Silverstone Start for GTSCC: BRDC International Trophy Silverstone GP Circuit, Saturday 31st May 2025
Established in 2007, the GT & Sports Car Cup series kicks off at Silverstone, ‘The Home of British Motor Racing,’ on Saturday, May 31. A fine field of Pre-1966 cars, representing a cross-section of the influential marques of the era, will battle for supremacy over two hours on the Grand Prix circuit in the afternoon, following morning qualifying. This year marks a significant milestone in Silverstone’s history, for 75 years ago to the month it staged the first World Championship Grand Prix, won by Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina who headed an Alfa Romeo 1-2-3 and went on to win the inaugural title.
The event, which also celebrates the International Trophy races at the Northamptonshire circuit, is an unmissable opportunity to compete on the challenging 3.66-mile circuit used for last month’s Silverstone 500 British GT Championship endurance round. In July it will be the backdrop for the sellout British GP and in September the Four Hours of Silverstone, a round of the European Le Mans Series, the modern equivalent of the races our cars contested six decades ago.
As ever, Gran Turismo cars comprise the majority of the pack, and there will be intense inter-marque rivalry in all three divisions. Out front, the perennial battle between Jaguar E-types and AC Cobras takes centre stages. Since the annual series’ first visit to Silverstone in 2008, the Coventry cats have emerged victorious on seven occasions to the Thames Ditton marque’s six. Jaguar crews have taken the chequered flag every year since 2019 [the pandemic meant no race in 2020], when Graeme and James Dodd won. The rapid Oxfordshire father-and-son combo repeated last June to tip the balance in Jaguar’s favour.
It is 4.7-litre American Ford V8 engines against 3.8-litre British-engineered straight sixes once more in the GT4 division. Chris Chiles “père-et-fils” have a proud GTSCC record in their CRC-prepared Cobra, having won five races together since Junior’s breakthrough at 2018’s Algarve event with Simon Garrad co-driving. The perennial snake charmers have company this weekend. HSCC regulars Charlie Allison/Peter Thompson are also out in their hard-topped roadster, whilst Nick Sleep/Joel Wykeham will share a Shelby Mustang GT350.
As many as four Jaguar E-types are out to uphold home honour. Alistair Dyson has former GT champion and 2025 British Touring Car Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing rookie James Dorlin sharing his British Racing Green example. Local heroes John and Gary Pearson - victorious at Donington in 2018 and here in 2022 and 2023 - are joining the grid, Gary having also aced Castle Combe’s 2018 Autumn Classic race driving solo. Mark Burton and Jason Minshaw are set to run the MRM team’s low-drag coupe and Scottish stalwart John Clark & Alasdair McCaig (semi-lightweight) - the first of whose four victories was scored at Monza in 2008 - along with Richard Kent in his iconic ex-Protheroe CUT 7, will be back to the fray.
Taking on the larger-capacity machinery is the agile 26R spec Lotus Elan of Steve Jones and the Isle of Wight’s Chris Atkinson. The 1600cc Ford twin-cam powered cars are capable of carrying more corner apex speed than anything else on track and have a strong record of GTSCC success. Indeed, Colin Chapman’s brainchildren have won on four occasions, most recently at Enna-Pergusa last year when Robin Ellis/Julian Thomas took the chequered flag.
The GT3 division is always hotly contested, with rorty Austin-Healey 3000s numerically dominant. Swede Nils-Fredrik Nyblaeus’ trump card is marque race prep guru and three-time GTSCC race winner Jeremy Welch as they face Mark Pangborn/Harvey Woods, David Smithies/Chris Clarkson, Crispin Harris/James Wilmoth, and dad-and-lad Paul and George Ingram. Two famous Healeys will also be with us, the ex-Le Mans DD300 of flying Dutchman Christiaen van Lanschot pairing with Julian Thomas and ex-Sebring car of Richard Locke and Matt Green.
One early Jaguar E-type is out in the hands of UK-domiciled Romanian Ciprian ‘Chip’ Nistorica who shares his Fixed Head Coupe with Welsh wizard Grant Williams, a third generation Jag racer. Sir David Scholey’s XK120 with 1970s’ Formula Fordster Rob Newall and Oliver Marçais should bolster the set to three. The omni-present Triumph TR4 of Dr Allan Ross-Jones and son Daniel will doubtless bait the straight-six brigade.
The GT2 category has become the aspirational hub of family racing activity in recent seasons and encapsulates cars from four manufacturers. MGBs form the strongest set, with the Phillips equipe - wife Beverley, husband Chris and son Oliver - extending their long-treasured commitment to the series. Husband-and-wife Brian and Barbara Lambert, and fathers-and-sons Laurence and Tim Jacobsen, Dennis and Dan Pickett and Nick and Chris Thompson (with car preparer Sean McClurg) are out in the robust machines.
Agile Lotus Elites, motivated by 1216cc Climax FWE engines, have been entered by returnee Michael O’Sullivan (paired with mentor Olly Bryant) and newcomers Benjamin Tarlow/Richard Baxter.
Squaring up to them are the ever-rapid BMC-powered TVR Grantura MkIIIs of Malcolm Paul/Rick Bourne and father-and-son Joe and Piers Ward, whose newly-acquired GT3 Healey 3000 is not quite ready. A brace of Triumph-engined Morgan Plus 4 Super Sports of Simon King/Richard Plant and series debutants Sharlie Goddard/Graeme Smith should make their presence felt too.
Sports racing cars have won GTSCC races twice at Silverstone, Peter Horsman prevailing in 2008 in a Lotus 17 and Mark Lewis/Ewan McIntyre with a two-litre Lotus 15 in 2014. With a fair wind Lotus will be represented here by Doug Muirhead/Jeremy Welch in a pretty 11 Le Mans S2. Opposition comes from Nick Finburgh and Ollie Crosthwaite in their Cooper Monaco T49.
Three Touring Car teams have taken up the challenge too. Powered by the same 289ci/4.7-litre Ford V8 engine as the Cobras, Michael Squire and Rory Henderson’s thundering Mustang notchback is capable of getting in among the GT3 runners.
Richard and Alice Locke are bringing their splendid Mini-derived Broadspeed GTS - the works racer driven by John Fitzpatrick in 1966 - back to its spiritual home. Silverstone is barely 20 miles from Southam in Warwickshire, to which Ralph Broad’s legendary tuning business relocated from its original workshop in Sparkbrook, Birmingham. Matt Green shares the 2+2 as usual, and a close tussle is expected with Ellie Birchenhough and longtime ERA racer Nick Topliss in the former’s Dorset Racing Mini Cooper S.
The 2025 GT & Sports Car Cup, promoted by Automobiles Historiques, runs over four races. Future events are: June 21, THRUXTON RETRO; September 20, CASTLE COMBE AUTUMN CLASSIC and October 24-26, ALGARVE CLASSIC FESTIVAL, Portimao, Portugal.
