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The first race of the 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport was the Parnall Cup. The upright single-seaters are all grand prix and voiturette cars are all of a type that raced between 1935 and 1953, some of them pre-dating the earlier part of that range in terms of their actual date of manufacture. Some of the marques on the entry list have been lost to history, such as Talbot-Lago, Frazer Nash and Connaught. Others endure today, Maserati and Cooper being among them.
Video: 2024 Parnell Cup full race | 81MM
From the first row of the grid it was second-place man John Ure who got the best start, overcoming pole-sitter Will Nuthall. Both men were driving similar 1953 Cooper-Bristol Mk2s. What ensued was a hard-fought battle between the two of them for the lead, the evenly matched machines and driving talent leading to some intense, close racing. In the end, it was just one missed gearchange by Ure that led to Nuthall taking the lead.
As the closing stages of the race ticked down, Nuthall tried to slow to meet the chequered flag but pressure from Ure kept the pace high enough for an extra lap. That last circuit saw the two make contact at Woodcote, but it was harmless. They crossed the line within less than half a second of each other. It was a terrific a spectacle.
Similar battles played out throughout the field in what proved to be a terrific opening race for the 81st Members' Meeting. It set the tone for a weekend of incredible racing.
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