An historic winning streak at Goodwood and Silverstone

SILVERSTONE FESTIVAL, August
My son Chris ended up doing most of the touring car race in our Toyota Corolla. It was peeing down and he’s mad in the wet. We finished eighth overall. The car has so much history. It was Chris Hodgetts’ BTCC title winner in 1986 and later became a rally car. We’ve had two outings in it this year and won the class twice.

PRE-GOODWOOD REVIVAL, August
I tend to do a day on the Lotus test track at Hethel before Goodwood. I drove a Lotus 18, 21 and 25 on the same day. It was interesting to see the progression, within an hour and a half! The 25 as a monocoque has less roll and needs less steering angles, all very tight. I also drove Katsu Kubota’s 24 a week later actually – so the whole set. I’ve been with Classic Team Lotus since 2009 and one of my skills is sorting out cars. I keep a book with set-up info, but most spring rates are stuck in my head. Then at Blyton I drove a Lotus 72, a Pilbeam sports car, another Lotus 18 – and James Hagan’s Tyrrell 011, too!

GOODWOOD REVIVAL & SPA, September
It was wet in qualifying at Goodwood and we didn’t have the right set-up on the Lotus 25 so I only qualified fifth. But it dried out in the race and I won my ninth Glover Trophy. The 25’s owner, John Bowers, watched from home in Australia and was thrilled. Then he travelled over for Spa, but tragically died at Brussels airport. At the request of the family we raced on and took a class win against the 2.5-litre cars. The car will be sold, I believe. There’s only a very small chance I’ll get to race it again. It’s like putting on a pair of old slippers. I’ve had a brilliant run with it.

SILVERSTONE, October
I did the Motor Racing Legends meeting with Jonathan Bailey. We won the touring car race in his Nissan Skyline. I won National Saloon Car titles in Skylines in 1995 and ’96 and can remember all the spring rates for the past 25 years! I also raced Jonathan’s yellow D-type. Jon is thinking about doing Le Mans Classic next year. In period, the car did Le Mans. It’s a 1956 shortnose, 3.4 rather than 3.8. Then it went to America. Jonathan’s dad bought it in the 1970s. Jon loves his racing and I add a competitive edge!

Our top events this month

Grizedale Stages Rally

Grizedale Rally, Cumbria, December 7 Up until the end of the ’90s, Grizedale Forest was an essential part of the RAC Rally. It’s still used for rallying. Hopefully with a dusting of snow, pine trees will be rattling to the sound of revving engines – 43 miles, six stages, based around Coniston. Start: 9.30am.

F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Yas Marina Circuit, UAE, December 8 Well this is it – the finale of the 2024 season. The drivers’ champion isn’t in doubt but the constructors’ title might be heading somewhere other than Red Bull or Mercedes for the first time since Brawn in 2009.

Plum Pudding Races

Mallory Park, Leicestershire, December 26 “Television’s rubbish this Christmas,” you’ll be saying, which is why this festive jamboree of car and motorcycle races – now in its 49th year – offers salvation. Admission is £14 per adult and the gates open at 9.30am.

World Rally-Raid – Dakar Rally 2025

Bisha/Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, January 3-17 All eyes will be on the Prodrive-run triumvirate of Dacia Sandrider cars driven by Sébastien Loeb, Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero and Nasser Al-Attiyah. Dakar starts the World Rally-Raid Championship calendar for 2025, part one of a five-round season that also takes in Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Portugal and Morocco.

Formula E – Mexico City ePrix

Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, January 11 The all-electric series is already on round two. Posche’s Pascal Wehrlein, the reigning Formula E champion, has won two of the last three e’sPrix hosted at this lofty venue which, at an elevation of 7342ft, makes it the highest race track on the planet.

More Events

Dec 5 SOCC Rally – Pigs in Blankets
Dec 28 CDCC Autosolo – Stuff the Turkey
Jan 1 Brooklands New Year’s Gathering