Rob Austin will demonstrate his 1976 Surtees F1 car at Silverstone during the penultimate round of the 2013 British Touring Car Championship, the home event for the Pershore based team.
As long as the timetable permits, Austin will take the car out on circuit during the lunch break Sunday – the car is the actual car which he uses in Rush, the film about the 1976 Formula 1 season and the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Click here for a taster video of the car starting up.
Two weeks on from his and the teams’ breakthrough maiden victory at Rockingham, the Silverstone national circuit offers a completely different challenge to the drivers and will benefit those drivers with the most turbo boost and least weight.
“It’s a short lap, sub-one minute in fact, but I like it – it means the fans get more laps and because of the long straights and slipstreaming the racing generally tends to be among the closest all season. But it also puts an emphasis on brakes and traction through the tight Becketts, Brooklands and Luffield corners – good exits from Becketts and Luffield in particular are crucial as both lead onto long straights,” explains the WIX Racing driver.
Over the last two events, Austin is the joint highest points scorer with 91 points and this has enabled him to move into the overall top ten for the drivers’ Championship – with his maiden win plus three other podium finishes at Knockhill and Rockingham – he is one of the form drivers arriving at the home of British Motorsport.
“I fully intend going for more wins and I don’t mean that in a cocky way,” adds the Evesham racer. “We’ve been right up there for the last two events, everyone on the team is on a high after Rockingham and, on paper, Silverstone should suit Sherman. I’m up to ninth in the points table now and am definitely targeting the top eight.”