Downpour fails to deter Guild Big Day Out 2026 fun

A capacity complement of drivers and guests made for a memorable Big Day Out at Castle Combe on 15th April (writes Guild Chair Simon Harris).

And despite a lunchtime downpour hitting the Wiltshire circuit, many were keen to explore the limits of their cars in the wet.

Event sponsor KGM Motors UK was unable to attend as logistics and previous commitments made some cars and staff unavailable, but the Guild is extremely grateful to KGM Communications Director Vanessa Cox for effectively saving the event at the 11th hour.

The eager crowd of members and friends was welcomed to the circuit by Castle Combe Racing Club Chair and Guild member Ken Davies, and were then given a safety briefing before being allowed on the track.

Notable vehicles among the entry included an RML GT Hypercar, brought along by member Richard Postins. This was tried by various attendees either behind the wheel or in the passenger seat, many reporting to be blown away by its capability.

Unusual attendees also included an Aston Martin DBR1, Ferrari 612 and Allard P1, alongside a strong complement of Mazda MX-5s, Alfas, BMWs and Porsches.

More than half of the drivers this year were guests, although there were still many familiar faces among the non-Guild member attendees.

While the weather made those out on the track more cautious in the afternoon, there were still vehicles circulating at 4pm before the group decamped to Guild President Nick Mason’s nearby home where he hosted tea.

Huge thank-yous go to Vanessa Cox at KGM, John Griffiths for taking on the arduous task of registrations and coordinating track sessions, assisted by non-Guild member Olly Sanders, who many will know from previous events at the circuit.

We are also grateful for Nick for again hosting a splendid tea – as a token of appreciation we presented him with a canvas image of the EMKA BMW M1 he raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1982, taken by Guild photographer Jeff Bloxham.

The Le Mans image was particularly memorable as that year, one of Nick’s co-drivers was Pink Floyd manager Steve O’Rourke.

Early indications are that Big Day Out will run again in 2027, as it continues to represent unrivalled value as a friendly and convivial track day for members and guests.

Photos by Jeff Bloxham and Michael Stokes

Back to Toyota for the 2026 Guild AGM

The Guild of Motoring Writers is delighted to announce that the 81st Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 18th June 2026 (writes Honorary Secretary, Richard Netherwood). Courtesy of Toyota, the event will return to the company’s Media Experience Centre in Crawley for a second year.

More details of the event and detailed timings will follow, but it is anticipated that it will start at 10:00, ahead of the AGM commencing at 11:00. Afterwards, guests will be able to tour the Media Experience Centre and drive cars from both the Toyota heritage collection and the current press fleet – a popular choice for many attendees last year.

Nominations are being sought from Full members for vacancies on the Committee. Anyone wishing to stand should send a letter of nomination confirming their willingness to serve, along with a proposal signed by another Full GOMW member, to the General Secretary Melissa Chadderton by Thursday 21st May.

Full details, including changes made at the 2022 Guild AGM around Chair and Vice-Chair nominations and re-election, can be found in the Guild Rules. Any resolutions to be put to the meeting should be forwarded to the General Secretary by Thursday 21st May.

Anyone recognise Phil Llewellin’s work?

Kieron Maughan of Rockstars Cars, a web resource that researches which celebrities “drove what and when”, has been in touch in the hope a member might be able to identify a piece of work (above and below) from our late renowned member Phil Llewellin.

“I wondered if you could help with the conundrum we have around this particular magazine article,” Kieron wrote. “The article is believed to date from early to mid-1968 and could be a main car magazine. It also could be a Sunday supplement.

“It was written by Phil Llewellin – as you will know Phil was a prolific writer for Car magazine, but this isn’t from Car. There was an article in that magazine on the car, by an uncredited writer in 1969.”

Kieron added that member Giles Chapman is also on the hunt for the piece. There have been suggestions it could be from a Sunday-type magazine in 1968 and Kieron believes it could be The Telegraph Magazine.

If any member can assist Kieron can be contacted here.

Silverstone BRDC passes continue in 2026

The Guild will again have passes available for members to attend race meetings at Silverstone in this season (reports Tim Beavis), kindly provided for several years now by the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club).

Six passes in total have been provided These are intended for Guild members working at a particular meeting to be able to use the BRDC facilities at the circuit, or for those who have been unable to obtain accreditation for a meeting, but who are intending to work at it.

