by Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica
From the 31st of August to the 2nd of September, the 7th edition of the Historic Grand Prix was held at Zandvoort in the Netherlands in beautiful autumn sunshine.
Spectators found their way to the legendary track situated by the Dutch North Sea coast, there to see historic single-seaters, touring cars, GTs, sports cars and side cars. As in previous years it was a true celebration of the history of motorsports from the 60s into the 90s.
Zandvoort had the privilege of hosting all four historic racing categories sanctioned by the FIA in a single event. Present were the Formula 1 cars of FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship, Le Mans cars and sports cars from the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship and the FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior cars. Besides these iconic cars Zandvoort served as the venue for the inaugural Historic F3 European Cup.
Another new category for the Historic Grand Prix were the touring cars from the Tourenwagen Classics. Spectators were treated to the German category for touring cars that took part in the famous DTMchampionship from the mid-’80s until the mid-’90s, as well as two-liter Super Touring cars that participated in the German STW championship and BTTC (British Touring Car Championship) in the 1990s.
The battle for victory in this event was fought between the two Mercedes AMG C-Class cars of Jörg Hatscher, who partnered with DTM legends Klaus Ludwig and Thorsten Stadler as the Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI wasn’t present. Hatscher and Ludwig grabbed victory in their single 40-minute race with Stadler finishing second within 2 seconds.
With just nine Cosworth-powered Formula 1 cars, the FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship had the smallest grid of the event. The fights in the top three easily made up for the smaller number of participating cars, however.
Nick Padmore drove his Williams FW07/C from the pole in race 1 straight to victory. Behind Padmore all eyes were focused on a tense battle between Jason Wright in a Shadow DN8 and Greg Thornton in a March 761. Initially Wright controlled his second place but after several attempts Thornton managed to pass during lap 8.
In the second race of the weekend Padmore started from eighth position on the reversed grid. By lap 3 the Briton grabbed the lead and stormed to his second win of the weekend.
Local heroes David Hart and Nicky Pastorelli drove the DHG Racing Lola T70 Mk.IIIB to victory in the single race of the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship.
Fifteen former sports cars found their way to Zandvoort and after the start of the 60-minute race it was Leo Voyazides who took the lead in his Lola T70 Mk.IIIB. The Greek driver could enjoy his lead for just a single lap as David Hart grabbed the lead in lap 2. Voyazides couldn’t answer the pace of the Dutchman and when Pastorelli took his seat the gap over Simon Hadfield who switched with Voyazides only grew bigger. Hart and Pastorelli took victory with a nearly 16 second gap over Voyazides and Hadfield.
Andy Wolfe secured a hard-fought victory with his AC Cobra in the Masters Gentlemen Drivers. Wolfe battled closely with Dutchman Nicky Pastorelli in a marvelous Ferrari 250 GTO/64 for two thirds of the race. Pastorelli managed to control the race until the mandatory pit stop. From that point Wolfe took the lead. Sadly, Pastorelli dropped out out the race due to a failed clutch. Dutchmen Alexander van der Lof and Yelmer Buurman moved into second place in a similar AC Cobra.
German Alex Furiani and local hero Tom Coronel grabbed victory in the Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars on the very last lap in their Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA.
Initially Andrew Haddon dominated the race in a Lotus Cortina. Alex Furiani fought his way into the top four after a trip into the gravel during the start of the race. The German recovered from 10th place into 4th after just seven laps.
After the mandatory pit stop it was Andy Wolfe leading the race in a Ford Falcon Sprint, chased by former FIA WTCC touringcar driver Tom Coronel. Wolfe benefited from the sheer power of the Falcon, but Coronel made up in the corners. With the chequered flag in sight Wolfe thought his victory was secured but two back markers ruined the dream. Coronel used his knowledge, took the lead in a spectacular way in the very last lap and secured the victory.
Twenty-four historic F3 cars from 1971-1984 entered the very first race of the FIA Historic Formula 3 European Cup. Amongst the entries were different Martinis, Ralts, Chevrons and more.
