The insane tale in the back of a notable racing quadruple

“See you at tea-time,” quipped Nigel Greensall to his using spouse John Spiers as they completed lunch one Sunday at Silverstone terminating year. The duo have been about to embark on an epic quadruple stint for the afternoon: 4 consecutive two-driver races, 4 vehicles from 3 many years, run by way of 3 other groups. Spiers began each and every, they have been ships passing on the pitstops, nearest Greensall completed them.

Once they did correctly meet once more it used to be certainly tea-time, and at the podium’s govern step – which Greensall had already i’m busy abandoned 3 times. Sure, they’d received all 4 races. Spiers most effective were given to revel in the birthday celebration for that terminating one as a result of, for the others, he’d been busy strapping himself within the then automobile to start out every other race.

For individuals who witnessed the feat at Motor Racing Legends’ season finale, it felt particular. 4 races in a date is all the time a reliable struggle, however rarely unusual at this degree. However to win all of them, and consecutively too… Now that’s one thing else.

Stirling Moss received 3 in a date at his first-ever race assembly at Goodwood in 1948. Roy Salvadori scooped 4 two times, at Snetterton in 1954, nearest at Crystal Palace on Whit Monday 1961. However have been they consecutive? Autosport can’t verify.

Most likely a speedway rider or snip oval hot-rodder has controlled it. No matter, Greensall and Spiers have each proper to be pleased with an epic afternoon’s paintings.

The win roster, for the document, used to be as follows: Pre-63 GTs in a Shelby Cobra; Gerry Marshall Trophy in a Hermetite Ford Capri – the one one the place they lucked in, when a dominant Jack Moody in a Rover SD1 picked up a drive-through for a ridiculous pitstop infringement; Stirling Moss Trophy in a Lister Knobbly; and Jack Sears Trophy in a Ford Mustang. No longer malicious, particularly since Spiers is 74 years worn.

Greensall (left) and automobile proprietor Spiers have been passing ships for a lot of the date

Picture by way of: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

“Three different teams running the cars – Historic Automobiles for the Cobra and Mustang, TT Motors for the Capri and CKL for the Lister, and they all ran absolutely faultlessly,” nods Spiers. “That’s no longer simple to reach.

“It’s been a brilliant end to the season and it’s just a shame we have to wait five months before it kicks off again. I’ve won more races this year than ever before, I think. So I’m still getting better. When I’m at 80 maybe I can go for Formula 1…”

“Maybe you’re the next one for Red Bull’s junior scheme,” suggests Greensall. “Sergio Perez is looking a bit shaky…”

“We were completely relaxed about it. John started all four and I finished all four, which is typically how we try and do it” 
Nigel Greensall

Spiers provides: “When the track’s slippery like it has been today and the car is sliding around all the time it suits me. When it’s dry, it’s fast and scary!” Was once he drained? He didn’t glance it.

“When you break it up like we did and you have time out of the car it’s not a problem,” he says. “And in the wet you are not subject to so much g-force, so I find it much less tiring. It’s a shame there’s not another race, actually.”

Upcoming, Autosport catches up with Greensall for some reflections on that date. “We were excited and really thrilled, but we hadn’t taken on board what we had actually done because we’d been so busy doing it!” he issues out. “We should have gone out for dinner afterwards, but we didn’t have a chance on a Sunday night. Now it has sunk in, to a degree, and a lot of people have spoken about it.”

The idea used to be one neither may just withstand.

“I’ve been working with John for a number of years and he has a real sense of adventure and is always up for a challenge,” relates Greensall. “That’s why prior to now we’ve run two of his Listers in the similar race and swapped vehicles midway via. We mentioned that afternoon. John had 4 eligible vehicles run by way of 3 groups that concentrate on the ones particular farmlands and eras of experience, so we determined to do them, with out figuring out the timetable.

Greensall and Spiers have been in all probability lucky to win Gerry Marshall Trophy of their Capri then Moody’s Rover used to be penalised

Picture by way of: Mick Walker

“It happened to be four back-to-back races and we were completely relaxed about it. John started all four and I finished all four, which is typically how we try and do it. John gets to enjoy the early stages of the race, then I pick it up from the pitstops, see what we’ve got and go flat out to find what result we can achieve.”

Greensall is one in all more and more skilled drivers who assemble their careers round training and racing along rich amateurs with ambitions to produce the lots of the vehicles they’re fortunate plethora to possess. Spiers is not at all Greensall’s most effective shopper, however he’s a excellent as an example on how such relationships paintings.

“What’s been interesting over the years I’ve worked with John is how I’ve encouraged him to become more relaxed with his racing, in terms of getting ready but also when you’re in the car and how you drive,” explains Greensall.

