BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB BULLETIN Volume 30 No 4 • WINTER 2009 OF THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB Volume 30 No 4 • WINTER 2009 Sauber-Mercedes C9-88 Brands Hatch, 23 July 1989 BULLETIN THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB Volume 30 No 4 •WINTER 2009 OF THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB President in Chief HRH The Duke of Kent KG Volume 30 No 4 • WINTER 2009 President Damon Hill OBE CONTENTS Chairman Robert Brooks 04 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 48 BRDC AWARDS Directors 22 Damon Hill Our look back at the BRDC Awards Ross Hyett Jackie Oliver Stuart Rolt 07 NEWS FROM YOUR CIRCUIT 52 THE NEXT BIG THING? Ian Titchmarsh The latest news from Silverstone Circuits Ltd Meet BRDC McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year Derek Warwick Dean Smith Nick Whale 08 THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS Club Secretary Stuart Pringle Tel: 01327 850926 Our fi nal look at Formula 1 in 2009 54 ON THE ROAD email: [email protected] We road test the Porsche Cayenne GTS PA to Club Secretary 14 WORLD CLASS Becky Simm Tel: 01327 850922 email: [email protected] BRDC Members have been racing across the globe 57 SECRETARY’S LETTER Stuart Pringle BRDC Bulletin Editorial Board Ian Titchmarsh, Stuart Pringle, David Addison 20 PURE GOLD Editor The BRDC Gold Star 58 TELLING THE STORY David Addison In-depth captions for the archive images Photography 21 SILVER DREAM RACERS LAT, Jakob Ebrey, BRDC Archive, The BRDC Silver Star 60 OBITUARIES Ted Walker (Ferret Photographic) Remembering deceased Members BRDC 29 Silverstone Circuit 22 CHAMPION! Towcester Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button 65 FROM THE ARCHIVE Northants Another gem or two has been found NN12 8TN 44 24 STARS OF THE FUTURE Sponsorship and advertising A successful season has been enjoyed by the BRDC Rising 66 MEMBER NEWS Leon Ward Tel: 01423 851150 email: [email protected] Stars A round-up of activity © 2009 The British Racing Drivers’ Club. All rights in and relating to this publication are expressly reserved. Nothing in this publication may 26 END OF TERM REPORT 68 BETWEEN THE COVERS be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission from the BRDC. The views expressed in Bulletin are not necessarily those of the How did the BRDC Superstars fare in 2009? Book reviews editor, the BRDC or the publishers. 28 UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT 70 IN THE DIARY Design Damion Chew Le Mans and ALMS winner David Brabham What’s on in 2010 Produced by Barker Brooks Media Ltd 35 LIFE AND TIMES Barker Brooks House 4 Greengate, Cardale Park Car collector extraordinaire Colin Crabbe Harrogate HG3 1GY Front cover Tel: 01423 851150 38 SCENE AT SILVERSTONE email: [email protected] Jenson Button celebrates his World Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit www.barkerbrooks.co.uk All sorts of cars graced the circuit in 2009 after an extraordinary 2009 season for him and Ross Brawn. Next year Jenson carries the coveted number 1 on a McLaren as he switches teams to www.brdc.co.uk 52 44 ARMCHAIR COMMENT join Lewis Hamilton (Photo LAT) Team and car launches featured in ARM’s career BRDC Bulletin Vol 30 No 4 3 DAMON HILL OBE PRESIDENT’S LETTER Suzuka, Japan, 13 October 1996 ear Fellow Member, Champion at last! The delight is almost tangible. And, scrolling forward The great news that Silverstone is confi rmed as the home of the British Grand Prix for another to December 2009, a pictorial metaphor perhaps for the news that the British Grand Prix is coming back to Silverstone. Damon has taken his 17 years takes us into new territory. What the regulations for an F1 car will be in 17 years’ time D title in the best possible way, leading the Japanese Grand Prix from is anyone’s guess. Hybrid hydrogen gas turbines running on purifi ed garbage, or good old fashioned start to fi nish in his Williams-Renault FW18. The season had begun internal combustion engines? No one can see that far ahead. But now at least, the opportunity is with four wins in the fi rst fi ve races and a dominant drive at Monaco until engine failure robbed Damon of a comfortable lead. Further wins there for Silverstone to build on a long term certainty which has never been there before. followed in Canada, France and Germany before a slight dip as team Considering that Silverstone has been on the calendar since 1948, it seems odd to think in terms of mate Jacques Villeneuve narrowed the gap over the next four races. Sound familiar? For this last race, too, Jacques remains an ever present uncertainty, but if we knew what the future held, there would