ORMISTON rally driver Paul Stokel put two historic Formula 1 cars through their paces at the recent Leyburn Sprints, giving spectators a rare glimpse of motorsport history in action.
Stokel drove a striking yellow 1964 Brabham BT11A Repco Climax, a car that made history as the first to reach 100 miles per hour at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, in the early 1960s.
The car, once driven by former racing champion Kevin Bartlett, was also a competitor in the Tasman Series in 1965 and 1966.
Bartlett was able to reconnect with the car at the sprints.
Stokel also took the wheel of a 1958 Cooper Climax Mark 3, originally driven by Jack Brabham.
Developed from a Formula 2 specification, the car helped pave the way for a 2.5-litre Grand Prix engine, and Brabham famously won the 1959 and 1960 Formula 1 World Championships behind the wheel.
“The Brabham was quicker because it has a bigger engine,” Stokel said.
“But both cars showed they are still behaving well.
“In retrospect, I should have raced the two cars at Leyburn, but this was just a chance for the owner to show them off.
“I wouldn’t have minded seeing how they panned out in their class.”
The cars are owned by motoring enthusiast and collector Michael Machin.
Stokel is no stranger to the Leyburn track, having secured three class wins in a Lotus Exige over the past five years.
More recently, he has stepped in as a driver for the GT series KFC team in an Audi R8.
The Leyburn Sprints attracted a record 250 cars, spanning a century of automotive history from 1924.
Legendary drivers such as Dick Johnson, Warwick Brown, Bruce Allison, Charlie O’Brien and Bap Romano also made appearances.
