SuperSixties report from Assen

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Qualifying: Abbring and Kalff to the fore

Kevin Abbring was the man in SuperSixties qualifying at the Tabac Classic GP Assen. Allard Kalff set a blistering 2:02 in Michiel Campagne’s Corvette Grand Sport. Abbring took a few laps to get acquainted with Bas Jansen’s AC Cobra, then set an unbeatable 2:01,3 to take pole. Andy Newall qualified Rhea Sautter’s E-type in 3rd. Philippe Vermast was fastest of the Lotus Elans ahead of Peter Brouwer. Next it was Roelant de Waard and Adriaans/Adriaans in Shelby Mustang and Cobra respectively. The first of the touring cars would start 8th, Kalff and Campagne again, now in a Mustang. Their driver change in the race promised to be interesting… Mats Ek (Lotus Elan) and Marcel van Laarhoven (Shelby Mustang) rounded out the top-10. The Van Gammeren Porsche 911 was fastest in GTS11 while Thijmen de Vries just pipped teammate Phil Anning in the first of the Mini’s. In CT08 it was Mr. Ford Bart-Jan Deenik back at the wheel of a Lotus Cortina who posted the fastest time ahead of Magnus Lillerskog.

 

Race 1: Vermast the surprise winner

SuperSixties powered by NKHTGT treated the spectators at the Tabac Classic GP Assen to a superb spectacle on Saturday. Michiel Campagne took the lead in the Corvette Grand Sport, with Andy Newall (Jaguar E-type), Bas Jansen (AC Cobra) and Philippe Vermast (Lotus Elan) in hot pursuit. These four had a ding-dong battle until the pit window opened after 15 minutes. Campagne was the first to come in, but Allard Kalff took well over a minute to reach the pit in the Mustang, so a fair amount of time was lost. Kevin Abbring had taken over from Bas Jansen and they looked to have the win in the bag until a safety car interlude provided them with a penalty. Through all the confusion came Philippe Vermast with a faultless performance to take the win in his Lotus Elan. Roelant de Waard (Shelby Mustang) was 9 seconds behind in second while Jansen/Abbring were relegated to third. Kalff used the safety car period to close in on the Sautter/Newall E-type and passed it on the final lap to take fourth. The first touring car home was a surprise, Thijmen de Vries in the Mini Cooper left a lot of potentially faster cars behind to take 6th. Next was Peter Brouwer, second in GTS10 in his Lotus Elan, then the Kalff-Campagne CT10 Mustang and the Wilhelm-van Gelder E-type. Cees Lubbers bumped his way into the final top-10 spot in his Ford Falcon. Erwin van Lieshout was victorious in GTS11 in his Porsche while Bart-Jan Deenik dominated CT08 in his Lotus Cortina.

 

Race 2: Kalff and Campagne’s cunning plan

In Sunday’s SuperSixties race, the action started after the pitstops. It was another blistering hot day at the Tabac Classic GP Assen and the rate of attrition was high. Kevin Abbring took a commanding lead at the start, but dropped out after just one lap when the steering of the AC Cobra let him down. With Michiel Campagne starting from the pits in the big GTP Corvette, it was Roelant de Waard who was now leading in the Shelby Mustang, followed by Peter Brouwer in the Lotus Elan. The CT08 battle was decided early on when Marcel Wentzel and Magnus Lillerskog collided. Both Lotus Cortina’s were out, leaving a clutchless Gerrit Jan van Leenen to cruise to a class win, although getting away after his pitstop was a challenge.

A short safety car interlude to remove the stranded Swedish Lotus Cortina meant many teams decided to pit early. It was now very close at the front with Roelant de Waard in the Shelby Mustang, Peter Brouwer in his Elan and the Armand/Sam Adriaans Cobra all in close contention, while Andy Newall was catching them all in Rhea Sautter’s E-type. Kalff and Campagne had a method to their madness though, the Corvette Grand Sport starting from the pits meant they had their driver and car change timed to perfection. Kalff put down the pedal in the Corvette to catch the leaders, while Campagne took over the Mustang ahead of all the other touring cars.

