2024 WINNERS

The  Royal Automobile Club Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an  individual who has, in the opinion of the Club, made an outstanding  contribution to British motoring history and heritage, or to the British  historic motoring and motor racing movement, across many years. This is  the only category which could not be nominated and is the only category  recognising achievement beyond the previous twelve months. 

In the history of Formula One – which celebrates its 75th anniversary next year – 34 different drivers and 15 different constructors have been crowned World Champion. And of those, Team Lotus people and cars won six drivers’ titles and seven constructors’ titles.

For almost half of that time, Bob Dance was a constant presence in the pitlane – for a monumental thirty years. As a mechanic at Team Lotus, including as Chief Mechanic from 1977 until 1994, Bob was present for many of motorsport’s greatest moments, and he’s worked with some of the greatest drivers Formula One has ever seen.

When Jim Clark was making a mockery of the Formula One field in the early 1960s, Bob was right there. When Graham Hill was conquering the streets of Monaco, it was Bob who was keeping his car going. When Mario Andretti breezed to World Championship victory at the wheel of a Lotus 79, Bob took him out for drinks to celebrate and unwind… and in doing so missing the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run the following day! 

And when the great Ayrton Senna was cutting his teeth at motorsport’s top end, and beginning to flourish on the world stage, there was Bob, guiding the young Brazilian to his first victories.

That is a spectacular rollcall of driver colleagues, and the list goes on: Ronnie Peterson, Nigel Mansell, Elio de Angelis, Mika Hakkinen, Johnny Herbert, Nelson Piquet, Derek Warwick. And it’s not just drivers; the list of cars Bob has worked on is just as enviable, most notably the all-conquering Lotus 49 and 79.

Bob joined Lotus in 1960, initially building gearboxes for sports cars, before moving over to the racing side of the factory in 1965. He began in Formula Two, and moved quickly into the Formula One stable in 1967. By that point, Lotus was the dominant force in Formula One, having won drivers’ and constructors’ titles in both 1963 and 1965. It repeated these feats in 1968 and 1970, by which time Bob had been promoted to Chief Mechanic. With Graham Hill and Jim Clark, Lotus had arguably the sport’s greatest driver pairing, both at the top of their game and driving for the best team on the grid, in the best car, and masterminded by Colin Chapman, one of Formula One’s indisputable geniuses.

Bob left Lotus in 1970 to join rivals March and then Brabham, but the allure of Lotus was too much and he returned to the Norwich team in 1976. Two years later Formula One experienced a revolution in design with the introduction of ground-effect aerodynamics, spearheaded by Lotus with the Lotus 79. And sure enough, Bob Dance was there, keeping it zooming ahead. He continued working for the team right through the 1980s and early ‘90s until it folded in 1994. 

Bob remained utterly devoted to his craft, joining Classic Team Lotus as preparation guru in 2004 , a role he held until he retired in 2019, continuing to maintain the very cars he worked on for so many years at the sharp end of the Formula One grid. 

If ever there was a man who embodied the ideas of ‘lifetime’ and ‘devotion’, it is most certainly Bob. He is a fantastic and deserving winner of the Royal Automobile Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Image L to R: Chris Dinnage, Classic Team Lotus, Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile and  Clive Chapman, as the Club presented some additional treats for Bob Dance, who received his trophy at Classic Team Lotus earlier in the day.

Judges' Comment

Catherine sought out her own vacancy as a machinist with Kingsbury Racing Shop. Almost entirely self-taught, she has independently learnt and developed her milling work to include complex four-axis programming and operating and works almost entirely from 2D drawings and occasional models to recreate high quality parts for vintage Bentleys, the Bentley Motors continuation cars and many racing cars, showcasing her work to her 10,500 followers on Instagram. Catherine symbolises everything that this award is designed for – awarding and promoting achievements in this category is key for keeping yesterday’s cars on tomorrow’s road and Catherine for sure is leading the charge – not only through inspiring other young achievers but also encouraging women to join the world of engineering.

Finalists in this category

·  Tom Cowling

·  Max Edleston 

·  Catherine Ruff

Image: Catherine Ruff receives the Young Achiever award from Steve Cootes, General Manager of StarterMotor.

