AM-OC Brands Hatch - Full Report.

Wasn't AMOC on the Sunday was it?

On to the racing. The first race was th 'Pre-War Team Challange'

1931 Talbot 105



4 1/2 litre Bentley looked a handful.



Austin 7 was not at all disgraced by the bigger machinery.



Aha! An Aston.



Next up was the 'Equipe GTS' for '50s and '60s sportscars.





There was a great battle for several laps between this DB2 and Healey 100M



Lights shining on this TR4 though, who was well away in the lead.



MGA chasing Morgan Plus 4



Midget closes the door on B.



The next race was really quite exciting. The AMOC Intermarque Championship. I have no idea what the regulations were that these cars had to meet but I think it is safe to say that extensive modifications were allowed. Was wonderful to watch a DB4 chase down and fly past a Ferrari F355 with ease!

The front two were running very close for quite some time.



Awesome Tiger.



There was also a mega good spat between this Porsche 928 (6.4 litre!) and another DB4. The Porsche had finally managed to squeeze by on the inside into the hairpin but the Aston didn't give up and they were side by side down to the left at the bottom of the hill. Amazingly the Porsche manged to drive round the outside and pulled out of the corner in front!



The 928 was also burping fire regularly.



Another Tiger.



and two more AMs.



It had got pretty cold and rained prior to that race so Mrs_and Ickle_Seth had retired to the car for a bit (where they could still see a bit of the track) but the weather cleared and a hot drink and comfy seat on the stand suited us all for the next couple of races. Not so good for pictures though! The St John Horsfall race was said to be the most important in the AMOC, for the pre-war cars again. Happily that single seater Austin 7 had had its engine put together and was great to watch. Was also fab watching the chap in that Bentley balancing it on the throttle as he went round Paddock hill bend. The supercharged red Wolseley Hornet special was faster than everything else and make a fab whine noise.



After that was a modern Ferrari race which was still quite exciting to watch from the stand where we could see almost the whole track. These three were in 4-5-6 positions and the black car was trying hard for lap after lap to get by.







He did eventually manage it and stormed away from them. One of the first three dropped out and he was on a right mission to chase down the first two cars but ran out of time having made up nearly half a lap on them.

2 races to go...

For the last two races we headed off from the stand and back over to the area around Druids. So, race six of the day was the AMOC '50s Sports Cars.

Maserati 300S lead the field off the line



but that Red XK on the right in that picture /\ span in front of the rest of the field leading to cars weaving every which way to avoid him which thankfully everyone did.



DB3 looked yummy.



Again, there was excellent close racing.



with the Maserati leading comfortably and drifting off Druids with perfection.



But then all of a sudden it got very slippery at Graham Hill bend. Tojeiro Jag managed to save it.



Healey didn't



Nor did this DB2



Those drivers that saw the oil flag tiptoed round but those who didn't inevitably span. The leader came stonking by at full whack and just about managed to hold the resultant slide.



Red flag soon came out and the race was abandoned as there was oil round a large amount of the track.



There was only a short delay and soon enough the big bangers were let free, after two warm up laps to help accustomise them to the potentially slippery conditions.



The SD1 was indecently rapid and was soon in the lead.



Behind him all manner of machines were making tremendous amounts of noise.





Biggest engine of the day was this 7.4 litre big block 'Vette, which sounding distinctly deeper than all the screaming small blocks.





Falcon looked superb in stars and stripes livery.



and this Camaro was just bad-ass.





All too soon it was over and our ears were ringing to a V8 tone. We'd completely lost track of who won (the SD1 broke...)but even Mrs and Ickle Seth hugely enjoyed this all encompassing spectacle. Big grins all round.

We had to head off before the final Ferrari 308/328 race but what an excellent day it was.




Link to more photos: s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa65/sethke/Classics%2012/AMOCBrandsHatch/

:bow nice one seff

Amazing photography! Thanks!

That Marcos in the V8s is raced by a near-neighbour of mine who I first met doing stock cars - I'm trying to bribe him for a test drive

great images Seth ..u really caught the feel of the day..i particularly like the pits shots..