Pole position for Jack Rawles

First time our racing an Austin Healey Jack Rawles gets Pole position and finishes the race in 2nd place – photo by Trackside Images

Jack Rawles maiden race in an Austin Healey

Jack Rawles grew up watching his dad Bill Rawles race his Austin Healey 3000 MK II. As soon as Jack could walk he threw himself into paddock life and soon became the race mascot for the Austin Healey Championship. From those early years Jack Rawles had his sights set on one day being a racing driver too. His school reports were dominated with requests from teachers for us to try and encourage Jack to write and draw about other aspects of life, rather than cars and racing. Well Jack hasn’t quite left education yet but he has had his first race in an Austin Healey. On Saturday 03rd October 2015 Bill & Jack Rawles took part in a two driver/two race event at The Castle Combe Autumn Classic. Bills Austin Healey had been put away over 5 years ago when the engines’ crank snapped at a race meeting at Donington Park. Bill and Jack worked tirelessly over the summer evenings to build a new race engine and prepare the car to be race ready. As well as building their engine, they also built a new engine and race prepared the car for David Grace. The car ready and one practice session at Brands Hatch and another at Castle Combe it was in at the deep end for Jack. With no preconceived ideas this was now Jacks time to realise his ambition.

The Castle Combe Autumn Classic

2015 is the fourth year of this very special event. The Autumn Classic is growing year on year and is starting to earn the respect and reputation that any good, well organised, well attended Classic Car event should get. It is described as low key and informal, capturing the essence of early club racing. This year did see record numbers of over 9000 people spectating and a few cars short of closing the gates and turning people away.  The day’s action packed programme promised the crowds a full day of exciting, spectacular, entertaining races with grids of VSCC Pre-War Sports Cars, Formula 3 500s, Formula Juniors, FIS Car 50’s Intermarque, Pre-1966 Jaguars, Historic Aston Martins, The Terry Sanger Memorial Historic Saloon Car Race and The Healey Driver International 25th Anniversary Invitation Challenge Race. Some people are even starting to come in period dress. We think this could become a mini Goodwood.

Time to Qualify

Although Jack had raced in the Ginetta Junior Championship, an MGB and an Ariel Atom he had never raced a 3 litre 270 BHP Austin Healey and more precisely to the point the very Austin Healey that had inspired, innovated and stirred his passion for motorsport. The forecast for the weekend was dry and clear and ideal conditions to race in. On Saturday morning a 26 strong grid lined up for the qualifying session. This included a mixture of 2.4 litre Healeys, Austin Healey 100/4, 2.6 litre Austin Healey 100s (including a special Le Mans car now worth over £800,000.00) and the bigger 3 litre Healeys. Jack went out on track before Bill and started putting in fast times straight away.

Jack said “I felt really strong and the car felt really good too. We had just built a new engine and our new set up worked well. There was a lot of traffic to get through and getting a clear lap was difficult on the short 1.85mile long circuit but I managed to get one clean lap and then I was signalled to come into the pits for a drver change. It was now Dads turn to see what he could do”

When Jack made the driver change with Bill he had just set the fastest time of the day, a lap time of 1:20.531 had to be beaten. Everyone was getting quicker, there were experienced drivers from Holland, Sweden and the UK and they were all trying to beat the 18 year olds time. On the last lap, car 17 of David Grace, also running a Bill Rawles built engine, put in a great time of 1:20.553. This was a second slower than Jack, so Jack had just put the 1962 Number 46 Austin Healey, belonging to his Dad on pole position in his first ever race. The top five cars in qualifying were all covered by just half a second. The first race for the Healeys would start with Jack sitting on the front row alongside one of his childhood racing heroes, David Grace. Many years of watching David and then sitting around the dinner table discussing race craft, tactics, manoeuvres and analysing many hours of online footage, it was now time to come head to head. Perhaps David was hoping that Jack had not listened too hard and that he hadn’t really assimilated and stored all that shared information and priceless experience and knowledge.

The flagged dropped, smoke poured off the rear wheels as Jacks Healey screamed away  – photo by Stephen Delaney

Time to race

It was now time for race 1 and with a gaggle of experienced racing drivers around him, maiden Austin Healey racer was now in at the deep end. The flag dropped and the cars were off. Smoke poured off the rear wheels as the car screamed away. Jack was leading into the first corner but he was swamped. David Grace, 5 times British Hill Climb Champion took the lead and Jack was now in second place. Heading into the first chicane the green Chatham Healey, driven by Jack Chatham, made a move to over take Jack Rawles. Jack was dropping back to 3rd place.

Jack said “I had a good start but my inexperience in the Healey meant that I was over taken at the start, I needed to regroup my thoughts, keep a calm head and get on with it”

The second place car of Jack Chatham dropped a wheel onto the grass and spun promoting Jack Rawles back up to second place. With first place in his sights he pushed on. Mark Campfield was pushing him hard and he could not afford to drop off or make a silly move for first place and lose it all.

Jack settled into a race rhythm and pulled away from third place Mark Campfield. It was down to the final few laps and Jack was closer to first place than before, crossing the start finish line 0.468 seconds behind the first place car of David Grace. On lap 10 of 15 Jack braked later than David Grace and made a move up into quarry, a corner famous for its tricky approach and slipped down the side to momentarily take the lead from David Grace. Jacks car pushed wide and he was back into second place. With only five more laps to go Jack sat behind David Grace, putting the pressure on and trying to force a mistake but the experienced driver kept his cool. The checkered flag went down on David Grace and then Jack Rawles. the first two cars over the line were Bill Rawles Classic Cars prepared Healeys.

Momentarily Jack Rawles took the lead from David Grace – Photo by Rob Moore

What a fantastic day

Jack Rawles in his very first Healey Driver International Race (HDI) managed to qualify fastest and finish second to become the youngest pole sitter and podium finisher in HDI history and to accomplish this on the 25th Anniversary of HDI racing at Castle Combe makes this a truly special achievement for Jack Rawles. He also received ‘Driver of the Day’, independently awarded by Castle Combe Circuit and sponsored by Abraham’s Jewellers.

The second Healey race of the day now saw Bill Rawles having to start in second place position, sitting on the front row of the grid with David Grace in pole position again. As the flag dropped the Healeys roared into life. This time Marc Campfield momentarily led the race and thrilled the crowds with his antics. The display of drifting and hurling the back end out of the car were short lived when he took to the grass and ended his race, giving David Grace his second victory of the day. Second place went to Oliver Chatham, third place to Jaap Sinke and fourth place to Bill Rawles.

Bill said “I could not have hoped for a better result. Jack did amazingly well and I can’t believe he was a couple of seconds faster than me. I definitely need to get fitter and stay competitive. I am so pleased that both of the cars we prepared got results and we have no damage”

How time flies – What a special moment

On reflection we found this whole experience quite moving. Pictured above is little Jack Rawles, sitting on the knee of David Grace, in about 2003. Many of the guys who raced at the 2015 Castle Combe Autumn Classic are aslo in this photo. Jack was just a little boy, still at Primary School. I don’t think any of us at this time would have imagined that one day he would be out there racing with them. I think Jack always knew….

David Grace said “It was a superb weekend and quite nerve racking. I loved racing against Jack, I felt I could really trust him, he has a similar driving style to me, plus he has 48 years on his side!!. Maybe Jack should do the Spa Six Hour with me in 2016”

That just leaves us to say thank you to all the organisers and officials, thank you to Joe Cox, the competition race secretary, thank you to sponsors Bristol Forklifts and Abraham’s Jewellers, the Marshalls and everyone who came along to support, spectate and make history.