Tim, as chair of the Guild’s motor sport sub-committee, is overseeing the pass allocation once again, and members who wish to use one should contact him to request a pass complete with car parking. He asks, however, that as soon as you return from the event that passes are returned to him, to facilitate allocating passes to other members.

Passes will be available for meetings throughout the season with the exception of the British GP and the Moto GP. However, there will be further good news to come soon regarding opportunities to attend F1 practice on Friday 3rd July as guests of the BRDC.

A number of passes have already been allocated to members who are planning their season early, so if you intend to work at an event please book early to avoid disappointment.

Interested members should contact Tim here, with the planned publication for work and the correct address to send the pass to. He can then collate and send out passes as required in time for the event you are attending.

Guild Young Member Forum visits Aston Martin Works

In 2025 the Guild launched a Young Members’ Forum (YMF), a venture aiming to get Guild members under the age of 30 to talk all things motoring media (writes George Loveridge). 

Thus far, there are 15 members who have so far met officially twice; once via Zoom and more recently in Buckinghamshire at the headquarters of the prestigious Aston Martin Works (AMW). 

The aim of this gathering was to enable members of the YMF to meet in person, but it’s not always easy to get more than one motoring journalist in the same place at the same time! Thankfully, AMW was kind enough to host four YMF members for an exclusive tour of the facilities that are renowned worldwide. Moreover, a room was also provided for Guild Vice-Chair Richard Aucock to host a meeting with the members of the YMF. 

AMW is much more than a posh classic car garage. The site in Newport Pagnell became the home of Aston Martin in 1955 when Sir David Brown (the ‘DB’ in Aston Martin’s model names – Ed) acquired it. Today Aston Martin’s UK HQ is in Gaydon, but AMW still provides some of the best automotive services in the world – much more than just an MOT and a service for their customers. Boasting unrivalled levels of quality, the craftsmen, mechanics, trimmers, painters, panel beaters and painters offer the best of the best. 

During our visit three One-77s were in for work, and as our tour guide Scott Fisher remarked, that’s “just a regular Thursday here”. And the workshop was more like an operating theatre – every surface was gleaming, the idea being that the guys and girls working there have the best facilities. I wouldn’t have dared eat my lunch there, let alone complete an oil change. 

AMW is also very proud to offer a Heritage division, completely restoring cars. The YMF were lucky enough to see three DB5s being rebuilt from scratch, one of which was a rather gorgeous shooting brake. The technicians at AMW use the same English Wheel to bend aluminium panels that was used traditionally. 

We were told that it takes the team 2,000 hours to rebuild a DB5, which contrasts with the 20 hours Volkswagen takes to make a Polo. Guild snapper Jeff Bloxham joked that it takes less time to build the Polo because “it has a hole in the middle” – never change Jeff… 

After the YMF attendees had finished drooling over every imaginable Aston Martin, from DB2s to V12 Zagatos and Lagonda Wedges, they were able to speak their minds on motoring matters. The general opinion was that the YMF wishes to meet more frequently, and hopefully encourage more members under 30 to get involved. 

It was also emphasised that by no means does the YMF wish to isolate itself from the rest of the Guild, quite the opposite. But it was added; “The GOMW is great, but it can feel quite disconnected.” 

Other takeaways included a view that it is becoming increasingly harder to attain press cars, and, if you can, getting insured on one. More relaxed social events with the Guild would be welcome and the YMF would like to find ways to get more young aspiring writers and creators into the world of motorsport media. 

Finally a thank you to Aston Martin Works for hosting the YMF for a fascinating visit.

Photos: Jeff Bloxham

Michael Turner’s wheels go under the hammer

Three distinctive vehicles owned by Guild member and renowned motorsport artist Michael Turner are to be put up for auction following his passing in December at the age of 91.

The three will be part of the catalogue of the Bonhams Auction being held at the Goodwood Members Meeting on 19th April, with Michael’s 1939 Jaguar SS100 headlining the event with an estimate of between £225,000 and £275,000.

Michael owned the car for close to 70 years, using it as a daily driver for much of that period – Bonhams personnel believe this was likely the longest single ownership among any of the 116 3.5-litre SS100s originally manufactured. 

Before coming into Michael’s ownership the car had an extensive racing history, competing at Silverstone, Croft, Prescott and, fittingly, Goodwood. In fact after a major restoration in the late 1980s and 1990s, during which it acquired its dark blue livery, one of the earliest journeys Michael made in it was to the first Goodwood Revival in 1998. 

