Aston Martin Owners' Club

 

This is the start of the Park Place Thoroughbred Sports Championship race at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

Leading is the Triumph TR3 of Reg Woodcock with three Aston Martin DB4's in pursuit. There were five green DB4's in the race and three red ones and I can't identify the drivers of the cars pictured. Bringing up the rear is Robin Longdon in Les Leston's famous Lotus Elite 'DAD10', or 'Daddio' as it was affectionally known.

1957 BRM P25

I took this photograph in the paddock at Aintree during practice for the British Grand Prix in July 1957.

It's the 1957 BRM P25 that was driven in the race by Les Leston who qualified in twelfth place on the grid, but retired with an engine failure after 44 laps of the 90 laps race. The BRM P25 was said to be the fastest of the 1954-1960 Formula 1 era, partly due to the oversquare (102.87 mm bore x 74.93 mm stroke) 2,491cc engine allowing for larger valves to be fitted. The car was plagued with reliability problems, however, and the only Grand Prix win was Jo Bonnier's victory in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix.

Lotus Elite

One of the cars in the Pre-1961 Sports & GT Cars Race at the SeeRed & Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in May 2011 was this Lotus Elite.

It's the 1960 Lotus Elite formerly raced by Les Leston in the 1960s and raced here at Donington Park by Robin Longdon. Les Leston died on on 13 May 2012 at the age of 91 and his life story in the obituary in The Telegraph is well worth reading. It says about the famous 'DAD10' number plate:

'Leston raced in the Le Mans 24 hour race and rallies, and in the 1960s enjoyed great success in the British GT Championships, driving a bright red Lotus Elite with the number plate “DAD 10” — a nod to the jazzman’s nickname “Daddio” by which he was known on the big band circuit.'

This is Robin Longdon at McLeans Corner at the Donington Park meeting leading the 1959 Lotus Elite of Brian Arculus.