The crazy story behind a remarkable racing quadruple

“See you at tea-time,” quipped Nigel Greensall to his driving companion John Spiers as they completed lunch one Sunday at Silverstone final month. The duo had been about to embark on an epic quadruple stint for the afternoon: 4 consecutive two-driver races, 4 vehicles from three many years, run by three totally different groups. Spiers began every, they had been ships passing on the pitstops, then Greensall completed them.

After they did correctly meet once more it was certainly tea-time, and on the rostrum’s high step – which Greensall had already occupied alone thrice. Sure, they’d received all 4 races. Spiers solely bought to expertise the celebration for that final one as a result of, for the others, he’d been busy strapping himself within the subsequent automotive to begin one other race.

For individuals who witnessed the feat at Motor Racing Legends’ season finale, it felt particular. 4 races in a day is all the time an honest effort, however hardly unusual at this stage. However to win all of them, and consecutively too… Now that’s one thing else.

Stirling Moss received three in a day at his first-ever race assembly at Goodwood in 1948. Roy Salvadori scooped 4 twice, at Snetterton in 1954, then at Crystal Palace on Whit Monday 1961. However had been they consecutive? Autosport can’t verify.

Maybe a speedway rider or brief oval hot-rodder has managed it. No matter, Greensall and Spiers have each proper to be happy with an epic afternoon’s work.

The win roster, for the report, was 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 daft pitstop infringement; Stirling Moss Trophy in a Lister Knobbly; and Jack Sears Trophy in a Ford Mustang. Not dangerous, particularly since Spiers is 74 years outdated.

Greensall (left) and automotive proprietor Spiers had been passing ships for a lot of the day

Picture by: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

“Three totally different groups working the vehicles – Historic Vehicles for the Cobra and Mustang, TT Motors for the Capri and CKL for the Lister, and so they all ran completely faultlessly,” nods Spiers. “That’s not straightforward to attain.

“It’s been an excellent finish to the season and it’s only a disgrace we’ve got to attend 5 months earlier than it kicks off once more. I’ve received extra races this 12 months than ever earlier than, I feel. So I’m nonetheless getting higher. After I’m at 80 perhaps I can go for Components 1…”

“Perhaps you’re the following one for Crimson Bull’s junior scheme,” suggests Greensall. “Sergio Perez is trying a bit shaky…”

“We had been fully relaxed about it. John began all 4 and I completed all 4, which is usually how we try to do it” 
Nigel Greensall

Spiers provides: “When the observe’s slippery prefer it has been immediately and the automotive is sliding round on a regular basis it fits me. When it’s dry, it’s quick and scary!” Was he drained? He didn’t look it.

“Whenever you break it up like we did and you’ve got day trip of the automotive it’s not an issue,” he says. “And within the moist you aren’t topic to a lot g-force, so I discover it a lot much less tiring. It’s a disgrace there’s not one other race, really.”

Later, Autosport catches up with Greensall for some reflections on that day. “We had been excited and actually thrilled, however we hadn’t taken on board what we had really carried out as a result of we’d been so busy doing it!” he factors out. “We must always have gone out for dinner afterwards, however we didn’t have an opportunity on a Sunday evening. Now it has sunk in, to a level, and lots of people have spoken about it.”

The premise was one neither may resist.

“I’ve been working with John for quite a lot of years and he has an actual sense of journey and is all the time up for a problem,” relates Greensall. “That’s why beforehand we’ve run two of his Listers in the identical race and swapped vehicles midway by means of. We talked about that afternoon. John had 4 eligible vehicles run by three groups that specialize in these particular areas and eras of experience, so we determined to do them, with out realizing the timetable.

Greensall and Spiers had been maybe lucky to win Gerry Marshall Trophy of their Capri after Moody’s Rover was penalised

Picture by: Mick Walker

“It occurred to be 4 back-to-back races and we had been fully relaxed about it. John began all 4 and I completed all 4, which is usually how we try to do it. John will get to benefit from the early phases of the race, then I choose it up from the pitstops, see what we’ve bought and go flat out to seek out what consequence we are able to obtain.”

Greensall is considered one of an growing variety of skilled drivers who construct their careers round teaching and racing alongside rich amateurs with ambitions to benefit from the vehicles they’re fortunate sufficient to personal. Spiers is in no way Greensall’s solely shopper, however he’s a great living proof on how such relationships work.

“What’s been attention-grabbing over time I’ve labored with John is how I’ve inspired him to turn into extra relaxed along with his racing, by way of preparing but in addition whenever you’re within the automotive and the way you drive,” explains Greensall.

