Matters of moment, July 2004

Johnny Herbert heads 1950s entry for GP support

Ex-Formula One driver Johnny Herbert will head the field for the Historic Sportscar race which will support the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 11. He will drive a Jaguar D-type.

Organised by the BRDC, the race will replace the cancelled BTCC event and feature a capacity 42-car grid of 1950s sports-racers.

Internal wrangling over start money and costs caused the non-championship touring car race to be canned, and the BRDC was then asked to put together an event as a replacement feature for the morning of the grand prix.

Herbert, who won the 1995 British GP with Benetton, will guest in the Nigel Webb-entered D-type Jaguar, the car raced by Win Percy in recent seasons. Herbert will also drive the car at Goodwood in September, but the grand prix support will be his first chance to dial himself into it

The race will also include another D-type and three C-types, as well as the Ferrari 246S of Peter Hardman and the lovely Maserati Birdcage of Alan Minshaw. However, the pace is likely to be set by the nimble Cooper Monacos of John Harper and Ted Williams and the Lotus 15 of Philip Walker.

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BRDC rebuilds historic festival with Brooklands ‘500 mile’ race

The BRDC will run a one-day meet at Silverstone at the end of July, but intends to build it into a major historic festival over the coming seasons.

The feature race this year will be a recreation of the BRDC 500 Mile race, first held at Brooklands in 1929.

The race on July 31 will be a two-driver affair for pre-war sportscars, lasting over an hour, with the awards presented in front of the Brooklands Gates outside the BRDC clubhouse.

Other feature races include the Peter Hanson Trophy thr 1-litre F3 cars, two rounds of the BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship and a 30min race for 1960s sports and GT cars.

Scrutineering for the Brooklands race will be held on Friday evening at nearby Stowe House, while the race will begin with a demonstration Le Mans start.

Hot-air balloons, club displays, star guests and a retro run are all being planned as the initial steps towards rebuilding the festival’s importance.