Portugal’s Pedro Macedo Silva and Jose Monroy’s sensational 2024 GT & Sports Car Cup seasonal finale victory at the Algarve Classic Festival was all the more poignant since it honoured the event’s lynchpin and a long-time supporter of the series, their much-loved compatriot Paulo Pinheiro.
Closely-matched AC Cobra 289 crews claimed the top three places in Sunday’s wonderful two-hour contest, after which Macedo Silva – who won in 2017 with father Rui in the same car – was understandably emotional. “Me and Jose were on a mission today. This race was dedicated to the dear friend Paulo, who created the track but unfortunately passed away this summer.”
Chris Chiles Jr, 2018’s winner with Simon Garrad, but sharing this time with father Chris Snr, was denied a second ACF gold by 42.845s. GTSCC debutants Kieren Clark/Brian Caudwell were a further 22 seconds in arrears having served an extra stop-go penalty for crossing the blend line when rejoining the circuit after the opening round of pitstops which the three Cobras made dramatically in line astern. Extraordinarily, Macedo Silva and Clark lapped within 0.393s of Chiles Jr’s 2m07.560s (81.53mph) fastest lap as they slugged it out for victory.
A lap down on the Ford V8-engined blasters, Rob Cull/Darren Dunne (Lotus Elan 26R) finished fourth, chased home by a trio of Jaguars, the E-types of Rhea Sautter/Andy Newall and GT3 class winner Matt Walton/Nigel Greensall split by the C-type of Rudi Friedrichs and preparer Charlie Martin. They netted SP1 gold by one circuit over Max Smith-Hilliard/Miles Griffiths in Max’s ex-Cliff Davis Lotus-Bristol X.
Far from having things their own way in their division, Walton/Greensall outran the Austin-Healey 3000s of Michael Russell/Olly Samways by 46.544s to finish seventh overall. John Caudwell and Kieren Clark (on double duty with the brothers) were a further 34 seconds adrift in John’s example, the podium trio having completed the same number of laps.
The closest finish was in GT2, however, where German father and son Florian and Julius Brandt claimed their maiden triumph by 9.246s over the MGB of George Grant/Nick Rutter. They staved off Hugh Lafferty/Ian Bankhurst’s sister car by less than six seconds, enhancing a particularly cosmopolitan result. But for losing around half a minute when Grant was mis-directed by officials to the refuelling area at his opening stop, victory could have been theirs.
Touring Car honours in a tough four-car ‘Mini’ contest fell deservedly to Ryck Turner/Bruce Galliford, whose Cooper S bested father and daughter Richard and Alice Locke (Broadspeed GTS) by two laps. Richard Parsons/Alistair Pugh were just 18 seconds down in third.
That a total of 1462 laps (4226 miles/6801km) were completed in the two hours without the necessity for a Safety Car is a huge compliment to GTSCC competitors. This bears out Richard Locke’s kind comment: “We had a brilliant time. It is such a wonderful series: the camaraderie, the hard but respectful and safe racing, the cars! As a back-marker, you really notice how you are treated by the faster cars coming through. They were great, giving us space and picking their time to go past.”
George Grant – who arranged for TV specialist Jake Sansom to commentate at very short notice to voice the excellent live stream coverage of the enduro – and Nick Rutter were popular winners of the Baltic Watches Drivers of the Day Award, a splendid timepiece each. Nick and son James Topliss, who debuted their MGB and shared Ellie Birchenhough’s Cooper S, were recipients of the Royal Automobile Club Family prize.
Once again, the GTSCC family was superbly catered for at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal’s Grand Prix circuit and a jewel on the European motorsport landscape.
Preliminaries
Following memorable races at Enna-Pergusa in Sicily, Silverstone’s GP circuit and ever-popular Castle Combe, the 18th season concluded with yet another visit to the ACF, the last staging point of most seasons since 2011. While the loss of the circuit’s ringmaster and driving force Paulo Pinheiro was keenly felt – the festival will never quite be the same without his avuncular presence and guiding hand – the AIA management and Race Ready bravely picked up Paulo’s baton and, supported by excellent marshals in the front line, put on a professional show.
The 32-strong entry included numerous debutants, always encouraging as competitors enjoy a great venue, end-of-term vibes at fine hotels and start making plans for the year ahead. The Caudwell brothers – John and Brian in Austin-Healey 3000 and AC Cobra respectively, shared by Kieren Clark – Michael Russell/Olly Samways (Healey), Ryck Turner/Bruce Galliford and Richard Parsons/Alistair Pugh (Austin Cooper Ss), Germany’s Christian Oldendorff’s Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 run by Portugal’s Pedro Fernandes and Joel Hopwood/Mark Shaw (Tom Smith Racing Lotus Elan 26R) were among the welcome newcomers.
