Kinch cleans up at Brands but Verdon-Roe moves into pole position in the Championship.

said Roland Kinch as he took the top step of the podium for the FIA Historic Formula One race at Brands Hatch on Sunday. The G-Cat Arrows driver had started the race third fastest behind pole sitter Folch in Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham alongside Katsu Kubota in his Colin Bennett-tended March.

However it was the Marlboro liveried McLaren of Bobby Verdon-Roe who made the best start trailing Folch into Paddock and up the hill to Druids. Kubota and Peter Meyrick tangled as the cars swept left onto the Grand Prix circuit leaving both cars on the grass and out of the race. Kinch moved ahead of Verdon-Roe and tracked the Brabham for the next seven laps. Richard Eyre held fourth but only for a couple of laps, the Williams pitting for retirement with fuel pressure problems that had dogged the team all weekend. Frank Sytner’s run was equally short – the Hesketh jumping out of gear on left handers making it impossible to drive safely. Steve Hartley retired his new Arrows with brake problems on lap six.

The race settled down with the immaculate Wolf of Peter Wuensch fourth then Peter Dunn’s March, the Mec Auto March of Rodrigo Gallego, the Lotus of David Coplowe, David Abbott’s Arrows and Ian Simmonds in his recently acquired Tyrrell 012, Tony Smith’s Williams, Luciano Quaggia’s Theodore and Terry Sayles’ Ossella. By lap 11 Kinch had pulled out a lead of 3.7 seconds over the Brabham when Folch spun the BT49 leaving the leader with a 26 second advantage over Verdon-Roe. Dunn was catching Wuensch but everyone was in traffic, having to pass the tailenders on the tight confines of Brands.

On lap 18 Dunn and Tony Smith came together and ended in the gravel and David Coplowe spun the Lotus effectively blocking the track and Race Director Fred Myerscough threw the red light switch to end the race. Kinch took another well judged win for Greg Caton’s small team with Bobby Verdon-Roe second and Peter Wuench taking his best result of the season in third. Kinch set fastest lap on 1m 21.316s whilst Ian Simmonds picked up the class D trophy on his maiden outing.