COMPETITIONS NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2023

BDC Silverstone
Entries are now open for this year’s 75th BDC Silverstone race meeting to be held on Saturday 12 August.
 
The meeting will feature nine races, headlined by The Times Challenge Trophy and Pre-War Challenge, and include the Bentley Handicap and a grid for the Aston Martin Owners Club.
 
Grids
The Bentley Times Challenge Trophy and Pre-War Challenge
Bentley Handicap
Bentley Open and Allcomers race
BDC Classic Challenge including Morgan Techniques Trophy
Morgan Challenge (2 rounds)
AMOC St Horsfall Trophy
Ecurie Classic Racing
FISCAR (Fifties Sports Car Racing Club)
 
To register your entries please visit the Motorsport section of the BDC website by clicking here. 
 
‘Champions’ contacts
Just a reminder that we now have three ‘champions’ on the Comps Committee to represent each one’s specific area of knowledge, expertise and contacts – designed to encourage more people to compete with their Bentleys. So if you have any specific questions regarding your model of car, please contact one of the following:
   
Recent competition activity
Circuit racing

Donington Historic Festival (29-30 April)
Stuart Morley was left full of optimism after giving an encouraging maiden outing to Bentley Motors’ new Blower Continuation Series car (above) in the Mad Jack race.
 
The 2017 BDC Racing Driver of the Year brought home the works Bentley Motorsport-run Car Zero 16th overall in the Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Cars race.
 
Stuart had carried out a significant amount of development testing of the new Blower on behalf of Bentley Motors ahead of the meeting. Donington saw the first of three scheduled outings during 2023 for the new car, designed to invoke the history of its iconic ancestor, with the Le Mans Classic and Spa Six Hours to come.
 
It was a memorable day all round for the Morley clan. Clive (3/4½ Litre) comfortably finished on the podium and set fastest lap in class, the double BDC Racing Driver of the Year making the most of the later wet conditions.
 

James Morley (3/4½, above, leading Clive Morley and Jock Mackinnon) outqualified his more experienced father to start a superb fourth on the 26-car grid, which featured nine Bentleys campaigned by BDC Members, and eventually finished sixth.
 
An impressive third of the BDC runners was Jock Mackinnon in ninth place, after coming through from 17th on the grid and revelling in the rain, with Richard Hudson (also 3/4½) just behind in 11th. Also: 19th – Will Snr/George Elbourn (3/4½), 21st – Duncan Wiltshire/Will Elbourn Jnr (3 Litre), 23rd – Steve/Josh Ward (4½), 24th – Vivian Bush (3 Litre).
 
Other results: MRL Stirling Moss Trophy: 5th – Hudson/S Morley (Lister Knobbly); MRL Woodcote Trophy: 9th – Paul Griffin (Connaught ALSR), DNF – Ben Eastick/Karl Jones (Jaguar D-Type); MRL Pall Mall Cup: 14th – S Ward/J Ward (Ginetta G4R).
 

VSCC Spring Start Hawthorn Trophy (22 April)
Oliver Llewellyn (above) showed excellent early-season form when he scored a victory and a second place at Silverstone.
 
The meeting saw a magnificent turn-out of BDC Members in Bentleys, with 16 competing across the nine-race programme; as many as seven drivers lined up in any one race with several competing in more than one event. A number of Members were also taking their first steps in motor racing.
 
Oliver (3/8 Special), the 2019 BDC Racing Driver of the Year, triumphed in the GP Itala Trophy Allcomers & Vintage race, coming through from third on the grid to win by five seconds. Clive Morley (3/4½ Litre) came fifth. Also: 13th – Richard Hudson (3/4½), 24th – Andy Buchan (4½), DNF – Richard Farr (4½).
 
