brdc bulletin volume 28 issue 3 · 2015. 6. 8. · racing advert resize aug 07.qxp 10/08/2007 11:28...

BulletinOf the british racing drivers’ clubVolume 28 No 3 • autumn 2007

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Volume 28 No 3 • autum

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BRDC Bulletin Vol 28 No 32

BRDC Bulletin Vol 28 No 3 3

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Volume 28 No 3 • AUTUMN 2007

The BriTish raciNg DriVers’ cluB

President in ChiefHRH The Duke of Kent KG

PresidentDamon Hill OBE

ChairmanRobert Brooks

DirectorsLord BeaverbrookRoss HyettJackie OliverStuart RoltIan TitchmarshDerek WarwickNick Whale

Club SecretaryStuart PringleTel: 01327 850926email: [email protected]

Assistant Club SecretaryJames BeckettTel: 01327 850925email: [email protected]

PA to Club SecretaryBecky SimmTel: 01327 850922email: [email protected]

BRDC Bulletin Editorial BoardJames Beckett (Ed), Ian Titchmarsh, Stuart Pringle

BRDCSilverstone CircuitTowcesterNorthantsNN12 8TN

Sponsorship and advertisingPlease contact Michaela ReeevesTel: 01423 851150email: [email protected]

© 2007 The British Racing Drivers’ Club. All rights in and relating to this publication are expressly reserved. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission from the BRDC. The views expressed in Bulletin are not necessarily those of the editor, the BRDC or the publishers.

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06 PresiDeNT’s leTTer Damon Hill

08 chairmaN’s leTTer Robert Brooks

09 News from your circuiT The latest from the offices of SCL

10 formula oNe reView Peter Windsor writes for the Bulletin

16 raciNg memBers BRDC Members have been on-track around the world

20 2007 BrDc silVer sTar Plato leads the way

21 2007 BrDc golD sTar Franchitti and Hamilton battle it out

20 BrDc hisToric sPorTscars Opening round report

22 BrDc hisToric sPorTscar chamPioNshiP Graeme Dodd is the man to beat

24 faTher & soN Our regular feature on Club dynasties continues with Jack and David Sears

26 risiNg sTars An update on the activities of the Club’s young hot shots

30 mike coNway The reigning F3 champion is going well in GP2

32 arouND The clock The BRDC Bulletin reports from Le Mans

35 silVersToNe classic Historic racing takes centre stage at ‘The Home of British Motor Racing’

38 View from The commeNTary Box Rob Barff recalls the Grand Prix weekend

40 BlasT from The PasT Peter Windsor casts his mind back to 1987 and Mansell versus Piquet

42 meeTiNg memBers The Club Secretary chats with Dr David Cranston

44 oBiTuaries

47 BeckeTT’s corNer The Assistant Secretary’s regular observations on motorsport

48 secreTary’s leTTer

49 memBer News What are we up to

50 cluB aND regioNal eVeNTs What’s on, when and where

Front Cover: Martin Short, BRDC Rising Star Stuart Hall and Joao Barbosa achieved a magnificent 4th overall at Le Mans in the Rollcentre Racing Pescarolo Judd. (Photo by Jakob Ebrey) Inside Front Cover: The Red Arrows over Silverstone – Grand Prix time again. (Photo by Jakob Ebrey)


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DamoN hill oBe

PresideNT’s leTTerW

elcome once again to the new-look BRDC

Bulletin! Three issues in and still going

strong, and what’s more, starting to grow

into a collectable series. It is an excellent way to get to

know the lives and work of the membership, and in the

same way that the Club continues to evolve, the Bulletin

reflects and records the changing world of motorsport.

Without change, the process of life dries up. The thing

I love about motor racing is that it is always evolving,

always changing: the pace is driven by the competitive

spirit that burns so fiercely in the souls of those who

love to race. It is that spirit which also makes the issues

that face the Club year on year hotly debated by the

Members, and none more so than the proposals to

develop Silverstone.

The most recent phase, which has lasted well over a

year, and which relates to this debate, has concluded

in a democratic and pragmatic agreement to permit

the board to progress with asset management plans,

which will liberate funds to improve the facilities at the

circuit. This was a tough test for the Club, which drove it

(some might say) to the very edge of the abyss. However,

it pulled through magnificently with the decision to

back the resolution to permit sale of land at the EGM

last month. I think this experience has shown that if

we act together we can achieve far more than if we

become inflexible. The running of the Club needs quite

a different attitude from that required to race. (Therein,

perhaps, lies the source of many of our problems.)

However, together I believe we can win many ‘off track’

battles, which may make it possible for the BRDC

to have more of an active role in the wider world of

motorsport.

As Winston Churchill was reputed to have said:

‘Democracy is the worst sort of government but it’s the

best we have.’

A special thanks to all those involved in the process

of assessing the Master Plan. We eagerly look forward to

developments!

Damon Hill oBE

President, BRDC

Damon in the FF1600 (right)Where it all began for our President. The Woodcote chicane with catch fencing (remember that?) and the Silverstone Racing Club clubhouse in the background. Said Autosport: “The emergence of Damon Hill was one of the most pleasurable aspects of the season”. With the Ricoh Van Diemen RF85 Damon soon emerged as a Silverstone winner in the 1985 season, pipping Johnny Herbert in the final round of the Esso Formula Ford Championship by just 0.01 secs in a classic Silverstone-type finish.

Previous page (left)Donington Park 2nd October 1937. Bernd Rosemeyer takes the chequered flag for the last time. Just under four months later he lost his life in a record attempt for Auto Union on the Frankfurt-Darmstadt autobahn. In just three years of rac-ing cars, the astonishingly talented German driver won 10 Grands Prix. His very first car race was in 1935 at Avus in one of the 6-litre V16-cylinder 600 bhp Auto Union C-types which he raced for the rest of his life. In the second, in the Eifel GP on the Nurburgring nordschleife he finished second to Rudolf Caracciola’s Mercedes-Benz W25 by just 1.9 seconds. He was a truly unique phenomenon.


DamoN hill oBe


roBerT Brooks

ChAirMAN’s leTTerT

o begin my report I really must take this

opportunity to thank Stuart Rolt for his

outstanding contribution to our Club as its

Chairman over these past three years – through times

which have been deeply complex and troubled. All of

us on your elected board also join in expressing our

gratitude that he has agreed to stay with us as a Director.

Now – above all as a lifelong motor racing enthusiast

– I am very proud to report that no fewer than four of our

fellow Members are currently well placed in every one of

the principal global Championship series.

As I write, Lewis Hamilton, Dario Franchitti and Allan

McNish respectively hold the top spot in the Formula One,

Indianapolis Raceway League and American Le Mans

Series; while Andy Priaulx is just two points off the lead in

the World Touring Car Championship and is very much in

contention for a record third consecutive world title.

Each of this immensely talented quartet has also

enjoyed important individual victories, including the

Indy ‘500’ win for Dario, which he secured in the most

challenging of circumstances, and of which he is rightly

proud as the first Scots winner since our legendary

former Member, double-World Champion Jim Clark.

At the time of writing, just three points separate Dario

and Lewis in the running for this year’s Gold Star award,

while competition is also hot in the Silver Star rankings.

Most encouragingly, our younger Members and our

Rising Stars are making significant waves in numerous

Championships throughout the UK, America and

Europe. At least six of our Rising Stars look likely to win

the Championships in which they are competing this

year, with several others still in with a chance.

This wave of on-track successes by so many of our

fellow Members surely reflects a most positive light upon

our Club – and one which, I am sure, each of us would

like to see shining even more brightly in coming years.

This upsurge in international success follows closely

upon our successful recent EGM, which resulted in a

decisive majority of those Members who voted approving

the path to the construction of new Silverstone facilities.

This has placed the Club in the strongest position we

have enjoyed for many years, and one from which we can

vigorously pursue contract negotiations with Formula

One Management for the extension of our British Grand

Prix contract. These negotiations are ongoing.

As I have previously been at pains to emphasise,

tremendous support and encouragement has been given

to us by both local and national government, as well as

the local community, and we are now on course to begin

further development and upgrading of our facilities once

we have secured the necessary permissions.

On the wider development of Silverstone, I can report

that the Porsche project is well underway. The site has

now been cleared and – ahead of schedule – Porsche

have recently confirmed that the construction phase has

begun. This will, without doubt, produce a new state-of-

the-art facility leading its class. I know that Silverstone

Holdings are very much looking forward to developing

their partnership with Porsche in coming years. We wish

them every success with this important development.

As ever, there is still much to be done over the coming

months – and no doubt protracted and sensitive

negotiations still lie ahead – but overall in this upbeat

Autumn I am immensely encouraged by the progress

that, together, we have been able to make so far this year.

I look forward to keeping you posted as matters

progress. And for our Championship-leading Members

let’s all join together in congratulating them for their

outstanding performances thus far, and in wishing them

the very best of good fortune in the races which lie ahead.

Best wishes,

Robert Brooks

Chairman, BRDC


News from your circuiT

News from your circuiT

I n early July our team here at Silverstone ran one of the best-attended and most entertaining British Grands Prix for many

years. With Lewis Hamilton claiming pole position on the Saturday, and some very high profile celebrities, joining us at the circuit on the Sunday, Silverstone managed to cover itself in glory.

As they say in showbiz, it was “alright on the night”! But few of the 207,000 record breaking crowd, who attended over the three days of the Grand Prix, will have been aware of the exhaustive work and preparation that, as a result of almost five weeks of rain leading up to the Santander-sponsored event, was going on behind the scenes.

‘F1 is cool again,’ said the BBC; ‘Silverstone Rocks,’ said the Daily Express – yet there were very real concerns.

Our team was prepared with a series of contingency plans as the extreme weather conditions continued to bring the water table in Northants close to major levels of disruption. Car parks had to be rested, and some had to be closed causing slow traffic (amplified by increased security checks), but against a backdrop of affected, or even curtailed, British summer events, Silverstone proudly became another spectacular sell-out occasion as the sun finally broke through on the Saturday and Sunday.

In light of the challenges that faced us during the build up, believe that we can rightly claim that this year’s Santander British Grand Prix as one of the most successful events ever.

Considering what we had to contend with in the weeks leading up to the event, including the torrential weather, flooded car parks and terrorist activities in London and Glasgow, I believe that the team and our contractors did an amazing job and put on a fantastic event for the fans.

We had to implement a number of contingency plans leading up to the event and, thanks to my team’s experience, hard work and commitment, we managed to succeed where others might have failed.

The fans also played a huge part. We have the best and most passionate fans in the world – they are amazing. We had a great race on Sunday, but the atmosphere after qualifying on Saturday was phenomenal. We had more fans at Silverstone on the Saturday than we had on race day last year. The noise and atmosphere when Lewis qualified on pole is something that will stay with me for a very long time.

Richard PhillipsManaging DirectorSilverstone Circuits Limited

hamilToN elecTrifies silVersToNe!Fans enjoy phenomenal British Grand Prix


formula 1

invisible manit’s not the things you see that make lewis hamilton such a talent, argues Peter Windsor – it’s the things you don’t see

L ewis Hamilton’s first Grand Prix win came in Montreal, Canada in early June – and in many ways it

encapsulated not only his own prodigious talent but also the qualities – good and bad – of his opposition. What was true in Canada would also be true in Indianapolis, where he won again – and at other races in the European summer. Even on a bad day – born perhaps of a chassis set-up that didn’t work (as at Silverstone, where he ran too stiff with the rear of the McLaren), or a qualifying accident due to suspension failure (as in Germany), Lewis was always a major force. Give him a reasonable car, multiply that combination by conditions that would confound his opposition, and the product would be Lewis, quickly elevated to another class.

Canada, then, was more than just Hamilton’s First Win. It was also a portent of the future – a signature drive that will live in posterity as the arrival of a genius. If you were lucky enough to have been at Montreal in June 2007, and to have witnessed his driving over a kaleidoscope of changing conditions, you were lucky enough to see Grand Prix driving at its Jim Clark-best.

