Race report: Sussex Trophy – Revival 2021

The pole-sitter was on determined form aboard his Tojeiro-Jaguar, but it was Roger Wills who blasted into the lead from the middle of the front row at the start. His Lotus 15 belied its comparative lack of horsepower, proving nimbler than its more powerful rival. The warring duo soon made a break for it, leaving behind Ferrari 246S Dino man Sam Hancock and Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ ace Philip Kadoorie behind as they vied for third place.

Wills was rarely more than a car’s length ahead of Cottingham until he tripped over Carlo Miguens’ Cooper T38 at St Mary’s. He tried to take the Argentinian on the right but had to take to the grass in avoidance as the backmarker moved wide, Cottingham going to the inside and taking the initiative. He wasn’t headed again to the flag. Hancock reeled in Wills in the closing stages, but the Kiwi seemed secure until he was baulked by traffic. The Ferrari moved ahead with four minutes left to go in the 25-minute encounter while Kadoorie spun at Woodcote moments shortly thereafter.

Cottingham headed Hancock by just shy of four seconds, with Wills 12.4 seconds down on the leader as the flag descended. An elated Cottingham said after the race: “I am so thrilled to finally get the Tojeiro onto the top spot. It has never won a race here. The Tojeiro family are such great supporters, too.”