Photos and Report: Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC)- Silverstone April 30th
With the St John Horsfall Meeting being moved to Donington this year the AMOC Meeting at Silverstone was an all together lower key affair, add to the mix, the MRL historic Festival also at Donington over the weekend and race meetings at Snetterton and Brands Hatch. That said AMOC is one of my favourite clubs here in the UK and they managed to put a five race card together for the crowd which provided an entertaining afternoon of racing in yet another weekend of glorious sunshine albeit on the windswept National track. Race one, the Aston Martin GT4 challenge saw 12 Vantage based N24’s and GT4’s take to the track including Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner who made a one off return to the track partnering Aston Martin and Prodrive boss David Richards. The pair qualified 3rd, Horner taking the first stint in the car taking the lead after harrying the eventual winners Mark Poole and Richard Abra’s Generation AMR GT4 into a mistake at Copse in the opening laps Horner handed the car over to Richards who brought the car home in 6th place. Horner said “It’s a bit of a busman’s holiday being at a track on a weekend off but enjoyable” adding “…this is the first competitive thing I’ve done since F3000, this was for a one off only; it’s back to my day job now. My racing days are firmly behind me.” It’s clear that the competitive spirit is still there for Mr Horner; his pursuit of Abra in the opening laps was tenacious to say the least.
The Pirelli Ferrari Formula Classic, eighteen 70’s and 80’s Ferrari’s growled round to a rolling start with the Ferrari 328 GTB of Jim Cartwright putting in some storming laps to gap himself from the pursuing pack and take a dominant win, in the closing stages Gary Culver in a similar machine closed the gap to just over a second but Cartwright was always in control, third went to Ben Cartwright who hustled his way past Chris Butler mid race.
Due to events elsewhere in the country the small entry for the AMOC pre 66 and pre 60’s races were combined and just twelve cars took the start of a 40 minute race. Overall honours were decided between the pre 66 cars of Simon Crompton, Ac Cobra and the Jaguar E Type of Chris Scragg who were locked in a titanic battle for the entire race, by the flag the pair had lapped the entire field twice. Crompton won by just 0.391 of a second from Scragg, who had kept the Kirtlington man honest throughout. Martin Brewer in the magnificent Aston Martin Project 214 recreation ran a strong third before retiring after 8 laps. Completing the podium was Peter Barnard driving his 1958 Elva Courier MkI taking the pre 1960’s class honours.
The Pirelli Ferrari Open was won by Derek Johnston in his brand new Ferrari F458 challenge Leon Price and David Tomlin brought their F430 Challenge’s home second and third respectively.
The final race of the day the AMOC Intermarque was won by the sunbeam Tiger of Jackie Cochrane and Jonathan Fildes, that man Chris Scragg upheld AMOC pride with second in his 1973 Aston Martin V8, The Porsche 911 SC of Mike Johnson rounding out the podium.
Next up, all the news and photographs from the Silverstone Classic preview.
