Silverstone, July 10th.
THIS year the R.A.C. sold the rights of the British Grand Prix to the British Racing Drivers' Club and they enlisted the support of the Daily Express to organise the event at Silverstone. While the airfield circuit is not the best of places for a Grand Prix, it has a pleasant atmosphere and has been the scene of many British G.P. events in the past, as well as being the traditional home of British motor racing for many years now. The usual list of International cars and drivers was entered, together with some local private owners, and Thursday morning's practice session of one and a half hours saw all but one of the entry out to test cars and drivers and chase good starting-grid positions, as well as the £100 prize for F.T.D. The missing entry was Hawkins with Stoop's Lotus 33-Climax V8, due to it having been crashed while on test earlier in the week.
At long last Ferrari permitted Surtees to make use of the 12-cylinder Ferrari and Bandini had a V8, while the second V8 was spare for Suttees to use, if he wanted to. B.R.M. had the two cars used at Clermont-Ferrand and had built a third car to replace the one that crashed in France, this spare car being a 1964 car, actually the one Hill used at Monaco that year, fitted with the latest type of engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension. The only outward signs of recognition were the slots in the monocoque pontoons under the engine, where the old side exhaust pipes used to pass through. Neither Hill nor Stewart had much learning of the circuit to do, putting all their energies into recording fast laps. Clark and Spence had no spare Lotus available as the latest chassis was still awaiting its 32-valve Coventry-Climax engine, one of the camshafts having broken on that engine in practice for the French G.P.; they were using the two cars raced in France.
