The HSCC decided to revive the once famous International Trophy name and so this title was used for the whole meeting on the Historic GP track ~ what a splendid idea.
So splendid in fact that many races were oversubscribed and rolling starts were arranged throughout the weekend in order to minimise time loss between races.
Rolling starts were a new experience for many drivers and not universally popular.
The Historic GP circuit was also a new experience for a few drivers but a chance to race on this legendary circuit was relished.

Silverstone continues to work flat out on the massive redevelopment plan and a minor change has been made on the exit of Club but sadly the unloved chicane situated before Bridge remains.
Cars formed up on the wide expanse of the National circuit back straight, behind the pace car ready for the rolling start blending into the convergence of the National and GP tracks at Priory.

Unsurprisingly, Formula Junior had 5 reserves, but in the event they all raced.
Several drivers made use of Friday free practice but unfortunately Michael Waller was not comfortable with his Kieft and withdrew. Michael’s son Ash ran the Sadler in this session but a rear axle oil seal failed, so this car went home too ~ a great shame.

Sadly there were no Class A cars entered but the other four championship classes were well represented.
There were also two cars running in Invitation Class H , for cars that do not comply with Formula Junior Technical Regulations~ George Cooper has substituted his Cooper T59 ERSA gearbox for a Hewland because of his own reliability & safety concerns and Anthony Binnington has applied and been granted an exemption to race for six months with a Hewland in his Cooper T67 Hewland  his exceptionally rare 6 speed ERSA unit is repaired, having been found to have been damaged  in his accident at Portugal last year.

Mike Gregory’s lovely De Tomaso Isis was petulant and despite Mike’s best efforts it expired on the first lap of FJ qualifying, but he went out later in another session for his obligatory 3 laps.
Most unfortunately Adam Sykes Lotus 20/22 put a rod through the side of the block after just a single lap. Bill Grimshaw was also very unfortunate to hit Brian Mitcham’s U2 as it spun in front of him and he was unable to avoid an impact leaving damage to his Moorland’s wheel less suspension, which sadly couldn’t be repaired.
Another in trouble was the Bond, which was found to have broken a rear brake drum.
However, heroic efforts to return to the works to collect and fit a new drum before the race saved the day for Andrew Tart. Not such a happy outcome for Andrew Taylor though, his Envoy’s engine was sounding very rough so the car was put onto the trailer, but he and father-in-law Peter Green stayed on to watch the race.
Robin Longdon was also out of the running when the differential failed in his Lola Mk2 after 8 laps and he pulled into the pits.
Gordon Russell’s Gemini Mk2 engine was suffering from very low oil pressure problems and he completed only 2 qualifying laps, but he did take the race start and he did see the chequered flag, albeit from the pit lane where he was delighted to be classified as a finisher.

Meanwhile Callum McLeod claimed pole position with 2:05.625 in the Class D Caravelle Mk2 from Jon Milicevic’s Class E Cooper T59 time of 2:06.238,
followed by Michael Hibberd’s Lotus 27 and James Murray, who completed row 2 with a very impressive effort in his Lola 5A.
Jack Woodhouse secured Class B fastest time in the family Elva 100 a full 3 seconds faster than next man in that class, wily Brian Mitcham’s Mallock U2.
Jack’s time of 2:14.000 was good enough to put him 15th, immediately ahead of Crispian Besley’s ex Tyrrell Cooper T56 who led Class C with a time of 2:15.717
and they shared grid row 8.

A very nice piece of FJ history was made this day when for the first time ever all three Caravelles were in the same race and for a fleeting moment they ran beside each other on the track. Co-founder Richard Utley appropriately drove Mk1. James Hicks, son of the other co-founder Bob Hicks, drove Mk3 and as aforementioned, the Mk2 was put on pole position by Callum McLeod.

Our FJ Tech Supremo, Grant Wilson moved amongst the cars in paddock and assembly area ~ one of the things he checked was ride heights.

Forty two cars formed up in the warm spring sunshine well ahead of the 15.25 race start time and the whole scene presented a fabulous picture. Milicevic, McLeod and Sam Wilson in Roger Daniell’s Cooper T59 were enjoying some relaxed banter and recalling some of their previous rolling start experiences whilst others drivers remained in their cockpits concentrating on the race ahead.

After a few minutes the pace car arrived, took up position and shortly moved off dutifully followed by all the cars. All except one ~~ the gear lever in Binnington’s Cooper disengaged as he selected 1st gear and left him stranded. He sorted it out immediately but by that time the last car had passed him and so his 18th start place was right out of the window and he then had to trail round at the back of the pack.

