First Chevron single-seater and Birley’s Prelude return

Chevron B7 back on track

In Chevron’s 60th anniversary year, the first single-seater to leave Derek Bennett’s Bolton factory – the unique B7 Peter Gethin raced in 1967 – briefly graced the 1000cc Historic Formula 3 field at Oulton Park.

Newly restored by Mike O’Brien’s Speedsport team, it suffered teething problems, thus 2023 champion Samuel Harrison was unable to showcase its potential.

Jake Shortland (B9) also retired from both races, leaving Cheshire’s Josh Sharp – whose 1962 Gold Cup visit started his love affair with racing – top Chevron rep, sixth on Sunday in his ex-Ken Sedgley B17, while veteran American McLaren F1 designer Steve Nichols (ex-Peter Hanson B17) finished 11th both days.

Birley bags fourths in Honda Prelude reunion

Centre of attention in the Special Saloons & Modsports paddock was the return of the Honda Prelude Thundersaloon that legendary ex-Alan Mann Racing engineer Jim Morgan built for Rod Birley.

Owner David Beatty reunited Birley with the turbocharged Ford Cosworth YB-engined car for the first time in 22 years and Rod – who won his last race at Oulton Park in it in August 1994, defeating the late Pete Stevens’ mighty Vauxhall Carlton – played himself in gently.

“I was in the groove, really starting to enjoy it by the second race,” said Birley, having landed a pair of fourth-place finishes.

The BRM legacy in all its glory

Formula Junior winner Grant also sampled BRM P201

Photo by: Mick Walker

British Racing Motors’s Formula 1 history was brilliantly presented by pre-eminent specialist Hall & Hall, the Owen family and passionate owners of the machines from Bourne.

Fans savoured the aural delights of four cylinder, V8, V12 and V16 BRM engines in demos on Friday and Saturday to mark 75 years since the team’s first F1 foray.

From Robs Lamplough’s P25, representing Jo Bonnier’s 1959 Dutch Grand Prix winner, through Graham Hill’s 1962 title-winning P578#1 ‘Old Faithful’ (with Richard Attwood up), Yardley P153 and Marlboro P160 to John Fenning’s P201, driven by Callum Grant, it was so much more than a dry cavalcade. Even the silent gas turbine Rover-BRM sportscar ran.       

A very special Triumph TR4

This unique Triumph was raced in the UK and beyond in the 1960s

Photo by: Mick Walker

Hertfordshire stockbroker Neil Dangerfield raced a Triumph TR4 in Britain and Europe in 1962-63, then had preparer Sprinzel Lawrencetune Racing reconfigure it with an aluminium aerodyne coupe body by Williams and Pritchard.

Campaigned from Spa 500kms to Goodwood TT until 1966, the SLR finished third in class at Oulton Park in 1964.

Acquired by racing dentist Tony Griffin in 1988, then restored, the unique Triumph (three similarly bodied Morgan-based cousins were built) competed in Goodwood’s inaugural Revival Meeting in 1998. On Saturday, Tony’s son Richard Hall-Griffin climbed from a pitlane start to an Historic Racing Drivers Club Allstars class-winning sixth.