ansembourg maintained control at the front throughout the race, although the opening laps were surmounted by incidents further back in the field. A touch at Druids on the opening lap eliminated both Yutaka Toriba and Jamie Constable from contention, while Simon Fish beached in the gravel after the first tour. The incidents triggered a Safety Car intervention before the race was red-flagged to allow the safe recovery of the stranded cars.

Following a restart behind the Safety Car, d’Ansembourg continued to lead, but Tom Bradshaw steadily closed the gap in his McLaren MP4/1. Bradshaw produced the fastest lap of the race with a 1m20.093s effort and spent much of the second half applying pressure to the leader, eventually finishing less than a second adrift at the chequered flag.

Warren Briggs completed the outright podium in his McLaren M29C after a consistent drive that kept him firmly in contention throughout the 16-lap contest. The New Zealander finished less than five seconds behind the winner.

A second Safety Car period was required when Nick Colyvas stopped after a spin in his Shadow DN5 at Turn 8, bunching the field for the closing laps and setting up a sprint to the finish. d’Ansembourg remained composed under pressure, however, holding Bradshaw at bay to secure victory by just 0.936 seconds.

Valerio Leone claimed victory in the Lauda class with fourth overall in his Arrows A6, while Martin Bullock took Fittipaldi class honours in seventh overall aboard his Williams FW06. James Hagan finished second in Lauda, with Ian Simmonds completing the class.

Despite the disruptions, the first race of the weekend for Masters Racing Legends  delivered a thrilling conclusion as d’Ansembourg converted pole position into a hard-fought Brands Hatch victory.

Tom Bradshaw claimed victory in the second Masters Racing Legends race at Brands Hatch, leading home Werner d’Ansembourg after a race shaped by an opening-lap investigation into the yellow start procedure.

Starting fourth on the grid, Bradshaw wasted little time moving to the front in his McLaren MP4/1 and established control of the race from the opening laps. Although d’Ansembourg’s Williams FW07C remained within striking distance throughout the 25-minute contest, Bradshaw consistently maintained a margin of several seconds and crossed the line 4.323 seconds clear after 19 laps.

Warren Briggs completed the podium in third aboard his McLaren M29C after a largely solitary run, finishing just over half a minute behind the leading pair.

The opening lap came under scrutiny after officials launched an investigation into the yellow start procedure. Marc Sydow was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty for overtaking before the permitted point, dropping the Shadow DN9 driver to 14th position at the finish.

Further behind, Yutaka Toriba delivered one of the drives of the race. Having started 17th, the Japanese driver steadily carved his way through the field in his Williams FW07C to finish fourth, gaining 13 positions. Jamie Constable produced a similar charge from 18th on the grid to fifth in his Tyrrell 011.

James Hagan secured victory in the Lauda class with seventh overall. Martin Bullock, John Spiers and Ian Simmonds completed the overall top ten.

Bradshaw also recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1m19.759s effort, capping a commanding performance to secure victory.