A VERY SUCCESSFUL GOODWOOD REVIVAL FOR BRM

BRM had a very successful Goodwood Meeting with no shortage of action, drama and heart in the mouth moments!

Mother nature threw everything at us including record temperatures on Saturday and heavy rain on Sunday. Weather aside, BRM and Hall and Hall enjoyed a vintage Goodwood to savour for many years to come.

Despite some concerns in the run up to the meeting, Chassis IV fired up beautifully and immediately took centre stage on the track. With some harder plugs and with the benefit of a functioning Rolls-Royce supercharger this year, Rob was able to demonstrate what the V16 could actually be capable of. Running smoothly through the power bands to 11,000 revs, the V16 not only sounded fearsome, for the first time since its build, it showed some genuine pace and despite only using 3 laps for a practice run, Rob thrilled the crowds by flying past many of the ERA’s to secure a place on the front of the grid.

With the car very much still in development, Rob noticed a small vibration from the rear of the car and brought the car in to investigate. The tireless Hall and Hall team quickly identified the cause and implemented a solution in readiness for the race the following day. By now, the paddocks were alight with chatter about the V16 and the pace and sound out on the track.

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The Goodwood Trophy has been dominated by the well developed ERA’s for many years and so it was great to see a V16 lining up in between two ERA’s on the front of the grid. A certain Raymond May’s would have thoroughly approved at the sight… The V16 was quickly into its stride, sparring for the lead as Rob battled with Mark Gillies in the ERA in the early laps, regularly swapping the lead. The superior power of the V16 was evident as Rob took advantage of Lavant Straight and continually lined up the ERA for passing moves. He did exactly the same as he exited the chicane and powered past the ERA down the pit straight – it was a truly magical and emotive experience for everyone involved in the project. To see Rob skillfully piloting this great British feat of engineering around a circuit it had conquered almost 75 years before was a very special experience. A great duel and historically, a poignant one. To everyone’s disappointment the fun was not to last and with only a handful of laps to go, the car began to run lean and lose power so Rob brought the V16 in.

It is a big leap forward for the car and testament to all the incredibly hard work Rob, Rick and the team at Hall and Hall have invested in this project.

There was still plenty to cheer for in the other races, with Andy Willis of Hall and Hall becoming the star of the Revival meeting as he won the Glover Trophy from 4th on the grid driving a P261 and after some tremendous battles and in the rain, he brought the car home in first place as well as taking the fastest lap 1:56.057

Philipp Buhofer came home 5th in the second BRM P261, Charles McCabe was 20th in the P578, and Kurt Del Bene was 22nd in the BRP-BRM, whilst Federico Buratti retired in the Lotus BRM.

Andy was later awarded Driver of the Meeting for his performance throughout the weekend which included 2nd place with the P48 in the Richmond and Gordon Trophy.

Congratulations to Andy on a superb drive and to Hall and Hall for looking after so many cars, their hard work and dedication behind the scenes.