SPA 6 HOURS 5th and 6th of October 2007

4 hours driving in the 6 hour race

In the headline 6-hour race the 21-year-old GT star drove an AC Cobra alongside father Grahame and Howard Spooner in addition to a lightweight Jaguar E Type with car owner Jon Minshaw and Gerry Wainwright. Oliver qualified the Jag in 5th place in the 80-car grid and an exceptional lap at the end of the session lined the Cobra up in 3rd place behind the front row of Ford GT40s.

Oliver started the Jag and drove a solid stint for 2 hours in the top 4 battling with the faster Jag of Andy Jenkinson. Oliver then handed over to car owner Jon and prepared himself for his stint in the Cobra. Oliver started his night stint in the cobra in 12th place. He charged through the order and was into 4th place with an hour to go catching the E type he had started in for 3rd place! Oliver was lapping in 2m58s and the Jag now in the hands of Gerry Wainwright was lapping 3m07s. With half an hour to go, Oliver closed to within a minute of Gerry but then had to pit as he smelt fuel in the cockpit. The Spirit Automotive team sourced the problem to a loose fuel capillary gauge pipe which was quickly rectified. However the chance of catching the Jag had gone.

3rd and 4th place overall is an excellent result for the BRDC “rising star” and adds yet more experience to his impressive c.v.

4th successive win of the Masters GT race at Spa

Oliver won the 2-hour endurance race for pre-1966 GT and Sports cars for the 4th year in a row. It was four years ago that Oliver first drove the family AC Cobra and impressed with a maiden win. It was that result in 2004 that prompted Autosport to name Oliver as “one to watch”.

In 2007, the grid was more competitive than ever an Oliver lined the car up 3rd on the grid in the early Sunday morning qualifying session. Less then 12 hours since the car finished the 6-hour race!

Photo GalleryOliver drove the first stint and overtook the Cobra of Rob Hall and endured an epic 6-lap battle with Steve Hitchin’s Cobra. He handed the car over to Grahame who wasn’t quite up to speed and was passed by Jon Minshaw’s Jag and the Hitchin’s Cobra. Oliver then climbed back aboard and drove the car for the final 40 minutes and regained the lead to claim a fine win with a 10 second margin over Hitchins who narrowly beat Minshaw to second.

Overtaking 48 cars in a BMW 1800ti

Oliver qualified the 1965 BMW touring car in 4th place on the 52 car under 2-litre grid. He was first placed BMW behind a brace of Lotus Cortinas and a very rapid Alfa GTA.

The car was being raced in the preceding race and unfortunately missed the closing of the pitlane by 8 seconds! This meant Oliver had to start the race dead last once the whole grid had driven past! He screamed up the pitlane and set off in chase off the pack ahead. Oliver charged through the pack lapping faster then almost the whole grid and was inside the top ten by the half hour mark. He made his mandatory pit stop as a single driver, got out the car then got back in before he could continue his charge up the pack. On the last lap he closed in on the tail of the 3rd placed Cortina of Andy Wolfe but time ran out and he had to settle for fourth. Oliver recorded a lap time faster than the BMW that came 2nd!.. if only he had made the start!
Thanks to Laranca engineering for preparing the car.