Motor racing ace suffers Silverstone smash

A Guilsfield motor racing champion suffered a horror smash at the home of British motor racing, but thankfully emerged with nothing more than a sprained wrist.

 

Former British Junior Rallycross champion Ben Power had finished third in the first day of the two-day Legends meet in Silverstone, and was confident of improving a day later.

 

But with the series format meaning the fastest drivers start at the back of the pack, Ben, who races under the Guttercrest Racing umbrella, struck trouble as he made his way through the field.

 

“I had come through from the back of the grid and was going for the lead, when I got pushed past my braking point by a car behind,” explained Ben.

 

“That sent me into the side of another car, and when we came to a stop, I was hit in the rear and the front, which wrecked the car.”

 

Ben was lucky to escape with the minor injury, and now his father Nick – the Guttercrest team manager – is now working flat-out to rebuild the car in time for the next race round at Croft in North Yorkshire on May 28 and 29.

 

Before the Silverstone meeting, the former British Junior Rallycross champion achieved third place in the final at Donington Park as well as second place in a heat. At Silverstone, he gained another third place in Saturday’s final, before Sunday’s incident.

 

Legends racing originated on the US oval tracks, and the cars have an American look, being 5/8-scale replicas of classic US models. Guttercrest Racing runs a Ford Coupe 1937 replica, with a 1250cc Yamaha motorcycle engine.

 

With identical cars and the fastest drivers having to start at the back of the grid, there is said to be more overtaking in a single Legends race than in a whole season of Formula 1, making it one of the most thrilling motor sport disciplines.

 

Guttercrest Racing is backed by the family-owned aluminium guttering company Guttercrest, based in Oswestry. The team has further Welsh support from Cardiff-based PR consultancy Weltch Media, as well as Ripla Designs.