Newall put up the most resistance, but it was Allard Kalff who took the spoils, while a pitlane speeding offence cost Newall/Sautter second place, that was handed to Roelant de Waard. Sam and Armand Adriaans finished fourth in the Cobra. In fifth were Kalff and Campagne again, also winning the touring car class from Hemmo Vriend in his Ford Falcon Sprint, with Phil Anning third in the first of the Mini Coopers. GTS11 was a Porsche 911 benefit, but this time Thijs and Theo van Gammeren were victorious with Erwin van Lieshout second and Holger Felske holding up MGB honours in third. What about the Lotus Elans? They lived up to their reputation of being fast but fragile. We started the weekend with six of them but only one survived to the end, it was Alex Korle who deservedly took home the GTS10 winners’ trophy.

Results: Results – Super Sixties Racing

The latest paddock gossip: NKHTGT Assen magazine V2

Check our YouTube channel for action clips: https://www.youtube.com/@Supersixties

Hi-res photo download: https://we.tl/t-9HnMjnHXKS

SuperSixties report from Spa-Francorchamps

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Qualifying

Turn 7 was the deciding factor in the SuperSixties qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps, with many track limit infringements and some more serious excursions that resulted in loads of gravel on the track. Through it all came the Peter Thompson/Charles Allison TVR Griffith to claim pole from Kennet Persson in the Ford GT40. Andy Newall qualified Rhea Sautter’s E-type in 3rd with Bob Stevens 4th in the first of the Lotus Elans. Next up were the three Shelby varieties, Armand Adriaans (Cobra), Roelant de Waard (Mustang GT350) and Oliver Douglas (Cobra Daytona). Michiel Campagne only managed a lowly 8th position in the Corvette Grand Sport, and could be expected to be nearer the front in the race. Then it was more Lotus Elans, mixed with the fastest of the touring cars: Luc de Cock (Elan), Carlo Hamilton (Ford Falcon), Jos Stevens (Elan), Bas Jansen (Ford Mustang), Niek van Gils (Elan) and Bijleveld/van der Ende (Ford Falcon). Eric Douart in his 2-litre BMW is not far behind the V8 Fords. The Mini’s were fast with Jop Rappange ahead of René de Vries, then Dieter-Karl Anton in his Lotus Cortina, fastest in CT08, Alexander Schlüchter (Mini) and the Van Leenen/Du Toy van Hees and Ralf Wagner Lotus Cortina’s. In GTS11 Erwin van Lieshout was fastest in his Porsche 911, ahead of the MGB’s led by Frank Veenstra.

Race 1 – mighty TVR

A safety car to remove the stranded Mini Marcos of Greg Carini caused chaos in the first SuperSixties race at the Spa Summer Classic. Many drivers decided to pit when the yellow flags came out, which was a good idea, but several did so before the pit window was actually open, which was of course penalised. They received a draconic 5-minute penalty. Kennet Persson had been leading in the Ford GT40, closely followed by the TVR Griffith of Peter Thompson and Michiel Campagne in the Corvette GS. The big Corvette lost its brakes while circulating slowly during the neutralisation and dropped to fourth. Armand Adriaans took the opportunity to take the final podium spot and first in GTS12 in the Shelby Cobra. After Bob Stevens was an early retirement, it was Luc de Cock who came 5th overall and first in class, followed by Niek van Gils, Philippe Vermast and Jos Stevens all in Lotus Elans. Rhea Sautter was classified 9th in the E-type because the other three cars on the lead lap were penalised. Carlo Hamilton won the touring car class in his Ford Falcon ahead of similarly mounted Jaap van der Ende and Bas Jansen in his Mustang. Jop Rappange was first on the road in the Mini class but collected a penalty which handed the win to René de Vries from Alexander Schlüchter, who had an entertaining ding-dong battle with Dennis Bron in his MGA twin cam. CT08, the Lotus Cortina class, had a trio of pit window offenders… as a result the win went to Van Leenen/Du Toy van Hees, from Dieter-Karl Anton, Magnus Lillerskog and Ralf Wagner. In GTS11 Erwin van Lieshout started from the pits in the Porsche 911 and overtook all the MGB’s to win the class from Frank Veenstra and Arnold Herreman. Finally, it is interesting to have a look at the smaller GTP cars. The Marcoses of Mark Dols and Greg Carini dropped out. Rob Rappange spun on the first lap, but still went on to finish in the Porsche 904. Frank Weidema followed him home in his little 1,3 litre Marcos, a great result in his debut race.

