Octane Magazine, Issue 127, January 2014

Magazine, France, November 2009

The Vantage Point, AMOC North America Quarterly Journal

Spring 2005

Sports Illustrated 1959

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1134078/index.htm#%23

HOT SEAT INTERVIEW WITH JON GROSS

Proving that it really is possible to combine work with pleasure, this issue’s Hot Seat candidate has been living and breathing motor racing for more than a quarter of a century. Here we discover the naked truth about one of AMOC’s fast masters.

How long have you been racing?

I’ve been racing now for 26 years in the UK, Europe and at events in various other places.

We understand you have been racing the same car?

Yes, we have a long-standing relationship and you could say we recently celebrated our silver anniversary.

Can you tell us a little about the history of the car?

It is a 1957 Aston Martin DB MkIII that first belonged to my father in America.  He found it there back in the 1970s and it can certainly tell a tale or two.  It raced in the Sebring 12 hour races in Florida in 1958 and 1959 and had quite a famous owner Elisha Walker and a professional driver, US Grand Prix racing driver George Constantine.  

Car and driver – a winning combination?

The car has certainly given me some excellent experiences and helped form some indelible memories. I was delighted to win the Aston Championship, first in 2000 and again last year. There were six races and a great deal of competition out there on the track. The old car did me proud, as we won our class every time. A massive thank you has to go to Chris Woodgate and the team who helps me look after the car and keep her in winning form.

We haven’t seen you at many AMOC races this year? 

Well I thought that after 25 years of racing my old Aston she deserved a rest. After all, this ‘golden girl’ who is now fifty years young has been working all of her life. But, I couldn’t resist a few outings. I competed in the AMOC Brands Hatch event and will be racing today at Oulton Park and at the last race of the AMOC season at Donington at the end of this month.  I’ve also raced her in the Goodwood sprint and at the Silverstone Classic.

Have you been racing any other cars?

This season I also raced my Elva Courier a couple of times and was lucky enough to drive a DB3S at the Goodwood Revival a couple of weeks ago – now that’s as good as it gets!

Who or what first inspired you to get into racing?

My father was a really keen car enthusiast. He was a mechanical engineer and always had a passion for cars, which I guess I inherited.  It always seemed a very natural progression from road to race cars. My father was going to sell this car about 25 years ago and my reaction was ‘no, no, no’. So, I bought half of it, we shipped it from the US to the UK and have been racing it ever since.

What is the attraction of racing Astons over other marques?

I think they are a very special breed of motor car. The older ones certainly handle well but need to be thrown around a bit and this came be quite frightening. I’ve also raced pre-war Astons, a DB3S and an E-type but this car is definitely my favourite as it’s mine and driving cars belonging to other people can be unnerving. 

What has been your best racing moment?

I have taken part in all 3 of the Le Mans Classics events which I thoroughly enjoyed. The old Coys events were fun, the Spa 6 hour event is mind-blowing and club racing in this country is great, but, as Roy Salvadori famously said “Give me Goodwood on a summer’s day and you can keep the rest”.

Is there great camaraderie or intense rivalry with AMOC racing?

Whilst there is quite a lot of rivalry out there on the circuit, the camaraderie amongst fellow competitors is excellent.  It’s just good competitive racing without too much pushing and shoving.

What has been your worst racing moment?

This would have to be at Donington six years ago when there was a car on the track that shouldn’t have been in the race. It spun in front of me and I hit him because I had nowhere else to go. It was a highly modified car amongst some historic racers. The whole incident was just very unfortunate, rather depressing and very expensive. That was also the year I had a Goodwood Revival entry and only got the car mended in just time.

What does it feel like when you line up at the start of the race?

I still get very nervous at the start mainly but also throughout the race. It certainly keeps me on my toes.  I am comforted by the fact that Sue keeps her fingers crossed while I’m racing…whether she is at the circuit or not!

What advise would you give to new drivers?

I think there are some wonderful classes of racing that you can do reasonably inexpensively. I particularly like historic cars because there are great opportunities to race them without breaking the bank. Taking tuition is also very important and I would strongly recommend this to new drivers. I firmly believe I would have been a much better driver if I had taken tuition.

What is your greatest fear?

I have recurring dreams about missing the start of the race, being in the paddock with the wrong tyres or naked!

If you weren’t you who would you like to be?

I don’t aspire to be anyone else. I have enough trouble being myself without getting to grips with being someone else!

Do you have time for other hobbies/interests?

No, racing pretty much takes up all my spare time. I try to do most of the work on the car myself which also acts as therapy.

When you’re not racing what do you do?

I work in the field of motor sport event management, so you could say I live and breathe motor racing. Some years ago I worked in advertising and marketing and found my work and hobby increasingly merging.