Masters Historic Race Weekend 2024: Masters Sports Car Legends

Diogo Ferrão and Martin Stretton bagged a dominant Masters Sports Car Legends win at Donington Park, as their Lola T292 charged through from third to claim the lead right after the mid-race pitstops. Ferrão hounded Gary Pearson’s Lola T70 Mk3B for second place all through his entire stint, the two promoted into the leading positions once gearbox issues had halted early leader Dan Eagling’s progress in the nippy Royale RP17.

“Just a great race”, said Stretton. “Diogo had a really good battle at the beginning. Good pitstop, so I came ahead of Gary and I was just able to push. The car was fantastic, so I just really enjoyed driving around with a smile on my face.”

The race was subsequently robbed of a direct contest between Eagling and Stretton for the win, as a brief gearbox-induced excursion had dropped Eagling to third, before he retired the Royale to the pits for good. After the stops, a strong out lap from Stretton gave him a lead that he would grow to 25 seconds before Pearson was the next to stumble, his Lola trundling into the pits within sight of the chequered flag, as the car had run out of fuel. A full lap down, Jason Wright drove a consistent race to claim second in other second Lola T70 Mk3B in the race, holding off a late-race challenge from Nigel Greensall in the McLaren M1B started by John Spiers, which would go on to consummately win the pre-66 Hulme class in third overall.

“I had a race with one guy and then I was on my own”, said Wright after a lonely day at the office. “So it was a bit like a track day. But I loved the circuit and I loved the car. So for me it’s like maximum points for me.”

“It was absolutely fantastic”, said Greensall. “John started and drove a storming stint. He’s been doing his fastest ever lap around here this weekend, so we’re absolutely thrilled with that. It was a case of just driving totally flat out right to the finish. And just on the last couple of laps, we started running out of fuel. So I was hoping and hoping and hoping we’d get to the finish, and we did. So yeah, absolutely thrilled.”

Pearson was still classified fourth ahead of Simon Watts in the Chevron B26, while veteran John Sheldon’s Chevron B16 made up quite a few places to bag sixth place. In their Chevron B8, Peter Thompson and Charles Allison took Bonnier class honours in seventh overall, leading home the two cars that completed the pre-66 podium – Steve Seaman/Andy Newall and Ian Simmonds in a pair of Lola T70 Spyders.

In bright August conditions, the Masters Sports Car Legends field rolled onto the grid for their single 60-minute race of the weekend, their racing done on the same day as the earlier qualifying session. The nippy Royale RP17 on pole got away first, its capable driver Dan Eagling immediately building a lead of six tenths, as Diogo Ferrão’s Lola T292 pushed Gary Pearson’s Lola T70 Mk3B for second. Despite dropping away from the lead trio, John Spiers held fourth in the McLaren M1B, leading the pre-66 Hulme class, with Jason Wright’s T70 Mk3B and Simon Watts in the Chevron B26 following right behind, while Billy Bellinger’s Cooper Monaco ‘King Cobra’ and Ian Simmonds in the Lola T70 Mk2 Spyder fought over second in the pre-66 class.

At the front, however, Eagling wasn’t walking away with it, as the gap to Pearson and Ferrão stayed the same over the course of another four laps. Spiers now trailed the leader by 15 seconds, but into lap 4 Wright got ahead of him, as the two had dropped Watts by six seconds. Further back, Bellinger had eased away from Simmonds, with Paul Cope in the March 75S having split the pair. In tenth, John Sheldon’s Chevron B16 had moved ahead of Peter Thompson in the Bonnier class-leading Chevron B8 while Steve Seaman was next in the Lola T70 Mk1 Spyder, ahead of Nick Pink who after his practice issues was on a recovery run in his Lola T210.