Lewis didn’t win Canada, you see, because he wasn’t out of fuel when the pit lane closed, or was ‘smooth’ when the others were ‘ragged’ or was ‘cool’ when the

others were ‘confused’. Lewis won Canada because his innate natural ability freed up a mental capacity about which his peers can only dream, or imagine – or decry because they think it can’t be possible. His astounding ability to create a ‘stable platform’ for the car prior to his minimum speed points on any given corner was never more flattered than on a day in Canada punctuated (in no particular order) by: a green-ish track surface ready to bite the super-soft Bridgestone compound; four Safety Car periods (which jabbed tyre temperatures and pressures up and down like a yo-yo); irregular new sections of track surface; an unprecedented amount of ‘marbles’ off the racing line (because of the aforementioned new track slabs); plenty

it was a signature drive that will live in posterity as the arrival of a genius


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of debris (from several accidents, one of which was major); enough time behind the Safety Cars to get the strategy wrong within the context of the new ‘closed pit lane’ regulations – plenty of time, that is, to think about so much that you forget about the basics, like stopping for a red light at the pit lane exit; and news that one of your best mates has just had a massive accident and may or may not be OK.

It’s one thing, in short, to see Lewis Hamilton on a pole lap – to see him braking hard from high speed and then turning in to the hairpin as if he is on rails, rotating the car at exactly the right millisecond – because in isolation he makes the task look easy. It is quite another, of course, to see him alongside a double World Champion who, in an identical car on a qualifying lap, manages to de-stabilize the rear as

he stabs the brakes at 320kph and then (unsuccessfully) spends the next 30 metres trying to keep the rear tyres away from the marbles. That’s how Lewis Hamilton won the pole from Fernando Alonso in Canada. Into the hairpin – into that basically simple corner that most racing drivers will get right nine times out of ten – Fernando for an initial millisecond braked too hard (because, by about half a metre, he braked


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too late). That was the difference. That was why Lewis won the pole.

Carry that weightFernando at the time would have said that the Hitco brakes he used on the Renault in 05-06 were more ‘forgiving’, more ‘sensitive’, than the Carbone Industry brakes of the McLaren. The truth, of course, is deeper than that. Fernando’s harshness was disguised at Renault by the Hitcos. And the softer tyres of the pre-2007 era always gave him enough grip. Lewis brakes altogether differently from Fernando: for a millisecond – the first millisecond of heavy braking – he is ‘gentle’ with the left foot before he is ‘firm’. He warns the fluid and the master cylinders and the callipers and the discs and the wheels and the tyres before he uses them to stop the car; he thus gives himself

compliance for the slight bump he might encounter in that first millisecond – for that slight change in road surface.

And, thus, he evenly distributes the weight, left-to-right. The dynamic weight is on the front, of course, because he is braking – but the car is not ‘loaded’ either to the left or to the right. Uneven load is what causes instability – and the load is never evenly distributed if you jab the brakes and at the moment you jab them you are

not quite square, or you are on a change of track surface. You could luck into it, of course – but the odds are about a billion to one. At that speed. With that complexity of brake system and temperature. On that track surface. That is why Lewis was able to deal with a disconcerting ‘steering’ problem on his way to victory in Hungary in early August. The steering was cocked slightly to the right on the straight and the car pulled slightly to the right under braking. Because Lewis drives purely in the correct sense of the word – because he is about dynamic weight management rather than ‘line’ – he was quickly able to compensate. No surprise, I think, that Kimi Raikkonen – that other ‘pure’ driver – was also able to win with a McLaren similarly stricken in Canada in 2005. The pressure applied by the latter on the former in Hungary made the job even more demanding – yet it was

The British press greeted lewis’s third place at silverstone with a ‘lewis in crisis’ headline, but i think he drove exceptionally well that day


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ultimately Kimi who made the very small errors, not Lewis. It was Lewis who won under pressure, with a less-than-100-per-cent McLaren.

Lewis’s driving when things have been out-of-sync has been similarly impressive. The British press greeted Lewis’s third place at Silverstone with a ‘Lewis in crisis’ headline, but I think he drove exceptionally well that day, given that he had taken a wrong turn with chassis set-up and optimum tyre temperatures were elusive

he had the presence of mind to keep his engine running when stuck in a sand trap and to rejoin the race when others were climbing from their cockpits

Clockwise from top of page 12:The start in Canada; Lewis leads as Fernando runs wide Mark’s Red Bull helped raise £500,000 for ‘Wings for Life’ despite retiring early at Silverstone Fernando signals his intent to re-main the world’s number 1 after an impressive victory in the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring Jenson’s ‘dream’ has been more a nightmare in this year’s Honda DC, Massa, Fisichella – not the order that things have ended for David all season, but nice when it happens (Photos by Jakob Ebrey and Jim Houlgrave)


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at best. Then, at the Nurburgring, he reminded us what racing drivers are all about: shrugging off a massive qualifying accident and various unfortunate calls from the pit wall, he had the presence of mind to keep his engine running when stuck in a sand trap and to rejoin the race when others were climbing from their cockpits. Then came another defining moment in the rise and rise of Lewis: for ninth place, in treacherous, constantly-changing conditions, Lewis passed Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault on the outside of a sixth gear right-hand kink. The only surprising thing, you could say, was that Fisi didn’t announce his retirement shortly afterwards…

Cloaks and daggersAnd there’s another thing – or things. Thanks to the incomprehensible behaviour

of Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlin, industrial espionage has become a hot F1 topic, particularly amongst the McLaren and Ferrari teams. Fernando Alonso was not amused when Lewis failed to

slow down for him in the early phase of Hungary’s Q3. There’s plenty, if you are Lewis, or a Lewis fan, about which to worry. Lewis, though, has been a model of smooth dignity throughout. He speaks from the heart – as in (post-Indy) ‘I just thank God every day for the gifts I have been given’

– but he speaks with discretion, always wary of saying the wrong thing ethically (as distinct from politically). He sits in press conferences after wins and feels that Fernando is finding them difficult.

He doesn’t ignore his team-mate, though, or capitalise on his discomfort. He tries to bring Fernando into the conversation, to remind the press of how much he respects Fernando, and of how much Fernando

it is a naturally spontaneous, genuine sensitivity – the same sensitivity he shows in the car


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has brought to the team. It is a naturally spontaneous, genuine sensitivity – the same sensitivity he shows in the car, when he is weighing-up the difference, say, between Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli in practice, and figuring the best place to pass them, or whether or not to let them go.

And listen to him admitting that he disobeyed qualifying instructions in Hungary: “I felt bad afterwards and I apologised to Ron and the team about making a mistake but at the same time I tried to explain my point of view. I didn’t know how to handle it, because the team had been penalised, and I’d never seen Ron so angry, so on race morning I just did my job. I walked into the garage with a smile on my face, tried to wish everyone luck and then just concentrated on my job. It was when I was sitting on the grid that I realized how lucky I was to have

had all this support from my family and friends – and to be driving for such a fantastic team.”

No bitterness. Nothing underhand. No dwelling on Fernando’s ‘delayed’ pit stops. Just a straight admission – followed by an arrow-straight recovery. Lewis Hamilton. The new, F1-winning Lewis Hamilton.

Other news? Good to see that Jenson Button and David Coulthard have both renewed their commitments to their respective teams for 2008: if nothing

i walked into the garage with a smile on my face, tried to wish everyone luck and then just concentrated on my job

else, 2007 has brought them some sort of responsible stability. Meanwhile, Anthony Davidson continues to show his plucky speed. The aforementioned Fisichella took Anthony out of the Hungarian Grand Prix – but then that was because a Renault driver should never have been anywhere near a mere Super Aguri in the first place – a point that was not lost on the lucid, straightforward Davidson in the post-race palaver. Fisi may have finished the race but – as in Germany – his standing had taken a beating.

LeftHRH Prince Michael of Kent, complete in Club tie, endures the Finnish national anthem prior to presenting Kimi with the winner’s trophy at Silverstone

BelowAt the circuit where Jenson won for Honda last year, it was Anthony’s turn to be the quickest of the Honda engine cars, until he was unfortunately taken out by Fisichella (Photos by Jakob Ebrey and Jim Houlgrave)

Below and far left:Win number two for Lewis at Indy


raciNg memBers

members on the moveS ingle seater racing has dominated the

BRDC’s attention this season. Lewis Hamilton’s superb debut Grand Prix

racing season has captured the eye of not just the Club, but the world’s media, while Dario Franchitti’s memorable Indianapolis 500 victory back in May seemingly gave the US-domiciled Scot a huge confidence boost, and since then ‘Brickyard’ wins, and podium finishes, have flowed on a regular basis.

As this article is written, Lewis is leading the FIA F1 World Championship, and Dario is leading the Indycar Series – good news for the BRDC all round.

The F1 season continues into late October, while the Indycar Series is nearing its completion.

Both title races are sure to be keenly contested until the very end, and let’s hope that a BRDC flag is hauled aloft to signify victory for both at the end of the respective championships.

After early season form, Andy Priaulx’s challenge to retain the FIA World Touring Car Championship title is still firmly on-track. The BMW factory driver is currently third in the rankings, and the points table could not be closer. Three points separate the top three drivers, and with races at Brands Hatch, Monza and Macau remaining, everything is still to play for.

A highlight in the WTCC recently has been the performance of Rob Huff in the RML-entered Chevrolet. Victory in Anderstorp was great reward for Huff and Ray Mallock’s hard-working team. Huff loves his racing, and when he is not busy on the WTCC trail, he can be seen hurling a red MGB around the tracks of Britain with much aplomb – quite simply, just for the fun of it.

Huff’s victory and the strong form shown by James Thompson in his N-Technology Alfa Romeo have made sure British interest in the WTCC has not just centred on Priaulx and his quest for an astonishing fourth-consecutive touring car title. With the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit set to welcome them later this month, all will be keen to win a round of the WTCC on home soil.

Justin Wilson and Paul Tracy have four further rounds of their Champcar World Series ahead of them. Wilson drives for RSPORTS, and has experienced Canadian racer Alex Tagliani as his teammate to keep him on his toes; while Paul Tracy drives a DP01-Cosworth for the Forsythe Championship Racing team. Wilson is currently ranked fourth in the championship race, with Tracy 11th.

Following the Le Mans 24-Hour Race, the Le Mans Series quickly returned to

Clockwise from left:More Champagne for Lewis Jamie leads Gary on the track, but not in the DTM championship Thommo has been winning for Alfa in WTCC Ollie Gavin in the Corvette (above) secured sixth at Spa, but Jamie Davis was out of luck with the Aston DBR9 (below) which retired after 14 hours Rob’s Chevrolet Lacetti gave him his first WTCC win in Sweden recently

A look at Members’ activities on tracks around the world


raciNg memBers

action with a race around the Nurburgring. At the head of the field the Peugeot 908 diesels continued their domination of the championship, even if Audi regained control at Le Mans, but a number of Members were on-track at the ’Ring in Prototype and GT cars.

After a disappointing Le Mans 24-Hour Race, Jamie Campbell-Walter and the Bicester-based Creation Autosportif team bounced back in style in Germany to claim a strong fourth place finish.

Jamie’s Le Mans was ruined by an off at the exit of the Porsche Chicane early in the

race, which started a chain of events that eventually led to the car’s retirement, but an encouraged and regrouped team proved strong at the Nurburgring, and Jamie led an attack that shows much promise for future races.

Honorary Member Jan Lammers (Dome-Judd) was joined on-track by Full Members Neil Cunningham (Radical-Judd), Jonny Kane (Spyker C8), Tom Kimber-Smith (Panoz Esperante), Johnny Mowlem (Ferrari 430), Martin Short (Pescarolo-Judd) and Danny Watts (Panoz Esperante).

The Spa 1000km took place during the


raciNg memBers

middle of August, and the next time the majority of these Members will be in action will be at Silverstone, when the British Empire Trophy forms Round 5 of the ACO-sanctioned Le Mans Series.

After a lengthy break, the FIA GT3 European Championship resumes later this month around the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. Ian Khan currently lies fourth in the Drivers’ Standings, having performed well so far this term in his Ferrari 430.