Race 2 – Persson is the person in charge

It took some 10 minutes for Sunday’s SuperSixties race to get properly underway. The delay was caused by several stranded cars on the grid and the formation lap, plus an unfortunate startline incident. When the field was finally released, Kennet Persson took the lead from the Thompson/Allison TVR, only relinquishing it for a short time when he pitted early, Michiel Campagne taking over in the Corvette GS. At the flag the Swede had a 20 second lead from the TVR, with Campagne another 20 seconds behind, closely followed by Adriaans in the Shelby Cobra. Roelant de Waard came 5th and 3rd in GTS12 in his Shelby Mustang. In GTS10 father and son Jos and Bob Stevens shared the orange Lotus Elan. Jos kept Luc de Cock’s yellow Elan in his sight, so that after the compulsory pitstop Bob could reel him in and pass him for the class win. SuperSixties debutant Felix Feltes came third in this well contested class, ahead of Marc Morawietz. In GTS11 it was no surprise that Erwin van Lieshout took the win in his Porsche 911. Tiziane and Fabienne Mutschler came second in the fastest of the MGB’s ahead of David Waterhouse. Greg Carini made up for his retirement in the first race by slicing through the field to 12th in his little Mini Marcos, winning the invitation class. The big V8 touring cars all had some sort of trouble. Martin Bijleveld came out on top in his Ford Falcon, Hemmo Vriend was second in another Falcon and Bas Jansen salvaged 3rd in his Mustang. The Mini Coopers made their own show, with René de Vries, Jop Rappange and Alexander Schlüchter trading places. Schlüchter spun and De Vries had to pit with a flat tire, so Jop looked to have it in the bag, but then the white Mini gave up the ghost with 2 laps to go, so Alexander took home the trophy. In CT08 it was the old fox from Austria, Dieter-Karl Anton, who was unbeatable, with Ralf Wagner, van Leenen/du Toy van Hees and Magnus Lillerskog chasing him, all in Lotus Cortina’s. Running like clockwork but unable to challenge the Cortina brigade were the two Alfa Giulias of Günter Zahnenbenz and François Leloutre.

Results: Results – Super Sixties Racing

SuperSixties Magazine Spa edition: NKHTGT Spa V2 high res

SuperSixties actie op YouTube: Supersixties – YouTube

SuperSixties report from the Red Bull Ring

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Qualifying
Is the Red Bull Ring a power track? It certainly looked like it judging by the qualifying results. On the front row we found Jan Kling and Kennet Persson in a pair of GT40’s. Kaj Dahlbacka made it an all-Swedish top 3 with his Corvette Grand Sport. Next was Michiel Campagne, similarly mounted. In fifth we found the giant killing Bob Stevens in his Lotus Elan, followed by more V8 grunt, the Cobras of Adriaans/Adriaans and Bas Jansen, then Michel van Duijvendijk in the TVR Griffith and Roelant de Waard in the Shelby Mustang. Jos Stevens would start 10th in his Lotus Elan. In GTS11 the Van Gammeren Porsche 911 was much faster than the MGB opposition. In TC it was V8’s to the fore as well, the Van Gammeren, Deenik/Sinke and Vriend V8 Ford Falcons leading the way. Old hand Dieter-Karl Anton made up for his Hockenheim problems by easily outqualifying the CT08 opposition in his Lotus Cortina. In CT07, the De Vries Mini had the upper hand.