After 7 laps, Eagling’s advantage had gradually increased to 1.5 seconds, as Ferrão still harried Pearson for second place. Wright trailed by 26 seconds, with Spiers another two ticks behind. Watts, meanwhile, had Cope’s March breathing down his neck, as the low-line 75S had now also cleared Bellinger. Behind the Monaco ‘King Cobra’, Sheldon was having a strong race, as he had also passed Simmonds to be ninth, while the latter – following a pair of excursions at the back of the circuit – had seen Thompson go past for tenth. Next time around, the Mk2 Spyder driver was into the pits to have his car checked, but was given the all clear by the team.

The battle at the front remained finely poised, as Eagling continued to inch away, but Pearson stayed in touch, less than two seconds away from the leader. In the meantime, Ferrão had lost ground to Pearson and now trailed by 2.4 seconds. On lap 13, however, Eagling had suddenly dropped behind both Pearson and Ferrão after a modest spin on a slippery part of the circuit. Meanwhile, further back, Cope had passed Spiers for fifth while Sheldon continued his march up the order by clearing Bellinger. At the back, Pink had retired with an oil leak.

Now a new battle for the lead began to emerge, since Ferrão had closed right down to Pearson to trail by a mere fourth tenths on lap 16, as Eagling picked up his pace but still looked at a 5-second deficit to the warring pair up front. Wright in fourth was now a massive 52 seconds behind, with Cope a further 12 seconds adrift. Spiers continued to lead the pre-66 class from Bellinger, the two sandwiching Watts and Sheldon.

As the pit window opened, Eagling and Spiers took first opportunity on lap 21, with Spiers making his space available to Nigel Greensall. Eagling, however, would not leave the pits anymore, retiring the car with gearbox trouble. Next time around, Pearson came in for his stop, followed on the next tour by Ferrão, the Portuguese driver relieved by the T292’s preparer, Martin Stretton. He was joined by Cope and Seaman, the latter handing the T70 Spyder to Andy Newall. On lap 24, Peter Thompson swapped places with Charles Allison, with Watts and Simmonds also in.

Behind Wright, who was yet to stop, a strong outlap from Stretton had helped him vault Pearson, the Lola T292 assuming the virtual lead of the race. On lap 26, Bellinger and Sheldon were in, the former making way for Keith Ahlers, while Wright used the final opportunity on lap 28. This elevated Stretton into the actual lead, which now amounted to 3.2 seconds over Pearson.

As the field settled into its rhythm after all the stops, Stretton’s lead increased to five seconds while Wright was by now a full lap down in third. Greensall in the leading pre-66 car was chased after the American but not by much – at this rate, he would be unable to close the 31-second deficit to the T70 Mk3B. Cope was a safe fifth, another lap down, and lapping considerably quicker than Watts in sixth. Veteran Sheldon did well to be seventh ahead of Allison, Ahlers and Newall, the latter homing in on his class rival but still a full lap down. On lap 33, however, Cope came in to immediately settle his penalty, having only just been punished for pitlane speeding during his mandatory stop. With the gaps as they were, it cost him only one spot, now trailing Watts by three seconds.

With 15 minutes remaining, Stretton held a lead that had grown to 11 seconds to look safe for the win. Greensall’s disadvantage to Wright had dropped to 24 seconds but the American was still looking good for the overall podium, as in fifth, Cope had reclaimed his spot after repassing Watts on lap 37. Further back, however, Ahlers was in trouble, as a misfiring Cooper Monaco ‘King Cobra’ headed into the pits to hand second place in class to Newall, with Simmonds a very distant third, now two laps down on Newall after his earlier precautionary stop.

As the clock continued to wind down, everyone waited for a possible sting in the tail. At the front, Stretton was enjoying himself as indeed he set the fastest lap of the race on lap 40, further increasing his advantage to 19 seconds. With less than two minutes remaining, that sting came after all – not for the leader, but for Pearson who ran out of fuel in sight of the finish. This meant that Ferrão and Stretton won by a full lap over Wright, with Spiers and Greensall in third, another lap down. Pearson was still classified fourth ahead of Watts, Sheldon, Bonnier class winners Thompson and Allison, with Seaman/Newall and Simmonds completing the pre-66 podium.