31 Richard Thornton, is he really a red top?

Not seen him race before but I know he did back in the 90s at some point, but did he reach red before hanging up his helmet? Or was he just borrowing one of FWJ's spare red wings and come back on the night of the Trust Fund for a spin down memory lane?

Richard is indeed a bona fide red top and has raced a couple of times from red in the V8 Hotstox, winning a heat at the Workington meeting a few years ago. He was probably a bit "ring rusty" not having raced for a while .......Coventry in the V8s about a year ago would have been his last outing I think??

Neil

Seem to remember him out in an FWJ hire car a few years ago as a yellow... probably end of the '90s / 2000ish?

Richard Thornton (Thorny) is one of FWJs mechanics. He raced F1s regularly in his own car in the 1990s as number 131. I remember him from our Bradford days. He raced about 4 or 5 years ago at selected meetings in a FWJ hire car from yellow top and did really well which meant he achieved red top on the basis of him having a very high average.
I spoke to him after the ben fund race and he said Stuart Smith 397 had lent him the car for the night. He was gutted as he got a great start and felt he could have gone on to win if the car had not played up. There was something wrong with the gear box I think. He was working hard in the pits and managed to get it out in time for the Grand National.
Thorny was also collecting money from the crowd with his helmet during the night.