Race 1: Campagne beats the Swedes
The first SuperSixties race at the Red Bull Ring was quite eventful. The four GTP cars pulled away at the front, Michiel Campagne snatching the lead from fast starting Kennet Persson. In the battle for third Kaj Dahlbacka made contact with Jan Kling’s GT40 and came off worse, retiring with a flat tire. When Persson dropped out with a blown engine, Campagne in the Corvette Grand Sport had a big lead from Kling. Bas Jansen drove a strong race to take the final podium spot in his GTS12 Cobra. Bob Stevens beat Michiel van Duijvendijk (TVR Griffith) and Roelant de Waard (Shelby Mustang) to finish 4th overall and first in GTS10 in his 1,6 litre Lotus Elan. In GTS11 the winner was Thijs van Gammeren in the Porsche 911. The Deenik/Sinke Ford Falcon was fastest of the touring cars when
Carlo Hamilton dropped out, although after 40 minutes of racing Jaap van der Ende was just 4 seconds behind, with Hemmo Vriend another 10 seconds back. Highly experienced local racer Dieter-Karl Anton was unbeatable in CT08 in his Lotus Cortina, showing a clean pair of heels to Van Leenen/Du Toy van Hees and Lillerskog. In CT07 the De Vries father and son team took the spoils
from Jop Rappange and his father Rob, all in Mini’s of course. Finally, it was great to see Frits Campagne in his Ford Anglia chasing Graziano Tessaro in his Abarth 1000, until the little Fiat retired after 35 minutes. Interestingly all the new drivers kept their noses clean while some of the more experienced guys returned to the paddock somewhat battle scarred. As usual, it was nothing a beer,
some duct tape and a friendly evaluative talk couldn’t fix.

Race 2: Bas Jansen in a class of his own
SuperSixties was Sunday’s curtain closer at the Red Bull Ring and got underway with an exciting start, with Michiel Campagne, Jan Kling and Bas Jansen trading places at the front. Jansen had just managed to pass the two GTP cars to take the lead in his Cobra when the red flags came out. This was due to the Team Korle Cortina losing its diff oil going into the first corner. After the restart, with 30 minutes remaining, Campagne, Kling and Jansen were at it again, with the blue Corvette holding a small lead as Jansen attempted to pass Kling. Kaj Dahlbacka had moved up from 31st to 7th when the red flags came out. With the restart from the original grid positions, he had to do it all again! On lap 10 Campagne had a small off in turn 3. When he steered back on track his
rear wheel got stuck behind the curbs, wrecking the diff. Now Kling and Jansen were battling for the lead, and they did so with gusto, switching positions several times per lap. When Kling had a half spin, Jansen finally managed to pull away and take a well-deserved win. By the time the pit window opened, Dahlbacka was already in third, but he could not close the gap to the leaders. Armand Adriaans finished fourth in the Shelby Cobra, with Bob Stevens in the GTS10 winning Lotus Elan just 1,6 seconds behind. Thijs van Gammeren made it two out of two in GTS11 in the Porsche 911, ahead of the MGB’s of Holger Felske and the Mütschler sisters. Jaap Sinke had a tense moment when his Ford Falcon was inadvertently tapped into a spin by Mark Dols in his Marcos. Luckily, he had enough time in hand to stay ahead of Hemmo Vriend’s Falcon, while Frans van Maarschalkerwaart was third touring car home in a borrowed Ford Mustang. Dieter-Karl Anton dominated CT08 again in his Lotus Cortina. In CT07 De Vries-De Vries were the only remaining Mini, but they went flat out regardless, 5th of the touring cars. Finally, Frits Campagne and Graziano Tessaro entertained the crowd by battling for last place, until the little Fiat had lost too much of its oil and had to retire.

