MG Car Club - MG Live Part 2

Silverstone 11th-12th June 2022

Report by Dickon Siddall

In addition to the MGCC championship races that I previously reported on, MG Live hosted races for Equipe Classic Racing, the GT & Sports Car Cup and the Morgan Sports Car Club.

Equipe MGB60

For many MG fans, the highlight of the weekend was the Equipe MGB60 race, a celebration of 60 years since the MGB Roadster was launched in 1962. It was hoped to have a full grid of 60 cars but 59 took part in the qualifying session and a record number of 54 cars made it to the grid for the 40 minute pitstop race.

Sam Kirkpatrick, the reigning MG Trophy champion and the youngest driver in the field, grabbed pole in his yellow Wheatsheaf Garage machine just 0.25s ahead of Tim Greenhill/Mark Cole making it an all yellow front row of the grid. 

The massed ranks of MGBs made a spectacular sight! The grid stretched way around Woodcote where a flag marshal with a Union flag was positioned on the apex to signal the start of the race for those who couldn’t see the lights gantry. Kirkpatrick led the way at the end of lap 1 and by lap 4 he was locked in a thrilling battle with Tom Smith who had moved up to second place from fifth on the grid.

Smith got ahead of Kirkpatrick for a couple of laps thanks to a quicker pitstop but the youngster soon reasserted his authority and took the flag 2.5s ahead. Smith was classified 37th after receiving a 3 lap penalty for a pitstop indiscretion.

Morgan & Sports Cars

This race was for the MGCC’s friends from the Morgan Sports Car Club and for classic MGs that did not have a place in any of the other scheduled races. This was also a 40 minute pitstop race for one or two drivers. The cars, even those not changing driver, had to complete a mandatory pitstop between the 15th and 25th minute and be stationary for a minimum of 45s.

The Morgan +8 of Bill and Howard Lancashire dominated the race from pole and crossed the line 44.7s ahead of Roger Whiteside’s +8. Prior to the pit stops Whiteside had been involved in a close, place-swapping battle with James Bellinger in Simon Orebi-Gann’s ARV6. However, after the stops he pulled ahead to finish a clear second with Orebi-Gann a comfortable third.



Amongst the MGs Max Cawthorne in his MGA Twin Cam prevailed from Neil Cawthorne’s MGB Roadster with the Ellis/Wilkes MGA Twin Cam third.

Equipe GTS

Equipe GTS is a race series, not a championship, for Pre 66 Sports and GT cars with engines no larger than 2750cc. This was also a 40 minute pitstop race.

Having taken his second pole of the weekend, Sam Kirkpatrick looked good for another win and led from Tom Smith for the first half of the race until the intervention of the safety car mid-race re-wrote the script. The timing of the safety car meant that the leading runners had to stay out for an extra lap before making their mandatory visit to the pits. This dropped Smith to 20th position and Kirkpatrick rejoined in 22nd place.

The MGB Roadster of Mark Holmes inherited the lead but he was quickly overtaken by the Morgan +4 of Martin and Oliver Pratt who then led to the flag, ending the race some 8s ahead of Holmes. Kirkpatrick recovered to take third place having passed the TVR Grantura of Rob Cull on the final lap. Smith was classified 37th after receiving a 3 lap penalty for a short pit stop.

Equipe Libre/Pre’63/50s

The Equipe Libre race format is for pre-1966 cars. The name “Libre” comes from a period of racing when organisers used the Libre title for grids they created to encompass a wide range of vehicles. Roughly translated, Libre means ‘Free Formula’.

Equipe Pre ’63 is for Sports and GT cars built before 1963 and the Equipe 50s combines Production Sports Cars and Sports Racing Cars built during the 1950s. The organisers’ aim is to re-create the vibrant clubman racing scene of the period.

This race attracted another huge entry with 54 cars, including AC Cobras, Ford Mustangs, E-Type Jaguars, Austin Healey 3000s, as well as MGs, Triumphs, Lotus, and Elvas, taking the start.

The Lotus 11 of Dafyd Richards claimed pole ahead of a brace of E-Types and the Shelby Cobra of Nigel Winchester. Richards dropped to fourth at the start but was soon back in first place after getting past the Jaguar E-Type shared by Gary and John Pearson plus the Shelby 260 of Nigel Winchester.

This was another race to be turned on its head by a safety car which was deployed briefly just after Richards regained the lead and a number of cars were able to save significant time by pitting during the yellow flag laps. By the time that all the cars had made their stops Mark Holme, driving an Austin Healey 3000 MKII this time, had vaulted into first place, around 10s clear of the Austin Healey 3000 of Jack Chatham which had also pitted under the safety car. Holme powered on to take victory 19s ahead of Chatham with Richards in third, a further 39s adrift.

Equipe Libre/70s

The Equipe 70s cater for Group 1 and 2 Touring Cars and group 3 and 4 Sports and GT cars all running to period specification.

The initial battle for victory was between Graham Bryant in his 70s Class 6 Morgan +8 and Mark Halstead’s nimble Libre Class 3 Ginetta G4R. Bryant had the upper hand until he was forced to retire at half distance with a suspected electrical fault. Halstead want on to win by 10s from the 70s Class 4 Porsche 911 of Richard Hywel-Evans with Christian Douglas in his Libre Class 7 TVR Griffith completing the podium.

This race saw the fulfilment of a long-time ambition for another MG Trophy racer when Josh Bromley, took to the track in a 1398cc Elva MKIV which he shared with his father. The duo finished in a very creditable 18th place out of 27 finishers.

GT & Sports Car Cup

The GT & Sports Car Cup holds short series of top quality races each year to celebrate a wonderful era of racing when, in the first half of the 1960s, motivated manufacturers produced great cars and recognised the benefits of competition in their marketing strategies.

The grid for this two-hour invitation race featured a mouth-watering selection of cars including two AC Cobra Daytonas, two Ferrari 250 GT SWBs and two extremely rare Morgan +4 SLRs.

Gordie Mutch and John Clark claimed pole in their Jaguar E-Type but the similar car of Gary and John Pearson dominated the race after taking the lead from second on the grid. They remaining in a net first position throughout and romped home over a minute ahead of Richard Cook/Richard Tuthill in their AC Cobra 289. The Cobra of Richard Hywel-Evans/Oliver Bryant finishing third a further 1:50s adrift.

The GT3 class was dominated by Austin Healey 3000s which took all three podium positions. The Morgan +4 SLRs of Simon Orebi-Gann/James Bellinger and John Emberson/Peter Horsman followed the Healeys home in fourth and fifth respectively.

Class GT2 was an MGB benefit with Oliver Marcais taking first place ahead of David Green/Matt Green with Mark Hope/James Bilsland third.

Equipe Classic Racing will be on track again at Donington on 3rd July and the GT&SCC will be out again at Castle Combe on 24th September.