Overview
- Peter Holdsworth, 66, a Silverstone security manager, was injured when a rented John Deere Gator utility 4x4 overturned at the circuit in August 2024.
- He suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fractures and a severe foot injury, spent two months in hospital and has not returned to work or driving.
- Holdsworth’s claim says the Gator had off-road tyres that handle poorly on paved roads and that Silverstone failed to provide training or a proper risk assessment.
- Court papers cite the operator manual’s warnings that off-road tyres can reduce control on tarmac and that slopes and raised kerbs increase rollover risk.
- Silverstone’s recently filed defence says CCTV shows he drove too fast, clipped a kerb, did not wear a seatbelt and lacked both hands on the wheel, and it argues the Gator is road-legal and needs no special training for a licensed driver.