Motor Racing Legends at the Silverstone Classic

World Record Lister Turnout for BRDC Historic Sportscars

At the Silverstone Classic on July 26-27, a huge grid of 42 closely matched cars set the scene for another phenomenal BRDC Historic Sportscars race under its new, Motor Racing Legends management – not to mention a record turnout of 11 Listers. It’s thought that this is the greatest number of Listers ever to take part in a race: hence it’s a fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary year of the Lister Knobbly and, of course, to the tragic death of Archie Scott Brown in May 1958.

Right from the outset, the BRDC Historic Sportscars saw a real three-car ‘ding-dong’ for the lead, between Jamie McIntyre’s Lister Chevrolet, and the two Cooper Monacos of Frank Sytner and Graeme Dodd. When Dodd and McIntyre came into light contact, it sent Dodd into a spin which saw him pushed back to eighth place. Not deterred, however, he made a storming charge back through the field to ultimately take the lead… just at the point when John Chisholm’s XK120, with co-driver Rob Newall at the wheel, blew its guts down the pit straight and deposited a huge swathe of oil, all the way to Copse. First to reach the slick was Rupert Whyte, driving Rupert Wood’s Widi MkII. Whyte hit the oil under braking and suffered a serious shunt – fortunately with no harm to the driver.

This incident led to a lengthy stint under the Safety Car, which pretty much determined the outcome of the race. Simon Hadfield took over the Monaco from Frank Sytner and, once the Safety Car finally withdrew, opened up a strong lead which Dodd was simply unable to close – ultimately having to settle for second place. Meanwhile Jamie McIntyre’s Lister, now with Neil Cunningham at the wheel, was starting to suffer from worn tyres but fought bravely on to finish third.

Jaguars Streak to Victory in Woodcote Trophy

The 46-strong entry list for the second Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy race of 2008 featured four Aston Martin DB3Ss, five Jaguar D-types, a Ferrari Testarossa, two Maserati 300Ss, plus a wealth of other marques including a rich turnout of Frazer Nash and Austin-Healey. Qualifying saw the first two rows filled with Jaguars, Neil Cunningham taking pole in last year’s winner – Benjamin Eastick’s D-type.

After the demise of the Pickering/Marsh D-type, modern racer Neil Cunningham had a clear run to the finish and a Woodcote Trophy victory. Second place went to the famous, ex-works Jaguar D-type OKV2, driven by Peter Neumark and Mark Griffiths, with the Kurtis 500S of Chris Keen and Richard McAlpine in third.

Never Say Die: Gillett’s Pre-War Battle

At the rolling start of the BRDC 500 for Pre-War Sports Cars, poleman Simon Hope efficiently got the jump on the rest of the grid in Peter Neumark’s Alfa Romeo 8C Monza, and pulled smoothly off into the distance, with Gareth Burnett’s Talbot 105 in hot pursuit. By the halfway point, Hope had stretched this lead to an impressive 55 seconds and it seemed that a win was certain; but the competition was about to hot up.

A couple of minutes before the 30-minute midway point, Hope pitted, and handed the Alfa over to Neumark. Meanwhile – almost unnoticed – the Frazer Nash Supersports of Justin Maeers slipped into the pits. Maeers had quietly kept in touch with the battle for second place, despite an alarming moment when he had to drive right off the track to avoid a spinning Delage…

The Frazer Nash rejoined the race with Charles Gillett at the wheel. For nearly 25 minutes, Gillett put on the most astonishing display of driving, thrilling the crowd with his opposite-lock slides, and carving huge chunks out of Neumark’s lead. Given a lap or two more, Gillett would surely have won. He was a mere seven seconds down and closing fast, when the flag fell at the end of the hour – but Gillett had to settle for second place overall, and a class win, while the Alfa 8C Monza of Neumark and Hope took the chequered flag.

Six-Hours Meeting at Spa

The next rounds of the BRDC Historic Sportscars, the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy, and the Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Cars are all at the Spa Six-Hours Meeting, on September 26th – 28th.

For more information, see www.motorracinglegends.com.

[Source: Motor Racing Legends]