Classic cars and planes on show as Shuttleworth Collection receives special military visit
The latest outing for the UK Armed Forces Rally Team was a far more sedate affair than they are accustomed to. The team were guests to the Shuttleworth Collection end of season Race Day and Air Show.
Boasting one of the best collections of vintage vehicles and aircraft in the country, the Shuttleworth Collection has long championed British and international engineering from a bygone time.
Based at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire, these mechanical marvels don't linger in the hangars on site gathering dust; they are kept alive for current and future generations to enjoy.
Colourful life
The collection was started 90 years ago by the wealthy Richard Shuttleworth.
A colourful life saw Shuttleworth commission as an Army officer in the 1920s, become a successful motor racing driver in the 1930s, before his death in a flying accident whilst serving as a pilot with the Royal Air Force in 1940, aged just 31.
The end-of-season Race Day and Airshow is one of the highlights of the Shuttleworth calendar. The iconic collection, plus invited guest vehicles, head off for a dash along the aerodrome's hard standing and grass runway or to the skies in the case of the aircraft.
With Richard Shuttleworth's deep connection to the military, the UK Armed Forces Rally Team, in their distinctive white Land-Rovers, are welcome guests to the annual occasion.
This year, the team are celebrating their first-ever female driver victory in a rally. Private Josie Harris took top spot at the Trackrod Rally with her co-driver, Royal Marine George Benson.
In her first interview since her Trackrod triumph, a beaming Pte Harris said how proud she was to achieve the military motoring milestone.
"I actually have got the title as the first female to win a rally as a driver in the Armed Forces Rally Team, so that's big history for our team," she said.
The day at Old Warden was an opportunity for the team to meet the public and explain the role rallying can play in the development of servicewomen and servicemen.
With a weekend free from competition, Pte Harris was enjoying driver duties of a different kind in front of the Shuttleworth faithful.
"I've done a couple of VIP passenger runs and they've absolutely loved it, people coming over speaking and really keen to learn about what we do and why."
Meanwhile, this year's Race Day and Airshow featured the final flight of the UK's last flying Lancaster bomber for 2025.
Based at RAF Coningsby with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Lancaster PA474 won't take to the skies again until 2027 due to months of essential maintenance.
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