A point to notice about URS is that "A" class races "A" class and "B" class races "B" class.

Whoever wins the championship (both "A" and "B" classes) gets a "Big Night Out" organised by the BARC which is a glittering occasion held at the Copthorne Effingham Park. The winners are presented with their trophies along with others, such as Formula 3 winners and get to celebrate the night away in style. Last year's winners, Nicholas Pearce and Simon Loynes were presented with additional trophies; crystal decanters. Unfortunately both drivers managed to smash their coveted awards in their merriment and have been practicing 'not breaking things' all year in case it happens again.

The URS has its own magazine that is circulated after the meetings. If you would like to order a copy, email simon.c3@ukonline.co.uk

1996 Race Reports

The URS Classic Formula Ford 2000 championship began this year on 31st March at Mallory Park with last year's winner, Nicholas Pearce, having a splendid race in his Cellular One sponsored Van Diemen RF82, followed by David Hutchinson in second place and Amnon Needham in third.

Last year's "B" class winner, Simon Loynes, unfortunately put his Lola T580 on the trailer and headed dejectedly for home, his engine having "blown in a big way" leaving the way clear for last year's "B" class runner-up, Colin Wright.

A rather more spectacular retirement that day was by Steve Pope who was seen to "fly through the air, wheel over wheel", thankfully remaining unhurt, unlike his car which, on close examination, was declared to be decidedly "bent".

The Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship continued at Snetterton racing circuit on 14th April 1996 with Staffline sponsored David Hutchinson taking the chequered flag fractionally before Nicholas Pearce who had fought his way through the field from ninth on the grid due to a broken water pump belt in practice. Since Pearce also got the fastest lap, one wonders whether, had he started from pole position, anyone would have seen his backside for dust!

In third place, having driven an excellent race, was Colin Wright, winning in class and happily collecting the points. Wright was last year's "B" class runner-up and leads the "B"s this year.

Round 3 of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship on 20th April 1996 at Silverstone saw a nail-biting race between Tony Hancock and Nicholas Pearce who battled for supremacy from beginning to end with Hancock finishing the victor.

The drama began early on as the duelling Van Diemens led the field into Copse, only to emerge lonelier than they had gone in because of a four car pile-up. One of the four was a disappointed Colin Wright who is leading the "B" class championship. In third place came Kevan Spencer and in fourth was Simon Hutchinson.

The winner of the "B" class race was Graham Willcox in his Willcox Cooper Delta T79.

Colin Wright drove the race of his life at a 'wet' Lydden on the 18th May finishing, not only in front of all his "B" class rivals, but in front of all the "A" class too. Wright has had a very successful season so far, apart from being involved in a four car pile-up at Silverstone resulting in him not finishing but he bounced back with style at Lydden and continues his "B" class lead.

The camaraderie in the URS is such that Wright was happy to see the return of Simon Loynes, last year's "B" class winner, complete with new engine and new bodywork courtesy of Encee Systems and Varimetrix, who finished fourth overall and second in class. Loynes' season had ended abruptly before it had started this year at Mallory Park, but thanks to his new sponsors he is ready to challenge Wright's lead.

Nicholas Pearce worked his way through the field from fifth on the grid to finish just behind Wright and put in the fastest lap, and following him was Clive Wood. There were only two cars that did not finish which, given the appalling weather conditions, was rather surprising.

Round five of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship on 2nd June was at Mallory Park in Leicestershire, as was round one in March. The fight for first place was between Nicholas Pearce and David Hutchinson, with Pearce ending up victorious, despite some brave attempts by Hutchinson to pass him, including a last desperate lunge as they crossed the finishing line. Pearce also had the fastest lap. Third place overall went to Simon Hutchinson, David's brother. Both Hutchinsons were in Staffline sponsored cars and put on a good show for their sponsors who were entertaining guests at Mallory that day.

The "B" class battle continued with Simon Loynes in the Varimetrix Lola T580 coming first and gaining the fastest lap. Colin Wright was hoping to repeat his splendid race at Lydden when he won overall, but Loynes' consistent good laps meant he had to settle for second.

An incident between Amnon Needham, Kevan Spencer and Simon Hutchinson with Needham ending up in a 360 degree spin was much talked about but no real conclusions were drawn as to how it happened. Derek Watling also spun but not seriously. This wasn't a race crowded with accidents, just good racing.

Round 6 of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship was held at Thruxton on the 30th June and was very well attended with 23 cars finishing which was fitting as it is the home of the BARC.