Earlier, Oliver had finished as runner up, having started from second on the grid, in the Silverstone Trophy race for VSCC Specials. Clive, starting fourth, earned the final podium spot with another fine drive, edging out Club Member Martin Hunt’s son Theo (Frazer Nash TT) by just 0.15 seconds. A special word for Matthew Moore, an experienced historic racer who enjoyed his maiden Bentley outing. Also: 7th – Richard Hudson, 12th – Hugh Apthorp, 13th – Matthew Moore (all 3/4½s), 15th – Andy Buchan, 16th – Peter Little (3/4½).
 

Matthew (above, battling with Hugh Apthorp) later enjoyed an even better result when he secured a fine top-six result, ahead of seventh placed Hugh this time by just four seconds, in the Allcomers Slow Handicap race for Pre-War Cars. Also: 13th – Richard Farr, 15th – Vivian Bush (3 Litre), 19th – Anna Getley, 20th – Louisa Getley (both racing the family 3/4½s), 24th – Michael Dacre (3 Litre).
 
Club President Duncan Wiltshire (3 Litre) took the BDC bragging rights in the Fox & Nicholl Trophy race, finishing a fighting 10th. Will Elbourn Snr (3/4½ Litre) finished just four seconds behind Duncan in 12th. Also: 17th – Vivian Bush, 19th – Guy Northam (4½), 23rd – Alistair Littlewood (3 Litre), 24th – Richard Farr, 25th – Michael Dacre.
 
Allcomers Fast Handicap for Pre-War Cars: 16th – Louisa Getley, 17th – Anna Getley. Hawthorn International & Tom Cole Trophy: 19th – Vernon Moore (Mk VI Special).
 
Other results: Hawthorn International & Tom Cole Trophy race: 1st & fastest lap – Martin Hunt (HWM), 5th – Theo Hunt; Allcomers Fast Handicap race for Pre-War Cars: 1st – Theo Hunt, 2nd – Will Elbourn Jnr (Riley 12/4), 4th – Simon Kelleway (Riley Sprite 12/4); Classic & Modern Motorsport Club, race 1: 14th – Freddie Wiltshire (MGB); Classic & Modern Motorsport Club, race 2: 17th – George Wiltshire (MGB); Allcomers Slow Handicap race for Pre-War Cars: not classified – Sara Kelleway (Riley 12/4).
 

Goodwood Members’ Meeting (15-16 April)
Richard Frankel (3 Litre TT, above), the sole Bentley runner, was classified 15th overall (17th in race one and 16th in the second) following the two legs of the SF Edge Trophy for Edwardian cars and aero-engined specials from the early 20th century.
 
Martin Overington (4½ Litre Blower) also came home 15th in the Trofeo Nuvolari race for sports racing cars that competed up to 1939. Also: 25th – Joel Laub (4½).
 
Other results: SF Edge Trophy: 3rd overall – Ben Collings (Benz 200HP ‘Blitzen Benz’); Trofeo Nuvolari: 20th – R Frankel (MG K3 Magnette); Moss Trophy: 5th – Gregor Fisken (Jaguar E-type); Salvadori Cup: 7th – Stuart Morley (Lister-Chevrolet ‘Knobbly’ owned by Richard Hudson); Tony Gaze Trophy: 11th – Steve Ward (Jaguar XK120).
 

VSCC Pomeroy Trophy (25 February)
Vintage runner Micah Lazarus (4½ Litre, above) was the Club’s leading Bentley runner at the annual ‘Pom’ held over the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone. 
 
Micah was one of almost 100 drivers competing in the long-standing and unique event, which aims to ‘find the ultimate touring car’ among road-worthy vehicles of all ages, from Vintage to modern; on-track handling, acceleration and braking tests are followed by high-speed regularity time trials. 
 
Micah ended the day with a decent return of 259.8 points (the overall winner scored 426.06) while fellow BDC Member and regular racer Vernon Moore (Mk VI Special) scored 102.5.
 