The second Turner car going under the hammer is a Jaguar 340/Mk2 4.2. It was built in 1968 as a Jaguar 340, but later fitted with the 4.2-litre Jaguar straight-six engine, as well as being cosmetically enhanced to Mk2 specification with lowered suspension, louvred bonnet and other improvements. It has no reserve and an estimated sale price of £7,000 to £12,000.

Also with no reserve, but expected to fetch between £12,000 and £16,000, is Michael’s third vehicle, a 1942 ex-military Ford GPW Jeep 4×4 Utility and trailer.

Tim Schofield, Head of UK Sales for Bonhams Cars, said he was very pleased to be offering Michael’s cars for sale, adding; “Bonhams has previously sold many of Michael’s paintings, and his Jaguar SS100 has previously raced on the Goodwood motor circuit where the Bonhams Cars Members’ Meeting sale takes place, both of which make this a fitting location for the sale of his precious cars.”

Details of the Goodwood event and other Bonhams sales can be found on the website.

Sue Baker honoured by National Motor Museum

Pioneering female motoring journalist, Top Gear presenter and former Guild Chair, the late Sue Baker has been commemorated with a blue plaque (writes Chris Adamson) – but it isn’t on the street where she was born or a house she lived in, instead it appears as part of a new £600,000 exhibition at the National Motor Museum.

‘Driven: Britain’s Motoring Story’ is a radical reinterpretation of the UK’s motoring heritage on the first floor of the New Forest museum and is the most significant up-grade to the popular tourist attraction since the purpose-built museum was opened in July 1972.

Dotted around the new display space, which is divided into five colour-coded time zones, are a series of ‘blue plaques’ that recognise unsung heroes of motoring, such as Nils Bohlin (1920-2002) the inventor of the three-point safety belt, rally driver Pat Moss and Rose Boland, Eileen Pullen, Vera Sime, Gwen Davis and Sheila Douglas – sewing machinists at Ford who led a strike that resulted in the 1970 Equal Pay Act.

The blue plaque honouring Sue is located in the section titled ‘Plugged In: New Journeys’, under the heading ‘The New Pioneering Era’ which looks at some of the most recent advances in automotive technology. It appears alongside the upturned chassis from a 2016 Tesla Model S P90D and looks down on Europe’s first 3D-printed electric vehicle, the 2020 Chameleon.

This location is almost immediately above the Guild’s own display unit on the ground floor of the museum and it is just across a short walk from a plaque that celebrates the life of another famous Guild member – Murray Walker.

Murray’s green plaque (featuring the Guild logo) is at the entrance to the museum’s dedicated motorcycle section which is based around the collection put together by Murray’s father, the noted motorcycle racer, Graham Walker.

Fresh push for Sisyphus

There is still room for Guild members thinking of taking part in this year’s successor to the traditional Guild Classic, the ‘Sisyphus Challenge’, to sign up for a day of fun, non-competitive hillclimbing at the famous old Shelsley Walsh venue in Worcestershire (writes John Griffiths).

The dates are Friday 8th to the morning of Monday 11th May and the event includes a day’s spectacular driving tour of the Malvern Hills and North Wales. 

If you don’t have a competition licence, a valid driving licence will do just fine. Motorsport UK will not demand that you don a race suit and all the other fireproof clobber – you’ll need a helmet and your arms must be covered and no shorts worn, but there the regulatory stuff ends. 

You can enter any car you like, you can take a helmeted passenger and you can go as fast or slow as you like. You will not be officially timed, nor are there prizes for fastest Time of the Day or similar.

It is an event in which the Guild is partnering with insurance group Hagerty, whose ‘fun hillclimb weekend’ has already become highly popular over the past several years – Guild members will be sharing their enjoyment alongside some truly spectacular GTs, single-seaters and other exotica. 

For the first time, the event is seeking to cater for two categories of entrant; traditional, long-standing participants in the Guild’s Euro Classics of old, and a less expensive alternative for younger or otherwise perhaps more financially-challenged members.

The Classic, previously the Guild’s main motoring event of the year, came to an end because of its relentlessly rising costs – on later events they reached well over £1,000. So the first, important, low-cost category is based on a three-night or two-night stay at a Premier Inn nearby to Shelsley Walsh, at a cost of £215 to £250 for a crew of two for three nights, or around £150 for a two-night option. It is up to individual crews whether they wish to apply for a driving entry to the hillclimb at a cost of £125, or to spectate at £15 per head.