The meeting itself left us wondering how Staffline sponsored David and Simon Hutchinson managed to achieve ninth and fourteenth places after having wrecked their cars during practice. David, whose car was the worst, confessed after practice "my pride is hurt and my wallet is severely damaged", but considering the wreck of his car after practice, he could be satisfied with ninth. Simon, whose practice incident was caused by him getting his foot stuck under the brake pedal, was actually in front of his brother but he lost a bit of his wing, spun on the next bend, ploughed through the long grass and rejoined the race much further down the ranking.

All eyes were on Amnon Needham on the first lap when he pulled off the track for no apparent reason and proceeded to get out of his car. This slight diversion delayed the realisation that race leader Nicholas Pearce had failed to appear after the third lap. He had in fact spun off and retired, leaving the way clear for Tony Hancock who took first place and fastest lap in only his second time out this year; the first at Snetterton having been equally successful. Second and third places went to Clive Wood and Nicholas Owen respectively who crossed the line within a hair's whisker of one another.

In the "B" class the return of winner Alan Parker meant that Simon Loynes had to settle for second place. They were fourth and fifth overall which was nothing to be ashamed of considering the long list of finishers: twenty three in total, thirteen of them "A" class. Charles Putt took third place hot on the tail of the battered and mended car of David Hutchinson which made him tenth overall and moved him up to second in the championship.

Thruxton was not a good day for either "A" or "B" class championship leaders. Nicholas Pearce added no points to his lead and Colin Wright finished a disappointing seventh in class.

Sunday 4th August was basked in sunshine for round 7 of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship which was poorly attended with only 11 finishing but, although it's a long way, it's worth it when you get there and the nearby beach is spectacular.

The race was led from start to finish by Steve Nichols who holds the lap record of 0.58:60. David Hutchinson tried his best to beat it but gained fastest lap of the day with a time of 0.58:77. It wasn't at all surprising that he got the fastest lap point because he was driving like a bat out of hell trying to catch Nichols. He threw himself into Brookland's Hairpin with such ferocity that he spun off, allowing Nicholas Pearce to nip through. Pearce tried to fend off attacks by Hutchinson and keep the place he had gained but eventually he had to be content with third place.

Meanwhile Simon Hutchinson was having fun off the track too, taking a strange detour across the grass where Amnon Needham's car had ended up in practice. His eagerness to pass Paul Bayley resulted in them spinning in unison. Hutchinson's car T boned Bayley's but both were able to continue. Bayley's driving ability was remarked upon later when he "got it wrong" leaving the Honda Curve and took to the grass. He managed to keep it straight and pulled it back on to the track by the pits.

Simon Loynes had a lonely race after having been chased by Amnon Needham. Loynes went wide on Brooklands and Needham got through, quickly distancing himself from the first of the "B" cars. Loynes got fastest lap and full points for winning which takes him up to second in the "B" championship. This was good news for his sponsors Encee Systems and Varimetrix who had chosen to bring a hundred guests to Pembrey to show off their driver.

The championship leader Colin Wright had to be towed in after practice with a 'poorly' car and a sad demeanour. Second place in the "B" race went to Paul Fox in his Reynard SF80, once owned by Martin Brundle and in third place was Graham Willcox in a Delta T79.

The practice sessions at Pembrey turned out to be rather traumatic occasions for some of the drivers. Alan Goodman went out to practice and came back in to the pits because his oil pressure light was lit and then he carried on. The next thing anyone knew was that he was returning to the pits with the back end of his car on fire. He got out and he too was on fire, whereupon Iain Rowley of Delta Motor Sport felled him with a magnificent rugby tackle and put the flames out while Clive Wood extinguished the fire in the car. Luckily he was alright but the car was a mess.

Round 8 of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship at Brands Hatch was the only dry race of the day. Several mechanics gulped as drops of rain were felt in the collecting area, but luckily the weather waited until after the race so wet tyres were not needed.