With two rounds in the Czech Republic and two rounds in Dubai still remaining, Ian’s quest for championship victory is still on the cards. He shares driving duties of his Ferrari 430 with Frenchman Stephane Daoudi.

The FIA GT Championship tackled 24 hours of non-stop action around the recently reworked Spa-Francorchamps track, set deep in the Ardennes. As usual, rain played its hand throughout the marathon event, with the top-finishing BRDC Member being Oliver Gavin.

The American Le Mans Series star arrived in Europe from the ALMS factory team run by Pratt & Miller, and took his wealth of factory-supported Chevrolet knowledge with him to the Luc Alphand Aventures Chevrolet squad. The team’s Corvette C6R finished sixth – 11 laps off the leaders.

Marino Franchitti (Maserati MC12), Andrew Kirkaldy (Ferrari 430 GT2) and Luke Hines (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) were Members among the 33 cars that made it to the finish, while Tim Mullen and Jonny Kane, two drivers sharing duties in the second Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 were retirements, as was Jamie Davies in the Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBR9.

Allan McNish, Andy Wallace and Guy Smith continue to log top-six finishes in


raciNg memBers

the American Le Mans Series, while Robin Liddell, David Brabham, Johnny Mowlem and Oliver Gavin – this time in the Pratt & Miller Chevrolet C6R – are all in regular stateside action.

BRDC representatives are also whizzing around European circuits in the DTM.

Paul di Resta, Gary Paffett, Jamie Green and Honorary Member Mika Hakkinen,

have all shown form on occasion. Hakkinen and Paffett have both won races, while di Resta has taken a second-place finish. Three rounds remain, and hopes are high for further Club success.

James Beckett

Opposite page:Dario on target for Dan in the IRL – but the differences in design between their IRL mounts and Paul Tracy’s Champ Car (below) are clear to see

Left:Allan is joint top in the AMLS in the Audi R10 TDi which he shares with Dindo Capello

Below:Justin is currently lying 4th in Champ Car


BrDc silVer sTar

T wo more wins for Jason Plato in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (giving him six to the

end of July), but none for Matt Neal (despite his remarkable success with the new-for-’07 Halfords Honda Civic Type R at Brands Hatch at the start of the year), mean that the SEAT Leon driver is beginning to look unstoppable in his bid to secure his third BRDC Silver Star – to add to those he won in 2001 and 2004. Winning the BTCC itself (for the second time) might not be quite so easy, for Jason is up against another of the world’s top touring car drivers in Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi and his VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra. Fortunes have fluctuated by the race meeting and the season is developing into a classic contest between two of the best practitioners of the art of touring car racing.

Matt’s Honda has continued to be developed as the season continues but it is his team mate, Gordon Shedden, who has taken over the winning habit by being first past the post at the first race of each of the last three events. Gordon, however, is not yet a Member so he does not score Silver Star points. Realistically Matt is now the only Member who can deprive Jason of the Silver Star.

Colin Turkington’s first year racing a rear wheel drive car, the Team RAC/WSR BMW 320si, has brought him mixed success

and some misfortune but – despite the disappointments of Donington Park and Snetterton, where his total haul of BTCC points for all six races was only three more than Jason took from just one of them – he has moved into third place in the Silver Star ahead of Darren Turner and Tom Chilton. However, even a totally dominant run to the end of the year is unlikely to take him ahead of Jason or Matt.

As was noted in the last Bulletin, it is the Touring Car drivers who dominate the Silver Star standings, the best from elsewhere being Michael Bentwood who continues to have success in the British GT

Championship in an Aston Martin DBRS9. However, his points scoring opportunities are reduced by comparison with the Touring Car brigade in that not only are there only two races per meeting, but also some rounds of the Championship are held overseas and therefore do not count.

Jason Plato builds an imposing lead in the race for the silver star

silVer TiN ToPs

BRDc sILVeR stAR 2007 Points as of: 16 August 2007

1. Jason Plato (BTCC) 2532. Matt Neal (BTCC) 1883. Colin Turkington (BTCC) 1244. darren Turner (BTCC) 1205. Tom Chilton (BTCC) 1146. Mike Jordan (BTCC) 1137. Michael Bentwood (British GT) 608. Tim Mullen (British GT) 359. ian Flux (British GT) 13

Above: Matt in his Halfords Honda Civic leads the pack into Lodge Corner at Oulton Park in JuneLeft:Jason has pushed hard all season to ensure a championship lead as he heads towards the final rounds of the yearBelow:Colin in his WSR BMW 320si has already had three wins this season


BrDc golD sTar

T he last Bulletin went to press just before Lewis Hamilton took his first and second F1 wins in Canada and

at Indianapolis. Outstanding as these were, they were not enough to keep one of our newest Members (elected just last year) in the lead of the race for the Gold Star. It needed that third win in the controversial circumstances of Hungary to keep Lewis (at the time of writing) just three points ahead of the other Brit to have won at Indianapolis in 2007, Scotland’s own Dario Franchitti – who has had two more wins in the Indy Racing League (IRL) to add to his triumph in the 500.

While we have been marvelling at Lewis’s extraordinary record of top three placings in his first nine F1 races, Dario had been demonstrating a not-dissimilar consistency by taking 11 top five finishes out of the first 12 races. Dario came desperately close to winning the CART title in 1999 – tying on points with Juan Pablo Montoya – but losing out to the Colombian, who had the greater number of victories. This could be the year when he takes his first US title but New Zealander Scott Dixon is the big threat after a hat-trick of wins in July. August has not been so kind to Dario with two hefty shunts, the second just after he had taken the chequered flag in eighth place.

There are just three more rounds remaining in the IRL but six in the F1 World Championship, so the odds favour Lewis; although Dario has a second string to his bow in the American Le Mans Series.

World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx scored his first win of the year recently at the Porto street circuit but no longer leads the title race after a poor weekend all round for the BMW boys at Anderstorp in Sweden. A really good run of results for Andy could see him challenging Dario and Lewis for the Gold Star with the British round of the WTCC coming up at

Brands Hatch on 22/23 September.Outside the top three, Allan McNish

(ALMS), Dan Wheldon (IRL), Justin Wilson (CART) and James Thompson (WTCC) continue to prosper, with Allan and Dan in with a chance of overhauling Andy before the end of the year.

Ian Titchmarsh

Controversial GP gives hamilton the edge

BRDc GoLD stAR 2007 Points as of: 16 August 2007

1. lewis hamilton (F1) 1972. dario Franchitti (irl) 194 3. Andy Priaulx (WTCC) 1004. Allan McNish (AlMs) 885. dan Wheldon (irl) 826. Justin Wilson (C/car) 69 7. James Thompson (WTCC) 688. rob huff (WTCC) 629. david Brabham (AlMs/le Mans) 5610. Paul di resta (dTM) 51

Right:Andy celebrates his only win so far this year at the Porto street circuit.

A good omen for Macau?

Below:Dario has grabbed the battle for the Gold Star firmly with both hands and, with the chequered flag in sight, he continues to take the battle to Lewis


BrDc hisToric sPorTscar chamPioNshiP

Dodd remains the man to beat

hisToric sPorTscar chamPioNshiPWith four straight wins under his belt, Graeme dodd is well on his way to retaining the BrdC historic sportscar Championship title, says James Beckett

2 006 BRDC Historic Sportscar champion Graeme Dodd is setting the pace in the J.D. Classics-

supported BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship, and the Oxfordshire driver has raced away to four straight victories at the wheel of his two-litre Cooper Monaco.

An early season victory around the Silverstone International Circuit in May was followed with a dominant victory around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. Two impressive drives at Silverstone Classic further enhanced his series lead and earned him the Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt trophies in the process.

Dodd’s main opposition this term has been Jamie McIntyre. The reigning Class D champion has switched from his 1100cc-powered Rejo MkIV to the monster V8 power of a Lister-Chevrolet for 2007, and

with this car he has scored a hat-trick of second place finishes.

On the back of a strong showing in the HSCC-organised support races at the British Grand Prix, McIntyre’s performance stepped up another gear at the Classic, and a victory for the London-based Scotsman in his Mark Lewis Engineering-prepared car can’t be too far away.

McIntyre is currently tied in second position in the points standings with the Class C specification Jaguar D Type of Benjamin Eastick. Eastick scored his first overall career victory on the Saturday of Silverstone Classic in a round of the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy, and this win is sure to boost his confidence ahead of the remaining BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship rounds at Oulton Park and Dijon.

John Clark leads Class B for cars up to 1500cc, with his Lola Mk1, while William I’Anson is the up to 1100cc Class D leader, with his Rejo Mk3/4.

Competitor interest in the series has been boosted following the decision by the Club to reduce the number of championship rounds throughout the season. With drivers offered a wealth of meetings to attend and races to compete in, the 2007 BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship is being raced over a total of seven rounds at five meetings.

Co-ordinated by the Silverstone-based Historic Sports Car Club, 48 drivers have so far been on-track, and with three rounds remaining it is expected that the final number of competitors to have turned a wheel during the campaign will in fact be nearer to 60.

Above:The arrival of Julian Majzub in his unusual Sadler Mk3 has been a real addition to the championship. This shot shows well how short the wheel base is and the noise is no less impressive.

Below:David Leslie has spent six years restoring his Lola Mk1 to exactly how it was when Jack Paterson raced the car in South Africa and the UK in the early sixties, even down to the BRDC badge! David won his class on Sunday – not bad for his first weekend out


BrDc hisToric sPorTscar chamPioNshiP

BrDc hisToric sPorTscar chamPioNshiP 2007schedule of events

september 22-23 dijon Grand Prix Circuit, France*

*double-header

BRDc HIstoRIc sPoRtscAR cHAMPIoNsHIPPoints after round Four (silverstone Classic)

1. Graeme dodd Cooper Monaco 602. Jamie Mcintyre lister Chevrolet 423. Benjamin eastick Jaguar d Type 424. Gary Pearson Jaguar d Type/lister Jaguar 355. William i’Anson rejo Mk3/4 286. stephen Gibson lister Jaguar 247. Julian Mazjub sadler Mk3 248. John Clark lola Mk1 229. Gareth Williams lotus 11 2210. Nigel Webb Jaguar C Type 20

Below:Well on his way to his second title, reigning champion Graham Dodd heads into Paddock Hill bend at Brands Hatch


faTher & soN

Jack and David sears

starting with adapted road cars in the 50s and currently grooming champions of the future, motorsport has always been in the sears family, as James Beckett discovers

‘Gentleman Jack’ and David Sears are two of the most respected individuals in British motorsport. Jack is a former British Saloon Car champion, GT racer and Le Mans pilote; while David – no mean driver himself – is best known as the driving force behind one of Britain’s leading race teams: Super Nova.

Jack’s career highlights were very much on-track, while it is fair to say David’s have been off-track – and his guidance of many young racing drivers in lower categories is something he is, and should be, proud of.

Jack’s career started way back, when saloon cars were adaptations of road cars. Machines like the Austin Westminster

were challengers in the British Saloon Car Championship, and this was a category in which Jack was a true master.

As he recalls, it was the Westminster that allowed him to become the inaugural British Saloon Car champion in 1958. “The Westminster was great fun to drive. It didn’t have loads of power, but you could be really competitive – power came in different shapes and sizes then, such as the Jaguar or Ford Galaxie.”

Speaking of the two celebrated marques, both created cars that Jack became famous for driving: the Jaguar for Tommy Sopwith’s Equipe Endeavour; and the mighty Ford Galaxie for Willment.

Right:Maximum Endeavour at his home circuit, Snetterton, as Jack leads Mike Parkes in Tommy Sopwith’s 3.8 Jag


faTher & soN

Jack had reservations about driving the Galaxie at first, saying, “I had no experience of driving a car like that. I did not know if it would be competitive, but we quickly found out that it was. It was a magnificent car, and you could drive it fast around Silverstone or Crystal Palace – it was very versatile.”

smooth speedJack also raced the Ford Cortina as well as the Cobra Cupa at Le Mans with Peter Bolton. It was this car which Jack tested at dawn on the M1 at what was then totally legal (but very high) speeds but which (allegedly) lead to the introduction of the 70mph speed limit. Anyone else would

have emerged from the cockpit looking slightly ruffled from such a drive – Jack couldn’t have been more different. Smartly dressed in jacket and tie, ‘Gentleman Jack’, the smoothest of the smooth, looked a picture of serenity. How cool!

