Silverstone May 15 1965

I am sure someone out there can help me with a statistic I need for my biography of Jack Sears.

I am trying to trace the one and only time Jack raced a Team Lotus Lotus 30. He believes it was May 15 1965. I would like to know the name of the race, and where Jack finished in the race.

If it is this event, he also raced the factory Lotus Cortina in the saloon car event where he finished third overall and won his class.

OK, first the Lotus 30 race- Martin Krejci's site. Apparently it was part of British sportscar champinship and the race is listed as Silverstone International...

I'm off to browse a bit on his site, maybe I'll find the other race. Hope it helps.

It was the Silverstone International Trophy meeting on May 15th 1965. Here's a much longer answer than you want, Graham, just because it's fun to remember how full of good things those May Silverstone Internationals used to be.

The supporting 25-lap Sports Car Race (can't trace any more high-falutin title) was won by Bruce McLaren's McLaren-Oldsmobile, after a tremendous battle with John Surtees' Lola-Chevrolet T70.

Bruce led until lap 6, when Surtees got past at Stowe. They were neck-and-neck when Julian Sutton's Attila lost a wheel at Club, just as the leaders were about to lap him. Surtees took to the grass as the wheel came bounding towards him, but regained the tarmac and hung onto the lead: but the off-course excursion had torn off a water pipe, and he retired in a cloud of steam a few laps later. So McLaren romped home, with Hugh Dibley's Lola T70 next up.

Jack Sears finished third in the Lotus 30, with Denny Hulme's 2-litre BT8 fourth. Also in the race were Richard Attwood (Ronnie Hoare's GT40), Peter Gethin (Elva-BMW), Chris Amon (Elva-BMW) etc.

In the 12-lap Touring Car Race the Mustangs of Roy Pierpoint and Sir Gawaine Baillie finished 1-2, Jack Sears and Mike Spence in the works Lotus-Cortinas were third and fourth, ahead of Frank Gardner's Willment Cortina. Tony Lanfranchi's Alexander 1275 Mini battled with John Fitzpatrick's Broadspeed ditto, going round the outside at Woodcote on the last lap to beat him by inches, and Warwick Banks' 970 Mini won the small class.

More calibre in the F3 race: John Fenning surprised everyone by putting his Merlyn on pole ahead of the three Charles Lucas Brabhams of Piers Courage, Jonathan Williams and Peter Gethin, with Roy Pike's Chequered Flag Brabham and Warwick Banks' Tyrrell Cooper next. But Courage won from Pike, with Fenning a gallant third.

There was even a Historic Race, in which the Maserati 250Fs of Patrick Lindsay, Richard Attwood and Warwick Banks finished 1-2-3.

Oh, and on the 21-car grid for the non-championship F1 race were Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart (BRMs), John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini (Ferraris), Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme (Brabhams), Jochen Rindt and Bruce McLaren (Coopers), Pedro Rodriguez and Mike Spence (Lotuses), Mike Hailwood and Richard Attwood (Parnell Lotus-BRMs), an ancient pair of Scuderia Centro-Sud BRMs for Chris Amon and Roberto Bussinello, and other singletons like Paul Hawkins in a Lotus 33, Ian Raby (Brabham-BRM BT3), Bob Anderson (Brabham-Climax BT11), Frank Gardner in the Willment Brabham-BRM BT11, Jo Bonnier's Rob Walker BT7-Climax and John Rhodes in a Cooper with a four-pot Ford in the back. Jim Clark and Dan Gurney would have been there too, but they were busy at Indianapolis qualifying. Intriguingly it was Pedro Rodriguez' first race on British soil. Stewart won from Surtees and Spence, and Rodriguez was fourth.

Why is it that next month's British Grand Prix weekend, for this old fart anyway, will be lacking a lot of the magic of that day 41 years ago?

The programme, marked up by a 16 year old lad named David Beard…...






Roger Nathan was there....as he was at our Northern UK TNF gathering on Wednesday

Where else but TNF could one find this sort of information and personal recollection - it makes marvellous reading to an interested bystander.

Originally posted by Simon Taylor


Bruce led until lap 6, when Surtees got past at Stowe.

Simon: I was watching somewhere between Stowe and Club...I don't have Big John in front until lap 7 ;)

Ahhh - well done. Must have been Abbey.....

Originally posted by Simon Taylor
Ahhh - well done. Must have been Abbey.....

Surely not?...that would have been an unusual and very brave move: certainly not on braking!

Thank you to everyone and a note to David Beard : Hugh Dibley was in a Lola T70 and not a Lotus 30.

If I am stuck with anything else I know I can get a prompt answer

Motor Sport says:

For six laps McLaren was in front, then Surtees took him . . .

So presumably the overtaking move happened sometime during the seventh lap, before they got to David.

Originally posted by Graham Gauld
Thank you to everyone and a note to David Beard : Hugh Dibley was in a Lola T70 and not a Lotus 30.

These 16 year olds....

David.
The scans are much appreciated. Any chance of the Touring Car race & Historics too ?
Richard

Originally posted by David Beard

Surely not?...that would have been an unusual and very brave move...

Remember the 1993 GP...?

Originally posted by Twin Window
Remember the 1993 GP...?

No...far too recent!

Originally posted by RAP
David.
The scans are much appreciated. Any chance of the Touring Car race & Historics too ?
Richard

Certainly…

Wonderful! I must have had that programe,but its long since lost.Curious BRDC practices of the 60s.male drivers get only their initials shown,but ladies and knights of the garter get their christian names.Also 3 ladies entered in what would today be a BTCC round as against only one this season.

David
Thanks very much
Richard

Originally posted by Rob29
Curious BRDC practices of the 60s.male drivers get only their initials shown,but ladies and knights of the garter get their christian names.

Mor or less accepted practice of the time, I suspect, rather than a BRDC thing

Looking at the race entry put up by David Beard reminds me to ask whether anyone recalls what became of Robin McArthur? My own efforts to find him have come to nought, as yet. It would be most beneficial if I could trace him as he may be able to give more background on two of the DRW drivers I am researching, J D A (John) Bromilow and J C (John) Claydon.

Roger Lund.

Graham,

I agree with Simon, it WAS much more interesting then !

I have some colour slides taken on the track and in the paddock, if I could figure out how to get themn on to the site i would do so.

Best regards to you.

David Force

David,

If you care to e-mail me at graham.gauld@wanadoo.fr we can see what can be sorted out.

Graham

I am very much looking forward to your book. I have looked at my old notes regarding the painting I did for Jack in 1991 ( below) which you have no doubt seen with the Ferrari one in his house? He told me at the time it was May 15th and indeed was offered the drive by Colin as Jimmy was at Indy, hence Mike Spence being in the Cortina that day too.

Later this year I will be starting on a second one for him of other cars he raced and some Rolls-Royce cars owned by his father Stanley Sears.

Regards
Andrew.