Jeremy Welch had the opportunity to drive a 1923 Bentley 3/41/2 in the Kidston Trophy for pre-war sports cars. Owner Alex Bell started the race and then handed over to Jeremy after a safety car period. The car is quite unlike anything he is used to driving with no seat belts, slippery seats and the need to use a manual advance and retard lever. 

Jeremy said afterwards "Holding on tightly and turning the heavy steering was very tiring even after just a few laps but it was very enjoyable and thank Alex for the opportunity to drive such an historic car."

Gallet Trophy For Pre-66 GT Cars

The rain had held off all day until shortly before the start of the race and quickly saturated the track. Though this had been anticipated by the team the track was quite slippery and proved a challenge for the drivers of the more powerful cars.

It was a great race for the Healey's. Nils-Fredrik Nyblaeus and co-driver Jeremy Welch were the first placed Healey in YOP 999 and 2nd in class.The ex-works Healey 3000's 767 KNX, driven by Alex Bell and Co-driver Nigel Greensall and SMO 746 driven by Martyn Corfield and co-driver Patrick Blakeney-Edwards finished as 2nd and 3rd placed Healey's and 3rd and 4th in the class.

Julian Thomas, who started 3rd on the grid in his E-Type was quickly challenging for the lead but his race ended early when he visited the gravel with no return.

Jaguar Classic Challenge

The race saw the first outing for the newly built Jaguar E-Type of Jean-Marc Rivet-Fusil and co-driver Jeremy Welch. They qualified a very creditable 10th and Welch ran as high as 6th before the pit stop and driver change.

Ultimately they would finish 19th overall. Most importantly the customer was very pleased with his new car and how it performed. 

Pole sitter Julian Thomas retired with an technical fault whilst leading, ending a disappointing weekend for him.

RAC Tourist Trophy for Pre 63 GT Cars

A huge grid assembled for this, one of the most popular races of the meeting including 3 Austin Healey 3000's prepared by Denis Welch Motorsport, 2 of which had raced the previous evening which left little time to re-prepare the cars.

Martyn Corfield and co-driver Jeremy Welch started 13th in SMO 746. Corfield took the first stint before handing over to Welch who was able to post some impressive lap times and finish 3rd in class. Wanting to improve his racecraft and gain more track experience in the Healey, Alex Bell drove solo in 767 KNX. The conditions were much more favourable for him and he was very consistent, finishing 20th overall and 6th in class. 

Tony Worthington and co-driver Mark Midgley were unable to finish, sustaining a rear end shunt which ended their race after 15 laps.

RAC Woodcote Trophy

1950's sports cars took to the track on Sunday morning including Mike Knight and co-driver Jeremy Welch who drove customer Oliver Harris's Healey 100. Tarek Mahmoud and co-driver Gregoire Audi also drove a 100 in the car's first race of the year. 

Welch's pace in qualifying enabled him to start as the fastest Healey, both he and Knight enjoyed some close racing to finish 20th overall and 6th in class.

Photos: Jeff Bloxham and Denis Welch Motorsport