GT & Sports Car Cup Race Report: Autumn Classic, Castle Combe, 12th September 2026

Keeping Up with the Joneses - and Tinkler!

Steve Jones and Ben Tinkler landed their first GT & Sports Car Cup victory in memorable style at Castle Combe on Saturday. In a scintillating climax to the 90-minute feature race, Jones held on by barely a quarter of a second, with Alexander Hewitson’s snarling Austin-Healey 3000, co-driven by Jack Rawles, breathing down his Lotus Elan’s neck at the chequered flag. Third overall at the 2023 and ‘24 Autumn Classics - P3 and P2 in GT4 respectively - this time everything clicked for Jones and Tinkler. Thus, they completed their set of event podia as the third winner in as many races in the Automobiles Historiques-promoted series’ 20th season.

Only six of the 37 starters - the weekend’s largest grid - retired on a bright warm afternoon, making the 1.85-mile circuit super busy and putting a premium on patience and consistency. Six more crews finished on the lead lap, Oliver Marçais/Jeremy Welch making it a Healey 2-3 in dramatic style, ahead of GT2 victors Christian Albrecht/Kyle Tilley in the latter’s ex-Peter Arundell Lotus Elite. The SP2 winning Lister-Chevrolet Knobbly of Stuart Morley/Richard Hudson thundered over the line 10 seconds adrift of the shapely Climax FWE-powered minnow. Andrew Haddon/Max Lynn’s rumbling Ford Mustang - the sole Touring Car fourth on the road but penalised 30 seconds for exceeding the maximum 40-minute stint rule - and the Elite of David Alexander/Richard Fores also went the full distance.

Despite extra pit stops to reattach, then remove, a tattered right front cycle wing from his Lotus MkVI, feisty soloist Charles Angrave finished a splendid 16th overall and claimed a remarkable SP1 gold. Charles covered a lap more than Tom Waterfield and Rod Jolley, making his sportscar and double-driver debut in Tim Ross’ Cooper T39 Bobtail.

Following the race, the traditional prizegiving in the Strawford Centre - our hospitality hub, proudly supported by HP Tyres - saw overall and class trophies dispensed. Bristolians Oliver Chatham and David Smithies were named Drivers of the Day having finished 21st overall on home soil in the best placed of eight MGBs, a scant 2.055s ahead of Mark Hope/Jason Minshaw’s having clawed ahead on the final lap, with the omnipresent TVR Grantura of Malcolm Paul/Rick Bourne 17 seconds up the road. The Royal Automobile Club Family Award went deservedly to father and son combo Nick and James Topliss, who took the chequered flag only 15 seconds behind Oliver and David.

QUALIFYING

Thirty-nine teams disgorged their cars representing 11 marques from transporters and trailers at the challenging high-speed Wiltshire circuit. Some less familiar with its WW2 airfield perimeter track's contours, or simply reacclimatising, availed themselves of the opportunity to test on Thursday, before the serious business of qualifying began with a half-hour session on Saturday morning.

First to lay a competitive time down was Rick Bourne in Malcolm Paul’s TVR Grantura, a 1m24.499s first flying lap close to its session’s best, but provisional pole position was swiftly ameliorated into the 21s by Oliver Marçais (Healey-3000), then progressively down into the mid 19s by Justin Maeers (Cooper T49 Monaco). Ultimately though, 2023 Classic Formula Ford champion Ben Tinkler had the final say with a stout 1:18.562s (84.77mph) in stalwart Steve Jones’ Wolfe Manufacturing-built Lotus Elan.

SP2 pacemaker Maeers - sharing his ex-Ted Williams 2-litre Climax FPF engined machine, effectively a two-seater GP car, with Kurtis Indy Roadster racer Fred Harper, practicing for the upcoming Goodwood Revival - claimed the other front row grid slot on 1:19.620, eight tenths up on class rival Stuart Morley’s 1:20.465 best in the grunty 5.5-litre Lister-Chevrolet. Between them sat the GT3-leading big Healeys of Alex Hewitson and Simon Niesler, courtesy of co-drivers Jack Rawles and Murray Shepherd respectively. Marque expert Rawles’ brilliant 1:19.999 (82.25mph) lap - so much more satisfying than a 20 flat - was 0.252s up on Shepherd’s, a fine effort first time out in a Healey and on a new circuit to the ex-Locost racer’s historic repertoire.