“By being extra relaxed you get a greater really feel for the automotive and a greater understanding what it’s able to doing, and also you’ve bought extra time and capability to concentrate on what’s happening round you. It then takes much less vitality from you and that allows the driving force to adapt from automotive to automotive, which was actually essential that afternoon.”

Greensall might be essentially the most cheerful chap in motorsport, and has been for greater than 30 years. However he takes his craft as a coach lethal severely. What else does he give attention to?

“To start with, John was all the time an excellent driver, so he was ranging from a great base, plus he’s labored with others together with Tiff Needell,” he says. “Past being extra relaxed, I’ve labored with him to drive with extra precision. I discuss millimetre precision and the best way to get that on each nook of each lap.

“Whenever you go right into a lap, you don’t fear about the entire lap, solely the nook that’s developing. When you’ve conquered that nook, you consider the following one. If I see somebody miss an apex by, say, two toes I do know that’s value them 0.3-0.4s, time they’ll by no means get again.”

However how does he tutor them? Not like modern racing, not many historic operations have reams of information to pore over in debriefs.

Third win of the day got here in Stirling Moss Trophy with Lister Knobbly

Picture by: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

“I exploit onboard video for the entire vehicles I race,” explains Greensall. “That’s a vital instrument for all of my racing. We watch it again collectively. John and I’ll sit down over a cup of tea, overlay my video along with his and undergo nook by nook.

“It’s simply as you see on TV with F1 once they overlay two drivers’ laps. We now have two cameras: one looking the entrance of the automotive so we are able to see the observe positioning, as the driving force would see it. The second digicam appears throughout on the driver so I can see their steering inputs, how a lot lock is used and how briskly are the fingers on the wheel. From which you could additionally see the place the driving force is trying.”

Greensall and Spiers even have one other unlikely secret weapon. It solely emerges when Autosport asks whether or not it’s true that Spiers can also be a world croquet participant.

“All of us went and located a superb loopy golf course close to the circuit, performed, then went again to the circuit and received the race. It’s good preparation”
Nigel Greensall

“That’s proper, and a really profitable one too,” Greensall replies. “Greater than that, he’s into loopy golf.” Come once more?

“Once we are planning our racing season me and John search for a loopy golf course close to race tracks,” Greensall reveals. “He’s very aggressive and actually good! You could come and be a part of us…

“At Zandvoort final 12 months the way in which the schedule labored out we had qualifying within the morning, then a few four-hour hole to the race. So all of us went and located a superb loopy golf course close to the circuit, performed, then went again to the circuit and received the race. It’s good preparation.”

There you go, free recommendation. Figuring out the best way to negotiate that tough windmill on the seventh gap is the reply in the case of taking the stress out of motorsport. You’re welcome.

Double ton delight for Greensall

Win quantity 4 aboard Mustang in Jack Sears Trophy accomplished the set

Picture by: Jeff Bloxham/MRL

In addition to being motorsport’s happiest racing driver, Nigel Greensall in all probability has a declare as its most prolific too. A few weeks after Silverstone, he headed to Daytona for the basic 24 Hours, drove three sportscars from totally different eras and, for the second consecutive season, notched up his a hundredth race begin in a calendar 12 months.

“I used to be in a Corvette C6R GT2 and a Chevron B19 with John Emberson, then with Gary Ball in a Ligier LMP3,” he stories. It was within the Corvette that he clocked up his newest ton. “What a observe for my a hundredth race with quickest lap and third place,” he says with glee.

Barely a day goes by with out Greensall sliding into one automotive or one other, not simply on the circuits but in addition on rally phases. And he doesn’t restrict himself to outdated racing vehicles both.

Every week earlier than Daytona, he joined one other common companion, Harry Barton, in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 at Portimao. Citing Ronnie Peterson and Hans Caught as his all-rounder racing heroes – his helmet colors mix these of each – Greensall simply can’t get sufficient of his unending racing odyssey.

“The identical weekend I raced with Matt Walton in his Jaguar E-type – a complete distinction, 60 years between the vehicles and three nice races in a single weekend,” he grins.

The official numbers for 2023 had been: 102 races and three rallies; 34 vehicles raced, with 21 co-drivers; races on 23 circuits in 9 nations; 30 wins (together with class in addition to general), 63 podiums, 33 pole positions and 47 quickest laps. He’ll hope to high a few of these numbers this 12 months by the point he’s carried out. The Traditional Sebring 12 Hours is subsequent firstly of subsequent month, then he’ll full his season on 29 December on the Rixy Phases rally on the Stanford British Military coaching space in Norfolk.

Subsequent 12 months? Extra of the identical, however with the promise of some thrilling add-ons – together with the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie with Barton in his Toyota Supra GT4. What a racing life.

Greensall’s Sebring outings introduced up 2023 century