The race itself was exciting to watch as Tony Hancock led from start to finish with his tyres squealing round Druid's Bend closely chased by Steve Nichols. Nicholas Pearce followed at a discreet distance, his sights set more on championship points than on winning this particular race. Fourth place man was Paul Bayley who saw off attacks by David Hutchinson, Nick Owen and Sam Hancock. Hutchinson was driving like a "thing possessed" and spun in his desperate attempt to overtake just exiting Clearways. Sam Hancock caught Bayley up as they met up with back-markers and gave him a good race to the end,

The "B" class race was won by Stuart Tilley in his Reynard SF79 followed by a very disappointed Simon Loynes in the Varimetrix Lola T580. Loynes spent the entire race trying to catch Tilley and was pleased when they caught up with back-markers, but when he tried to overtake them, as Tilley had done, the yellow flag came out for David Hutchinson's spin. By the time he could overtake again, the smart black and red Reynard was well on its way to victory. Third place went to Charles Putt and fourth to Paul Fox. A very unhappy David Clarke went home with his car in bits, having buried himself in the tyre wall on the same bend on which Jacques Laffite broke both ankles. Such is motor-racing!

Round 9 of the Universal Racing Services Formula Ford 2000 Championship on 8th September at Lydden Hill was probably the most exciting race this season. Spectators had real value for money with this gripping battle for supremacy, torn between watching Nick Owen and Nicholas Pearce fight for second place, and Charles Putt, Simon Loynes and Colin Wright sparring for the "B" class win.

Steve Nichols found himself in a 'Nicholas sandwich' between Messrs Owen and Pearce after having "screwed up the start", but once he got the lead it was just a case of checking his mirrors and driving to victory.

Not such an easy tale for those following him. Owen was leading until Chessons Drift when Nichols came round the outside of him and went off to play on his own. Owen got held up by back-markers and Pearce caught him up and from then on he had to drive defensively. One brave attack at Devil's Elbow resulted in the Cellular One Van Diemen skidding through the gravel in a cloud of dust, amid gasps from the crowd. Owen defended well and claimed second place and left Pearce with third.

Amnon Needham was chasing Pearce but spun off just after North Bend and had to rejoin the race further down the positions. Paul Bayley managed to avoid Needham's spin but it slowed him down and he had to settle for fourth.

The "B" class fight was doubly exciting because Charles Putt in first place, Simon Loynes in second and Colin Wright in third are all looking good for winning this year's championship. They all threw themselves into this race with Putt going well off the line but having to defend himself constantly from Loynes who was desperately trying to get past whilst fending off attacks from a persistent Wright. Putt was delighted with his win in his first season with URS and especially as this was his first race at Lydden. He felt he had a good start but was having trouble keeping the more experienced Loynes and Wright behind him and he had a problem on the hairpin on the last lap when the car was handling strangely, but all credit to him, he stayed ahead and got the points. In fourth place was David Wood and fifth was Terry Ludgrove.

Steve Nichols romped to victory at Cadwell Park in round 10 of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship with second place man David Hutchinson having done his utmost to get by all race long.

The race sub-divided into several mini-races, the first being the aforementioned fight for first place between Nichols and Hutchinson; then came the race between Amnon Needham and Nicholas Pearce. The pair duelled continually lap after lap until the closing stages of the race when Pearce dived down the inside going into Mansfield. Needham tried to shut the door and ended up spinning. Up to this point Needham, who is sponsored by Needham Executive Search, had been driving really well and is apparently "very quick through Barn". Pearce got the third place points he needed to celebrate winning the championship two races from the end.

The next mini-race was by far the most dramatic of the afternoon between Simon Loynes, Alan Parker and Stuart Tilley. Loynes led the pack but Parker was all over him like a rash, trying to overtake constantly. Because of this, Loynes was driving defensively, much slower than in practice, which allowed Ian Fernihough and Paul Fox to catch up. This was a spectacular sight - five "B" class cars together, all wanting to win. Then all Hell broke loose. Parker gave Loynes an impromptu flying lesson and he crash-landed in the bank just after Coppice with a very bent Lola; then Tilley and Parker touched resulting in Tilley hurtling across the grass and embedding himself in the tyre-wall, leaving him with an equally bent Reynard. As a result of all this action, Parker had to pull into the pits and retire on the next lap with not so obvious, but equally distressing damage to his car.

Following this, Ian Fernihough's rear wheel-bearing broke at Mansfield causing him to spin off and retire, and all of a sudden Paul Fox found himself leading the "B"s with a clear road in front of him. He checked his mirrors and lifted as he could see that Colin Wright was a long way back and he didn't imagine that Wright would challenge going through The Mountain area. However, the next time Fox checked his mirrors "he was right behind!" They then became the next mini-race, with Fox jubilantly taking the "B" chequered flag for the first time with Wright in second and David Wood in third. Charles Putt had retired early on in the race as his car was going slowly but, had he stayed out and pottered round, he would have taken fourth place as all the other "B"s were parked!