Tom Waterfield was keen to give veteran Rod Jolley - a newcomer to Combe despite living in neighbouring Hampshire - a longer run in the Ross stable’s little centre-seat Cooper, run by Jack Williamson. The versatile Waterfield’s 1:20.368 (82.86mph) was within 0.117s of the second Healey and 0.097s quicker than the hulking Lister V8, with the David Alexander/Richard Fores Elite on its tail. Alexander’s seventh-placed Team Elite-striped car was only 1.946s adrift of Maeers on P2!

The time differences from there down were tiny, indeed a second blanketed eighth to 13th, from Andrew Haddon and current GT World Challenge McLaren racer Max Lynn’s Ford Mustang to the AC Cobra Daytona Coupe of David Smithies/Chris Clarkson. A similar margin covered the next five cars down to Paul and George Ingram in the thick of a big Healey pack. Another second took in Ian Beattie/Tom Poulton’s immaculate and energetically conducted Jaguar XK120 in 24th!

Back to the detail. Behind the Mustang - shades of visiting Australian Bryan Thomson’s ex-Norm Beechey notchback I saw race on my first visit to Castle Combe in July 1967 and recently departed quadruple circuit Special Saloon/GT champion Brian Cutting’s subsequently - Charles Angrave’s Lotus Mk VI batted massively above its weight. The impudent combo’s 1:20.955 was rewarded with P9. Charles shared the row with last year’s Lotus 15 winner Kyle Tilley, this time in his Era Motorsport Elite, partnered by Christian Albrecht. Both have broad CVs harbouring far greater power and downforce, but maximising momentum is king with the 1216cc Lotus which hardly appeared to slow for the corners.

The third Elite, the Ecurie Shirlee car of Michael O’Sullivan/Olly Bryant, was 0.029s slower than Tilley’s - both times set on their 16th lap incidentally - which outpaced the Marçais/Welch Healey. With a dedicated Ian Cox Memorial Healey race to start the day, Oliver and Jeremy did the minimum to fulfil qualification protocols, nonetheless they gridded 12th. Alas a dropped valve put paid to the Smithies/Clarkson Ford France Cobra clone, which was parked on the grass at Quarry and retrieved under red flags for the safety of marshals and the flat bed recovery truck crew. Doug Muirhead’s Lotus 11 Le Mans, in which Jeremy Welch was due to double-up, also went no further due to engine maladies, having qualified 15th, two places behind the big banger.

Alex Montgomery/Nick Sleep’s 26R spec Elan thus moved up to 13th, with Anglesey winner Read Gomm’s Jaguar E-type low-drag coupe alongside, this time with Andy Keith-Lucas [son of CKL Developments founder Chris] the Canadian’s co-driver. A quartet of torquey Healeys, fourth to seventh in GT3, completed the top 20. They filled adjacent grid rows in the order of the Ingrams père-et-fils, Bruce Weir/Mike Thorne [a car Bruce bought from Mike before the latter acquired the ex-David Grace race winner], Christiaen van Lanschot/Karsten le Blanc [DD300, the fabled triple Le Mans contender, in which John Chatham’s victory at the wet Austin-Healey club event 49 years ago remains vivid in your scribe’s memory] and the Rawles family. Patriarch Bill was proud to share the Briggs Cunningham-esque liveried car with two of his three sons - Charlie and Jack, both of whom work alongside him at Bill Rawles Classic Cars - for the first time.

Oliver Chatham, John’s son, sat between the block of Healeys and the sister car of Mark Pangborn/Harvey Woods in the quickest of eight MGBs on 1:23.013 (80.22mph), a meritorious fourth in GT2, in which Smithies was sportingly offered a seat after his inert Cobra was put back into its wicker basket. Chatham Jr’s car was the first of five in the 23s, followed by the best of the GT3 ‘interlopers’ Allan and Dan Ross-Jones’ Triumph TR4 and Beattie/Poulton’s open XK120. German series debutant Jan Hunger’s Porsche 911, shared with locally-based compatriot Christian Albrecht, was next up.

The majority of the MGBs were grouped together, Jonathan Hopper/Chris Ward and Mark Hope/Jason Minshaw sandwiching the Paul/Bourne TVR, separated from ERA to Lola T290 racers Nick and James Topliss, soloist Ian Stinton and Nick/Chris Thompson by Ben Maeers/Richard Wright in the Maeers equipe’s second Cooper T49 Monaco. Richard Plant/Jonny Shears (Triumph-powered Morgan Plus 4 Super Sports) and the MGA Twin-Cam of husband and wife Nicola and Neil Burnside, with Dick Jacobs model guru Mark Daniell, sat behind them.

