19/03/2026
ON THIS DAY
HARTLEPOOL
Sunday 19th March 1978
The Spring Trophy
It’s SPRING and the F1 guys are racing for a Trophy. What have you got? Yup. See above.
Dave was attracted to go. He’d had a reasonable night the previous evening at White City. An early dart, a few scoops in the Wellington and all good to go next morning. A tarmac weekend; not too much need of a change in set up. You didn’t need to in those days. Just a case of the right worn to bald RS5s that had been scrubbed off on the shale tracks.
Dave always arrived early to get his favoured spot in the pits. He had plenty of time for final engine checks prior to racing.
Warming the engines up in the pits prior to racing was always more of a thing back then, when engine oil was Duckhams 20/50 and tolerances weren’t quite so tight. The sound of an unsilenced Chevy, Ford, Pontiac or even Jag engine would emit its own particular roar, scream and whine, before the open pipes belched out the flames of a back-fire.
Good times!
Dave was out in Heat One, which featured plenty of fellow stars. Local Yellow Top hero 294 John Dowson got the early break but the rising driver of the moment in his shark mouthed machine, 179 Alan Barker was soon in command. Dave got put off the racing line early on and struggled to get back in. By the time he did so the rest of the Red Tops were ahead of him. Wainman (212) chased Barker to the flag, followed by Mirfield’s 272 Dave Hodgson. Jubb , Stott and Hillam battled for the middle order. Dowson held on for seventh. Our man was eighth.
No show in the Final of GN for 260. It was really Frankie’s day. The orange car was on rails and he knifed his way through the field, bettering the other inform man of the day; Hodgson. Oggy took the GN. Smiler came through from his lap handicap for an impressive third.
There was a little despondency in the 260 transporter at it traipsed back down the A1. When would Berresford catch a break from the poor luck he was getting? This had better not set a trend for 1978!
Rob Hughes
Reporting from Memory lane.
(Kenny Wharton photo)
