Race Report: CMMCS Season Finale at Brands Hatch

One final race weekend to see out the 2025 season, and it would take place on the home ground of the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, as part of the Classic & Modern Motorsport Club Southern Tin Tops season finale, supporting the Formula Ford Festival.

Qualifying

Sunday would start out bright and sunny, but bitterly cold. Ambient temperatures would just nudge towards double figures by the time qualifying would get underway, which would see the #41 Team HORNET Renault Mégane first to venture out onto the circuit. The low track temperatures would see a number of cars struggle in the early stages, with fellow T1 competitor Neal Gardiner in his #188 Honda Civic having to catch lurid slides at the Druids hairpin and at Graham Hill Bend.

A banzai lap at the two-thirds mark from the #41 machine would see it emerge as the fastest car in class T1, and the fastest Tin Top competitor. Terry Waller was the second fastest in his #66 class T2 Ford Fiesta, just 0.003 behind. Neal Gardiner was the closest class T1 competitor, with a gap of only 0.336, highlighting just how competitive the field would be for the final event of the season. The #41 Mégane would line up fifth on the grid when combined with the Super Saloons.

Race One

The bright sunshine from the morning had given way to overcast skies, as inclement weather was forecast for later in the afternoon. For this first race of the day, though, the chance of rain was minimal.

As the lights went out, it would be Colin Claxton's #86 Class B Ford Escort Super Saloon that would blast through the middle of the Haywood-Waller battle on the run to Paddock Hill Bend. As the usual congestion formed at the Druids hairpin, Waller's Fiesta was able to brake deep into the corner, and pass the #41 Mégane around the outside. What followed was a race-long chase, with Waller kept under pressure from the Team HORNET machine, trying to force a single mistake out of the #66 car.

Waller, to his credit, drove faultlessly, and presented the #41 with no opportunities to effect an overtake, slowly increasing his lead in the first half of the race, before the Fiesta began to slightly overheat its front tyres. The #41 would close in, but the chequered flag would fall before any attempt at a pass could be made. The gap between the two at the line would be 0.890, with Team HORNET taking the win in class T1 from Graham Richardson in his #87 Honda Civic.

Race Two

The increasing threat of inclement weather throughout the day led to a setup change before heading to the assembly area for the final race of the 2025 season. Off came the dry-weather tyres, and on came the wets. Whilst rain wasn't falling as the car entered the assembly area, it was in the vicinity of the circuit. Just minutes before the start of the race, the first drops began to fall. With the track slowly getting damp, and light beginning to fade, this was going to be an interesting race!

As the lights went out, the whole field entered Paddock Hill Bend with some trepidation, though no incidents would occur. Gambling on repeating Terry Waller's outside line approach to the Druids hairpin, the Team Hornet Mégane swung left up the hill, only to find Martin Reynolds in his #27 Class B Ford Escort struggling badly to put the power down, as he was on slick tyres. Not only did this prevent an attack on the #66 Fiesta, but also allowed Gardiner's #188 Honda Civic to sneak past and snatch the lead of class T1.

With the slick-shod RWD cars of Reynolds and Clive Haynsford (#787 Class S Mazda RX8 Super Saloon) dispatched, the chase for the class win could begin in earnest. The battle at the front of the Tin Tops captured the attention of spectators and commentators alike, as the #66, #188 and #41 all circulated together. Despite a strong defence from Gardiner, the Mégane was able to sneak by after performing a cutback manoeuvre at Paddock Hill Bend, and securing the inside on the run to the Druids Hairpin.

The Mégane was quicker on the straights, and had good traction, but had been set up in anticipation of the rain being heavier, and was noticeably slower than Gardiner's Civic in the slow-speed corners of Druids and Clearways. This set up a fascinating remainder of the race, as the three cars jostled for position in the damp and the diminishing daylight.

As the chequered flag fell, Terry Waller would finish as the highest-placed Tin Top, 0.631 ahead of the Team HORNET Mégane, which in turn was just 0.305 ahead of Gardiner's Civic to hold on to the top spot in Class T1.

And with that, the 2025 season is at an end.

Team HORNET would like to thank all of those who have made the 2025 season not only possible, but a roaring success!