S1 Ep299: The Great Train Robbery’s Shocking Formula 1 Connection

Past Gas

Donut Media

Leisure, Comedy, History, Automotive

4.9 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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This week, for our 300th episode, we dive into the wild story of Roy James — the racing driver who helped pull off Britain’s most famous heist, the Great Train Robbery. From a Brabham on the track to a Jaguar Mk2 on the run, we explore how a train heist nearly turned into a Formula 1 career. Plus, we uncover the little-known F1 trophy still tied to his legacy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, this is Doug Demuro here to tell you to listen to This Car Pod, the Automotive
0:06.0	podcast for every car enthusiast.
0:08.5	This Car Pod is a podcast where my friends and I sit down every week to chat about breaking
0:13.5	automotive news, what we're seeing in the car market, and the quirks and features of our personal
0:18.3	car lives.
0:19.3	And we take questions from our amazing audience.
0:22.4	Check out this car pod now on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, anywhere you get your podcasts and add it to your
0:29.0	weekly rotation. What's up, everybody? Welcome to episode 300 of Pass Gas. This week we're talking
0:34.9	about the great train robbery, one of the great crimes
0:37.9	in British history that has a surprising connection to open wheel formula racing, which we're
0:43.2	going to find out right now. The date is August 18, 1963. The location is Caldwell Park
0:52.9	Circuit in Lincolnshire, England. A short 2.1 mile club circuit
0:57.5	nestled into the steep sides of a valley, earning it the nickname, the Mini Nureberg Ring.
1:03.3	It's Sunday, race day, and a slew of aspiring young racers have turned up to compete in a series
1:08.3	of Formula Junior and Formula Libra open-wheel events.
1:12.4	The kind of races you'd run if you're looking to forge a career in something as prestigious as Formula One.
1:18.0	Lining up for the main event are the likes of Peter Revson, Denny Hulm, and Mike Spence,
1:23.7	all of whom would go on to race in and occasionally win some Grand Prix.
1:28.3	Also on the grid was a young man named Roy James, an occasional figure in the British racing world, albeit still won on his way up.
1:36.3	Behind the wheel of a Brabham BT6, this young racer took victory in the Formula Junior event.
1:42.3	As he celebrated a battle well fought, Roy James had a secret.
1:47.6	Just ten days before, he had played a key role in an audacious royal male train heist,
	...

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