Simon Hadfield,
our U.K. partner

TEAM-LCR REPORTS

For a change, our new season began not with our customers, but with three of our own team cars:  a March 80A Formula Atlantic, our 1970 Huron 2-litre Sports Car, and our freshly-restored Tiga SC80 Sports 2000.

Ace lead driver/co-team-car-owner Simon Hadfield & our own Bill Pedersen were the stars this weekend.

Having just flown in for the occasion from the UK, Simon first drove the March, with a fresh engine by our recent find, engine-guru Steve Dolph - Atllantic Motor Sports.  From the word go, the March was by far the class of the field in Simon's capable hands, heading up CHAMP cars, F2 and other Atlantics, and easily securing pole for the qualifying race. 

Qualifying turned out to be one of the few wet sessions of the weekend. Simon got off to a great start, but after about three laps "dropped it" in the chicane and gave up first position to the ’89 Lola 8900 of Ron Caldwell.  Despite a Herculean effort on Simon's part, he was unable to regain his lead. Had the race gone another lap, however, he may well have prevailed, as the Lola went down on power.
(click to enlarge)

On Sunday, with the March in outside pole position, Simon got off to a bad start, getting bogged down falling off cam at the drop of the flag.  However, after getting swallowed up by the pack going into turn one, by the end of the 2nd-3rd corner complex, he had skillfully navigated his way through the field to retake second place, and his challenge now was to catch the leader. Although Bobby Brown in his ’79 Chevron B27 initially applied some pressure from third place, Simon soon pulled away. By then, however, the Lola had too much of a lead to overcome, but the distance between them closed dramatically by the checkered flag.  Simon's best lap was just one second behind the overall winner, at 2.08.8. 

Most gratifying was the fact that this was a full four seconds faster than Simon had ever achieved at Sebring.  Overall, a great performance by both car & driver. 


   Red car takes red ribbon
(click photos to enlarge)

The second of Simon's drives was in our Huron, in its historic Camel livery.  Once again, from the word go the Huron was the class of the field, regularly lapping over two seconds quicker than the closest of the opposition, which included two W.S.C. cars, a '97 Panoz, and a Reilly & Scott.  Indeed, it appeared that pole position for Sunday's race would be easily won, as Simon's ever-extending lead from the closest competitor (Phil Harris in Duncan Dayton's '72 Chevron B23) was ultimately the length of the finishing straight. However, half way round the last-but-one-lap, the Huron went down on 2 and 3 cylinders.  In a huge struggle to complete the last lap, Simon achieved the near-impossible, virtually willing the car over the finish line, barely yards ahead of Phil, and having set a best lap time of 2.10 when all was said and done.

Simon Hadfield in our 1970 Huron 2-litre Sports Car
fending off Duncan Dayton in his '72 Chevron B23
- Photo by Bob Harrington

On Sunday, Duncan Dayton reappeared to drive his Chevron B23 for the feature race, having only been able to practice on Thursday.  He and Simon quickly disposed of the Panoz, which had been wrongly slotted into second place on the grid and quickly became merely a mobile chicane for the quicker cars.  Duncan and Simon then began what would become the race of the weekend - a gripping nailbiter of eight laps, with the two cars trading positions time-after-time, lap-after-lap, and often turning up side-by-side through the last and first turns.  Some sections of the track favored the Huron, while others gave the advantage to the Chevron; but, in the end, our star driver triumphed over a most worthy adversary.  The Huron had both the fastest race lap and fastest lap in Group 7 for the weekend. 

Simon Hadfield
& Duncan Dayton
after a
hard-fought
battle.

(click photos
to enlarge)

The combatants call a truce and
 open fortune cookies.

The newest addition to our Works Team is our Tiga SC80 Sports 2000, making its debut at this event.  As has become the custom with our own just-restored cars, the Tiga was pushed into our trailer for its trip to Florida having never turned a wheel and still requiring a few finishing touches in the paddock prior to and during test day.  Simon did the original shakedown of the car, setting it up and making adjustments for proper handling, etc.  On test day, he had it fourth fastest of Group 7 -  with an inspiring 2.20 -  and this was in front of a string of 2-litre cars, including Chevrons and Lolas. 

Our freshly-restored Tiga SC80 Sports 2000,
 here driven by Simon Hadfield, and later setting the fastest time
 of the Sports 2000 cars whilst in the capable hands of Wonder-Boy Bill Pedersen

For the rest of the weekend, Simon gave the keys of the Tiga to Bill Pedersen, my right-hand man.  Bill has driven since he was a kid -- go-karts led to Formula Fords, then Formula Ford 2000 (Continental), then NASCAR truck.  Having been out of  the saddle for a couple of years, this was his debut in historic racing, and he handled it superbly.  During Friday practice and Saturday qualifying, he steadily brought down his times every session, getting to a best of 2.23 in the qualifying race; and, in a breathtaking photo-finish, he took the win over a much newer ’86 Swift DB2.  It was a great, clean, close race, that was nip-and-tuck for the whole six laps. 

Wonder-Boy Bill Pedersen, ready to rock in our new Tiga

Not able to finish the race,
 Bill reads the dinner menu instead.

Unfortunately, the race on Sunday was a real let-down for all of us, as the throttle cable detached itself on the first lap.  However, the new car had performed flawlessly up 'til then and will surely be a force to be reckoned with in this new racing class, which we intend to support as much as we can.

Overall, a great beginning to the season!  Way to go guys!

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