The second leg of the race for saloon cars built between 1950 and 1959 was no less spectacular or confusing than Saturday’s outing, in which seven cars were disqualified for technical infringements. All of the cars duly reappeared and it was the Studebaker Silver Hawk that had crossed the line in first place in Karl Wendlinger’s hands that reappeared on the front row and rocketed off into the lead in the hands of former British Touring Car Championship favourite Patrick Watts.
Race report: St. Mary’s Trophy Part 2 – Revival 2019
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Watts found himself embroiled in a luridly entertaining battle with journalist Dickie Meaden, driving the Alfa Romeo Giulietta that had been handed victory in the first leg of the race in Emanuele Pirro’s hands. Meaden eventually fell back and into the clutches of the Jaguar Mk.I of Grant Williams, which then set about the Studebaker with great vigour and eventually worried its way past.
While the two big cars were battling it out another long-standing star of the British sport, Mike Jordan, closed up on them in his diminutive Austin A40. Jordan passed the mighty Studebaker and pulled up alongside the Jaguar to end up just a bonnet’s-length short of victory at the chequered flag.
In post-race scrutineering, however, the same cars were disqualified as had fallen foul of the rules after the opening leg. This meant that on aggregate the Austin A40 of Jordan and Nicolas Minassian triumphed and would claim the unique Motul collage created for the winners. With the Studebaker also taken out of the running, second place would go to the Volvo PV544S of double BTCC champion John Cleland and owner Shaun Rainford, with the other front-running Austin A40 of three-time Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler and owner Matt Manderson claiming third place overall.
Photo by James Lynch.
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