Historic racing news
Stuck to star at Shelsley
Son of pre-war GP ace lined up for Auto Union run | By Paul Lawrence
The amazing spectacle of Hans Stuck Jr at the wheel of a 1936 Auto Union C Type Grand Prix car will be the stand-out feature of the Classic Nostalgia Weekend at Shelsley Walsh
on July 16/17.
This remarkable coup for the Midland Automobile Club will mark 80 years since Hans Stuck Sr drove a similar Auto Union at the famous Worcestershire hill, the world’s longest-established motor sport venue.
Stuck Sr first competed at Shelsley at the wheel of his Austro-Daimler on July 12 1930, when he pared three seconds from Raymond Mays’ hill record to leave it at 42.8sec.
On June 6 1936 Stuck returned to Shelsley, this time with the 16-cylinder 5.3-litre Auto Union. In dry conditions on Friday, he completed several practice runs around the 40sec mark, but terrible weather on Saturday denied him the chance of bettering Mays’ new 39.6sec hill record. His best climb in slippery condition was 45.2sec, but the sight and sound of the mighty Auto Union still stunned a big crowd.
Stuck Sr was European hillclimb champion as well as an accomplished racer, while his son, 65, has two Le Mans victories for Porsche on his career record.
The Classic Nostalgia Weekend celebrates the history of the 1000-yard climb up the side of the Teme Valley, first used for motor sport on August 12 1905. The rest of the meeting will feature classes for a wide range of period machinery, include the many Shelsley Specials built specifically to attack the steep ascent.
Donington’s new F1 arrivals
Recent Grand Prix cars from Williams, Force India, Jordan and Midland F1 have been added to the Donington Grand Prix Collection.
New among the six Force India cars is chassis number VJM02-04R, which was driven by Giancarlo Fisichella to Force India’s first podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps in 2009 – a breakthrough result for the team.
The arrival of a 2004 Jordan and a 2006 Midland F1 car show the transition of Eddie Jordan’s former team through to its current ownership. All the new additions can be found in Hall Three of the Grand Prix Collection.
Fresh look for HSCC Brands
Brands Hatch will have a headline historic racing festival this season with a rebranded and enhanced version of the HSCC’s Historic Super Prix. The Legends of Brands Hatch Super Prix will run over three days from July 1-3 and will feature a reborn Race of Champions for the Derek Bell Trophy, featuring powerful single-seaters, including Formula 5000s. In 1973, Peter Gethin’s Formula 5000 Chevron B24 beat all the F1 cars in the Race of Champions.
Cars from the years when Brands Hatch first hosted the British Grand Prix will race under the wing of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association and a full support programme includes Super Touring Cars and Historic F2.
Other attractions will celebrate Brands Hatch in the 1960s and historically interesting cars will take part in demonstrations. “We’ve got a fabulous line-up for the renamed event, probably the best in the event’s 26-year history,” said Grahame White of the HSCC.
VSCC honours Mann
The VSCC will celebrate the life of vintage Bentley expert and long-time club member Stanley Mann during the Spring Start at Silverstone on April 23. The Stanley Mann Cup will form part of the GP Itala Trophy Race for pre-1931 Vintage Racing Cars, with a class for any pre-1931 Bentley accepted by the VSCC, Bentley Drivers’ Club or Benjafield’s Racing Club.
Fellow VSCC member Philip Strickland said: “Stanley was a proud promoter of the remarkable vintage Bentley. His philosophy was simple – the vintage Bentley can do everything and we should never miss a chance to prove it!”
Leyland-Thomas returns
A recreation of the 1920s Leyland-Thomas land speed record car will make its competition debut at the Chateau Impney hillclimb in July.
The vast machine was created by JG Parry-Thomas and used a 7.3-litre Leyland engine. David Haywood later acquired the engine and part of the chassis and spent 25 years rebuilding the car that set 16 speed records in 1922.
“There was a lot of heartache but now it’s running it’s a lot of fun,” said David.
Coulthard’s Glasgow demo
David Coulthard will drive a Red Bull RB7 on a street circuit in Glasgow this summer as part of Ignition, a new motor sport event based at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre over the weekend of August 5-7. Further track action on Glasgow’s first closed-road circuit will be provided by a selection of race, rally and supercars as well as motorbikes. “Coupled with Glasgow’s proven ability to stage world-leading events, Scotland’s rich heritage and passion for motor sport makes it the perfect location for our innovative Ignition festival of motoring,” said event director Jeremy Vaughan.
Tyrrell back on track
A Tyrrell 010, last raced by the late Michele Alboreto in the 1981 Austrian Grand Prix, will return to racing this season in the hands of new owner Mike Cantillon.
The car had been in the Alboreto family home in Italy since 1981, but Loïc Deman’s success in a similar car in last year’s Masters FIA Historic F1 Championship prompted its sale.