Because of the scale of facilities required by Formula 1 today, almost any event held at a F1 venue looks lost in the
surroundings. This is particularly noticeable in the spectator grandstands, which never looked more than sparsely
populated, despite there always being large numbers of people in the paddock, vendor and display areas between
races. The way the programme was organised did give people plenty of time to wander around the peripheral
activities, but there was perhaps too little track activity some of the time. On Sunday morning, where there was little
apart from a couple of display runs and a marching band, whilst on Monday morning there was no circuit activity at
all.
Ken Tyrrell
The first morning of the event coincided with the announcement of the death of Tyrrell F1 Team founder, Ken Tyrrell,
after a battle against cancer. For many years an integral part of the F1 scene, we all mourned his passing observing
a one minute silence, held in respect of the great man at lunchtime on Saturday. Sir Jackie Stewart, whose career
was intertwined with the Tyrrell team, winning all three of his World Drivers’ Championships with them, paid tribute
to him in a moving speech at the circuit on the Monday morning, when he performed the opening ceremony for the
day.
Group C Spectacle
Another new item on the agenda was the British Empire Trophy 2 hour endurance race on the Saturday evening for
Group C cars, that ran into the dusk. This attracted a healthy 40 car entry, although only 27 took the start, some due
to not having refuelling rigs. There were a number of XJR Jaguar variants, Porsche 935, 956, 962 and 993 models,
and the lone Ferrari F 40 of John Pogson, which won the invitation class, amongst a wide ranging field. For those
who didn’t have refuelling rigs there was the consolation of being able to run in the shorter Bob WollekTrophy race
on the Monday. The main event was won by the Hathaway/Pearson Jaguar XJR-11, with Ferrari 360 Challenge
driver, eighteen year old Nathan Kinch, winning the ”sprint” race in a Jaguar XJR-16, his car having retired from the
endurance race with gearbox problems, before he had a chance to take the driver’s seat.
Tin Top Tussles
Some of the most exciting and close racing came in the two 40 minute touring car races, one each day on Saturday
and Sunday. It was battle royal between the Mustangs at the front of the field, but there were close fights throughout,
with some exciting spectacles, from wheel waving Anglias and Lotus Cortinas to sideways Minis in lurid drifts. The
Mini Cooper of Barrie Williams that he shared with Norman Grimshaw, to take 3rd and 4th on the respective days,
was particularly spectacular in the hands of the former, almost seeming to defy gravity. There was some bent
panelwork at the end of the ”tin top” escapades, but it certainly provided masses of entertainment for the crowds.
Ferrari Fortunes
The Ferrari presence was relatively light on the competition front, although the Ferrari Owners’ Club marquee had a
good range of models on display around the perimeter, including a 166 MM/53 Vignale Spider, a 500 Mondial, a 500
Superfast and 268 SP sports racing model. There was also a wide selection of modern examples in the parking
area to the front of the marquee to enjoy.
In the Italy vs The Rest of the World race for pre 1959 drum brake sports cars there should have been five examples,
but the 750 Monza driven by David Franklin expired during practise, with a pool of oil beneath its sump. This left the
250 Testa Rossa of Carlos Monteverde as the car most likely to take the battle to the Maserati 300S models of
Burkhard von Schenk and Martin Stretton, which dominated practise, and ”The Rest of the World”. In the race the pair
of Maseratis duelled at the front of the field, leaving everybody in their wake, with the Testa Rossa running hard in
fifth. It was soon to be elevated to third when the pair in front of him spun, unfortunately one of them caught the right
side of the Testa Rossa as it passed, flattening the front wing and gauging the body around the door, although
Carlos Monteverde continued at an unabated pace. Late race drizzle made conditions a bit slippery on the far side of
the circuit, but Martin Stretton established his authority over Burkhard von Schenk to win, and Carlos Monteverde
survived a last lap spin to take the final podium position.
In the Italy vs The Rest of the World races for 1960s endurance cars, the ferrari presence was solely in the hands of
David Piper and his collection of cars entrusted to various people. This meeting saw the first appearance of his 330
P that had for a long time carried chassis number 0826, as a stand-in for the real 0826 which was also present in
365 P form. The former has engine number 0822, and now wears that number on the chassis frame as well. Also
present was his 330 P2 and 250 LM. He drove the 330 P2 , whilst the 250 LM was in the hands of David Franklin.
Jackie Oliver in a GT 40, similar to that which he shared with Jacky Ickx to win the 1969 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, took
victory in both races after close battles with the Lola T 70 of Colin Parry-Williams, who spun out of the second one,
allowing the Chevron B6 of Michael Schryver to fill the position. The best of the Ferrari bunch was David Franklin who
finished 5th in the first race ahead of team boss David Piper, and 3rd in the second again leading David Piper home,
to take the class victory.
Auction
The Bonhams & Brooks Auction took place late on Saturday afternoon, with the star lot being an ex-Scuderia Ferrari
Alfa Romeo 8C-2300, chassis # 2111027, in single ownership for the past 42 years, which merited a supplementary
catalogue. It was certainly the star of the sold lots, achieving £1,063,000. The only Ferrari on offer was a 1972 Dino
246 GT that sold for £36,700. Bidding was very strong in the toys, models and memorabilia section. A 2/3 scale
Italytoys petrol driven 312 T2 achieved almost twice the estimate when it sold for £5,980, a Ford Cosworth V8 DFV
display engine twice the estimate at £2,415, with most of the diverse array of items on offer going to new homes.
Overall, a wonderful gathering of cars and motorcycles, only let down by too long periods of inactivity in a spread out
programme that could have been condensed into two days. This would have made it more economically viable for a
family, perhaps deciding to go if the weather was good, for whom it was an expensive weekend if they visited and
paid at the gate every day.
Ferraris Of Note In Attendance
Racing
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