Three weeks after a scintillating GT & Sports Car Cup season-opener at Silverstone’s Historic Grand Prix circuit, the invitation series for Pre-1966 Grand Touring, Pre-’63 Sports Racing, and Pre-’66 Touring Cars returns to Britain’s fastest racetrack. It serves as the centrepiece of the British Automobile Racing Club’s long-established event, now renamed the Thruxton Retro for 2025.
What better way to mark the summer solstice, June 21, than with a 90-minute contest at what has become GTSCC AC Cobra racer Alex Thistlethwayte’s increasingly well-manicured playground—2.356 miles of unfiltered driving pleasure. This storied circuit has tested many of the world’s greatest drivers—including F1 champions Jochen Rindt, Graham Hill, and Jackie Stewart in F2 machinery—since 1968.
The GTSCC last visited the fabled Hampshire airfield circuit in August 2020, when Mark Holme and Jeremy Welch achieved a memorable victory in SMO 746, the Austin-Healey 3000 famously last raced there by motorsport-mad Northamptonshire Police chief John Gott in big-winged Modsports form during the early 1970s. Their win resonated with competitors, spectators, and marshals, many of whom recalled the straight-six soundtrack as vividly as if it were yesterday. Welch also secured fourth place in Doug Muirhead’s Healey TON 792, known as “The Chairman’s Car”, which is currently undergoing restoration by Denis Welch Motorsport.
Welch returns this year to defend his crown, now partnering with Swede Nils-Fredrik Nyblaeus in the same Healey. Also returning from the 2020 grid are Crispin Harris/James Wilmoth (Crispy Moth Racing), Mark ‘Pangio’ Pangborn/Harvey Woods, and Bristol-based Chris Clarkson/David Smithies, who finished fifth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. On this occasion, Smithies will share his thunderous Tour de France-liveried AC Cobra Daytona coupe with long-time friend Chris, who was born in North Borneo (Sabah).
GT4 winners in 2020, Nick Sleep and Joel Wykeham, finished third overall in Sleep’s Shelby Mustang GT350, behind Keith Ahlers and Billy Bellinger in the fastest of the three Morgan Plus 4 SLR aerodyne coupes. This year, Sleep teams up with Alex Montgomey, who knows the car well. Top GT2 honours were claimed by Malcolm Paul and Rick Bourne in Paul’s TVR Grantura Mk3. The most successful pairing in the series’ history continued their streak at Silverstone last month and remain strong favourites.
Also making a return are John Clark, Simon Drabble, Nick Finburgh, and Brian Lambert from 2020’s 25-car field. Former British Saloon Car Championship driver Clark—13th alongside Gregor Fisken in a GT3 Jaguar E-type five years ago—brings fellow Scot Alasdair McCaig to co-drive his GT4 roadster. Local racer Drabble, who previously partnered with his son Alex in a rare Reliant Sabre Six, now races an MG B, a car long favoured by veteran Lambert. Lambert once again teams up with his wife Barbara, rather than legendary Cornishman Iain Rowley, himself a former Modsports competitor. Finburgh, previously seen in Marc Gordon’s Lotus Elite, now shares a fabulous Cooper-Climax T49 Monaco with Ollie Crosthwaite.
At Silverstone, Chris Chiles and his spirited octogenarian father Chris took an emotional sixth GTSCC victory together in the family’s growling AC Cobra 289—one they count among their hardest-fought wins. Five of their GTSCC triumphs have come at different circuits—Albi, Oulton Park, Castle Combe, Donington, and Silverstone. A Thruxton win would make a fitting addition to their collection.
Strong opposition awaits them in GT4, including Jaguar E-type pairings Alistair Dyson/James Dorlin, Mark Burton/Jason Minshaw (driving team boss Martin Melling’s striking low-drag coupe), and Clark/McCaig, who finished second, third, and fourth at Silverstone. Young GT talent Dorlin impressed last time out and will likely relish the opportunity to showcase his skills through Thruxton’s fast, flowing corners. In addition to the Smithies/Clarkson coupe, another Cobra entry comes from local driver Peter Thompson, with Triumph SLR graduate Jon Payne co-driving.
The lightweight Lotus Elans in 26R spec also remain serious threats. With four GTSCC wins since 2020, their nimble handling and screaming 1600cc Ford twin-cam engines allow them to carry more speed through the vital Campbell-Cobb-Segrave complex—named for legendary British land speed record holders—than many of the larger-engined cars. Classic Formula Ford champion Ben Tinkler co-drives Steve Jones’ Elan, while Historic Formula Junior champions Chris Drake and Nic Carlton-Smith share another.
Six splendid Austin-Healey 3000s form the core of the GT3 grid. Besides the entries already mentioned, Jack Rawles lines up alongside Alexander Hewitson, Richard Locke teams up with Matt Green in his silver-blue ex-Sebring car, and Bruce Montgomery returns to action. They will face stern opposition from Rob Newall and Oliver Marçais in Sir David Scholey’s tenacious hard-top Jaguar XK120—the oldest car in the field.
In GT2, the consistent front-running duo of Paul and Bourne will be challenged by a strong contingent of MG Bs, including those of Simon Drabble and rising star Murray Shepherd (son of longtime AC driver Andy), as well as James Topliss/Oak Richardson and the Lamberts—stalwart visitors to Thruxton for more than 50 years. Also competitive are Simon King and Richard Plant, who impressed with their Morgan Plus 4 Super Sport by taking third in class at Silverstone, where newcomers Sharlie Goddard and Graeme Smith also showed promise in the sister car.
Among the Sports Racing entries, it remains to be seen whether Finburgh and Crosthwaite’s Cooper T49 can combine reliability with its undeniable pace on Thruxton’s high-speed layout. A Lotus 11 ‘roller skate’ is also entered—this time by Andrew McAlpine.
A fierce TC1 battle is again expected between Alice Locke/Matt Green in the ex-works John Fitzpatrick Broadspeed GTS coupe—which had a slight top-speed edge at Silverstone—and the Dorset Racing Mini Cooper S of Ellie Birchenhough, Nick Topliss, and Karl Jones.
With warm hospitality for competitors and guests provided by Automobiles Historiques, valued support from insurance specialists Gilbart-Smith Associates and Dunlop tyre distributor HPT, and coveted race trophies generously presented by the Royal Automobile Club and Baltic Watches, the stage is set for a weekend of spirited competition and relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere on and off the track. Live music on both Friday and Saturday evenings promises to keep the vintage vibe alive well into the night.
GTSCC Entry List – Thruxton Retro here.
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