MG Owners Club (MGOC) Race Championship – race report Rounds 16 and 17: Pembrey 9-10th October

As the headline sponsor of the championship, we share a race report for the final meeting of the season.

For the final meeting of the season, the drivers made the long journey down the M4 for our first visit to Pembrey since 2019. The closure of Llandow in 1977 left Wales without a race circuit but Pembrey was developed and it opened for racing in May 1989. The two MGOC races would be held on the 1.49 mile National circuit and were part of the supporting programme for the crowd-pleasing Trucks, Legends and Pickups. The four MGOC classes and the overall championship were decided at the previous Snetterton meeting and whilst this certainly affected the entry level, those drivers who braved the long journey were rewarded with a weekend of late Summer sunshine and some thrilling racing.

Qualifying

The qualifying session took place on a dry track on Saturday morning with the ZR of Will Sharpe taking pole from the MGF of Simon Kendrick with the Fs of Mark Baker and Stuart Plotnek on row 2. The ZRs of Andy Robinson and Nick Golhar were on row 3. Row 4 saw the quickest of the MGB’s with Dave Amphlett just ahead of Malcolm Hill with the MGB of Chris Millard and the Maestro Efi of Anthony Bate on row 5.

Round 16

The first corner at Pembrey is a tight hairpin, Hatchetts, so the car on the inside line will invariably lead out of that corner - a good start is perhaps even more important than usual. On a dry track the cars got away well and Sharpe and Kendrick were side by side into Hatchetts but Sharpe had the all-important inside line and emerged in the lead from Kendrick, Baker and Plotnek with the MGB of Amphlett getting away well to pass both Robinson and Golhar and move into fifth place.

Sharpe continued to lead the race but on lap 2 Baker closed in along Woodlands Straight and the two leaders were side by side though Carters but the ZR had the inside line into Honda and held the lead. Kendrick and Plotnek were right behind the leaders and Kendrick outbraked Baker into Hatchetts on lap 8 to take the Class F lead. Baker was now being challenged by Plotnek who took third place on the pit straight on lap 8 but Baker responded by re-taking the place into Hatchetts but promptly ran wide on the exit allowing Plotnek to retake the position. Baker didn’t give up the fight and pulled alongside Plotnek along Speedway Straight and retook third place at Carters on the penultimate lap.

With the MGFs battling behind him Sharpe pulled away and took the win by 7.1 secs with Kendrick taking second place and the Class F honours just 0.66 secs ahead of Baker with Plotnek a further 0.95 secs behind after 16 enthralling laps of close and clean racing.

In Classic Class, the unlucky Hill was missing from the grid after his rebuilt engine expired on the final lap of the qualifying session leaving Amphlett to battle it out with Millard. Amphlett had an excellent start and moved ahead into fifth place of the ZR of Robinson with Golhar dropping to the back of the field after a very slow start. Amphlett had an untroubled race and duly took the win ahead of Millard.

Round 17

In a repeat of the earlier race, the ZR of Sharpe was on pole for this race with the MGF of Kendrick alongside him on the front row. Sharpe made a perfect start and held the inside line into Hatchetts but Baker had moved past Kendrick to take second place and the Class F lead. At the end of the opening lap, Sharpe had a lurid slide at Honda but controlled it well and maintained a three length lead over Baker with Kendrick and Plotnek a few length back and battling hard for third place. As the race progressed the two leaders gradually pulled away and were having a tremendous battle for the lead with Baker closing in on the twisty section from Senna Esses to Brooklands with Sharpe having slightly better speed along the straights. The battle for the lead continued and by mid-race the two leaders had pulled away from the MGF’s of Kendrick and Plotnek who were having a good tussle for third place.

As the race moved into the latter stages the battle for the lead continued unabated with Baker taking different lines and trying everything to find a way past the ZR of Sharpe, but it wasn’t to be and after 16 laps of the closest possible racing Sharpe held on to take his second win of the weekend and his fourth of the season by a couple of lengths from Baker who had the consolation of taking the win and fastest lap in Class F. Kendrick took third place just 1.4 secs ahead of Plotnek.