Cottingham-Smith GT40 Triumphant at Members Meeting

Just a few weeks after the Revival, DK Engineering returned to Goodwood circuit for the 78th Member’s Meeting with four cars entered: The GT40 ‘1MUF’ of James Cottingham and Andrew Smith in the Gurney Cup, the MG B of David Cottingham in the Ronnie Hoare Trophy, and both the Ferrari 500 TRC and the Tojeiro-Jaguar in the Salvadori Cup, driven by Scott Redding and James Cottingham respectively. The GT40 and the Tojeiro were prepared by ADP Classic Racing while the MG B and 500 TRC were prepared in-house by DK.

Qualifying in 5th position in the grid in the GT40, the pair of Smith and Cottingham got off to a great start, shooting to 2nd place by the end of the first lap, just 1.9 seconds behind the leader. For the next several laps, the GT40 remained in second before pitting for the driver change on the 9th lap. Once all the driver changes had been completed throughout the field and despite gaining a small penalty relating to their pit stop, it was clear that the Cottingham/Smith GT40 had an unassailable lead, which was held to the chequered flag for a well deserved overall victory.

For the Ronnie Hoare Trophy, David was entered in the MGB but James received a last-minute call to substitute for Richard Cook in his 911, joining his father on the track. Unfortunately, an engine failure meant that David’s race was finished by the tenth lap. Having started from 14th, James managed to inch his way up to 9th by the end of the race, an impressive result considering that he hadn’t competed in that car before, nor was aware he’d be competing in that event at the beginning of the day!

Finally, in the Salvadori Cup, Scott reading enjoyed his very first outing in the 500 TRC, qualifying 23rd on the grid. Further ahead, James qualified on pole in the Tojeiro-Jaguar but was forced to start from the back of the gird due to a technical infringement regarding brake cooling ducts. In the race, James quickly made up for his lost grid position, passing twelve cars on the opening lap. Inching closer to the lead before a safety car was brought out. With no time added onto the race after the safety car, James faced a two-lap sprint to the finish but managed to climb up three positions to finish in third overall, a seriously impressive finish considering where he started. Scott finished 17th on the grid, thoroughly enjoying his first time out in the Ferrari at Goodwood and improving on his position in qualifying.

DK will return to Silverstone for the Motor Racing Legends Silverstone GP Meeting for the weekend of October 30-31. We hope to see you there.

Images courtesy of Goodwood Road & Racing, James Mann, Drew Gibson.

Special thanks to ADP Classic Racing for preparing the GT40 and the Tojeiro, Pursuit for preparing the 911, and the team at DK for preparing the MGB and the 500 TRC.