Historic Sports Car Club - Wolds Trophy - Cadwell Park

Report and images by David Gowshall of DEEGEE Motorsport Photography

6^th - 7^th May 2023

After a high-speed May Day Bank Holiday weekend of British Superbike action at Oulton Park, the pace slowed significantly last Sunday when I took a step back in time at the Historic Sports Car Club’s (HSCC) meeting at Cadwell Park. The Wolds Trophy is billed as a springtime celebration of motorsport's golden era.

The previous day’s action on Saturday had taken place in persistent rain, which added together with heavy overnight rain, made track conditions initially very tricky, particularly through the woodland part of the circuit. As racing got underway on Sunday there was some hope on the horizon as watery sunshine tried to break through the thinning cloud.

A revised race programme was available on-line informing me what was due to take place on the scenic but testing circuit which nestles in a valley in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The cars on track would cover a wide range of competitive historic classes, including Formula Junior, 2, 3 and Ford 2000’s up to more modern Historic Touring cars. 

One of the most competitive grids of the weekend was in place for round four of the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship, which opened its season two weekends ago at Snetterton. 

The 2-litre single seaters of the late 1970s and early 1980s can normally be relied upon to produce superb entertainment. Sadly their only outing of the day, after a lengthy red flag period only three laps into the action, ended after the re-start, with five laps behind the Safety Car. 

Also, always a real crowd favourite, the Historic Touring Car Championship is run for saloon cars that were in production before 1966.

In this group which shared the grid with cars from the Historic Road Sports class, were Mini Coopers taking on Ford Anglias, Lotus Cortinas and a mighty Ford Mustang, ensuring the racing was very entertaining and very competitive.

One car that particularly caught my eye in the field was Tony Warnes’ Austin A40.  The reason?  It was the type of car in which I began driving, almost 50 years ago. 

At the tender age of 17 I saved all my hard-earned money for over a year, working as an errand boy (on one of those bikes with a large basket on the front), and used the £25, yes £25, to purchase a classic green and black roofed model.

Cutting my teeth in this small car, boasting, as its name suggests almost 40bhp, and designed in the famous Turin studio of Pininfarina (which also produced stunning Ferrari and Alfa Romeo classics), in many ways the A40 was the forerunner to modern hot hatches. 

With its manual choke and “stick out the side” indicators, owning this car was an experience that remains with me, particularly the occasion soon after purchasing it, when I proudly drove up and parked next to the headmaster’s Rover P6 in the school car park.

In the same year in which my car was built (1959), an Austin A40 took part in the Monte Carlo Rally, driven by Pat Moss, the sister of legendary grand prix driver Sir Stirling Moss, and one of the most successful female rally drivers of all time.  Along with co-driver Ann Wisdom, they finished 2nd in their class for standard series production touring cars up to 1000 cc, and 10th overall in the General Classification. 

An A40 also went on to win the 1960 British Saloon Car Championship with star driver of the time, George “Doc” Shepherd at the wheel.

The A40, in modified form, continues to be used competitively, although numbers are dwindling, a few can still be seen taking part in historic saloon racing.  Long may that continue.



The other highlights of the day were the open wheel Formula 2 and Formula 3 events and the “guest races” for the title of “King of Cadwell”, for modern superkarts.

I hate being negative, but the remaining races on the programme were very disappointing as the widely varied performances of cars participating resulted in many being lapped not once, but twice and some three times, during the course of races which lasted only twenty minutes.

Added to this were a number of single figure race grids, two of which took place with just four cars.

I am not being critical of the drivers taking part. They were clearly giving it 101% behind the wheel, as evidenced by the screeching tyres. However, surely a little more effort could have been made by the event’s organisers to combine some classes to increase grid numbers and provide more competitive racing, as opposed to what, in truth, developed into a series of processions, with huge gaps between individual cars (hence the lack of grouped photographs in my report).

Perhaps two championship races for the premier open-wheeled Formula cars on the day, which have full grids and are very entertaining, would have helped too.

Fortunately, the warm sunshine that developed after a lengthy lunch break that extended to almost an hour and a half, kept what was quite a sizeable crowd happy for a while, but it was noticeable how many were leaving the venue long before the end of the day’s proceedings.

I don’t like ending on a negative note so to offset that I must comment on the superb commentary provided throughout the day and the highly efficient recovery crews and marshals who were kept busy, particularly during the morning, when the damp surface caught out a few competitors.

Further positive news emerged from the principality of Wales over the weekend, with Pistonclick’s “adopted” classic motorcycle rider the “Northern Monkey” Mick Pennell, enjoying a highly successful weekend at the Pembrey round of the Classic Racing Motorcycle Championship.

Mick was on top form on both days of the meeting competing in eight races despite the long nine-hour drive on Friday, recording a series of 3^rd and 4^th places in all the eight races he contested, netting a bag full of points and a couple of trophies in the process.  He also recorded his first sub 1 minute 10 second lap round the circuit.

Next weekend :DEEGEE; Motorsport Photography will  be following Mick on his “home” circuit Cadwell Park, when he takes part in the British Historic Racing Championship, hoping to extend his lead in the Over 50’ Championship, and providing an insight into B.E.A.R.S Sidecar racing with local pairing Graham and John Birkett, who will be aboard their BMW outfit.

You can see more of :DEEGEE: Motorsport Photography here.

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