Here’s a story that we’ve had earmarked for a while – the news that Martin Brundle has made his first return to competitive track racing since he drove for Bentley in the Le Mans 24 Hours event in 2001.
And, to make it extra-special, he was competing against his son Alex, 17, who’s currently doing rather well in the Formula Palmer Audi junior open-wheel series.
Set up by former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer in 1998, it has propelled drivers such as Andy Priaulx, Gary Paffett, Justin Wilson, Giorgio Pantano, Robbie Kerr, Adam Carroll and Jeroen Bleekemolen on to greater things.
Visit the Formula Palmer Audi website here >>
During his one-off guest appearance Brundle senior was beaten by his son in the first race in which Alex came sixth while he came eighth. But he had his revenge in the second, coming seventh and beating his son into ninth.
In the third, and deciding, race experience won through and the elder Brundle managed a sixth-place finish while the younger came in 10th.
This leaves Alex sixth in the championship with 109 points, a little astern of a hotly-contested battle for third place. The current series leader is Bedford-born Jason Moore, 19, a former Super 1 TKM karting British Champion, on 154 points.
Martin Brundle told the FPA website that he was “really impressed” with the drivers he was up against.
He said: “I enjoyed racing this weekend as much as ever. When an FPA car became available, this unique window of opportunity to race against my son at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps track was an easy decision.
“I was very pleased and even relieved to find that I still have speed and commitment. This weekend was good hard racing; these aspiring young hot shoes take no prisoners, they are fully on it.
“In the third race I had a cracking tussle with Ivan Lukashevich – even though I’m three times his age! A great experience all round for me.”
If all this sounds like fun then you may be interested to know that the next round of the series takes place in the UK.
It’s happening at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on June 28. Tickets cost from £10 for adults with free entry for children aged 12 and under.
To learn more, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.