A Celebration of the 2021 Season at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London
The Motor Racing Legends Awards Dinner made a welcome return to the Royal Automobile Club. Held last night in the Mountbatten Room, Motor Racing Legends’ competitors and friends gathered to celebrate the on-track successes of the 2021 season.
The Rotunda of the famous Pall Mall Club was adorned by Michael Birch’s glorious Ford GT40 Mk1 Ford France 1966 Le Mans car that was driven by Ligier, Gradé and Giorgi.
Class Award and Perpetual Trophies were presented to competitors from all ten of Motor Racing Legends series.
Pre-War Sports Cars drivers were out in force, with father Clive Morley and sons James and Stuart receiving the Pre-War Sports Car trophy from Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK, for their exploits in their 3 / 4 1/2 litre Bentley.
Royal Automobile Club Chairman, Ben Cussons, presented Fred Wakeman, Patrick Blakeney-Edwards and Mike Grant Peterkin with the Woodcote Trophy following a stellar season in Fred’s Cooper Jaguar; and Nick Matthews with the Austin Healey trophy.
Ben also presented the Stirling Moss Trophy – the actual trophy won by Moss at the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree – to Rob Smith and Chris Ward, a pairing that enjoyed numerous successes in Rob’s 1959 Lister Knobbly.
Finally, Ben made the inaugural presentation of the Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup to the winning Team of the 2021 season comprising of Roy Alderslade and Andrew Jordan (Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe), Nick Pink and Chris Fox (Lotus Elan 26R) and Karsten Le Blanc and Christiaen Van Lanschot (Austin Healey 3000).
Carol Spagg had travelled over from Switzerland to present the Pre ’63 GT Trophy to Gregor Fisken, Marino Franchitti and Chris Ward for their performances in Gregor’s Jaguar E-Type in the Historic Motor Racing News supported Series.
Matt Bailey of Jaguar Classic Presented awards to drivers from the Jaguar Classic Challenge including Benjit Dhesi (1957 Jaguar Mk 1), Mark Russel and Tony Jardine (1963 Jaguar E-type) and John Pearson, who was collecting the overall Jaguar Classic Challenge Award for brother Gary (1963 Jaguar E-type).
We were honoured to welcome Charis Whitcombe, wife of the late Tony Dron, to present the awards for all three Motor Racing Legends Historic Touring car series including the Tony Dron Tricentrol trophy for the series names in honour of the great driver.
Matt Ellis and Paul Mensley won the Historic Touring Car Challenge in Paul’s 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 and Richard Dutton the Sixties Touring Car Challenge and U2TC in his 1969 Ford Escort Mk1. Paul Pochciol collected the Tony Dron Trophy on behalf of his son, George who drove his 1979 Ford Capri last season with James Hanson and Matt Wrigley.
We were also honoured to welcome Chris Amon’s son, Alex to present the inaugural Amon Cup trophy for the all Ford GT40 series. Michael Birch won third overall paired with Andy Newall and James Hanson, David Cottingham of DK Engineering, sponsor the Series, collected the second place trophy on behalf of Richard Cook, David Cuff and Harvey Stanley. But overall victors were Miles Griffiths and Gordon Shedden who won both rounds in Philip Walker’s Ford GT40. The new trophy is a replica of Chris Amon’s helmet adorned with a set of racing goggles.
The Preparers Trophy was awarded to Rhea Sautter for supporting all five Motor Racing Legends events in 2021 travelling from her base in Germany. Neil Peskett presented his Traditional Oak Spirit Trophy to Ken Prichard-Jones for his unrivalled support to Motor Racing Legends during the recent pandemic and the Motor Racing Legends Trophy was awarded to Roger Wills for his services behind the scenes on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy Series.
The night concluded, perhaps inevitably, in the Long Bar into the early hours.