Americans Ben Tarlow/Tim Gregorio (ex-Derek ‘Chevron’ Bennett Lotus Elite) and Greg Heacock in the very pretty ex-Chris Clegg Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite) were on the same row, the latter teamed with Classic Autos’ Nick Finburgh. Late out on track, Will Garrett’s Hilton & Moss Jaguar E-type - a previous GT3 contender displaced having covered only five laps with an ignition gremlin, was in the 27s. The rapid Tim Crighton, who crafted a 1:20.595 lap to head the class last September, did not get a chance to demonstrate its potential as it spluttered to a halt early on his out lap. The famous Windmill & Lewis MGB of Richard and Alice Locke and the similar machine of the Phillips family - Beverley, husband Chris and son Oliver - maintaining their unique record of having competed in all nine GTSCC events at the Autumn Classic, completed the field.

RACE:

Justin Maeers hared into the lead from the rolling start, his blue and orange Cooper squatting over its driven wheels and charging through the kink at Folly, then up over the brow of Avon Rise into the braking area for the tricky right-hander at Quarry. Jones and Hewitson went after him as Haddon’s Mustang and Morley’s Lister overpowered Marçais’ Healey, with Waterfield’s Bobtail in its slipstream, in the initial stampede. Montgomery’s red Elan gave chase, with the Elites of Alexander and Tilley locked together behind it. As jostling throughout the pack reshaped the natural order, Angrave’s little Lotus was a first lap pit visitor, its right front cycle wing detached in a skirmish, but quickly under way again.

‘Ralphie’ Haddon was the man on the move, muscling his flat-cornering Mustang past Hewitson’s Healey into second at the Esses on lap 2, albeit with the co-operation of Alex, who took the escape road through the right-left flick-flack rather than risk contact and fell to 11th for his generosity. Jones, Morley, Waterfield and Marçais filed through behind Haddon as Hewitson immediately set about recovering his equilibrium and lost places. “Races aren’t won in the first few laps, so I wasn’t worried and concentrated on establishing a consistent rhythm,” said Hewitson.

With Maeers in front by five seconds in as many laps, a V8 slugfest in his wake saw Morley occupy Haddon. Behind them, Jones was doing a fine job keeping his grey Elan in contention, running fourth and staying out of trouble. Meanwhile Montgomery was probing for a way past fifth-placed Marçais, which he managed on lap 7. Next time round Alex’s was the leading Elan, having displaced Jones, but he wasn’t there long for his steed began to wilt. That left the top six as Maeers, Haddon, Morley, Jones, Marçais, Waterfield and the recovering Hewitson, with GT2 pacemaker Tilley, Gomm’s Jaguar E aerodyne and Alexander in hot pursuit.

Behind the Elites of Alexander and Tilley, who went ahead on lap 4, the GT2 chase was exciting to watch. From mentor Bryant’s grid slot, O’Sullivan slipped back into the sharp end of the MGB posse - through which Garrett was climbing in his resuscitated GT3 E-type - as it displaced Paul’s TVR. An incredible start by Stinton saw the former Harrier racer leap eight places on the opening lap, with Hopper and Hope going with him and Nick Topliss past the ‘Grannie’ to lie fourth of the Bs.

O’Sullivan repassed Hopper and found his feet behind Stinton and Chatham, while Topliss usurped Hope before a safety car was deployed. Following hairy spins at Camp and Old Paddock in rapid succession, George Ingram’s Healey - which had run as high as 10th from its P16 start - went off at Quarry and smote the Recticel barrier on lap 15. It took marshals three laps to clear the damaged car, during which everybody dived into the pits for the first of their two mandatory stops, 23 minutes of the race having elapsed, leaving the potential for one maximum 40-minute stint per team

Maeers pitted in the second wave after 18 circuits, relaying Fred Harper who progressed into the green zone ahead of Albrecht in Tilley’s Elite and Max Lynn in the Mustang, which Haddon had driven very hard out of the blocks. “I haven’t left him a nice car,” he’d admitted at the handover. Jack Rawles was going great guns in Hewitson’s Healey, ahead of Hudson’s Lister and Keith-Lucas in Gomm’s Jag. Behind them, Tinkler sat seventh in Jones’ Elan but as anticipated rapidly asserted his pace, picking off rivals seemingly at will as he lapped seven tenths inside his pole time at half-distance. The Healeys of Welch (in for Marçais) and Shepherd (Niesler’s), plus Beattie’s XK120 rounded out the top 10. Fores in Alexander’s Elite and Woods in Pangborn’s Healey were next, ahead of Charlie Rawles, recently past Dan Ross-Jones TR4, started fast by his father.