be no point in getting up in the morning. threat, taking pole position with Damon second, then the Ferrari F310 There is also another opportunity for the BRDC, which is to clearly defi ne what we want this Club of outgoing champion Michael Schumacher and the Benetton-Renault B196 of Gerhard Berger. Jacques makes a poor start and it is Gerhard, to do/be. The responsibility for Silverstone to be preserved as the key asset for British motor sport on a three-stop strategy, who makes an unsuccessful bid to take the will always be there. The way in which this can be achieved without stressing the club is the bone of lead from Damon at the chicane on lap three and has to stop for repairs. contention, still. Rest assured that the Board is working hard on the Club’s behalf to resolve the issue Jacques does his best to recover lost ground but eventually retires at two-thirds distance when the right rear wheel comes adrift, and Damon of how to own a property with several businesses and a social club, which is a political body in its is World Champion come what may. At the second round of pit stops, spare time, whilst also trying to support our British racing drivers. We are getting there! Trust me! Michael nearly takes the lead but Damon is not to be denied his eighth win of the year despite the Ferrari driver’s best eff orts. It is Damon’s 21st Have a fantastic Christmas break and see you in 2010. Formula 1 victory and his last race for Williams. Also sound familiar? Best wishes, Ian Titchmarsh Damon Hill OBE President, BRDC 4 BRDC Bulletin Vol 30 No 4 Proud supporters of historic motor racing Sponsor of Le Mans Classic; Grand Prix de Pau; Classic Endurance Racing; Gstaad Classic. A private bank unlike any other. A record of dynamic growth. Built on giving clients the service they expect and deserve. Practitioners of the craft of private banking EFG International’s global family of private banking businesses operates in 55 locations in over 30 countries. These include London, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, Monaco, Luxembourg, Stockholm, New York, Miami, Toronto, The Bahamas, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. www.efginternational.com NEWS FROM YOUR CIRCUIT NEWS FROM SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT Richard Phillips brings good news regarding the future of the British Grand Prix. fter a hard fought and sometimes land at a low point in the market. It should be turbulent negotiation spanning almost remembered that, against the odds, we were A three years we have fi nally agreed granted a Development Brief earlier in the year commercial terms with FOM and Allsport. The considerably raising the value of the property 17-year-long contract will bring long-awaited and that the halo eff ect of the new contract stability to the circuit and enable a realistic has already added 10% to land values. investment plan to be implemented. Further We are entering a new and challenging era it will help underpin Motorsport Valley, lead to which will need careful management and an more regional high tech engineering jobs and innovative approach to see us through. We are inward investment, within which we, with our very late getting on sale and have much to do new Development Brief, are now well placed to catch up. In the fi rst week of ticket sales I am to benefi t. pleased to say that we have experienced latent The Donington saga was an unnecessary demand and have passed the sales curve of distraction. However, we were not in a position 2006, 2007 and are chasing 2008. in July 2008 to fund the new pits, or to pay The one thing I regret over all others is the proposed FOM rights fee and were right that Donington, rather than benefi ting, to stand our ground in the belief that the has become a victim with decimation of Donington investment and business plan was its business and major disruption to its neither achievable nor sustainable. While we infrastructure. Donington did not deserve this waited on the sidelines and continued to plan and those responsible should refl ect on their for the return of the race, it was the success actions. Let us all hope that the circuit will of the 2009 British Grand Prix and support survive and regain its rightful position in British from the industry that were the catalysts for motor sport. rekindling FOM’s interest in a potential return The track works we are undertaking this to Silverstone. winter, besides enabling our long awaited I cannot go into the contractual details return to top-class bike racing, will complement but suffi ce it to say that they have been well the new FOM contract and add new interest negotiated and documented. The contract and spectacle.