As
entries begin to pour in, star cars and drivers are lining up to
present some hugely entertaining racing at the 2012 Donington
Historic Festival (May 5th & 6th).
This beautiful Ferrari 250 GT has never actually been raced! Photo : Eric Sawyer |
Jackie
and Rohan will race against Lukas Hüni and Gary Pearson, who will
drive Hüni’s stunning SEFAC Ferrari 250 GT SWB. The last SEFAC
competition car ever built, this is the machine that Ricardo and
Pedro Rodriguez took to victory in the 1000km of Paris in 1961.
Coincidentally, in 1971 Pedro Rodriguez and Jackie Oliver joined
forces to win the Monza 1000km – one of the renowned Mexican
driver’s last-ever races.
Commenting
on his new drive, Jackie said, “Now
Kevin Wheatcroft has rescued the circuit from its near failure by the
last administration, I’m both relieved and delighted to be
back at Donington. This Historic Festival has now become the first
historic meeting for a new season, which means – with much
excitement – that we are all able to get back behind the wheel
after the winter break. For Rohan Fernando and myself with his
Ferrari 250 SWB it will be our first opportunity to see who and how
we will compete against others in Carol Spagg’s Pre-’63 GT
series. As this is the first time out with this iconic Ferrari in
racing prep by Pearson Engineering, it’s very interesting to see
how it will perform. Also I will compete once more in the Laranca BMW
TISA1800 for the U2TC series. It should be a great start to the 2012
classic season – and much to look forward to.”
Another
exceptional car in the Pre-’63 GT is the rare 1962 Porsche Carrera
Abarth GTL, one of just 21 of these ‘giant killers’ ever built.
Neil Tolich is travelling from New Zealand to share the car with Bill
Wykeham for the event. Other well-known faces out on the track for
the Pre-’63 GT will include musician Mark Knopfler, of Dire
Straights and Sultans of Swing fame, who will share his AC Ace with
Alain de Cadenet.
In
the 1000km race, Rainer Becker, founder of the Zuma group of
restaurants, will campaign his 910 Porsche against the Spanish
historic F1 racer, Joaquin Folch, in the Escuderia Montjuïc Ford
GT40 that won the 1968 1000km of Catalunya.
The Squire Short Chassis - Photo : Jonathan Green |
Finally,
Jonathan Turner’s 1935 Squire Short Chassis – an early entry for
the ‘Mad Jack’ race for pre-War sportscars – is a very rare
piece of British motoring history. The Squire Car Manufacturing
Company had a tiny production run, building just seven beautiful,
rakish cars before it was wound up in 1936. Squire’s founder,
Adrian Squire, who was just 26 years old when the company closed, had
worked up the initial designs – even producing a six-page catalogue
– while still at school. Sadly, the cost of his dream car was to
prove his undoing; at its launch the Squire was the most expensive
sportscar in Britain, costing approximately twice the price of a
2-litre Aston Martin.
Tickets
and information
Day
tickets for the Donington Historic Festival cost £18 in advance (£25
on the gate), while weekend tickets cost £30 in advance (£40 on the
gate). Children aged under 16 are admitted free. Entry tickets and
camping tickets can be bought via www.doningtonhistoric.com
and through the 24-hour ticket hotline 0844 873 7355.
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