The first race saw a close battle between Christian Olsen from Denmark in a Martini Mk.39 and German Thomas Warken in a Ralt RT3. After thirteen laps around Zandvoort it was Olsen who crossed the finish line first just 0.897 in front of Warken.
Christian Olsen managed to score his second victory of the weekend during race 2. The race was overshadowed by a huge crash from Thomas Warken. The race director red flagged the race five minutes before the finish. Luckily, Warken escaped unhurt.
Twenty-seven Formula 2 cars from the glory years thrilled the crowds with two interesting and loud races over the weekend. Matthew Watts was the man to beat on Saturday in his March 772, finishing seconds earlier than Italian Manfredo Rossi di Montelera in a March 712 and Robert Simac from France scoring the final spot on the podium.
The second race held on Sunday turned out as a 100% copy of race 1 giving Watts the second victory of the weekend.
Besides these categories spectators could also enjoy the GTs and touring cars from the NK GTTC, F3-500 Owners Asscociation and the side cars from the Camathias Cup.
Event partners BMW and Porsche were present with impressive demonstrations by cars from the factory collections. One remarkable car was the BMW V12 LMR from 1999 you see below. It is a development of the earlier BMW V12 LM. BMW partnered with the design team of Williams F1, headed by Patrick Head. The result of the partnership was the stunning BMW V12 LMR, equipped with a 5990 cc V12 engine producing 580 bhp. The car had a weight of just 900 kg and could reach a top speed of 350 km/h.
JJ Lehto, Jörg Müller and Tom Kristensen debuted with the car at the 1999 Sebring 12 Hours giving BMW its very first victory. For the Le Mans 24 Hours from 1999 BMW also entered two cars. One of the two cars crashed as the remaining nr. 15 car, chassis 003/99 driven by Pierluigi Martini, Yannick Dalmas and Joachim Winkelhock managed to win the race after a nail biting finale.
Chassis 003/99 pictured here was the third out of four cars built. The car was driven during the demo’s by former Le Mans-winner Jan Lammers.
Pictured below is McLaren F1 GTR Long Tail chassis 26R, driven by Peter Kox. The car was a development of the McLaren F1 road car designed by Gordon Murray and Peter Stevens. The F1 GTR was built to the international GT1 regulations and therefore eligible for the Le Mans 24 Hours.
McLaren used a 5990 cc BMW V12 generating 600 bhp. The motor, however was equipped with an engine restrictor to balance out the performance of the different participating cars. As the power generated by the BMW engine dropped by 30 bhp, the design team stripped 120 kg in weight.
Chassis 26R as illustrated here was entered by BMW Motorsport for the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours driven by Roberto Ravaglia, Eric Helary and Peter Kox, who finished third overall.
Another remarkable car that could be seen on track was the below Porsche 961 from 1986. The Porsche 961 was a development of the 959 road car based on the legendary and record-selling 911. The 961 pictured here was one of the two racing derivatives developed by Porsche.
Originally meant as Group B rally car, the 961 turned into a car suitable for circuit racing. The only 961 ever built, chassis 10016 entered the Le Mans 24 Hours of 1986. Powered by a 680 bhp twin turbo engine, the car finished seventh overall driven by Frenchmen Rene Metge and Claude Ballot-Léna.
A demonstration that brought the spectators of the 7th edition of the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort back to the early days of Formula 1 was the presence of two Ferrari 156 Sharknose single seaters.
During the early 60s Carlo Chiti designed the legendary Ferrari 156, dubbed ‘Sharknose’ due to its air intake nostrils. The car was powered by a 120-degree 1.5 liter V6 engine producing 190 bhp at 9500 rpm. Phil Hill won the World Championship back in 1961 driving a 156.
At the Historic Grand Prix two replicas owned by Jason Wright were demonstrated by Wright himself and former Formula 1 driver Arturo Merzario. As Ferrari destroyed the remaining Sharknoses during the early 60s, Wright acquired the most authentic replica of any Sharknose, built by a Belgian gentlemen driver. In the end Wright rebuilt the car and even built a second car. Both cars could be seen and gave the spectators a glimpse of how F1-racing in the 60s looked and sounded.