McLeod slowed the strung out field just after shooting Bridge, the pace car pulled into the pit lane and the race was on as they rushed down the start-finish straight.
The BRDC tribune doesn’t afford a view of the start line but from the commentator we learned that McLeod led from Milicevic down to Becketts with M.Hibberd close behind. Murray held his 4th place on the run down Hangar Straight into Stowe and Hibberd got past Milicevic. Wilson was ahead of Sir John Chisholm’s Gemini Mk3 in 6th and our welcome Italian visitor, Count Manfredo Rossi in his Lotus 22 was 7th
as the leading bunch came round for the first time.
But then there was huge drama. The commentator said that McLeod was not shown as leader on the scoreboard although he was ahead on the track and a starting procedure infringement was mentioned as a possible reason.
Meanwhile there had been on track drama too when there were spinners at Stowe first time round, Max Smeeth’s Lotus 22 being one, which had dropped him back into last place. Hicks had a spin in the Complex, which cost him umpteen places, but Binnington’s day was getting measurably better as he sliced past some 15 cars on the first lap and another 7 on lap 3 to lie 20th , almost back to his proper starting position.
J.Woodhouse made an excellent start gaining a few places early on and he kept his lead over Mitcham to the flag.
Peter Mullen made up 4 places in his Kieft on the 1st lap thanks to an advantageous start and he kept ahead of Besley, much to the latter’s annoyance at being deposed from Class C leader.
Milicevic went past M.Hibberd on lap 2 and started to claw away at McLeod’s lead and drifted past him at Stowe on lap 4. Murray continued to drive superbly and finally passed M.Hibberd on the penultimate lap.
However, the Caravelle’s Achilles heel Renault gearbox began to fail and after 5 laps McLeod parked the car in the pits, his race done.
Andrew Robertson had a spin in his Crossle 4F at the Complex and a good Class B battle developed when Peter St.Barbe’s Elva 100 and David Hall’s BMC Mk1 climbed to dice with Stuart Tizzard’s Lola Mk 2. Stephen Barlow in his BMC Mk1 was initially with this group but he couldn’t hold on and gradually fell back into his own battle with John Dowson’s Elva 200, during which they swapped places numerous times.
The Morton family began their day well enough with Pete starting from 14th place in the Lightning Envoyette and Alex from 22nd in his cherished Ausper T3. However Pete’s day was ruined when some stones, which had previously found their way onto the track at Stowe, were projected his way whilst he was lying well up in 11th place. One stone managed to puncture the radiator and another one managed to lodge under the throttle pedal restricting full operation, so he wisely retired immediately.
Andrew Hibberd gave the late Barry Westmoreland’s Lotus 20/22 a steady run in 8th place with Steve Smith and Simon Armer in their Cooper T59’s chasing him hard.
It was very good to see David Brown make a UK return to FJ with his Brabham BT6 although clearly not able to unleash the car’s full potential and he finished just behind Jeremy Deeley’s very well driven Cooper T52.
As is his nature, James Claridge quietly got on with the job and finished a creditable 6th ahead of Chisholm, and Rossi also impressed with a very fine 5th place finish.
Stephen Gibson’s all black Lynx T3 had an incident free race to finish 13th and although he was ahead of J.Woodhouse in the early laps the younger man retook the position by lap 5. No such trouble for globe trotting racer Peter Anstiss who after the first lap melee re passed J.Woodhouse and remained ahead, but uncle David Woodhouse hopes that there is far more to come in the future from his Class D Dolphin International. In this race he could only finish behind Justin Fleming’s beautiful Elva 100 and Paul Dixon’s seasoned Gemini Mk2.
Roger Dexter’s Elva-DKW 100 and Simon Hamilton’s Lotus 18 had a race long battle with places changing a number of times throughout, but it was Roger ahead at the finish. Dexter’s DKW 2-stroke engine seems to much prefer the present Solex carburetion set-up rather than the previous Amals.
Rudolph Ernst started very well from 24th on the grid and then picked up a couple of places on the first lap, but sadly he then gradually faded. David Bishop’s Elva 100 was trading modest lap times with Gregory and these chaps were the first to be zapped by the leaders on lap 4 of the 9 lap race.
With McLeod gone and M.Hibberd despatched, Milicevic steamed away to yet another victory but very hotly pursued by Murray in second place. Although during the last few laps both Murray and M.Hibberd made faster times than Milicevic he had the situation covered and put another 10 championship points in the bag with his victory.
However, because Sir John Chisholm won his class the overall difference of 10 points between them, with advantage to Milicevic, remains unchanged.

DCPR was preparing for an FIA meeting in Paris, so prize giving was conducted by Comps Sec Sarah and awards were presented by our President Dr.Tony Goodwin,
but only after the somewhat disorderly bundle, including Manfredo, exchanging a martini on this occasion for a different beverage, which had crowded beside Crispian Besley’s familiar red van in search of our sponsors Freedom Beers on this warm afternoon, was brought under starters orders by Sarah..

1st overall & Class E ~ Jon Milicevic, Cooper T59, fastest lap 2:05.227
2nd                             ~ James Murray, Lola Mk5A
3rd                              ~ Michael Hibberd, Lotus 27

1st Class D                 ~ Sir John Chisholm, Gemini Mk 3A
2nd                             ~ Stephen Gibson, Lynx T3
3rd                              ~ Alex Morton, Ausper T3
                                      Callum McLeod, Caravelle Mk2, fastest lap 2:05493

1st Class C                 ~ Peter Mullen, Kieft, fastest lap 2:15.918
2nd                              ~ Crispian Besley, Cooper T56
3rd                              ~ Andrew Robertson, Crossle 4F

1st Class B                 ~ Jack Woodhouse, Elva 100, fastest lap 2:13.264
2nd                             ~ Brian Mitcham, Mallock U2
3rd                              ~ David Hall, BMC-Huffaker Mk1

1st Class H                 ~ Anthony Binnington, Cooper T67, fastest lap 2:14.065

Peter Jackson, the Cooper Cockpit Correspondent. 16th May 2010