Supercar Tour Delivers the Tourist Trophy to Silverstone

04 May 2007

On Friday 4th May thirty-five 21st Century supercars escorted the Jaguar XKR, driven by The Royal Automobile Club Chairman Tim Keown and Dr Stephen Hammerton, delivering the 102-year-old Tourist Trophy to Silverstone.

The impressive display of cars, including a very rare £800,000 Bugatti Veyron driven by Northamptonshire owner Ray Kingston, travelled the 80-mile non motorway route from Pall Mall in London to Silverstone in Northamptonshire.

The parade of cars left Pall Mall at 10am under Metropolitan Police Motorcycle escort and arrived at Towcester Race Course at 12:45, The assembled cars then drove in formation along the final few miles to Silverstone where they completed 3 laps of the famous Grand Prix circuit.

Following the demonstration laps, Tim Keown and Dr Stephen Hammerton delivered The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy to the circuits Race Control, where it will remain until awarded to the winners of the British round of the FIA GT Sportscar Championship this Sunday 6th May.

“With members of the public providing and driving many of the cars, the London to Silverstone Supercar Tour is an exciting and innovative way of delivering the Tourist Trophy to the circuit,” said Dr Stephen Hammerton. “Many of the manufacturers that will be seen on Friday will be represented on the race track in the 2-hour FIA GT race this Sunday, with the drivers of an Aston Martin winning the Tourist Trophy in 2005 and a Maserati in 2006.”

“The Tourist Trophy is one of the oldest and most significant prizes in motorsport and since 1905 has been lifted by some of the most famous names in racing including Sir Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Derek Bell. I’m travelling up to Silverstone with the trophy in a Jaguar XKR, a great British manufacturer that has been the recipient of the Tourist Trophy on three occasions.”

The first Tourist Trophy meeting was held on the Isle of Man on September 14th 1905 with cars setting off from Alexander Drive, Douglas on a 52 mile course. John Napier, in an Arrol-Johnston won in the 6 hour race comprising 4 laps, 208 miles, with an average speed of 33.9 mph.

Whilst there were breaks in the Tourist Trophy being contested in the early 20th century and during both world wars, it remained one of the most coveted competitions on the motor sports calendar. Over the years it moved around the country and has been run at circuits on the Isle of Man, in England and Northern Ireland.

The Royal Automobile Club re-introduced the Tourist Trophy during its centenary year in 2005 for the FIA GT race at Silverstone, with Dutchman Peter Kox and Portugal’s Pedro Lamy victorious in the three hour race. A year later the names of Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels were added to the roll of honour. The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy will be awarded to the winning pair of drivers in Round 2 of the 2007 FIA GT Championship on Sunday 6th May.

Motion Works

See 2007 series calendar for FIA GT Championship

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