VSCC Pomeroy Trophy – In Search of the Ultimate Touring Car
March 24, 2025
We’ve been lucky enough to attend and participate in numerous historic motorsport events. From 24-hour endurance racing with Benjafield’s Racing Club to Le Mans Classic, the Nürburgring Oldtimer GP and the SF Edge Trophy at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Suffice it to say, we’ve had a lot of fun, both trackside and behind the wheel.
Among the most unusual and eclectic competitions on the historic racing calendar is the Pomeroy Trophy, hosted at Silverstone each February by the Vintage Sports Car Club. Unlike most VSCC events, the ‘Pom’ incorporates cars of all ages and types – so long as they can carry two VSCC standard-sized suitcases.
The event was originally run in 1952, a series of tests devised by VSCC President Laurence Pomeroy Jnr to find the ‘ultimate touring car’. The Pomeroy tests vehicles on their acceleration, braking and handling, culminating in a forty-minute stint on Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit where each driver aims to complete their individual target number of laps, calculated using a handicap system. We weren’t driving this year, but that didn’t stop us from getting in on the action, roaming the pit garages and watching the afternoon sessions from the BRDC grandstand.
Richard Hammond and The Smallest Cog entered four cars: Anthony Greenhouse drove the suped-up MGB GT first seen in Richard’s final Top Gear appearance, while he himself drove the Ford Escort Mark II RS2000 restored and featured variously on ‘Richard Hammond’s Workshop’. Izzy Hammond drove a MINI Cooper S, while Lewis Packham drove a BMW M140i.
Run by the Vintage Sports Car Club, naturally, there is a large contingent of pre-war cars taking part. In the interest of safety, these older cars take to the track first, although it’s safe to say the gloves are still very much off as soon as the safety car leaves the circuit. Crowd favourites included the ‘Chain Gang’ Frazer Nashs, which always promise a healthy dose of sideways action. It’s no secret that we love a Cricklewood-era Bentley, so it was a treat to see a brace of W.O.’s finest, including a 3-4 ½ ‘Blower’ driven by Lewis Fox of Kingsbury Racing.
If there were a ‘People’s Choice’ award, it would certainly go to the very brave driver of the Austin 7 Chummy bringing up the rear. A white Invicta S proved devastatingly quick, while it was a rare honour to see such exotica as an Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio, a Hispano Suiza H6B Tourer and the black and yellow Bugatti Type 44 helmed by Tim Dutton. Other favourites included a gloriously patinated Allard Type L and a firebreathing Edwardian Monarch GP.
The second and third track sessions prove the most eclectic; the variety on show exemplifies exactly what the Pomeroy is all about. Where else will you see a Ford GT40 wheel-to-wheel with an ‘80s Volkswagen Golf?! This event really is a great leveller; that’s exactly what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter whether your car is worth six figures or just six hundred pounds. Excentric choices included a BMW 320D Touring, a ‘90s Jaguar XJ6 and an Alfa Romeo Brera. It’s like Festival of the Unexceptional goes racing!
Our car of the day? It simply has to be the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow driven by Dougal Cawley of Longstone Classic Tyres. The stately Shad took to the track like a duck to water, seemingly unphased by forty minutes of flat-out track time. Spectators were greeted by Dougal’s royal wave as the Rolls sailed past the grandstands on its door handles. It was fabulous to see. At the other end of the spectrum, one couldn’t help but notice Duncan Pittaway’s (exceedingly loud) Plymouth Barracuda, which sadly succumbed to a flat tyre during its afternoon session.
Simon Blakeney-Edwards secured overall victory in a Frazer Nash Super Sports, while another Nash took the Denhsam Trophy in the capable hands of Winston Teague. Mark Daniell’s MGA Twin Cam won the Gordon Spice Cup, Nigel Stroud’s MG J2 picked up the Pom Voiturette Trophy, while Pomeroy Edwardian Trophy was won by the Monarch GP of Leslie Searle. You can view the full results page here.
We can’t speak highly enough of the Pomeroy. It’s as inclusive an event as you could ever wish to find, and the sheer variety of cars on the grid proves enormously entertaining. You’ll need a valid Motorsport UK Race Competition Licence (or non-UK equivalent) to take part. But when it comes to the car, pretty much anything goes. The 2025 regulations can be viewed here.
The Pomeroy is great for spectators too, as you can freely roam the pit garages and take a seat in the grandstands without the need special passes. While previously free to enter, a modest £5 fee was introduced in 2025, a reflection of the event’s burgeoning popularity. It’s always worth a visit, so whether it’s to be your first ‘Pom’ or you’ve been coming since 1952, we’ll see you at Silverstone next year.