After his racing career ended, Jack became a principal mover in the organisation of long distance rallies, in particular the 1968 London to Sydney epic. “That was a true marathon,” Jack confirmed. “It is a very long way from London to Sydney: you have to be very dedicated to undertake an event like that.”

Jack was no stranger to rallying, though, and acted as ‘chase car’ driver for Jeff Uren’s Ford Falcon assault on the Monte Carlo

Rally before his return to Saloon Car racing with the Galaxie.

Through the ranksDavid’s career started like so many, in Formula Ford 1600, after a course at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers’ School. The following year he raced a privateer Royale RP24, finishing third overall in the National Championship. “It was tough,” David remembers. “It was good schooling and the grids were very competitive.”

For 1979, Alan Cornock and Royale offered David a ‘works’ car and he won both the RAC and P&O Championships, winning 19 races in his Rushen Green entry; his performances went on to win him a Grovewood Award at the end of the season.

F3 was the next step, racing alongside Nigel Mansell, Roberto Guerrero and Stefan Johansson, and he also won the BMW County Championship driving alongside Robin Brundle and Patrick Neve.

Various other outings followed in saloons and sportscars, including drives in the Jaguar XJS for Tom Walkinshaw, and Group A Touring Car events with Andy Rouse in a variety of Ford cars – and a superb third-position finish in a Porsche at Le Mans in 1990, with Anthony Reid and Tiff Needell.

Hanging up his helmet, David formed Super Nova Racing in 1994, and in 2005 it became Super Nova International Racing to compete in GP2.

Famed for grooming champions of the future, David currently has reigning British F3 champion, Mike Conway, driving for his team. “It is very fulfilling to see young drivers mature into champions and progress,” he says in conclusion. “As my father once said in an interview, it’s for the love of racing.”

Right:The 70mph limit car! Jack in the unique AC cars Cobra coupe at Le Mans in 1965

Far right, top:David Sears with Mike Conway – 2007

Far right, bottom:Jack reunited with his 1963 British Saloon Car Championship-winning Galaxie


BrDc risiNg sTars

risiNg

sTarsDream DebutThere is something special about the Le Mans 24-Hour Race. The race that forms the very cornerstone of the BRDC’s existence has a magnetic draw for Club Members. On-track or off-track, La Sarthe attracts like no other, and for one Rising Star the 2007 event provided the stage for a perfect first night.

Stuart Hall (pictured below), fresh from the British F3 International Series, switched to Prototype racing at the start of this season, joining Martin Short’s Rollcentre Racing team. The small team with a big heart are seasoned Le Mans campaigners – and this year’s rain-soaked event saw them perform like never before.

Against the mighty factory teams of Audi and Peugeot, Rollcentre Racing battled

hard, and with Hall joined behind the wheel by Short and Portuguese star, Joao Barbosa, the Cambridgeshire-based team drove through the race to finish an incredible fourth.

The result was cheered by the thousands of British spectators at trackside, and if the number 8 Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP had ground to a halt on the final tour, as the French team feared it would, the Club’s Rising Star scheme would have seen one of its leading lights on the podium – but fourth was as good as a win!

Commenting on the result, Stuart said, “this is the highlight of my career so far. To race at Le Mans is very special, and the whole weekend was made so special by finishing fourth. I hope I can come back to the 24-Hours for many years to come – I want to win the race now!”

high hopes Having started the year at the wheel of a Porsche, BRDC Rising Star Oliver Bryant (pictured below left) has switched to an Ascari for the remaining rounds of the 2007 British GT Championship.

Oliver, who has his eyes focused on a career in sportscars, and Le Mans in particular, launched his Ascari attack at the BRDC Clubhouse during early August, where fellow Rising Star, Philip Keen (pictured below right) was announced as his team-mate.

After a successful test session around the Silverstone National Circuit, Oliver and Philip made the car’s debut at the Silverstone round of the British GT Championship, a two-hour endurance around the 2.2-mile International Circuit.

Oliver commented, “the Porsche is not the car to drive in GT3 racing at the moment. Even with an update kit the car is not as competitive as it should be, so for many reasons it was decided to switch to Ascari.”

He continued, “the Ascari is a great car to drive, and is a very capable machine. At this time of the season, it is very important for Philip and me to be scoring strong finishes, as race results during this stage of the season can really dictate your progression in to the New Year.”

Oliver, who also races a number of historic cars, simply for fun, is already planning his 2008 season. “I want to race at Le Mans,” he confirmed. “Sportscars is where my career is heading – and I hope to be behind the wheel of a prototype soon.”


BrDc risiNg sTars

BrDc risiNg sTars: Progress rePorT

Nick Tandy FORMULA FORD Duncan Tappy FORMULA RENAULT

Jonathan adam SEAT CUPRA

James sutton PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB

Jonathan kennard BRITISH INTERNATIONAL F3 SERIES

sam Bird BRITISH INTERNATIONAL F3 SERIES

Jonathan cocker BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP

JoNaThaN aDamseAT CUPrAThe class act of seAT Cupras

heNry aruNDelFOrMUlA BMW UKsecond in Championship and strong title contender

JoN BarNesPOrsChe CArrerA CUP GBPodium in Guest Car at Brands has led to sponsored drive for rest of season

sam BirDBriTish iNTerNATiONAl F3 seriesTwo wins in first season at Bucharest and spa

Tom BoarDmaNseAT CUPrAracing in spain as well as Britain and has recorded podium finishes

Tom BraDshawFOrMUlA PAlMer AUdiThree podiums already before home races at Oulton Park

Tim BriDgemaNFOrMUlA PAlMer AUdirace winner and Championship leader

oliVer BryaNTBriTish GTGT race winner, recently switched from Porsche to drive an Ascari

JoNaThaN cockerBriTish GT ChAMPiONshiPshowing race winning form in bioethanol-fuelled ‘green’ Aston Martin

seaN eDwarDsFiA GT2 ChAMPiONshiP11th overall and third in GT2 at spa 24 hours

NaThaN frekeFOrMUlA ATlANTiCCurrently looking for a seat to complete the season

sTuarT hallle MANs seriesFourth at le Mans, his 24-hour race debut

euaN haNkeyFOrMUlA 3 eUrOseriesPromising debut recently at Mugello

BeN haNleyreNAUlT WORLD SERIESThree podiums and fourth in championship

miles hulforDGT ANd sPOrTsCArsNo races yet in 2007 but aiming for silverstone 24 hours

James JakesFOrMUlA 3 eUrOseriesscored his maiden F3 race win at Magny-Cours

JoNaThaN keNNarDBriTish iNTerNATiONAl F3 seriesscored a debut F3 victory at spa-Francorchamps in July

Phil keeNBriTish GT ChAMPiONshiPMade category return at silverstone last month

ryaN lewisChAMPCAr ATlANTiCOne podium so far and more expected

alex lloyDiNdY PrO seriesleader of the indyCar series feeder category

seaN mciNToshA1 GrANd PriXin contention to race for Team Canada during 2007-08

michael meaDowsBriTish iNTerNATiONAl F3 seriesWon National Class in romania

Jeremy meTcalfeFOrMUlA reNAUlT UKrace winner and Championship front-runner

alex morTimerFiA GT3scored double British GT victories at Brands hatch

lee mumforDFOrMUlA FOrdTop ten results in British Formula Ford

maTT Nicoll-JoNesGiNeTTAsdominant force in Ginettas so far this season

oliVer oakesFOrMUlA reNAUlT eUrOCUPTaken 3 race podiums in the NeC class and is currently running forth

Tom oNslow-coleBriTish TOUriNG CArsscored his debut BTCC victory at snetterton in late July in Team rAC Wsr BMW

marTiN PlowmaNFOrMUlA reNAUlT iTAliACurrently fourth in italian Championship with three podiums

Phil QuaifePOrsChe sUPerCUP and FiA GT3 ChAMPiONshiPsBusy season scoring points in both series

aDriaN Quaife-hoBBsFOrMUlA BMW‘rookie’ category winner at snetterton in July

DeaN smiThFOrMUlA reNAUlT UKCurrently second in championship standings with three wins. Neck and neck for the title with duncan Tappy (see below)

James suTToNPOrsChe CArrerA CUP GBimpressive race winner already in first season out of single seaters. Could win the Championship. Best placed driver from British championship in supercup race at British GP

Nick TaNDyFOrMUlA FOrdrace winner – currently second in British championship

DuNcaN TaPPyFOrMUlA reNAUlTCurrent championship leader with five wins. Neck and neck with dean smith for the title (see above!)

James walkerreNAUlT WOrld seriesTop ten results in this european series


BrDc risiNg sTars

Onslow-Cole takes maiden touring car win


BrDc risiNg sTars

cool and calm Team RAC celebrate victory for Tom Onslow-Cole, his first

as a Touring Car driver, during a recent round of the British

Touring Car Championship at Snetterton (Photo Jakob Ebrey)

B RDC Rising Star Tom Onslow-Cole scored his maiden touring car win with a victory in Round 21 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton in

Norfolk at the end of July. It turned out to be a weekend of firsts for the Team RAC driver, when he started from his first pole position of the season and beat Mat Jackson’s BMW off the line to take an immediate lead he was never to lose.

Despite coming under intense pressure in the closing stages, Tom held his nerve to cross the line nearly three seconds ahead of reigning champion Matt Neal, multiple race winner Fabrizio Giovanardi and championship leader Jason Plato.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s awesome, so good,” said Tom immediately after the victory. “It was particularly good as it wasn’t gifted, it was a tough race from start to finish. I got a bit of a break in the last couple of laps, but to have someone of Jason’s stature behind me and to be able to hold him off was a great confidence boost. I’m on such a high now.”

Tom added, “I don’t think it was necessarily my best race ever as I started from pole and should have always been in with a shout, but it’s definitely my most memorable. I feel I’ve got everything under my belt now. It’s tough out there but I’m getting used to it and I think I’m able to hold my own.

“With Snetterton being the home track for Dick Bennetts and Team RAC, I couldn’t have picked a better place to perform like that. From the word go really, putting it on the front row with Colin, it was always going to be a good event for the team and the support here has really been amazing. You could actually hear it in the car, people shouting, it was unbelievable. I definitely want more now!”

Cathy Metcalfe


uNDer The sPoTlighT: mike coNway

The 2006 British F3 champion is a class act, and F1 beckons

UNder The sPOTliGhT:

mike coNwayO ne year after claiming the coveted

British F3 International Series championship title, Mike Conway

stands on the verge of breaking into the big league.

On the day Lewis Hamilton scored his first British Grand Prix pole position, Mike thrilled the Silverstone faithful by standing on the podium after a determined drive to second in the GP2 feature race at ‘The Home of British Motor Racing’.

The Kent-based driver proved his worth around Silverstone, a circuit where he made his category debut a year earlier, and from a front row starting position he hounded pole qualifier, Andi Zuber, throughout the race at the wheel of his David Sears-run Super Nova International car.

“I was pretty happy to finish second, but I still wanted to win,” Mike confirmed after the race.

Standing on the podium was sweet reward for Mike, who tasted victory champagne almost on a weekly basis throughout the 2006 season. Ending his ’06 season with victory in the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix, Mike set sail for a full season of GP2 and has shown great maturity during the season so far.

Mike, in the familiar purple livery of David Sears’s Super Nova International GP2 car, enjoyed his best performance

of the year at the British Grand Prix having qualified second


uNDer The sPoTlighT: mike coNway

With a capacity crowd of 85,000 either already seated, or on their way through the circuit gates, Mike warmed up the British fans with another strong showing during the pre-Grand Prix GP2 sprint race. With fellow British driver Adam Carroll also performing strongly, all eyes were on the Brits and Mike crossed the line in fifth position – two places higher than his reverse-result starting position.

