Silverstone, England, UK – September 12th to 14th, 2008


In over thirty years of racing, I’ve only twice had to serve drive through penalties. Silverstone, on the 13th of September was the third – and I imposed it on myself!

It was towards the end of the last race of the season, about five laps from the finish when I spun the RSR, coming into Luffield One at Silverstone. Luffield One, if you can picture it, is the start of the loop that runs around the back of pit entrance at Silverstone. By this stage of the race the tires were completely shot and I’d been having a few “moments” trying to hang onto the RSR here, leaving my braking later and later as the race progressed and “bending” the Porsche through the ninety degree left hander more and more and, finally, I overdid it and the car spun through 275 degrees. I managed to regain control of it as I entered the gravel trap on the right of the circuit at ninety degrees and kept it going straight as I realized this was the only way I might get out of it. There’s grass after the gravel trap and, after that, asphalt. “Ah ha!” I thought; “there’s the track, just keep going.” I did and turned right onto the asphalt, thinking it was the track... and found myself in pit entrance!

Too late now to regain the track, I drove through pit lane, being careful to observe the posted 60 mph limit – “4,900 in first gear” says a sticker on the RSR’s dashboard. I had to smile as Heiko and Dimitri, the Brunn team’s two mechanics, ran out to see what was the matter and I waved them away and carried on through, rejoining the track and driving the last couple of laps before the checkered flag waved and the last race of the CER European season was over.

It's been a very good season for us. By “us” I mean George Tuma, the owner of the lovely old 1974 RSR I’ve been sharing with him, Siggi and Philipp Brunn, (Philipp won the GT class Championship overall in their blue RSR) and Heiko and Dimitri, the Brunn team’s excellent mechanics. Not only have we finished every race, Heiko and Dimitri changed the engine of the Brunn’s own RSR in less than three hours before the race when the one in the car suffered a mechanical failure.

And thanks also to Guillaume and Julie, who run the CER series; a very well organized series, with fabulous “proper” historic cars, excellent, experienced drivers and full grids. I highly recommend it.

On looking at the Championship table, I see that George, Mauro Borella (who subbed for me at the Nurburgring) and I finished sixth in the GT2 class, beaten by Philipp’s RSR, a 935 and four BMW M1s. Not too bad for a thirty-four year old 3-liter RSR! And finally... My grandson, three year old Luca came to his first motor race and was duly buckled into the driver’s seat of the RSR and had his photo taken. Look out Lewis, you only have a few years left at the top now!