Results: Results – Super Sixties Racing

Read all the paddock gossip in our online magazine: nkhtgt.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NKHTGT-RedBullRing-magazine-V2.pdf

SuperSixties Zandvoort report and magazine

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Qualifying

SuperSixties was pleased to back at the Historic Zandvoort Trophy for the next instalment of our 2023 season. Sander van Gils was the fastest guy on track in qualifying, but he was too eager, going all out before the session had actually started. It would give him something to do in the afternoon, as he was docked 5 places on the grid as a result. We still had an all Lotus Elan front row, with Luc de Cock on pole and Jos Stevens second. Roelant de Waard claimed third on the grid in his Shelby Mustang with Peter Brouwer in yet another Elan alongside. Henk van Gammeren and Hemmo Vriend were first of the touring cars in their Ford Falcons, while Armand Adriaans (Shelby Cobra), Jaap Sinke (Big Healey) and Wilhelm-van Gelder (Jag E-type) completed the top-10. Quickest in GTS11 was the Van Gammeren Porsche 911, just ahead of more touring cars, Rob Rappange fastest in CT07 in his Mini ahead of the Van Leenen/Du Toy van Hees CT08 Lotus Cortina. Next up was the oldest car in the field, Dennis Bron in his FabFifties MGA twincam, followed by guest driver Onno Vlaanderen in a LateSixties Davrian Imp. With 29 cars on the grid we looked forward to an action packed pair of races.

Race 1: van Gils unbeatable

Sander van Gils dominated Saturday’s SuperSixties race at Zandvoort in his Lotus Elan. From sixth on the grid, he took the lead on the first ascent of the Hunserug. Luc de Cock held second for most of the race until his engine lost power towards the end and he slipped back. Jos Stevens had been shadowing him and duly took second in his Lotus Elan while Roelant de Waard came third in the Shelby Mustang. Peter Brouwer was fourth in his Lotus Elan with De Cock fifth. First of the touring cars was the Van Gammeren Falcon in sixth, ahead of Armand Adriaans (Shelby Cobra), Ed van Dijk (E-type), Hemmo Vriend (Ford Falcon) and Jaap Sinke (Austin-Healey 3000). There was plenty of Mini action with some great scraps, and it was Rob Rappange who came out on top, with Alexander Schlüchter in second while Jop Rappange misfired his way into third and Bert Mets dropped out after 16 laps. GTS11 was initially led by Niek van Gils in the MGB, but after the pitstops it was the Theo/Thijs van Gammeren Porsche 911 that took the class win, from Van Gils and Egbert Kolvoort in their MGB’s. The Team Korle Lotus Cortina turned into a starting money special (if only we had starting money…). It only just made it across the line before expiring, which was a shame as the team had spent a fortune on duct tape patching it up after a qualifying mishap. So the win in CT08 went to Van Leenen/Du Toy van Hees, although Magnus Lillerskog actually finished ahead of them. He was going so well that he did not want to spoil his fun by making a pitstop. He was penalized two laps, even though he proposed to compensate by making two pitstops in Sunday’s race…

Race 2: Jos Stevens against the odds

Jos Stevens overcame a couple of penalties to win the second SuperSixties race at Zandvoort in his Lotus Elan. He braked after moving before the lights changed, so gained nothing and it was in fact Roelant de Waard who took the lead. Stevens realized he was going to be penalized, so quickly passed the blue Shelby Mustang and started to build up a lead. Meanwhile De Waard was harried by Peter Brouwer and Luc de Cock. When he outbraked himself going into Tarzan the two nimble Lotus’ took their chance and passed him. Unfortunately they both dropped out with ignition trouble later in the race. Meanwhile Stevens had gained another time penalty for a pitstop infringement, but he kept his foot down and finished far enough ahead of De Waard to hang on to first place. Armand Adriaans drove a steady race and claimed the final podium spot in his Shelby Cobra. Fourth past the flag was Jaap Sinke in the Healey, just ahead of a storming Ed van Dijk in his Jaguar E-type. He was being cheered on by a crowd of Jaguar Club members to great effect! The Van Gammeren family again took the spoils in the touring car class in their big Ford Falcon Futura. Seventh fell to the French Jaguar team of Erwin van Gelder/Bernard Wilhelm who just managed to hold off Mats Ek in his Lotus Elan. There were some fierce midfield battles involving a lot of cars. Dennis Bron came through to finish 9th in his MGA. Rob Rappange, Alexander Schlüchter and Jasper Izaks were in the middle of the mayhem in their Mini’s. In the end Schlüchter was victorious while the other two dropped out. All the MGB’s also suffered various problems giving the Van Gammeren Porsche 911 an easy ride in GTS11. The Lotus Cortinas were in combat with Bert Mets in his Mini Cooper. Van Leenen-Du Toy van Hees again came out on top after Magnus Lillerskog suffered a broken halfshaft two laps from the flag. So ended another great weekend of action packed SuperSixties races. Everything went smoothly, thanks to a great bunch of well-behaved and friendly drivers! Yes there were loads of retirements due to mechanical problems, so there is plenty of wrenching to be done, but we expect everyone to be back for the Red Bull Ring on June 9-11. See you there!

