Race Report: Silverstone, 11 June 1972

A full grid of runners came to Silverstone for this Forward Trust Championship round only to be greeted by very wet conditions which was good news for those who had the use of the Firestone wet but bad news for everyone else.

As the field left the grid Bev Bond who had been fastest in qualifying in his Ehrlich quickly slipped down the field whilst the two works Iberia Ensigns with their Firestone wets slithered into the lead. Von Opel and Walker then proceeded to dominate the race until Walker spun at Woodcote falling from second to fifth. It was then the turn of Roger Williamson, who had made a brilliant start from the fourth row to to be third at the end of the opening lap, and was making the most of his Dunlops to challenge the von Opel Ensign with his GRD. Williamson then moved up to second when Walker spun but dropped back to third when the recovering Walker took the place back again, the GRD driver’s cause wasn’t being helped by a misfiring engine that a change of plugs on the grid hadn’t cured.

Bernard Vermilio finished a good fourth with his Lotus trying the wider front suspension that Tony Trimmer had used at Mallory, team-mate Trimmer finishing in sixth despite a puncture. Tony Brise should have been up at the pointed end with his Firestone wets but a half spin at Copse on lap 5 meant he spent most of the race regaining lost ground to finish fifth. Russell Wood went off at Woodcote backwards doing his works March 723 no good at all, debutante Mike Wilds in his ex-James Hunt 713S was involved in the incident retiring with minor damage. James Hunt himself was having his first outing in the Dastle Mk9 but he was out within 100 yards when he hit the pit wall in the spray that was thrown up at the start, Barrie Maskell (Lotus 69) and Matt Spitzley (March 713M) also fell victim of the spray and joined Hunt.

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