Sylvie Mullins had one goal in mind when she arrived at the final Irish Championship Circuit Racing meeting of 2023 at Mondello Park: to break Cian Carey’s outright lap record. Nigel Greensall held the record for many years, with a time of 50.22s. However, Carey managed to slash this to 49.275s the previous year in his Formula 3 Dallara F317. Mullins, driving a four-litre Gould GR55B hillclimb car, was determined to surpass this feat. In the first BOSS Ireland race, Mullins obliterated the record with a time of 48.129s. Not content with this achievement, in race two, Mullins made a few adjustments and astonishingly lowered the mark to 47.380s, nearly two seconds under Carey’s old record.
Russell Giles turned heads at Silverstone with his Classic Formula Ford racer, a Van Diemen RF77. The car was adorned with a livery inspired by the McLaren M23/8-2, the car in which Gilles Villeneuve made his Formula 1 debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. Giles went to great lengths to pay attention to every detail, including carrying Villeneuve’s number 40. Villeneuve impressed onlookers with his performance in a two-year-old chassis, running seventh before having to pit due to a faulty water temperature gauge. The RF77 was designed by David Baldwin, who also had a hand in designing period Formula 1 Ensigns, which is evident in the styling cues.
Paul Knapton’s Maguire Stiletto’s performance at Croft inspired Ray Rowan to purchase the long-dormant Delta-based Sunbeam Stiletto. This car was commissioned by Pat Mannion of Revolution Wheels in the late 1970s and was last regularly raced by Peter Thurston at Lydden. Rowan, after a run at Curborough in the machine’s as-found condition, decided to support the Historic Sports Car Club’s Modsports and Special Saloon finale at Silverstone. With a 1600cc Ford twin-cam engine, Rowan qualified sixth but quickly moved up to second by Becketts. Unfortunately, his day came to an abrupt end with a broken stub axle. Undeterred, Rowan expressed confidence in the car, stating, “Its stability is not the best, but it’ll be grand.”
Marcus Bicknell chose Snetterton as the venue for his final race, marking the end of his racing career. Bicknell, a former Clubmans racer, drove a Joey Logano-tribute, Taurus-styled V8 ASCAR. Despite getting stuck in third gear during the first Classic and Modern Motorsport Club race, Bicknell put on a spirited drive and recovered from 28th to finish 15th in the second race. This marked the end of a remarkable racing career for the 75-year-old.
In the world of motorsport, records are meant to be broken, and enthusiasts are constantly finding inspiration in the past. As one racer retires, another steps up to take their place. These thrilling moments continue to captivate fans and remind us of the enduring spirit of competition in the world of racing.
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