The weird and wonderful from national racing this week

Unexpected instruction of the week: Colin Tester at Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch instructor Colin Tester had a surprise when a text message popped up last Thursday, asking him to show a circuit newcomer the way around in preparation for the weekend’s GT World Challenge double-header.

The penny started to drop with the further news that the driver in question was Italian and had done some motorcycle racing in the past. This was indeed Valentino Rossi who, despite an illustrious career spanning many years, had never visited the Kent track.

Armed with one of MotorSport Vision’s racing school BMWs and with Tester in the passenger’s seat, he toured the full Grand Prix layout, picking up useful hints and information to prepare for driving his Team WRT Audi R8.

“He took it quite steadily, and was altogether a charming pupil,” said Tester, who raced in the Porsche Club series over the weekend.

Rossi put Tester's instruction to good use as he scored the first points of his season, finishing eighth in race two.

Like grandfather, like grandson: Bob Simpson and Jake Doherty

 

Photo by: Steve Jones

Four-time 750 Formula champion Bob Simpson turned to an avid spectator last weekend at Silverstone, as he handed the driving duties to his grandson Jake Doherty.

Simpson, who has competed continuously in the 750 Motor Club series for more than 50 years, watched as Doherty raced his 1991-built SS/F 750.

REPORT: All the action from Silverstone 750MC meeting

“He has quite a calm head, he doesn’t do anything rash,” said Simpson, who will share driving duties with Doherty this season. “I haven’t pushed him into it. He’s been coming racing since he was born and I said to him if you want to have a go, I’m not going to be able to do it forever – do it this year or not at all.”

The 21-year-old took a best finish of ninth place at Silverstone, when using wet-weather tyres on a drying track in race two.

It only takes two (or three) cars to make a race: GTs at Castle Combe

 

Photo by: Ollie Read

Proving that while it only takes two cars to make a race, three is better, Doug Watson (Ferrari 458 Challenge), Kevin Bird (debuting a Porsche 991 GT3) and Keith Butcher (Audi R8 LMS ultra) circulated together throughout Monday’s depleted Castle Combe GT championship round.

As V8, flat 6 and V10 engine notes combined to make a fantastic sound track, spectators saw the trio’s best lap times covered by less than half a second, third-placed Butcher’s 1m08.277s claiming the honours.

Perry Waddams’s Chevrolet-engined TVR Sagaris would have been among them had its diff not blown its oil out during qualifying, leaving just four starters in total, including Alexander Baldwin's Honda Civic behind the front trio.

Interested spectator of the week: Terry Richards

 

Photo by: MAWP+SPORT

An interested visitor to Castle Combe on Monday was Terry Richards, the circuit’s seventh Formula Ford champion in 1975.

Having caught the racing bug, builder Richards trained with Motor Racing Stables at Brands Hatch and bought a second-hand Merlyn Mk11 with a trailer for £1000. He raced it from 1970-76 but, lacking funds to buy a newer car to remain competitive, Richards sold his Merlyn to a UK-based American and retired.

Watching Ben Mitchell (above left) rewrite the historic class record in Richard Hudson-Evans’s Mk20 brought memories flooding back.

Pic of the week

We can't get enough of the Donington Historic Festival Group C action. Here Rob Huff's Spice is chased by a pair of Silk Cut Jaguars

Photo by: Mick Walker