Motorsport

IAN and Sharon Horwood hoped for a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle when they settled in a quaint village in Buckinghamshire.  The last thing they expected was glamour model Katie Price banging down their door and asking to use the toilet.
The village of Silverstone, near the infamous race track, will be abuzz this weekendCredit: Dan Jones
Preparations for this Sunday’s British Grand Prix were well underway when The Sun visited this weekCredit: Dan Jones
But the bizarre incident was just one of the strange encounters they have faced while living next to the Silverstone racetrack, where the Formula One British Grand Prix is held every year.
Katie – then known by her model name Jordan – was caught short in the 1990s while stuck in the gridlocked traffic that used to snake past their cul-de-sac.  
She had earlier been straddling a race car wearing a yellow swimsuit.
Shaking his head at the memory, father-of-three Ian, 60, recalls: “Typical me, I was asleep on the couch when it happened.
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“I woke up to hear someone saying, ‘Jordan is using our toilet’.
“I couldn’t believe my ears. The kids had been out on the street waving at the passing cars and asking for flags.
“Jordan called out to them, saying she needed to use the loo.
“The traffic was terrible at the time and it would be blocked for hours in both directions as there were so many cars.
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Local residents say the noise from the track does carry depending on the wind directionCredit: Dan Jones
Ian and Sharon Horwood say fans often knock on their door asking to use the toiletCredit: Dan Jones
“She must have been desperate. The kids let her into the house and the rest is history.
“I will forever be able to tell people, ‘Katie Price sat on my toilet’.”
The incident took place when reality star Katie, now 45, worked as a Formula 1 grid girl, famously straddling one of Irish businessman Eddie Jordan’s yellow race cars as a publicity stunt.
In 1998 she posed for a similar shot at the Silverstone Circuit with fellow glamour girls Melinda Messenger and Emma Noble.
Eddie, who ran the race team Jordan GP team between 1991 and 2005, credited the ploy with creating a boom in motorsport.
In 2017, he said: “The idea was it should be fun. Motor racing is a very serious business, very commercial and it needs to have a very respectable return on the investment.
“But at the same time, it also needed to show flair, excitement and all of the other razzmatazz that goes with racing.
“We had all the major models at the time, they were so keen to get into the yellow swimsuits. Katie Price, she was the catalyst.”
Katie Price (centre) is among the people who have stopped at the Horwoods’ house asking to use their toiletCredit: PA:Press Association
The traffic in neighbouring villages becomes grid-locked during the F1 weekendCredit: Dan Jones
For the Horwoods, the increased interest has hugely affected life in the village of Dadford, which sits right on the perimeter, and where they have lived for the past 38 years.
Sharon explained: “People knock on the door and ask to use the toilet all the time when there is a big race on.
“For the most part we don’t mind. Some people staying overnight on the campsite next door will even ask for essentials like milk or tea or whatever.
“But there are certain annoyances.
I will forever be able to tell people, ‘Katie Price sat on my toilet’Ian Horwood, Silverstone resident
“The campsite can turn into a big party at night with people drinking and playing music.
“The traffic used to be a nightmare and it would be impossible to get anywhere on event days, but it’s much better since they introduced the dual carriageway down the road.”
Maintenance supervisor Ian added: “Overall, we don’t mind living next to Silverstone. The noise from the track isn’t too bad as long as the wind isn’t blowing in this direction.
“But we do wish they weren’t such stingy b*****s when it comes to giving out free tickets to local residents.
“We only get them for the Classics, never for the Grand Prix.”
Thousands of fans will descend on Silverstone this weekendCredit: Dan Jones
Locals in the village say festival goers bring a lot of business their wayCredit: Dan Jones
When the Sun visited Silverstone on Wednesday, the long weekend motorsport festival was already getting underway ahead of the race on Sunday.
F1 fans were ordering pints at The White Horse pub well before midday and a jolly atmosphere was building on the sun-dappled streets.
