Kentish Express Ashford & District
Racers from the 70s re-united
Motorsport
Roger Swaffer and Brian Davis were team-mates back in the 1970s.
They raced Cortinas, two 21-year-olds doing what they loved after forming Ashford’s first rallycross team.
The pair lost touch, but have now been re-united with Davis’ company, Chilham-based Autoquip, sponsoring Swaffer’s son Matt as he bids for a second successive Toyo Tyres BMW Production Class Championship.
Davis and his son Ben, who runs the business with Brian, and the Swaffers got together for a photocall ahead of last weekend’s latest round on the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone.
Matt finished second behind championship rival Will Davison, making the race for the title, even more of a two-horse affair, as the pair continue to dominate the season’s standings.
Race engineer Roger said: “The newspaper cutting brings back great memories of when we raced back then.
“We hadn’t spoken for years, and then Brian and Ben then saw Matt’s Facebook page, and they got in touch and agreed to back us.”
He added: “Matt and I are not interested in coming second – we want to win it. It was always going to be between Davison and Matt for the title. Will won both, with Matt one and half seconds behind him, with a 12 second gap to the third placed man.
“The Racing Saloons race was also taking place at the same time on the Grand Prix circuit so there were more than 50 cars on the track at the same time, meaning Matt and Will were battling between themselves for the lead, and trying to get past the others.”
Speculation continues about the future of the British Grand Prix being staged at Silverstone, with a decision expected next week about the future of the race beyond 2019.
Swaffer is a Silverstone fan, hailing the Northamptonshire circuit as one of the best in the world.
He said: “It’s a brilliant place and ridiculous to think the race won’t take place there, but I suppose it’s all about money.”
‘The newspaper cutting brings back great memories’