“By being more relaxed you get a better feel for the car and a better understanding what it’s capable of doing, and you’ve got more time and capacity to be aware of what’s going on around you. It then takes less energy from you and that enables the driver to adapt from car to car, which was certainly crucial that afternoon.”

Greensall is some of the blissful chap in motorsport, and has been for greater than 30 years. However he’s taking his craft as a schoolmaster unfortunate severely. What else does he center of attention on?

“First of all, John was always a very good driver, so he was starting from a good base, plus he’s worked with others including Tiff Needell,” he says. “Past being extra at ease, I’ve labored with him to power with extra precision. I speak about millimetre precision and methods to get that on each nook of each lap.

“When you go into a lap, you don’t worry about the whole lap, only the corner that’s coming up. Once you’ve conquered that corner, you think about the next one. If I see someone miss an apex by, say, two feet I know that’s cost them 0.3-0.4s, time they will never get back.”

However how does he coach them? Not like recent racing, no longer many historical operations have reams of information to pore over in debriefs.

3rd win of the date got here in Stirling Moss Trophy with Lister Knobbly

Picture by way of: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

“I use onboard video for all of the cars I race,” explains Greensall. “That’s a an important device for all of my racing. We guard it again in combination. John and I will be able to sit down ailing over a cup of tea, overlay my video along with his and exit via nook by way of nook.

“It’s just as you see on TV with F1 when they overlay two drivers’ laps. We have two cameras: one looking out the front of the car so we can see the track positioning, as the driver would see it. The second camera looks across at the driver so I can see their steering inputs, how much lock is used and how fast are the hands on the wheel. From that you can also see where the driver is looking.”

Greensall and Spiers even have every other not likely confidential weapon. It most effective emerges when Autosport asks whether or not it’s true that Spiers could also be a global croquet participant.

“We all went and found a fabulous crazy golf course near the circuit, played, then went back to the circuit and won the race. It’s good preparation”
Nigel Greensall

“That’s right, and a very successful one too,” Greensall replies. “More than that, he’s into crazy golf.” Come once more?

“When we are planning our racing season me and John look for a crazy golf course near race tracks,” Greensall unearths. “He’s very aggressive and in reality excellent! You should come and tied us…

“At Zandvoort last year the way the schedule worked out we had qualifying in the morning, then about a four-hour gap to the race. So we all went and found a fabulous crazy golf course near the circuit, played, then went back to the circuit and won the race. It’s good preparation.”

There you exit, distant recommendation. Figuring out methods to negotiate that difficult windmill at the 7th hollow is the solution with regards to taking the tension out of motorsport. You’re welcome.

Double ton pride for Greensall

Win quantity 4 boarded Mustang in Jack Sears Trophy finished the prepared

Picture by way of: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

In addition to being motorsport’s happiest racing driving force, Nigel Greensall almost definitely has a declare as its maximum prolific too. A few weeks then Silverstone, he headed to Daytona for the vintage 24 Hours, drove 3 sportscars from other eras and, for the second one consecutive season, notched up his one hundredth race get started in a calendar future.

“I was in a Corvette C6R GT2 and a Chevron B19 with John Emberson, then with Gary Ball in a Ligier LMP3,” he reviews. It used to be within the Corvette that he clocked up his unedited ton. “What a track for my 100th race with fastest lap and third place,” he says with glee.

Slightly a date is going by way of with out Greensall sliding into one automobile or every other, no longer simply at the circuits but in addition on rally levels. And he doesn’t prohibit himself to worn racing vehicles both.

A presen sooner than Daytona, he joined every other habitual spouse, Harry Barton, in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 at Portimao. Mentioning Ronnie Peterson and Hans Caught as his all-rounder racing heroes – his helmet colors mix the ones of each – Greensall simply can’t get plethora of his unending racing odyssey.

“The same weekend I raced with Matt Walton in his Jaguar E-type – a total contrast, 60 years between the cars and three great races in one weekend,” he grins.

The reputable numbers for 2023 have been: 102 races and 3 rallies; 34 vehicles raced, with 21 co-drivers; races on 23 circuits in 9 nations; 30 wins (together with elegance in addition to total), 63 podiums, 33 pole positions and 47 quickest laps. He’ll hope to govern a few of the ones numbers this future by way of the hour he’s completed. The Vintage Sebring 12 Hours is then initially of then year, nearest he’ll entire his season on 29 December at the Rixy Levels rally on the Stanford British Military coaching branch in Norfolk.

Nearest future? Extra of the similar, however with the assurance of a few thrilling add-ons – together with the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie with Barton in his Toyota Supra GT4. What a racing hour.

Greensall’s Sebring outings introduced up 2023 century