“I did find overtaking difficult,” Mike said. “Silverstone is a very fast circuit, and you have to make sure you’re in the right position before you can make a pass. GP2 really encourages overtaking, and so far this season the racing has been superb.”

Just two weeks after Silverstone, Mike was in action again – this time at the Nurburgring, where he set the fastest race lap.

With the GP2 Series not due to end until later this month, Mike has chances to shine in three meetings during the month of September. The classic Italy and Spa-

Francorchamps circuits are followed by the championship finale in Spain, at Valencia – home to the annual pre-season GP2 test.

Mike is looking forward to these events: “People always remember the last races of each season. Last season I won my final race of the year, which just happened to be the Macau F3 Grand Prix. It would be great to win my last race of this year as well.”

Looking to the future, Mike, who joined the full membership of the BRDC from the ranks of the Rising Stars last year, has his focus firmly fixed on Formula 1 and the move to Grand Prix racing.

“That is the aim,” he said during the British Grand Prix weekend.

“Any F3 champion has the ambition to become a Grand Prix driver. I feel that I am developing as a driver at every turn, and with dedication and much-valued support, I can’t wait to graduate from GP2 to F1.”

Archie Catt


le maNs

Driving rain

T he 2007 Le Mans 24-Hour Race will be remembered as one of the toughest and wettest endurance

races seen in recent years. Heavy rain throughout periods of the 75th-running of the legendary endurance event made driving conditions extremely hazardous, but despite all the ups and downs of a race lasting a day and a night, it was Audi who triumphed – making it seven wins in eight years for the German manufacturer, and the second victory for its diesel-powered R10 TDI LMP1 car.

The Number One Audi Sport North America car, driven by Marco Werner, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro, finished the race 10 laps ahead of its nearest rival.

Audi led from almost the start of the race – snatching the lead from the pole position Number Eight Peugeot on the opening lap. With Peugeot arriving at La Sarthe with diesel-powered LMP1 cars, ’07 was the first time that the French classic had been privileged to see major manufacturers go head-to-head in a battle for overall victory.

Intermittent but torrential rain caused many problems for the competing teams, and provided plenty of excitement for a

record 250,000 crowd, as the track went from dry to greasy to soaked in a matter of minutes.

Despite taking an early lead, it wasn’t all easy for Audi. Their Number Three car crashed out in spectacular fashion at Tertre Rouge in the second hour of the race, and Rinaldo Capello had a big off at Indianapolis when a rear wheel came off, ending the race in the Number Two car he was sharing with Club Members Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen.

After qualifying on pole position, the Number Eight Team Peugeot Total 908 LMP1 car, driven by Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Sebastien Bourdais, finished the gruelling event in a commendable second place.

The French manufacturer lost its second car with only a couple of hours of racing remaining, when a mechanical failure forced the number 7 car to retire.

The Number 16 Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo-Judd 01 LMP1 car, driven by Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christophe Boullion and Romain Dumas finished third, a further two laps behind the winner. It was the highest-placed petrol-powered car, with Martin Short’s

ResULts75th le Mans 24-hour race, 16-17 June 2007

Pos. No. Team car laps1. 1 Audi sport North America (Audi r10 Tdi) 3692. 8 Team Peugeot (Peugeot 908 hdi FAP) 3593. 16 Pescarolo sport (Pescarolo-Judd) 3584. 18 rollcentre racing (Pescarolo-Judd) 3475. 009 Aston Martin racing (Aston Martin dBr9) 3436. 63 Corvette racing (Chevrolet Corvette C6r) 342

Audi outperformed their diesel-powered rivals, Peugeot, to win a rainy le Mans. James Beckett was trackside to report for the BrdC Bulletin


le maNs

Clockwise from top left:Marco Werner brings the number 1 Audi R10 TDi home in atrocious conditions The Manatou crews were kept busy thanks to the standing water The number 2 Audi had pulled out an impressive lead before disaster struck Similarly, Scuderia Ecosse lead GT2 before a driveshaft problem put them out just before 18 hours The new Peugeot 908 Hdi was impressive, but struggled with the conditions New Full Member Tom Kimber-Smith, together with Danny Watts had a disappointing race after last year’s class victory The weekend was a good one for Pescarolo cars, both team (top in light blue) and private (bottom, the dark blue Rollcentre Racing car) (All photos by James Beckett)

Rollcentre Racing Pescarolo-Judd fourth, driven by Martin along with Joao Barbosa and BRDC Rising Star Stuart Hall – a driver making his Le Mans 24-Hour Race debut.

There was also considerable success for Aston Martin. Aston’s works racing team’s number 009 DBR9 car, driven by BRDC Members Darren Turner and David Brabham along with Rickard Rydell, won the GT1 class. It was a famous victory for Aston, who have spent several years struggling to overcome the dominance of the Chevrolet Corvette cars in GT1. Aston’s DBR9s also claimed third, fourth, sixth and 10th in GT1, in what was a truly impressive performance.

The LMP2 class was won by the Binnie Motorsports Lola-Zytek of Bill Binnie, Alan Timpany and Chris Buncombe, while GT2 laurels went to the IMSA Performance Porsche 997 GT3 RSR of Pat Long, Raymond Narac and Richard Lietz.


le maNs

L e Mans has a build-up quite unlike any other race (perhaps with the exception of the Indy 500), and so it

was that I found myself having the usual thrash to get back from the Watkins Glen Six Hour race on Saturday, in time to arrive at Le Mans on Monday for the official scrutineering in the Place des Jacobins.

With all the checks taken care of, we

readied ourselves for the task ahead. The weather was not kind to us, but as darkness fell on Wednesday and two dry wheel tracks appeared it seemed that we might be able to go for a time. The car was bottoming quite a lot on the Mulsanne, so I had to be quite aggressive to get the tyre pressures up, at the same time being careful not to lock a wheel on the damp patches under braking.

On both of my quick laps we were on for the pole in LMP2, but due to traffic it was not to be and so we lined up fourth.

Thursday saw the team fitting the race engine and gearbox in readiness for the race. When the car was run up on Thursday evening it was clear all was not well with the new gearbox. When we finally did get out later on during the session we then encountered a problem with the car overheating. It seemed to get worse as you gained speed on the Mulsanne. After changing some ancillary items overnight, we ran the car on the airfield the next day. However, the problem remained, so the team manager opted to change the engine overnight in preparation for the warm-up on race morning. Although the ambient temperature was low on Saturday morning,

it appeared that the problem was still there, and tensions were understandably starting to run high. With advice from AER, our engine supplier, we finally decided to flush out the heat exchanger on the car, and after some debris was found, we believed we had found our problem.

Winning a 24-hour race requires an element of luck, but in my view unless you go into the race really believing and knowing that you can win with what you have, you are not in good shape. After the first stint, it started to rain, and I was asked to get myself ready to go in the car. Standing in the pitlane with my helmet on, I began to realise that something was wrong: the car had had an ‘off’ on its in lap. The chassis had damage beyond repair, and there ended my Le Mans 2007– one to forget!

my le mansrobin liddell recalls a race to put down to experience…

RightRobin showed impressive pace qualifying at night

LeftTim Greaves limps back to the pit lane with the damaged Radical, far too early in the race


silVersToNe classic

a classic eventA record crowd of 41,000 spectators enjoyed a nostalgic weekend at silverstone Classic as the event again provided entertainment on and off track

A feast of world class historic motorsport took place at Silverstone Classic, in association

with Bonhams.3,000 more spectators visited the event

than last year, and already plans for the 2008 Classic are well underway. With the dates already announced for next year’s meeting (25-27 July) expectation is high for another landmark event as 60 years of Silverstone and 80 years of the BRDC are to be celebrated.

‘We are delighted with the way the Silverstone Classic is developing,’ said

Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited.

‘The Silverstone Classic continues to go from strength to strength and would not be such a success without the support of the competitors, the enthusiasm of the car clubs, and the dedication from all the marshals and volunteers who put in such long hours over all three days of the event.’

highs and lowsThe weekend was packed with highlights, one of which was the return to racing of

Right:Peter Dunn in the ex-Merzario March 761 being caught by Simon Hadfield (who worked on the car in period) in the ex-Hunt Hesketh 308B in which James won the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix

Below:John Grant, in his first weekend racing a Formula 1 car, was out in his ex-Regazzoni Shadow DN9 and leads Steve Allen in the ex-Emerson Fittipaldi Copersucar Fittipaldi F5a and Mike Wrigley in the March 711 (Photos by James Beckett)


silVersToNe classic

James Hunt’s legendary Dutch Grand Prix-winning Hesketh 308B, owned by Frank Sytner, and driven by Simon Hadfield. The car was demonstrated on the Saturday by James’ son, Freddie, who is undertaking a maiden season of Formula Ford this year.

Hadfield failed to win the Daily Express Silverstone International Trophy race by the narrowest of margins after a storming drive from the back of the grid, with Peter

Dunn heading him across the finish line by less than a second after 15 laps of racing in his March 761.

With the 25th anniversary of the Porsche 956 being celebrated, the Group C races provided all the right cars making all the right noises. Honours were shared between Jaguar and Porsche, when Gary Pearson won on Saturday with his Jaguar XJR-11, and Andy Purdie on Sunday in his Porsche 962C. It was a disappointing weekend though for Le Mans legend Derek Bell. The five-time Le Mans and triple Daytona 24-Hours winner was lying third in Sunday’s Group C/GTP race, but retired his Porsche 962C to the pits with mechanical problems. Bell was unable to start either of the Formula One races on

his single-seater return when the engine of his Surtees TS9 failed during qualifying.

Fellow Le Mans winner Andy Wallace was also a non-finisher in the Group C/GTP race. Driving the 1990 24 Hours-winning Jaguar XJR-12, his race ended when the car succumbed to low oil pressure. But at least one Le Mans hero had a good result – the Aston Martin DBR1 that won at La Sarthe in 1959, in the hands of Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, scooped the Roy Salvadori Trophy – an emotional moment for current driver Nick Leventis.

Fine hospitalityThe BRDC Clubhouse was packed as rain fell during the World Sportscar Masters race on Saturday evening, with competitors enjoying the Club’s unique atmosphere.

The sun shone throughout the majority of the weekend allowing Members, Guests and visitors to Silverstone the opportunity to browse the packed infield areas, and watch racing that was simply, in a word, Classic…

Anti-clockwise from top left:Derek Bell was reunited with a Group C Porsche 962 over the weekend and as ever was a huge hit with the spectators

Stowe was once again a magical setting for the BRDC 500 scrutineering and competitors looked the part

Peter Hardman drove the Ferrari 250LM as Enzo intended

The Group C entry was fantastic and did true justice to the 25th anniversary being celebrated


silVersToNe classic

flying startN eil Cunningham made a

dream debut at Silverstone Classic, winning his first

historic race at the wheel of a Jaguar D Type.

Teamed with car owner Benjamin Eastick, Neil was triumphant in the RAC Woodcote Trophy race. The one-hour event provided a great highlight to Saturday’s proceedings, and the Cunningham/Eastick Jaguar battled throughout with the HWM-Jaguar of Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams and Michael Steele.

Eastick handed Neil the car at the midway point, and a handful of laps later the Le Mans Series racer took the green car past ‘Whizzo’ and into the lead.

“What a race,” Neil said afterwards. “This was the perfect result and I am so pleased to have been able to make my Silverstone Classic debut in a Jaguar D Type. To have the opportunity to meet Tony Rolt at the award ceremony was also very special – a great day!”

Neil also entertained behind the wheel of a 1965 Ford Mustang in the Jack Sears Trophy Race. Qualifying the Bob Pepper-owned (and co-driven) car third on his maiden drive, Neil was handed the car after four laps – in 19th place.

His ensuing drive, setting fastest laps, came to an end when he was collected by a spinning backmarker at Luffield, ending his race early. “What a shame,” Neil said. “I was having so much fun. The car was sliding everywhere and what better way to race – at Silverstone, the car very sideways and with a BRDC badge on the bonnet!”