Hunger - who pitted his 911 to find Albrecht, like Jack Rawles playing musical chairs, not ready - Thorne in Weir’s Healey and Jolley’s Cooper headed the MGBs of soloist Stinton, back ahead of Chatham’s, now with Smithies up, David being closed on by Minshaw and Ward in Hopper's and Hope’s respectively. Finburgh was at the wheel of Heacock’s Sprite when its offside half-shaft failed, allowing the wheel to escape its arch, but he brought it safely to a standstill. With 52 minutes remaining - too early for second stops with mandated maximum stints of 40 - a second full course caution was called. During this hiatus, the Montgomery/Sleep Elan returned to the pits for its bonnet to be taped down again.

In the interim, Tinkler had been flying and climbed to second behind Rawles in Hewitson’s Healey. Both had usurped Harper, subsequently demoted to fourth by young Lynn in the Mustang. When the safety car was withdrawn there was a short dash for most teams until the second round of stops. Tinkler made hay having passed Rawles, a strong second when Hewitson supplanted him at 35 laps. Maeers clambered back into his Cooper three laps later, but a misunderstanding over pit regs led to a stop-and-go penalty which Justin served promptly.

By then the pitlane had become busy and the deciding stints were under way, but Tinkler maxed his contribution, stopping from the lead after 43 laps to relay car owner Jones. Lynn duly topped the lap chart for three laps before Haddon leapt back into the Mustang, whereupon Jones went back ahead, chased by Hewitson. With time for 10 laps on TSL’s clock Jones’ advantage was 21 seconds, but it was clear to onlookers that the silver blue Healey was reeling the grey Elan in. Traffic - particularly when queued approaching the chicanes - threw a curved ball into the equation, which helped and hindered both protagonists in turn as the race built to a crescendo.

“When I saw 16 seconds on my board I put the headlights on and went for it,” said Alex. Having halved the deficit in a lap, it remained stable for three, before shrinking dramatically: 4.5s. 2.7s, 1.6s, then virtually nose-to-tail onto the final lap. This was nail-biting stuff for onlookers, especially the Wolfe and Rawles teams on the pitwall. With the Healey quicker on the straights but the Elan nimbler through the chicanes on opposite sides of the track - the Esses and Bobbies - it was either’s game. But Jones did not buckle under intense pressure and took the chequered flag 0.267s ahead.

“All credit to my co-driver. I’m grateful Ben handed me a big lead, which I saw diminish every lap, but somehow we made it,” said Steve. Tinkler paid credit to the unflappable Jones though. “Steve drove really well. He deserves this. His last couple of laps were mega,” he said. “I couldn’t have done much more,” smiled gallant runner-up Hewitson, “but I’ve had a great day. Third in the earlier race and now [a GT3 class-winning] second with Jack in GTSCC. I absolutely adore this place, especially in Healeys.” Co-equipier Rawles’ best lap of 1:20.676s (82.55mph) was another souvenir to savour.

Marçais bookended Welch’s stint, their second driver change a sensational 47.554 seconds, team efficiency key to the car spending the least cumulative time in the pits. Oliver survived a bit of a drama with the Mustang on the penultimate lap, but annexed third. Haddon and Lynn were subsequently penalised 30 seconds in lieu of a drive-through for Max who - endeavouring to conserve brakes, tyres and fuel - exceeded the maximum driving stint time over a 28-lap session. The imposition dropped them to sixth behind Tilley/Albrecht’s GT2-winning Elite and SP2 victors Hudson/Morley’s Lister. Kyle was effusive about the Lotus. “Fantastic fun. You can drive it like an absolute hooligan,” grinned the local man who started his racing in Formula Ford at Castle Combe many moons ago.

Alexander/Fores also covered the full distance, just over half a minute shy of the top Elite. But Bryant set the fastest GT2 lap at 1:21.905 (81.31mph) as he brought double-stinter O’Sullivan’s Elite back from the lower midfield to 12th. That Tilley’s best of 1:22.101 and Alexander’s 1:22.232 speaks volumes for the competitiveness of the fibreglass monocoque coupes styed by Peter Kirwan-Taylor for Colin Chapman’s fabled marque.