Results: Results – Super Sixties Racing

Read all the paddock gossip in our online magazine: https://www.nkhtgt.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NKHTGT-Zandvoort-magazine-final-version-klein.pdf

Hockenheim race report and magazine

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What a weekend we have had at Hockenheim!

You can read all about it in the latest issue of our magazine: Hockenheim-magazine

Or simply check the results here: Raceresults Hockenheimring

And don’t forget we are back at it in just one week’s time. You can still join us at Zandvoort, get your entries in NOW: Race-with-SuperSixties

 

Introducing SuperSixties by NKHTGT

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Introducing SuperSixties by NKHTGT

For over 25 years NKHTGT has been offering top quality historic racing for pre-’66 Touring Cars, GT’s and GTP’s. Based in the Netherlands, we race internationally and welcome drivers from all over Europe and beyond. In 2023 we will be doing the same, but under a new name. A name that everyone can pronounce: SuperSixties. The organisation will remain in the trusted hands of the NKHTGT organizing committee.

In 2023 we offer an exciting calendar with over 12 hours of track time divided over 12 races at 6 events on 6 circuits in 5 different countries! That’s an unparalleled variety and a lot of track time. On top of that, our entry fees are very reasonable. How do we achieve that? The Vereniging NKHTGT is a not-for-profit organization: for racers by racers. Our 2023 package deal costs just € 4195!

Date Event Race Format Track time Entry fee Noise limit (subject to change!)
April 21-23 Preis der Stadt Stuttgart (Hockenheim) Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 895 98 dBA
May 6-7 Historic Zandvoort Trophy Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 895 89 dBA
June 9-11 Red Bull Ring Classic Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 995 133 dBA
July 7-9 Spa Summer Classic Qly 30′ – race 2×40′ 110′ € 995 105 dBA
Sept 8-10 Classic GP Assen Qly 30′ – race 2×40’ 110′ € 895 tba
Oct 6-8 Dijon Motors Cup Qly 45′ – race 1×120′ + 1 x 30′ 195′ € 895 tba
Total 730’ PD € 4195

NB: calendar subject to changes and to approval by KNAF/FIA.

SuperSixties 2023 is a series of single competitions in six events, without any form of championship or ranking. SuperSixties remains – just as it always was under the NKHTGT flag – the historic racing class for FIA appendix K touring cars and GTs built between 1947 and 1965.

Please bear with us in these transitional times. More info, including the 2023 entry form, can be found on the old website: www.nkhtgt.nl and shortly also on www.supersixtiesracing.com.

If you have questions, please mail us at race@nkhtgt.nl.

Package Deal ’23, Silverstone to Red Bull Ring and NKHTGT becomes SuperSixties

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There is a lot of news to report about the 2023 season of our historic racing series. For starters, the Package Deal for 2023 has been announced. It is possible to register for all six events at a reduced rate, or to enter per event.