Clockwise from the top:The Martin Birrane/Ron Cumming Lola T70 was victorious in the incredibly tricky and evocative wet conditions of the Sports Car Masters evening race

Gareth Burnett treated those who watched the BRDC 500 to a memorable battle between the supercharged Alta and the 8C Monza Alfa Romeo of Peter Neumark, which was driven during the first stint by Simon Hope

The BRDC Historic Challenge enjoyed a full 44 car grid


View from The commeNTary Box

grandstand view rob Barff describes the British Grand Prix weekend from his perch in the commentary box

M y role at the Grand Prix this year was that of Technical Analyst Commentator alongside

Ian Titchmarsh in the commentary box overlooking Woodcote, as well as hosting a number of sponsors and guests in the Clubhouse and Farm over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So with hindsight, I probably got to experience as much of the Grand Prix atmosphere as one man could – from a BRDC Member’s perspective

within the F1 Paddock & the Club; and from my commentator’s role, where I got to witness the reactions and emotions of the spectators in the grandstands.

In the Formula One race itself, hopes of a home win for Lewis Hamilton were dashed by the Iceman, however the Grand Prix meeting was made personally memorable by a number of events, both on and off the track.

Despite the Grand Prix having a date clash with both the American Le Mans Series

and the FIA GT championship, which drew away a number of the younger Members, the atmosphere within the Club seemed to be more buoyant than of late, both the Farm and the Clubhouse were the usual friendly relaxed places to be – and the quality of the catering, particularly at the Grand Prix ball, was superb. Even after the heavy rain and wind blew away both the Pimms tents on the Thursday evening the grass had dried sufficiently so that many of the attendees, myself included, could sit out and have a pre-race beer at the Farm BBQ on the Saturday evening.

It wasn’t a good weekend for Richard Westbrook in the Porsche Supercup, however in GP2 the home crowd had slightly more to shout about. Since GP2 replaced Formula 3000 I have been one of the Championship’s strongest supporters, and for the second year running the crowds rose to their feet to salute a British GP2 race winner. Adam Carroll drove a storming race on Sunday and I hope that his return to GP2 will gain him a seat in F1, Champcar or IRL – he certainly deserves it.

Being brought up in an aviation-related family I always look forward to the Red Arrows. The ‘Diamond Nine’ formation is a familiar sight at the British Grand Prix, however due to a squash-inflicted hand injury to one of the pilots, the team were

down to eight this year. Nevertheless, they put on their usual polished performance that drew warm applause from the Grand Prix crowd.

But the highlight of the weekend for me was the crowd’s reaction to the 1:19.977 lap time set by Lewis Hamilton to grab Pole Position – the first British driver to do so in 11 years. Even inside our soundproof booth the atmosphere was electric. You quickly run out of superlatives when summing up Lewis’s season so far, but if he goes on to win the World Championship it will only do Formula One, and Silverstone, good.

(Photos by Jakob Ebrey and Jim Houlgrave)


View from The commeNTary Box


BlasT from The PasT

The greatest comeback since lazarus

Peter Windsor remembers the 1987 British Grand Prix: Piquet, Mansell, and that overtaking manoeuvre…

I t was a beautiful summer’s day and the enclosures at Silverstone were filled to capacity: welcome to the Shell Oils

British Grand Prix, featuring 153mph laps, a British star driver and a weekend of total domination by British F1 constructors.

All that remained was the race…They were unbearably close in qualifying,

Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell, but Nelson won the pole by seven-thousandths of a second. Canon Williams Hondas filled the front row. Behind them: Ayrton Senna (Camel Lotus Honda) and Alain Prost (Marlboro McLaren TAG-Porsche). A field of depth, you might say – but on Sunday it was no contest. The FW11Bs were in a race of their own.

Nelson led from the start but Nigel gave him no room to breathe. As the fuel loads lightened they swapped fastest race laps and new circuit records. Then the dynamics changed. Nigel’s left front wheel lost a

balance weight; he could barely see for the vibration. He called in for new tyres, rejoining still in second place but now 28.3 sec behind Nelson. There were 30 laps still to run.

Nelson relaxed, of course, as ‘P1’ drivers would feel entitled to relax; and, also, he felt his Goodyears begin to lose their edge. He drove within the car, ensuring that he would finish and thus that he would win.

Mansell, with nothing to lose, drove absolutely on the limit, aware in his peripheral vision of the arms and the programmes and the flags flying in the grandstands – and aware, too, that he could take Nelson by surprise. Suddenly the gap was down to eight seconds. Then five. Then three…and all at once Nigel was visibly hauling Nelson in through Stowe and Club, and the crowd – and Ian Titchmarsh – were going wild.


BlasT from The PasT

Nelson had the inside line as they approached Stowe with three laps to run but he was nervous from the pressure, preoccupied with his mirrors. He saw Nigel jink left, to the outside, before the

braking area, and responded in kind – but in a flash Nigel was down the inside, filling the empty space. Nelson tried to come back at him – tried to intimidate Nigel with a zap or three – but there was too much anger between these two, too much mutual distrust, for Nigel even to notice it. Nelson was never going to turn right until he, Nigel, turned right. He was the winner of Silverstone’s British Grand Prix after a comeback drive that will stand up there in perpetuity with the sport’s best.

He ran out of fuel on the slow-down

lap, of course; Nigel’s day had to end in perfection. But the race brought a curious reversal of fortunes: in time, this win would perversely lead Honda into taking their engines away from Williams and supplying them instead to McLaren and would move Piquet, much-loved by Honda, to accelerate his plan to leave Williams for Camel money at Lotus-Honda. Mansell, the darling of the British crowd, would meanwhile fail to win a race throughout 1988. But everyone still remembers that pass.

he saw Nigel jink left, to the outside, before the braking area, and responded in kind – but in a flash, Nigel was down the outside, filling the empty space

RightNigel’s day. Here he is heading into Stowe towards victory. When it was all over Nigel hitched a lift on the pillion of a police motor cycle, hopped off at Stowe and kissed the tarmac where he had passed his team mate so resoundingly half an hour earlier.

Left:Where’s he gone? Although the race was totally dominated by the Williams FW11Bs of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, this is Becketts on lap 1 and Alain Prost’s McLaren MP4/3 is in front and out of the picture. Moments later he had been passed by both the Williams-Hondas, with Nelson, who went on to win his third World Championship that year, leading almost all the way until Nigel swept past with three and a half laps to go.


meeTiNg memBers

T hose of us involved in ‘the business’ talk frequently about how Britain and the area local to Silverstone

– ‘Motorsport Valley’ – is the world leader in motorsport. While this is true, as a statement this is primarily focused upon engineering and related activities. However, on my second visit to unearth a little more detail on the talent that we have within the ranks of the Club Membership, I discovered that there is another field entirely where Silverstone can claim to be a true innovator and leader in its field. That is the extraordinarily important arena of motorsport medicine.

Dr David Cranston, Consultant Anaesthetist, licensed Aero-medical Specialist, Member of the Silverstone Medical Team since 1972 and Chief Medical Officer to Silverstone since 1986, not to mention

BRDC Member since 1989, kindly agreed to spare me a couple of hours in his busy diary to be my second victim for this now-regular feature. We had not previously met before I arrived at his private surgery in Harpenden, an easy 50 minutes south of Silverstone, but I knew of course of his professional reputation. The Silverstone medical centre is somewhere at the circuit that most fit and healthy people try to avoid at all costs in my experience. I am no exception and, while I am able to point out that it is ‘over there’, I am guilty of not having set foot in the place and suspect that most Members of the Club are in the same position.

It quickly becomes clear that David is one of those lucky people who has managed to combine not just one hobby but two with his professional life so that the lines between all are really very blurred. One senses that he has a way of life rather than a job. Clearly an expert in his field of anaesthetics, his enjoyment of flying, which was gained along with a private pilot’s licence some 35 years ago, has translated itself into him becoming Chief Doctor to Easyjet and Monarch Airlines in the course of licensing some 1600 pilots a year, not to mention building up more than

flying Doctordr david Cranston, silverstone’s Chief Medical Officer, has been instrumental in the development and improvement of motorsport medicine and safety, as stuart Pringle discovered

Club secretary stuart Pringle continues his quest to find out more about the Members who make up the British racing drivers’ Club. in this edition he is treated to an incredible look behind the scenes of medicine in motorsport

1000 fixed wing hours and, more recently, 150 hours in helicopters. Frankly, that sounds quite enough to keep any normal person busy but then it becomes clear that he has dedicated 35 years of his life to motorsport. And he has not sat on the sidelines of the sport but rather has become a subject matter expert and innovator in a field that had, when he first became involved, undoubtedly failed to keep pace with the development in the sport as a whole.

Building up skillsI’m keen to understand whether the skills that David has built up through his specialisation of anaesthetics are the dominant reason behind his development into one of the world’s leading motorsport medical experts. He agrees that such training is undoubtedly a positive grounding, dealing as he does on a regular basis with patients who are unconscious, and thus require considerable attention to their airways, as well as blood loss, but there is clearly no set background from which an FIA level doctor is expected to come.

I suppose it should come as no great surprise that Britain has been at the forefront of developing motorsport medical services. It is with a considerable degree of pride that David explains that the system of continual care from the point of accident on the circuit through to the extrication, transportation to the medical centre, entry into the medical centre, treatment at the circuit, transfer to ambulance or helicopter, transit to hospital, and transfer into specialist hospital facilities is conducted with constant medical intervention to a procedure developed over time by the team at Silverstone. He should know: he wrote the book! And this procedure, which is entirely logical when David takes

time to explain it step-by-step to a medical dunce like me, is now the one which is universally adopted around the world and endorsed by the FIA. It is hard to imagine a bigger compliment.

Global recognitionIn 1989 David established the Advanced

Below:36, yes 36, doctors are supported by a huge team of paramedics and nurses at the British Grand Prix. David Cranston, seated in the middle of the front row with a nurse to his left, masterminds the whole operation.


meeTiNg memBers

Trauma Life Support Course – the only one of its kind run by motorsport doctors for motorsport at a motorsport circuit. This is now an annual course and is something that the Silverstone team, under David’s tenure, have led – to worldwide acclaim.

Why Britain should lead in this specialist field is not entirely clear, although David points to a long tradition of interest and support of the medical side of motorsport. Most recently, the FIA Formula 1 Medical Delegate has been Professor Sid Watkins, who has been a remarkable ambassador for the

sport and British endeavours worldwide. We agree that Dr Benjafield, the Club’s founding father, probably had little input into medical motorsport support at the time, but Benjy is a name to which David refers when he is explaining to his new recruits the long history of the Club and the influence of medicine in motorsport over many years.

I am aware that during the history of the sport there have been certain times when greater emphasis has been placed upon medical practices and safety in general.David is clear that the single biggest defining

moment was the tragic death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. The fact that on one weekend both Senna and Roland Ratzenberger should lose their lives following a period when F1 had enjoyed no fatal accidents for some time was a sharp wake-up call for a community which, David feels, had perhaps thought it had managed the risk. Sid Watkins committed himself to driving forward standards not just in the medical world but right back to basics and through the design of individual corners at specific tracks, run-offs, barriers and car

design. His personal crusade was central to the massive leap forward that followed those tragic accidents.

“Sid had been very close to Ayrton and he undoubtedly took his loss personally. I suppose that was the good that came out of the whole affair. Sid can be monumentally proud of how the sport was pulled forward. Just look at Robert Kubica in Montreal earlier this season. It was a big accident where high safety standards in the design of the car and circuit safety equipment saved him, but also the medical intervention and procedures in place and their reaction to the accident were first class.”

Best of the bestAnd of his personal legacy, what does David feel is his greatest achievement?

