CALM All Porsche Trophy

CALM are entering three teams in this year’s Birkett 6-hour relay race at Silverstone, to take place (hopefully) on Silverstone’s historic GP circuit on 24th October.

The 3-car #44 “CALM Boxster Boys” consist of Jamie Callendar and Jayson Flegg (sharing at car), Ed Hayes, Andrew Porter – all cars being 986s.

Then we have the #43 “CALM Inbetweeners”: Angus Archer and Kevin Ludford both in 986 Boxsters and Dan Gick in the fastest and best prepared 924 in the country (so says the car’s owner).

And #11 “CALM 4Pots” have John Jones in his own 924 (well prepared but not as good as Philips, he says), Clayton and Ed Sampson (father and son) in a 968 Sport – a beautiful white one, winner of best turned out at Brands last month – and Adam and Jack Egar (also father and son) plus Lee Birkett all sharing a blue and silver 968 set up by Unique – they achieved their first podium last time out.

The Birkett – dating back to the late 1940s – is a traditional end-of-season race for the 750 Motor Club and features teams of between three and six drivers, and between three and six cars, competing in a unique relay race format. There are trophies for both over ‘Scratch’ winners, for completing the highest number of laps, but also for the more hotly-contested ‘Handicap Victory’, which in theory could be won by any of the teams.

Photo, blatantly stolen from Rick Matthews, shows Porsche entries from 2019 where Rick was mad enough to stay on the pit wall in wet and freezing conditions for the entire race – “genuinely the wettest and coldest I think I’ve ever been in my life”, he said recently. This year the team managers will be John Broadley, Karl Rossin and Roger Hirst, with a positive plethora of other CALM drivers, family and friends helping out.

Plans are being developed for our racing next season and as you may have already heard, we’re talking to the All Dutch Porsche Club regarding a pair of exchange events – they come to the UK for a round and we go to visit them. We can now announce that they already have a booking for the Spa Francorchamps circuit for 18th, 19th and 20th June. There would be a reciprocal event in the UK.

Video above is from one of the club’s events this season – at Assen. Their club were supporting ADAC. Watch driver JP Helsebos who had problems in qualifying but in the race goes from the last row of the grid to – well, just watch…

The cost will be under 1000 euros – which might sound alot but will include 30 minutes of free practice, a 30 minute qualifying session and then a one hour race on both Saturday and Sunday – giving three hours of track time in total. The races include a mandatory pit-stop so cars can be shared with two drivers, which would obviously drop the cost even further.

Now as idyllic as this sounds, we are of course at the mercy of both COVID-19 and whatever happens to customs and border crossing between the UK and continental Europe. But we thought that as this has such great potential you’d like to hear about it asap. These two weekends would form just part of a 5- or 6-round season in 2021. If you are interested in joining us for our trip to Spa, please contact Philip to let us know.