R.I.P. Classics.

Molesey’s NSR Classic class is now officially defunct, this race being its final appearance. To celebrate, six relentlessly optimistic souls had turned up for a last-ditch bid for glory. Five of them would be better described as relentlessly deluded, because none had previously won an NSR Classic race in 2022 and none had much chance this time either, given that Josh, the only 2022 Classic winner present, had arrived with a freshly fettled Porsche 908/3 and determined to end his Classic season with a victory and the class track record.

He got his victory, but narrowly failed with the track record which had been set back in April 2022 by Julian with a time of 7.971. There was no doubting Josh’s commitment, several crashes testament to the level of effort he was putting in to break the lap record. He came tantalisingly close and set a personal best in the process, but his 7.981 was not quite close enough, just eleven thousandths shy of taking the record.

Josh’s ten-tenths driving did at least make the battle for the lead interesting, because his crashes helped Simon top the leaderboard after Heat 2. Simon fell back in Heat 3 to trail by four tenths, still close enough to keep his hopes of victory alive, but he ruined his chances once and for all with a crash-strewn drive in Heat 4.

The night’s best battle was between Terry and Graham, Terry marginally ahead for the first five heats before being overhauled in the closing laps of the final heat by Graham to lose out by 0.42 seconds. It was a great scrap and a fitting reminder that NSR Classic will be a tough class to beat for close racing. Its replacement, Sideways GT3, will have its work cut out next year.

So that’s it. Classics are dead, having lost the popular vote. The cars, which have put on such a great show this year, will now be packed away by their owners until, most likely, the class is resurrected at some time in the future. Until then it’s R.I.P. Classics. Thanks for some cracking racing.