In summary, we can state that the 7th edition of the Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort was another great success. A lot of the drivers that participated already confirmed their presence for the 8th edition that will take place during the late summer of 2019. We’re already counting sleeps!
Results 7th Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort:
FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship race 1
1) Nick Padmore, Williams FW07/C
2) Gregory Thornton, March 761, + 2.763
3) Jason Wright, Shadow DN8, + 3.052
FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship race 2
1) Nick Padmore, Williams FW07/C
2) Gregory Thornton, March 761, + 10.944
3) Jason Wright, Shadow DN8, + 11.379
FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship
1) David Hart – Nicky Pastorelli,, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB
2) Leo Voyazides – Simon Hadfield, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB, + 15.595
3) Jason Wright, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB, +1:36.417
FIA Lurani Trophy race 1
1) Bruno Weibel, Lotus 22
2) Mark Shaw, Brabham BT6, + 0.021
3) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera, Lotus 22, + 5.243
FIA Lurani Trophy race 2
1) Bruno Weibel, Lotus 22
2) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera, Lotus 22, + 14.589
3) Pierre Tonetti, Brabham BT6, + 15.254
FIA F3 Historic European Cup race 1
1) Christian Olsen, Martini Mk.39
2) Thomas Warken, Ralt RT3, + 0.895
3) Marcel Biehl, Ralt RT1, + 5.470
FIA F3 Historic European Cup race 2
1) Christian Olsen, Martini Mk. 39
2) Tom Bradshaw, Argo JM6, + 11.533
3) Frederic Rouvier, Martini Mk. 31, + 25.360
Masters Gentlemen Drivers
1) Andy Wolfe, AC Cobra
2) Alexander van der Lof – Yelmer Buurman, AC Cobra, + 15.700
3) Aaron Head-Dale Head, Lotus Elan, + 1:01.445
Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars
1) Alex Furiani – Tom Coronel, Alfa Romeo Giula Sprint GTA
2) Mike Gardiner – Andy Wolfe, Ford Falcon Sprint, + 4.534
3) Julian Thomas – Calum Lockie, Ford Falcon, + 26.325
Historic Formula 2 race 1
1) Matthew Watts, March 772
2) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera, March 712, + 5.893
3) Robert Simac, March 712, + 9.576
Historic Formula 2 race 2
1) Matthew Watts, March 772
2) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera, March 712, + 3.705
3) Robert Simac, March 712, + 10.865
NK GTTC race 1
1) Daniel Schrey, Porsche 935 K1
2) Bart Westerman, Porsche Carrera RS, + 1.753
3) Lex Proper, Porsche Carrera RSR, + 10.379
NK GTTC race 2
1) Daniel Schrey, Porsche 935 K1
2) Bart Westerman, Porsche Carrera RS, + 19.186
3) Lex Proper, Porsche Carrera RSR, + 25.561
Tourenwagen Classics
1) Jörg Hatscher – Klaus Ludwig, Mercedes AMG C-Class
2) Thorsten Stadler, Mercedes AMG C-Class, + 1.616
3) Gerhard Füller, Opel Vectra STW, + 5.547
F3-500 Owners Association race 1
1) George Shackleton, Cooper Mk.11
2) Brian Joliffe, Cooper Mk.9, + 1.478
3) Darrell Woods, Staride Mk.3, + 1.795
F3-500 Owners Association race 2
1) George Shackleton, Cooper Mk.11
2) Darrell Woods, Staride Mk.3, + 0.629
3) Brian Joliffe, Cooper Mk.9, + 4.049
Camathias Cup race 1
1) Marvin Vermeulen-Jouk Hahn, Triumph T140
2) Jon Perkins- Ian Nickels, BMW MRE, + 57.037
3) Henrik Jonker-Rebecca Sirrell, Moto Guzzi, + 1:02.926
Camathias Cup race 2
1) Jon Perkins-Ian Nickels, BMW MRE
2) Barry Phetean-Nancy Detournay, BMW Busch Replica, + 28.140
3) Bruno Noel-German Sacchettini, BMW MR Equipe, + 37.207
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