During Friday’s ‘Free Practice’ session, Chiles Jr found his CRC Cobra in superb fettle, cutting a promising 2:06.952s personal best. “I don’t think a Cobra has got into the 6s in the many years we’ve been going,” he said. Macedo Silva/Monroy were half a second slower, but with Andy Newall in Rhea Sautter’s E-type and Former Formula Renault racer Kieren Clark in Brian Caudwell’s CRC Cobra in the high 9s in the course of a few exploratory laps, the pace looked destined to be hot.
Alas the heavens opened for Saturday morning’s official qualifying session – a not unprecedented scenario which torpedoed aspirations and progress for competitors still acclimatising to the track or honing their steeds. This did not favour the Cobras. With stiff baseline settings for ultimate dry performance and relative lack of adjustment options compared to the independently suspended Jaguars, the AC drivers were on the back foot. Caudwell/Clark (4th), Chiles Jr/Chiles (7th) and Macedo Silva (9th) were all looking for better weather on raceday.
Andy Newall and Jason Minshaw somehow wrung 2m40s times from the Sautter and Melling E-types, performances which earned Chiles Jr’s respect, since he circulated more than three seconds slower. Newall’s 2:40.000 (65.05mph) best in the turquoise hard-topped roadster edged pole by 0.249s from Minshaw in the low-drag coupe for a Coventry marque front row lockout.
Austin-Healey maestro Jeremy Welch adores the wet, thus fishtailed Bruce Montgomery’s 3000 to a GT3-leading P3 with 2:42.230. Clark’s 2:42.288 in Caudwell’s #72 Cobra shaded Welch in Doug Muirhead’s Healey 100/6 – ‘The Chairman’s Car,’ TON 792 – by 0.008s. Having lapped both cars he was sharing within 0.066s, in horrendous conditions, Jeremy reflected proudly that “at least it showed the owners that they are the same.” Muirhead was duly joined on the third row by Simon Orebi Gann’s 2.1-litre Triumph-powered Morgan +4 Super Sports, its 2:43.061 recorded by ace preparer Billy Bellinger.
Chiles/Chiles shared the next rank with Matt Walton’s GT3 metallic blue E-type FHC, shared by indefatigable globe-trotter Nigel Greensall who posted 2:43.989. The open Cobra of Macedo Silva/Monroy (2:44.039) had the Jaguar XK120 of Oliver Marçais/Rob Newall for company, the oldest GT car on parade on an excellent 2:46.785 thanks to its younger pilot. The top 12 was completed by the big Healeys of John Caudwell/Kieren Clark and Mark ‘Pangio’ Pangborn/Harvey Woods on 2:48.259 and 2:48.582 respectively.
Row 7 was an all Sports racer affair, with the Jaguar C-type of Germany’s Rudi Friedrichs and British spannerman Charlie Martin on SP1 pole with 2:49.092, 1.021s swifter than Canadian Dean Baker’s newly-acquired HWM-Jaguar, shared by Scot Gregor Fisken. The stiff Healey of David Smithies/Chris Clarkson (2:50.495) separated them from class rival Max Smith-Hilliard/Miles Griffiths’ Lotus on 2:51.680 before it conked out, triggering a caution period.
The final Healey was Michael Russell’s, into which the classic motorcycle racer had co-opted 2023 Mighty Minis champion Olly Samways. They gridded 17th, with the Triumph TR4 of Allan and Daniel Ross-Jones alongside. Last year’s GT2 winner Rob Cull was back with a GT4-contending 26R-spec Elan, shared with Darren Dunne. The sister car of Joel Hopwood and Scottish sometime F3000 racer Mark Shaw joined them on row 10.
The GT2 combatants were led by George Grant who planted the Clapham North MOT promoting MGB, co-driven by fellow Mazda MX-5 battler Nick Rutter and run by Rob Boston Racing, on class pole with a stout 2:54.315. Closest to them was the Brandts’ TVR Grantura Mk3, just 0.988s shy, and chased in the division by the Porsche 911 of Peter Tognola/Steve Monk on 2:56.477.
Between the BMC-engined ‘Granny’ and the Porsche sat the best of the Touring Car contenders, Richard Parsons/Alistair Pugh’s Shoestring Racing Austin Cooper S on 2:55.671. Ellie Birchenhough’s Dorset Racing version, shared by the family Topliss, was 1.358s adrift, barely a second up on Ryck Turner/Bruce Galliford’s Mini with the MGB of Scots Sandy McEwen/Steven Gray between them.
