Silverstone Festival 2025: Masters Endurance Legends

The More Modern Historics!

Race 1

Brooks rumbles to victory in first Masters Endurance Legends race at Silverstone

From fourth on the grid, Steve Brooks soon surged into a lead he would not relinquish until the first Masters Endurance Legends race at the Silverstone Festival saw the chequered flag. Following a lengthy mid-race safety-car period that coincided with the pit window, Brooks’ diesel-powered Peugeot 90X fought off a challenge from Christophe d’Ansembourg’s Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2 to win by 7.9 seconds.

“You’ve got to love it. If you fight it, it doesn’t like it. A diesel, London taxi fuel, bang!” Brooks summarised the Peugeot experience.

Towards the line, the Belgian saw his two pursuers closing up while fighting hard over third place. Keith Frieser only just managed to contain Werner d’Ansembourg coming from the back of the grid in the Pescarolo 01, but it was all in vain as the Canadian’s Zytek 09S was handed a five-second time penalty for a start procedure infringement. Polesitter Max Chilton in the Zytek 04S lost out at the stops, but clawed back up to sixth behind the LMP3-class-winning Ligier JSP3 shared by Andy Perry and Ben Clucas. In tenth overall, Mike Newton’s MG-Lola EX264 won the LMP2 class despite a lairy spin coming out of Aintree.

“I was fighting with the Peugeot”, said Christophe d’Ansembourg of the final laps when Frieser’s Zytek and his son’s Pescarolo grew ever bigger in his mirrors. “Then at one moment I couldn’t do anything against it, so I was kind of resting. Then I saw these lights behind me and the team told me, ‘You should push, you should push!’ I didn’t know it was him!”

“Well, I started from afar”, said his son. “We had a few issues with the car. The downshifts weren’t working, so we had to talk to the mechanics, who told me what to do, but it was a great race. I was lucky with the safety car, happy to be up the top. It’s great, and especially behind my father.”

Fortunes went up and down in the GT race. Witt Gamski initially led in the Bentley Continental GT3 but Cor Euser in the Marcos Mantara LM600evo took over before the stops, having charged up from fourth. After the stops, however, Ross Wylie set the record straight in the Bentley, passing Euser for the class win, while Jake Hill took over from Colin Sowter in the Ferrari 458 GT3 to pip the Dutchman for second place in class.

The afternoon programme of the Festival’s Saturday was now well underway, as the Masters Racing Legends lined up for their first race of the meeting. Max Chilton’s Zytek 04S would start from pole after Steve Brooks’ Peugeot 90X was penalised and put back to fourth on the grid behind the Sacha Kakad/Vassily Vladykin Lola B12/80 and Bradley Smith in the LMP3-class-leading Norma M30. The Andy Perry/Ben Clucas Ligier JSP3 and Christophe d’Ansembourg’s Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2 were next, followed by Keith Frieser’s Zytek 09S and Mike Newton’s MG-Lola EX264.

Chilton completed the opening lap still in the lead from Vladykin, but Brooks was up into third ahead of Smith, d’Ansembourg, Frieser, Newton and Perry, with Jason McInulty in ninth in the Duqueine D08, while Werner d’Ansembourg’s Pescarolo 01 was already up into tenth, having started from the back. In 11th, Witt Gamski’s Bentley Continental GT3 led the GTs from Marcus Graf von Oeynhausen’s BMW Z4 GT3 and Colin Sowter in the Ferrari 458 GT3.

Brooks’ diesel engine was coming on song now, along with his tyres, and the Peugeot 90X swept past Vladykin and Chilton to take the lead. Soon, however, action was suspended when McInulty’s Duqueine was seen in the gravel trap, forcing the safety car’s deployment and denying Jack Fabby a stint in the car. Before it was called, though, Cor Euser’s Marcos Mantara LM600evo moved up into third among the GTs.

With the pit window having just opened, almost everyone used the opportunity to come in, temporarily creating a very busy pitlane, while the rest of the runners took the second chance. In the meantime, time penalties for start procedure infringements were handed to Frieser, Von Oeynhausen, John Kenny Murray and Mark Drain’s Ligier JSP3 and Chilton too.

The stops having shaken up the entire field, Brooks now led d’Ansembourg (C.), Mike Newton in the LMP2 MG-Lola, Frieser (but with a time penalty), Ben Clucas in Perry’s Ligier and Cor Euser in the Marcos, the Dutchman now suddenly in the lead of the GT class. Elite driver time penalties also coming into the equasion, Chilton now found himself in 18th overall!

At the restart, Brooks and d’Ansembourg stormed off but Frieser and Clucas quickly dealt with Newton, who then spun out of Aintree to drop well down the order. On a roll, the younger d’Ansembourg charged up into fifth from Bradley Smith’s Norma, Euser, and James Hagan in the ORECA-GM FLM09 started by Chris Atkinson. Ross Wylie was now second in the GT class in Gamski’s Bentley Continental GT, while Jake Hill was third but well down, having taken over Colin Sowter’s Ferrari 458. At the fringe of the top ten, Sacha Kakad in the Lola B12/80 and Chilton in the Zytek 04S were quickly making up ground as well. Meanwhile, the John Turner/Ray Grimes Ligier JSP3 ground to a halt at Copse, but it was at a safe spot, so the race was able to continue.

