Drivers honour Brands GP loop

Former Grand Prix drivers David Piper and Keith Greene were guests of honour as the 50th anniversary of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix loop was celebrated during the HSCC Historic Superprix in early July.

Piper, 79, and Greene, 72, both competed in the Silver City Trophy race in August 1960, on the day that the Grand Prix loop was opened for racing. While Piper retired after a tangle with Roy Salvadori, Greene finished 12th.

“Salvadori and I were coming out of Druids, and we touched and both spun out of the race,” said Piper. “The Lotus 16 of mine was facing uphill and his Cooper was facing downhill. Much later on, about 20 years ago, Roy sent me the photograph and said, ‘David, we must stop meeting like this!’”

“I was in that first race in the ex-Salvadori Cooper Maserati,” said Greene. “It was not the greatest of cars ever built but it was a big deal when they opened the GP loop.”

Piper and Greene were on hand to present the prizes after a pair of HGPCA races, named the Silver City Trophy to mark the 50th anniversary, with wins going to Mark Piercy (Lola Mk4) and Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21).

Other drivers from the August 1960 meeting on hand included Hugh Dibley and Roy Pierpoint, while other notable race winners included Bobby Verdon-Roe, who took another Historic F1 victory in his McLaren MP4/1B (above). Peter Meyrick and Martin Stretton shared the Historic F2 spoils, and Michael Hibberd took a Lurani Trophy Formula Junior double.