Acclaimed actor, human rights advocate, and generally all-around awesome person Patrick Stewart will be taking to Britain’s Silverstone race track this July, to compete in the Silverstone Classic. Because, again, he’s awesome.
Stewart, who is 76 years old but doesn’t look a goddamned day over 60, will be competing in a celebrity race using the HDRC Academy’s Austin A35 conversion race cars. Or, to put it another way, the man who played the captain of a 2,000-foot-long long starship that could travel 2,000 times the speed of light will soon be racing around in a 34-horsepower vintage car that makes a Mini Countryman look giant.
“It was a lot of fun,” Stewart said after qualifying for his racing license, according to Motorsport.com. “For someone who has followed motor racing since being a teenager, to drive around Silverstone and negotiate such legendary corners as Becketts and Stowe is just such a thrill.”
Stewart previously competed in the Silverstone Classic back in 2012, when the event used Morgans instead of Austins. (Thus giving us the wonderful picture above.)
During an apparent chance encounter with an automotive journalist at the McLaren 650S media launch in 2014, Stewart described himself as a fan of large, luxurious British cars, and said he “only enjoyed going up to a certain speed.” He also, according to writer Davis Adams, pushed the 650S up to 169 miles per hour.
We at The Drive are also proud to claim Stewart as a neighbor; his Brooklyn townhouse lies just 30 blocks from our Sunset Park office.