2025 Le Mans Classic

The 2025 Le Mans Classic showcases historic racing at its best, so our racing team headed over with three exceptional Bentleys to the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe.

XR7117, a 4.5-litre supercharged 4-seat Vanden Plas-bodied car, built to YU 3250’s 1929 ‘Ards Tourist Trophy specification.

PF 9454 is a 1927 3-Litre, with a Kingsbury Racing Shop ‘works’ engine and fitted with an original 4-seater Vanden Plas body, built to the exact specification of the 1927 Le Mans winning ‘Old Number 7’.

UU44, a 1929 ‘Blower’ Bentley built by ‘Rusty’ Russ Turner using parts from the iconic No. 1 Birkin Brooklands single-seater racer, including the No. 6 supercharger unit & a 2-seater body with which HB3402 was sold after the war.

 Having been shipped to the UK just three months ahead of the event, a tireless effort from our team meant this car arrived in France with a freshly rebuilt engine, supercharger, brakes, differential and suspension.

Qualifying

Qualifying in dry, sunny evening conditions should have allowed all three cars plenty of time to get up to speed. Unfortunately, due to varying incidents on track, slow zones were enforced for much of the session, curtailing any real learning or opportunities to maximise lap times. UU44 qualified 38th, XR 39th & PF 57th in the 70-car Plateau 1 grid.

Night practice passed without incident and afforded the drivers time to get acquainted with the iconic Circuit De La Sarthe in the darkness.

The Rain Continues at the 2025 Le Mans Classic.

Race 1 took place on Saturday afternoon. Mathias Seliecki took the start in UU44 with Lewis Fox starting alongside him in XR. The pair made quick progress carving through the field before the pit stops. Mathias stayed aboard UU and continued his charge, finishing P8 with the fastest race time of any Bentley all weekend.

Lewis handed over to Car and Classic CEO Tom Wood who brought XR home in a solid P21. PF, driven by Anna & Louisa Getley, starting 56th, showed incredible race pace, overtaking a multitude of newer, more powerful cars to finish an impressive 35th and 3rd in class. Race 2 was unfortunately cancelled due to adverse weather conditions and an incident in Plateau 4’s race.

Carlos enjoyed his reunion with UU so much, he decided to complete the race solo leaving Mathias to cheer him home from the pit wall, finishing in a fine 13th and 1st in class. Lewis once again took the start in XR, starting 21st and pitting in 10th.

Having limited experience in ‘the Blower’ compounded by the difficult conditions, Tom elected to sit his stint out. Lewis brought the car home in P8 and the first Vintage Bentley home.

With exciting projects on the horizon and continued growth throughout our business, we are looking to expand our team.

Kingsbury Racing Shop specialises in automotive engineering projects, from vintage Bentley restoration to racing car builds, component manufacturing, and engine assembly. We’re keen to hear those with a skill set to match the excellence and attention to detail we pride ourselves on.