Event: 2016 Silverstone Classic - RAC Trophy For Pre 1963 Historic Cars

[Steve Holmes]

Race 3: Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars (Pre ’63 GT)

The coveted Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars was won by the pole-sitting Aston Martin DB4 GT of Wolfgang Friedrichs and Simon Hadfield… but the victory was far from straight-forward.

The early laps of the 50-minute, pit-stop encounter for Pre ’63 GTs were led by the striking and unique Ferrari 250 SWB ‘Breadvan’, with the AC Cobra of Martin Hunt and Patrick Blakeney-Edwards plus a pack of jostling E-type Jaguars in hot pursuit, as Friedrichs dropped back in the Aston.

The intervention of a safety car following an incident involving an Alfa Romeo TZ1 changed the face of the race, however. Lukas Halusa thought he’d taken advantage of the Safety Car to make his compulsory pit-stop, but came in before the pit stop window was open and thus was forced to make a second stop a few laps later.

Friedrichs, though, got his timing right and handed over to hot-shoe Hadfield as soon as the window opened and, when all the pit-stops had been completed, the Aston held a comfortable advantage over the AC Cobra with the fastest of the E-types shared by James Cottingham and Andrew Smith in third. After his earlier error, Halusa charged back through the field in the fabulous Ferrari and only just missed out on reclaiming a place on the podium, crossing the chequered flag right on the back bumper of the Jaguar.

• Wolfgang Friedrichs / Simon Hadfield (Aston Martin DB4 GT) 18 laps
• Martin Hunt / Patrick Blakeney-Edwards (AC Cobra) +16.468s
• James Cottingham / Andrew Smith (Jaguar E-type) +30.698s