Historic racing news
Hunt’s title celebrated
Classic F1 season revisited, 40 years on
The 40th anniversary of James Hunt’s world championship title will be celebrated during major events at Goodwood, Silverstone and Brands Hatch this summer.
The career of Hunt, who died in 1993, will be a major theme at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. To mark his defeat of Niki Lauda by a single point to win the 1976 title, examples of every significant car from the Englishman’s career will be at Goodwood. Surtees, Hesketh, McLaren and Wolf Grand Prix machinery will be on show as well as other race cars from his career. His sons Tom and Freddie, along with family, friends, drivers, team members and mechanics, will be present.
A month later, Hunt will be remembered at the Silverstone Classic with a display of cars, trophies, suits and helmets. Hunt scored his first F1 win at Silverstone, in the 1974 International Trophy, with Hesketh. His sons will also be at Silverstone and Freddie will contest one of the touring car races, sharing a Mini Cooper S (below left) with Jonathan Lewis.
A demonstration of ex-Hunt cars will be staged at the Masters Festival at Brands Hatch on May 28/29 and the winner of Sunday’s Historic F1 race will receive the James Hunt Trophy. Hunt had his first race and his last win at Brands Hatch. “I’m really thrilled that Masters is remembering my father and his world championship success,” said Freddie. “Brands was a special place to him.”
BMW theme at the FoS
BMW will be the honoured marque at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which celebrates the marque’s 100th anniversary with a feature display.
Cars on show will include the 1940 Mille Miglia-winning 328, an M1 Procar and the 1983 Brabham-BMW BT52 with which Nelson Piquet scored the first Formula 1 world championship title for a turbocharged car.
Other star exhibits will be the 1999 Le Mans-winning V12 LMR as well as 635CSI and M3 touring cars. Bringing the story up to date will be a 2010 M3 GT car and Michael Dunlop’s 2014 TT-winning 1000RR motorcycle.
Ex-Pryce Shadow returns
An ex-Tom Pryce Shadow DN3 will return to racing this season after a gap of more than 30 years, and will compete at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique in the hands of British racer Phil Keen.
Pryce used chassis DN3/5 in the second half of the 1974 season and scored his first world championship points in the German Grand Prix. The Shadow has been acquired by Jon Minshaw,who has entrusted it to his British GT co-driver Keen.
“It’s an incredible car and has been untouched since 1975. It’s been in a private collection,” said Minshaw.
Packed Monaco F1 entry
A total of 70 3-litre Grand Prix cars will line up at Monaco for the 10th Grand Prix Historique over the weekend of May 13-15. Alongside the regular drivers from the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship will be Adrian Newey (Lotus 49), Emanuele Pirro (Ferrari 312B3), Eje Elgh (March 711) and Anthony Beltoise, son of 1972 Monaco winner Jean-Pierre, in a Matra MS120B.
To accommodate entries, the 3-litre F1 field will be split across two races, one spanning 1966-72 and one for cars from 1973-76. Earlier GP cars will contest pre-61 and pre-66 races, with Andy Middlehurst heading the latter entry in his ex-Jim Clark Lotus 25.
Brabham back in action
The ex-Dave Morgan Brabham BT35, winner of the opening round of the 1972 European Formula 2 Championship at Mallory Park, will return to competition this season.
After the shock Mallory result, when Morgan’s taller Formula Atlantic tyres proved ideal for the bitterly cold day, BT35 chassis 8 went to Australia and remained there until acquired recently by John Hughes, the former FIA Historic Commission chairman. He plans to use it in some classic European hillclimbs.
Stokes’ memory honoured
The late David Stokes will be commemorated with an end-of-season award in the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
This will honour the rallying career and character of the four-time BHRC champion, who was challenging for a fifth crown in his Ford Escort MkI when taken ill with cancer last summer.
He died in February.
The award will be presented to the individual who displays ‘spirit and enthusiasm for the BHRC in the style of David’. This could be a driver, co-driver, mechanic, official or marshal.
Smits to rebuild Lola
Michiel Smits is recovering well from back injuries sustained during the Goodwood Members’ Meeting and says he plans to return to the event in his rebuilt Lola T70 Spyder.
“It could have turned out much worse,” said the Dutchman. “The car will be repaired as soon as possible and I’m already looking forward to next year’s Goodwood event.”
The car flew off the road at Woodcote corner after it was thought to have been hit by bodywork from another car.