Trojan horsepower conquers brands

Simon Hadfield gave the Trojan marque a rare UK race victory as the FORCE Formula 5000 series concluded at Brands Hatch in October.

Two weeks earlier, at Dijon, Nick Crossley had used the long straight to stretch his F5000 March 73A and hold off Malcolm Carter’s Cosworth DFV powered March 711 by under two seconds.

Several drivers switched chassis for twistier Brands, Hadfield moving from a Lola T330 to the ex-Hexagon of Highgate Trojan T101 that John Watson had driven in period.

A car in the gravel brought a red flag on lap one, with Hadfield dominating the re-run after Tony Trimmer’s Lola T330 had initially out-dragged the pole man. Crossley, his engine not at its best, was short-shifting as he ran to third place, a piston failing right at the end. James Denty (ex-Jody Scheckter Trojan T101) was last un-lapped runner in fourth.