A SUN drenched crowd celebrated one hundred glorious years of Aston Martin at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Two special races were held to commemorate the landmark, one of which represented the earlier period of the company's history.

A rare DB4 Zagato won from a field dominated by cars from the 1950s and 1960s David Brown era and was joined on the podium by electric land speed record holder and Aston Martin racing aficionado Lord Drayson, who also won a race earlier in the weekend.

A 100-minute GT centenary race for the newer cars saw a close battle, with Aston Martin racing boss John Gaw within touching distance of victory but losing out to the GT Open car of Alvaro Barber Lopez and Massimiliano Wiser.

The podium presentation for both centenary races was carried out by former Grand Prix star and Aston Martin works driver Bruno Senna, who also met fans and drove demonstration laps in his GTE race car.

“It's a great track,” Bruno, nephew of Formula 1 legend Ayrton, said.

“Brands Hatch is one of the best tracks in England, that's for sure.

“The Grand Prix circuit is amazing, especially the back part of the track.

“I did my first race in Europe here, so it's good fun and I'm happy to be here for Aston Martin.

“It's very relaxed to come here and I enjoy being with the fans, everybody has time to enjoy the sun, enjoy the racing and we can take some photos together, so it's all really nice.”

Joining Bruno's GTE out on the track for the demonstration laps were a priceless race-winning DB4 GT Zagato, Le Mans Group C NIMROD and AMR1 cars, a DB7GT works prototype and a pre-war Ulster.

Fans also enjoyed a huge collection of owners' cars, a James Bond display and tribute parachute jump and the sounds of a jazz band.

Joining in the weekend’s races was celebrity chef James Martin, who recently won a motor race at Brands Hatch.

He said: “What doesn't Aston Martin mean to me?

“Everybody says Bond and stuff like that but what is great about this, is that you've got a mixture of the modern cars and the historic.

“You've got DB4s, DB5s roaming around here as well as the new stuff. Favourite car to me, really, is the DB5, probably the DB5 Vantage, just because it's so iconic really.

“But I've just seen a beautiful Zagato DB4, that's probably the ultimate really isn't it?

“There are some pretty special cars here.”

There's more historic race action on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch this week with the HSCC Superprix, featuring the Supertouring Trophy.

Tickets are available from £18 with free entry for children aged 12 and under.

For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit brandshatch.co.uk

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