Racing and Competition

After the summer break, Defender Challenge by Bowler returns this weekend for its fourth round as nine teams battle it out at the Trackrod Rally, part of the annual Rally Yorkshire event. Based at Pickering Showground, the course takes in 53 miles of rally stages that twist through the spectacular Yorkshire countryside over two days and opening with the daunting prospect of challenging night stages. The FIA-approved Land Rover Defender 90 Hard Tops are modified by Bowler Motorsport specifically for rally competitions. Engines are tuned to 170bhp and 450Nm of torque and the suspension system features uprated dampers and roll bars. Lighter wheels, a full roll-cage and rally safety features complete the specification. This weekend, a number of Land Rover employees and apprentices join the Bowler technical teams to support the rally. In addition to their ‘day jobs’, enthusiasts from […]

Norman Dewis, OBE, chief test driver and development engineer for Jaguar Cars from 1952 to 1985, is set to become the oldest ever contestant when he drives in this year’s MPG Marathon – at the tender age of 95! Dewis, who was born in 1920, will be entering this year’s event, rated as the UK’s most prestigious lean-driving challenge, in a rear wheel drive, 2.0 litre 163hp Jaguar XE alongside Jaguar Heritage communications officer, Tony O’Keeffe. Over the years, Dewis has played a major role in the development of some of Jaguar’s most iconic models, including the E-Type, XJ6, XJ-S and many more. He was behind the wheel of a Jaguar XK120 in October 1953 when it reached 172.412mph at Jabbeke, Belgium, a record for production cars. Awarded the OBE for services to the motor industry in the New Year’s […]

As many as half a million spectators will line the route of the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run this November, when the longest running motoring event in the world sets off on its annual adventure from London to Brighton (Sunday 1 November). Like the hardy teams piloting their amazing horseless carriages from the capital to the coast, the spectators brave whatever the weather conjures up to salute motoring’s pioneers: every car taking part was built before 1905. Best of all, every vantage point along the 60-mile route offers completely free viewing allowing everyone to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of more than 400 veterans as they ‘put-put’ their way to Brighton. Although the Run follows more or less the same route as last year, there have been a few changes to make it even better for participants […]

Caterham Cars is entering the UK’s most prestigious eco-driving event, the MPG Marathon, for the first time in a two seater sports cars billed as the manufacturer’s ‘most frugal ever’. The British sportscar maker will be entering the entry level version of the iconic Caterham Seven, the 160, rated as the most economical in the company’s history and the most cost-effective two-seater sportscar on the market. The 160 is powered by a super-compact, turbocharged three-cylinder Suzuki engine, which enables it to achieve an impressive 57.6mpg, emit just 114g/km CO2 and yet reach 0 – 62mph in a blistering 6.5 seconds. “We are delighted that Caterham Cars is entering the MPG Marathon, the UK’s leading lean driving challenge, for the first time,” said organiser Jerry Ramsdale, publishing director of Fleet World. “We will be very interested to see how it compares against […]

I am a big fan of New Orleans, and also a fan of the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association). So what could be better than combining the two? Our video this week is from the SVRA touting their upcoming races in the Crescent City. This new addition to the SVRA schedule will be co-hosted by the Texas-based vintage car club, Corinthian Vintage Auto Racers (CVAR), at this racing facility located just 14 miles from the French Quarter of New Orleans. This event is non-points race for both clubs, featuring two days of exciting racing for all classes. Also sharing the weekend, as a featured group, will be The Trans-Am Series. In addition to the racing, there is a Saturday Car Show. NOLA presents a 2.75-mile, world-class track consisting of 16 turns, with a 5,200-foot straightaway. Designed to be challenging, but […]

America’s British Reliability Run, a three-day rally in classic British cars for charity, rides again! The dates are October 16th to 18th. In 2013, twelve teams from all various marque clubs and all over the region ran a 750 mile route through Pennsylvania and raised over $9,000 for the Children’s Specialized Hospital in NJ. This year, at least twenty-seven ABRR teams will be driving through some of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey’s most scenic roadways at a time when fall color should be near its peak. The Run will begin in Quakertown, PA with its terminus in Milford, NJ. We will have dinner Friday night at the iconic Seneca Lodge, in Watkins Glen, NY. We will have a presentation by Bill Green, the historian for the Watkins Glen race track and International Motor Racing Research Center. After a ceremonial […]

