Last gasp victory for DB4GT Lightweight in RAC Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars at Silverstone Classic

25 Jul 2011

First awarded last year, the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars – not to be confused with the original RAC Tourist Trophy which has been continuously awarded to current race cars since 1905 – was won in dramatic style by the Aston Martin DB4GT of race legends Richard Attwood and Stuart Graham at last weekend’s Silverstone Classic meeting, now the world’s largest historic racing event.

In qualifying for the race for pre-1963 GT cars, the Aston was comfortably beaten to pole position by 2.5 seconds by the Ferrari 250 GT SWB of Hans Hugenholtz/David Hart, and it was the Italian car that held sway for almost all the 45 minute encounter. On the final lap, however, the Ferrari cruelly came to a halt, allowing the second placed DB4GT to take the honours which ex-Grand Prix driver and Le Mans winner Attwood and Graham, former TT victor and motorcycle race ace, missed out on in 2010 to this year’s runner-up, the Carlo Vogele/Willie Green Ferrari 330 GTO. Third place went to the Project 212 Aston Martin of Wolfgang Friedrichs/David Clark, one better than last year, while the Nick Naismith/John Young DB4, one of several other Aston Martins in the 51 car field, took fourth position.