At the race briefing, us newbies were warned that after our first practice lap, we’d be asking ourselves, “Why did I go so slow?” I asked if we could walk the track beforehand, but was told it was too late — practice was about to start. Darn. Note to self: arrive earlier next time.
Peter, also being a fellow newcomer, grabbed a copy of the track map to bring back to Team AMOC. Tom, however, being far more experienced, pointed out that the map’s scale was about as useful as a one-page map of the UK. He instead gave us a verbal walkthrough of the circuit. The final corner sounded particularly daunting — a long, continuous bend where, just as it begins to unwind, you’re meant to floor it. You can’t see the exit — you just have to let the car move outward and trust that the straight is coming! It would be bumpy at that point, he said, but “just hold the car in a straight line.” Gulp.
Well, on the first practice lap — yes, I did wonder why I went so slowly. But Tom’s advice really helped me identify the right points to start building up speed.
The start was a short straight, I got up into third gear before braking — down to second for the left-hand Country Bend. Then it’s back on the power down a medium-length straight, shifting down into third gear for the unsighted, long right-hander, Village. It was fast and required real balance to carry speed through. Once the exit appears, you can apply full throttle down Valentine’s Way Straight — climbing up to fifth gear.
Then comes the longest right-hander, Beechers Bend. I tried both third and fourth gear here — it seems to go on forever. But just as Tom said, when it begins to unwind, that’s your cue to be bold and apply full power for the final part of the corner, leading onto Railway Straight, the speed trap, and then the finish.
When it all comes together, Aintree is a hugely enjoyable — adrenaline-fuelled and fast — circuit! It was great to see us all building confidence and improving, while still having fun. The two GT4s were fast straight out of first practice — always close on times — and the friendly competition between Tom and Peter is great to watch. Tim’s DB2 is incredibly quick off the line, and he seems to carry impressive speed throughout the entire circuit. Peter was learning and pushing his DB2, with him and Felix building confidence and running close in terms of times.
My aim each lap was to carry more speed through the corners, balance the car, and then push for a strong final straight speed — where the V12 could really pull. I managed a class-leading 134 mph on my last lap.
Liverpool Motor Club hosted over 120 cars at this Aintree event, but they ran a very slick operation — and that meant we got six runs in on the day!
In terms of the day, here’s how we did:
• Tom Whittaker – 50.45
• Peter House – 50.90
• Tim Price – 51.56
• Tim Stamper – 57.61
• Peter Watts – 66.06
• Felix Stamper – 66.76
I mentioned at the start how much I’m enjoying discovering different venues, but the other two reasons I’m enjoying the AMOC Speed Championship are the people and the car. All the AMOC racers are so welcoming, helpful, and just genuinely great people. And then there’s the Aston — getting to push the incredible V12, exactly as it was meant to be driven.
Report by Tim Price
Photos by Pro-Rally.co.uk and Peter Watts