The second and third Elites were separated by the Rawles family Healey - taken over from fabricator Charlie by younger brother Jack for the final stint. He duly chased down and passed Niesler/Shepherd’s sister car - Gomm/Keith Lucas’ GT4 E-type, the Maeers/Harper Cooper and the Ross-Jones equipe’s TR4, fourth in GT3. Maeers put a massive late spin out of Camp down to “exuberance, unfortunately,” but his 1:17.582 (85.73mph) lap was the race’s fastest. Behind the O’Sullivan/Bryant Elite, the ‘Pangio’/Woods and Weir/Thorne Healeys also covered 59 laps. As, remarkably, did Angrave’s Lotus Mk VI, which after five stops - including a drive-through - finished 16th overall and beat the Waterfield/Jolley Cooper to SP1 gold by one place and a lap! Waterfield set the quickest SP1 lap at 1:20.753 (82.47mph), but Angrave’s best was only a second slower.

Niesler/Shepherd, van Lanschot/le Blanc’s DD300 and the Paul/Bourne TVR completed the top 20, all on 58 laps, two fewer than the outright winner! Malcolm and Rick used their vast experience to head the best-placed MGB home by 6.546s. Indeed, a scant 15 seconds spanned the top three Bs, Chatham/Smithies ambushing the Hope/Minshaw duo on the final lap for bragging rights, Oliver having set the quickest MG lap at 1:23.648 two tours from the finish as his quest for glory intensified. The Topliss duo finished third of the sub-set, a lap clear of 24th-placed Hopper/Ward. Remarkably, 0.256s covered the best laps of the three chasers.

Plant and Shears’ pretty blue Morgan, Montgomery/Sleep’s delayed Elan, the Hunger/Albrecht Porsche and Stinton’s MGB - second quickest of the group on 1:24.212 - all clocked 57 laps, one more than the Lockes in the ex-Roy Ashford/Terry Osborne warhorse 222 WAE. The Tarlow/Gregorio Elite and the Phillips clan’s MGB was also classified on 51.

Of the cars which fell by the Wayside, the Ben Maeers/Wright Cooper Monaco succumbed to condenser failure and was parked on Avon Rise inside the final 15 minutes. The XK120 and the Burnside MGA also hit trouble, while the Thompson MGB went lame with a nasty misfire, joining Heacock/Finburgh’s Sprite and the Ingram Healey in retirement.

ENDS - MARCUS PYE

Next stop for the GT & Sports Car Cup is the ever popular end of season round at the Algarve Classic Festival over the 30/31 October & 1st November. With a strong entry list to date, don’t miss your opportunity to join the grid and enter now.

**GTSCC Overall Winners Steve Jones & Ben Tinkler, 2nd Alexander Hewitson & Jack Rawles, 3rd Oliver Marçais & Jeremy Welch**

**GT4 Class Podium - Winners Steve Jones & Ben Tinkler, 2nd Read Gomm & Andy Keith-Lucas, 3rd Alex Montgomery & Nick Sleep**

**GT3 Class Podium - Winners Alexander Hewitson & Jack Rawles, 2nd Oliver Marçais & Jeremy Welch, 3rd Bill, Charlie & Jack Rawles**

**GT2 Class Podium - Winners Kyle Tilley & Christian Albrect, 2nd David Alexander & Richard Fores, 3rd Michael O'Sullivan & Oliver Bryant**

**SP1 Class Podium - Winner Charles Angrave, 2nd Tommy Waterfield & Rod Jolley, 3rd Doug Muirhead & Jeremy Welch**

**SP2 Class Podium - Winners Richard Hudson & Stuart Morley 2nd Justin Maeers & Fred Harper, 3rd Ben Maeers & Richard Wright**

**The Royal Automobile Club Family Award, presented by Alice Locke, to Nick & James Topliss, MG B**

"Drivers of the Day"
presented by
Automobiles Historiques
Oliver Chatham & David Smithies, MG B

CONGRATULATIONS GTSCC AUTUMN CLASSIC CLASS WINNERS

GT2 - Kyle Tilley & Christian Albrecht, Lotus Elite
GT3 - Alexander Hewitson & Jack Rawles, Austin Healey 3000
GT4 - Steve Jones & Ben Tinkler, Lotus Elan 26R
SP1 - Charles Angrave, Lotus MK VI
SP2 - Richard Hudson & Stuart Morley, Lister Knobbly Chevrolet
TC3 - Andrew Haddon & Max Lynn, Ford Mustang

The Royal Automobile Club Family Award
Nick & James Topliss, MG B

'Drivers of the Day'
Oliver Chatham & David Smithies, MG B

GTSCC - Autumn Classic Results

GT & Sports Car Cup Race Report: Autumn Classic, Castle Combe, 12th September 2026

GT & Sports Car Cup Race Report: Anglesey Circuit, 27th June, 2026

GT & Sports Car Cup