History repeated itself last weekend as the JD Classics-owned 1954 Cooper T33 took a class win at the Brighton Speed Trials, just as it did at the same event sixty years ago. The latest victory adds even more heritage to the Cooper’s already-impressive competition history. The Brighton Speed Trials have been running since 1905, and in the 1955 event the Cooper T33’s original owner Cyril Wick competed in his car, setting the fastest time for sports cars over 2501cc. This year, JD Classics Managing Director Derek Hood took the Cooper T33 back to Madeira Drive in Brighton for the latest running of the Speed Trials. Damp roads and more than 90 competitors made for a hotly contested event but the dominant Cooper easily came out on top of its class with a top speed of 106mph and a fastest time […]

Tests conducted by the University of Portsmouth reveal that driving a powerful car can provoke a more dramatic physical response than enjoying a rollercoaster ride or jumping out of a plane. Working with MINI’s new John Cooper Works Hatch, launched this summer, scientists from the University of Portsmouth’s Sport and Exercise Science department ran a series of physical, psychological and physiological tests to measure the effect the car had on a selection of drivers and stunt driver, of Rush and Mission Impossible 5 fame, Niki Faulkner.

Lister Cars is eagerly anticipating this weekend’s Goodwood Revival with a host of Lister competition cars taking to the famous track. Some nine Lister racing cars, including five ‘Knobbly’ models, have been entered into the fiercely competitive Sussex Trophy on Sunday September 13th for world championship sports racing cars built between 1950 and 1960. In Goodwood’s own words the racers featured in The Sussex Trophy are “big, powerful cars, perfectly suited to Goodwood’s fast, sweeping curves, and which always produce a stunning spectacle.” The nine Listers will compete in an expected 31-car field racing against other period machines including several examples of the Jaguar D-type and Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’ as well as the Ferrari 246S Dino and Aston Martin DBR2 among others. The privately-entered Listers include one Lister-Jaguar ‘Flat Iron’, three Lister-Jaguar Costins, three Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobblys’ and two Lister-Chevrolet […]

Jaguar will celebrate its glorious history in style at the Goodwood Revival this year, with the presentation of a selection of famous heritage sports cars, new products for heritage car owners and the opportunity for festival visitors to race heritage cars of the electric-powered kind on its stand within the Earls Court Motor Show enclosure. Jaguar is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2015, and Jaguar will present iconic and award winning Jaguar sports cars on its show stand. In addition, Jaguar invites festival visitors to compete using scale model historic race cars on a custom-built Scalextric race track, which will be positioned on the main stand. The 1938 SS100 Jaguar 2 ½ Litre is one of the rarest of the breed with only 191 examples ever made. Also on display is a cherished piece of automotive history – the 1950 XK120 wearing […]

  This superb book tells the story of one of the most historically interesting of all Jaguar D-types – a car that has raced more than any other D-type. The long and varied life of XKD 504 is recounted in full, from its role as a works car used extensively for testing fuel injection, to two seasons of racing throughout Europe with Ecurie Ecosse, to four busy years of national competition in the hands of first Mike Salmon and then Peter Sutcliffe. This book provides fascinating insight into every aspect of this D-type’s history, supported by a fine collection of period photographs. Any Jaguar enthusiast will enjoy this addition to the ‘Great Cars’ series. Key content Life as a works car, including its important testing role and two races in 1956. Two seasons with Ecurie Ecosse, including sixth place in […]

A very personal film, made in collaboration with Credit Suisse, has revealed new insights into the extraordinary life of motorsport icon Sir Stirling Moss. The 85-year-old race ace, who dominated the international scene in the 1950s and early-60s, chats candidly ahead of the 18th running of the Goodwood Revival at the circuit where he achieved so much success in his 15-year professional career. Talking at his London home with motorsport journalist, broadcaster and Goodwood commentator Henry Hope-Frost, Sir Stirling reminisces about his remarkable life on the race track. He talks fondly about Goodwood, the circuit that bookended his career via a 500cc Formula 3 win at the opening meeting in September 1948, when he was just 19, and the Glover Trophy Formula 1 accident at Easter in 1962 that put an end to his career. With 2015 marking the 60th […]

