Reports > Howard's Day Castle Combe April 1 2024
A winning start to 2024 for WPR
The WPR team began their 2024 season at Castle Combe on April 1 for the CCRC Howard's Day event with some old familiar faces but also a few new ones.
For the pair of Gulf Race Fuels FF1600 championship races, Josh Fisher was back in the Richard Hudson-Evans owned and Classic Auction Review
backed Van Diemen RF99 substituting for the team's new regular Class A driver, Alex Walker who is scheduled to appear at the next round. James Colborn lined up for another season in his Van Diemen RF07 while long term WPR team member, Steve Bracegirdle was having an occasional outing in the team's Van Diemen RF01 which he admitted to finding more difficult to drive than the RF89 he had campaigned for many seasons - getting the front end turned in was a problem he reported after practice. Sam Mitchell was in his usual Classic Auction Review Class D Merlyn MK20. Another new driver for 2024 is Thomas McArthur, better known as Tommy Mac in a Classic Auction Review Class C Van Diemen RF89 - effectively a completely new car built by the team on a new chassis with fresh parts. Tommy has enjoyed Formula Ford success in the past, notably at Oulton Park and was aiming to end David Cobbold's Class C dominance in recent seasons.
Graha Cox and his Renault Clio were back for another crack at the Samcosport Hot Hatch championship and Graham reckoned on being well prepared personally for the coming season although the car was going to take a bit of dialling in as it and the engine had been largely rebuilt over the winter and he had not been able to test in advance. The team's final new car and driver combo for 2024 is Swindon's Wayne Rushworth with his Pest24 backed MG ZR in the CCRC Saloon Car Championship.
Joining the team's regular engineers and mechanics, Rob, Anthony, Nathan, Jack and Derek, for 2024 were Jordan and Chris.
Practice for the Formula Fords was held in damp conditions but Josh Fisher's class and experience saw him comfortably on pole for race one and on pole for race two by a smaller margin. James and Tommy qualified alongside each other on the fifth row for both races with Sam and Steve a little further back. Race one saw Josh lead away from the start but was shuffled back to third at Quarry although he was able to get one place back before the end of lap one to follow Brother, Felix for the next 6 laps but never more than a few tenths adrift. Josh made his move on lap 7 at Quarry and ran home a comfortable winner despite a last lap scare as the four leaders came across a back barker at Bobbies. Tommy made a great start, ending lap one in ninth but his principal adversary, David Cobbold slowly reeled him in and took the Class C lead on Lap 7. Tommy kept in touch and was able to retake the lead for the Class C win on the final lap. James came home 12th, Sam 14th (winning Class D with fastest lap) and Steve 15th.
The second Formula Ford Race was similar to the first with Josh leading away, losing the lead to his Brother on lap two, regaining it on lap three and running out the winner. In Class C Tommy made another good start and was comfortably leading David Cobbold until the penultimate lap when a problem intervened and a couple of slow laps saw him drop back to 13th and second in class. James was a good ninth, Sam (winning Class D with fastest lap) 12th and Steve 14th.
In the Hot Hatch races Graham qualified 18th in a huge field for race one and went on to finish 16th after making a good start. In race two Graham started 16th and held the position to the finish. In the Saloon Car races Wayne started race one in ninth (third in Class C) after a race long battle with three other MG ZRs. In race two Wayne started eighth and finished fifth, taking the final spot on the podium in Class C.
