Masters Race Weekend 2020: Masters Racing Legends for 66/85 F1 Cars

Mike Cantillon triumphed in a thrilling opening FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship season-opener at Donington Park this afternoon.

Starting from pole position, Cantillon’s ex-Carlos Reutemann/Keke Rosberg Williams FW07C bolted into an immediate lead of the 25-minute race chased by Steve Hartley’s McLaren MP4/1and a quick starting Michael Lyons (Hesketh 308E). As Cantillon tried to break away, Hartley lost out to a prowling Lyons who then set off in pursuit of the leader. However, an early spin by Chris Perkins (Surtees TS14) at the Chicane caused a brief safety car period but just before the boards came out, Lyons was quicker on his toes than Cantillon exiting the final corner and jumped ahead as they crossed the timing line.

As officials investigated the overtake, Lyons tried to open the gap to Cantillon with Hartley dropping away a little. However, as Cantillon brought down the gap, and Lyons went defensive, that enabled Hartley to close the gap and briefly set the fastest lap of the race. As Cantillon closed to within striking distance, the Williams seized its opportunity at Coppice Corner on lap 14, surging alongside the older Hesketh on the run to the Chicane. Lyons fended off the advances as best he could, but Cantillon claimed the inside line for Redgate Corner starting lap 15 and with it the race lead.

The drama wasn’t over yet, though, as Lyons started to drop away meaning that as Cantillon cantered clear, Hartley moved up to second spot and Lyons had to content himself with third overall and a class win, the older Hesketh unable to stay with the later ground-effect cars..

A superb battle raged for fourth place as well, with Jamie Constable (Shadow DN8) heading the pack. However, he was a cork in the bottle as Steve Brooks (Lotus 81), triple Le Mans winner Marco Werner (Lotus 77) and Mark Hazell (Williams FW08C) all queued up behind. As Constable’s progress was arrested by a battery problem, Brooks moved up to fourth ahead of Werner with Hazell rounding out the top six.

Cantillon secured honours in the Head class for later Ground-effect cars and Lyons took gold in the Fittipaldi class for earlier ground-effect machinery. Hazell won the Lauda class for flat-bottomed cars (ahead of Ian Simmonds’s Tyrrell 012) and Matthew Wrigley’s March 721G took the Stewart class in seventh overall.

With Chris Perkins out of the race after a spin and Jamie Constable’s battery travails stopping his Shadow, the other driver out of luck was Frenchman Patrick D’Aubreby who was forced to park his March 761 mid-race. Missing from the grid was Masters supremo Ron Maydon whose Lec CRP1 was damaged in qualifying.

Race two will be at Donington tomorrow, Sunday, at 14:15.

Mike Cantillon scored a double in the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship at Donington Park by securing honours in the second race of the weekend. As in the opening race the previous day, Cantillon didn’t have it easy.

In an excellent race, Steve Brooks (Lotus 81) led away from pole position on the semi-reversed grid, with Michael Lyons (Hesketh 308E) slotting into second ahead of Cantillon’s Williams and Steve Hartley (McLaren MP4/1). Lyons relieved Brooks of the lead on lap three and the Hesketh then started to edge away as Brooks fended off Cantillon and Hartley.

The Williams/McLaren duel moved ahead a lap later but Lyons was flying, building his gap to over 3.5sec over Cantillon who in turn had the constant shadow of Hartley behind him. As the older Hesketh started to lose its edge, so Cantillon closed. Slashing the gap, the ex-Carlos Reutemann Williams was on the tail of Lyons by lap eight, but the Hesketh driver wasn’t giving up without a fight. Lyons defended valiantly, until lap 15 when Cantillon finally breached his defences and stormed past. Hartley pounced as well, the ex-John Watson McLaren moving ahead and the experienced F1 racer desperately trying to move past Cantillon for the lead. He was never quite able to do it but the pair made a stirring sight as they ran nose to tail to the end of the 24-lap race.

Lyons had to content himself with a class-winning third with Brooks taking fourth spot with Mark Hazell (Williams FW08C) coming home a distant fifth. Triple Le Mans winner Marco Werner, on his Masters Historic Racing debut, brought his ex-Gunnar Nilsson Lotus 77 home in sixth place, hitting trouble right at the end of the race which allowed Hazell ahead. Matthew Wrigley (March 721 G) netted seventh and Jamie Constable’s Shadow DN8 recovered from engine woes in race one to take eighth place.

Class honours went to Cantillon (Head), Lyons (Fittipaldi), Hazell (Lauda) and Wrigley (Stewart).

The next race for the Masters Historic Formula One is at Brands Hatch on August 22/23.