Judges' Comment  

In February 2024, the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance launched Action on Parts, an initiative to help ensure that when a classic car owner buys a part for their car, it fits correctly and doesn’t fail prematurely. The HCVA’s transparent complaints process hopes to resolve problems, and support enthusiasts and specialists alike. It introduces a safety net for owners that could develop into a hugely useful resource for the industry, and adds a degree of rigour and accountability that hasn't been present before. HCVA members can use an online form to lodge an issue to help identify an opportunity for improvement. Cases will be taken forward in a non-confrontational, round-table format where all parties can discuss the matter in a constructive environment. This collaborative initiative seeks to improve the landscape of parts supply, to the benefit of owners, and the companies that supply and fit parts.

 Finalists in this category 

·  Goodwood Revival (the first full historic race meeting to run entirely on sustainable fuel)

·  Rustival

·  HCVA ‘Action on Parts’ initiative 

Image:  Mark Roper, Chair of the HCVA, receiving the award from Eman Martin-Vignerte, Head of Political Affairs/Government Relations, Bosch

Judges' Comment

Silverstone Festival always highlights a particular moment in motorsport history, and for this year it was an emotional anniversary marking 30 years since the passing of a Formula One Legend, Ayrton Senna. The Senna 30 Year Legacy, which received the full support of the Senna family, who incorporated it into their official 30-year legacy calendar, saw a record turnout of 26 iconic vehicles spanning every stage of Senna's career, with accompanying exhibition in the Silverstone Museum featuring many items never displayed in public before, plus demonstration laps of Senna’s Toleman and Lotus Formula 1 cars.

Finalists in this category 

·  Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

·  Inter-Club International Weekend

·  Senna 30 Year Legacy at Silverstone Festival

Michael Squire (L) , Director of Research and Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s, presents the award to the Silverstone Festival team : Giles Brown – Commercial Director , Mark Constanduros - Content Curator; Special Tributes, Amy Beattie – Volunteers Manager and  Elliot Spencer – Customer Service Team Leader.

JUDGES' STATEMENT

After long discussion and analysis of three tremendously impressive restorations, we were left with a choice between two cars which were setting out to do completely different things: one, to bring back to competitive life an important historic racer, the other, to rescue a unique and significant vintage car.

Both, in the opinion of the judging panel, have done supremely and brilliantly what - in their different ways - they set out to do. Both are absolutely at the top of their game. So, we decided that the only right and proper thing to do was to acknowledge the superiority of both and have two winners.

1927 BENTLEY 3 LITRE BOAT TAIL SPEED MODEL

Judges' Comment 

The Bentley was restored over a three and a half year period by Julian Parker Ltd for the owner Chris Jaques, who was passionate and meticulous about bringing the car, and its exotic and unique body, back to how it first appeared 98 years ago. Sadly Chris did not live to see the project finished, but his family have taken the car on with equal dedication. The standard of Julian Parker’s patient and painstaking workmanship is extraordinary, particularly in recreating the woodwork of the body which is the car’s most arresting feature. Over the years it had been damaged, bodged or even completely disappeared. And yet their only source of reference was three black and white photos taken of the car when it was first made.

1939 ERA E-TYPE GP2 

Judges' Comment

The ERA was restored by James Baxter and his team at Tip Top Engineering – which includes young Jack Bond, who won the Club's Young Achiever Award in 2020. The ERA E-Type had enormous potential, but in the end only two were made, this car being GP2.  It first raced in 1946, but was dogged by reliability problems, and before long this important  car sank into obscurity. When Jolyon Harrison found it, it was in a very poor state. At one stage it had been converted into a two-seater special with a Jaguar engine, and many parts were missing completely. Returning it to its original form was going to be a Herculean task. Detailed research has been a vital part of the process, in many cases trying to decipher old photographs. A very large number of intricate parts had to be fabricated, using 3D printing to create many of the components. The final result is stunning: a competitive historic racing car which brings back to life an important part of British motor-racing’s heritage which has been unseen for decades.

Finalists in this category  

·  1965 ‘Lady Brown’ Aston Martin DB5 – RS Williams

·  1927 Bentley 3 Litre Boat Tail Speed Model – Julian Parker Ltd

·  1939 ERA E-Type GP2 – Tip Top Engineering

Image: Liz Pilling, Associate Director of Events, for Bicester Motion, with (L to R), Jack Bond, James Baxter and Jolyon Harrison (1939 ERA) and Emmett Jaques, Ben Jaques and Julian Parker (1927 Bentley).