Other results: Road Legal Cars category, class victory – Martin Hunt (Frazer Nash Targo Florio), 401.99pts; class runner-up – Theo Hunt (VW Golf GTi), 379.61pts; class 3rd – Sean Bramhall (Porsche 356), 337.35pts; Rob Atkinson (Porsche 911 Carrera), 322.2pts.
 
Hill climbing

BARC Classic & Vintage – Harewood (3 June)
The ever-rapid Paul Forty (Mk VI Special, above) enjoyed the pleasure, albeit only narrowly, of being the fastest Bentley runner in the BDC Nominated Hill Climb for 2023 – which counts towards the Club’s end-of-season awards.
 

Paul posted a fastest time for his two runs over the 1,440-metre course of 68.77secs – which was just 0.18secs quicker than that recorded by Simon Worthington (race-prepared Continental GT, above). Adam Stacy-Marks (road-going Conti GT) clocked 78.89secs, all three cars competing in the BDC post-war class.
 
Clive Morley (3/4½ Litre) was the quickest in the pre-war class with a best time of 79.75secs, just one second clear of Jolyon Harrison (4½ Lightweight) on 80.75secs; Duncan Wiltshire (3 Litre) managed just one run, posting a time of 86.33secs, while Alistair and Mike Littlewood (sharing a 3 Litre Speed Model) recorded 88.80secs and 91.81secs, respectively.
 

Harewood heroes (from left): Simon Worthington, Paul Forty, Club President Duncan Wiltshire, Alistair Littlewood, Adam Stacy-Marks, Sebastian Welch (not competing), Clive Morley and Mike Littlewood. Absent is Jolyon Harrison
 
VSCC Speed Championship, round 2 – Wiscombe Park (21 May)
David McRobert (Derby 3½ Special) flew the Bentley flag solo, clocking a best time of 66.07secs for his two runs over the 1,000-yard Devon course.
 
Elsewhere, husband and wife Simon (Riley Sprite 12/4) & Sara Kelleway (Riley 12/4 Special) both claimed class handicap victories, in the Pre-1941 (1101-1500cc) and Special Sports/Saloons (1101-1500cc unsupercharged/up to 1100cc s/c) categories, respectively. Simon posted a best time of 52.47 secs and Sara 59.01 secs.
 
Other results: Special Sports/Saloons (over 3000cc unsupercharged/over 2250cc s/c): 1st – Theo Hunt (Frazer Nash TT replica) 49.80 secs; Pre-1941 (over 3000cc): 2nd – Julian Grimwade (Frazer Nash single seat) 47.82 secs, 1st Vintage – Jolyon Harrison (AC/GN Cognac) 53.33 secs.
 

Javelin Track Day (25 April)
Club Mk VI racer Vernon Moore arranged with Javelin Track Days (above) to allow Bentleys to enter its open day at Mallory Park, in what we hope may become an annual pre-season test day for Bentley racers.
 
With the assistance of the Competitions Committee, 10 Bentleys entered. This group comprised two Continental GTs, of Adam Stacy-Marks and new Club Member Laurence Fidler; the only two T Type Specials in existence, of Ben Eastick and Harry Johnson; two Mk VI Specials, of Paul Andrew and Vernon Moore; and four WOs.
 
Sadly, due to a technicality with the insurers, all drivers of cars without seat belts were told in advance they would not be able to run. In addition, Laurence’s GT had electric problems, and neither Adam’s nor Paul’s cars were quite ready in time.
 
Javelin runs three 20-minute sessions per hour for a value for money £175 for beginners (no competition licence required), and closed- and open-wheel cars. And it is willing to have a Bentley-only class next year if the Club can get enough interested Members to come along.
 
The super location and relaxed atmosphere would make for a brilliant BDC pre-season track day in 2024, or as an introduction to those Members wanting to drive their Bentley in a spirited fashion without the pressure of competition.
 
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the updated Motorsport section of the Club website, to get the latest news on Bentleys in action throughout the year. Click here. 
 
Ben Eastick, Competitions Captain