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The
2008 Race Retro, the international historic motorsport show, looks set to be in
pole position when it opens its doors from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th
March at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry. Historic and rare competition cars and
motorcycles spanning eight decades will be on display including off road, road
legal and track racers.
Saturday
and Sunday will see thrilling live action demonstrations inside and outside of
the show halls as the Classic Rally Car Stage features a host of legendary
rally cars including those deemed ‘too fast to race’, the Group B rally cars,
courtesy of Slowly Sideways UK. Entrance
to the rally stage is included free in the ticket price for Race Retro 2008
Race
Retro will also will pay tribute to the competition history of the Ford Motor
Company and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ford Escort’s
involvement in competitive motorsport with displays from many of the Ford
classic car clubs.
Motorsport’s
legendary racing drivers will be signing autographs and reuniting with their
competition cars including one of the most successful rally drivers of all time,
Markku Alén. He will be joined by Björn Waldegard and Gwyndaf Evans. Other
names include Ford’s former Director of Motorsport Stuart Turner, Ford Rally
Manager Tony Mason and current Ford WRC team leader Malcolm Wilson. Tim Reeves,
World Sidecar Champion for the past three years, will be joined by ten times
former champion Steve Webster MBE and several of the other former British
champion riders and passengers.
There
will also be historic kart racing demonstrations giving spectators a taste of
the speed reached by the 250 gearbox formula karts. And if that’s not enough
action, there will also be championship level autotests, showcasing expert car
control, as well as the vintage ‘Wall of Death’, a great travelling live show
featuring Indian V-Twin motorcycles.
The
hugely popular replica Ace Café will be the centrepiece of the motorcycle area
of the show and to celebrate its 70th Anniversary, the Ace Café is launching the
inaugural Café Racer Concours competition. Supported by Autoglym, Triumph
Motorcycles, and the VMCC, the Ace Café 70th Anniversary Café Racer Concours
carries a cash prize fund of £1,000 plus accessories and products prizes from
the sponsors.
Race
Retro 2008 will also pay tribute to British Sidecar World Champions
from Eric Oliver to Tim Reeves, with many of the World Championship winning
outfits showcased, while the Yamaha Classic Racing Team, from Holland, will
display six fully race prepared ex-works Yamaha GP racing motorcycles from the
Japanese manufacturer’s glorious GP racing past. The International Historic
Racing Organisation will focus on Seeley machines and visitors can expect to
see several variations on the Seeley, ranging from the Mk1 G50 through to
unusual examples such as the Seeley Gold Star.
And
if all this inspires you to invest in a competition car of your own, there is
the Bonhams Classic and Historic Motorsport Auction as well as the opportunity
to conduct private car sales and test drives. Tickets are available for one or
two days with savings when booking in advance. Children under 16 years are
given free entry to Race Retro. The show is open from 9.30am each day and
closes at 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday. To book tickets
and for the latest updates, visit www.raceretro.com
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