World's first Gran Prix

It took place on a circuit where cars regularly hit 200mph, but these rather mature racers were likely to top out at a much more sedate 7mph.

However, what the OAP competitors in the first ever ‘Gran Prix’ lacked in speed, they more than made up for in enthusiasm as they guided their electric buggies round an 820ft obstacle course.

The race in Zandvoort, Holland, attracted 13 teams of five pensioners. Each had to guide their vehicles over speed bumps, across ramps and between slalom cones.

It was won in a time of two hours by three women and two men from a nursing home in Rotterdam, led by an 82-year-old.

Every team was given two new buggies to take home, while the winners walked away with three.

But not everyone was happy. Driver Wilhelmus Souren said: ‘I am 88. In the end my buggy’s battery was running out. It was very frustrating.’

Although an ambulance and four nurses were standing by, there was only one very minor injury, sustained by an 82-year-old woman, who hurt herself falling from her stationary buggy.

Dutch charity The National Fund for the Elderly organised the race to highlight the importance of mobility in combating loneliness. A spokesman said they hoped to attract international teams next year.