F1 security chief sues after Silverstone buggy crash

Peter Holdsworth, 66, who suffered a fractured skull and brain damage after his John Deere Gator 4×4 rolled in Silverstone, is suing Silverstone Circuits Limited for more than £200,000. The High Court heard his case centres on allegedly unsuitable tyres and fa

When Peter Holdsworth turned down a slope at Silverstone in August 2024, he expected to reach an under-track tunnel. Instead, the hired 4×4 utility vehicle flipped, throwing him to the road surface and leaving him with a fractured skull and brain injury.

The 66-year-old. who worked as a security manager at the circuit for five years. is now suing Silverstone Circuits Limited for more than £200. 000 in compensation at the High Court.. His barrister. Richard Wheeler. said the crash happened on the morning of 4 August 2024. when Mr Holdsworth was driving into the race track.

Mr Wheeler set out that Mr Holdsworth was intending to drive down a slope and through “a tunnel which passes underneath the racetrack.” As the claimant “turned down the slope leading into the tunnel. he lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. landing on its side.” The particulars of claim say Mr Holdsworth was thrown out of the open driver’s side during the accident and was transported by ambulance. remaining an inpatient for two months.

The injuries described in court documents include traumatic brain injury and skull fractures. alongside a severe left foot injury “with multiple foot fractures.” Mr Wheeler also said the security manager suffered a left ankle fracture. a “break of a bone behind his ear. ” and bleeding from the ear.. Beyond physical harm. he described a range of psychological effects: “He has altered gait and his walking distance is grossly impaired. ” with “cognitive sequalae. loss of hearing. loss of balance. flashbacks. nightmares and depression.” The barrister said Mr Holdsworth “has not been able to return to work. or to driving. or to his usual hobbies and activities.”

Mr Wheeler’s account focuses on what he alleges went wrong before the vehicle ever left the workplace.. He claims the tyres on the John Deere Gator 4×4 were “not suitable for road use. ” designed for off-road locations. and therefore required “extra careful handling on paved roads.” He also alleges Silverstone failed to train him properly in use of the Gator. particularly given the operator’s manual warning that paved surfaces can “seriously affect handling and control of the vehicle” and require slow speeds.

The claim also highlights. according to the court papers. a failure to carry out what Mr Wheeler described as a “sufficient risk assessment” for using such a vehicle on roads at the racing circuit.. He told the court the vehicle was “not suitable to be driven in the location of the accident. ” saying it was designed for off-road use only and that it was dangerous to use it on a paved road and on a slope.. He added that “accidental contact with raised kerbs may cause it to overturn. ” and said the open-sided nature of the vehicle made it unsafe to drive around the workplace.. The documents also say the traffic route was too narrow because the vehicle was not designed for use on a paved road.

Silverstone Circuits Limited denies liability.. Its barrister. Charles Woodhouse KC. said the accident was caused by Mr Holdsworth driving too fast and colliding with a kerb. which in turn caused the Gator to roll.. Mr Woodhouse told the court that the claimant was seen on approach towards Copse Tunnel travelling “at excessive speed. ” without wearing a seatbelt. and that CCTV “suggests that he was not holding the steering wheel with both hands.”

Mr Woodhouse’s account continues that once Mr Holdsworth turned towards Copse Tunnel and drove down the slope into it. he “clipped the kerb of the lane divider. causing the Gator to roll onto its nearside.” The defence says Mr Holdsworth was ejected from the Gator and argues that “If the claimant had been wearing a seatbelt. he would not have been ejected from the Gator.”

The circuit also rejects the idea the vehicle was unsuitable for road use.. In its defence. it describes the Gator as “road legal” and “suitable for use on the differing terrain around Silverstone. including roadways. gravel and grass fields.” The defence says Gators are easy to get in and out of and have an accessible loading bed for transporting equipment.. It adds that “A Gator is suitable for any person with a driving licence. ” and says “it is not necessary to provide specific training to any qualified driver to drive a Gator.”

A pattern runs through the dispute as both sides point to what should have mattered at the moment the vehicle left the workplace: Mr Holdsworth’s team says tyres. operator guidance. and a “sufficient risk assessment” were inadequate for paved roads and slopes. while the defence emphasises CCTV evidence of speed. seatbelt use. and hand placement before the kerb was clipped and the vehicle rolled.

The case has not yet gone before a judge, but it is expected to be listed for a full trial at a later date unless the parties settle outside court.

Silverstone Peter Holdsworth High Court F1 security manager John Deere Gator 4×4 compensation claim road legal seatbelt Copse Tunnel