2020 Motorsport UK British Autotest Championship

Round  3  The 2020 National  Autotest: Hartlepool & District Motor Club – 20^th September 2020

Hartlepool and District Motor Club moved their event from the centre of Hartlepool to the wide open spaces of the outer paddock of Croft Circuit and were rewarded with 20 entries in the championship round, and a further 5 entries in the clubman event.

A mainly dry, chilly day greeted the competitors, with two tests laid out in wide open spaces, and plenty of room to make mistakes. Paul Swift in his Mini Special was seeded at number one, followed by a gaggle of sports cars in the hands of Lee Valentine, Chris Chapman, and Ben Morten. Richard Pinkney made a return to the championship in the ex Chris Chapman Striker 1600, with Mark Thornton still getting to grips with the Irish built Westfield.

Four cars in the specials class followed, with constant championship contenders Paul Fobister, Dave Evans, Dave Mosey, and joint championship leader Malcolm Livingston in their usual cars, and the only two Mini saloons in the event for Charlie Lower and Dave Fox behind them. Despite running first on the road, which usually proves a burden, Swift set some competitive times, and it seemed that he was content to let everyone else make mistakes, with tales of “missed gears” or “shunts required” coming from each competitor after each pair of tests.

The tales of woe were misplaced at the end of the day, with Swift taking a cautious approach to the whole event. The faster drivers were taking risks to keep up with him, providing an interesting finish to the day. The expected top three of Swift, Livingston, and Mosey did indeed finish in that order, Mosey distraught at three penalties, without which, would have seen him on the top step, but Dave Fox provided the result of the day with fourth overall in his 1600cc Mini, and Pinkney beating Chapman in his old car to finish fifth.

Results:

1st         Paul Swift                         Mini Special 1400                          731-6 secs

2^nd         Malcolm Livingston        Lindsay Special 1600                     743-2

3^rd          Dave Mosey                     Mini Special 1430                          747-4

4^th          Dave Fox                           Mini 1600                                       764-3

5^th          Richard Pinkney              RAW Striker 1600                          783-3

Motorsport UK British Autotest Championship Scores;-

1st         Paul Swift                         Mini Special 1400                          88 pts

2nd       Malcolm Livingston        Lindsay Special 1600                     86

3rd        Dave Mosey                     Mini Special 1430                          78

4th        Chris Chapman                RAW Striker 1700                          73

5th        Charlie Lower                  Mini 1380                                       69