The second Morgan +4 SS, the British Racing Green two-litre version of Simon King/Richard Plant, and the Topliss MGB – in which Oliver Marçais cut his racing teeth – were also inside three minutes. Hugh Lafferty/Ian Bankhurst was a second slower. Christian Oldendorff’s stunning Alfa TZ2, was at the back – yet to show its true colours through lack of visibility from its ultra-low cockpit stance in grizzly slippery conditions – with the Locke family’s Broadspeed GTS.
Race
By contrast, raceday dawned fine and warm with glorious sunshine bathing the circuit, now back to its autumn best. While respectful of passing the GT3 leaders, the grunt of the Cobras saw the trio advance rapidly from the start, only Minshaw in the sleek dark blue Jaguar beyond immediate reach of Chiles Jr, Clark and Macedo Silva at the end of the opening lap. Montgomery was fifth, ahead of Walton, with Pangborn, Muirhead, Sautter slipping back from pole, and Caudwell’s Healey completing the top 10. Friedrichs’ C-type, the top sportscar, was up two places to 11th, chased by Hopwood’s yellow-nosed Elan and Marçais’ ivory XK120.
As the game of snakes and ladders began to evolve, the largest gains on lap 1 were registered by Oldendorff’s rorty 1600cc Alfa (up 11 places to a GT2 class-leading 20th) and Hopwood (+8 to 12th). Conversely there were big fallers as the unnatural qualifying order shook itself out, but as start drivers found their equilibrium everything quickly settled down.
Soon in trouble was Marçais, who parked the XK120 at Turn 1 with a blocked fuel line. Covered by a full course caution, but not a safety car, officials towed the Jag back to the pits. Once it was repaired by the Classic Autos team, permission was granted to restart, albeit several laps down. Montgomery was the other early pit visitor, in a bid to rectify a sticking throttle, which promoted Walton to GT3 pacesetter. Bruce’s drama was traced to the bonnet prop dropping from its clip and snagging the linkage, but he continued, plum last until the delayed Jaguar reappeared.
Three laps into the race Chiles powered his Cobra past Minshaw who, after a spirited six lap pursuit of the new leader, was picked off by Clark and Macedo Silva by lap 10. Jason refused to be shaken off though, indeed the spectacle of the two black Cobra coupes being hounded by the ‘air-conditioned’ red one and the Jaguar became one of the race’s long-running highlights. When they got together on track, the hard-edged note of the three magnificent V8s flat out in unison sounded savage, like something out of a Palm Beach race in the mid-1960s, with a sharper straight-six providing contrast.
Behind the quartet, Friedrichs had passed Walton to go sixth, before Cull swept past in his red Elan. Up five places to 14th on the first lap, Rob usurped Hopwood’s Elan, Caudwell’s Healey and Sautter’s E-type in rapid succession, then demoted ‘Pangio,’ who had climbed superbly from 12th to seventh first time round. Rising more steadily was Smithies who had reached seventh before he stopped to install Clarkson.
The GT2 fight was reset when Oldendorff was black-flagged for a start procedure infringement. Following a discussion with the race director he was permitted to continue, albeit out of contention with the loss of several laps. Grant, who had been only a couple of places behind in his blue MGB, thus took up the initiative, with the TC1-leading Minis of Turner and Parsons between himself and class rivals Julius Brandt’s TVR, the ‘Bs’ of Lafferty and McEwen, then King’s Morgan.
Minshaw, always planning to run a couple of laps further than the gruff ACs in his first stint, assumed the overall lead when the Cobras stopped together. However, when he arrived at the MRM pit, car owner Melling was feeling unwell, thus he found himself redeployed as a soloist. Jason’s gallant effort did not last much longer, for the Jag’s gearbox failed and it was pushed away after 26 laps.
Muirhead’s Healey was the only other retirement at this stage, Doug having handed it over to Welch after 14 laps with something amiss at the rear. Jeremy brought it back in after a single circuit, with a broken spring hanger, not repairable in situ. This fundamentally altered the Denis Welch Racing strategy, for Montgomery was due to double stint in his car, then hand it to Jeremy for the final chase. With Welch unexpectedly available, plan B was implemented and he set about charging back up the order in the delayed #177 Healey. He was 20th when Bruce jumped back aboard.
Once in the Portuguese Cobra, Monroy was quickly into his stride, his fluorescent green striped helmet canted into the apexes. With Chiles Sr already behind following a 30 second longer stop for the crew to check his heavily-loaded left rear tyre. Jose set about chasing down Brian Caudwell for the lead. After a couple of exchanges as they dashed through constant traffic, the red car blasted ahead on lap 23 and Monroy built what looked like a decisive advantage before Macedo Silva took RUI 4’s helm for the final dash to the chequered flag.
