World Touring Car Championship regular Rob Huff was on fine form in the Silverstone Classic at the weekend, taking victory in the HSCC Super Touring Championship on his début at the wheel of a 2000 Ford Mondeo.
Huff began the weekend by racing in the Chophard International Trophy, where he scored a class win for pre-1966 machinery at the wheel of an Austin Healey 3000 alongside David Grace.
The 2012 WTCC champion then moved on to the main event, partnering Richard Meins in the Super Touring category for top-level historic touring cars.
Huff took the wheel of the Prodrive-built 2000 Mondeo which won the BTCC in 2000, with the marque at the time reported to be throwing £12 million behind the campaign.
In the race, Huff got off to a storming start and was up to second by the end of the opening lap. The works WTCC LADA pilot then passed James Dodd’s Honda Accord for the lead on the second lap of the race, with Huff making his move on the series leader at the Maggots and Becketts complex.
Huff was never far in front of Dodd however, and the duo ended the race separated by just seven tenths of a second.
“I’m very happy with that,” said Huff after racing the machinery for the first time. “Everyone was asleep on the start so I just jumped around the outside of everyone, went side-by-side with [John] Cleland and then saw a red car spinning in my mirrors.
“James Dodd is definitely quick, though, and the slipstreaming was great. We don’t get that in the WTCC anymore because the cars are too fast, but Dodd was closing on me on every straight.”
Huff will next take to the track for the WTCC races in Argentina this weekend. His next historic outing will be at the 2014 Goodwood Revival between the 12th and 14th September at the wheel of Meins’ Jaguar E-Type 7 Cut.
Photo by Stevie Borowik