“Without doubt, the medical centre at Silverstone.” Built to a specification set out by David in the now-universally accepted manual of motorsport medical care, the facilities were the best in the world when built and remain so to this day. They have set the standard for others to match at newer circuits. I am embarrassed to have to admit that I had no idea there is a four bed trauma unit, fully equipped operating theatre including blood bank, burns unit, full X-ray and ultrasound suite, minor casualties unit and two four bed wards. In short, a facility that is far in advance of that in most small towns. Indeed, it is with a considerable sense of pride and the smallest of wry smiles that David tells me that Sid Watkins used to say that Silverstone was one of only two Grands Prix at which he could relax, confident that the medical team were completely on top of their game. It is, perhaps, a pity that there is not a wider understanding of the pioneering role and pre-eminent position that the Silverstone Medical team has created in the world of F1 and motorsport in general. It is something of which David is rightly proud and indeed from which all BRDC Members should enjoy a sense of reflected glory. If there is any disappointment regarding his career, perhaps it is that he did not pick up the senior role of FIA F1 Medical Delegate upon the retirement of ‘The Prof’. “I would have loved to have taken on the role, but it wasn’t to be,” he says. He is pragmatic, but I sense disappointed.

The last word is probably best left to FIA F1 Medical Delegate Gary Hartstein, whose official medical report for the 2007 British Grand Prix reads: ‘Excellent discipline, terrific attitude and a team with massive motorsport experience. Truly an example of what a medical service can and should be.’ Enough said.

sid watkins used to say that silverstone was one of only two grands Prix at which he could relax, confident that the medical team were completely on top of their game


oBiTuaries

Jeff ureNI n two busy decades – the 1950s and

1960s – Jeff Uren was not only a successful racing driver, but also a

great team manager and a manufacturer of fondly-remembered ‘fast Fords’.

When motor racing was more about fun than business, when trailers were race, motorhomes not even thought about, and sponsorship forbidden, it needed determined men like Jeff Uren to get the best out of very ordinary cars.

He started rallying in Ford Anglia 100Es, first went motor racing in Willment-converted Anglias – and won Britain’s premier saloon car championship – the BRSCC series – in 1959.

Raised in Cornwall, Jeff’s love of motorsport was kindled by his brother, Douglas. He knew Donald Bain, who wanted to enter the Monte Carlo rally in 1955. As an engineer, Jeff was invited to be part of the expedition, and at first the entry was refused, the accepted, then the team chose an Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire, then they learned to go rallying ‘on the hoof’ – finishing 141st out of 450 starters.

Following that, in his own 100E, Jeff finished 121st on the 1956 Monte, and started to enter sprints, hillclimbs and with the Six-Hour Relay, racing events.

He approached “Edgy” Fabris, the

Competition Manager of Ford, explaining that he wanted to ‘go racing’. Although not signed as a ‘works’ driver, he was instructed to ‘keep in touch’. Jeff bought a Zephyr in 1957, and running it in on the road, he set off for Silverstone. In 1958 he ran Zephyrs again, gave Ford their first Championship class win at Mallory Park, and finished second in the standings to Jack Sears and his Austin A105 Westminster.

With an ‘open set of regulations’ announced by the BRSCC for 1959, and although not an overall race winner, six class victories resulted in championship glory, and a chance telephone call from Colonel Maurice Buckmaster from the Ford Public Relations department followed, when Jeff was invited by ‘Henry’ to become their new Competitions Manager.

From October 1959, Jeff ran Ford Motorsport on a contract basis, and that year Gerry Burgess won the RAC Rally and Vic Preston finished third on the 1960 Safari.

Two years later, in September 1962, Jeff sat down with John Willment and the result was the setting-up of the Willment Motor Racing Division. The Lotus-Cortina had been delayed, so the duo turned to a team of Cortina GTs.

Approaching Walter Hayes at Ford, Jeff asked for three Cortina GTs, £10,000 and a quantity of spares. Hayes agreed, if Jeff

could find the drivers, and the deal was done. Jack Sears had retired from racing, but Jeff called him up and tempted him back with the Cortina and a Galaxie and Jack Sears became champion.

Throughout 1963-1964 Jeff was closely involved in the development,

and campaigning, of two families of V8-engined American Fords. The two programmes could not have been more different. On the one hand, there were the Falcons that competed in the Monte Carlo rally – and on the other there was the gargantuan Galaxie that appeared,

obituaries


oBiTuaries

so successfully, on the British Saloon Car racing scene a few months later.

Jeff was introduced and recommended to the Americans, who had never before been rallying and were keen to move their Falcon into the European market, by Walter Hayes, and as soon as Jeff sat in one of the cars he found its performance to be tremendous.

For Monte Carlo, Jeff employed Swedish driver Bussie Ljungfeldt to lead the attack as the ‘win at all costs’ entry. Peter Jopp was also lined-up by Jeff, and Anne Hall was entered to tackle the ladies’ competition.

Although overall victory did not go Uren and Ford’s way, Jopp did win his class, with Ljungfeldt second – both benefiting from Jeff’s ‘works’ professional service crews, who had drivers such as Paul Hawkins, John Manussis and Jack Sears on the road in other Falcons, chasing around to look at road conditions.

Before the Monte challenge was complete, Jeff began to discuss the ’63 race programme with John Willment. Ford-USA and Holman & Moody began to talk about bringing a Galaxie across to Britain for saloon car racing. Jeff lapped Daytona with ‘Fireball’ Roberts to get a taste and shortly afterwards a telephone call to Jack Sears sealed the deal for him to drive the 450bhp 7-litre V8 monster, and with Spike Winters and Brian Muir carrying-out engineering duties, a steep mountain had to be climbed before the car made its UK track debut.

Under Jeff’s stewardship the car was taken to Silverstone, practised, and Jack Sears won the first race with it – “Lofty” England of Jaguar protested it. There were arguments, but it was passed legal!

The car won races at fast tracks, like Silverstone, and twisty circuits, like Crystal

Palace, and despite its drum brakes taking a pounding, Jack Sears kept the big car out of the barriers!

The Galaxie continued into 1964, but by this time Jeff was far too busy to follow its every movement. Not only did the Willment team become heavily involved in running the famous Willment Daytona Cobra, but also moved up into single-seater racing, and in due course Jeff also moved on to set up another business – the ‘Race Proved’ enterprise, which inspired the birth of the ‘Essex’ V6-engined Cortina Savage, and other famous Ford-based cars.

Graham Robson

PeTer kerrD.C. (Pete) Kerr, who died recently,

will be remembered as one of the great chief mechanics of the

1970s and 80s. He worked with some of the great drivers, including Jochen Rindt, Chris Amon, and Ronnie Peterson.

Pete was born in New Zealand, and having an interest in cars and engines from an early age he served an apprenticeship on diesels at Caterpillar agents Gough, Gough and Hamer, which taught him all the basics of engine building, fuel injection, and electronics.

His first introduction to motorsport was through the Hamilton Car Club, and that eventually led to him joining the Motordrome Racing Team where he met some of the people who were to influence his decision to make motor racing his profession, among them John Muller. He then opened his own business,

Performance Motors, but after six months in hospital after a car accident in which he was a passenger, the business was closed.

Pete’s friend John Muller had

come to England and eventually joined Winkelmann Racing, and when the team expanded to run a second car for Jochen Rindt, John persuaded Pete that he should also make the trip to be Jochen’s mechanic. Pete arrived in England in March of 1965, and was immediately taken to the Brabham factory to assemble the new car he was to minister to for the season.

After John left to join McLaren a year later Pete was appointed chief mechanic, a position he held through the glory years of Winkelmann Racing and Jochen’s virtual domination of Formula 2.

At the end of 1969 Pete followed Alan Rees to the newly formed March Engineering where he became Chief Mechanic on the Formula One team, and worked with Chris Amon during 1970. The following year Ronnie Peterson became Number One driver at March, and he and Pete struck up a strong partnership, which was to endure during both the times that Ronnie drove for March.

After Alan Rees left to join Shadow, Pete stayed at March, but eventually moved to Shadow at the end of 1973, where he filled the same position as he had at March.

He later moved from Shadow to the newly formed Arrows in 1977, again with Alan Rees and Jackie Oliver. He

was to continue at Arrows for the rest of his working life, eventually leaving the race team and working at something he enjoyed the most – Research and Development. Pete was one of the cleverest engineers one could ever meet, with an ability to understand the workings of any piece of machinery, and usually an ability to improve upon whatever that machinery was.

Apart from his interest in racing cars Pete was a discerning car collector, and over the years he owned a BMW 507, a 330 Ferrari, a DB2 Aston Martin, and his favourite, a Ferrari Lusso.

Following the death of his beloved wife Marcia, Pete set about completing the restoration and sale of his collector cars, and finally finishing the extension to his house. This was part of his ‘packing up’ process, which he hoped would eventually see him moving back to New Zealand for his final days. Sadly he was diagnosed with cancer late in 2006, and died, aged 73, before he could make the move.

In spite of his great talents as mechanic and engineer, Pete always remained extremely modest about his achievements and always seemed surprised at the genuine affection and admiration he engendered from so many who knew him. To the last he retained his great sense of humour, joking with those who called to see him in his final days. One of his proudest moments was being elected a Member of the BRDC in 2000.

Howden Ganley

Continued overleaf


oBiTuaries

freD goDDarDF red Goddard, who died in a road accident

near Elkhart Lake’s Road America circuit, was one of an extraordinary breed of

intuitive engineers from the African continent.Born in Zimbabwe, Goddard built his own car,

the FMG 1, for South African Formula One events. Ranged against proprietary ex-works chassis, his only points finish was for sixth place in the 1969 Natal Winter Trophy at Roy Hesketh.

Goddard relocated to England in 1989, where he ran Bowman’s Formula 3 Class B team before setting up shop on his own the following season. In 1991, at Mika Hakkinen’s behest, he guided Finn Pekka Herva to the F3 B-class title, a feat repeated by Gary Paffett and Robbie Kerr in 2000 and 2001.

Fred played a role in the careers of South Africans Hilton Cowie, Stephen Watson, Werner Lupberger, and Alan van der Merwe among others. His involvement spanned F3000, EuroBoss and Sportscar racing, and was intertwined with the driving career of his son Earl (also a BRDC Member).

Fred leaves five daughters by his first marriage, and Earl and a daughter by his second.

A Memorial Service was held at St Michael’s Church in Silverstone on 31 July, followed by a trip to The White Horse – just as Fred would have liked!

Marcus Pye

keN coffeyK en joined the BRDC in 1975, having

competed in events that qualified him for Club membership during the period 1968

to 1974.In the 1000-mile race at Brands Hatch, and the

Spa 24-Hour Race, Ken enjoyed class podium finishes in cars such as the Lotus Cortina and Twin Cam Escort, and behind the wheel of a Ford Escort RS2000 he was classified third in class and twelfth overall in the Silverstone Tourist Trophy of 1975, sharing driving duties with Cyd Williams.

Vic sParkesA n Associate Member of the

Club since 1976, Vic’s passion was motor racing. Before a

long career in marshalling and duties in race control, he, like so many, took a turn behind the wheel – racing a 500cc F3 car in the 1950s.

As with so many drivers, the usual constraints of time and money led him away from driving, but his love of the sport led him into marshalling. Shortly after the formation of the British Motor Racing Marshals Club in 1957, he joined and worked his way up the ladder.

Living in Stokenchurch, his raceday activities centred on Silverstone, where he became a regular Observer. During this time, Vic was Chairman of the Southern Region of the BMRMC for a period.

When the BRDC decided to run all the major meetings at Silverstone, Vic was appointed Deputy Chief Observer and then Chief Observer, and following this service, Vic was invited by the Board to become an Associate Member of the BRDC in 1976, and additionally to be Clerk of

the Course at various race meetings. This led to Vic being an FIA

accredited Clerk of the Course at many international events including the British Grand Prix, Formula 3000, FIA Sports Cars and Formula Three. On his retirement in 1997, Vic was made an ‘Officiel d’Honneur’ of the Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association, and after he and his wife Cathie moved to Buckfastleigh in Devon, he continued to enjoy his motor racing and acted as Club Steward whenever possible.

His last visit to Silverstone was to the 2006 British Grand Prix where he enjoyed watching the racing and meeting with a large number of old friends. Vic was much respected in the world of motor racing and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.

Vic is survived by his wife Cathie and his three children Martin, Nicholas and Judith from his previous marriage to Doreen, to all of whom we offer our deepest sympathies.