Five minutes remained on the clock when Brooks led the Lola-Aston by 2.4 seconds but the Belgian was actually closing on the Peugeot. Behind them, Frieser defended from the other d’Ansembourg, while Clucas and Smith disputed the LMP3 class win in fifth and sixth. Chilton and Kakad, however, were both closing up on them.

Towards the end, Brooks found a fresh amount of pace to open up a six-second gap to d’Ansembourg (C.), who in turn was caught by the warring pair of Frieser and d’Ansembourg (W.). 12 seconds further back, Chilton had caught up with the LMP3 lead battle to split the pair before also threatening to pass Clucas for fifth.

And so, Brooks won, having dropped his challenger, with d’Ansembourg (C.) in second, while Frieser narrowly kept ahead of d’Ansembourg (W.) but because of his penalty it was no use to the Canadian. Clucas remained ahead of Chilton to win the LMP3 class from Smith and Atkinson/Hagan, while behind Kakad, Ross Wylie caught and passed Euser for the GT class win. In fact, a late charge by Jake Hill gave the Ferrari 458 GT3 second place in class ahead of the Dutchman in the Marcos. In tenth and 11th, Newton and Mike Furness in the Courage LC75 were the first across the line in the LMP2 class.

Race 2

Brooks doubles up in Silverstone’s second Masters Endurance Legends race

With an imperious performance from pole, Steve Brooks made it two from two in the second Masters Endurance Legends race at the Silverstone Festival. The Peugeot 90X ran away from the start and could easily compensate for a five-second time penalty handed to Brooks for a minor start procedure infringement.

“You’re getting more and more comfortable every time you drive it. You’ve got to get used to it. It’s amazing, it just keeps giving and keeps giving”, said Brooks.

All the action happened in the Peugeot’s wake, as Christophe and Werner d’Ansembourg duelled for second place in their respective Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2 and Pescarolo-Judd 01 before Max Chilton powered through in the Zytek 04S. However, when Chilton was blackflagged for ignoring a drivethrough penalty, the younger d’Ansembourg was handed back second place ahead of an emerging Keith Frieser, whose Zytek 09S came up strong in the second part of the race. D’Ansembourg Sr gave up fourth to the Vasily Vladykin/Sacha Kakad Lola-Mazda B12/80 when he spun on the final lap.

“I had to work hard, well, not that hard actually, as the F1 race was cut short unfortunately”, said Werner d’Ansembourg. “The car is alright but good to bounce back, very good to fight with my dad like that, it was a pleasure. Not sure how he’ll react, but yeah, so much fun!”

“I worked really hard yesterday, but unfortunately made a little mistake on the start and had a five-second penalty”, said Frieser. “So I was very very motivated today to get up onto the podium. So yeah, it worked out really good. This car is just a dream to drive. Werner and I are very, very close, but he’s young and talented and I’m old and worn out, so that’s why he’s ahead of me!”

Behind them, yesterday’s class winners also doubled up on victories, as Andy Perry and Ben Clucas once again triumphed in LMP3, finishing a strong sixth overall, while Mike Newton bagged another LMP2 class win in the MG-Lola EX264. Witt Gamski and Ross Wylie dominated the GT class for a second time, their Bentley Continental GT3 ending up well ahead of the duelling Ferrari 458 GT3 and Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 of Colin Sowter and Kari Mäkelä respectively. Wylie saw his final threat evaporate when his closest class rival Cor Euser had to retire his Marcos Mantara LM600evo.

Similar to Saturday, the Masters Endurance Legends were second on the programme of a Masters-filled afternoon at the Silverstone Festival. Race 1 winner Steve Brooks lined up on pole in his Peugeot 90X, followed by father and son d’Ansembourg in their respective Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2 and Pescarolo 01. Keith Frieser was up next in the Zytek 09S, while row three was shared by the Andy Perry/Ben Clucas Ligier JSP3 and Max Chilton’s older Zytek 04S. Bradley Smith lined up his LMP3 Norma M30 on the fourth row, with the Sacha Kakad/Vassily Vladykin Lola-Mazda B12/80 besides it. In ninth overall, the Witt Gamski/Ross Wylie Bentley Continental sat on the GT class pole.

At the lights went out, Brooks stormed off into a distinct lead halfway into the lap, but Christophe and Werner d’Ansembourg fought hard over second place behind the Peugeot. Frieser remained fourth for now, but Chilton had already passed Andy Perry out of Abbey, leaving the Ligier to fight it out with class rival Smith in the Norma. In fact, the latter was up into the class lead before the end of the opening lap. Mike Newton’s MG-Lola EX264 led the LMP2 class in ninth overall, while Gamski controlled his GT lead over the Ferrari 458 GT3 of Colin Sowter driving solo today.

