CBT Mustang shines at Donington in stand-in role / Classic Thunder Saloons

With pre-event checks revealing the CBT VW Golf to have a cracked exhaust and an oil leak, it was decided to rest the Golf for the Classic VW Challenge at Donington Park and carry out the necessary repairs. Also running at the same weekend as the VWs was the Hammerite Classic Thunder Saloons Championship, so Steve and Stuart decided to take the CBT race-winning Mustang FR500 along for its first race since 2010.

Classic Thunder has the same format as the Classic VW Challenge with a 15-minute qualifying and two 15-minute races over the weekend. The Mustang FR500 would be in class A2 and would have serious competition from much more powerful cars such as Andy Robinson in a 7000cc ex-British GT Ford Falcon and Andrew Wilson in a Vauxhall Holden Monaro, also ex-British GT. There was also a very rapid BMW M3 E46 and a Subaru Impreza for reigning champion Vaughan Fletcher.

The 15-minute qualifying session took place mid-morning Saturday and the 2.48-mile Donington Park GP Circuit was being used. The Classic Thunder Saloons were supporting The British SuperKart Grand Prix.

After 10 minutes the CBT Mustang FR500 was running in a very respectable fifth place overall and on his final lap of qualifying Steve managed to put in a time of 1m 42s, which moved the Mustang up to fourth overall and third in class. The Subaru Impreza was on pole position, followed by the Ford Falcon and the BMW M3. Behind Steve came two Ford Escort Cosworths, a Nissan Skyline and the Holden Monaro. Steve was delighted with his qualifying time although he did find the track surface slippery, possibly due to the SuperKarts leaving oil around the track.

The 15-minute race would be a rolling start, with the Mustang on the outside of row two. As the lights went out Steve made an excellent start but ran a little wide at the exit of Redgate which dropped him down the order to ninth place. On lap two he moved the CBT Mustang up a place and by lap five was up to fifth overall and catching the Nissan Skyline ahead by a second a lap.

The BMW M3 had pitted with a puncture the previous lap and, as Steve was about to start the eighth lap, the chequered flag was shown early. It was quite frustrating, said Steve afterwards, that the race ended early as he was quite confident he would have got past the Nissan. Not only did Steve have to contend with an oily track but the Mustang had developed a misfire at the beginning of the race, which then cleared and came back on the last lap. Fifth place overall and third in class was thus an excellent result for the CBT Mustang.

First place overall went to the Subaru Impreza of Vaughan Fletcher, who was followed home by Andy Robinson’s Ford Falcon, Dave Cockell’s Ford Escort Cosworth, Darren Bly and the CBT Ford Mustang FR500.

Jordan Racing Team mechanics Liam and Mark set about looking for the cause of the misfire straight after the race and discovered that there were particles in the fuel filter and this was starving the V8 engine of petrol. They thought that maybe the foam in the fuel tank was starting to break up and not allowing the fuel to flow properly. Fuel starvation could cause a major problem to the engine and it was then decided to retire the CBT Mustang from race two as a precaution.

Steve and Stuart will miss the next round of the Classic VW Challenge at Brands Hatch but will be back for the following round, at Pembrey in August. Possibly they will run the Golf in Classic VWs and the Mustang in Classic Thunder Saloons.