This
meeting has become something of a tradition. An event where clubs display
the best of their cars on their allocated sites and the best of the
racing machinery is to be seen in the paddock ready to perform. The
dominant presence in the infield was the impressive show put on by sponsors,
Bonhams & Brooks for their sale on the site. In swashbuckling style,
the 1929 Gypsy Moth being offered for sale (The very one which starred
in "Out of Africa" with Denys Ffinch-Hatton alias Robert Redford
taking Baroness von Blixen (Meryl Streep) over the wide sweeps of Kenyan
bush and hill country, flew in to the circuit to be parked outside the
marquee, very glamorous.
The
aerial displays comprised of The Great War Display Team, a selection
of replicas of early bi and tri planes, The Blue Eagles Helicopter Display
Team, The Red Devils Parachute Team and the ever popular Balloon presence.
Unfortunately, this year the Foot & Mouth restrictions have curtailed
much of the balloon activities and this meeting was no exception. The
display was limited to a tethered ascent.
A section of the paddock was devoted to the vehicles of
The Historic Grand Prix Drivers Association. For the information of
the public, the cars were issued with large signs giving a full description.
A "must" when many of the visitors are not experts and agog
to learn more.
At this point I bumped into Cliff Allison, ex Lotus Formula
One driver of the fifties and sixties. A keen member of the B.R.D.C.,
he rarely misses a big meeting and as usual was accompanied by his sister.
He was taking a good look at the Kurtis "Indy" car, a fairly
new arrival on the historic scene here.
One
event which is sure to have evoked much emotion was the Mike Hailwood
Memorial Trophy for Classic 750 and unlimited motorcycles. This was
to be held on Sunday and Saturdays practice gave a taste of the treat
in store to any motorcycle fan. The wonderful roar of the Ducati Vee
Two out on the circuit dueting with the throatier Nortons and Triumphs
were great to see and hear.
The
entry for the British Empire Trophy race for Group C Endurance Cars
had attracted a good entry. Cars which had hitherto had no stage on
which to perform found themselves once more stars. The entry ranged
from Aston AMR1 through XJR Jaguars, Ferrari F40, a wealth of Porsches,
various Spices etc., etc., Practice was very hairy, setting the scene
for an interesting battle late on Saturday afternoon.
One startling performance that just had to be watched
was one of the V.S.C.C.,. star drivers, Martin Stretton who was entered
in a 1985 XJR6 which should theoretically have been thoroughly outclassed.
Not so. Stretton carved his way through the field and promised well
for the race itself. Since I could not stay for the duration of this
race, I rang Martin to ask how his race had gone. He was as ever philosophical
when he told me that a fuel pressure problem meant that he had spent
16 laps in the pits and therefore had no chance of any placing. But,
as he rightly said "There's always next time"
Martin
was born into the racing scene. His uncle Lionel Stretton was a well
known Frazer-Nash campaigner and just to add weight to the situation
his adoptive "Uncle" Mark Joseland was another prominent "Nash"
body and so it was inevitable that Martin was going to be steeped in
Castrol "R" from a very early age. He began racing a Frazer-Nash
in 1979 and for ten years stuck with the marque in Vintage racing. During
this time he also had a brief foray into Formula Ford and did pretty
well at this. In 1989 Martin was given the opportunity to drive more
potent machinery by Mike Hayward who made his T43 Cooper, Type 51 Bugatti
and other cars available. I was left in no doubt of the gratitude that
Martin feels for his mentor, the driving of these cars proved a turning
point in his driving career. R4D, the ex-Raymond Mays E.R.A., has also
given our man some good drives. For the forthcoming Goodwood revival
meeting he is scheduled to drive a "Lightweight" E type Jaguar,
"B" type and "C" type Connaughts. When he is not
behind the wheel, Martin's racing preparation/restoration business is
very successful and keeps him fully occupied.