Going into lap 2, Chilton had caught and passed Frieser for fourth to set off after the warring Gulf-liveried d’Ansembourg machines. In fact, when d’Ansembourg Jr went wide out of Aintree in his efforts to pass his father, Chilton profited to snatch third. Getting past the V12-engined Lola-Aston would not be as easy, though, as d’Ansembourg Sr powered away on the Hangar Straight. However, when the Belgian outbraked himself into Village on the next tour, Chilton moved up into second place after all, the trio now trailing Brooks by four seconds.

Behind Frieser, Vasily Vladykin’s Mazda AER-engined Lola B12/80 hove into view with the aim to demote the Canadian, but for the moment the Zytek driver had the Lola covered. In front of them, meanwhile, Werner d’Ansembourg had finally managed to outsmart his father, passing him into the Loop.

In LMP3, Smith led Perry by 12 seconds, with Jack Fabby’s Duqueine D08 climbing the ranks while third in class. On lap 5, the Duqueine had passed the pair of LMP2 cars, Newton ahead of Mike Furness in the Courage LC75. In GTs, Gamski continued to lead, but did slowly drop into the clutches of Cor Euser’s Marcos Mantara LM600evo, with Kari Mäkelä’s Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 third in class.

Then a pair of penalties were announced for the top two runners, Brooks being slammed with a five-second time penalty for an incorrect start, while Chilton – and also Sowter – were handed drivethrough penalties for failing to adhere to the start procedure. With Brooks now leading Chilton by a mere two seconds, his time penalty would have put a sting in his fight with the Peugeot, but the upcoming drivethrough would fully negate that.

On lap 8, the younger d’Ansembourg trailed the two leaders by nine seconds, while Vladykin had managed to pass d’Ansembourg Sr as well as Frieser, leaving the Belgian and the Canadian to dispute fifth place. In LMP3, Smith now led Parry by 18 seconds, with Fabby a further three ticks adrift. 16 seconds separated Newton and Furness in LMP2, while Euser had closed the gap to Gamski to just two seconds, as the pit window opened.

Frieser, Smith, Mark Drain’s Ligier JSP3, Gamski, and James Hagan’s ORECA FLM09 were the first to come in, along with Sowter, Mäkelä, Steve Osborne’s BMW E46 M3 GTR and John Turner’s JSP3. The latter would hand over to Ray Grimes, while Ross Wylie would relieve Gamski, and Chris Atkinson would take over from Hagan. On lap 10, both Brooks and Chilton came in for their stop, along with Christophe d’Ansembourg, Andy Perry (with Ben Clucas stepping in), Furness, Euser and Fabby, the latter replaced by Jason McInulty. Werner d’Ansembourg followed on the next lap, while Vladykin – who had just set the fastest lap of the race – and Newton left it to the last opportunity. Meanwhile, Osborne was in for a third time with what looked like a serious issue.

When all the stops had panned out, it soon transpired that Chilton had still not served his penalty – and when he also ignored the final warning, the Zytek 04S was given the black flag. At the front, Brooks now led d’Ansembourg (W.) by 29 seconds, with Sacha Kakad in the Lola started by Vladykin in third, 15 seconds adrift but being caught by Frieser in the Zytek 09S. D’Ansembourg (C.) and the Chilton were next, after whom Clucas had caught and passed Smith for the LMP3 class lead. Newton now consummately led in LMP2, chased by the LMP3 Duqueine of McInulty. Among the GTs, Wylie had broken away from Euser, who in turn led Mäkelä and Sowter by 24 seconds, the Finn and the Briton swapping positions on lap 15 – the same lap on which Frieser managed to pip Kakad for third.

Some nine minutes still remained on the clock, and the field began to settle. Brooks looked unassailable, half a minute in front of d’Ansembourg (W.) and almost a minute ahead of Frieser. Kakad was doing similar lap times to d’Ansembourg (C.) in fifth. Clucas and Smith were separated by four seconds, but the leading LMP3 car was inching away from the Norma, while Newton had the LMP2 class all but sewn up in eighth overall and with Furness in the pits with a troubled Courage. McInulty was next, third in LMP3, while Wylie had an easy time of it in the lead of the GT class, now with a full lap over Sowter and Mäkelä, as Euser had retired the Marcos to the pits.

As the race drew to a close, Brooks brought the Peugeot home 19 seconds ahead of the younger d’Ansembourg’s Pesca, with Frieser claiming third in the Zytek, 56 seconds behind the leader. However, behind them there was drama on the final lap, as Christophe d’Ansembourg’s wild spin out of Aintree handed Kakad fourth. In sixth overall, Clucas secured another LMP3 win for himself and Andy Perry, with Bradley Smith’s Norma and the Fabby/McInulty Duqueine completing the LMP3 class podium in seventh and ninth respectively. In eighth, Newton bagged the LMP2 class win, while in tenth overall Wylie doubled up on class wins with Witt Gamski. Drain, Hagan/Atkinson and Turner/Grimes were the next two LMP3 runners, while the GT podium was completed by Sowter and Mäkelä.