Gentleman Racer

Steve’s journey takes an extraordinary turn when he discovers one of Jim’s original Formula 1 cars: a Cooper Climax T45.

The extraordinary story of a a race driver coaching legend, his long lost son and the car that connects them after 60 years. A touching and fascinating story set against the backdrop of the European Historic Grand Prix race series. The name Jim Russell still conjures memories for anyone who ever raced. World champions passed through his doors — Fittipaldi, Bell, Villeneuve, Senna. As he lay recovering from a life-threatening accident in the 1950s, his son Stephen was born in the same hospital and left without ever meeting his father. Decades later, Steve Banham found his birth family, tracked down his father's Cooper Grand Prix racer, and set about racing it himself — in Jim's memory.