Andrew Hibberd won a thrilling Arundell Cup race for rear-engined Formula Junior single-seaters. Nevertheless, his win was far from preordained given that he started 29th on the grid.
The Lotus 22 driver tore through the field while Peter de La Roche led the field away in his Elva. However, Simon Diffey was barely a car length away for the first half of the 20-minute race in his Lotus 20/22. De La Roche appeared to be in control until he spun off with suspension damage on the entry to Woodcote with seven minutes left to run.
Diffey assumed the lead with Pete Morton second in his Lightning Envoyette-Ford, but Hibbert was the pacesetter. Having started in last place, he was up to third place in his Lotus 22 by the penultimate tour, which became second as he slipped past Morton towards Woodcote, the latter taking to the grass before returning trackside. Hibbert then jumped Diffey on the run to Madgwick next time around to come home the victor by 0.611 seconds. Just to add to the drama, Diffey’s car caught fire after the race, but it was extinguished by the marshals moments later.
Race Report
Arundell Cup
78MM
Members Meeting