heir Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were guests of honour on Wednesday at the media launch of the Six Hours of Silverstone and the Tourist Trophy. This curtain raiser to the British round of the FIA World Endurance Championship was held at Kensington Palace, London.
Attending along with the Prince and Princess were Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA WEC, and reigning World Champion Tom Kristensen (Audi) who, alongside Loic Duval and Allan McNish, won the coveted Tourist Trophy in 2013. Also present were drivers Darren Turner (Aston Martin Racing), James Calado (AF Corse Ferrari), Maro Holzer (Porsche Team Manthey), Johnny Mowlem (RAM Racing Ferrari), Ben Collins (RAM Racing Ferrari).
The Six Hours of Silverstone will take place on Sunday 20 April 2014 at Silverstone, with the winner being presented with the historic Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy. The race is both the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the first round of the European Le Mans Series, both of which are promoted by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO).
Prince Michael of Kent, President of the Royal Automobile Club, said “The Royal Automobile Club’s Tourist Trophy is the world’s oldest formally organised and contested international endurance motor race, having been inaugurated in 1905 and the story of the Tourist Trophy is, in many ways, the story of motor sport itself. Through it can be charted the careers of some of the greatest drivers, manufacturers and team staff, some of the most challenging and majestic racetracks and some of the most innovative technology ever seen in the sport.
Much of the prestige of the Tourist Trophy is embodied in its relevance. Even in 1905 the emphasis was not purely on speed but also on fuel economy, making it an enormous challenge on all fronts to the teams and drivers taking part and it remains so to this day. The first race in 1905 lasted over six hours and it is truly fitting that over 100 years later we have gone full circle back to a six-hour endurance race in 2014.
The winner of the first race in 1905 was John Napier driving an 18hp Arrol-Johnston in a race over four laps of a fearsome 52-mile open road loop around the Isle of Man. His average speed was 34mph but I suspect at Silverstone the cars will be going far more swiftly, and appropriately so, for it is the swift god, Hermes, that stands proudly on the top of the Trophy.
As President of the Royal Automobile Club, I would like to wish all the competing teams and drivers a safe and successful Tourist Trophy race, and look forward to seeing the name of the winner added to the names of some of the previous winners, which include such racing greats as Rudolf Carraciola, Tazio Nuvolari, Peter Collins, Sir Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Denny Hulme and Derek Bell”.