NKHTGT calendar 2023
Date Event Race Format Track time Entry fee Noise limit (subject to change!)  
April 21-23 Preis der Stadt Stuttgart Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 895 98 dBA  
May 6-7 Historic Zandvoort Trophy Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 895 89 dBA  
June 9-11 Red Bull Ring Classic Qly 25′ – race 2×40′ 105′ € 995 133 dBA  
July 7-9 Spa Summer Classic Qly 30′ – race 2×30′ 90′ € 995 105 dBA  
Sept 8-10 Classic GP Assen Qly 30′ – race 2×30′ 90′ € 895 tba  
Oct 6-8 Dijon Motors Cup Qly 45′ – race 1×120′ + 1 x 30′ 195′ € 895 tba  
Package deal/sponsor deal for all 2023 NKHTGT events (€ 4.195/€ 5.495)  

 The fees for 2023 include membership of the Vereniging NKHTGT, there will no longer be a separate fee for this. The registration form for 2023 will be on the website very soon. The regulations for 2023 are also being worked on. These will be largely unchanged: cars must comply with FIA appendix K and Dunlop Racings are compulsory. More information can be found on the website: https://www.nkhtgt.nl/en/race-with-us/

The observant reader will already have spotted it: we are not going to Silverstone as previously announced. Instead – on the same weekend in June – the magnificent Red Bull Ring is on the calendar. The Red Bull Ring Classic promises to be a great event.

And perhaps the most important news: NKHTGT will get a new name: SuperSixties. A name much more catchy than the unpronounceable abbreviation everyone broke their tongues over. With a new name comes, of course, a new house style and a new logo. These will be presented before the start of the season. Those who have seen the preview will confirm the logo looks particularly good!

Champions honoured!

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During a well-attended and very enjoyable evening at the Healey Museum in Vreeland, the 2022 NKHTGT champions were handed the spoils. Kennet Persson came all the way from Sweden to receive the GTP>2500 cup while Barbara and Brian Lambert, the champions in GTS11, had come over from the UK. A large contingent of German participants had also come to Vreeland. The CT07 trophy was awarded to Bert Mets, in CT08 the champion is Magnus Lillerskog from Sweden, CT10 was won by Bart-Jan Deenik, Mark Dols got to take home the GTP<2500 trophy, Jos Stevens is the winner in GTS10 and Roelant de Waard in GTS12. The GTS04 trophy will have to be sent to Australia, as it was won by Robert Ingram. Then there is the Michel Oprey Trophee, a very special prize awarded to the most consistent driver over the entire season. This year’s winner is Hemmo Vriend. Next it was time to honor the top three in the overall standings. In third place were Barbara and Brian Lambert, second was Jos Stevens, but there can only be one champion. The 2022 NKHTGT champion is Roelant de Waard. Besides a big trophy, he gets to look after the huge challenge cup for a year, a job he immediately outsourced to the man who prepares his Shelby Mustang, Joeri Monné. Our former chairmen Frans van Maarschalkerwaart and Frits Campagne were named honorary members, while outgoing board members Bert Mets and René de Vries were also put in the limelight. The 2022 season was discussed and looked back on (keep an eye on this page, you will find the long video here soon). And of course there were already longing looks ahead to 2023, thanks in part to the unique ambiance of the museum, where the spirit of Donald Healey can be felt. We thank our host, former NKHTGT driver Hans van de Kerkhof and his team for their hospitality!

NKHTGT announces 2023 calendar

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Read more

Race report from France

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Five way battle

To decide the 2022 championship, NKHTGT travelled to Dijon-Prenois for HVM Racing’s Motors Cup. We enjoyed a weekend of glorious weather and, for the first time in NKHTGT history, we had a 2 hour race. Going into the weekend there were still five contenders for the title. One had quite a big lead, but with over 40 points on offer, there were still plenty of possibilities. In fifth but within striking distance were Brian and Barbara Lambert in their MGB. Fourth was Bob Stevens in his Lotus Elan. In third was Bart-Jan Deenik in one of the mighty Ford Falcon Sprints. Second in the table was Jos Stevens in his orange Lotus Elan. Leading the championship going into the final two races at Dijon-Prenois is Roelant de Waard with his Shelby Mustang GT350. On this power circuit it was no surprise to find the two GTP cars on the first row, with a Daytona Cobra in third. The fastest Lotus Elans were close behind though, in fifth and sixth. We lost a couple of V8 touring cars in practice: the Falcon of father and son Björn and Henk Hees was towed into the paddock with a banana shaped propshaft, while Henk van Gammeren’s similar car broke its gearbox.