If you opt for the low-cost category, Friday will comprise a scenic drive to your Shelsley Walsh hotel, meeting up with friends and colleagues for an informal evening. On Saturday morning, you will have a short drive to a second hotel to meet up with the second-category contingent for a joint departure on the full day’s scenic driving. 

At end-of-play, each contingent will return to their respective hotels for an informal evening’s dining/socialising. Then on Sunday morning, all will drive to Shelsley Walsh to enjoy the day’s activities, followed by a joint farewell function on Sunday evening. Please note that apart from the Premier Inn and hillclimb entry, all spending, including all meals, will be discretionary in this category.  

The second category will be limited to a maximum of 15 crews, with a start in the early afternoon of Friday at The Farmer’s Dog, the pub opened by Jeremy Clarkson and featured in his Clarkson’s Farm TV series. Providing he’s not dragged away for filming more “sheeps”, Jeremy hopes to be around to catch up with old lags, er, former colleagues. 

Then it will be on to the Brockencote Hall country hotel, 11 miles from Shelsley Walsh, for an informal evening. As with the low-cost category on Saturday morning there will be an all-crews departure for the driving day from Brockencote Hall before all convene at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday. For this category, the hotel fee for three nights, including breakfasts, will be around £500 per crew.

Please email your application for an entry form to John Griffiths.

Ferrari and Guild promote contest for novice motorsport photographers

Ferrari UK has unveiled a photography competition to promote emerging motorsport photography talent, that in the process will help the Guild Benevolent Fund.

Six carefully selected entrants will be invited to take part in a guided motorsport photography experience, hosted as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK event at Silverstone from 22nd-24th May. 

According to Ferrari the initiative reflects the Prancing Horse’s commitment to creativity and talent within the motorsport community, offering aspiring photographers the opportunity to gain professional experience within a live racing environment.

Each photographer will receive official media accreditation from Ferrari North Europe and will benefit from structured guidance, mentoring and practical support from experienced motorsport photographers during the race weekend. 

Each photographer will be asked to submit their best images from Friday and Saturday’s on-track action. The best of these images will be printed on to canvas and put on public display in The Wing at Silverstone on the Sunday, when they will be evaluated by a team of judges to decide an overall winner of the competition.

The victorious photographer will be invited to work as part of Ferrari UK’s photographic team at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, held at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya from 19th-22nd November, with the winner’s images shared on the @FerrariUK Instagram account as part of the brand’s coverage of the event.

The winner will also receive one year’s complimentary membership to the Guild while the canvases showcased at Silverstone will be available to purchase, with all funds being donated to the Guild Benevolent Fund. 

To enter the competition, photographers must submit a portfolio of three motorsport images, accompanied by a 300-word written statement. Entry will be open to professional photographers looking to take a step forward in the motorsport arena.

The entry deadline is 7th April and full details can be found on the website.

Big Day Out 2026 grid filling up

More than half of the 60 available places at the Guild’s ever-popular annual track day on 15th April have now been taken up, reports John Griffiths, adding that prospective participants should not delay in getting their entries in.

With entry fees for the event at Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire pegged yet again at just £75 for Guild members, £125 for invited guest drivers and £15 for on-track passengers, the ‘BDO’ continues to represent a major bargain when matched against all commercial track day operations.

These prices are being maintained despite the Guild unfortunately again seeking a prime sponsor for the event, stalwart supporter Simon Branney unable to convince his bosses at Geely Auto to back the Big Day Out. 

Better news is that our esteemed President, Nick Mason, will again be able to hold close-of-play tea at his nearby home, despite his many commitments overseas with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.

With great Guild friends and top-ranked drivers such as Mike Wilds happy to come along to provide on-track advice to those seeking to hone their circuit skills, it’s no surprise that Castle Combe is the most popular event on the Guild’s motoring calendar. 

Proceedings start with sign-on at 8.30am, with breakfast available in the excellent café. If you plan to arrive the afternoon before, the paddock will be open for motorhomes/cars/trailers until 6pm for overnight stayers. There is a range of hotels and prices within a 10-mile driving distance.

You can book your place by downloading the entry form here and emailing it to John Griffiths. If you have any queries give John a call on 07767 301223.