For Birch’s Commercial Director, Tom Chilton, life is often split between two worlds. One is the precision and responsibility of helping oversee the UK’s leading vehicle storage facility. The other is his enduring passion for racing cars, which takes him from modern touring cars to historic legends.
At Circuit Paul Ricard last weekend, Tom’s two worlds came together as he lined up in the Endurance Racing Legends series Dix Mille Tours event with the Zytek O4S prototype and the iconic Lotus Cortina.
It was a weekend of podiums, setbacks, and stories — and a reminder of why Birch places so much importance on preparation, preservation, and performance.
Paul Ricard and the Peter Auto Stage
Perched high on the Le Castellet plateau in the South of France, Circuit Paul Ricard has become one of Europe’s most recognisable tracks. Its mile-long Mistral Straight and technical Signes corner have tested the best since the 1970s, with Formula 1, MotoGP and endurance classics all taking place here.
It is also a favourite of Peter Auto’s Endurance Racing Legends series, which brings back the great prototypes and GT cars of the 1990s and 2000s for two 40-minute races that celebrate performance and heritage in equal measure.
For Tom, Paul Ricard was both a reunion with old machinery and an opportunity to show that his competitive edge remains as sharp as ever.
The Zytek O4S – Prototype Pedigree
The Zytek O4S is a car that changed the trajectory of Tom’s racing career. Built by Zytek Engineering, it was a carbon-fibre monocoque LMP1 prototype powered by a naturally aspirated 4-litre V8 engine. With around 600 horsepower and feather-light weight, the car was designed for Le Mans-style endurance racing where speed, stamina and engineering ingenuity were all tested to the limit.
Tom drove the Zytek in the mid-2000s, most famously when he and teammate Hayanari Shimoda won the 2005 ALMS finale at Laguna Seca, making them the youngest pairing ever to claim victory in the series. For a driver better known for sprint racing in touring cars, it was proof of his versatility and determination.
At Paul Ricard, Tom relived that connection. He was on course for second place in race one until a crank sensor failed on the very last lap:
“I nearly got second in race one but the crank sensor failed on the last lap of the 40-minute race… very frustrating.”
He still secured third in that race and another third the following day. For Birch, the Zytek is a perfect metaphor: a machine of immense performance and historical value that demands constant attention to detail, both on track and in storage.
The Lotus Cortina – Touring Car Icon
If the Zytek is a study in raw prototype engineering, the Lotus Cortina is its polar opposite: a car that proved small saloons could become motorsport legends. Born in the early 1960s through Ford’s partnership with Colin Chapman’s Lotus, the Cortina was stripped of excess weight, fitted with a Lotus-tuned twin-cam 1.6-litre engine producing around 115 bhp, and equipped with advanced suspension tweaks. The result was a nimble, agile racer that could take on much bigger machinery.
The Cortina became an instant hit, dominating touring car championships across Europe and even carrying Jim Clark to the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship title. It was also a fan favourite, mixing tail-out style with David-versus-Goliath victories.
Tom, a driver steeped in the touring car tradition, was drawn to the Cortina’s character. At Paul Ricard he qualified on pole but had to start further back due to FIA paperwork issues. He was charging through the field and up to second place when disaster struck:
“I was in second place… there was a chance of a win… but halfway through, my diff lost all its teeth and I had no drive.”
A heartbreaking DNF, but one that underlined why the Cortina remains such a thrill to drive — and why cars like it deserve the right care between events.
Birch – Preserving the Story
Tom left Paul Ricard with two third-place finishes and one DNF. But beyond the results, his weekend highlighted the eternal truths of motorsport: that even the greatest machines rely on meticulous preparation, and that preserving heritage is just as important as chasing victory.
At Birch, that ethos is at the core of what we do. Whether it’s an LMP1 prototype with Le Mans pedigree or a sixties touring car with iconic heritage, every car deserves to be protected in an environment that safeguards both its performance potential and its story. For collectors, enthusiasts, and racers alike, storage is not just about security — it’s about preservation.
Because as Tom showed in France, cars like the Zytek and Cortina aren’t just machines. They are pieces of history. Our role is to keep them ready for the next chapter.
Next Stop: Goodwood Revival—Tom Drives the Roy Salvadori DB4 GT Lightweight
The next chapter unfolds this weekend at the Goodwood Revival this coming weekend, where Tom will take on the wheel of the Roy Salvadori-driven Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight (chassis 18 TVX) in the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, a key event for pre-1963 closed-cockpit GT cars.
18 TVX is one of just nine lightweight DB4 GTs, born from Aston Martin’s Experimental Department, raced by legends like Salvadori, Clark, and Innes Ireland, and recently restored to its original sea-green livery. It will be co-driven with Max Chilton in a return to its racing heritage at Goodwood this weekend.
Watch Tom bring this piece of motorsport history back to life—because stories like these thrive when cared for, both on track and in storage.
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