After his father’s half-hour in the cockpit, Chiles Jr leapt back into the #1 Cobra after 11 laps with the maximum 50 minutes remaining – time for 23 laps. Again consideration was given to changing the tortured left rear Dunlop, but CRC’s Chris Fuller made the call to continue. Trusting his judgement implicitly, Chiles charged anew. Late on the brakes at the end of the pit straight, approached via an awesome downhill right-hand curve – reminiscent of the exit of Clearways at Brands Hatch, but on a steroidal scale – he had the monster’s tail dancing on the final chute which dips into the first corner, making balancing the car crucial, but his rival was too far up the road, and he was beyond Caudwell’s reach.
Thus, it was that the three Cobras took the chequered flag a little over a minute apart, with a resounding home victory for spectators in the huge stand opposite the pit complex to cheer. Outgunned on the roller-coaster, Cull/Dunne’s Elan finished two laps down, pursued in a symmetrical fashion by the Jaguars of Sautter, Friedrichs and Walton, the last two rewarded with top category honours.
The Walton/Greensall combo did not have things easy, far from it, for GT3 was incredibly competitive, with four different leaders on merit, but some heartbreak along the way. Greensall’s wet qualifying position put the less experienced Walton in the midst of the big Healey threat, with six well-matched 3000s and a rapid Morgan ultimately in the hunt. Montgomery’s throttle dramas as early as lap five left Walton ahead, with fast starter Pangborn engaged in an early duel with Muirhead, then John Caudwell and Russell with Smithies making good ground behind. Detached, Welch was flying in Montgomery’s car meanwhile.
Out of Brian Caudwell’s Cobra and waiting to take over John C’s Healey, Kieren Clark watched as the red and white car progressed to the top of the class to lie fifth overall before stopping on 20 laps, the same number as the GT4 quartet ahead of him. Smithies went second in class when Walton relayed Greensall, then stopped himself for Clarkson to take over. Pangborn’s fine initial work was continued by Woods, who relieved Caudwell of the class lead. Mini ace Samways drove a fine middle stint to keep Russell’s car in the thick of the Healey action.
Greensall’s relentless pace took the blue Jaguar back to the front before Walton jumped back in. But Pangborn closed Matt down and growled past, only for head gasket failure to force a steamy retirement a lap later.
The closing stages saw Walton, Russell and Kieren Clark (finishing for John Caudwell) complete 51 laps just 1m21.463s apart to claim the GT3 podium steps. Bellinger hauled Orebi Gann’s Morgan back to second behind Woods mid-distance, handed the car back to its owner who finished fourth, a lap adrift, but one ahead of Montgomery/Welch. Greensall’s 2:13.147s (78.13mph) fastest lap was peerless, but that three rivals were in the 15s and three in the 16s was remarkable.
The GT2 battle was even closer on track. It went the way of the Brandts’ TVR, but Grant’s heroic last leg brought him and Rutter home second, having overtaken the similar Lafferty/Bankhurst MGB eight laps from home. Fourth were King/Plant – who finished a lap adrift of the podium trio, enjoyed lapping with the more powerful Moggie towards the end – ahead of Topliss pai e filho and Monk/Tognola’s Porsche. Oldendorff’s 2:15.911 (76.55mph) fastest lap would have been competitive in GT3. Monk’s 2:19.825 was best of the regulars.
Friedrichs/Martin set the standard in SP1, their Jaguar running faultlessly to finish two laps ahead of Smith-Hilliard/Griffiths’ Lotus, in which Miles cut a 2:12.735 (78.38mph) fastest lap. Baker/Fisken’s HWM-Jaguar fell by the wayside around half-distance.
The Touring Car racers had great fun, Turner/Galliford prevailing by two laps, with a best lap of 2:21.003 (73.78mph). Parsons/Pugh led the chase in their Shoestring Racing Cooper S – its support crew augmented by fabled National Mini Se7en champion Tina Cooper, (who will be a welcome newcomer to the Series with her Mini next season) – until a puncture forced an unscheduled stop. Richard Locke battled with Nick Topliss for much of the opening 45 minutes, indeed both briefly passed Tognola’s 911, before relaying Alice and Ellie B respectively. Having lost 20 seconds at the first driver change, due to seat adjustments to accommodate the height difference between drivers, Alice Locke hounded down Ellie – contending with vibrations – and kept P2 in the Broadspeed GTS with the recovering Parsons chasing. Restricting her revs towards the end of a double-stint, Alice was surprised, but apparently unfazed, by the oil pressure gauge flying off the dash into the cockpit!
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