My steam-driven broadband connection is playing silly beggars - I can barely hold a signal long enough to get this published, nevermind upload video - so updates from Britcar/DSC Rockingham et al will be on their way when normal service is resumed.

The British GT was off on its jollies to Spa with two Moslers vying for honours. Daniel Brown and Stuart Hall were looking to add to their maiden victories at Oulton whilst Rollcentre boss Martin Short teamed up with Gregor Fiskin in the factory car to give the whippersnappers a lesson in how to handle the daunting Ardennes circuit.

It was the teenager who set the pace for race one, though, as Brown pushed the Momo Mosler onto pole. He didn't stay there too long, dropping to fourth before scaling back to second before the mandatory pitstop. But the handover to Stuart Hall was to be their undoing; the stewards adjudged the stop to be one second short of the minimum time permitted. Hall was called in to serve a stop-and-go penalty which put paid to their chances of victory.


Meanwhile, the old warhorses were on a charge. Fiskin had kept close to the rampant Ascari and inherited the lead when the Momo Mosler came in for its penalty stop. After their own stop, Short kept on the Ascari's bumper as they ran pell-mell down to the Bus Stop. "I put myself right where he couldn’t see me, right up his backside, and just before the braking area dived to the inside expecting him to close the door, but he didn’t," said Short. "I think it was the easiest overtaking manoeuvre of my career.”

The factory Mosler kept the lead to the line to claim the duo's first podium of the British GT season. Stuart Hall plugged away to bring the Momo car home in fifth.


Race two saw the Moslers start in third and fifth, Martin Short taking the higher grid slot. Hall didn't last long, a spin on lap four putting paid to their chances. In foggy conditions, Short couldn't contain the Viper early on but kept in third. Fiskin almost latched onto second after the pitstop but was hindered by a slow outlap and a tap from a backmarker - the ABG Viper stealing past once more.

The Viper went on to take the Rosso Verde Ferrari for the lead and the win, Fiskin bringing the factory Mosler home in third place.

Photos (c) www.britishgt.com

There were Moslers all over the Rock this weekend as Britcar ran alongside the Dutch Supercar Challenge.

Unfortunately, the Topcats Mosler wasn't one of them. Rachel Green rear ended the car at 85mph into an armco post, putting the car was out for the weekend with bodywork, suspension and subframe damage. Up at the pointy end of the grid, though, the Eclipse and Rollcentre cars locked out the front row.

The question would be how long they would stay there. Qualifying had revealed a problem unique to racing at Rockingham; riding the curved bank forced fuel away from the pump and resulted in engine cut-out. Not what you need when flying towards the Deane hairpin.


From the rolling start, Short held the bank and slotted into the lead with the Eclipse car fighting off the attentions of an engulfing pack. By lap 12, McInerney was running in third but then slowed to a crawl - fuel pressure problems has hobbled the Eclipse car. Short kept the factory car in the lead, but his advantage was nibbled away lap after lap. After a lengthy stop, Gregor Fiskin took the Mosler back out but soon returned to the pits. Even though the fuel tank was half full, the fuel just wasn't feeding in. The team hoped that a top-up would coax the pump back into life, but the dash to splash was deemed judged to be too late. The Mosler was hit with a two-lap penalty and right out of contention.

At least their poor performance in race one added spice to race two. Grid placings for the Sunday outing are decided by the previous race's placings, so that put two hungry Moslers at the back of the pack ready to race through. The mechanics had worked hard on both cars to try and solve the fuel feed issues and both teams were hopeful of better results this time around. Within a few laps, Gregor Fiskin had carved through the field in the factory car and taken second place. Whilst Michael McInerney moved through the pack too, Fiskin took the lead on lap 11. Before the pitstops, it was Moslers running first and third as the Eclipse car hauled itself into a potential podium place.


Sean McInerney brought the Eclipse car out in ninth place and started to chase down the leaders. But soon he was blazing round - literally. The back of the Mosler was engulfed in flame as the fuel tank breather dumped fumes over the exhaust as the Eclipse car rounded the banked section. McInerney dumped the car at Tarzan and beat a hasty retreat. Out came the safety car and so the pack backed up behind Martin Short, out in the lead with the factory Mosler. Short stretched out the lead once more only for more fuel feed problems slowing the Mosler. The lead slipped from Short as the race ebbed away and the factory car had to settle for third place.

Start of the Saturday race;



Photos (c) P J Cherry

Well, it wasn't Donington; I was looking forward to seeing the Dutch Supercar Challenge at my home circuit, but the (slowly) ongoing works there led to a venue swap. Off to the Rock, then, for the championship's only UK round.

Qualifying proved to be nip and tuck as Martin Short traded fastest laps with Cor Euser in the Marcos. Short prevailed, leaving the 'Flying Dutchman' in second. Sat just behind them both on the grid was the only other Mosler in this round, Berry van Elk, in fourth.



With literally a grandstand view for race one, I felt the Rockingham roar as the field sped past on their rolling start. Martin Short took the field over the stripe and maanged not to get mugged in the banked run up to the Deane hairpin. Keeping Cor Euser at bay, the Mosler Europe car began to strech out a lead until the safety car was called out - Berry van Elk left his bonnet on the approach to Chapman after a disagreement with the back end of a Lamborghini. Berry made it back to the pits (as this video shows) but it was race over for the V-Max Mosler.



On the restart, Euser managed to put a flyer on Short and the Marcos took the lead. With success penalities slowing the Mosler Europe team's pitstop, that lead began to grow. Even a late stop-go penalty for Euser, who undercooked his own pitstop, wasn't enough of a hindrance to let Short claw back the top spot. He had to settle for second place as the only Mosler finisher.



Race two on Sunday saw Euser claim pole with Short alongside in second. This time it was the Mosler driver who was first to pounce, taking the Marcos into the first corner for an early lead. Catching the backmarkers by lap ten, Cor saw his chance and regained the lead as the lead pair negotiated the traffic.



Short, though, was content to play a waiting game. Diving into the pits as soon as the window opened, the Mosler was clad in new rubber and set off in pursuit. He was soon lapping at up to three seconds faster than before; Euser seemed satisfied to stay out for longer. When the Marcos finally pitted at the end of the window (with no tyre change made) the Mosler was only six seconds behind and lapping two seconds quicker than the leader.



Lap 23 saw the lead change for the last time. Euser missed the hairpin and span whilst trying to recover; Short put the hammer down for the pass and emerged nine seconds clear at the end of the lap. The Mosler cautiously extended its lead to take the chequer almost 17 seconds ahead.



A keen strategy had pressured Euser when it mattered and gave Short another deserved DSC win. Meanwhile, Berry van Elk had a storming drive from the back of the grid, finishing fourth overall with just not enough laps in the race for him to close the gap on the Passat V8 that took third place.



Here's more footage of race one from the roof of the pitblock:



The official DSC video from the event can be seen here

All photos (c) Roel Louwers at the Dutch Supercar Challenge website apart from in in-car shot; thanks to Martin Short for that one