Nick Wins at Silverstone Classic

Nick Leventis enjoyed a very successful day’s racing at Silverstone last weekend, participating in the circuit’s annual homage to historic motorsport with the hugely popular Silverstone Classic Festival. Some 57,000 spectators turned up to watch 21 races, enjoy three days of thrilling track action, and admire a mouth-watering display of fabulous racing cars.

The example Nick was driving was one of the stars of the track, being the same 1959 Le Mans winning Aston Martin DBR1 that he and Peter Hardman co-drove in the Le Mans Classic a fortnight ago. This time Nick was driving solo, and he clearly relished the opportunity. He dominated the grid in qualifying, setting a pole of 2:19.173 for the three-mile Historic Grand Prix circuit to stand nearly four seconds clear of Darren McWhirter in the Lagonda V12 – the only Lagonda among forty-one entrants in the Aston Martin Sports Cars 1931-1959 event. These ranged from some of the earliest examples of the breed, through several DBR1s, like Nick’s car, to DB2s, DB3s, Ulsters and specials. “It is always such an honour and a privilege to drive that car,” said a visibly moved Nick Leventis. “That was such a fantastic grid of cars too. When you’re out there in qualifying, and you start overtaking the slower cars, or passing backmarkers in the race, you can’t stop yourself from gazing at them. You almost want to slow down to get a better look!”

Sunday’s race got off to an excellent start, with Nick quickly across the line from pole, but he didn’t have it all his own way for the first two laps. “I knew I had a fair chance after such a good run in qualifying, but the Lagonda has such a lot of power,” he said. “Darren clearly had the advantage down the straights, but I had the edge under braking.” By the end of the first lap there was just two-tenths between them, and it had taken what would become the fastest lap of the race from Nick (2:21 exactly) to hold on to his lead.

His average speed of eighty miles an hour was just too quick for Darren, and steadily the gap began to grow. “After two laps I finally managed to pull away, and then I could ease off a little and enjoy myself.” He took the chequered flag at the end of nine laps by twelve seconds from McWhirter, with Jeff Pattinson third in his DB3S. “That was a simply fantastic race!” enthused Nick. “I had a smile on my face from start to finish. It was such fun.”

And there, as much as with anything else, lies the appeal of the Silverstone Classic Festival. While many of the drivers approach Silverstone from a very serious viewpoint, the emphasis is still on enjoyment. The paddocks are open, so that enthusiasts can get close to the cars and meet the drivers. There are displays by owners’ clubs and manufacturers - both on the ground, and in the skies, where World War II aircraft and parachute displays add to the atmosphere. People dress up in period costume, the funfair offers old-fashioned traditional rides and the characteristic aroma of ‘Castrol R’ drifts by on the breeze.

“It was a fabulous occasion,” admitted Nick. “Everyone is very gentlemanly, both on and off the track. We had a huge crowd on Sunday, which was great, and it just gets better and better every year.” Further details from the official website at www.silverstoneclassic.com, where information about next year’s event has already been posted.

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