HISTORIC NEWS
The latest in the historic scene
Formula 1 TV presenters and pundits Mark Webber, Karun Chandhok and Susie Wolff got a taste of the sport’s heritage when they took to a soaking wet Silverstone to drive cars representative of the grid for the 1948 British Grand Prix. Channel 4 put together the feature to mark the circuit’s 70th anniversary.
The inaugural race was run on October 2 on a makeshift track using the runways and perimeter roads of what had been a wartime airfield. It was Britain’s first major post-war race and Silverstone’s first official race meeting. Luigi Villoresi completed 65 laps of the 3.6-mile track in three hours 20 minutes in a Maserati 4CLT.
Veteran TV commentator and former F1 Racing columnist Murray Walker joined nine-time grand prix winner Webber, Chandhok and Wolff to lend his memories of the time. Webber drove the ERA GP1 E-type now owned and raced by Duncan Ricketts, while Chandhok and Wolff drove Alta and Cooperbristol grand prix cars from the same era.
Sky Sports F1 have also been delving into the past, filming a feature to mark the 60th anniversary of Mike Hawthorn becoming Britain’s first F1 champion. Martin Brundle had the privilege of driving the Ferrari 246 Dino re-creation owned by Tony Best.
In new hands for the 2018 season is the remarkable Lotus 21 Jim Clark was driving when he was involved in the tragic accident that claimed the lives of Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators at Monza in 1961.
Now owned by experienced US racer John Delane, the car was brand new for the Monza race but was impounded in Italy for several years following the accident before being brought back to the UK by Tom Wheatcroft. Recently it was owned and raced by Tony Best, but has still only contested about 10 races. “It still has visible damage on the chassis from the Monza accident,” said Delane, who plans a European season with the car.
One of the three Scirocco-brm GP cars from 1963 is back in the UK for a European programme with Californian owner Harindra Da Silva. Three cars were built in the UK by Roy Thomas, with US funding via team driver Tony Settember. Da Silva’s car is the second chassis, which is markedly smaller since it was built for the diminutive Ian Burgess. Found stored in a mill in Bristol, after restoration by Hall and Hall it has run at Goodwood but is now in Europe for a fuller programme.
After an absence of 12 years, F1 cars returned to the Imola track in Italy recently for the Historic Formula 1 Grand Prix of San Marino.
Two races for the FIA Masters Historic Formula 1 Championship ran for the Elio de Angelis Trophy, which headlined the first ever Motor Legend Festival. Mike Cantillon (Williams FW07) and Martin O’connell (ATS D4) shared the wins and the event included tributes to Jim Clark, Martini Racing, Ayrton Senna and de Angelis.
“THE INAUGURAL RACE WAS RUNONA MAKESHIFT TRACK USING THE RUNWAYS AND PERIMETER ROADS OF WHAT HAD BEEN A WARTIME AIRFIELD”