Motor Racing Legends Annual Awards Dinner
A Celebration of the 2022 Season at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London
A host of racers and friends attended the annual Awards Dinner at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London on the evening of Wednesday 25th January to celebrate the on-track successes of the 2022 season. The RAC’s opulent Mountbatten Room, was the venue for the three-course meal and presentation of class awards with perpetual trophies for all of the MRL Series.
Recipients of Motor Racing Legends Series and Perpetual Trophies Celebrate at the Royal Automobile Club.
Neil Peskett presented his Traditional Oak Spirit Trophy to husband-and-wife racers, Claire and Chris Keith-Lucas. Not only do they spearhead CKL’s race and restoration activities, but they are responsible for encouraging so many of today’s historic racers to get out on track, also actively supporting events with their own cars.
Pre-War Sports Car stalwart entrant, John Ruston, was awarded the Motor Racing Legends Trophy in recognition of his unwavering support for the Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series since its inception twenty years ago.
Modern GT and Historic driver, Alex Brundle presented the Awards to the MRL Pre-War Sports Cars Competitors.
Overall Pre-War Sports Car honours went to Gareth Burnett in John Ruston’s Alta Sport – regaining the trophy for the first time since 2010.
Matt Bailey (far left) of Jaguar Classic presented the Jaguar Classic Challenge awards to (left to right) Class D, Pre ’63 Jaguars to Guy Ziser and Chris Ward (Jaguar E-type FHC), Class A (for XK120, XK140 and XK150s to FIA Spec) to Chris and Claire Keith-Lucas (Jaguar XK140) and Class E (Jaguar E-type Period F) and overall Series winners, father and son, Matthew and Mike Wrigley (Jaguar E-Type) who included the Le Mans Classic support race victory in their hat-trick of 2022 season victories.
Carol Spagg of Historic Motor Racing News had travelled over from Switzerland to make the presentations to Harry Barton (Class D BMW 1800 Tisa) (far left), Richard Dutton (Sixties Touring Car Challenge, Mk 1 Ford Escort) (middle) and U2TC Series and Class C winners, Maxim and Andrew Banks who raced their Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA with notable success last year.
Charis Whitcombe gracefully presented the awards for both the Historic Touring Car Challenge Awards and Tony Dron Trophy, named in honour of her late husband.
Nick Whale and son Harry Whale, of Historic Touring Car Challenge Series sponsors, Silverstone Auctions, enjoyed success in Class HT2B in their Ford Escort RS 1600 with occasional help from co-drivers Lionel Abbott and Ian Guest. Alex Brundle, partnered in Gary Pearson’s Ford Capri RS3100, were victorious in Class HT2C. Class HT4C winners were Jonathan Bailey and Andy Middlehurst in the 1990 Nissan Skyline, Andy was present to also receive the overall Series trophy for the blisteringly fast duo.
The Tony Dron Trophy Spoils went to James Slaughter and Patrick Watts (Ford Capri Mk3) (below, far right), Class TD2A going to Jim Morris & Tom Shepherd. Boss of Series sponsor, Lifeline, Jim’s resplendent Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTi, raced in the British Saloon Car Championship in period by Jim’s father John, took centre stage in the Royal Automobile Club Rotunda for the evening (see headline image). Jim (below, centre) also collected a trophy on behalf of the team’s sister car, the Mat Jackson / Cameron Evans Volkswagen Scirocco that tied the Class. James Thorpe and Sean McInerney (below, left) were class winners of Class TD2D in their brutish Chevrolet Camaro.
The Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup three-hour Series attracted a great turn-out of winners and Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club was on-hand to furnish the victors with their Class Awards trophies and the overall Series Trophy to Malcolm Paul, Rick Bourne and Patrick Watts who have campaigned their 1963 TVR Grantura MkIII.
Other recipients included (below, right to left)
Class 2A – Marc Gordon, Guy Harman, Nick Finburgh Car (Lotus Elite)
Class 3A – Stephen Bond and Cliff Gray (Lotus Elan 26R)
Class 3C – Guy Ziser (Porsche 911)
Class 5 – Josh Ward, Steve Ward (Ginetta G4R)
Ben Cussons also presented Ollie Crosthwaite and Nick Finburgh (below, centre) with the Stirling Moss Trophy and Class 5 honours with their Cooper Monaco. Richard Hudson (centre, right) and Stewart Morley (not present) were Class 6 winners in their Lister Chevrolet, Richard Postins (right) had a successful season to win Class 4 in his Lotus X1.
The final Series to be awarded was the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy. Overall 2022 winners were Malcolm Paul, Rick Bourne and Will Nuthall (Lotus X – centre, below) and from left to right, Class 4A, Karl Jones and Ben Eastick (Jaguar D-type), Class 3 David Reed, Hannah Reed and Peter Snowdon (Aston Martin DB2/4), Class 1, Paul Griffin (Connaught ALSR), Class 2 Steve Ward and Josh Ward (Frazer Nash Le Mans Rep) and Class 4 Marc Gordon and Reed Gomm, (Jaguar XK140).
The night concluded, perhaps inevitably, in the Long Bar into the early hours as drivers and preparers discussed with anticipation the season ahead. Photographs from the Annual Awards evening are now live in the Motor Racing Legends website gallery or click here to view on photographer, Rob Cadman’s website.