Len Pullen

The Club are sorry to inform you that the following Members have passed away:

CEDRiC BRiERLEyand

gEoFFREy RiCHARDSon

Obituaries will be published in the next Bulletin.


BeckeTT's corNer

long live the BrDc 500corNerBe

ckeT

T’s

‘Why is the BRDC 500 so good?’ – it is a question I have been asked several times recently.

It is difficult to put a finger exactly on the spot, but my simple guess is that it contains everything that is great about the BRDC. It has style, it has heritage, it has a sense of tradition, it has camaraderie, and – above all – it has motor racing!

For those of you reading this article who do not know the history of the BRDC 500, it was the first race to be organised by the Club back in 1929 – just one year after the BRDC began to operate formally. A 500-mile race was held at Brooklands, and drivers blasted their way around the Surrey track like circus daredevils to write the Club’s first racing chapter.

For nine years, the BRDC 500 entertained ‘the right crowd’ before the race disappeared from the racing schedules. In 2004 the race returned, although now not a 500-mile or 500-km event, but a one-hour race for two-driver combinations.

To ensure the race returned with style, nearby Stowe School agreed that the competing cars could visit and have their pre-race scrutiny on the North Front Lawn of Buckinghamshire’s finest mansion. With live jazz music, a massed hot air balloon fly-out and champagne flowing, the scene was set for something special to follow.

With the original BRDC 500 race-winning Bentley, and a Dallara-Judd Le Mans

Prototype, driven by Martin Short, leading the field around on the Pace Lap, the race started unlike any other seen at Silverstone. The BRDC 500 was back.

With post race presentations taking place outside the BRDC Clubhouse by the Brooklands Gates, the BRDC 500 ensured it kept to its traditions, even down to the race

winners being handed their trophies, sitting in their cars, by the Club Secretary.

2004 saw the BRDC 500 re-established as a major race on the historic racing calendar, and this year’s Silverstone Classic saw the fourth running of the BRDC 500 in its current format – the event again forming a cornerstone of the Club’s social calendar.

The assembly of pre-war sportscars at Stowe for their scrutineering, followed by a very enjoyable BRDC 500 Dinner, and then great racing during the 500 itself, completed another chapter of this great history book. Quite simply, the BRDC 500 is not good – it’s superb!

Drivers blasted their way around the surrey track like circus daredevils

BRDC scrutineering at Stowe is pure nostalgia (Photos by Jim Houlgrave)


secreTary's leTTer

seCreTArY’s leTTerI

t has been great to see the Clubhouse in use so

much since I last wrote. The Grand Prix was the

highlight, of course, and it was pleasing that we

managed to address the overcrowding of the recent

past to the benefit of all Members and their Guests who

attended in person. The Silverstone Classic was well

supported as ever and thank goodness we were able

to enjoy some good weather! It is worth mentioning

that the invitation to the Classic competitors to enjoy

a glass of champagne in the Clubhouse for an hour

and a half on Saturday evening was very well received

and delivered a positive investment for the future of

‘our own’ event. I strongly believe that without the very

best quality and numbers on the track there is little

to promote. It is therefore necessary to ensure that

the drivers feel welcome and an invitation from the

BRDC did just that. Thank you to all those Members

who kindly made the visitors feel so welcome, even if it

was for such a short visit. The Classic is a home-grown

meeting and has the potential to return to being a very

successful event for Silverstone, so it is beholden upon

us all to do what we can to help it return to the level at

which it deserves to be.

Can I encourage you to involve yourself in Club

activities and sports this autumn? In Jeremy Rossiter

and William Hewland we have an enthusiastic golfer

and shot respectively who have kindly volunteered

to ‘captain’ these sports and try and rebuild these

annual fixtures. The details are on page 50 and I would

encourage you to get stuck in if possible. Please note

that novices are particularly welcome on the shoot and

instruction and equipment are all available, so don’t

pass up this opportunity to learn a new sport in the

company of likeminded Members.

Perhaps the activity that is closest to home this autumn

is the last of the three, free Members’ track days this year.

The June day was not at all well supported, but I rather

hope that the return to the Grand Prix Circuit might

secure stronger support. Frankly, it needs to or it makes

it really difficult to persuade SCL to offer up these days

when they could be earning income for the Group. In

short, please support the day or there will inevitably

be less next year. Critically, bring a paying Guest or two

(£200 for the full day) if you can as it makes a helpful

contribution to the Club and is a great day out.

In other news, I am pleased to say that Jason Plato

and Tim Harvey are kindly speaking to the ‘Rising Stars’

in August about how to forge a career in the world of

Touring Cars, perhaps with a hint of TV and media work

thrown in. Later in the year, a fascinating evening is in

store for those who would like to attend the ‘Evening

with Vanwall’ – the celebration of the 50th anniversary of

the first win of a British Grand Prix by a British driver in

a British Car. It will take place in London on 11 October

and you are warmly encouraged to attend if possible.

One major aim of the coming months is to see a

significant improvement in the quality of the publicity

we put out surrounding our young racing Members and

Rising Stars. As you have seen from the pages of this

Bulletin, not to mention other recent editions, there is

a lot of good news to report, but we must do more to

broadcast it. Not only is it a very useful way to assist

the individuals, but it will reflect on the Club in a very

positive manner, ensuring there is no doubt about its

relevance and commitment to the sport. There is a

huge amount of interest in motorsport nationally at the

moment, in no small part due to Member 1107, and we

must not miss this opportunity to capitalise on it. Such

efforts will also be a good foil to talk of development

and GP contracts etc., so it is a critical task worthy of

considerable attention.

Stuart Pringle

Secretary, BRDC


memBer News

memBer News The magNificeNT seVeNTh It has been confirmed that the seventh-running of the BRDC Walter Hayes Trophy will take place at Silverstone on November 3-4.

For 2007 the event will benefit from the support of Silverstone Circuits Limited as a commercial partner, with race administration being provided by the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), through the offices of Club Member Grahame White. James Beckett will still organise the event on behalf of the Club.

The world’s largest Formula Ford 1600 event attracts competitors from all over Britain and Ireland, with drivers also making the trip to Silverstone from mainland Europe.

Last year 164 FF1600 machines entered the Walter Hayes Trophy itself, and spent the weekend battling through a series of knockout rounds towards the Grand Final. Irish racer, Peter Dempsey, eventually took the crown, and was presented with the Walter Hayes Trophy at the BRDC Clubhouse by Damon Hill.

Dempsey, winner of the Golden Helmet competition in 2005 and at Knockhill in July, will return to Silverstone in November to defend his crown.

A number of BRDC Members have indicated their intention to take part, and cars are currently being located, or prepared for competition, ahead of the event.

The Walter Hayes Trophy will be supported by a number of races for single seaters and sports and saloon cars, with The Secretary’s Challenge – a race exclusively for BRDC Members – taking place prior to the Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final on the Sunday afternoon.

The Secretary’s Challenge is open to all Members of the BRDC, who hold competition licences, and all covered-wheel sports/saloon-type cars are eligible. Last year the fifteen-lap race was won by Martin Short at the wheel of his Rollcentre Racing Radical-Judd Le Mans prototype. Full event details are available from: [email protected]

NighT ouT wiTh The sTarsBritish Touring Car Championship legends Tim Harvey (below right) and Jason Plato (below left) took centre stage in the BRDC Clubhouse recently to host ‘An Evening with…’ for Members of the Club’s Rising Stars Scheme. On the eve of the British F3-GT meeting, a large number of Rising Stars gathered at Silverstone to hear Tim and Jason tell of their careers in motorsport.

This was the second such event hosted for the Rising Stars, and followed on from the first event that saw Damon Hill tell his story from the humble beginnings of a motorcycle racer at Brands Hatch through to winning the FIA F1 World Championship in 1996.

The Rising Stars were given ample time to ask questions of Tim and Jason, and afterwards Jason said, “the BRDC Rising Star Scheme is great. The scheme is all about BRDC Members, like Tim and I, being on-hand to offer help and guidance like this to our champions of tomorrow. The evening was a great success.”

Further events for the BRDC Rising Stars are now being planned by the Club.

as light fades at the end of the day, Peter Dempsey leads the field away at the

start of the 2006 walter hayes Trophy grand final

(Photo Jakob ebrey)


cluB & regioNal eVeNTs

cluB aND regioNal eVeNTs Opposite: Sunday 23 June 1957. Ron Flockhart in the 3.8 litre fuel-injection Jaguar D-type (XKD 606) leads his Ecurie Ecosse team-mate Ninian Sanderson in the 3.4l sister car (XKD 603) past the packed Tribunes on their way to a dominant victory for the Scottish team. The cars, shared respectively with Ivor Bueb and Jock Lawrence, finished eight laps apart and led home three more D-types in third, fourth and sixth places. The record race winning average speed of 113.85 mph stood until beaten by the Phil Hill/Oliver Gendebien Ferrari TR61 in 1961. This was the second win in succession for Ron Flockhart, the Scot having shared another Ecurie Ecosse D-type (XKD 501/MWS 301) with Ninian Sanderson in 1956. (Note that the cars ran at Le Mans on Scottish trade plates 376 SG and 341 SG rather than the registration numbers RSF 301 and RSF 303 by which they are better known.)

Of the 54 cars that started the 1957 race, 17 were British. Of the 20 that finished, 12 were British. Team Lotus won the Index of Performance and the 750cc class with a Lotus Eleven shared by Cliff Allison and Keith Hall, while another Eleven finished ninth overall and won the 1100cc class, driven by Americans Herbert McKay Frazer and Jay Chamberlain. A French-entered Aston Martin DB3S won the three-litre class, driven by Jean-Paul Colas and Jean Kerguen, while the AC Ace-Bristol of Ken Rudd and Peter Bolton came second in the two-litre class and tenth overall.

Within weeks Vanwall had won three Formula One World Championship races thanks to Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, while a few weeks earlier Tony (with Noel Cunningham-Reid) had given Aston Martin its first World Sports Car Championship victory. Has there ever been a year like that for British motor racing?

ian Titchmarsh

Back Cover:Saturday afternoon and Britain’s new Formula 1 superstar responds to the crowd’s euphoria at his dramatic last gasp pole. One of Silverstone’s great moments!

sePTemBer

10 BRDC TRACK DAy SILVERSTONE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT CONTACT: James Beckett Tel: 01327 850925

12 BRDC CLAy SHooT WEST WYCOMBE CONTACT: Jan Stevenson Tel: 01327 850931

19 BRDC SoCiAL LunCH CLUBHOUSE CONTACT: Aspire Hospitality Tel: 01327 855104

20 BRDC goLF DAy FRILFORD NEAR OXFORD CONTACT: Jeremy Rossiter Tel: 01865 243999

20 BRDC BoATing gRouP COWES CONTACT: Rex Woodgate Tel: 0238 084 9264

27 BRDC SouTHERn REgionAL LunCH EVERSLEY NEAR READING CONTACT: Brian Heath Tel: 01590 643408

tBA SCoTTiSH REgionAL DinnER CONTACT: Hugh McCaig Tel: 01968 676406

ocToBer

11 An EVEning WiTH...VAnWALL 1957 BONHAMS, LONDON CONTACT: Becky Simm Tel: 01327 850922


NoVemBer

3 BRDC WALTER HAyES TRoPHy FoRuM CLUBHOUSE Contact: James Beckett Tel: 01327 850925

4 THE SECRETARy’S CHALLEngE BRDC WALTER HAYES TROPHY SILVERSTONE Contact: James Beckett Tel: 01327 850925


tBA BRDC ANNUAL AWARDS

DecemBer

8 BRDC SouTHERn CHRiSTMAS LunCH GINS FARM CONTACT: Rex Woodgate Tel: 0238 084 9264

19 BRDC CHRiSTMAS SoCiAL LunCH CLUBHOUSE CONTACT: Aspire Hospitality Tel: 01327 855104

For the latest details please check out: www.brdc.co.uk

brdc bulletin volume 28 issue 3 · 2015. 6. 8. · racing advert resize aug 07.qxp 10/08/2007 11:28...

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