One local said: “For the most part, the festival goers are alright and they do bring a lot of business to the village.
“But we do have a problem with traffic and people parking in places they aren’t supposed to.
For the most part, the festival goers are alright and they do bring a lot of business to the village. But we do have a problem with trafficSilverstone local resident
“You occasionally see vehicles three deep in the middle of the street because their owners have given up looking for a parking spot.”
Bed and Breakfast owner Mark Henry, 70, and his partner Leslie Chaplin, 66, have found an innovative solution to coping with the influx.
They run the ‘Chaos Arms’ pub in their back garden on race days, with an Elvis tribute act performing and last orders not until 11.30pm.
Mark has become known as ‘Captain Chaos’ since starting the charity night 10 years ago.
Mark Henry and Leslie Chaplin set up a ‘pub’ in their back garden during the F1 weekendCredit: Dan Jones
The couple have run the ‘Chaos Arms’ pub charity event for 10 yearsCredit: Dan Jones
He said: “It started off small but now we get up to 100 people here some nights.
“I’m called Captain Chaos because it’s always chaotic and I leave everything to the last minute.
“But my attitude is, we are stuck here and we have got to live with Silverstone being on our doorstep, we might as well have a party.
“I know other residents have started making money by renting out their drives – I think for £50 for the weekend, which is half the cost of official parking.
“But there are downsides to living here. The traffic can be terrible and this year they are closing the road next to my B&B, so I don’t know if we are going to be able to get in and out.
My attitude is, we are stuck here and we have got to live with Silverstone being on our doorstep, we might as well have a partyMark Henry aka ‘Captain Chaos’, Silverstone resident
“But we always have a laugh running the pub – people really look forward to it.”
Construction worker Colin Stanbrook, 66, and his wife Lyn, 67, are two residents that are lucky enough to get free tickets to the GP.
That is because Lyn works on the parish council that regularly has meetings with the race organisers.
Colin said: “We’ve got tickets in the VIP ‘Legends’ section this year, which cost about £500 each.
“Me and my son went last year and you’re sitting directly above the track and get free food and drink but it’s hard to impossible to meet the drivers. 
Colin Stanbrook and his wife Lyn are two residents that are lucky enough to get free tickets to the GPCredit: Dan Jones
Most residents say they wish organisers would give out free tickets to the F1 weekend to localsCredit: Dan Jones
“Lewis Hamilton actually got booed last year and the reason was that while the other drivers waved as they went past, he didn’t even stop and people had waited hours to see him.”
Author Gordon Blackwell, 80, also lives next to the sprawling Silverstone Circuit, which straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border and is accessed from the nearby A43. 
He and his wife Doreen, 78, are old enough to remember the first British GP held there in 1948.
Gordon has written three books on Silverstone and counted legendary race driver Sir Stirling Moss as a friend until he passed away in 2020.
Lewis Hamilton is a good driver but it’s just not like the good old daysGordon Blackwell, long-time Silverstone resident
He said: “I actually went to the second Grand Prix when I was about seven. I can just about remember it.
“Later, when I grew up, I worked for the circuit for about 30 years. I worked on the gate and later in the archive room until I retired.
“It used to be that you could stroll around the paddocks and watch the drivers working and ask for their autographs.
“Stirling Moss was a friend. I met him at the British Racing Drivers Club. He would pop into the village and speak to people and there was much more of a community feeling back then.
“It’s not like that now and I’ve lost interest in racing, to be honest.  
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“Lewis Hamilton is a good driver but it’s just not like the good old days. Drivers like him never have the time to meet with people like us.”
Gordon Blackwell, pictured with his wife Doreen, worked at the Silverstone circuit for 30 yearsCredit: Dan Jones
Some residents complained about the noise from a nearby campsite used by festival goersCredit: Dan Jones
Road closures are a nuisance for Silverstone residentsCredit: Dan Jones More