Video: From 10th to first with a broken gearbox

11th February 2021

Laura Thomson

If you’ve every suffered a broken gearbox, you’ll know the sense of doom as your gears slowly drop. And now imagine that feeling at the start of one of Goodwood’s most famous races – daunting, right?

Not for Tom Kristensen, when he was sharing a mighty Chevrolet Camaro with Jack Tetley in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the 2020 SpeedWeek presented by Mastercard. Early in the race his gearbox began to fail, with the Danish motorsport legend losing first one gear, and then another until he was left with just second and fourth gears.

Nonetheless, he kept attacking, working his way through the field with the very skill that made him a nine-time Le Mans winner. Once he had assumed the lead, he handed over to his team-mate, Tetley, who continued to push even after the Camaro lost its penultimate gear. With just fourth remaining, the plucky young driver pushed it home for a fabulous podium finish. Bravo!

Take five today and enjoy some of the finest driving that SpeedWeek had to offer, and revels in the sounds and sights of a furious ‘70s touring car throwdown.