Mark Hazell’s Williams FW07B will start the first of tomorrow’s two Masters Racing Legends contests from pole position after topping the times on day one of the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday).
Hazell’s 1980s machine from the iconic British F1 marque led the way in a stunning field of Grand Prix cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s as qualifying took place in bright sunny conditions at the famous Kent circuit. The Williams was just 0.387s faster than the Lotus 77 of Nick Padmore at the end of the 20-minute session on the full Grand Prix layout.
Both drivers who’ll start on the front row set their fastest time late during their qualifying runs, with Hazell’s 12th and final tour the eventual pole-setting effort. Padmore only completed four laps, so his second place is especially impressive.
Jamie Constable’s Tyrrell 011B completed the top-three, with Warren Briggs in his McLaren M29. The top-five is rounded out by the aptly named Ken Tyrrell, no relation to his namesake F1 team boss, who lapped just over a second shy of Hazell’s leading pace in a Tyrrell 011.
Mark Harrison’s Shadow DN9 ensured another F1 manufacturer was represented towards the sharp end of the order in sixth ahead of Mark Higson’s McLaren MP4/1B and a brace of Tyrrells driven by James Hagan and Ian Simmonds. Series regular Neil Glover completed the top-10 in his Arrows A5.
Masters Racing Legends, Brands Hatch, Qualifying
- Mark Hazell, Williams FW07B, 1m22.010s
- Nick Padmore, Lotus 77, +0.387s
- Jamie Constable, Tyrrell 011B, +0.815s
- Warren Briggs, McLaren M29, +1.141s
- Ken Tyrrell, Tyrrell 011, +1.149s
- Mark Harrison, Shadow DN9, +1.864s
- Mark Higson, McLaren MP4/1B, +1.882s
- James Hagan, Tyrrell 011, +2.047s
- Ian Simmonds, Tyrrell 012, +2.145s
- Neil Glover, Arrows A5, +5.220s
Click here to view full timings from the event.
Another of this weekend’s major highlights is the Masters Endurance Legends for modern classics from the Le Mans 24 Hours. This year’s superb entry includes a trio of LMP1-specification Peugeot 90Xs as raced in the 2011 edition of the long-distance classic by the French marque. The Peugeots dominated qualifying at Brands Hatch today with Steve Brooks leading a 1-2-3 ahead of Stuart Wiltshire and Richard Meins in their similar machines.
A pair of 40-minte races from the Masters Endurance Legends will join the two 20-minute Masters Racing Legends races on Sunday. Other classes in action include the Masters Sports Car Legends for older endurance racers, the Masters Pre-’66 Touring Cars and the Masters GT Trophy. There will also be a guest appearance from the retro tin tops of the HRDC Gerry Marshall Trophy.
Sunday tickets are available on the gate for £32 with reductions for 13-15-year-olds and senior citizens and free entry for under-13s.