Persson wins, De Waard secures the title

After a chaotic start it was Kennet Persson who took the lead of the Dijon 300 km in his Ford GT40, while polesitter Michiel Campagne dropped to 7th. Luckily that is not so important in a 2 hour race and the Corvette GS duly moved back up the order into second. The GT40 proved uncatchable though, only briefly losing the lead during two of the three compulsory pitstops. When the Corvette dropped out after 41 laps, Bob Stevens popped up in second, his Lotus Elan running like clockwork despite a clutch problem. Third overall went to Roelant de Waard (Shelby Mustang GT350), after a race long battle with Oliver Douglas in his Shelby Daytona Cobra. In fifth was Frans van Maarschalkerwaart partnered by Björn Hees (Shelby Mustang GT350).
Martin Bijleveld was the runaway leader in the touring cars, until the team had to retire the Falcon with low oil pressure. That gave the touring car win to Bart-Jan Deenik and Jaap Sinke, ahead of Hemmo Vriend, all Ford Falcon mounted. René de Vries and Phil Anning led CT07 for 61 laps. They unfortunately dropped out on the final lap, which gifted the class win to Alexander Schlüchter. CT08 was won by Gerrit Jan van Leenen and Bert Du Toy van Hees, after a great battle with Magnus Lillerskog. The Swedish Lotus Cortina driver had to retire the car when the brakes went. In GTS11 there was heartbreak for the Van Gammeren family when the ignition on their Porsche 911 failed after just 3 laps. Erwin van Lieshout managed to stay ahead of the MGB’s to win the class in his Porsche. Barbara and Brian Lambert were second, Egbert Kolvoort third. The little Elite of Ingram and Rowley was the sole starter and finisher in GTS08.

Persson does it again

The final NKHTGT race of the 2022 season had a couple of surprises in store. Not where the winner was concerned, Kennet Persson took the spoils for the second time this weekend in his Ford GT40. Bob Stevens quickly passed Roelant de Waard for second, seemingly on course for a jump to third in the championship. Bart-Jan Deenik dropped out of the equation when his Ford Falcon coasted to a halt after a couple of loud bangs. Meanwhile Brian Lambert did everything he could to reel in Erwin van Lieshout, but the Porsche 911 just had the edge over the MGB. Oliver Douglas passed De Waard for third, Shelby Daytona versus Shelby Mustang. Jos Stevens was also on the move and passed the blue GT350 a couple of laps later. On the 16th lap, with just 5 minutes to go, Bob Stevens’ Lotus Elan came to a halt, its battery dead. Thus Persson, Douglas and Jos Stevens were the guys on the podium. Frans van Maarschalkerwaart (Shelby Mustang) was within striking distance of De Waard but not quite close enough. Ed van Dijk finished 6th in his Jaguar E-type. Mats Ek had a great scrap with Niek van Gils, who had swapped his MG for a Lotus Elan. They switched positions several times, but in the end it was Ek who took second in GTS10. First touring car home was Hemmo Vriend in the Ford Falcon, from Alexander Schlüchter and Bert Mets in their Cooper S ‘s. And then there was GTS11. Van Lieshout finished 7 seconds ahead of Brian Lambert in the first of the MGB’s. With Deenik and Bob Stevens out, that was enough for the Lambert family to jump from 5th to 3rd in the championship table!

Results: https://www.nkhtgt.nl/en/results/

Championship standings (to be confirmed): https://www.nkhtgt.nl/en/standings/

You can read all the paddock gossip in our online magazine: https://www.nkhtgt.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NKHTGT-Dijon-2022-editie.pdf