Three days, 1200 racing cars , a couple of thousand road cars on display and and English summer of sun , wind and rain. Highlights? Watching a Lotus Elan 26R thrash Cobras and TVRs  in a wet race on Saturday night, hearing forty  DFV engined F1 cars spear through Becketts ; marvelling at the Kardashian sized arse on a Porsche 918 hypercar which doubtless will spend most of its time poncing around SW1 and yes , yet again,  being reminded that Formula Ford 1600 offers the closest fought racing of any category. Oh - and hearing that other-worldly , deafening  howl from the Renault V10 in Nigel Mansell's  1992 Williams .

I talked to lots of people for the book ,  including former F1 driver Howden Ganley ,racer/journalist Richard Meaden and commentator Henry Hope - Frost and  all had a lot  to say , even to this random amateur hack .

I was talked into joining a parade lap of the circuit in my Caterham and was glad I did so.  My new friend  Mats from Sweden  was my passenger and we followed Clive Chapman (Colin's son and Classic Team Lotus boss) around the circuit; Clive was in a pukka Lotus Seven twin cam , unlike we parvenus  in our ersatz Caterhams. 

Having driven around Copse at about 55mph, being aware that Messrs  Hamilton and Vettel take it at 100mph or so more than I did, I now understand why F1 drivers have Schwarzenegger sized necks ....