Whilst MG Triple Eight Racing’s Jack Goff was celebrating his debut win in his MG at the MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton, 19-year-old Ryan Sykes was getting to grips with his very own MG off the track. It’s not every day a customer’s new car is handed over by a racing driver, but for lifeguard Ryan Sykes that’s how he received his brand new MG3 last weekend (Saturday 8th August). Ryan is the son of the owner of Norfolk-based 5 Star Cases, one of Jack’s sponsors, and from the start of the partnership between MG and Jack, Ryan has been hoping to own one of his own. Ryan said: “My dad started working with Jack in 2013, but it wasn’t until Jack started racing for MG Triple Eight that I started looking at MGs and saw what […]

Lotus Motorsport redefines the Exige V6 Cup with the introduction of the Exige 360 Cup. New lightweight panels and an increase in power mean the Lotus Motorsport Cup model continues to provide a benchmark in handling and performance. The Exige 360 Cup bespoke styling signals an evolution in design, with an option of four colours (Metallic White, Metallic Grey, Metallic Black and Metallic Silver) and stealth matt black roof, front access panel and louvered tailgate. This design is a limited edition run of 50 vehicles and each of these special Exige 360 Cup cars will receive a numbered Lotus Motorsport build plate. This new model boasts an increase in power of 10 PS with freer flowing induction and a sports exhaust system, which combined with a low vehicle weight of 1130 kg gives an incredibly pure driving experience on road […]

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) is delighted to announce it will be auctioning Hornby Hobbies’ Ultimate 2015 Scalextric track at CarFest South on Sunday 30th August. Designed by Sky Sports F1® expert Martin Brundle, the biggest layout the slot car track experts have ever created will take centre stage on Hornby’s stand at the festival. Scalextric’s magnificent track is made up of 177 pieces and is 45 metres long.  It features the best corners, chicanes, and sections from the 2015 F1® calendar that fans can watch live on Sky Sports F1® throughout the season, including: Italy and the Ascari Chicane Monaco and the Casino Square Canada and the Wall of Champions Silverstone and the Copse Abu Dhabi and the Marina Complex Martin Brundle, Sky Sports F1® expert and former racing driver, commented: “The team challenged me to design my dream circuit […]

“Team Amelia” will again be part of the annual Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13-16, 2015. The historic car races at Laguna Seca are a large part of the annual festival and celebration of classic, historic, competition and collector cars known simply worldwide as “Monterey Car Week.”

Reigning Caterham R300-S Superlight champion, Aaron Head and 2014 runner-up Dave Robinson will continue their head-to-head fight for this year’s title at Brands Hatch this weekend (Aug 1/2). In one of the most thrilling championship battles in the history of the competitive class, the pair have been scrapping all season long, but it is Robinson who leads going into the race weekend at the famous Kent circuit. The R300-S Championship is the pinnacle of Caterham’s domestic motorsport programme, which features five series, starting with the entry-level Caterham Academy, which is where Robinson started his racing career.

A wide variety of Lister models took part in the Stirling Moss Trophy at Silverstone Classic over the weekend, crossing the finish line second and third in a competitive field of pre-’61 sports racing cars. The Lister Jaguar Knobbly ‘5’ had looked a certain winner as the race began to unfold, with a brilliant start taking it from sixth to first on the opening lap. For the next five laps Listers diced for the first three positions, with the Knobbly ‘8’ and Lister Costin Jaguar ‘16’ chasing down the leader. The Ferrari 246S ‘46’ was battling hard, making its way through the grid and dicing with the Listers every step of the way. Eventually it was sitting second just behind the Lister Jaguar Knobbly ‘5’ and finally jumped in to the lead during the pitstop window. But the Listers continued […]