Julius Thurgood is the founder and the former owner of the Top Hat Racing series, which are all now part of The Masters group. Julius very much remains with Masters Top Hat as a consultant and a valued figure at all Top Hat events, both for his depth of car knowledge and as a competitor and adviser.
Chris Jolly is Chairman of the Masters Racing Club,
succeeding our retiring founder Chairman, John Quenby. An experienced historic racer, member of several well known clubs including the HGPCA and the AMOC, Chris works in property in the City of London, and lives in Wimbledon, in south west London with wife Helen and his family. Chris races in SRM with his wonderful Cooper
T61 with a Chevrolet motor, this car replaced the long serving Lotus 23b in
which he and his co-driver and preparer Steve Farthing had enjoyed much success.
Chris also owns an Aston Martin DB2, UK road
registered ‘PUM 6’, a very well-known car that has raced more miles than any
owner can bear to think about – and with it Chris recently won the 1950’s race
at the Top Hat Masters festival at Brands Hatch in May. An active competitor and enthusiastic
Masters member, Chris hopes that he can serve the membership and ensure everyone
enjoys their racing
The Technical Working Group. Masters and Top Hat series have detailed Rules and Regulations for each series, as well as for driving standards. There exists under John Quenby’s chairmanship, a panel of Technical Commissioners and Eligibility Scrutineers who attend our race meetings, in addition to the local club’s safety scrutineering. There is also a system for answering owners’ queries, by sending your email to:- ‘technical@themastersseries.com’ between race meetings.
Ron Maydon, Masters Founder and President, is himself a racer in our F1 series ‘Grand Prix Masters’. It was his vision and idea to provide like-minded competitors with “a different style of racing” that shaped the Masters Historic Racing concept, back in 2003. Ron’s business interests include property and a chain of UK-based golf clubs. Ron recenty finished fourth at Monaco!
Christopher Tate, Series Director, brings over 30 years of experience in the motorsport business to his role in running Masters. With experience as a circuit builder and owner, as a former competitor himself, a past director of race car designers and builders, a US and European television commentator, and as a driver manager, plus a 30 year love affair with Le Mans, Christopher has a keen eye for what works in motor sports. He is responsible for the series overall, its commercial development and the circuits negotiations.
Rachel Bailey, Associate Director, has been with Masters since day one. A career in both professional services management, and in classic car sales has been useful training for historic racing. Rachel is now in charge of all Masters operational activities, managing the members, the race entries, event management at Masters own events and looks after a growing team of staff, both on and off the track.
Claire Tippet, Top Hat Events and Entries has enjoyed her own racing career to date, and joined Masters in 2007. Claire was the first female racing driver to compete in the Volkswagen Racing Cup in 2004, and is also a qualified ARDS Instructor at Silverstone. She has worked in classic and racing car sales previously, and is now responsible for Top Hat events and entries.
Jo Minion is a regular ‘racing face’ at Masters’ events and a part-timer in the Masters Milton Keynes office. As a former professional swimmer herself, Jo understands the need for speedy service at sports events! During 2008, Jo will be in charge of the Masters’ Hospitality Unit and the in-house set-up and catering teams, at all race meetings.
