HSCC Autosport Three Hours, Snetterton

	The cars line up for a Chevron-dominated Guards Trophy race. Photo: Eric Saywer

Marcus Pye Reports

Mirroring a trend started by Michael Schryver and Simon Hadfield, who won the HSCC’s first two revivals of the classic Autosport Three Hours race in the former’s Chevron B6, the B8 which the brothers Cottingham drove to victory last summer also won the fourth running of the classic Snetterton enduro on June 5-6. This time, though, Gareth Burnett and Alex Ames were in its cockpit, Top Knob Racing patron John Ruston having reacquired the emerald green car in the interim.

While an unprecedented array of the late Derek Bennett’s Chevron GTs dominated the front third of the 35-car grid, Jon Shipman’s crack Crossle 9S-equipped team looked sharp, determined to avenge the ‘near misses’ of recent years, when late suspension breakages robbed it of victories. Mark Hales qualified the BMW-powered car quickest, but ill fortune struck again, this time within 20 minutes of the start. Its owner was on board, and leading, when a fuel leak sent him pitwards. Hales, caught unawares, had to retrieve his helmet and HANS device from the motorhome before the recovery drive could start.

After permanent lead swapping throughout, Irishman George Douglas found himself in the lead in his Ginetta-BMW G16, which ex-Caterham champion Luke Stevens had battled into contention. Burnett had supplanted Ames for the last hour, with more than a lap to claw back. Not even an inadvertent tap from Autosport’s resident Formula Vee racer Ben Anderson, who drove Michael Schryver’s Chevron more than competently on his historic debut, put Burnett off. He coolly reeled in the windscreen company boss with minutes to spare and, after a late full course caution, won a cracking race by 8.7 seconds.

The only thing the big race lacked was continental entries this year, but – after Snetterton’s date was changed by a week - the clashing Coppa Intereuropa festival at Monza split the resources of major preparation teams. The HSCC makes no secret that it would like the event to have a truly international flavour in the future, and will actively explore this avenue to celebrate the popular Autosport endurance fixtures of 1957-’64.