Autosport – 25 July 2019

AUTOSPORT HISTORICS 25 JULY 2019 5

SILVERSTONE CLASSIC PREVIEW

Stig Blomqvist, the 1984 World Rally champion, will live out
something of a teenage fantasy in the Transatlantic Trophy races
for pre-1966 touring cars. He’ll pilot the seven-litre ex-Alan
Mann Racing Ford Galaxie that he watched race as a kid when the
European Touring Car Championship docked in his native Sweden
in 1964. “Seeing that big car all those years ago really made a huge
impression on me when I was young – it looked four times bigger
than all the other Cortinas and two-stroke Saabs,” says Blomqvist.
“I could never have dreamt that one day I’d be actually racing the
very same car that first excited me at Karlskoga.” Blomqvist and
Bill Shepherd will be up against it at Silverstone, ranged against
later Fords in the shape of Lotus Cortinas, Mustangs and Falcons.

Joe Colasacco took a sensational Glover Trophy win at Goodwood

last year in his sonorous Ferrari 1512, but he’ll be up against

bigger-engined opposition at Silverstone, such as Barry Cannell’s

Brabham BT11A that has an extra 1200cc. Last year’s top two

Will Nuthall (Cooper T53) and Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21)

return, as does 2018 polesitter Jon Fairley in his Brabham BT11/19.

Formula Palmer Audi champion Richard Tarling will make the

1500cc Assegai go indecently rapidly, and ex-Historic Formula

Ford pacesetter and current McLaren GT driver Michael O’Brien

should be one to watch in a Brabham BT14. There’s also a strong

front-engined contingent, including Miles Griffiths (Lotus 16),

the unique Tec-Mec of Tony Wood and Julian Bronson’s Scarab.

BLOMQVIST’S

CHILDHOOD DREAM

TOP FIELD OF

PRE-1966 GP CARS

Bentley is celebrating its
100th anniversary, and is well
represented in the pre-war
sportscar contest. No fewer than
15 are signed up to compete,
including one for Patrick
Blakeney-Edwards, normally seen
in Frazer Nash machinery. The
Halusa family are renowned for
their exquisite car collection and
their pre-war entry is an Alfa
Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider.

Bentley and Alfa

in pre-war

sportscars

The pre-1966 Mini finale at April’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting remains one of the best

races so far in 2019 and the wide sweeps of Silverstone should allow even more side-by-

side action. Nick Swift, who secured Goodwood success at the final corner, heads an

oversubscribed entry that includes fellow Mini aces Kane Astin, Ian Curley, Jonathan

Lewis and Endaf Owens, plus stars from elsewhere. Also watch out for BTCC title

contender Andrew Jordan, who missed Goodwood because he was busy winning at Brands.

MINI MADNESS

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