The final mini-race was between the back-markers Paul Bayley, Derek Watling, Steve Pope and David Wood. Bayley, who had suffered a broken A Frame in practice, spun during the race but was able to continue. Similarly, Pope spun out at The Mountain on the first lap which accounted for his disappointing sixth position.

This was the penultimate round of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship and the race was on to be this year's runner-up, the coveted title of "Championship Winner" having already been claimed by Nicholas Pearce.

Maclaren designer Steve Nichols had a real "set to" with David Hutchinson who battled relentlessly to pass the Hotta Van Diemen whilst under attack from Tony Hancock. Hancock did them both a favour by "falling off" at Foulstons, but they were both still determined to win. On the last lap as the pair appeared over Hill Top, Nichols was so far right, defending his line, that for all his effort, Hutchinson couldn't get by and they ended up side by side through Knickerbrook, with the second-place man, who is quick through this bend, out-braking himself, much to the delight of the spectators who had been treated to some great racing. Nichols went on to take the chequered flag followed by Hutchinson who is still second in the championship. In third place in the "A" class was Stuart Tilley in a car belonging to his sponsors Ledwell Racing. Stuart usually races class "B" but his own car is still out of action after Cadwell.

With his father spectating rather than driving it was up to Sam Hancock to do well. He fought his way up from ninth on the grid to finish fifth overall, fourth in the "A" class, in front of Paul Bayley, with whom he had had a good race.

Alan Parker had a lonely race. He was the third car to cross the finish line and the first of the "B" class cars, setting the fastest lap, but he had nobody to race, with a clear road in front and behind. The next "B" was the Varimetrix Lola of Simon Loynes who was concentrating on catching the green Reynard of Colin Wright. Loynes nearly got by at Old Hall Corner but Wright defended well until Loynes managed to squeeze by at Island Bend and quickly distanced himself from his main rival. He happily took second place, not knowing that Wright had spun on the last lap and wrecked the rear, left-hand corner of his car. Wright had been driving for a couple of laps with only front brakes and then going into Old Hall he found he had no brakes at all.In third place in the "B"s was Paul Fox who is now fifth in the championship.

The last round of the Universal Racing Services Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship was full of surprises, the first one being the appearance of "the man himself" Ken Thorogood, who instead of being poised to straighten bent bits, was firmly ensconced in car number 40, ready to do battle.

The track during practice was wet and Sear Corner saw most spins, but the conditions did nothing to deter "B" class Charles Putt from getting pole position in front of all the "A"s. This surprising grid also included another "B", Simon Loynes in fourth position, ahead of Steve Nichols who has been very possessive over pole position, and indeed first place points just recently.

Leading the race for some time and setting the fastest lap was the Staffline sponsored Van Diemen of David Hutchinson, fending off attacks from Tony Hancock. After having spun at Riches and carried on, everyone was amazed to see Hutchinson's hand go up as he pulled off the track and retired. It was later revealed that his battery went so he had to sit and watch as Tony Hancock drove to victory ahead of Steve Nichols. Four Seasons sponsored Hancock who had spun at the Esses and continued said it was "great to win. Shame there's nothing 'til March". Next came a very pleased Ken Thorogood, who was unsure of his position as he crossed the line but who hoped it was third.

As expected, the faster, "A" class cars had swarmed over the "B"s in their way at the beginning of the race, but Charles Putt drove well and managed to hang on to fourth place overall and become his class winner, despite the fact that Alan Parker would have dearly loved to have passed him. The next "B" was Colin Wright who had survived a spin with Amnon Needham and Andrew Smith at that popular bend Sears.

The "B" class championship winner for the second year in succession was Simon Loynes in the Varimetrix Lola. After having started from fourth on the grid Loynes was hoping for a good race, but almost immediately his engine started over-heating. As he only needed to finish to win the championship he decided to err on the side of caution and didn't fight anyone. A disappointing Snetterton result but with Colin Wright having finished the championship just four points behind, Loynes couldn't afford to take risks.

As befits the last race of the season there was a good turnout and only three who didn't finish: Mark Pearson who had to go into the pits because the middle had come out of his clutch, Steve Pope who retired after he and Sam Hancock had made contact, and the dejected David Hutchinson, who although he has achieved second place in the championship behind Nicholas Pearce, he would have liked to have had a good last race of the season.

If you have any suggestions for improvement please e-mail Ken Clark at kenc@bmrc.co.uk.