Page 115 - Cool Britannia

When we arrived at Silverstone it was cool rainy day in stark contrast to the previous owners’ session at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. Aston Martin had provided V12 Vantages for the drivers to use for track familiarisation and had a number of their test and racing drivers on hand for advice and tuition. The morning session was just drawing to a close when we arrived so we joined them all for lunch in the BRDC club house before heading back out to the National Pit garages where the Vulcan’s occupied the frst four double bays. Overall it was a relaxed event with guests allowed to view from the pit wall. One owner I was chatting with, an American chap in his mid thirties told me he was a bit apprehensive, having driven his car once in the near perfect conditions at Yas Marina, to be contending with the rain and cold track now at Silverstone. This wasn’t a sentiment shared by young Jamie Chadwick, having passed her UK driving test only a month previous, the 17 year old 2015 GT Cup champion and 2016 Beachdean Aston Martin GT4 driver had been invited to drive the Vulcan. After being taken on a sighting lap by Aston’s Vulcan test driver, Jamie took the controls, with a little help from some seat padding, the tiny teenager roared out of the pit lane. We watched from the pit wall as she lapped noticeably quicker than any of the owner drivers so far. She only had time for a couple of laps as was leaving that afternoon for a family holiday and the weather had prevented her teenage brother fying her in by helicopter (yes you read it right, Jamie’s brother Ollie is youngest licenced pilot in the UK – a very talented family).We left the rain soaked Silverstone paddock after thanking our hosts for opportunity to meet some of the Vulcan owners and see these amazing cars in action. The Aston Martin tag line for the Vulcan project is pretty accurate… Prepare for take off.Prepare for Take off115