A look back on FIA Masters Historic Formula One race at Zandvoort held in September last year with photos by Trevor Noble – too good not to be used.
The power of ten applied for Nick Padmore as the Williams FW07C driver stormed to a lights-to-flag victory in the second making it his tenth win of the season, Padmore further cemented his lead in the championship,
Padmore had to keep an inspired Greg Thornton at bay, whose Lotus 91 outbraked second-placed Christophe d’Ansembourg into Tarzan corner on lap 3 and then set after Padmore. Mid-race, Thornton saw Stefano Di Fulvio close in, the Italian having passed D’Ansembourg on lap 8, but in the end the Lotus driver shook off Di Fulvio’s Tyrrell 012 to finish just 1.3 seconds off the winner. In his chase of Padmore, Thornton also put fastest lap of the race in the bag on lap 15. D’Ansembourg (Williams FW07C) finished a lonely fourth.
Starting from the pitlane again, just as in race 1, Michael Lyons (Hesketh 308E) took a mere six laps to snatch the lead in the pre-77 class. On lap 2, the young Briton was up to ninth position and blasted past early class leader Jason Wright (Shadow DN8) four laps later to add a second pre-77 class win to his weekend’s tally.
Wright was a lonely second in class but behind him the battle raged for the final step of the podium, Max Smith-Hilliard (Surtees TS9B) passing Andrew Beaumont (Lotus 76) on lap 9, with the newer cars of Ian Simmonds (Tyrrell 012) and Tommy Dreelan (Williams FW08) adding to a four-car dogfight.
Simmonds dropped out of the fight with a pitstop on lap 10. This brought Keith Frieser’s Shadow DN1 into the top-ten. The American headed the Ligier JS11/15 of Pierre-Alain France, the Frenchman having earlier on duelled with Frank Lyons in the McLaren M26. Lyons Sr then dropped back for a ‘family album’ finish as he trailed his son Michael across the line, one lap down.
Phil Hall’s fast-starting Theodore TR1 was up to sixth on the first lap but dragged to a halt at the start of lap 2. Local man Frits van Eerd retired his March 761 with gearbox problems on lap 2, while James Hagan pitted his Hesketh 308 twice before retiring the car with a broken gear linkage. Robert Blain was the final retiree when he spun his March 751 in no-name corner on lap 9.
Report courtesy Masters Historic Racing here>>>
Photos by Trevor Noble