Motor Racing Legends (MRL) owner Shaun Lynn has a deep love for historic racing. He competes in a wide range of historic cars, from his Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 in GT3 Legends to the Shelby Cobra 289 in the recent Trophées d’Auvergne. But few hold quite the same place in his heart as the Bentley Speed 8. Mister Lynn has been in love with the car ever since its Le Mans victory in 2003. Now he gets to race it in the brand-new Endurance Icons series.
Witnessing the Bentley Win
Lynn didn’t just hear about Bentley winning Le Mans. He witnessed it himself from trackside. It ignited a passion that still burns today.
“I saw it win in 2003, I was there,” Lynn recalls. “I was actually racing my Cobra in the classic race. As soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it. I thought it’s a beautiful, beautiful car. I never thought I’d ever have the opportunity to own one or even drive one.”
Fifteen years later, Lynn heard that Bentley was considering selling one of its cars. It also gave him the opportunity to learn more about the story behind the Speed 8. He discovered how the British Bentley operation and the German Joest and Audi teams came together to create a remarkable piece of machinery.
“In 2018 I heard that Bentley were considering selling one. I went up there, spoke to them and then got involved in the whole story, how they took it to Le Mans, the whole thing. It’s the romance and the story of Bentley, with Brian Gush, John Wickham and the team, how they did it. Then obviously Joest coming along and how they put their team together, the English team, the German team, and that collaboration, how that worked.
“It’s just a great story and I love that. Every time you look at the car you think about what’s gone into it, it’s a very English car. The engine is an Audi engine, but that’s it, everything else is different, everything else is English, so it’s amazing.”
Running Historics in the Modern Era
Running historic cars in an ever-evolving world isn’t an easy task. Shaun works closely with Progressive Motorsport to keep the Speed 8 on track.
“I’m lucky that Progressive Motorsport used to work for Joest and Audi back in the day, and then they transferred across into the Bentley programme, so they know the car intimately.”
Racing across multiple classic series brings its own challenges. Mister Lynn often has to adapt between very different types of machinery on the same weekend. The contrast between LMP1 and GT3 cars is particularly significant.
“The GT3, you’ve got complete driver aids. Obviously, you’ve got power steering, traction control and ABS, which saves you. But the Bentley has got no traction control and no ABS. It’s got very skinny tyres, so at slow speed it’s got no real mechanical grip.
“You’ve got to be very careful when you brake and take the speed off because you haven’t got any downforce. It’s a very different way of driving. So yeah, you’ve got to adapt very quickly, and that takes a few laps before you head back into it.”
Comparisons With the Modern Day
Shaun isn’t the only member of the Lynn family racing historic machinery. Whereas Alex Lynn has followed the more conventional route to top-level racing, his other son Max also competes in historics and has now stepped into a GT World Challenge Europe career.
“I think that Max has sort of cut his teeth in classic racing. He started at the Caterham Academy and then was with me in all my classic racing. We then spoke about him doing some modern stuff too.
“It’s very different. Modern racing is much more aggressive. Well, it has to be. People have got their careers there.”
That contrast also shapes how Lynn views the atmosphere in classic racing. Modern motorsport carries greater pressure, particularly for drivers building their careers. In comparison, he values the more relaxed and welcoming environment that has developed within the Motor Racing Legends paddock.
“Classic racing, the way we look at it, one person can win but 40 or 50 people can have a great time. We really focus on that. It’s a celebration.
“We want people to be welcome in the paddock and be laughing and back-slapping about what a great time they’ve had, rather than what you see in modern racing: finger-pointing and unhappiness. That’s what we’ve created and want to keep hold of.”
The Future of Motor Racing Legends
Motor Racing Legends launched two new series at the BRDC Classic: GP Icons and Endurance Icons. Shaun Lynn and the MRL team were pleased with the reception both received during their debut weekend.
“I think it’s been a success, the feedback from everybody’s been great, they loved the weekend.”
The plans already extend into next season. Lynn wants to expand the calendars for both new series. GT3 Legends will continue alongside them.
“Yes, we’re going to run a few races next year for GP Icons and Endurance Icons along with GT3 of course, we’ll have a more extended calendar. It’s a matter of trying to choose the right circuits for those cars.”
