There was a clear, overarching theme across the opening two days of Oulton Park’s Historic Gold Cup meeting, with Britain’s first Formula One team, British Racing Motors (BRM) celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The BRM theme built through Friday into Saturday which acted as the main day for a glorious look back at a patriotic, quintessentially British team of yesteryear. At the heart of the show is a special tent in the race paddock, filled with BRM Formula 1 and sports cars from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ’70s.
The star cars were joined on Saturday by a number of major names from the team’s past, including former F1 drivers Howden Ganley, Richard Attwood and Mike Wilds. The trio initially took part in a special Q&A session hosted by legendary circuit commentator Ian Titchmarsh before attention shifted to the demonstrations at lunchtime, with Attwood himself taking part.
A wide range of cars lined up, ranging from ‘60s models to early ‘70s cars powered by the iconic BRM V12. But for many the star attraction of the demonstration overseen by historic race car preparers Hall and Hall was the BRM V16 which treated those trackside to a unique sound.
Following the track action, the BRMs returned to the marquee where they will remain for the rest of the event. Fans then flocked back to the interview tent where, with Titchmarsh once again at the helm, former Chief Designer Tony Southgate was joined by Rick Hall of Hall and Hall and Paul Owen, one of the chief custodians of BRM’s modern era, for another interview session.
Beyond the BRM celebrations, there was also the matter of this weekend’s race action which got underway with several contests through the day. This included the first of two Historic Grand Prix Car Association (HGPCA) races in which competitors are racing for the Historic Gold Cup across Saturday and Sunday.
It was Sam Wilson who emerged from the first of the HGPCA races in first at the wheel of his Lotus with Rudi Friedrichs just over six seconds back in his Cooper. Andy Willis ensured a BRM made the top-three with Peter Horsman and James Denty rounding out the top-five in another pair of Lotuses.
Historic Grand Prix Car Association ‘Historic Gold Cup’ Race 1
- Sam Wilson, Lotus 20/22
- Rudi Friedrichs, Cooper T53, +6.031s
- Andy Willis, BRM P48-7, +22.420s
- Peter Horsman, Lotus 18/21, +37.448s
- James Denty, Lotus 21, +44.857s
- Philipp Buhofer, BRM P261-2, +49.991s
- Tom Dark, Cooper T51, +50.109s
- Geoff Underwood, Cooper T53, +54.425s
- Rod Jolley, Cooper T53, +1m08.304s
- Mark Daniell, Cooper T45, +1m32.563s
Elsewhere, there was a victory for Elliot Paterson in the opening race of the weekend – the Charles Barter Trophy for 70s and Historic Road Sports – at the wheel of a Morgan Plus 8. The Amon Trophy for Ferraris also got underway with Gary Culver topping the podium, whilst Callum Grant won the first of two Jim Clark Cup races for Historic Formula Juniors.
The HRDC Jack Sears Trophy for retro touring cars was especially hard fought, following a 45-minute scrap between the leading Lotus Cortinas. By the time they crossed the finish line, Michael Cullen was just shy of three seconds clear of the similar machine shared by Justin and Oliver Law.
Roy Alderslade was another victory in a Cortina, winning the HRDC Dunlop Allstars with Classic Alfa Challenge Race. Enrico Spaggiari was the other winner of the day, leading the pack home in Historic Formula 3.
Click here for a full list of results
Tickets for Sunday at the Oulton Park Gold Cup are available on the gate with reductions for 13-15-year-olds and FREE entry for under-13s.
