Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Thruxton: John Bennett’s Hometown Tour

With the summer break in full swing, drivers have the time to return home or jet off on holiday for an extended break away from the racing.

Home for John Bennett is Salisbury in the UK, and the Van Amersfoort Racing driver gave us a whistle-stop tour of his hometown, along with the must-see attractions and of course, where to go racing.

“I guess we have a couple things to do. Nothing adrenaline-inducing. We have Salisbury Cathedral, which was like the tallest building in the world back in the 1300s. And then there’s Stonehenge as well, which is pretty cool. Other than that, there’s hairdressers everywhere and my school…

“I don’t think I’ve ever gone out for breakfast in Salisbury, so it’s a bit tricky. I think we’d start the day out by going to the Cathedral. There are some cool cafes around the market square and the Guildhall. So we could go there for breakfast.

“For lunch, there’s a couple good Asian restaurants which I would say is my go-to. Good Thai and Vietnamese as well, not British food to be honest.

“We’re actually not far from Thruxton racetrack, so that’s the afternoon activity sorted, we can go go-karting. I used to have the track record round there, so I need to go back and get it again. That’s always fun though, especially when it rains.

“Then after there, Stonehenge – you’ve got to do that. I think they’re about 5000 years old or something like that. In the summer and winter solstice, they open it up and you’re allowed to camp there. So, you can watch the sun come up there which is really cool. Loads of people go apparently.

“Something else we could do is go to the local tennis club. Tennis was always my sport growing up and I played it for my school. I guess it’s the English version of padel which everyone loves now.

“Then for dinner, I’d say to go a little bit outside of Salisbury, and we can go to James May’s pub. I think it’s like 20 minutes away. I can’t remember what it’s called but we can go to the pub. And that’s English pub food, so we’ve hit the local cuisine as well.

“It’s peaceful in Salisbury though. Calming maybe compared to the racetracks. Stonehenge is cool on the solstice, and I’ve never done it but always wanted to. When I’m not racing, I might go.”